Lu Jinghuai opened his eyes to find Ji Nian’s face right in front of him.
He recalled the sensation from moments ago.
Suddenly sitting upright, he pressed a hand against Ji Nian’s head as she tried to stand, pulling her back with a hint of force. After a pause, he leaned down and kissed her cheek.
Afterward, he even commented, "...So soft."
Then he closed his eyes and went back to sleep.
As he drifted off, he thought to himself:
Only in dreams can I be this reckless...
Ji Nian: "…………"
System: [Oho~]
[What the hell are you 'oho'-ing about? Can’t you see he’s delirious from fever?]
[He probably mistook me for someone else.]
She was deeply suspicious.
Strictly speaking, Lu Jinghuai was young enough to be Ji Nian’s son.
Watching Lu Jinghuai, who was still sound asleep against her shoulder, Ji Nian studied his peaceful face and found it unexpectedly adorable. She decided to let the earlier incident slide.
The extra weight on her shoulder made writing inconvenient, so she simply switched to her left hand.
The system wasn’t surprised.
When she was deep in research, she sometimes got so excited she’d take notes with her left hand—her handwriting completely different.
After observing for a long time, it concluded: This was probably a habit from her past life.
By the time Ji Nian finished her homework, Lu Jinghuai still hadn’t woken up.
Ji Tingzhou messaged her, asking why she wasn’t home yet.
She replied with "on my way," then carefully glanced at Lu Jinghuai, who hadn’t shifted positions at all. She worried his neck would ache when he woke up.
"Little Crown Prince?"
Lu Jinghuai didn’t react. She brushed aside his pale golden bangs and pressed the back of her hand to his forehead—his fever seemed to have subsided a little.
He was sleeping deeply, doll-like, letting Ji Nian adjust him as she pleased.
She helped him lie down on the sofa and tucked a small blanket over him.
After a moment, she suddenly pulled his arm out from under the blanket, fiddled with his warm fingers, and positioned his index finger near his nose.
Satisfied, Ji Nian snapped a photo—'Lu Jinghuai Picking His Nose.'
Only then did she leisurely gather her books from the coffee table.
Lu Jinghuai slept until 9:30 PM. When he woke, he felt noticeably better, his throat no longer as sore.
The room was unlit, dim and shadowed. The faint sound of rain outside reached his ears.
Blinking slowly, Lu Jinghuai sat up.
Ji Nian was gone.
He hadn’t even noticed when she left.
After collecting himself, he wrapped the blanket around his shoulders and stood, turning on all the lights. He searched for his phone, wanting to see if Ji Nian had sent him any messages.
Before finding his phone, he spotted a note on the table.
Ji Nian’s handwriting.
'If you’re awake, eat something. I ordered congee and left it in the kitchen. Heat it up if it’s cold.'
Below it was a little stick-figure chick giving a thumbs-up.
Lu Jinghuai’s expression softened, as warm as the now-lit room.
Ji Nian only saw Lu Jinghuai’s message after leaving the lab.
: It was delicious.
She replied while walking: Awake? How are you feeling?
Lu Jinghuai said he was much better.
Judging by the chat, he clearly didn’t remember what had happened earlier.
"Told you he was feverish..."
Ji Nian muttered under her breath.
Wei Yang, who was carrying her research materials, leaned over. "What’s burnt?"
Ji Nian gave him a fond look. "Nothing. Go play."
Wei Yang: "……..."
...
On Saturday, everyone met up to scout practice studio locations. He Xiang wasn’t there—his math class only had a one-day break, and over the weekend, he had to pick up his grandmother from the hospital.
"Little Crown Prince, feeling better?"
Shen Qingtang greeted Lu Jinghuai with a smile.
"Yeah."
Lu Jinghuai nodded, then glanced at Ji Nian.
Noticing his look, Ji Nian slung an arm over Shen Qingtang’s shoulder and smirked. "That’s because I took good care of him."
Even if it was only for a few hours.
Lu Jinghuai immediately added, "Right, all thanks to Ji Nian."
Shen Qingtang ruffled Ji Nian’s hair. "Of course. With Ji Nian on the case, what’s there to worry about?"
The three took a car to the first location.
The first spot was in a prime downtown area. They explained their purpose, showed the key, and checked out the space.
The instruments were well-equipped, but Ji Nian thought it was a bit cramped. After discussing with the other two, they moved on to the second option.
The second location was more remote, but after seeing it, they all agreed it was better—the room was larger, and the equipment was just as good. They decided on it.
Ji Nian paid without hesitation, sealing the deal.
"Oh, by the way, Little Crown Prince, we’ve settled on a band name—The Rookies."
Lu Jinghuai thought for a moment. "So, should the band logo be Gu Xiuyuan’s face?"
Ji Nian and Shen Qingtang instantly pictured themselves performing onstage in T-shirts printed with Gu Xiuyuan’s deadpan expression.
The two burst into laughter.
"That’s a fantastic idea, hahahaha!"
Shen Qingtang grinned. "Let’s keep this a secret for now. Give him a surprise later."
Lu Jinghuai could already imagine Gu Xiuyuan’s expression from the audience.
When they met up with Gu Xiuyuan for dinner later, he kept feeling like the two were looking at him strangely.
"Pack a separate portion of these, please."
After instructing the waiter, Gu Xiuyuan turned to the three freeloaders across the table. "For the missing band members, I’ve found replacements. I’ll add them to the temporary group later—you can talk there."
Ji Nian and Shen Qingtang simultaneously raised their hands and bowed dramatically. "We thank Your Majesty for your grace!"
After a pause, Lu Jinghuai smirked and followed suit. "We thank Your Majesty for your grace."
Gu Xiuyuan waved a hand. "Rise."
They were eating near the Gu Corporation’s offices. Gu Xiuyuan had already started handling minor company affairs.
Once he returned from studying abroad, he’d officially join the family business.
Ji Nian was fine with her path—she’d originally planned to follow her past life’s trajectory, studying pharmacy at S University.
But then Bruce told her that if she chose that major, there was a high chance he’d end up being her professor.
He said it with palpable dread.
The world turned upside down!
Ji Nian even joked, "Then you’d call me 'teacher,' and I’d call you 'teacher'—we’d each have our own titles."
Bruce shook his head frantically in horror.
This made Ji Nian reconsider.
When she asked Ji Tingzhou, he said it was entirely up to her—even if she chose to study postpartum care for sows, it wouldn’t be a problem.
Of course, he was just saying that.
In reality, Ji Tingzhou thought to himself: How could his daughter, of all people, deal with pigs? The stench of livestock alone was unbearable.
After the lively meal, Gu Xiuyuan rushed back to work. Ji Nian took the packed food to the school for the hardworking He Xiang.
When they left, Lu Jinghuai told them to go ahead—he stayed behind, though no one knew what he and He Xiang discussed.
"I’ll wash the thermos and return it to you later."
"No need."
Lu Jinghuai insisted. He didn’t want to owe He Xiang any favors.
Seeing his stubbornness, He Xiang had no choice but to hand over his house key.
A few students returning to campus after dinner witnessed the exchange and were utterly baffled.
"Didn’t He Xiang and Lu Jinghuai have a bad relationship?"
"I don’t get it… They usually act like they don’t even see each other, so why would he give him a spare key to his place in private?"
After receiving the key, Lu Jinghuai had someone buy a lot of food suitable for an elderly person recovering from illness and went to He Xiang’s home.
He Xiang’s grandmother was delighted to see him—who wouldn’t adore such a good-looking young man?
He kept the elderly woman company for a long time, chatting until she fell asleep. Only then did Lu Jinghuai leave, carrying a bag of bananas she had insisted he take home.
...
Ji Nian returned home in the afternoon and decided to check on what her father was up to.
Ji Tingzhou had previously promised to act as her graphic designer, and true to his word, he was now sitting in front of the computer, working on a design.
Ji Nian had assumed he would delegate the task and simply pick from a few drafts, but instead, he was doing it himself.
After watching for a while, she remarked, "Wow, Dad, I’m impressed. You actually know how to use Photoshop and Illustrator." (Not the AI, but Adobe Illustrator.)
Ji Tingzhou glanced at her.
"What’s so hard about it?"
Ji Nian nodded. "Easier than eating broccoli, at least."
