"This is the study material that Mommy asked someone to find," Deanna answered, slightly out of breath.
At this moment, Lance came over with a glass of water and handed it to her gently. "Have some water and catch your breath."
After speaking, he glanced at the box on the floor and disapprovingly said, "Why didn't you ask me to help you with such a heavy thing?"
Deanna paused in her drinking and then smiled sheepishly at Lance. "I forgot."
She really had forgotten. She was used to handling things herself and didn't want to trouble others.
Lance saw her expression and understood her thoughts, a look of helplessness appearing in his eyes.
"Don't forget next time."
"I got it."
Deanna smiled at him ingratiatingly.
The two little ones watched their parents showing affection openly, feeling both happy and worried.
Chloe looked at Deanna eagerly and asked, "Mommy, these study materials aren't for me and Gregory, are they?"
"We don't need these study materials. You know us, Mommy. If you hadn't stopped us from skipping grades, we could be in fourth grade by now."
Gregory raised his little hand beside her, indicating fourth grade.
Seeing their resistance to the study materials, Deanna understood their little minds-they didn't want these study materials.
"Who told you these materials are for you? They are for my studies."
Although she wanted to tease the little ones a bit more, Deanna remembered how upset they got last time and decided to tell the truth about the ownership of the materials.
Lance showed no expression, as if he had already guessed it.
But the two little ones were very surprised, their eyes wide open. "Are these really for you to study, Mommy?"
"Aren't you already an adult? Why do you still need to study?"
Chloe tilted her head and asked.
Deanna laughed at this and rubbed the little girl's head. "Mommy is indeed an adult, but you must understand that learning never stops. There's an old saying: 'Live and learn.' Learning doesn't stop when you grow up. Do you understand?"
She looked down at the two little ones.
Gregory frowned, half understanding.
Chloe looked completely puzzled, clearly not grasping the deeper meaning of the words.
Seeing this, Deanna didn't mind. She rubbed their heads again and said softly, "It's okay if you don't understand now; you'll understand in the future."
The two little ones nodded.
Lance watched from the side, his expression so gentle it could melt.
Noticing they had been standing at the entrance for a while, he said, "Let's go inside. I'll carry this box of materials to the study."
Only then did Deanna realize they were still standing at the door. She nodded immediately.
She wanted to remind Lance to be careful as the box was heavy.
But before she could say anything, she saw Lance easily lift the box and head upstairs. She couldn't help but think about the significant difference in strength between men and women.
Later that evening, after putting the little ones to bed, Deanna went straight to the study and found Lance sitting at the desk reading a medical journal.
"Do you understand this magazine?"
Deanna walked over with a smile.
Hearing her voice, Lance put down the magazine and looked up with a smile. "Some parts I understand, some I don't. Don't forget, I read a lot of medical books when I was sick before."
Hearing this, Deanna thought about Lance's illness from before.
But before she could say anything, she heard a slightly jealous tone.
"When I helped you organize these books earlier, I noticed they all belong to Lionel."
"Yes, Mr. Grant lent them to me."
Deanna didn't deny it and nodded in response. Seeing Lance's displeased expression, she couldn't help but laugh. "Don't overthink it. Mr. Grant lent me his notes and books so I could better grasp the knowledge and avoid detours in my research. Because of these books, I owe Mr. Grant a big favor."
Lance still felt uncomfortable, suspecting that Lionel had his own motives for helping Deanna so enthusiastically.
But seeing his fiancée's grateful expression, he didn't voice his thoughts.
"Don't worry about owing favors. We can invite Mr. Grant for a meal someday and ask if there's anything we can help him with."
"That sounds good." Deanna agreed with a nod.
She didn't like owing favors and preferred to repay them as soon as possible.
After chatting for a bit more, they each got busy with their tasks.
Deanna started reading and taking notes.
Lance handled company documents beside her.
The scene was quiet but very warm.
In the following days, Deanna spent her days at the research institute working with her team on innovative herbal formulas and her nights studying professional knowledge at home. She wished she could split herself into three or four people to get everything done.
Reading those modern medical concepts made her realize how much knowledge she lacked.
After all, Western medicine and traditional medicine are fundamentally different medical practices, leading to differences in medication and treatment approaches.