CH 51

In the end, Qin Juran didn’t cook anything. Although Ruan Nan was interested in the recipe for fried milk custard, Qin Juran refused with the excuse that eating too many sweets wasn’t good for her.

Ruan Nan frowned at her begrudgingly and pouted silently.

Instead, the two of them went to a restaurant near Ruan Nan’s apartment and ordered some shrimp and scallop noodles. Qin Juran noticed that Ruan Nan liked shrimp, so she helped her pick out the shrimp onto a plate. When they had cooled, she asked the waiter for a pair of gloves and began de-shelling the shrimp.

Since the table was rather small, Ruan Nan was worried that the noodle broth would end up dripping from Qin Juran’s gloves onto her clothing. She instinctively leaned closer to Qin Juran, only for Qin Juran to directly pop a freshly de-shelled shrimp into her open mouth. When Qin Juran noticed Ruan Nan’s surprised face, she quickly laughed in a joking manner: “My bad, my bad, this is my first time experiencing how it feels to chase someone.”

Qin Juran continued to peel the shrimp and feed them to Ruan Nan. Meanwhile, her phone vibrated on the table with notifications from Qin Haotian, who wanted to check in on her progress during his breaks. Qin Juran snapped a picture of the bowl of seafood noodles with a filter that blurred the background and sent it over. However, Qin Haotian saw through her ploy right away:

【Ranran, the way to Nannan’s heart is through her stomach. It’s not going to work if you keep slacking off.】

Qin Juran let out another amused laugh. Before she tucked her phone away, she asked Qin Haotian how the family restaurant was doing. He replied that business was so well that they even hired more waitstaff, and there were still customers who were willing to line up outside for a table even in this cold weather.

Qin Juran assured him that they would only become even successful from hereon. As long as Qin Haotian and his wife were willing, she would also do the best she could to help them promote the restaurant. Meanwhile, it was a valuable opportunity for Qin Juran to hone her skills as well.

After they ate, Qin Juran once again accompanied Ruan Nan to the supermarket. But this time, behaved very seriously even when they made it to the produce section. Seeing that she didn’t try to crack any jokes, Ruan Nan felt a little apprehensive. She walked up to Qin Juran and asked, “Why aren’t you picking any papayas or anything this time?”

Qin Juran smiled indulgently: “Whether the fruits are big or small, they’ll still be mine to eat, so I don’t mind.”

Ruan Nan blushed, resolving in her head to never bring up the subject matter again.

As the two of them browsed through the supermarket, they looked like any other couple. After picking out a few snacks, Ruan Nan began putting a few bags of frozen dumplings into her cart. However, Qin Juran suggested that she put some back, as she would be accompanying her for dinner more from now on.

When it was the time to check out, Qin Juran was prepared after learning from her previous mistake. She opened her digital wallet on her phone beforehand, so that right when it was time to pay, she was able to immediately scan her card before Ruan Nan could beat her to it again. Although the groceries weren’t too expensive, Ruan Nan still felt a little apologetic.

As the two pushed the shopping cart back to the car, Ruan Nan glanced at Qin Juran with a somewhat concerned expression: “Qin Juran…..”

“You’re still addressing me by my full name?” Qin Juran raised a brow.

“Then, Juju…”

Fine, that was a good start for now. They’d work on establishing a more intimate nickname later.

“Since you rejected Sheng Heng company, what are your plans now? Also, how did you even find out that that company was under Sheng Chuan Corporation?”

Qin Juran pursed her lips: “The best way to research a company is through word of mouth and media. Like at the coffee shop downstairs or the bar that the employees like to frequent after work, if you just listen around for a few days to some of the interesting conversations that transpire, you can easily understand the inner workings.”

Of course, with Qin Juran’s omniscient knowledge about the plot of the original novel, just hearing the similarities between the names “Sheng Heng” and “Sheng Chuan,” in addition to Mr. Chen – no, President Chen’s “unique advantage,” it wasn’t hard to figure out Fan Chuan’s little trick.

And of course, Qin Juran did not plan on having another more contact with this company from now on.

After a while, Qin Juran mentioned, “Asides from Sheng Heng, I’ve also checked out some other distinguished multi-channel network companies in S District. It shouldn’t be too hard to break through the market with my current skillset, but it might be hard to expand in the future since I would be using my own capital.”

“You mean, you want to start your own business?” Ruan Nan asked.

Qin Juran nodded, a hint of hesitation in her voice: “But I’m in no hurry. In fact, the situation with Sheng Heng gave me an idea: since I don’t have much capital of my own, the work I put in will be the best showcase of my skills. I’ll keep promoting Juju Tavern, and there are some other old restaurants in A District that I could redesign and market with an old-fashioned, nostalgic aesthetic.”

As Qin Juran spoke, she also showed Ruan Nan some of her social media posts. Ruan Nan agreed that it was a good idea. Moreover, as someone who grew up in A District, she was pretty familiar with the city, so she inwardly resolved to help Qin Juran gather some research on more potential locations.

When it was time to leave, Ruan Nan asked Qin Juran where she was planning on going. Understanding her meaning, Qin Juran let out a teasing laugh: “If I don’t return to my own dorm soon, I’m afraid that Ah-Ruan will start running out of underwear.”

Ruan Nan blushed, refusing to reply. Tomorrow was Monday, but the elective classes have ended so the course load for the remaining two months were very light, and many students had already began their internships outside of school. Once Ruan Nan pulled her car up to the entrance of Qin Juran’s dormitory, Qin Juran once again reminded her to put all the groceries in the fridge, ensure that the heating in her room was warm enough, and to lock the door when she got back.

Noticing Ruan Nan subtly sneaking a glance at her, Qin Juran laughed and knelt forward in the passenger seat to kiss Ruan Nan’s forehead: “Cheer up, Ah-Ruan, it’s not like we won’t meet again. Go back and get some rest, and remember to think about me.”

Ruan Nan nodded without a word, then began to drive off back to her apartment.

As soon as Qin Juran walked into her room, Huang Ying came up to her, her face with glowing with curiosity. She urged Qin Juran to tell her what had happened in the past two days, and how far they had gone. Qin Juran gave a brief overview of how Ruan Nan had chased her down the other day and proceeded to bring her back to her apartment, then how she herself had drunkenly confessed and finally obtained the approval to properly chase after Ruan Nan.

“What, after all that—that’s it?”

“Juju, with such the romantic atmosphere that day, forget getting approval to chase after her – you guys are already practically a happily married couple! You guys really are seriously a snatch made in heaven!”

Qin Juran turned over Huang Ying’s sentence in her mind, correcting her phrase: “Don’t you mean ‘match?’”

“You want to match me??”

“…..”

If she tried to dispute with Huang Ying anymore, she’d really start losing braincells.

Qin Juran was beginning to get weary of Huang Ying, whose eyes were still glinting with inquisitively, obviously dying to relay the news to her fellow “Ju-Nan” shipper friends. Qin Juran put down her belongings and turned to face her, speaking solemnly: “Ah-Ruan once mentioned that I make her feel insecure. Although the misunderstanding with Fan Chuan has been cleared now, who knows what we may face in the future.”

“I don’t want her to experience these kinds of worries when she’s with me. I don’t want her to feel any regrets, nor do I want to accept a relationship that ends too abruptly because I was too hasty and inconsiderate of her feelings.”

Huang Ying leaned against the bedpost slowly: “So that’s why you’re putting in so much effort?”

Qin Juran laughed softly: “The effort that goes into a relationship isn’t always one-sided. I just want to spend enough time proving myself to Ah-Ruan and give her enough time to accept me. And regarding my own personal hopes –

“That is, as long as we are together, we would never want to separate.”

The next Monday morning, there was another lecture for a required course. Ruan Nan woke up to a message from Qin Juran first thing in the morning: 【Did you eat breakfast?】

Along with the text was a sticker of a small kitty scratching its head, with pink heart bubbles floating in the background.

The corners of Ruan Nan’s lips twitched. 【I prepared food yesterday, so I just need to warm it up and eat it.】

【Good.】

Qin Juran didn’t reply with anything more. Once Ruan Nan got out of bed, she stood in front of the mirror for a long time trying out different outfits, but in the end she went with a wool coat. After she got dressed and ate breakfast, she grabbed her car keys and began to go on her way. As soon as she made it downstairs, she saw a small neon green electric bike parked outside the apartment building. Qin Juran was perched steadily on top of the bike, dressed in a cropped black coat, black pants, and Doc Marten boots. With her long legs stretched out before, she exuded such a cool image.

Her flashy outfit and bright bike caught the eyes of many passersby, causing them to turn their heads in a double-take. However, Qin Juran felt no sense of embarrassment, and merely waved to Ruan Nan with a bright smile.

Ruan Nan walked over, her eyes wide: “Why are you here?”

“To pick my wife up for school.” Qin Juran pat the back seat of the bike as she spoke. In anticipation of Ruan Nan getting chilly, Qin Juran had even placed a soft cushion in the seat.

Ruan Nan stepped closer apprehensively. Qin Juran responded in a comforting manner, “If you don’t want to, you can just take your car as normal, no big deal.”

Ruan Nan immediately stepped onto the back seat, clutching her bag like a small elementary student. Qin Juran proceeded to pull out a thick beret from her bag then fixed it atop of Ruan Nan’s head. Hooking a finger under her chin, she murmured in a foggy breath: “Looks cute.”

“Like a little mushroom.”

Ruan Nan also reached out to straighten Qin Juran’s own hat, which somehow reminded her of a certain snack. She couldn’t help giggling, “Juju-bes candy.”

As Qin Juran gripped the handles, Ruan Nan automatically wrapped her arms around Qin Juran’s waist. However, Qin Juran proceeded to tuck Ruan Nan’s hands into the pockets of her coat, shouting out: “Keep your hands in there, I placed hand warmers in the pockets.”

Ruan Nan did as she instructed. It turned out that the pockets of Qin Juran’s coat were pretty deep, and the hand warmers made it feel very cozy.

Ruan Nan held on tightly to Qin Juran, resting her head against her back as the chilly winter morning wind blew against her face and the rising sun pierced through the light fog. This was the first time that she had ever ridden a bike with this kind of view, so something about this morning felt different to Ruan Nan from all the ones before.

There was a bridge that they had to cross on the way from the apartment to the campus. As Qin Juran rode across the bridge, Ruan Nan pointed towards the distance to show Qin Juran how the rays of morning sun were glittering on the nearly frozen body of water, her voice barely concealing her giddiness.

Qin Juran also smiled, turning her head and shouting: “Ah-Ruan, I’ll come give you a ride every Monday and Wednesday from now on, alright?”

Worried that Qin Juran would catch a cold from being head-first against the chilly wind, Ruan Nan only quickly replied with, “Stop talking for now.”

However, Qin Juran didn’t listen and continued, “How about it, Ah-Ruan?”

Soon, the dawn broke over the two of them. Ruan Nan got the sense that Qin Juran’s voice was especially lively and warm today, and she couldn’t help tightening her arms around her and pressing deeper into Qin Juran’s back. “Okay.”

The corners of Qin Juran’s lips rose even higher. Although all her words came out with a breath of misty fog, nothing could quell the joy that she felt in the moment. She pressed harder on the gas pedal of the bike, the morning wind rushing against her ears as she shouted: “Ah-Ruan, whether I drive a luxury car or a small electric bike, I’ll always leave my passenger seat for you alone. Do you believe that I’ll drive a luxury car one day?”

Ruan Nan rested against her back and laughed, her heart filling with an inexplicable sense of confidence. Because this was Qin Juran they were talking about, of course there would be the day in which she fulfills her dream of becoming “President Qin.” Ruan Nan replied, “I believe it.”

“I can’t hear you~” Qin Juran sang in reply, although Ruan Nan couldn’t tell whether she was serious or not.

Ruan Nan’s smile grew. Not feeling like arguing back with her, she raised her head and loudly shouted: “I believe it — ! “

With the warmth of each other’s company, the cold of the early winter morning didn’t bother them at all through the 20 minute ride on the electric bike.

As they entered the campus, they happened to pass a black Volkswagen with a teacher’s pass hanging on the rearview mirror. In the interest of respecting the teachers, Qin Juran slowed down to let the car pass, but she didn’t expect the teacher to also be so gracious to even slow down to maintain the same speed alongside Qin Juran’s electric bike.

Feeling a little puzzled, Qin Juran decreased her speed and gestured with her arm to let the teacher pass. However, the teacher also seemed pretty stubborn, and slowed down as well. The small bike and the car continued on side by side until the cars lining up behind them began honking impatiently. By this point, Qin Juran was just about ready to roll on the throttle, but right as she picked up the speed, the other car began catching up. The window rolled down to reveal Secretary Yan’s weathered face.

He assessed the two girls, whose heads looked like bright-colored mushroom caps with their matching berets. He hissed a breath: “Driving a Porsche around campus isn’t already flashy enough for you two?”

Qin Juran greeted the secretary, then replied proudly, “The Porsche is more of Ruan Nan’s style; the electric bike is mine. We switch off.”

The secretary fumed: “So the last time you two came into my office, that was all for show? Qin Juran, Qin Juran – to think that Professor Li and I were worried that you were being bullied, and went out of our way to ameliorate the relationship between you two, and yet this – “

Qin Juran turned back to glance at Ruan Nan, whose face was turning pink from holding back a laugh at Secretary Yan’s expression. She reached out to rub her cheeks.

As if his eyes had been pricked, Secretary Yan immediately retracted his head back from the window, then spoke in a solemn voice: “Qin Juran, come to my office before class.”

Qin Juran raised an eyebrow: “Secretary Yan, is it against school regulations for a couple to carpool together?”

Secretary Yan’s frown deepened, a strange look in his eyes: “What nonsense about ‘couples’ and ‘carpooling’; frankly, I wouldn’t care even if you two showed up in a tractor. Have you prepared for this semester’s end-of-term competition yet? The preliminary round is next week, don’t you want the question bank?”

T/N: Sorry again for the inconsistent updates! Been getting too caught up with life lately but I’ll try to aim for a more regular schedule soon >.<