He stood quietly by the door, holding a watermelon in his hand.
Zhu Yaya straightened up.
She cleared her throat and asked softly, "What brings you here?"
Tilting her head, she glanced at the watermelon in Yan Heng's hand and said with some amusement, "You didn't need to bring anything, let alone a watermelon. It must have been hard to find one in the middle of winter. Come on in!"
Yan Heng, somewhat awkwardly, set the watermelon on the floor and entered the room. He discreetly took in the details of Zhu Yaya's room and its furnishings.
Zhu Yaya's eyes curved into a smile as she motioned for Yan Heng to sit on the edge of the bed.
Yan Heng obediently sat down, stiff as a board.
"You," he pressed his lips together, "are you alright?"
"I'm fine now! I had a high fever before, but it's gone."
"It's all my fault—"
Zhu Yaya interrupted him, softening her voice, "It's not your fault. Yan Heng, don't blame yourself for everything. I'm okay now, I'm perfectly fine."
Their eyes met, and the room seemed to hold only the sound of their breathing.
His throat moved, and his eyes had reddened without him realizing. "I was so scared when I heard you were sick."
"I know."
"I was so afraid... that you'd suddenly be gone too."
Zhu Yaya: ... While his words touched and pained her a little, she couldn't shake the feeling he was practically jinxing her.
She shot him an exasperated look, took his hand, and pressed his fingers to her wrist. "Feel my pulse, I'm still alive! You still owe me money; how could I possibly die before you pay up!"
She grumbled, "If you owe me money, even if I die, I'll drag you down to hell with me."
"Good." As long as you're there, even hell is fine.
What?
Zhu Yaya wondered, what do you mean "good"?
Another day failing to keep up with Boss Yan's train of thought!
As it grew late, Zhu Jianjun urged Yan Heng to stay, but Yan Heng shook his head and declined. "Uncle Zhu, I still have some work to do."
Zhu Jianjun looked at Yan Heng and breathed a sigh of relief. Though Yan Heng still looked somewhat haggard, there was a liveliness about him now; it seemed he was starting to emerge from his grief.
Zhu Jianjun didn't press further. "Come visit often when you have time."
"Alright," Yan Heng nodded.
The next day, Zhu Yaya regained her usual energetic demeanor, though a pale sickliness still lingered. When she appeared at the Tian Tian Breakfast Shop, she wore a white, mid-length A-line down jacket, her hair in a high ponytail, giving her a graceful, slender appearance.
The shop owner hadn't seen her for several days and felt there was something different about Zhu Yaya today. If she had to pinpoint it, it was that her smile seemed sweeter than before, and she felt more... real. She had always smiled before, but there was an ethereal, distant quality to her, as if she were an observer of this world rather than a participant.
"Brother Yan, boss lady, good morning! I'll have a red bean bun and a cup of soy milk," Zhu Yaya said, winking at Yan Heng.
Yan Heng hadn't expected her to come today. Seeing her suddenly filled him with an inexplicable joy, quickly followed by deep concern. "Are you fully recovered?"
"Of course! Otherwise, my parents wouldn't have let me out." Zhu Yaya took the breakfast he handed her.
The shop owner eyed Zhu Yaya's order. "Only one bun today?"
"My appetite hasn't fully returned after being so sick, you know?"
As she spoke, Xu Chun came in to buy breakfast. It must have been a while since they'd last seen each other, because Zhu Yaya felt a sense of unreality looking at Xu Chun. After Xu Chun got her breakfast and was about to leave, Zhu Yaya made to follow but was stopped by Yan Heng.
"Brother Yan, what is it?" Xu Chun's getting away!
Yan Heng signaled to the shop owner, took off his apron, retrieved a scarf from the back room, and walked over to Zhu Yaya. She immediately recognized it as the scarf she had draped over Yan Heng when she visited his mother in the hospital.
He wrapped the scarf around her neck, looping it gently several times, and carefully freed her ponytail from where it was caught in the fabric.
The tips of Zhu Yaya's ears turned red. She also noticed the shop owner not far behind him, watching them with a teasing look.
Zhu Yaya bit her lower lip. "Well, I should get going."
"Alright," Yan Heng's voice was unusually gentle. "Be careful on your way."
Blushing, Zhu Yaya hurried off. After everything that had happened, the relationship between them had grown closer. A sweet feeling blossomed in Zhu Yaya's heart. She took a sip of the soy milk and thought they must have added too much sugar today.
Zhu Yaya caught up with Xu Chun and once again saw that long-unseen, domineering male lead with his rainbow-colored hair. Braving the winter chill, he had finally abandoned his fervent love for ripped jeans and ragged outfits, and was actually wearing a proper, short down jacket. This surprised Zhu Yaya somewhat.
Just as she was about to commend his improved taste, she glanced at Murong Beichen's lower half and wanted to strangle her earlier self for even considering praise.
Murong Beichen wore a proper red, short down jacket on his upper body, but his lower half was clad in tight green pants. Flesh-colored long socks covered the pant legs, and he wore bright purple sneakers on his feet.
Zhu Yaya: ... Red with green... I really don't understand you young people's fashion sense.
To make matters worse, when she returned to her classroom, she saw all the girls huddled around their phones, squealing and cooing.
Zhu Yaya: ???
What's going on?
Xu Baoying was among them, but upon seeing Zhu Yaya, she put her phone down to greet her recently recovered deskmate. "Feeling better?"
"Yep!" Zhu Yaya navigated through the crowd of girls and sat down at her desk, asking Xu Baoying in confusion, "What's with everyone?"
Xu Baoying's eyes lit up, and she enthusiastically presented her phone. "Come, come look! Young Master Chen's winter outfit today is super trendy! I'm dying over this red, green, and purple combo!"
Zhu Yaya: ... (Metro, old man, phone meme face).
Xu Baoying held her phone, her eyes shaped like hearts. "Only someone like Young Master Chen could pull off this kind of combination. Look, look, even the rising pop star You Qishi and the film queen Mo Fei are copying Young Master Chen's style."
Zhu Yaya: ...
Is my internet connection slow? Why don't I recognize either of those two names you mentioned?
Wait, You Qishi? Isn't that the second male supporting character? Though, he appears much later in the story. By the time he shows up, Murong Beichen is already a domineering CEO who makes companies go bankrupt with a snap, but right now, the future domineering CEO hasn't even taken his college entrance exams yet.
Soon, Zhu Yaya pushed thoughts of You Qishi to the back of her mind.
Her stored lifespan and money were gone; it was time to focus on completing tasks. So, as soon as class ended, just like before, she ran upstairs to Class 17, Grade 12 to gather information on Murong Beichen and Xu Chun. Of course, the fruit box with watermelon was an essential prop.
But today, a strange little incident occurred. Just as Zhu Yaya stepped through the back door of Class 17, Grade 12, someone suddenly rushed up, grabbed her shoulders, and confessed his feelings to her—right in front of everyone!
Zhu Yaya, who had been perpetually single her whole life, felt a bit panicked.
