Transmigrated as Cannon Fodder — I Rise to Female Lead Through Hard Work-Chapter 84: Call Me Cheng

"Ding Ancheng, I’m really glad I was able to help Heping and her family." Yi Roujing said, her hair still damp, her eyes sincere and her face earnest. Her presence had changed some people’s lives for the better, at least now Hu Heping’s family’s fate had been transformed by her, and in a positive direction.

Ding Ancheng paused his movement of towel drying his hair, as if this was the first time Yi Roujing had called his name. Her voice was charmingly soft, and hearing his full name from her lips sounded exceptionally pleasant. If only...

"Call me Cheng."

"Hmm?" Yi Roujing, now lying on the bed, turned her head slightly to look at Ding Ancheng with a big, confused expression, adorably baffled.

Ding Ancheng sighed, leaned down to give her a gentle kiss. Yi Roujing, kissed into further confusion, realized that Ding Ancheng really liked kissing her. Although she didn’t mind it, even liked it a bit, she didn’t have the time to think too much more about it.

"Call me Cheng."

"Cheng, Cheng..." In a daze, Yi Roujing was coaxed into calling his name several times, much to Ding Ancheng’s satisfaction.

On May 2nd, Yi Roujing had a good sleep, waking up directly at eight o’clock, with no sign of Ding Ancheng beside her. Yi Roujing sat up suddenly, a bit annoyed, because after all, staying at someone else’s house, waking up so late isn’t very polite.

After tidying the bed and dressing, the door opened, and Ding Ancheng walked in, his hair still a bit damp, clearly just having finished a shower.

"You just got up too?" Yi Roujing asked, surprised.

"I just got back from a morning run and took a shower," Ding Ancheng explained.

Thinking of his model-like physique, Yi Roujing admired Ding Ancheng’s self-discipline. She herself developed such a habit from martial arts in her past life, but since coming here, she had become somewhat lax.

"Then I’ll go wash up." Yi Roujing hesitated and asked, "Is everyone downstairs up?"

"Breakfast is at 8:30," Ding Ancheng cheerfully reminded her, "The auntie downstairs told me before I went for a run."

Yi Roujing sighed in relief at his words, happily going to freshen up, she hadn’t been late.

As Ding Ancheng and Yi Roujing went downstairs, Hu Zhishu and Zhu Lanzhen were sitting on the sofa reading newspapers. Seeing them come down, they quickly put down their papers and greeted them with smiles.

"Ancheng, Roujing, you’re up, how did you sleep?" Hu Zhishu asked with care.

"Mr. Hu, Aunt Lanzhen, we slept very well," Yi Roujing replied with smiling eyes.

"That’s good," Zhu Lanzhen responded, getting up. "Let’s go next door for breakfast."

"Sure."

"Your grandpa Zhu lives alone, but fortunately, we live close by. Elderly people appreciate company, so we have meals together every day," Zhu Lanzhen explained in a gentle voice.

"Your grandpa Zhu is very kind. Don’t feel constrained. I’ve heard from Old Hu that Ancheng graduated from Jing University, so he might ask more questions," Zhu Lanzhen said to Ding Ancheng with a smile.

The decor of the house next door was similar to Hu Zhishu’s, with the master bedroom on the ground floor, along with a kitchen, living room, dining room, and bathroom.

The dining table was laden with breakfast foods, a traditional Chinese breakfast: white porridge, soy milk, various side dishes, xiao long bao, steamed dumplings, shao mai, fried dough sticks... a wide variety.

Ding Anguo, Ding Anmin, and Hao Zhixin were already sitting in the living room. Seeing Ding Ancheng and Yi Roujing enter, the three of them stood up to greet, "Mr. Hu, Aunt Lanzhen, big brother, sister-in-law."

"Hey," Zhu Lanzhen responded first, looking very pleased, as it was rare for the house to be so lively.

Hu Heping, who was pregnant, supported an elderly gentleman in his seventies or eighties. The old man was more than half a head taller than Hu Heping, dressed in a gray Zhongshan suit, with gray hair, black-framed glasses, a straight posture, and an air of scholarly elegance, now beaming with a friendly smile.

"Dad," Hu Zhishu and Zhu Lanzhen called out in unison, Hu Zhishu stepping forward to take Hu Heping’s hand to assist.

"Hey, I’m fine. You all worry too much. But you, are you alright?" Zhu Dangting patted the back of Hu Zhishu’s hand on his arm.

"I’m fine, thanks to Roujing and the others," Hu Zhishu took the opportunity to introduce Yi Roujing and the other three.

"Haha, I know, I know. Your daughter mentioned it so many times my ears grew calluses, but today I finally meet you in person," Zhu Dangting turned to Yi Roujing and the others, shaking hands and expressing gratitude.

"Dad, alright, let’s have breakfast first, or it will get cold," Zhu Lanzhen reminded.

The table in the dining room was rectangular; Zhu Dangting sat at one end, Hu Zhishu and Zhu Lanzhen at the other. The long sides each had three seats, perfectly accommodating nine people.

To ease any discomfort Yi Roujing might feel, Hu Heping constantly encouraged her, making the breakfast particularly lively.

"Ancheng, although I retired before you enrolled in Jing University, I’ve heard of you."

After breakfast, the group moved to the living room for tea and chatting. Zhu Dangting looked at Ding Ancheng with eyes full of interest, "Your professor, Zhou Jinruo, called me several times saying how outstanding you are. He doesn’t give praise lightly, considering his own talents, so I’ve always been curious about you."

"You really do have an impressive appearance, even better than Zhou Jinruo in his youth. No wonder he likes you so much. He appreciates beauty paired with intellect."

"Your family has a good foundation, and you married a beautiful wife. If Zhou Jinruo saw you, you can’t imagine how happy he’d be," Zhu Dangting said with a hearty laugh.

Ding Ancheng listened with a smile, "Sir Zhu, you do know my professor well. When I first joined the university and he saw my face, he praised me. Later, seeing my calligraphy, he liked me even more—he appreciates calligraphy himself. He said, ’the handwriting mirrors the person.’ After seeing my approach to problem-solving, he often invited me to his home where his wife would give me extra tutorials, trying every means to make me his student sidekick."

"Hahaha—Zhou Jinruo is really like that. Too bad I didn’t witness it myself," Zhu Dangting laughed heartily.

The two then engaged in conversation about various topics, with Ding Ancheng always offering unique perspectives, much to Zhu Dangting’s admiration of Zhou Jinruo’s fondness for his disciple. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"What are your future plans?" Zhu Dangting asked more cordially, "Your professor mentioned you returned to your hometown to teach at a high school. Don’t you feel it’s a waste of your talents?"

"Every job has its importance in serving the country. I have some plans, but I’m not planning to change them for the next few years. I probably won’t be a teacher my whole life." Ding Ancheng replied with a smile.

Zhu Dangting nodded, "You’re a person with your plans, and your professor surely knows it too. Otherwise, there were countless ways he could have kept you at Jing University. Well, well, meeting you in person, I finally understand why Zhou Jinruo was so proud whenever he talked about you on the phone."