Indeed, Chi Wu would have preferred Cheng Ying to personally escort him there. This request, however, was something Yingzi couldn't bring herself to voice directly.

Cheng Ying chided him, "You really do think of yourself as a young master, going back and forth causing so much trouble. I placed the newly knitted vest at the very bottom; remember to dig it out and wear it."

Chi Wu stayed by Cheng Ying’s side as she packed, his words soft, "Mm, I know."

Cheng Ying didn't catch the underlying sentiment in Chi Wu's heart; she was used to being coarse. "Look, the trousers Grandma made for you—why are they all yours?"

These clothes were merely styled by Cheng Ying, actually made by the old lady. They fit perfectly, certainly much better than the bell-bottoms people wore nowadays.

It wasn't without reason that Chi Wu stood out in a crowd.

Chi Wu chuckled foolishly, "Grandma dressing me shows she trusts me; it means she knows my resolve is firm. You'd better settle down."

Chi Wu thought to himself that he would only truly relax if Grandma insisted on making him wear flowery vests, but alas, the old lady had been influenced by her granddaughter.

This subtle thought was something Chi Wu couldn't share with anyone else.

If he dared to say, "I don't trust my wife," the old lady would only give him a glare or two.

But if Cheng Ying heard it, she would likely give him a severe dressing-down.

When it was time for Chi Wu to leave, the old lady practically wanted to pack up the entire house for him.

She packed four or five jars of pickles for Chi Wu, and a whole bag of boiled and salted eggs.

For the roasted chestnuts and walnuts, the old lady specifically found boxes from outside stores, loading an entire crate full for Chi Wu to take.

Cheng Ming watched Chi Wu load up the provisions. "Grandma, won't these things go bad if he takes them? You’ve packed far too much."

Chi Wu shamelessly retorted, "Salted eggs taste good even when they smell."

Cheng Ying interjected, "Why bother taking provisions? It would be less trouble to just pack meals from home. Look at this all-rounder—Grandma, I should just pack you up and take you with me!"

The old lady pulled her grandson-in-law close. "I'd be happy to go! You ungrateful thing. If you had gone to school with Wu Zi, wouldn't I be able to wander around B-City? Oh, it doesn't matter if he can't eat it all; he can share it with his friends. Understand?"

Chi Wu said, "Grandma, I get it. I'll be generous out there, and people will look out for me if I ever need anything."

The old lady nodded, realizing this child didn't need her instruction.

Cheng Ying pursed her lips, feeling like the least favored person in the house right now. "Fine, Grandma loves visiting B-City. When the winter break comes, we’ll pick you up together, and you can wander as you please."

The old lady didn't even bat an eyelid, angered by her own granddaughter. "Get lost! How can that be the same? You give me such a headache. What am I doing all this for?"

Chi Wu played along to support his wife, "That’s great, that’s great! Yingzi, you promised! You’re really going to come pick me up?"

Cheng Ying raised her hand to look at the new watch Chi Wu had bought her. "Ah, why isn't Miss Qingfang coming to see you off this time?"

I’m definitely not taking that bait, she thought, at least I can change the subject.

Chi Wu’s face darkened. He didn't like hearing that, yet Yingzi insisted on bringing it up. "I'm leaving first."

Then, Fatty Sun drove away, under the pretense of inspecting a branch store. Heaven knew why such a big boss needed to go over there himself—wasn't he just acting as a chauffeur? Working for others wasn't easy; earning someone else's money truly was tough.

Cheng Ying had no trouble adjusting to the new school.

It was much the same as before; she still didn't have many friends. However, here she had a brother, and her brother had more friends. Back when they were at the old school, everyone called her Jie (older sister) following Chi Wu.

Now, everyone called her Meizi (younger sister) following Cheng Ming—and a beautiful Dà-meizi (older, lovely sister) at that.

Chi Wu had originally felt reassured that Cheng Ying was with Cheng Ming, but he hadn't realized this was someone specifically inviting wolves to the flock.

There was one other benefit: the mentally unstable Shen Cheng, who realized he’d been duped, had found out which university Cheng Ying was attending. Since then, he had been mailing Cheng Ying a crank letter once a week, making sure to swagger past Chi Wu a couple of times before dropping the letter into the mailbox.

It demonstrated that distance couldn't halt his pursuit.

Now, things were peaceful. Whenever Chi Wu saw the deranged Shen Cheng approaching the mailbox to post a letter, he felt a profound sense of relief. His wife wasn't there anymore; let him continue his devoted pining. He felt incredibly satisfied inside. The feeling of subtly winning against someone was wonderful.

To speak selfishly, Chi Wu’s strong support for his wife transferring schools wasn't entirely without this factor. At the university, it was hard for Chi Wu to ignore the deranged one. This Shen Cheng was too active at school, sometimes even making Chi Wu acutely aware of his own shortcomings—a formidable rival! Of course, if you ignored this fellow’s unstable personality, he wouldn't even qualify as an opponent.

Yingzi definitely wouldn't like someone like that. Chi Wu was completely certain of this in his heart.

Chi Wu was secretly smug at school; traveling back and forth was much more comfortable than the previous month. He no longer felt like he was constantly being watched.

However, expecting to return home once a week was unrealistic.

Even driving himself, it was impractical. Occasionally, when Chi Wu felt restless, he would drive all night Friday, stay home Saturday, and then drive a whole day back on Sunday.

This level of dedication earned Sun Pangzi’s immense admiration. He recalled that when he was pursuing his own wife, he hadn't undertaken such a massive logistical operation, no matter how far the distance.

The old lady was truly heartbroken. Wasn’t this child courting death? She had heard recently about the increase in driving accidents. The old lady simply couldn't be happy and instructed her granddaughter to properly comfort Chi Wu and tell him not to exert himself unnecessarily.

With winter break approaching, there was really no need to rush home so desperately.

Most importantly, she wanted her granddaughter to treat Chi Wu better, soothe his heart, and stop him from constantly worrying about home.

Finally, the old lady, who felt sorry for her grandson, always arranged for her sworn godson (Fatty Sun) to drive him back.

Cheng Ying and the old lady stood at the doorway to see Chi Wu off early in the morning. This was the second round trip of frantic travel this month.

The old lady said, "Study hard!"

Cheng Ying told him, "Don't worry about things at home. Just focus on your studies, and stop rushing back and forth. Grandma worries."

Chi Wu sat in the car, nodding with a noble and reserved air. Did his frequent returns start to annoy people?

The old lady finally managed to say, "I'll keep an eye on Yingzi for you." Chi Wu pursed his lips and smiled happily.

Then, Dry Uncle (Gan Shu) called out to the car window, "Mom, let's go back, it’s cold."

The old lady walked back toward the doorway. Oh, you troublesome thing! She worried if her grandson-in-law and granddaughter were separated by such a distance, she wouldn't feel at ease. But now they were so clingy, and the road was too long. Why did he have to make such a fuss?

Dry Uncle slowly started the car.

The old lady felt it was all due to her granddaughter’s lack of understanding. She pinched Cheng Ying lightly. Such a cold send-off! No wonder Wu Zi keeps running back here. Couldn't you say a few nice words?

The old lady was exasperated.

Cheng Ying didn't understand the old lady’s meaning. "What's wrong?" She turned back to look at the car carrying Chi Wu and Dry Uncle driving slowly away, wondering if something was amiss.

The old lady spoke gruffly. Her granddaughter looked generous, but she was clearly clueless. The old lady now understood: these two children had no deep physical intimacy whatsoever; having been through it all, she knew just from visiting their room twice that morning.

Oh, a grandmother’s worries! If the children aren't obedient, you worry. If they are too obedient, you worry just as much. Do these two children understand anything? The old lady was vexed to death, but she couldn't ask Yingzi, much less Wu Zi.

Thinking back on the busyness of that morning, the old lady quickly recalled, They should understand by now.

Chi Wu looked straight ahead, his expression cold, aloof, and noble—anyone would think he was heading to a parliamentary session.

Suddenly, Chi Wu burst into a spasm of laughter on the car seat, bending his entire waist over.

Dry Uncle slammed on the brakes, nearly causing a collision. "What are you doing? What’s so funny that you're convulsing like that?"

Chi Wu gasped, "Did you see that? Did you see it? Yingzi looked back! She looked back!"

Dry Uncle’s face darkened. What the heck is wrong with this troublesome kid? Has he gone crazy? "So what if she did?"

Chi Wu cried out, "You don't know anything! I’ve traveled back and forth so many times—no, since I was little, I’ve always been the one to look back at her. This is the first time Yingzi looked back at me! Why shouldn't I be happy? Oh, from now on, I won't look back. Maybe Yingzi will look back at me more often?"

Chi Wu seriously pondered this question.

Fatty Sun scoffed, "Yeah, just keep staring intently into the rearview mirror."

With that, he shifted gears and sped away, vowing never again to accompany the erratic kid during one of his fits.

Chi Wu lowered his head and fell silent. It was true; his eyes hadn't left the rearview mirror.

Chi Wu had long lost any shred of dignity in front of Fatty Sun ever since he asked for tips on courting a wife. Chi Wu held his head high, content in his own world. "So what if I look in the rearview mirror? I might have lost my dignity internally, but I have face!"

Fatty Sun shot him a sidelong glance. "People obsessed with saving face usually end up as enlightened high monks in the latter half of their lives."

This was the peculiar dynamic of their friendship.

Whether Chi Wu left or stayed was something Cheng Ying had become accustomed to; people are creatures of habit.

It was just that every day, their old lady would murmur Chi Wu’s name three or five times, always directing it at Cheng Ying. Her implication was painfully obvious.

Cheng Ying would tease her grandmother about it, wondering if this counted as loyalty to a promise. Having agreed to something for Wu Zi, Grandma was really taking it to heart. "Grandma, how much salary does Chi Wu pay you? You're certainly an effective spokesperson for him."

The old lady swatted her granddaughter’s arm. "Nonsense! I can’t be bothered talking to you. Here, I can still nag you a little to remind you. Chi Wu is a man, alone outside—he’s like an untethered mule! Wouldn't he be running wild? If anything ever happened to him, what would you and I do? You, oh, you—you’re going to kill me with worry!"

Grandma was genuinely worried. How could young newlyweds bear to be apart for such long periods? Any affection could wear away.

Yingzi was too young to understand. How could a child as good as Wu Zi find a second one? He cared for his granddaughter, knew how to manage a home, and got along with Grandma. What a wonderful match!

Cheng Ying reassured her, "Grandma, you don't need to worry so much. If anything changes, it’s their loss. For a family like ours, with a granddaughter who has my character, they couldn't find a second one even with searchlights. Rest assured."

An old fox like me probably won't find a second one either, she mused.

The old lady retorted, "I don't care if they find one or not. Could you find anyone better than Wu Zi?"