Chapter 66: The Love-Brain Female Lead Awakens 9

“Don’t you like Zhou Yan?” Sang Ruo looked Chi Qing in the eye and continued, “It just so happens that Zhou Yan is single again. Now is your chance.”

Chi Qing’s composure shattered. Seeing Sang Ruo’s calm and composed manner, she finally stopped pretending. “Fine! It’s true that I like Zhou Yan! But I never thought about destroying your relationship!”

“Chi Qing, do you actually believe those words yourself?”

Leaving her with that, Sang Ruo pulled away Yin Xiaoxin, who looked ready to scrap with Chi Qing, and left.

Yin Xiaoxin grumbled, “Why did you stop me? I’ve never seen a woman more manipulative than her. If we hadn’t been fooled by her polite act before, we never would have let her into our dorm. I’m sorry, Ruo Ruo.”

“Why bother with her? She’s just a pathetic person looking for a sense of existence. The more you pay attention to her, the more energized she gets.”

“Oh, I guess that makes sense.”

Sang Ruo returned to the dorm and lay down for a good while before her lower abdomen started to feel better.

She sent a WeChat message to Yi Chen’an: [Have you arrived?]

A message came back shortly after: [Not yet, almost there.]

The Friday evening rush hour was truly congested.

Another twenty minutes passed, and just as Sang Ruo was drifting off to sleep, another message arrived: [Arrived.]

Sang Ruo replied with a smiley face and then fell fast asleep.

There were only four days of classes this week, as Friday led directly into the Dragon Boat Festival weekend. The other girls in the dorm had all gone home on Thursday afternoon.

Sang Ruo wasn’t going home, and staying by herself was boring. Thinking about the man waiting for her to “conquer” him, she packed her bags and planned to find Yi Chen’an.

However, she was intercepted by Zhou Yan before she could even leave the dormitory building. She had heard he was sick and hadn’t attended classes for the past few days, so this was the first time Sang Ruo had seen him since her return.

She had intended to ignore him completely, but she didn’t want him and Chi Qing to keep disturbing her life. She decided to make things clear before leaving.

Seeing her pulling a suitcase, Zhou Yan asked, “Going home?”

“Mhm.”

There didn’t seem to be much else to say.

“Can I take you to dinner?”

“No thanks, I’m in a hurry.” Sang Ruo let go of the handle and sat directly on the suitcase. She looked up and said, “If you have something to say, say it now.”

“I was sick the last two days.”

“I heard.”

Zhou Yan gave a self-deprecating laugh. “I didn’t even receive a single message of concern from you.”

“Zhou Yan, can we just be straightforward? We’ve already broken up. Is there any point to this?” Sang Ruo stared at the ants passing by on the ground and said softly, “We did care for each other once, so let’s have a clean break. It might seem sudden to you, but I really don’t like you anymore. There’s no point in forcing ourselves to be together. Let’s go find our own happiness. I don’t know if Chi Qing told you, but she came to see me.”

“There’s nothing between her and me, don’t misunderstand.”

“Oh, Chi Qing said the same thing. But later she admitted she likes you. Actually, you two are quite a match. You should get together quickly.” To avoid ruining anyone else’s life.

Sang Ruo stood up, pulled her suitcase, and walked forward. “Goodbye.”

“I can’t accept this! I just want to know why you suddenly wanted to break up with me! Is it really just because I let you fall? Or is it because of Chi Qing? How can you be so heartless that you won’t even give me a chance to explain!” Zhou Yan shouted at her back, “Have you fallen for someone else?”

Sang Ruo stopped, but she didn’t turn around.

She heard Zhou Yan continue, “Chi Qing said a man dropped you off on Sunday night. Is it because of that man?”

Sang Ruo suddenly felt there was no longer any need to say anything to him. This man had never truly trusted her. It was laughable that she hadn’t seen through him before.

How did this hypocritical man manage to mention another woman’s name while simultaneously putting on an act of trying to win her back?

On the way to Yi Chen’an’s place, remembering how the two of them had eaten takeout every day the previous week, Sang Ruo bought some groceries. However, she ended up being stood up; Yi Chen’an wasn’t home.

It was already seven o’clock, the time he should be off work and home.

She wanted to call him, but feared he might be busy.

She waited and waited, but he didn’t return.

She had no choice but to pull her luggage to the convenience store at the bottom of the apartment building and buy a bowl of oden¹. She ate while playing on her phone and waiting for him; if he came back, he would definitely pass by the convenience store entrance.

Eventually, her phone was nearly out of battery, and there was still no sign of him. Bored, Sang Ruo went to borrow a charger from the cashier girl on duty.

The girl had a sweet voice, large eyes, and a round face. She readily found a power bank for her.

As they struck up a conversation, the girl kept staring at her.

“Is something wrong?”

The girl smiled quite openly and asked Sang Ruo, “You’re Mr. Yi’s girlfriend, right? You look like her.”

Sang Ruo saw the name on her badge was Sun Tian, which matched her appearance quite well.

Seeing Sang Ruo remain silent, Sun Tian looked at her work badge and waved her hands hurriedly. “I didn’t mean anything by it, I just think you two are a great match.”

Sang Ruo’s interest was piqued. Neither denying nor admitting it, she asked, “How do you know about me?”

“I saw you two coming home together last week. I’ve worked here for two years and know basically all the residents in this building. I’ve never seen Mr. Yi bring a girl back before, so I took a few extra looks.” She smiled again. “Besides, Mr. Yi came down to buy pads for you that night. I happened to be on duty then, too.”

Her words made Sang Ruo’s face flush slightly. She asked, “Does he come back this late every day?”

“Mhm, sometimes. I don’t work the night shift every day, so I’m not entirely sure.”

There weren’t many customers in the store. The other male clerk on duty was busy playing games on his phone, so Sang Ruo chatted idly with Sun Tian, making the time pass faster.

The clock in the store ticked past ten. Just as Sang Ruo finished another round of snacks and went to the refrigerated shelf to pick out some yogurt, she heard Sun Tian’s cheerful voice: “Mr. Yi, your girlfriend is here waiting for you.”

Sang Ruo quickly grabbed two yogurts from the cooler and walked out. She imagined Yi Chen’an must be completely bewildered right now. Although her face was a bit red, Sang Ruo smiled and spoke to Yi Chen’an before Sun Tian could say anything else: “You’re back.”

Yes, you’re back.

No matter how long the wait, the joy of seeing you at this moment is enough to cancel out all the emotions from the long and tedious waiting.

Thus, even the waiting becomes sweet.

I so carefully groomed and dressed myself over and over, not thinking about when you would come, or if you would come at all.

If you didn’t come, I could still calmly imagine you looking travel-worn and weary.

But you came. So, I stand up and say to you with a smile: You’re back.

No matter how long it takes, you always come back.

Yi Chen’an was indeed stunned when he saw her, but he didn’t offer any explanation regarding Sun Tian’s misunderstanding.

He probably felt there was no need to explain things to a stranger, Sang Ruo thought.

She watched him walk into the store rubbing his forehead. He smelled of alcohol, his shirt was heavily wrinkled, and his suit jacket was draped over his forearm.

Yi Chen’an looked at Sang Ruo, then at the suitcase beside her. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then checked his watch and ultimately remained silent. Finally, his gaze landed on the two yogurts in her hand. He took out his phone, brought up his payment QR code at the checkout counter, and asked Sang Ruo, “Do you want anything else?”

Sang Ruo shook her head repeatedly and placed the two yogurts on the counter to be scanned.

“I’m full already, nothing else.”

Yi Chen’an paid, then placed his laptop bag on the counter. He put on his jacket to free up a hand to pull Sang Ruo’s suitcase. He pointed to the bag of groceries on top of the suitcase and asked, “This too?”

Sang Ruo nodded quickly.

Sun Tian bagged the yogurt and handed it to Sang Ruo along with a Dragon Boat Festival limited edition chibi zongzi sticker, saying sweetly, “Please come again!”

Yi Chen’an was already waiting at the door.

The high-rise elevator wouldn’t be down for a while, so Sang Ruo talked to herself, offering an explanation for why she had appeared there at this time.

“Everyone else in the dorm went home for the holidays, and staying there alone was pretty boring. I remembered you were alone too, so I came to spend the holiday with you.”

The man pinched his forehead again and replied, “Mm. Have you been waiting long? Why didn’t you call me?”

“Not long. I was afraid you were busy.” Seeing his furrowed brows, she asked with concern, “Does your head hurt a lot? Did you drink a lot of alcohol?”

“It’s alright. With the holidays coming up, I had a dinner gathering with some clients.” He took a step to the side. “Is the smell bothering you?”

“Oh, no, it’s fine.”

It took a moment for Sang Ruo to realize he was explaining why he had only just returned.

After getting home, Yi Chen’an went to shower and change into a fresh set of clothes, though it was still a casual outfit that looked ready for heading out at any moment.

He looked much more refreshed, but Sang Ruo, with her dog-like sense of smell, could still catch the scent of alcohol on his breath. Just how much had he drunk?

He leaned lazily against the sofa, unlike the previous times she had seen him when he always sat perfectly upright and formal.

Sang Ruo finished unpacking her things and came out, handing a yogurt to Yi Chen’an. He took it and had a large gulp, then leaned back again and rubbed his brow, clearly feeling unwell.

Sang Ruo sat across from him, her ears feeling a bit hot. She felt that every movement Yi Chen’an made while slightly intoxicated was bursting with masculinity, making her heart flutter wildly.

“Are you okay? I’ll go brew a bowl of Hangover Soup for you.”

The man opposite her sat up and looked at her skeptically. “No need. Go to bed early.”

However, Sang Ruo read another layer of meaning in his eyes: Can a pampered young lady like you actually make Hangover Soup?

“Just wait a moment.”

Sang Ruo went into the kitchen. Fortunately, she had bought some ingredients this afternoon to use as seasonings for cooking; they would come in handy now.

She made the simplest version of Hangover Soup: aged vinegar, brown sugar, ginger slices, dried tangerine peel, and a large bowl of fresh water. She put them all in the pot together, using a high flame to boil the water down to a small bowl’s worth, then filtered out the solids to serve only the liquid.

Looking at the bubbling liquid in the pot, Sang Ruo fell into deep thought.

In the first twenty years of her life, she had indeed never stepped foot in a kitchen, let alone brewed Hangover Soup. Yet, seeing Yi Chen’an in such discomfort, she naturally knew exactly what to do.

In that blurry yet vivid dream, she must have brewed Hangover Soup for Zhou Yan countless times.

But what of it? Those skills had now become her chips in her pursuit of Yi Chen’an.

Sang Ruo turned off the heat, let the filtered soup cool until it wouldn’t scald the mouth, and poured it into a spare small bowl.

Yi Chen’an had his eyes closed on the sofa, seemingly asleep, but as she approached, he opened them.

“The Hangover Soup is ready. Have some.” Sang Ruo carried the full bowl of liquid with great care.

Yi Chen’an looked at the dark, murky soup as a pungent, spicy scent wafted toward him. He looked up at Sang Ruo.

“What are you looking at? Drink it, it’s not hot anymore. Even though it looks a bit like a ‘dark cuisine²‘ experiment, it’s very effective for sobering up. You won’t have a headache when you wake up tomorrow morning.”

“Do you brew Hangover Soup often?” Yi Chen’an asked.

“Uh… it’s my first time.” Sang Ruo felt a tiny bit guilty.

“Then, I actually have reason to believe that we have a grudge against each other?”

Tsk tsk… this man really was drunk; he was actually making jokes.

“Don’t worry, it won’t kill you!”

Translator’s Notes