Chapter 38: Obtaining the License 2

After having breakfast at the hotel restaurant, the two headed towards the airport. Chen Zhong was left in Hangzhou to handle the follow-up matters.

Lu Jingchen had originally booked a flight for noon, but when they arrived at the airport, it was still a bit early. He checked the flight information again and noticed an earlier flight. He immediately changed his ticket.

An hour later, the plane took off.

He had purchased a business class ticket. Qin Ruyan felt a little drowsy after boarding the plane. She leaned her head on Lu Jingchen’s shoulder, and he held one of her hands.

Lu Jingchen put his other arm around her shoulders, lowered his head, and coaxed the person in his arms.

“Go to sleep.”

Qin Ruyan fell asleep soon after. Lu Jingchen pressed the call button, and the flight attendant politely entered the cabin. They were slightly stunned when they saw the two of them.

It was rare to see such stunning and well-matched couples.

Lu Jingchen lowered his voice.

“Please get me a blanket.” His voice was low but polite, and his eyes remained on the girl leaning on his shoulder the entire time.

The flight attendant smiled and replied, then turned and walked out. After a while, they returned with a blanket in hand.

Lu Jingchen took the blanket and draped it over Qin Ruyan. The flight attendant politely left again.

Two hours later, the plane landed at Beijing Airport.

Qin Ruyan had already woken up before landing. She had slept for a long time, and the position wasn’t very comfortable. She reached out and rubbed her neck.

“Uncomfortable?” Lu Jingchen looked at her from beside her.

“No, I just slept in one position for too long, so my neck might be a bit stiff.” Her voice was soft and tender because she had just woken up.

Lu Jingchen nodded understandingly and reached out to massage her neck.

The soreness disappeared after a few minutes.

“Where are we going now? To my uncle’s house?” Qin Ruyan raised her eyes and looked at him.

“Yes. My car is parked in the airport parking lot. Let’s first get some gifts and then go to your uncle’s place. Should we call your uncle beforehand, Ruyan?” Lu Jingchen held her hand, pushing her suitcase with his other hand.

Qin Ruyan nodded. “I’ll call him when we get in the car.”

The airport was quite crowded and noisy.

Lu Jingchen smiled and took two brand new masks out of his pocket.

He put one on Qin Ruyan and then put one on himself. There were many people at the airport, and many eyes were looking at him and her. He didn’t mind, but some of the looks directed at Qin Ruyan made him uncomfortable.

They walked to the parking lot and got into the car. Qin Ruyan called her uncle.

Lu Jingchen drove to the mall first. He bought a lot of things.

Even though Qin Chaoyang’s family didn’t lack anything, this was his first time visiting them, and he was going to take his future wife away. Naturally, he couldn’t be lacking in courtesy.

He only felt satisfied after filling the entire trunk with things.

He then drove the car to a secluded alleyway.

Qin Ruyan was startled. “Where are we?”

Lu Jingchen didn’t say anything. He held her hand and walked inside. He stopped in front of a door and knocked.

“Aunt Shen.”

After a while, the door opened.

The person who came out was about fifty years old, with traces of time on her face, but her temperament and cultivation were clearly not from an ordinary family.

Qin Ruyan tugged at Lu Jingchen’s sleeve.

“Ruyan, this is Aunt Shen.” He didn’t say anything else. She didn’t ask further, but simply turned her head and greeted her.

“Aunt Shen, hello. I’m Qin Ruyan.”

Aunt Shen responded and greeted Qin Ruyan as well. Then, she looked at the two of them holding hands and smiled. “Don’t be so polite. Standing at the door like this looks strange. Come inside and talk.”

She walked ahead, and Lu Jingchen held Qin Ruyan’s hand and followed behind.

After they entered and sat down, they began talking.

Aunt Shen looked at Qin Ruyan again, then turned to look at Lu Jingchen, slowly saying, “Is this the girl? Are you two settled?”

Lu Jingchen hummed, “It’s always been her.”

Qin Ruyan was a bit confused.

Aunt Shen stood up and walked into the house.

Qin Ruyan looked at Lu Jingchen, not understanding.

“Aunt Shen is the daughter of my grandfather’s comrade-in-arms. Back then, her father sacrificed himself to protect my grandfather. Aunt Shen has been living alone for so many years, and I occasionally come over to keep her company.”

Lu Jingchen explained, “Yan’er, I want to take you to meet my family. Aunt Shen is also family to me. As for my parents and grandfather, whenever you’re ready, you can meet them.”

Qin Ruyan nodded, “I’m fine. Can I meet them after we get the marriage certificate today?”

Lu Jingchen was taken aback. He didn’t expect her to be willing to meet his family so quickly. He squeezed her fingers, feeling a mix of emotions.

He hadn’t missed the hesitation in her eyes when she agreed to marry him last night, guessing that some external factors might have pushed her.

As for what those reasons were, he didn’t know yet. But, so what? He wouldn’t let go. Even if she was with him for other reasons, he didn’t care. He only cared about the outcome.

Two minutes later, Aunt Shen came out again.

She was holding two boxes, one big and one small, and handed them to Lu Jingchen.

Lu Jingchen took them with a smile and handed the boxes to Qin Ruyan.

Qin Ruyan took them with confusion. She opened the small box and looked inside. It contained a tassel hair ornament. It was clear that it was very old, like an antique. She was stunned and looked up at Aunt Shen, then at Lu Jingchen.

“Girl, open the other box and take a look.”

Aunt Shen looked at Qin Ruyan with a kind smile.

She lowered her head and opened the other box.

It was a sky-blue cheongsam.

Her eyes lit up, and she looked up at Aunt Shen and Lu Jingchen again.

“This was made eight years ago when Jingchen came to me. I used to make cheongsams, but I hadn’t touched them for many years. Back then, Jingchen begged me for a long time, saying he had his eye on a girl. She was very beautiful and would look great in a cheongsam made by me.”

Aunt Shen smiled, as if lost in memories.

“I’ve practically watched Jingchen grow up. That was the first time he was so excited. I couldn’t bear to disappoint him, so I rushed and finished this cheongsam in three months. But when I contacted him to tell him it was done and asked him to pick it up, he told me the girl was gone, he couldn’t find her, and the cheongsam couldn’t be delivered. But a few days later, he sent someone to deliver a hair ornament, saying that he would find that girl again someday and personally bring her to pick it up.”

Qin Ruyan had heard him mention that he had liked her for eight years, but she didn’t know that if she hadn’t gone abroad, he would have started pursuing her back then? When she was in her second year of high school, before she was even an adult?

“What are you staring at me for?” Lu Jingchen saw her face getting a little red and her expression a little dazed as she stared at him. He looked up at Aunt Shen, then lowered his head and whispered,

“Don’t look at me like that outside. I’ll want to kiss you. When we get home, you can look at me however you want.”

Qin Ruyan’s face turned even redder. She glared at him, but it had no effect.

“Go try it on? See if my visual estimate of your measurements back then was accurate?”

She was in her second year of high school back then, still developing, so he had made the length of the cheongsam a bit longer. But when she returned to the country this year, he found that she was even thinner than before.

Aunt Shen watched their interaction and smiled, “Go try it on.”

She led Qin Ruyan into the inner room and stopped in front of a room.

“Go in and change. If you need help, just call me.”

Qin Ruyan nodded and went inside, gently closing the door.