Chapter 67: The Love-Brain Female Lead Awakens 10

Yi Chen’an glanced at her again, then downed the liquid in one go.

Sang Ruo took the bowl and handed him a prepared tissue, asking anxiously, “How is it? Do you feel any better?”

Yi Chen’an looked at her and gave a rare smile. He teased, “You really treat this like some magic elixir, expecting it to work that fast!”

“Alright.” Yi Chen’an picked up the bowl, stood up, and said to Sang Ruo, “I’ll go rinse the bowl. You go get some rest.”

Sang Ruo wanted to say more, but Yi Chen’an cut her off with a wave of his hand. “I didn’t drink that much. I’m fine. Go to sleep early.”

Sang Ruo slept soundly that night, but the faint sound of Yi Chen’an opening his door in the morning woke her instantly. She hurriedly smoothed her hair, opened her door, and poked her head out.

The man was early to rise, looking refreshed and full of energy.

“You…”

Yi Chen’an seemed to know what she was going to ask. He smiled and said, “The hangover soup was very effective. No headache at all this morning.” There was a hint of playfulness in his tone.

Sang Ruo scratched her head, feeling a bit shy. “That’s good then.”

She then heard him say warmly, “It’s still early. Why not sleep a bit longer?”

Now that she was awake, it would be hard to fall back asleep. Seeing him dressed in athletic wear, Sang Ruo asked, “Are you planning to go for a morning workout?”

“Yeah, going for a run.”

“Wait for me. I’ll go with you.” Exercise! What a perfect opportunity to close the distance and strengthen their bond. She had to seize it.

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

Sang Ruo hurried back to her room to wash up. She hadn’t brought any workout clothes, but she had a set of yoga gear, which would have to do.

Tying her hair into a high ponytail, Sang Ruo felt high-spirited as she shouted, “Let’s go!”

Yi Chen’an was by the window making a phone call. He turned to look at the girl who looked like a soldier heading off to war and raised a hand, signaling for her to wait a moment.

Taking the hint, Sang Ruo took the opportunity to go to the kitchen, rinse some rice, and put it in the rice cooker to make porridge. It would be ready just in time for their return.

After setting the timer and walking out, she heard Yi Chen’an saying into the phone, “Yeah, I’m not going.”

After a pause, he replied with a smile, “Yes, it’s my fault. I really have something to do. I’ll buy you all a drink another day.”

The person on the other end must have said something else, as he turned to glance at Sang Ruo and replied, “That’s right.” His eyes were filled with mirth.

Once he hung up, Sang Ruo asked a bit tentatively, “Did you have plans?” If he was truly busy, it wouldn’t be right for her to impose.

Yi Chen’an didn’t answer directly. He walked straight to the entryway to put on his shoes, saying instead, “I hope you still have this much energy when we get back.”

Sang Ruo assumed he didn’t have anything major going on, but she wasn’t about to let his teasing slide. “I run quite often, you know.” She exercised regularly, okay?

The man, already packed and waiting outside the door, offered no comment on her claim. Sang Ruo felt a bit stifled, thinking to herself that it was just a morning run.

As it turned out, she had bragged too soon. In the end, Yi Chen’an had to carry her back on his back.

With her stamina, she had reached her limit by the two-kilometer mark, but seeing his back moving at a steady pace ahead of her, she had gritted her teeth and pushed on for a while longer.

The result was a total loss of face.

Leaning against Yi Chen’an’s back, his unique scent, mingled with a faint smell of sweat, became increasingly prominent, making her feel lightheaded.

Damn those hormones!

“How far do you usually run?” Sang Ruo asked weakly.

Her throat felt metallic and raw; she felt miserable. Her mind wandered, wondering if she and Yi Chen’an were truly cosmically incompatible. Every time they met, it seemed one of them was burdened with a health debuff.

In the two clearest meetings from her dreams, one was after an earthquake when she nearly died and Yi Chen’an arrived, and the other was when Yi Chen’an was hospitalized.

Setting aside things that hadn’t happened yet, just looking at these recent encounters: once she had been doubled over in pain from cramps in front of him, and this time she had practically turned herself into a “cripple.”

While she was dazed, Yi Chen’an answered her question. “It varies. Usually five kilometers. If I’m in a good mood, maybe another one or two.” Even while carrying a person, his breathing wasn’t even slightly labored.

“How far did we run today?” she asked again.

“Less than three kilometers.”

Sigh, she really had held him back.

As if sensing her disappointment, the man offered some comfort. “Actually, for a woman who doesn’t exercise regularly, this distance is already quite good.”

Well, Sang Ruo actually did feel comforted by that.

Besides, who was to say this wasn’t a blessing in disguise? Sang Ruo thought happily as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

The two of them were the center of attention the whole way back. Sang Ruo buried her head in Yi Chen’an’s shoulder, pretending she couldn’t see anything.

As they passed the convenience store downstairs, Sun Tian hadn’t finished her night shift yet. She was counting the newly delivered milk, bread, and rice balls.

“What happened?” Sun Tian exclaimed.

Sang Ruo heard Yi Chen’an’s steady voice reply, “It’s nothing. She just ran until she lost all her strength.”

Then Sang Ruo heard Sun Tian give a meaningful “Oh.”

Yi Chen’an set her down and went into the convenience store to buy a few things. He tilted his head and asked, “Can you walk on your own?”

“I should be fine.”

Standing on the ground, her legs were still a bit weak, but not to the point where she couldn’t stand like before.

Yi Chen’an kept a firm grip on her arm, as if afraid she might collapse at any moment.

“I’m okay now.”

“Mm.”

But he still held onto her.

While waiting for the elevator, Sang Ruo saw her reflection in the smooth, mirror-like doors. Her lips were pale and her face was ghostly white.

Truly… so ugly!

She turned her back, not wanting Yi Chen’an to see her like this, even though he had been looking at her the whole way.

Her sudden movement made the man frown. He asked with concern, “Still feeling unwell? Dizziness or nausea?”

Sang Ruo shook her head.

The man let go of her arm, hesitated for a moment, and then shifted to wrap an arm around her shoulders, letting her lean her weight against him. He practically half-dragged, half-carried her into the elevator.

“Don’t push yourself like that next time.”

“Won’t I get better if I run more?” Sang Ruo whispered.

The man laughed and sighed, “You child.”

The porridge had been simmered until it was very soft. When the lid was lifted, the sweet aroma of rice spread through the air. However, Sang Ruo’s throat still felt raw, and she couldn’t eat a thing. After showering, she collapsed onto the sofa, holding the salt-and-sugar water Yi Chen’an had mixed for her. she watched him finish most of the pot of porridge along with some scallion pancakes from the morning market and some small pickles he’d just bought at the convenience store.

Noticing her gaze, the man carefully chose his words to praise her. “The porridge is very well made. You have quite the skill.”

Given the current scene, it felt as if he was comforting her by saying: Look, even though you’re not great at running, you can still make porridge. You still have your strengths.

Even though it was just a playful joke, Sang Ruo watched him eat and suddenly felt a profound sense of peace. She felt that this was quite nice.

As the morning sun rose, the sunlight occupied every corner of her heart.

Today was still a happy day.

The two of them stayed in and watched a movie. It was an old film called Life Is Beautiful playing on CCTV-6¹.

Every ending is a new beginning, though one might not know it at the time.

Sang Ruo cherished her current life deeply.

The female lead, having survived the ordeal, saw her beloved son in the morning light.

As the ending credits rolled, Sang Ruo stood up and stretched.

Leaning against the windowsill, she grumbled to herself, “The holidays in this city don’t feel festive at all. If it weren’t for the days off and the supermarket promotions, you wouldn’t even know it’s a holiday.”

Seeing her lazy appearance, Yi Chen’an teased, “Back from the dead?”

Sang Ruo clenched her fist. “Another brave hero!”

She caught Yi Chen’an letting out an inadvertent smile. When a handsome man who doesn’t smile often occasionally shows a hint of amusement, it’s absolutely captivating. Furthermore, this man was someone she had already claimed for her own side, and he was directing that focused smile solely at her.

It made her face flush and her heart race. She only regretted that this man didn’t belong to her yet. Otherwise, she would have pounced on him right then and there.

To restrain herself, Sang Ruo turned her heated face away and forced a change of subject.

“Our hometown is still better. The Dragon Boat Festival in this city is so boring.” There was one sentence she didn’t say: At least I’m with you.

Yi Chen’an thought for a moment and asked, “Qingyan City?”

“Yeah. You know we have the Qing River there. Every Dragon Boat Festival, there are dragon boat races on the river, and it’s so lively. The winning boat is filled with zongzi and lifted onto a high platform, where the rowers throw them down. Men, women, young, and old all scramble below to catch them.” Sang Ruo was full of nostalgia. “Aha, one year I ran so fast I gathered a whole basketful.”

“Zongzi are quite heavy, aren’t they? Weren’t you afraid of getting hit?” Yi Chen’an smiled along with her, but then asked curiously, “And if they’re thrown onto the ground, won’t they get muddy? How do you eat them?”

Sang Ruo became even more animated. Her eyes sparkled as she sat down next to Yi Chen’an. Talking about food made her previous awkwardness vanish completely. She told him excitedly, “That’s the interesting part! Each zongzi is wrapped small, only about the size of a chestnut, and they’re already cooked.” She made a circle with her index finger and thumb to show Yi Chen’an the size. “Who cares about mud? You take them home and roast them over charcoal. Once the bamboo leaves are charred, you give them a light rub, blow away the residue, and inside is a golden-brown roasted glutinous rice ball with the fresh scent of the leaves. It’s delicious!”

It was as if the zongzi were right in front of her. She even let out an embarrassing gulp of saliva from the craving.

“It does sound very interesting.” Yi Chen’an looked at Sang Ruo with a smile.

Sang Ruo felt a bit shy under his gaze again and looked around with her head down. “What? Don’t believe me? If there’s a chance, I’ll definitely take you there to experience it for yourself, then you’ll know.”

“Alright, make sure you remember that.” The man swiped his phone a few times and suddenly said, “The National Expo Center is holding a Dragon Boat Cultural Festival these few days. Do you want to go take a look?”

Sang Ruo nodded without hesitation. It wasn’t that she was particularly interested in some so-called cultural festival, but rather, this could technically count as Yi Chen’an asking her out. The very first time!

As expected, one shouldn’t hold high hopes for these kinds of cultural festivals. In reality, it was just a trade fair for products: zongzi, spices, handicrafts, wine, tea, and some snacks. The “cultural festival” label was just a gimmick used by merchants to attract customers.

Despite this, the massive venue was still packed with people. Sang Ruo and Yi Chen’an were pushed and jostled by the crowd, forced to walk in fits and starts.

She started laughing as she walked. This really was a “special” date. If they didn’t speak up, they couldn’t even hear what the other was saying… Once she finally won this man over, she would definitely use this to tease him. Their first outing together turned out like this.

As for the possibility of not winning him over, Sang Ruo never gave it a thought. she was full of confidence. She was so wonderful and so proactive, how could she possibly fail?

Translator’s Notes