Ruan Xingmian raised her hand to rub the corners of her eyes, let out a heavy sigh, gently closed the door, put on her mask, and continued working.
She deliberately ignored the uncontrollable ache in her heart, focusing her attention on her career instead.
It was all because she had been drawn in by his looks.
From the very beginning, she had approached him with the mindset of giving it a try.
There was nothing to be sad about.
She and Gu Xing were never from the same world to begin with.
In her mind, Ruan Xingmian wrote an eight-hundred-word essay to console herself, reasoning that even if they broke up directly after the cold treatment, it was perfectly normal.
Yet her heart still felt suffocated.
She paused what she was doing and wrote another ten-thousand-word self-reflection in her head.
She remembered Gu Xing saying that couples could share their phone locations.
Gu Xing must have misunderstood something, right?
But if he didn’t ask, and she went over to confess without any context—
Yes, Gu Xing, I went to the hotel to find Lu Tian yesterday.
And then?
Then she’d continue confessing: I went to look for a pinhole camera, and nothing happened between us.
And after that?
Reveal her bottom line: I’m actually not the original Ruan Xingmian.
Whether Gu Xing would believe her or not was uncertain, but he would definitely call the police first—Officer, this person illegally installed a pinhole camera, drugged someone, and is mentally unstable.
Ruan Xingmian didn’t want to spend her postpartum confinement in a police station.
So, she couldn’t confess, at least not now.
Human hearts were hard to fathom. Having traveled to another world, the only person she could trust right now was herself.
The original book had very little psychological description of Gu Xing, and Ruan Xingmian still couldn’t figure him out.
Did he choose to raise the child with the original host because he loved the Female Lead, Ruan Xingyue, and extended that affection to her? Or did he genuinely like the naive and lively original host?
An unprecedented loneliness slowly corroded Ruan Xingmian’s shaky heart.
She sat on the floor, unconsciously twisting the hem of her pants.
A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.
Was it Gu Xing?
Ruan Xingmian scrambled to her feet and hurried over to open the door.
Familiar Minion-themed delivery attire.
“Hello, delivery.”
It wasn’t Gu Xing.
But it must have been Gu Xing who ordered the delivery.
Only he and Wen Zhu knew this address.
And it was the grilled shrimp rice from their cafeteria, along with her favorite drink.
Ruan Xingmian bit her chopsticks.
Even when angry, he still bought her a meal.
For the child’s sake? Or for the original host’s?
Ruan Xingmian couldn’t figure it out. Her mind was a tangled mess, tinged with the sourness of aged Shanxi vinegar.
When Wen Zhu heard she was setting up a stall, she came over to help right after work.
With Wen Zhu around, Ruan Xingmian managed to muster some energy to prepare.
The Wutong Road roadside stall was managed by the school, with a monthly rent of one thousand. They could trial-run for three days before paying the stall rental fee—a very considerate arrangement.
At noon, she had sent Gu Xing a message thanking him for lunch. It had been a long time since classes ended, but there was no reply.
Ruan Xingmian held back for a long time, tears welling up in her eyes.
She didn’t understand why Gu Xing wouldn’t just say a few words to clear things up.
Now he expected her to bend over backward to coax him.
She wasn’t willing.
Coaxing once or twice was fine, but was she supposed to coax him for a lifetime?
Even though they might break up next week.
So, Ruan Xingmian stuck to her principles.
Even if it made her sick, she wouldn’t be the first to lower her head.
She had always been stubborn.
But she was also afraid that Gu Xing would really never speak to her again.
A twenty-three-year-old boy who had never been in a relationship—it was normal for him not to understand effective communication.
As a twenty-eight-year-old, she should be more understanding.
But then again, who wasn’t experiencing their first relationship?
Ruan Xingmian went back and forth, unable to pick it up or let it go, tearing herself apart in her heart, yet still unable to reach a conclusion.
Emotions outweighed reason—she still didn’t want to part with Gu Xing. That was her strongest feeling at the moment.
Wen Zhu asked her what was wrong.
Ruan Xingmian revealed a smile of newfound resolve: “It’s nothing! I’m full of energy now.”
That night, Wen Zhu stayed over.
The two girls slept together on Ruan Xingmian’s new bed.
Since they had to wake up early the next day to prepare, they didn’t gossip.
The following day, Ruan Xingmian prepared fifty servings of sushi and, with Wen Zhu’s help, successfully sold out by 12:30 p.m.
The first day of the trial run went fairly well.
Ruan Xingmian added dozens of WeChat contacts in one go.
Even with a mask on, most boys came to ask for her WeChat, some even too shy to meet her eyes.
At noon, she treated Wen Zhu to A University’s hotpot buffet.
She glanced around but didn’t see the person she was looking for.
Unexpectedly, she bumped into Ruan Xingyue eating ice cream on an empty stomach.
The sisters both wore guilty expressions.
Ruan Xingyue: “Why did you come all the way to our school for hotpot?”
Ruan Xingmian: “And why are you eating ice cream on an empty stomach!”
After seeing Wen Zhu off, Ruan Xingyue dragged her younger sister around campus.
“Here to see Gu Xing?”
“…No, I was just craving something.”
“He’s in the computer laboratory,” Ruan Xingyue said, munching on corn with an understanding look. “You two had a fight.”
If only they could actually fight.
Ruan Xingyue was also busy, heading toward the library instead of taking a midday nap.
Halfway there, she suddenly turned back: “Don’t you have classes today? Why are you still wandering around here?”
Ruan Xingmian quickly waved and headed toward the school gate.
Once Ruan Xingyue was out of sight, Ruan Xingmian stopped, then stealthily made her way toward Duxing Building.
In her bag was the most lavish giant sushi roll.
Only this one was made especially for Gu Xing.
Emotions had triumphed over reason and dignity.
She didn’t want to give up on Gu Xing.
As she stepped onto the first stair.
She instinctively looked up and met a pair of cool, familiar eyes.
“Gu Xing…”
Her gaze fell on the girl’s face behind him.
The ingratiating smile on Ruan Xingmian’s lips instantly froze.
Fine.
What a perfect pair of talented scholars, inseparable.
Ruan Xingmian tightened her bag strap, turned, and walked away.
She was afraid her anger would upset the baby.
“Gu Xing!” Ji Ling called out.
Gu Xing’s footsteps hurried after her.
Ruan Xingmian’s wrist was grabbed.
“You came, so why leave?”
“I come and go as I please, is that not allowed?”
Ruan Xingmian struggled to control her temper.
Suddenly, her chin was lifted, and a cool kiss landed on her lips.
Ji Ling was still watching from not far away.
Ruan Xingmian’s first thought was that she hadn’t brushed her teeth after eating hotpot.
Her second thought.
She raised her hand and pushed Gu Xing away. “We haven’t settled the cold shoulder issue, and now you’re playing the ‘kiss and make up’ couple game?”
Gu Xing released her, his expression indifferent, and nodded. “Fine, then let’s settle things one by one.”
He dragged Ruan Xingmian into the garden.
“Lu Tian is a regular guest at Jifeng Hotel. Why did you go there?”
So he had checked her location.
“He wanted to sleep with me.”
Ruan Xingmian skipped the complicated details and went straight to the most serious outcome.
“He told me to chase you, become your girlfriend, and then he’d sleep with me.”
Ruan Xingmian said seriously, “You shouldn’t think of him as a good brother anymore. He’s…”
Ruan Xingmian racked her brain but couldn’t find the right word.
To describe Lu Tian, that beast.
Seeing Gu Xing’s stunned expression.
Ruan Xingmian emphasized again: “I pursued you, and it has nothing to do with him. It was purely because I was captivated by your looks.”
She spoke with candor.
The listener, however, felt uneasy.
“If you had asked back then, there wouldn’t have been any quarrel,” Ruan Xingmian murmured softly.
How could she have known that Gu Xing, even on the high-speed train, had used his mobile data just to check her location?
“It wasn’t really a quarrel,” Gu Xing insisted.
Ruan Xingmian shook off his hand: “You didn’t reply to my messages, and I saw you going around with another girl. Gu Xing, this indeed isn’t a quarrel—it feels more like a prelude to a breakup.”
She crossed her arms: “We started clearly, Gu Xing, and I hope we can end just as clearly.”
The next second, she was pulled into an embrace filled with the scent of blue chamomile.
“I’m sorry,” Gu Xing bent down, burying his face—the very face that had made Ruan Xingmian’s heart flutter—into the crook of her neck, his straight nose pressing against her collarbone.
He mumbled, “No ending.”
Ruan Xingmian instinctively nuzzled his shoulder.
She thought to herself.
Gu Xing knew exactly how to use his looks to his advantage.