Chapter 1236: Millennium Love Story 41

Half a month later.

Not as humid as a southern town, Jing Shi in winter is dry and cold; Chen Zhu, while making cakes, washes his hands frequently, and they hurt when the wind blows.

Jin Chen immediately hired two new pastry chefs; even though Chen Zhu, as shop manager, sometimes needs to stay in the shop, many regular customers now make advance reservations.

When cakes need to be made, Jin Chen helps in the shop, always carrying hand cream in his pocket; when Chen Zhu has a free moment, he applies it for him.

The staff had eaten plenty of dog food, all exclaiming that the couple's sweetness had surpassed even cake—how cloying!

【Report——】

0731 came to share the latest news about the protagonist.

【Sure enough, brilliant foresight! Zhao Weifang couldn't reach you, and every time he went to find Li Shao he was treated as a lunatic and even beaten. Furious, he returned to his old trade, hammer in hand, and gave Lu Jia and Li Shao a beating!】

【Lu Jia, upon learning of their situation, immediately broke up; the remaining affection between Li Shao and Zhao Weifang was worn away, and now both hate each other to death! The protagonist's halo fell twice~ Zhao Weifang, after beating someone, slunk back to his hometown, and Li Shao was forced by his family to drop out of school.】

After hearing 0731's update, Jin Chen turned around intending to tell Chen Zhu the good news; just as he entered the front shop, he saw a disheveled man loitering outside.

His movements were suspicious, as if he were hiding something, yet he hesitated about whether to come in.

Taking a closer look, Jin Chen put his arm around Chen Zhu's waist and said, 'Brother, the person outside looks like Zhaolong.'

It was indeed Zhaolong.

He accompanied Zhao Weifang to Jing Shi, carrying some money, having promised Yuan Li he would turn over a new leaf and start anew.

But the allure of Jing Shi's bustling world was too great; no sooner had he resolved to change than, upon stepping out of the car, he began to waver.

He ran back to the former casino for a wild time, lost all the money he'd brought, and even owed the casino over a hundred thousand.

He didn't dare return to the town to lose face, so he wandered the streets aimlessly; suddenly he saw the familiar cake shop sign, and upon a closer look, it really was Chen Zhu's.

Through the elegant glass door, Jin Chen and Chen Zhu gazed out simultaneously, as if separated by two worlds.

Zhaolong smelled the cake's fragrance, his stomach growling, he swallowed saliva with a thick-skinned desire to go in and beg for something to eat.

Anyway, back in the town he had once knelt before Jin Chen to plead.

But before he even reached the steps, the casino's debt collectors found him, beat him in the street, drawing a crowd of onlookers.

Jin Chen found it boring and said, 'Get rid of them; they're affecting business at the shop entrance.'

He said to the burly staff member:

'Sure thing, boss.'

Chen Zhu also withdrew his gaze, continued mixing the egg and milk, while Jin Chen helped on the side and told him about Zhao Weifang and Li Shao.

【Detected Villain Blackening Value -10, total 3!】

Chen Zhu finished the cake, took off his baking gloves, and, full of sweet softness, embraced Jin Chen.

'Bao Bao, I'm ready now.'

Jin Chen knew Chen Zhu meant he was fully prepared to enter the final stage of healing.

He kissed Chen Zhu's lips and said, 'Good, I'll book a doctor.'

——

The Blackening Value returns to zero after the final healing stage ends; there is none of the pain Chen Zhu imagined, only the need to stitch up the scars already healed in his heart.

He no longer suspects ghosts, does not experience conscious dissociation, and has no suicidal thoughts.

His skin thirst syndrome is also controlled by medication, reducing restlessness and agitation.

Although he still needs Jin Chen's constant companionship when feeling low, to Jin Chen this hardly seems like a reward.

With his illness cured, Chen Zhu had more energy; he made the Old Jin Cake Shop's reputation resound nationwide, even becoming a national chain. Despite frequent complaints from peers about the name being too rustic, he never considered changing it.

With Jin Chen's investment, Zhang Zhu and Lan Xin's startup plan developed steadily, just as in the original plot, driving the town's economy upward and turning them into prominent figures.

As the behind-the-scenes investor in all this, Jin Chen never thought of revealing his identity, and Chen Zhu also asked about such matters after the cake shop chain stabilized.

Then, in the midst of another midsummer, Jin Chen and Chen Zhu napped in the air-conditioned room, the bedside aromatherapy humidifier emitting a soft glow.

'Compared to being a businessman, I still prefer being the man behind my wife.'

Jin Chen answered very seriously, then burrowed into Chen Zhu's embrace to sleep.

Chen Zhu often heard such sweet nothings from Jin Chen's mouth; sometimes they were even more corny, sometimes enough to make someone furious to death.

He categorized these sayings as 'Jin's words, Jin's speech.'

Jin Chen's act of burying his face in Chen Zhu's soft chest suddenly stopped as he thought of the issue he'd been agonizing over lately.

He then popped out of the embrace, pressed his face to Chen Zhu's, and asked, 'Lately… no, it's been a while—brother only calls me Xiao Chen now!'

Jin Chen's face grew solemn, as if he'd suffered a great injustice, and he asked, 'Why?'

Chen Zhu blinked, pressed his lips, and said, 'Xiao Chen, you're already… twenty-three this year.'

Three years have passed; he too is now over thirty, and after his illness healed, this form of address really feels a bit embarrassing.

'I see.'

Jin Chen read everything from Chen Zhu's expression.

His mischievous side stirred, and he said, 'Then I'll just call you by your name from now on.'

'Chen Zhu Chen Zhu Chen Zhu.'

Chen Zhu: '……'

Although, using just the name does indeed sound cold, and besides, Jin Chen only used it when angry before, which comes across as frightening.

Chen Zhu's eyes softened slightly, and he said, 'Don't.'

He leaned in to kiss Jin Chen's cheek, saying, 'Others can call you that, but you may not.'

Jin Chen: 'Repeat.'

Chen Zhu fell silent again.

He shifted his body, guessing there'd be nothing to do in the shop this afternoon, so he turned over and lay snug against Jin Chen's chest, coaxing him like a child.

How could one fail to see what Jin Chen meant?

It proves that occasional playful teasing about small interests is still quite useful.

Satisfied, Jin Chen thought so.

【Congratulations Host, mission completed, reward points 4000! Accumulated!】

【Transferring to the next world……Transfer successful.】