Chapter 13: You Must Faithfully Uphold the Virtues of Manhood!

Upon reading the letter, a faint smile naturally curved his lips. The brightness of his face softened, and his eyes grew inexplicably tender—a warmth he himself failed to notice.

"Hello, Meng Jingchen. I've missed you quite a bit lately. Do you miss me too?"

"I don’t care either way; I just miss you, and that settles it. Also, since I’m not by your side, don’t you dare get involved with any other women. Be faithful and uphold your honor as a man!"

"The next time we meet, I’ll give you a big surprise."

"Take good care of yourself, Meng Jingchen."

"Love you, Jingchen. Heart~"

Those few simple lines made Meng Jingchen’s face flush with warmth. Ye Wan was truly bold and straightforward! Just look at what she said... Yet this little girl dared to say anything—telling him to keep distance from other female colleagues and to uphold his honor. How endearing!

Of course, even if she hadn’t mentioned it, he would have done all that anyway. Now that he was a married man with a family, he knew exactly what was appropriate and what was not.

Such a playful spirit! The next time he saw her, he was determined to give this little chubby girl a proper teasing. Otherwise, she might truly think she could resist him!

Thinking of this, Meng Jingchen laughed quietly to himself.

Looking at the little heart at the end of her message, though he had never been in love and didn’t fully understand, he recognized it as an expression of affection.

He felt happy.

For the first time, a sweet feeling blossomed within him, intoxicating and irresistible.

Meng Jingchen stared at the letter for a long while before reluctantly folding it and tucking it close to his chest. Her handwriting was truly exquisite—worthy of being his wife’s.

But then, there was the package.

Meng Jingchen opened it to find two small jars of pickled vegetables inside. His eyes flickered, and a gentle smile tugged at his lips, a stirring emotion glimmering in his gaze.

Being cared for like this felt wonderful.

For the first time, he experienced such tender emotions.

He liked it very much.

He was deeply attached to this sweetness.

However, what puzzled him was the "surprise" Ye Wan had mentioned in her letter.

It made his heart itch with curiosity.

He longed to know.

But since she hadn’t said, he could only wait for the next letter.

Sigh.

Gazing at the pickles before him, he found himself missing that little chubby girl.

He wondered how she had been these past two months.

Had she lost weight?

Had she run into any trouble or been bullied?

Unease lingered in his heart.

Of course, having witnessed many affairs of the world, situations like Ye Wan and her grandfather’s were nothing new to him.

At this thought, his gaze hardened immediately.

Meng Jingchen could never allow anyone to bully them!

With that resolve, he grabbed the phone beside him and quickly called his brother-in-law.

Naturally, the call was to ensure they took good care of Ye Wan and her grandfather.

In truth, whatever resentment he once held toward Ye Wan’s grandfather had long since dissipated.

He didn’t care about the old man’s ways.

After all, without him, he wouldn’t have been able to marry Ye Wan.

And since the grandfather was an elder, he had no desire to keep harboring anger.

Nor did he want to make things difficult for Ye Wan.

Meanwhile, Ye Wan had finished her afternoon meal and had started exercising in the courtyard again—jumping frog hops, running laps, and so forth.

Beside her, Ye Cheng was running alongside his granddaughter in the yard.

He claimed they were exercising together for their health, but in truth, he just wanted company so he wouldn’t feel lonely.

Watching his granddaughter’s earnest effort to lose weight, he felt a deep ache in his heart.

A pang of jealousy, too.

After all, all the hard work and transformation she had undergone were because of that troublesome Meng Jingchen.

He couldn’t bear to see his granddaughter dieting or learning to cook, all because of that boy.

How could he not feel a bit envious?

"Xiao Wan, if you’re tired, take a good rest. Look at you—you’ve lost so much weight already. No need to push yourself so hard. In Grandpa’s eyes, my Xiao Wan is already perfect!"

"Don’t care what others think," Ye Cheng encouraged gently, running alongside his granddaughter.

"Grandpa, it’s nothing. I’m fine and I can persevere. Weight loss is a long journey. Though I’ve slimmed down, exercising is good for my health. I know I’m the best in your eyes, and I don’t care about others’ opinions!" Ye Wan smiled.

"I’m very generous, you know," she added cheerfully.

Though she no longer had a scale, she could feel her current weight.

Before losing weight, she must have been around two hundred and ten pounds. Now, two months later, she weighed about one hundred and twenty pounds, standing roughly 1.7 meters tall.

Not exactly overweight anymore—more like well-proportioned—but she still wanted to maintain this state.

Besides, drinking the miraculous spring water daily made her feel as strong as an ox.

Though she now appeared delicate, her strength was formidable.

"Of course! My granddaughter is the most beautiful girl in ten miles around," Ye Cheng said proudly.

Indeed.

His son and daughter-in-law were good-looking, so naturally, their daughter would be no less.

"Grandpa, stop flattering me. If you praise me more, I’ll get a big head," Ye Wan laughed.

"Flattery? I’m just stating facts. If that troublesome boy hadn’t set his eyes on you first, with your current looks, you could choose any man you want!" Ye Cheng chuckled.

"Hmph, I was really hasty back then," he muttered, somewhat regretful.

Indeed.

With the granddaughter’s transformation, she could attract any suitor she desired.

And being so outstanding, naturally...

"Grandpa, you’re just boasting to yourself. I’m only wonderful in your eyes; to others, I’m just average," Ye Wan said bashfully.

There was no escaping it.

Her grandfather praised her constantly, filling her with emotional support, but sometimes she found it overwhelming.

This was the classic case of a parent seeing their child as the best in the world.

Ye Wan was shy beyond words, struggling to handle so much attention.

Fortunately, no one else was around—otherwise, she would be mortified.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the courtyard gate—“Knock, knock, knock!”

"Ye Wan?" At that moment, Da Ya, eyes reddened, pushed open the door and saw the two running in the yard. She froze.

Heavens!

Is that really Ye Wan?

How could she have become so beautiful, so stunning?

Her fair skin looked like porcelain, cheeks flushed from running, eyes bright and shimmering like autumn waters, her delicate face left Da Ya speechless—astonishingly beautiful!

Her loose clothes swayed slightly but added an indescribable charm. Simply put, she looked gorgeous.

Heavens!

That was definitely Ye Wan!

What happened to the bulky girl who once weighed over two hundred pounds?

How did she become so tall and graceful?

It had only been two months since they last met.

How had she changed so much?

She had shed half of herself.

Da Ya’s eyes nearly popped out in shock.

"Da Ya, what do you want?" Ye Wan frowned.

Honestly, she didn’t like Da Ya very much.

In the original story, Da Ya was no good—always egging others on to bully the protagonist and constantly plotting mischief. Not a good person at all.

And now, she showed up uninvited?

"I... I don’t have any particular reason," Da Ya stammered.

"It’s just... how did you become like this? You’ve lost so much weight. You looked fine before," she said, staring at Ye Wan with a hint of envy.

No wonder—Ye Wan was simply too beautiful.

Standing next to her, Da Ya felt like an ugly duckling among ugly ducklings.

Her heart sank with self-doubt.

How could this be?