Axolotl Translations

After the movie, they went to De Da for a Western-style meal before stepping back onto the bustling streets.

Qiao Haoyu, noting Wei Jiajia’s lack of stamina, suggested that she should engage in more physical exercise.

“If you ever find yourself in danger,” he reasoned, “being stronger might give you a better chance to escape.” With that in mind, he suggested they spend the afternoon at the gym.

Wei Jiajia considered the idea. Though the suggestion was rather blunt, she knew he had her best interests at heart. Besides, she really didn’t exercise much, so she agreed.

The gym was bustling with young people working out in the afternoon. After surveying the available activities, Wei Jiajia selected badminton—after all, it was simple, and she was fairly good at it.

Qiao Haoyu took on the role of both sparring partner and coach, returning each shot in a way that forced her to move to reach the shuttlecock.

By the time they left the gym, the sky had darkened. Wei Jiajia’s arms were so sore she could barely lift them. She was completely drained—and starving.

Qiao Haoyu, however, looked exactly the same as when they had arrived—completely unfazed.

The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to his elbows from the workout, giving him a slightly rebellious edge.

Since it was getting late, they figured the state-run restaurants wouldn’t have much food left, so they decided to head home for dinner instead.

Not long after getting on the bicycle, Wei Jiajia leaned against Qiao Haoyu’s back and drifted off to sleep.

Her head rested against his back, unmoving. Qiao Haoyu called her name softly.

“Jiajia?”

Hearing no response, he realized she had fallen asleep from exhaustion. Adjusting his posture to support her more comfortably, he slowed his pedaling, ensuring she could continue her peaceful slumber undisturbed.

Seeing Wei Jiajia this exhausted, Qiao Haoyu couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for her. Yet, he knew he had to be firm—her physical fitness needed improvement.

Her constitution was so weak that even common ailments, such as colds and fevers, seemed to affect her more than it did Huimin.

Since he had the opportunity, he planned to train her properly. He also intended to teach her some basic self-defense moves.

As they reached the alley leading to their home,a crisp and cheerful voice rang out from behind them.

“Cousin! Jiajia! Wait for us…!”

It was none other than Zhang Huimin and Zeng Guoqiang, who had been out since early morning.

The sudden shout woke Wei Jiajia from her sleep. She lifted her head, blinking in confusion, glancing around before looking toward the source of the voice.

Qiao Haoyu, noticing she had awakened, brought his bicycle to a stop, planting one long leg on the ground to wait for the two behind them to catch up.

When they reached them, Zhang Huimin took one look at Wei Jiajia, who looked utterly drained, and asked in confusion,

“Where have you two been? Why does Jiajia look like this?”

Wei Jiajia pouted, her face full of grievance. “Brother Haoyu insisted on taking me to work out. We played badminton all afternoon… Now my whole body hurts…”

Hearing her complaint, Zeng Guoqiang and Zhang Huimin couldn’t help but laugh.

She thought to herself—only a man as unshakably straightforward as Qiao Haoyu would come up with such a unique idea for a date.

Qiao Haoyu just stood there watching them laugh until they were practically gasping for air, his face completely expressionless, as if they weren’t laughing at him at all.

Wei Jiajia sighed helplessly and turned to Zhang Huimin. “Where did you take Comrade Zeng today? Why are you two back so late?”

Hearing Wei Jiajia’s question, Zhang Huimin calmed herself before answering, “We wandered quite far today. We went all the way to the Bund, had lunch there, and then spent the afternoon at the park…”

As the two girls continued their conversation while walking home, the two young men had no choice but to exchange resigned looks, push their bicycles, and follow along in silence.

From that day on, every morning before dawn, Wei Jiajia had to get up and go running with Qiao Haoyu. If she tried pretending to be asleep, he would actually climb over the wall and knock on her door.

God knows how shocked she was the first time she heard Qiao Haoyu’s voice right outside her bedroom while she was still in a deep sleep.

In panic, she called out, waking up her great-aunt and the rest of the household. But once they learned that Qiao Haoyu was doing it for her health, they all readily agreed. They even promised that after he left, they would take over supervising her training.

And just like that, Wei Jiajia was forcibly dragged onto the path of exercise.

Unwilling to suffer alone, Wei Jiajia dragged Zhang Huimin—who had been happily watching from the side—into the training, along with her twin brothers.

Every morning, the four of them ran five kilometers together, with the two young men acting as supervisors.

In the afternoons, they practiced military-style hand-to-hand combat. Zhang Huimin loved this part—she was planning to enlist in the army, and strengthening her body now would ease her transition into military life.

Even the twins threw themselves into the training with great enthusiasm and discipline.

Back when their father was still in the army, he would take them along for morning exercises and bring them to the barracks to watch how soldiers trained.

Now, training under the guidance of Qiao Haoyu and Zeng Guoqiang, the twins felt as if they had returned to those days. Because of their father, they had admired the military from a young age and had always looked up to soldiers.

Even the younger pair of siblings, the boy-and-girl twins, got excited watching their older siblings sparring in the courtyard every day. They had no idea what was actually going on, but they thought it looked fun, so they mimicked the movements with exaggerated gestures.

They even shouted “Ha! Ha! Ha!” as they copied the others, their form completely wrong but their enthusiasm unmatched. Their antics never failed to amuse the elderly neighbors, who would burst into hearty laughter whenever they watched.

Only Wei Jiajia, after every training session, was left utterly exhausted, sore from head to toe.

Every night, as she lay in bed, Wei Jiajia silently cursed the person who had tried to kidnap her. If it weren’t for that incident, Qiao Haoyu wouldn’t be so anxious about her safety, nor would he have insisted on subjecting her to rigorous training in physical fitness and self-defense. And she wouldn’t have had to endure such hardships.

During this time, she received her university acceptance letter—it was from Shencheng University’s Literature Department.

Zhang Huimin also passed her military recruitment medical exam. Once Qiao Haoyu and the others left, she would be departing for the army.

Amidst their daily training, time seemed to slip away unnoticed, and before they knew it, the day before Qiao Haoyu’s departure had arrived.

After breakfast, Qiao Haoyu made his way to the Wei household to invite Wei Jiajia out for a stroll. Lately, apart from their training sessions, he hadn’t really spent any proper time with her.

Since he was leaving for school the next morning and had no idea when they’d see each other again, he wanted to take her to the department store and buy her a gift to celebrate her university admission.

When they arrived at the department store, Qiao Haoyu walked straight to the fountain pen counter, his goal clear. He lowered his head and examined the pens on display.

“Comrade, could you please take this pen out for me to have a look?” Qiao Haoyu pointed at one of the pens and spoke to the shop assistant behind the counter.

The moment the two of them had walked in, the shop assistant had been taken aback by their striking appearance.

Both were remarkably good-looking, and their refined demeanor made it clear that they came from well-off families.

The shop assistant couldn’t help but wonder about the relationship between these two. Were they a couple, or just siblings? If they were siblings, maybe she could introduce the young man to one of her relatives—after all, even if just one match was made, it would be worthwhile.

As she was lost in thought, Qiao Haoyu’s voice pulled her back to reality. She quickly refocused and took out the pen he had requested.

This particular pen was the most expensive one in the display—a Hero brand fountain pen. If it weren’t for the fact that the two of them looked well-off, she wouldn’t have taken it out unless they were certain about buying it.

Qiao Haoyu accepted the pen from the shop assistant and handed it to Wei Jiajia.

Wei Jiajia glanced at him in surprise. “Is this for me?”

“Yes, it’s a gift to celebrate your admission to university.”

Hearing this, the shop assistant’s expression shifted as she looked at Wei Jiajia in a new light.

University students were rare and valuable in these times! Once she graduated, the state would assign her a stable job—a guaranteed iron rice bowl. The shop assistant sighed inwardly in disappointment, realizing that none of her relatives would be a suitable match for this girl. They might have jobs, but they weren’t university graduates!

Wei Jiajia accepted the gift without hesitation. Then, she pointed to an identical pen inside the display case and spoke to the shop assistant.

“Comrade, could you please take that pen out for me as well? Thank you.”

The shop assistant looked at Wei Jiajia with some confusion. But since she seemed serious, she took the pen out and handed it over.

Wei Jiajia took the pen, turned around, and offered it to Qiao Haoyu. “Then this will be my gift to you. It may be a little late, but since I accepted yours, you can’t refuse mine.”

Qiao Haoyu had originally intended to decline, but hearing her words, he reached out and took the pen, smiling helplessly.

“All right, I’ll treasure it. That way, every time I write, I’ll think of you.”

He whispered the last sentence close to her ear—it was, after all, his true reason for choosing a pen as her gift.

Wei Jiajia immediately understood his underlying message: he wanted her to think of him often. Her face turned bright red in an instant. She huffed and glared at him with feigned annoyance.

How could he be like this? How could he tease her like that with people around, making her feel embarrassed! Did the shop assistant notice her reaction? Would she get the wrong idea?

Qiao Haoyu couldn’t help but chuckle as Wei Jiajia shot him a glare with her soft, water-like eyes. Her feisty expression, like a little kitten bristling in anger, was both amusing and endearing. He rubbed his nose, quickly straightening his posture, afraid that if he teased her any further, she might actually get mad.

Turning to the shop assistant, who was watching their exchange with curiosity, he said, “Please write up the invoice. We’ll take both of these.”

With that, he handed over both the money and the pens, waiting for her to wrap them properly.

The shop assistant accepted the payment, feeling even more certain that her earlier guess had been correct—these two definitely came from well-off families. Spending dozens of yuan on fountain pens without a second thought was not something ordinary families would do. As she processed the purchase, her hands moved skillfully, all the while mulling on the refined elegance of the young couple before her.

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