CHAPTER 136: CHAPTER 135: I’LL USE THAT IN THE FUTURE

He Chen was jolted by her tiny finger, almost jumping on the spot.

Turning his head, he grabbed the mischievous little hand. Knowing Ye Manman was ticklish, but not wanting to poke her, he could only gently rub her small hand.

Seeing Ye Manman’s puzzled expression, he caressed her smooth cheek, his eyes filled with deep concern.

"It’s not that I’ve come to terms; it’s just that I know you’ll definitely get into a good university. I can’t bear the thought of you going alone to a strange city, so I have to make more plans."

"These days, while you all study hard, it’s not just Jiang Yuan who feels the urgency. I feel it too. I don’t want to be apart from you, so I definitely plan to go with you then."

"Opening a small shop won’t be enough. If I’m confined to such a small shop, I definitely won’t keep up with your pace. I want to expand the market outward, so I’m thinking that when we leave, the shop will be turned over to Jiang Yuan."

"Isn’t she very close to you? This location is great, and transferring to someone else wouldn’t be worthwhile. After we teach her for a while, whether she can manage it or not, if she does well, that’s best. I’d just hand the shop to her, she earns money, and goes to find you both, wouldn’t you be very happy?"

"As long as you’re happy, I’ll do anything."

"Yesterday, I was unhappy, just worried that the male-female distinction might have a bad influence, but you said her brother would be there too, so I have no more concerns."

He spoke gently, his tone steady, his eyes filled with grand ambitions and visions for their future.

Ye Manman never thought he would associate so much and so far from something so small, and she was deeply moved for a moment.

Moreover, she felt a bit guilty.

"I’m sorry, I’ve only been thinking about myself and going out."

She had always been focused on her own future development, only thinking about succeeding academically in the future, earning a lot of money, taking He Chen to live a good life, and traveling abroad, but she had never specifically thought about how they would move step by step in the future.

Meanwhile, He Chen had been making plans everywhere for both of their futures, steadily securing every step.

At this moment, for the first time in her life, Ye Manman experienced the feeling of having family, that mix of bitterness and sweetness felt so good.

Her parents were always out and about, getting further and further away. She learned to move farther and farther, studying abroad, traveling overseas, never missing home since there were never people at home who cared for her or she cared for.

The concepts from the past indeed influenced her deeply. Even when she accepted sharing her life with He Chen, she believed it was enough; they already had a home.

But it wasn’t until this moment that she truly understood what home really was—it’s where both people are, not where they separate and drift farther apart.

No matter how much money they make, it’s just walking the old path her parents took, seeming close but actually distant.

All along, she was just like her parents, even though she detested how they were, she unknowingly became the same.

Thinking of this, Ye Manman’s mood suddenly dropped, a mix of self-blame and other complex emotions making her feel quite uncomfortable.

He Chen felt a pain seeing her expression and quickly hugged her, laying his big hand gently on her back, soothing her emotions.

"Silly, I’ve told you before there’s no need to say sorry to me. It’s my lack of ability to go to university with you, so doing business and making preparations to keep up with you are things I should do. Don’t be unhappy, alright?"

He didn’t know what Ye Manman thought of, maybe recalling the past, things he couldn’t control, but He Chen felt he needed to make her think more fondly of things with him in their future and feel happy.

Not that he could stop her from reminiscing the past, but trying to ensure that her present and future are happier every day was not wrong.

Ye Manman didn’t make a sound, leaving He Chen unsure if she was still sad, so he took the initiative to explain.

"I’m actually not that tired, nor do I find it troublesome. You really shouldn’t overthink it, we are originally husband and wife, meant to be together for life. If you want to go out, I’ll go with you, what’s so strange about that."

"This is all that I should do, after all, I am a man."

He deliberately raised an arm, tensed it a bit, and the large muscles bulged eagerly, stretching the originally loose sleeve taut.

"Look, I may not say anything else, but I have plenty of strength and drive. I also have a lot of ideas not yet implemented. I really want to go to the big city with you. That way, we can truly spread our wings in business, make it big, make it far, and earn more money."

Seeing him acting so foolishly, Ye Manman suddenly laughed.

She squeezed his arm hard, couldn’t move it, then looked up and scolded him playfully.

"Always like this, I can’t move it!"

With that said, Ye Manman took advantage of He Chen not paying attention and suddenly scratched his waist with her other hand.

This made He Chen shiver from ticklishness instantly, his arm lost its strength, and the muscle suddenly softened a lot.

Ye Manman triumphantly squeezed it hard, and finally hummed satisfactorily.

"Then let’s go to Jing City together. I just want to get into Qing University, and Jing City is the best place for development. Once we’re stable and making money, then we can have children. By then, we’ll have enough to raise them well."

Speaking of having children, He Chen’s ears blushed a little red.

He suddenly recalled their first night, when they hadn’t used any protection at all. It felt really marvelous.

At the time, he was very worried about instantly having a child, deeply regretting and blaming himself for being impulsive and mindless, but when Ye Manman got her period a few days later, he finally sighed in relief.

It’s not that he didn’t want children or didn’t like them. In fact, He Chen really wanted a child of their own; he was just more worried about her pregnancy interfering with her exams and admission.

Moreover, while their current conditions are somewhat better than before, they still haven’t reached the urban middle-class level; there’s still quite a gap. He doesn’t want to rashly have a child and let it suffer with him.

Almost sensing his thoughts, Ye Manman suddenly leaned close to him.

"So you think that without using those contraceptives, it feels better and don’t really want to use them?"

One look and she knew He Chen was remembering their first night, his whole ears turning red, no guessing needed.

He Chen felt inexplicably embarrassed, somewhat afraid to meet her clear eyes.

"I, I haven’t used them before, so I don’t know, but I also don’t want to have a child now, don’t want to delay your college entry or cause you any trouble. So..."

The next sentence He Chen said like a mosquito buzzing.

"So I will use that in the future..."

Though they had already consummated their marriage, and He Chen had experienced a whole night, he still felt overwhelmed whenever discussing these topics, not knowing where to put his hands.

Ye Manman found his demeanor particularly amusing and couldn’t resist teasing him.

"Then, when are you going to get some?"

Her question made not just his ears red; He Chen felt like his whole face was burning.

"I’ll go get some in a little while."

After saying this, He Chen hastily glanced at her, a big grown man, who had just shown off his muscles, now looking nervous like a schoolboy sneaking a peek at his teacher.

"How about tonight, is that okay?"