Chapter 75 The Love-Brain Female Lead Awakens 18

“Classmate Sang, you’ve got guts, huh?”

“We support you. You can do it!”

“I’m telling you, don’t let Old Yi fool you by acting all proper all day. He’s actually the repressed type. Since you’ve seen through him, he’ll be easy to win over.”

Sang Ruo accepted all their encouragement without hesitation. “Deal then. If any other women show up around him, remember to let me know.”

The bathroom door opened, and everyone fell silent at once.

Yi Chen’an came out. “Why’d you all stop talking?”

Sang Ruo put away her phone. “Weren’t we waiting for you?”

Holding a glass of soda, Sang Ruo sat beside Yi Chen’an and listened to them chat. She ended up learning quite a bit more about him, especially the embarrassing things he’d done back in his school days. They were considerate of her while they talked too, and never made her feel left out. Still, with her here, she was bound to affect their gathering somewhat.

She was thinking she’d sit a little longer, then find an excuse to leave.

Someone said they were hungry, and they started discussing what to order for a late-night snack.

Drinking really didn’t fill you up.

A baby-faced guy named Feng Nan asked Sang Ruo, “Classmate Sang, are you the one with the mayonnaise?”

“Huh?” That came out of nowhere.

“Oh, you have no idea. Old Yi got a few bottles of mayonnaise and treasured them like crazy. He even bragged to me about how good they were mixed with noodles. So what do you think, are we lucky enough to get a taste tonight?”

The look on his face instantly reminded Sang Ruo of that hand-rubbing fly meme. She couldn’t help laughing. Just as she was about to agree, Yi Chen’an stopped her.

“That’s enough. Look at the nerve on you. I’ve spoiled you all too much. Isn’t takeout enough for you?”

Seeing Yi Chen’an with his friends, Sang Ruo caught a different side of him, one much more relaxed and free than when he was with her. At the same time, she understood even more deeply how much he tolerated and indulged her. It made her feel a little sorry for this man.

Yi Chen’an’s words sparked a chorus of complaints. “Old Yi, you’re way too stingy. The moment you’ve got something good, you hide it.”

Everyone pulled out their phones again and started chiming in while ordering takeout. It was obvious they were genuinely close, and Yi Chen’an didn’t need to stand on ceremony with them.

Feng Nan came over to ask Sang Ruo whether she ate spicy food and what dishes she liked.

“I’m not eating with everyone. I still have to get back to school and memorize my notes. You guys have fun.”

Everyone expressed their regret.

She stood up, and Yi Chen’an picked up his car keys. “I’ll drive you.”

Sang Ruo didn’t let him drive her. Once they got downstairs, she urged him to go back up. “It’s still pretty early. I can just take a cab myself. It seems like it’s rare for your friends to all get together, so go back and keep them company.”

Seeing that Sang Ruo insisted, Yi Chen’an called her a car for her and also turned on location sharing with her. “Message me when you get there.”

“Okay.”

When the car was about to arrive, Sang Ruo asked Yi Chen’an,

“Is mayonnaise good?”

“Good.”

“Easy to mix with noodles?”

“Easy.”

“Is Sang Ruo cute?”

“…”

Teasing Yi Chen’an was just too much fun. Sang Ruo loved seeing that helpless look he got around her.

She got into the car and said goodbye to the man standing by the roadside. He still wore that same unreadable expression.

“I’m heading out. Next time after you’ve finished eating, I’ll come again. Last time on Liyun Mountain, when we had vegetarian noodles, I said I’d make you a copycat version, but I never got the chance.”

“Mm.”

As she waved goodbye to the man watching her leave, Sang Ruo suddenly thought of Zhou Yan.

Back when she was with Zhou Yan, she had gone with him to a few gatherings with his friends too. Every time, he would remind her to dress up nicely and look polished. At the time, her whole heart had been set on him, so even if he hadn’t said anything, she still would have tried her best to make herself look prettier. Whenever she saw him downstairs from the dorm and noticed his eyes light up, she always felt an immense sense of accomplishment.

When boys got together, drinking was inevitable. Their conversation topics also ranged from tame to dirty without restraint. Sometimes they would deliberately tell risqué jokes to tease the girls present, as if that made them seem knowledgeable.

Sang Ruo usually didn’t interrupt much and would just sit quietly to the side eating. Zhou Yan, on the other hand, often had her pass him tissues, pour drinks, call the server, and so on. Once, after he’d had too much to drink, he kissed her in public while everyone else egged him on. She had been both embarrassed and angry.

Even so, she had never felt there was anything wrong with him. His friends all praised her, saying she was sensible.

Zhou Yan had also told her in private that she was beautiful, gentle, virtuous, and understanding, and that she gave him a lot of face.

Back then, she had probably been happy. She had thought she was amazing.

But now she knew that if a man truly cared about her, not only would he never order her around in front of his friends or do things that put her on the spot, he would protect her at every turn instead. Even if it was only out of basic courtesy.

Once again, she had to sigh over how blind she had been.

–

For the past two days, the sky had been gloomy, but it never actually rained, and the air felt oppressively warm.

Sang Ruo hugged a book in one arm and held up a popsicle in the other as she ate on a bench downstairs from the dorm. This bench sat behind an osmanthus tree beside a trash can, so couples lingering over drawn-out goodbyes usually didn’t come here to cuddle.

But in truth, the cleaning lady kept the trash can very clean, and there wasn’t any smell at all.

Back when she had a boyfriend, all she noticed every night were couples everywhere around her. Now that she had become a single dog, watching with a detached eye, she realized there were far more delivery guys and girls picking up takeout than there were couples. Ha, looks like food really is more important than men.

Sang Ruo happily carried out her little social survey with her eyes while licking her popsicle, perfectly content.

Wait, the pair up ahead looked kind of familiar. Sang Ruo rubbed away her imaginary eye gunk and looked again. If that wasn’t Zhou Yan and Chi Qin, then who was it? Her spot was hidden, so they couldn’t see her, but she could see them clearly.

Their movements weren’t excessively intimate, but those clasped hands were obvious enough. Zhou Yan lowered his head and smiled at the girl, even reaching out to brush the stray hair by her ear into place. As for Chi Qin, her face was full of shy sweetness.

Holy crap, who would’ve thought eating a popsicle would serve up such a huge piece of gossip.

Looking at Zhou Yan now, Sang Ruo could completely treat him like any ordinary classmate. As long as she didn’t think about those upsetting things from the dream.

If the timing, location, and circumstances hadn’t all been against her right now, Sang Ruo would have wanted to rush out and ask Chi Qin for tips on strategy and tactics. How had she managed to win Zhou Yan over so quickly? It hadn’t even been a full month since Sang Ruo broke up with him, right? At this level of efficiency, she could probably start a paid dating course and be incredibly convincing.

Of course, it was also possible that Zhou Yan had extended the olive branch first.

The two of them talked for quite a while before parting.

Sang Ruo waited until Zhou Yan had left before heading back to the dorm. She had been so focused on the gossip that the last few bites of her popsicle melted all over her skirt. When she got back, Yin Xiaoxin even laughed at her for it.

That night, when Sang Ruo went out to the laundry room, she ran into Chi Qing. Ever since Chi Qing had come to the dorm to look for Sang Ruo that one time and both she and Yin Xiaoxin had snapped back at her, they had treated each other like air whenever they crossed paths.

But tonight, as Chi Qing passed by Sang Ruo, she unconsciously lifted her chin a little. It was the smug posture of a victor, but Sang Ruo ignored her.

Yin Xiaoxin rolled her eyes. Leaning close to whisper in Sang Ruo’s ear, she said, “Did you see that look on her face just now? What is she acting out this time?”

Sang Ruo patted her. Sis, sooner or later, you’ll find out.

She hid under the covers and sent Yi Chen’an a message.

[Little Pig Hmph Hmph jpg.]

Yi Chen’an asked her, [Why aren’t you asleep yet?]

[Did your gathering end?]

[Just saw them off. I’m still cleaning up.]

[Let me tell you something weird. When I came back tonight, I found out Zhou Yan got together with a girl from our department. That girl even lives on the same floor in my dorm building.]

A long time passed before he replied, [Are you upset?]

[Not at all. I’m just marveling at how wise I was to break up with him, and then spitting on how men always chase the new and lose interest in the old. Little Pig Nose Bubble jpg.]

[Yeah, studying hard is what matters most.]

That was it?

Lousy dog of a man!

–

As finals drew closer, the students who had been partying all semester quieted down like chickens. No more going out to fool around, no more skipping class to sleep in. Walking around campus, Sang Ruo even felt like the roads had gotten much wider.

If Yi Chen’an refused to lend her a place to study, she could always find one herself.

Their dorm was on a high floor, and the rooftop had borne witness to the hard work of countless students cramming for exams. Compared to the packed library, it was open, bright, and quiet. It was just too hot, and there were mosquitoes. But in the face of grades, none of that was worth mentioning.

Exams were important, but happiness was important too.

In between studying, Sang Ruo still made a point of making her presence felt with Yi Chen’an, then playing the victim a little. During the day she would complain that the mosquitoes were huge, and before bed she would grumble about how devilish some professor was.

Who knew whether that unromantic man would feel at least a bit guilty because of it, and care for her a little more.

The next time she saw Yi Chen’an, she noticed his eyes were slightly red, and he looked like he hadn’t slept well either.

(⊙o⊙)…

Uh…

Was he losing sleep out of concern for her? Thinking about it, that seemed impossible.

She asked, “Has the company been that busy?”

“No, the World Cup started.”

“…”

“…”

She really shouldn’t have asked. All her little schemes and tricks had sunk without a trace. In front of the World Cup, they were nothing.

As a girl completely clueless about sports, Sang Ruo couldn’t understand the experience of staying up late to watch football. Still, she comforted herself by thinking that learning one more of a man’s hobbies wasn’t such a bad thing.

Yi Chen’an gave her the study room to read in, while he watched the matches on the big-screen TV in the living room.

Sang Ruo couldn’t study nonstop without a break anyway, so before the match started she ordered some ready-to-eat side dishes for delivery, things like jerky, duck necks, and edamame. She planned to watch the game with him too, which counted as cultivating a shared interest, right?

She had originally planned to open two cans of ice-cold beer as well. Look, drinks, snacks, and a football match, what an atmosphere.

In the end, before those two cans were even opened, Yi Chen’an picked them up and put them back in the fridge, then tossed her a can of cola instead.

“It’s late at night. What are you drinking alcohol for?”

What for? Since when had he suddenly become so health-conscious? Everything she bought was meant to go with drinks.

Seeing the dazed look on her face, Yi Chen’an reached out and rapped her twice on the head.

It hurt so much that she clutched her head and scampered away. “That hurts. What was that for?”

“It’s supposed to hurt, so you’ll remember.” Under Sang Ruo’s accusing stare, he lectured her, “Remember this. Don’t drink at night from now on, and definitely don’t drink with men. Stay farther away from men who’ve been drinking too.”

“Oh.” Sang Ruo felt like she really did have a bit of Love Brain in her. Even while being scolded, she somehow tasted a hint of sweetness in it.

“Don’t just agree with your mouth. Remember it.”

“Okay, got it, Mama Yi.” The way he was lecturing her sounded exactly like her mom.

He glared at her again.

Sang Ruo didn’t understand football in the slightest. In her grandma’s words, twenty-some people fighting over one little ball, what was so fun about that?

Yi Chen’an asked her which team she liked.

Looking at the pre-match poster, Sang Ruo casually pointed at one team and said Germany. When he asked why, she said, “Because the German team’s average looks are obviously higher.”

Yi Chen’an didn’t respond at first, probably not expecting her to say that. Then she saw him smiling. “A textbook fake fan.”

Haha, you’re flattering me. In truth, she didn’t even count as a fake fan.

She was just a passerby who had briefly stopped in her tracks for the sake of chasing the man she liked.