CHAPTER 144: CHAPTER 143: HE CHEN, PLEASE COME BACK SOON

This wave of heartfelt expression directly made He Chen feel shy, his gaze moved, somewhat excited, his eyes full of love and emotion.

He held onto Ye Manman’s hand, wrapping that soft, slender little hand in his palm and gently rubbing it twice, just as he was about to say something, suddenly the voice of a buyer came from the door.

"Hey, boss, two pounds of duck neck and lotus root slices, please."

He Chen was forcibly interrupted, his expression somewhat aggrieved, but he had no choice but to let go of her hand and return to the counter to sell goods.

He couldn’t let things go on like this, he had to think of a way to free his hands, otherwise, he would have no opportunity during the day to be alone with Ye Manman.

He Chen was extremely frustrated, while collecting money, he also began to contemplate a new way out.

He had the recipe and startup capital, but no big factory or brand presence in the city, which meant he could only be a small shop owner selling retail, making it hard to earn more money and free up his hands.

Regarding this, He Chen decided to conduct a round of market research and experimentation.

His mind worked exceptionally fast in business matters, and the Fried Chicken business of Jiang Yuan and her brother no longer required his attention, while Ye Manman’s daily life was already very well arranged.

With Jiang Yuan and her brother in the store, Jiang Tianrui could even cook, so He Chen could have the chance to go out and try, but he would have to temporarily entrust Ye Manman to this brother and sister, at least to care for her three meals a day.

He Chen talked to Jiang Tianrui about this issue separately. Jiang Tianrui’s older brother happened to be out running market surveys too, aligning with He Chen’s direction.

That night, Jiang Tianrui arranged a meeting with He Chen and his older brother Jiang Tiancheng, the two men had an in-depth discussion about market surveys, and both benefited greatly, deciding to start research in the nearby cities in a few days.

Although the direction they wanted to research was different, they both aimed to expand the market without any overlap or conflict. They only needed to agree on a time to take a car to the city for their respective research and then exchange information.

Going to the nearby cities for research, it was unclear how many days they would be away. Although Ye Manman initially felt a bit reluctant, she still strongly supported his career.

After all, in the book, He Chen was a man who became a great businessman without anyone’s help, he could definitely do it, and she would never be a hindrance to his career because of her petty daily matters.

The night before he left, He Chen had already prepared everything at home that could be prepared in advance: he filled the water tank, washed and stored all the clothes, and even prepared lots of snacks for hunger and cravings.

In every aspect, He Chen took care of everything he could think of.

That night, after taking a shower, Ye Manman lay on the bed, watching He Chen bending over packing his luggage, just packing a few change of clothes simply, not bringing much else, and suddenly, she felt a bit choked up.

"He Chen..."

These past few days, she had been trying hard not to think about this issue, as she had always lived alone before, but now, seeing him pack with her own eyes, Ye Manman couldn’t help feeling her eyes heat up.

She never thought she would be reluctant for someone’s brief departure, as she was always alone before.

In the past, she lived alone, ate alone, slept alone, traveled alone, and never even missed her parents, never feeling sad about them leaving in a hurry after a New Year’s Eve dinner, but now, she was just reluctant.

Ye Manman had never experienced this feeling, just at the thought of He Chen leaving her for many days, her heart seemed to be tightly gripped, making her feel breathless.

"I don’t want you to leave..."

Just saying this, Ye Manman’s voice changed from normal to choked and then quickly began to sob softly.

He Chen immediately put down what he was holding, ran to the bed, hugged her, gently kissed her forehead and cheeks, and hugged her tightly, their cheeks pressed together.

"I don’t want to leave you either..."

"I don’t want to leave you at all, Manman. If I could, I’d put you in my pocket and carry you with me all the time."

His actions were urgent and quick, clearly having endured for a long time, trembling slightly as he hugged Ye Manman, his voice resonating with deep emotion.

If he wasn’t controlling himself hard, he might have cried out with Ye Manman.

But he couldn’t, as a man, he couldn’t cry with her, which would only make him more reluctant to leave, and make her sadder.

"Be good, rest at home for a few days, I’ve told Jiang Tianrui, he will make sure you’re fed every day, you three eat together, it’s very safe, nothing to worry about, don’t be afraid."

He gently stroked her back, soothing her, as if also soothing himself.

Ye Manman bit his shoulder, crying like a wronged cat.

"I don’t want you to go, He Chen, come back soon, please?"

She bit down hard, but with no strength, leaving no mark on He Chen’s shoulder.

He Chen’s large hand cradled her fluffy head, gently stroking her smooth long hair, his eyes slightly red.

"Alright, I definitely will come back soon, you must eat well and sleep well at home, you can bathe less, just wipe your body a bit, don’t heat water yourself, it’s easy to get hurt, I’ve told Jiang Tianrui to heat water for you every day and fill two thermos bottles."

"I’ve folded all the clothes in the cabinet for you, just change into new ones if they get dirty. Put the old ones together, and I’ll wash them when I come back, don’t wash them yourself, it’s easy to freeze your hands."

"Oh, and, when I’m not here at night, make sure to lock the door securely, lock both upstairs and downstairs, I left the keys on the table."

"If it gets cold when you sleep at night, wear more clothes, I’ve made up a bed, you can cover it tomorrow, don’t fill a hot water bottle yourself, it’s easy to burn yourself."

"If you don’t like the food Jiang Tianrui makes, go to the state-run restaurant, but make sure to go with those two, you can treat them, I’ve put money in the hidden compartment under the drawer of the bedside table, you must eat well."

"..."

When it came to instructions, He Chen seemed to be unable to stop, repeating himself endlessly, wishing to take out a notebook and jot things down.

Ye Manman felt deeply moved and extremely reluctant in her heart, yet she didn’t want to say anything to keep him from going. After all, it’s not a long separation, just a few days.

Saying too much would only make him feel worse.

His voice was trembling, indicating he was holding back as well.

Thinking of this, Ye Manman felt even more distressed.

He Chen was still giving endless instructions when she suddenly embraced him and used her lips to block his mouth.

The endless stream of warnings came to a halt, He Chen’s lips trembled slightly, holding tightly onto this person whom he dared not lose or break.

Their hot breathes quickly intertwined, neither wanting to let go, only separating briefly for air.

"He Chen, today let’s not use that, okay?"

Ye Manman tightly held onto this only man in her heart, her gaze seductive and alluring.

She didn’t want any barriers between them now.

He Chen stared at her for a long moment before gently responding with a "Mm".

"Okay."

That night, they used all their strength, as if this separation was the last frenzy, their determination seeming to embed each other into their souls, never to part.