The lingering effects of holding hands were significant.
When Ruan Xingmian woke up the next day, she still found herself unconsciously staring at her left hand in a daze.
Seeing herself smiling unconsciously in the mirror, she looked so foolish she hardly recognized herself.
Ruan Xingmian helplessly patted her cheeks lightly.
Enough with the lovesick thoughts for now—time to continue house hunting.
The camera she had ordered arrived yesterday, so she needed to finalize a place as soon as possible.
The shared apartment was too far from Gu Xing’s university, and her daily filming and editing would disturb others.
Ruan Xingmian disliked being interrupted by others.
And she certainly didn’t want to selfishly disturb anyone else either.
After getting ready and heading out, she expanded her search radius around the university.
Finally, about a kilometer from the university research institute, she found the perfect place.
A residential area for security personnel, rented directly by the landlord. It was an old neighborhood—40 square meters, with one bedroom, one living room, and one bathroom. The rent was as low as 400 yuan.
She checked everything thoroughly: the plumbing, electrical wiring, and drainage were all in good condition.
The only downside was that the furniture throughout the apartment was merely decorative—there wasn’t even a decent bed.
But the location was ideal: just a kilometer from the university research institute and only a thirty-minute drive from the municipal maternity and children’s hospital.
It was also directly accessible by light rail.
As an old neighborhood, it had a strong sense of community, with all the necessary amenities downstairs.
Most importantly, the kitchen was spacious and well-lit, perfectly meeting Ruan Xingmian’s needs for cooking and filming.
An idea struck her—this was the place.
Meeting the fifty-year-old landlord, Ruan Xingmian smiled sweetly, calling her “big sister” with every sentence. She spun grand promises and bargained the rent down to 300 yuan per month, with one month’s deposit and three months’ rent paid upfront.
Unable to wait for Gu Xing to finish class, she signed the contract.
Before signing, Ruan Xingmian confessed, “I’m pregnant. Do you mind, big sister?”
The landlady looked puzzled. “Why would I mind? It’s a joyous occasion. But, little sister, it’s quite unusual for someone as young as you to be pregnant.”
She sized up Ruan Xingmian from head to toe.
Her attire was simple and casual.
Her demeanor was mature and steady.
Her words were logical and well-organized.
She didn’t seem like a reckless young girl.
“My boyfriend is a graduate student at the neighboring university. I wanted to be closer to him.”
The landlady smiled. “Your boyfriend must be outstanding—that’s a nationally renowned university!”
She added with a laugh, “Sometime, could you ask your boyfriend if he’d be interested in private tutoring?”
Whether she’d actually ask or not, Ruan Xingmian cheerfully agreed. This was a key principle of social interaction: never let a conversation drop awkwardly.
After signing the contract, Ruan Xingmian received the keys.
She began cleaning leisurely.
She kept switching camera angles, marking several fixed positions to save time later.
She worked slowly, the type who took her time to achieve meticulous results.
She also had the patience to thoroughly enjoy the quiet moments of cleaning.
It didn’t matter if she couldn’t finish today—there was always tomorrow, the day after, and the day after that.
The intangible cultural heritage teacher who had mentored her never praised her for being clever but always commended her for her ability to endure solitude, calling her a promising student for intangible cultural heritage.
Ruan Xingmian had a positive mindset. In her view, good things took time, and rushing often led to mistakes.
Slow work yielded fine results.
But it also meant missing deadlines.
By the time she took a break and picked up her phone, it was already 1 p.m.
There was one missed call on her phone.
Gu Xing had called her at 12:05, and she had missed it.
Ruan Xingmian was particularly annoyed with herself.
As a girlfriend, how could she have missed Gu Xing’s call?
As soon as the call connected, she sincerely apologized, “I’m sorry, Gu Xing. My phone was on silent.”
“It’s fine.”
Gu Xing’s anxious heart finally settled back into place.
The call went unanswered, leaving a hollow ache in his heart and an uncontrollable flood of anxious thoughts. After hesitating at school for what felt like ages, he considered rushing to Ruan Xingmian’s rented apartment to make sure she was safe and had eaten lunch.
He had no mind to help classmates with their research topics, no focus to pore over academic papers—his heart felt like it was on fire. Every now and then, he pulled out his phone to refresh it, even though there wasn’t a single new message.
It was the first time he understood what it meant to be consumed with worry.
“I rented a place near your school and got so caught up cleaning that I forgot to have lunch with you.”
“You haven’t eaten yet?” he asked, a rare trace of urgency in his voice.
“Not yet. Have you? If you’ve already eaten, don’t worry about me—I’ll just order takeout.”
“What do you want to eat?” He sounded like he was gathering his things.
Ruan Xingmian sat on the worn-out sofa, unconsciously stretching her legs out, holding her phone with both hands in a relaxed and cheerful posture. A voice inside her repeated—she was looking forward to seeing him.
“Send me the address,” he said as he walked out of the classroom. “What do you want to drink?”
Ruan Xingmian hugged her warm phone, a soft smile curling at the corners of her lips.
No one could resist the gentle care of an aloof male god.
Gu Xing arrived quickly.
Ruan Xingmian suspected he had run all the way.
The door was wide open.
Hurried footsteps echoed in the hallway.
Sneakers screeched against the floor.
Ruan Xingmian got up from the sofa and hurried to the doorway.
She nearly collided with Gu Xing.
He came to an abrupt stop, slightly out of breath, his bangs damp with sweat and clinging to his temples.
His breath brushed against the top of Ruan Xingmian’s head, sending a tingling sensation through her entire body.
Why did you run so fast?
Your face is all flushed from the sun.
Ruan Xingmian pulled out a wet wipe, raising her hand as if to wipe the sweat from Gu Xing’s forehead.
But she hesitated.
The original story said Gu Xing disliked physical contact, showed little enthusiasm for external matters, and tended to be reserved in both expression and action.
Holding hands yesterday was fine.
But touching his face today—was that okay?
Gu Xing reached out and took the wipe from her, stepping past her into the room. “Let’s eat first.”
Ruan Xingmian felt a slight pang of disappointment. It seemed he really didn’t like being touched.
He stepped inside and took in the entire room at a glance.
The living room was small, the furniture shabby.
The floor was gray cement, littered with all kinds of trash.
Ruan Xingmian had wiped the table in advance. He set down the food and drinks, pulled over a barely usable stool, and wiped his hands clean with a wet wipe.
He opened the food containers.
Handed her the chopsticks.
Then opened a straw.
Inserted it into the drink.
His gaze lifted slowly, signaling for Ruan Xingmian to start eating.
He glanced around the room and sat on the sofa where Ruan Xingmian had been sitting.
His backpack was casually set aside.
He leaned forward slightly, his back arching into a tense curve.
His shoulder blades protruded through his shirt like two blades ready to be drawn.
He surveyed the entire room with a calm, composed expression, rarely revealing his emotions.
His elbows rested on his knees, fingers interlaced into fists supporting his chin.
Ruan Xingmian stole a glance at him, her gaze burning with admiration. She couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking and why he wasn’t saying anything.
He remained silent for as long as she ate. She ate slowly—a habit from her past digestive issues, when she had to stick to soft foods.
Over time, she developed the habit of chewing thoroughly and eating leisurely.
She also liked to watch videos while eating.
The original host’s diet wasn’t problematic, but she had a habit of starving herself to lose weight, which left her with a similarly weak stomach.
Her appetite was small, and she ate very little.
Often, just as Ruan Xingmian was starting to enjoy her meal, her stomach would feel full.
She took a few bites and still had more than half left.
Gu Xing had brought her grilled shrimp rice.
It seems that yesterday at the buffet, she kept eating shrimp, and he remembered.
Ruan Xingmian finished the meat and vegetables, then covered the remaining half bowl of rice.
If she could tidy up the kitchen today, she could cook fried rice herself in the evening.
She was a farmer’s child, raised by the land. Throwing away so much rice weighed heavily on her conscience.
“I’m done eating.”
Ruan Xingmian turned around.
Gu Xing stood up instantly, swiftly clearing the trash from the table.
He picked up both their bags in one hand.
Standing still, he said, “Don’t rent this apartment.”