Due to the sedative injection, Ran Yuan slept until past one in the afternoon.
The moment she opened her eyes, she saw ‘Li Yan’ smiling as he sat by the bed, watching her.
Anyone suddenly seeing someone in front of them would be startled, and Ran Yuan was so frightened she nearly screamed.
“Awake? Are you feeling unwell anywhere, Yuan Yuan?”
‘Li Yan’ gave a gentle smile, his large hand softly stroking her forehead.
After all these years of knowing each other, he had never initiated physical contact with her, which made Ran Yuan feel both flattered and overwhelmed.
Although the person before her was clearly Li Yan, she couldn’t shake a sense of strangeness and unease.
Perhaps it was because he wasn’t wearing gloves today?
“A Yan?”
She called out uncertainly.
“Hmm?”
His voice was filled with infinite tenderness.
“I’m fine. Have you been by my side all this time?”
Reassured that it was the Li Yan she knew, Ran Yuan blushed slightly and asked shyly.
“Of course. You scared me badly yesterday. I couldn’t leave you alone without worrying. You must be hungry—go freshen up, and we’ll get something to eat. We don’t have any plans this afternoon; I’ll take you around here.”
‘Li Yan’ withdrew his hand, stood up with a smile, and gestured for her to hurry and get ready.
It felt like an indirect compensation—a way to make up for what happened to her after she was drugged, something he felt guilty about.
But Ran Yuan was thrilled. This was their first date!
“Okay.”
She replied sweetly, got out of bed, and hurried into the bathroom.
Having endured a night tormented by desire, she was drenched in the smell of sweat. The thought that Li Yan had stayed by her side all night without minding made her both happy and anxious.
Everyone wants to show their best side to their loved one, not their most disheveled one.
At least A Yan didn’t seem to mind.
Her heart felt as if soaked in honey, overwhelmingly sweet. Ran Yuan took off her clothes and began to shower, not wanting to keep A Yan waiting too long.
In the living room, Li Yuan’s deliberately imitated smile faded, replaced by a smirk of disdain. He clicked his tongue in disgust, opened a disinfectant wipe, and began cleaning the hand that had touched Ran Yuan.
That’s it?
He really didn’t understand what Li Yan saw in her.
Mediocre and dull—this kind of innocent, plain flower was nothing compared to a thorny rose like Jiang Xiaoman.
In summary, Li Yan had more issues than he did: psychological cleanliness obsession, physical fastidiousness, and poor taste to boot.
He wondered why they had chosen to keep Li Yan and abandon him back then. Maybe poor judgment ran in the family?
Though in a hurry, Ran Yuan still took care to dress up nicely.
She rarely wore makeup, usually just applying some tinted moisturizer and lipstick at most. But today, she even put on eyeliner and mascara.
Working in a government office, her wardrobe mostly consisted of matching professional suits in dull colors. Yet today, she unusually wore a white vacation-style dress.
“Let’s go.”
She stepped out of the bedroom shyly, looking toward ‘Li Yan’ waiting by the window.
She hoped to see his eyes light up at the sight of her.
But ‘Li Yan’ showed no reaction, as if he hadn’t noticed her careful preparations.
Is A Yan… really this oblivious?
Ran Yuan felt disappointed, and with a jolt of alarm, she realized she didn’t actually know Li Yan very well.
Although Li Yan liked her, their interactions had always been reserved and proper—they cared for each other, he helped when she was in trouble, and he was a gentleman. But the problem was he was too much of a gentleman; there was no physical intimacy at all.
They hadn’t even had a proper date until now!
The more Ran Yuan thought about it, the more disheartened she felt. Perhaps Li Yan just wasn’t good at taking the initiative.
No matter—this time, she would be the one to make the first move!
Thinking this, she walked over and reached out to take his arm.
But “Li Yan” dodged her touch a split second before she could.
Rejected!
Ran Yuan’s face instantly flushed crimson with shame.
“I’m a bit of a germaphobe and don’t really like physical contact with others. Sorry about that, Yuan Yuan.”
“Li Yan” spoke with a light smile.
So that was it—she had misunderstood him.
“It’s fine. I should be the one apologizing. I actually never noticed all this time…”
As if angry with herself, Ran Yuan rapped her knuckles against her forehead.
“Right? I find it pretty amazing too. We’ve known each other for almost eight years, and you never noticed. It’s my fault—I’m too good at pretending. How could you possibly be to blame, Yuan Yuan?”
“Li Yan” spoke again with a smile.
Why did his words feel a little sarcastic?
“Who talks about themselves like that? Everyone wants to show their best side to the person they like, so neither of us is at fault. Ah Yan, I’m hungry—let’s hurry and go.”
Ran Yuan gave an understanding smile, showing she could empathize.
Extreme germaphobia was a psychological condition.
She had a lifetime to slowly help him heal, and for now, they needed to create more beautiful memories together!
Apart from the resort hotel, the rest of the area was completely undeveloped—poor, backward, and with very poor public security.
Plus, with limited time, they couldn’t go out and could only enjoy themselves within the hotel.
The two went to the sunset restaurant that Li Xue had recommended.
The restaurant was built on a cliff, overlooking an endless expanse of blue sea. Unfortunately, the timing was off, so they couldn’t witness the sunset.
Since the restaurant operated all day, even though it wasn’t lunchtime, they could still enjoy delicious dishes prepared by top international chefs.
To secure this collaboration, Li Xue had really gone all out. The resort hadn’t officially opened yet, but all staff were already on duty, just to cater to their group.
With no tourists around to disturb them, it couldn’t have been more comfortable.
While waiting for their food, Ran Yuan mustered her courage and said, “Ah Yan, let’s take a photo.”
From their first meeting in university until now, almost eight years had passed, yet they didn’t have a single photo of just the two of them. She hadn’t thought much of it before, but after acknowledging her feelings, it became a regret she could never make up for.
But it was fine—they had a whole lifetime ahead to take countless photos together, right?
“Sure.”
“Li Yan” didn’t refuse.
“Cheese!”
Ran Yuan gestured for him to lean in from across the table, and she leaned toward the middle as well. Then, with a bright smile, she struck her classic photo pose for the camera—a peace sign.
In the photo, “Li Yan” wore a faint smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“Can I post this on my Moments?”
She asked again, full of hope.
“Up to you.”
He didn’t refuse, but his attitude seemed somewhat indifferent…
Ran Yuan tried hard to shake off the strange feeling and, blushing, edited and posted the photo to her Moments—a subtle way of announcing their relationship.
Caption: Us.
Soon, the post was flooded with comments and likes.
【Wow, have you finally come to your senses? Congrats to our former campus heartthrob—after all these years of unrequited love, you’ve finally won the beauty’s heart.】
【Off on your honeymoon? I’m tired of saying how jealous I am.】
【It’s only been a while, but why does President Li’s face seem to have changed, giving off a somewhat wicked and unrestrained vibe?】
One comment stood out particularly.
【Jiang Yina: Congratulations to Yuan Yuan and President Li for finally making it official! I need to work harder too. I’m so envious that you get to mix business with pleasure and be all sweet with President Li. I wish I could also abuse official business for personal gain with Councilman Chi…】
This passive-aggressive, tea-sipping remark came from Jiang Xiaoman’s half-sister—Jiang Yina.
Just from their names alone, one could see the extent of their father’s favoritism.
Chi Jin was young and accomplished, with many admirers, but the one most likely to secure the position of Mrs. Chi was Jiang Yina. A marriage between business and politics—a powerful alliance—those in the know, know!