Cycling: Racing into the Headwind

After discussing her own affairs, Chen Junyi turned and headed back to the base.

Working in the same city was just too convenient.

Zhang Wanqing and her husband watched their daughter hurry away, not even staying for a single night, and let out a soft sigh.

In their eyes, for Chen Junyi to have said what she did was tantamount to admitting, to their faces, that she was open to developing a relationship with Huang Chong.

And she had said it with such conviction, backing it up with sound reasoning, that it left them utterly speechless.

They knew their daughter all too well. When she rejected suitors, she would receive a love letter only to throw it away without a second glance.

If it was online, she would simply block her admirers.

To be honest, the couple had never once worried about their daughter dating too early as she was growing up.

Chen Junyi’s self-discipline in her studies meant she dealt with all those unnecessary distractions herself, and quite capably at that.

But now she had graduated from university; it was indeed time for her to start dating.

And given her personality, now that she had decided she wanted to be in a relationship, she certainly wouldn’t hide it from them.

If you asked, she would answer.

If you wanted to see a photo, she would really show you.

She was the epitome of frankness and sincerity, not hiding a thing.

"Do you think we can take what Nannan said seriously, Old Chen? She’s not actually planning to get into a relationship with that Huang Chong, is she?"

In her heart, Zhang Wanqing wasn’t opposed to the idea, as she didn’t dislike Huang Chong.

Although she had never met him in person or even shared a meal with him, she trusted her daughter’s judgment.

Ordinary guys really couldn’t catch Chen Junyi’s eye.

She had always been at the top of her class, and growing up, she had met a countless number of academically gifted boys.

But they had never seen her fall for any of them.

Only after his daughter left did Chen Mingyuan let his stern expression return, dropping his pretense.

He picked up the Zisha teacup from the coffee table, took a sip of black tea, and said slowly,

"And what if she is serious? What can we do about it?

Are we supposed to break them up?

What century are we living in?

Besides, she’s our own daughter. Don’t you know her personality?

She might go along with our arrangements ninety percent of the time, but that’s only because she knows we genuinely have her best interests at heart.

But what help can we be when it comes to finding a partner?

That’s something she has to do on her own.

The more independent a person is, the clearer their goals often are.

Our standards for the perfect son-in-law might not be what she’s looking for, right?

I think it’s best to just let nature take its course!"

Though Chen Mingyuan said to let nature take its course, he immediately followed it with a long sigh.

"I don’t have a problem with it. That young man, Huang Chong, seems quite nice. He’s handsome and well-put-together. You can tell at a glance he’s not some scoundrel. I was just worried you’d be dissatisfied, so I—"

"Dissatisfied with what?"

Chen Mingyuan shot his wife a glare before she could finish.

But in truth, he loved his wife dearly, so it was only mock anger.

"I’m not like you, judging a son-in-law by his looks. What a shallow, womanly way of thinking!

My approval depends on just one thing: whether he can give our daughter a stable life for the rest of her days.

I’m not asking for him to be fabulously wealthy. After all, a man with too much money isn’t necessarily a good thing.

But at the very least, he can’t let my daughter live a hard life, can he?

If Junyi has to pinch every penny and fret over basic necessities, then of course I can’t approve of such a marriage.

I’ve never made her suffer like that. What right does some other, unrelated man have to make her go through hardship?" 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Seeing her husband fuming with rage, Zhang Wanqing found it rather amusing.

’Such a doting father.’

’It’s just a hypothetical, and he’s getting genuinely angry over it.’

She waved her hand and said,

"Alright, then we can only pray that young man, Huang Chong, can truly make a name for himself in road cycling.

If he can win a gold medal at the Olympics, then the rest of his life would be pretty much secure."

She paused. Just as she was about to head to the kitchen, Zhang Wanqing suddenly thought of something else and continued, speaking to Chen Mingyuan,

"By the way, Old Chen, do you think it’s possible...

...that our daughter is insisting on staying in road cycling not just because she truly believes Huang Chong can reach the level of an international cyclist, but also because she’s planning for when she goes back to the United Kingdom for grad school, which is around the same time Huang Chong would be heading to Europe to advance his career?

By then, they’ll be so far away. Whatever they want to do, we won’t be able to do a thing about it even if we wanted to!"

Hearing this, Chen Mingyuan became displeased, his expression souring as he said,

"What are you talking about!

Is our daughter that calculating?

To have already planned out her life after going abroad—

I think only a scheming woman like you would think ten steps ahead for every one you take!

You! You should just quit your job at the hospital and go play Go for the provincial team!"

Seeing her husband mock her, Zhang Wanqing pouted haughtily and retorted,

"Fine, fine, go ahead and spoil your precious daughter. Just be careful she doesn’t come back from abroad and show up with your grandchildren, giving you the shock of your life!"

...

As Chen Junyi drove back to the base after leaving home, her feelings were complicated.

Humans are strange creatures. When certain things are left unsaid, you don’t think much of them.

But once they’re out in the open, it’s like a knot forms in your heart.

Between her and Huang Chong, there were, of course, no complicated romantic feelings so far.

But after her mother’s blunt question, it was inevitable that she would start letting her imagination run wild.

’But the question is, would a fanatical Professional Cyclist like Huang Chong even be interested in me that way?’