15

The next morning.

Qin Ruan woke up early.

She pressed the button on the clock by her bedside, which displayed: 07:10.

She put the clock down and lay back on the bed, staring blankly at the white ceiling, lost in thought.

After a moment, she lifted the covers and got out of bed.

After getting dressed and leaving her room, she found the living room still quiet.

She looked at the tightly closed door next to her, hesitated for a moment, and then decided not to knock. Instead, she turned and headed to the bathroom.

While brushing her teeth, Qin Ruan gazed at her reflection in the mirror, lingering a bit longer than usual. As she continued looking, she couldn't resist stepping back to scan her figure from head to toe.

It seemed she really was a bit too thin.

She decided that she would eat more in the coming days.

With this decision, her expression relaxed noticeably. Holding her toothbrush, she brushed the sides of her teeth while moving closer to the sink, a bit of foam escaping from the corner of her mouth.

She lifted her hand, intending to wipe away the foam, when she suddenly saw Wen Yixin's figure in the mirror, just two or three steps away from her.

Startled, Qin Ruan's hand jerked, causing the toothbrush in her mouth to jab against her gums, making her wince in pain and cover her mouth, inhaling sharply.

"What's wrong?" Wen Yixin, equally startled, asked instinctively.

Qin Ruan shook her head, still covering her mouth, her eyes slightly moist.

Wen Yixin looked at her, her gaze lingering on the toothbrush in Qin Ruan's hand for a moment before she quickly understood.

"You hurt yourself with the toothbrush?"

Qin Ruan nodded, unable to speak, as she hurriedly rinsed her mouth. Once she was done, she turned to Wen Yixin and called out, "Sister Wen."

Wen Yixin hummed in response, stepping closer and gently lifting Qin Ruan's chin with her fingers, her eyes filled with concern. "Let me see, where did you hurt yourself? Does it hurt?"

As she spoke, Wen Yixin's thumb pressed gently at the corner of Qin Ruan's lips, as if to open her mouth and inspect the injury.

Seeing Wen Yixin's face so close to hers, Qin Ruan blinked. As she caught a glimpse of her own pained expression in the mirror, she hesitated for a moment.

In the next instant, she quickly turned her head, slipping her chin from Wen Yixin's fingers and putting some distance between them.

Qin Ruan pressed her lips together, saying softly, "Sister Wen, I'm fine."

"It's just a little bump on the gums, and it's already better now."

"Is that so…" Wen Yixin slowly withdrew her hand, but as she did, she couldn't help but lightly rub her thumb.

She smiled gently, "As long as you're okay."

"Mm." Qin Ruan responded quietly, lowering her head to turn on the faucet and rinse her hands. When she looked back at Wen Yixin, she suggested, "Sister Wen, you can brush your teeth and wash your face first. I'll go make breakfast."

"What would you like to eat?" Qin Ruan asked.

Wen Yixin thought for a moment before replying, "Noodles or maybe a fried egg sandwich—anything is fine. Just check what ingredients are in the fridge and make whatever you can."

"I'm not picky," she added with a light laugh.

Qin Ruan was puzzled and couldn't help but ask, "Sister Wen, what are you laughing at?"

Wen Yixin replied, "Oh, nothing, I just suddenly thought that not being picky is quite a good trait."

Qin Ruan blinked, not fully understanding before hearing Wen Yixin continue with a smile, "That way, whatever you make, I can eat."

"Ah…" Qin Ruan felt a bit overwhelmed by Wen Yixin's words, only managing a simple response as her mind went blank.

What did sister Wen mean by that?

Before she could figure it out, Wen Yixin asked, "Qin Ruan, if I remember correctly… you're not very picky about food either, right?"

Besides zhe'ergen, Wen Yixin hadn't noticed Qin Ruan disliking any other dishes, so she assumed Qin Ruan wasn't very picky.

Qin Ruan nodded blankly, "Yes."

Seeing this, Wen Yixin smiled again, "That's good."

After a brief pause, Wen Yixin added, almost as an afterthought, "But even if you were picky, it wouldn't matter."

"Because I can cook pretty well. Whatever you want to eat, I can make it."

Qin Ruan's expression faltered slightly, her chest rising and falling a bit faster than usual.

"Sister Wen…" she murmured softly.

Wen Yixin responded in a low voice, "Mm."

"I'm here."

Qin Ruan stared at Wen Yixin, her gaze focused and a bright light gradually appearing in her dark eyes.

"Cough," Wen Yixin cleared her throat, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed under Qin Ruan's gaze. She gently reminded her, "Didn't you say you were going to make breakfast?"

"Oh, right." Qin Ruan snapped out of her thoughts.

She looked at Wen Yixin, a small smile playing on her lips.

After a moment, she pressed her lips back into a calm line, returning to her usual composure. "Sister Wen, go ahead and brush your teeth and wash your face. I'll make breakfast while you're doing that."

Wen Yixin nodded silently, "Alright, just make something simple. Don't trouble yourself too much."

Qin Ruan obediently replied, "I understand."

With that, she stepped around Wen Yixin and, as she was about to cross the threshold, said, "Sister Wen, I'll be waiting for you in the living room."

Wen Yixin nodded slightly, watching Qin Ruan leave.

Only after Qin Ruan disappeared from her sight did Wen Yixin turn around and let out a soft breath.

For some reason, there was a moment when she felt Qin Ruan's gaze was a bit strange.

Wen Yixin couldn't quite describe how it felt to be looked at like that, only that it left a faint tingling in her heart.

But… maybe she was just overthinking it. After all, Qin Ruan seemed so well-behaved, like someone who wouldn't do anything out of line.

With that thought, Wen Yixin shook her head, dispelling the chaotic thoughts from her mind. She steadied herself and picked up the rinse cup to start brushing her teeth.

Meanwhile, Qin Ruan went to the kitchen, opened the fridge, and after a brief look, took out two eggs, a loaf of bread, some bacon, and slices of cheese.

She planned to make sandwiches, and once they were ready, she would warm up some milk to go with them.

As she thought about this, her hands moved quickly and skillfully, showing her experience.

It wasn't long before fresh sandwiches were ready.

Qin Ruan arranged them on a plate, warmed up some milk, and brought everything to the living room just as Wen Yixin was coming from the bathroom.

Wen Yixin looked at the neatly stacked sandwiches on the plate and raised an eyebrow, smiling as she praised, "You're done already? Impressive."

Qin Ruan's lips curved into a smile, and she squeezed her hand slightly, "Sandwiches are easy to make, so they were done quickly."

Wen Yixin didn't argue, just smiled.

She took Qin Ruan's hand, "Since breakfast is ready, why are you just standing there? Come sit and eat with me."

After sitting down at the table, Wen Yixin let go of Qin Ruan's hand, picked up the cup of milk, and took a small sip. Because of this, she didn't notice that after she let go, Qin Ruan placed her other hand over the spot where Wen Yixin had held her.

There was still some warmth left.

Wen Yixin took a bite of her sandwich and, finding it quite tasty, turned to compliment Qin Ruan, only to notice that the food on Qin Ruan's plate was untouched. She couldn't help but ask, "Why aren't you eating?"

Qin Ruan snapped out of her thoughts and shook her head, "Nothing, I just wanted to wait for you to eat first."

As she said this, her eyes fell on the sandwich Wen Yixin had taken a bite of, and she asked, "Sister Wen, is the sandwich okay?"

"Does it suit your taste?" As she asked, Qin Ruan's gaze became eager, her eyes filled with anticipation.

"It's delicious," Wen Yixin replied quickly and without hesitation.

Hearing this, a soft light flickered in Qin Ruan's eyes, and she smiled gently.

"I'm glad," she said.

Wen Yixin didn't say anything more. After a moment, she urged, "You should eat too, or it'll get cold and won't taste as good."

Qin Ruan nodded, "Okay."

With that, she quietly started eating her sandwich.

However, halfway through, she suddenly remembered Wen Yixin mentioning they would be going out, and she couldn't help but ask, "Sister Wen, are we going out later?"

Wen Yixin nodded. She glanced at Qin Ruan's clothes and said gently, "Yes, let's leave around ten. I plan to go shopping, and while we're there, I'll get you some clothes, dresses, and shoes."

"I see…" Qin Ruan looked down at her outfit.

She realized she didn't have much to wear at sister Wen's place, especially since she hadn't brought anything with her when she came, except her phone.

Luckily, her phone's WeChat was linked to a bank card, and she figured she should have enough money to buy some clothes today.

After thinking for a moment, Qin Ruan quietly thanked her, "Thank you, sister Wen."

Wen Yixin smiled, "No need to be so formal, just finish your breakfast."

After breakfast, Wen Yixin cleared the table and washed the dishes in the kitchen. She then brought out some freshly washed fruit.

She placed the fruit bowl on the coffee table beside the sofa, popped a cherry tomato into her mouth, and then sat down next to Qin Ruan.

At the same time, she offered Qin Ruan a cherry tomato, asking, "Would you like one?"

"Is it good?" Qin Ruan asked out of habit.

"I think it's good. You should try it," Wen Yixin said, and without waiting, she gently pressed the cherry tomato against Qin Ruan's lips and popped it into her mouth.

Caught off guard, Qin Ruan's cheeks puffed up like a little hamster, making her look so cute that Wen Yixin couldn't help but laugh.

Qin Ruan paused, then gently bit down and began to chew the fruit.

Wen Yixin's smile lingered, but she didn't continue watching Qin Ruan. Instead, she picked up the tablet beside her and began scrolling through it, though it wasn't clear what she was looking at.

Qin Ruan didn't disturb her. Remembering they were going shopping later, she silently checked the balance on her bank card while chewing the fruit.

After confirming the amount in her account, Qin Ruan quietly let out a breath of relief.

Fortunately, it was enough.

She put away her phone and turned to look at Wen Yixin, only to find herself meeting Wen Yixin's gaze.

Their eyes locked.

Wen Yixin leaned back on the sofa, her fingers tapping lightly on the tablet.

After a while, she asked Qin Ruan, "Qin Ruan, what do you think would be a good name for my new dance studio?"

She had thought of several names earlier but still felt something was missing.

"A name for your dance studio?" Qin Ruan echoed, then asked, "Sister Wen, do you have a favorite character?"

"Just one character?"

"Favorite character…" Wen Yixin thought for a moment and said, "Zhao"

"I like the character 'Zhao'."

"Zhao…" Qin Ruan repeated softly and then fell into thought.

After a moment, she spoke slowly, "Sister Wen, I thought of one—Zhaohui"

"What do you think of that name?"

"Zhaohui…" Wen Yixin repeated the name, her eyes slowly curving into a smile.

"I like it."

"I'll go with that."