My gorgeous wife
Chapter 970 - 942: Back to Back and Hugging

Chapter 970: Chapter 942: Back to Back and Hugging

Li Chen was walking alongside Yang Xin.

Yang Xin was an ordinary person and hadn’t practiced any martial arts, so her constitution was slightly weaker. Making it this far was already quite remarkable, thanks to Li Chen’s constant support along the way.

When Lin Xiaoxiao came running over with an excited look on her face, the black lines on Li Chen’s forehead instantly dropped down.

Practicing martial arts is about honing willpower, True Qi, and physical endurance in multiple dimensions.

Let alone such a short mountain trail—to Lin Xiaoxiao, who had such formidable strength, even if everyone else here collapsed from exhaustion, she probably wouldn’t feel the slightest fatigue.

And judging by the fact that there wasn’t even a single bead of sweat on her forehead, how could she possibly be tired?

"Xiaoxiao, don’t fool around." Li Chen looked around and then lowered his voice.

"I’m not fooling around." Lin Xiaoxiao pointed to herself and smiled lightly, "I’m truly tired, brother-in-law. I want a piggyback ride!"

Hearing Lin Xiaoxiao’s words, Li Chen’s face turned even darker.

Moreover, Li Chen noticed that as soon as Lin Xiaoxiao said that, the people around began looking at him with strange expressions.

Though Lin Xiaoxiao was often called Big Sister, the nickname was actually a way for everyone to show their closeness to her.

Whether in terms of her appearance or figure, Lin Xiaoxiao was undoubtedly a beauty in school, standing out as a unique presence, like a scenery on the roadside. Talking with such a beauty was something any guy would gladly do.

Precisely because of this, Lin Xiaoxiao’s "Big Sister" title became renowned among students more and more.

At this moment, if Lin Xiaoxiao only had to ask, a large group of boys would likely volunteer to carry her.

But clearly, Lin Xiaoxiao wasn’t interested in others; the only one she cared about was Li Chen.

Li Chen felt a headache coming on as he glanced around. Suddenly inspired, he pointed to Yang Xin beside him, saying, "Xiaoxiao, you should at least be stronger than Teacher Yang Xin, right? Look at how exhausted Teacher Yang Xin is. I’d better carry her first. You can wait a bit longer."

Without waiting for Lin Xiaoxiao to protest, Li Chen directly picked up Yang Xin amidst her surprised exclamation and cradled her in his arms.

As for carrying her on his back, Li Chen had considered it, but asking for her consent would have led to Yang Xin rejecting him. This approach was faster.

Seeing Li Chen’s action, everyone around widened their eyes.

"That’s an option?"

Held in Li Chen’s arms, Yang Xin was still in disbelief. After a while, she finally realized she had been picked up.

Had it been anyone else, Yang Xin would have fiercely resisted.

But because it was Li Chen...

Yang Xin’s face reddened, and she softly murmured in a voice barely audible, "Put me down..."

Li Chen pretended not to hear, carrying Yang Xin while he expertly strode up the mountain path, his pace swift as if the trail earlier hadn’t drained his energy at all, leaving the onlookers dumbfounded.

"Brother-in-law!!"

Lin Xiaoxiao stomped her feet twice in frustration on the spot, then quickly chased after Li Chen.

Watching her swift movements, there wasn’t even a hint of fatigue.

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before Lin Xiaoxiao caught up with Li Chen ascending the mountain.

Nestled in Li Chen’s arms, Yang Xin sneaked a glance at Lin Xiaoxiao but felt too shy to say anything, so she buried her head in Li Chen’s chest like an ostrich.

Li Chen paused in his steps, turning back reluctantly, "Xiaoxiao..."

However, before Li Chen could finish speaking, he suddenly felt a gust of perfumed breeze sneaking up behind him.

Lin Xiaoxiao had unexpectedly leaped onto Li Chen’s back.

"Dangerous!"

A few teachers nearby saw Lin Xiaoxiao’s move and cried out in alarm.

This was a steep mountain path, treacherous and difficult to tread. If someone accidentally rolled down the slope, it wouldn’t just hurt one person but could cause serious peril.

Lin Xiaoxiao’s act was undoubtedly risky; jumping onto someone’s back in such conditions could have caused Li Chen to lose balance, turning into a disaster.

But to the crowd’s astonishment...

Even with Lin Xiaoxiao’s sudden ambush, Li Chen stood firm without the slightest reaction.

Like a deeply-rooted tree, not only didn’t he fall backward, but there wasn’t even a tremble.

"Brother-in-law, you can’t play favorites. Why can you carry her but not give me a piggyback ride?" Lin Xiaoxiao whispered sulkily in his ear.

Unlike the tense crowd, Lin Xiaoxiao understood Li Chen’s strength better than anyone. Forget herself—if a whole elephant perched on her brother-in-law’s shoulders, he wouldn’t waver.

Feeling ticklish as Lin Xiaoxiao murmured in his ear, Li Chen shook his head helplessly, "Alright, alright, just consider it a debt I owe you."

"You already owe me plenty!" Lin Xiaoxiao said quietly, wrapping her arms around Li Chen’s neck. "This time, I was nearly locked up by my sister—it’s all your fault!"

Li Chen adjusted his posture, securing Yang Xin in front with his arms while supporting Lin Xiaoxiao by encircling her legs at the back. He proceeded to climb the mountain carrying both of them.

"You’ll get tired," Yang Xin said, blushing, "Maybe I should get down."

"It’s fine," Li Chen replied with a smile, shaking his head. "This isn’t enough to tire me out."

From behind him, Lin Xiaoxiao chimed in confidently, "Don’t worry. Forget carrying just the two of us—even if brother-in-law had ten people on his back, it’d be easy for him!"

Lin Xiaoxiao’s words conveyed absolute trust in Li Chen.

"Flattering me won’t help." Li Chen shot her a sideways glance, snorting, "Let’s call it even after this."

"No way! Why can you hold Teacher Yang Xin but only carry me?" Lin Xiaoxiao complained. "I’m your sister-in-law! By blood!"

Li Chen sighed without arguing further, though he asked Lin Xiaoxiao, "Are you sitting properly? Don’t fall off later."

"Yep!" Lin Xiaoxiao’s face brightened as she sweetly replied, "All set!"

Held in Li Chen’s arms, Yang Xin felt a strange sensation brewing within her.

Initially uncomfortable being cradled, the feeling morphed into something far from unpleasant—it brought her comfort, a sense of security she couldn’t quite explain, even to herself.

As she grew accustomed to Li Chen’s embrace, the initial strangeness faded. Instead, she felt an extraordinary serenity, a safety beyond the coziness of her own bed.

Once Li Chen insisted, Yang Xin no longer argued. Resting her head against him, she closed her eyes. After all, she was indeed tired.

Around them, teachers and students were already stunned.

Was this even human?

Though Yang Xin and Lin Xiaoxiao were both slender, together they still weighed over a hundred pounds, didn’t they?

Other people were struggling to hike solo, yet Li Chen was casually hauling two people and showing no signs of exhaustion. Could this defy reason?

Li Hui, a teacher with a certain fondness for Li Chen, had initially planned to intervene. But upon witnessing his effortless demeanor without even a bead of sweat, her words froze in her throat.

In fact, watching Li Chen carry two people up the mountain with ease, a faint longing flickered in Li Hui’s eyes. It seemed... she wanted to give it a try.

Among the group, several boys gazed at Li Chen with admiration and envy.

Admiration for his stamina—envying the intimacy of having two beauties climbing the mountain by his side. They wished they could do the same, but first, someone had to agree, and second, they needed the capability!

After covering some distance, beads of sweat finally appeared on Li Chen’s forehead.

But it wasn’t from fatigue.

At first, Lin Xiaoxiao was behaving herself, resting her hands gently on his shoulders.

But after walking awhile, seeing Yang Xin nestled in Li Chen’s arms with her eyes closed, Lin Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but feel annoyed. Making up her mind, she wrapped her arms tightly around Li Chen’s neck and pressed herself fully against his back, closing her eyes as well.

This move, naturally, wore Li Chen down.

"For crying out loud..." Feeling the soft sensation against his back, Li Chen visibly tensed.

"This little brat seems to have grown up a lot recently..." The thought had barely formed when Li Chen began internally chanting the Heart Clarity Spell.

"She’s my sister-in-law, my sister-in-law—I mustn’t let my thoughts wander!"

Regardless of how hard Li Chen tried to eliminate stray thoughts, his mind continued flashing scenes of his interactions with Lin Xiaoxiao. It seemed their relationship had always been a bit... ambiguous.

"Damn! This girl dares tease her brother-in-law—just wait until I discipline her right here and now!" roared the little devil inside Li Chen’s heart.

"No way! She’s your sister-in-law, Li Chen. Don’t do anything rash, or the house will erupt in chaos!" countered the little angel.

"While you’re at it, you could handle Yang Xin too!" declared the devil, gripping its pitchfork.

"Be a decent person—you can’t act like an animal!"

"Decent? That’s worse than being an animal!"

Li Chen’s psyche became a battlefield, with the little devil and angel engaging in an epic conflict.

And so, the sweat on Li Chen’s forehead began to pour.

Under the admiring and awestruck gazes of the group, Li Chen carried both women lightly to the summit—being the first to arrive.

"Phew—finally made it." Standing at the peak, the sky had dimmed, and the sunset cast a dazzling glow across the mountaintop.

Looking down, Li Chen noticed Yang Xin had unknowingly fallen asleep.

From the steady breaths behind his neck, he realized Lin Xiaoxiao had also dozed off.

"Interesting." Somewhere at the base of the mountain, a group of people gazed at the summit, smirking mischievously.