Yu Shuman felt at ease when she saw Qin Ran's confident cooking. She went to the living room, sat down on the sofa, and decided to relax with some television. However, the exhaustion from the past days caught up with her, and she quickly fell asleep on the soft sofa.
When Qin Ran finished cooking and came into the living room, she saw Yu Shuman sleeping soundly on the sofa. Yu Shuman was curled up like a little shrimp on the small sofa, with the television still broadcasting entertainment news—specifically, an item about Ling Miaohan getting a new endorsement. Qin Ran didn't want to see anything related to her, so she changed the channel before sitting down on the sofa.
She sat at a distance from Yu Shuman—close enough not to startle her but far enough not to be overly intrusive. Without her glasses, her vision wasn't as sharp. Cooking had been exhausting, especially in the summer heat. Despite the central air conditioning bringing some cool air to the kitchen, standing over a flaming stove still made her sweat profusely. Her glasses had been covered with sweat long ago, so she had taken them off. Her clothes were also soaked, and she dared not sit too close to Yu Shuman, keeping a respectful distance instead.
In her somewhat blurred vision, she could see Yu Shuman's chest rising and falling steadily as she slept. Her hair was scattered across the sofa, framing her peaceful and serene face, like a sleeping beauty waiting for a prince's kiss. Unfortunately, there was no prince beside her—only Qin Ran.
Perhaps because she had just returned home and taken a bath, Yu Shuman had changed into a set of pajamas. The pajamas were loose, and she wasn't wearing a bra... Qin Ran sighed. Her senior was truly too relaxed around her. Previously, they had only met at school or in professional settings, never this intimately at each other's homes. Now, Yu Shuman was only wearing a nightgown, and because of her sleeping position on the sofa, Qin Ran could see right down her neckline.
Undeniably, Qin Ran was moved. Feeling awkward, she looked away, but after a moment, her gaze returned, focusing intently on Yu Shuman's face.
A strand of hair had fallen across Yu Shuman's cheek, down to her neck, looking somewhat ticklish. After some hesitation, Qin Ran reached out and gently brushed the hair aside, not wanting it to bother her senior. Even in sleep, the dark circles under Yu Shuman's eyes were visible, a testament to how hard she had been working recently.
Yu Shuman was so determined, partly because it was in her nature to excel in whatever she did, and partly because she wanted to repay the kindness she had received in the past. She was determined to return the money to the philanthropists who had helped her.
Assistant Wu, acting as an intermediary, had talked to Yu Shuman several times over the phone, initially trying to convince her to keep the money for herself. However, Yu Shuman was adamant—she insisted on paying it back no matter what. Seeing her resolve, Qin Ran did not persist, allowing Assistant Wu to accept the money from Yu Shuman.
It was a total of 500,000 yuan, the first sum Qin Ran had given Yu Shuman as assistance, though it was far from the total amount. This sum was nearly everything Yu Shuman had, with more than half coming from the endorsement fee Whitney had recently paid her. After giving away this money, Yu Shuman was practically broke again.
Even so, she still bought seafood for Qin Ran, pretending as if she was doing well.
The more Qin Ran interacted with Yu Shuman, the more attracted she became to her. She had never imagined herself falling in love, acting like someone head-over-heels. If someone had told her before that she would become like this, she would have laughed at them.
"Senior... you're such an idiot." Even though there were easier ways to live, she insisted on working hard to repay what she had received. Qin Ran used to question why powerful CEOs in novels would be drawn to innocent characters, but now, finding herself in a similar situation, she was falling hard.
The reason was simple. As someone with no great ambitions, Qin Ran was deeply moved by seeing Yu Shuman live so earnestly, like a weed growing in a crevice, pushing upward with all its might. This vitality captivated her.
Just watching her senior like this made Qin Ran take notice.
Yu Shuman woke up after a while, realizing that it was already past lunchtime—1:30 in the afternoon. She saw Qin Ran sitting nearby, watching TV, and checked her phone for the time, feeling embarrassed. With her hair still messy, she knelt on the sofa, not fully awake.
Her first thought was to apologize: "I'm sorry, I said we'd eat together, but I fell asleep. Have you eaten yet?" Her eyes practically pleaded, "Please don't tell me you waited." But Qin Ran shattered her hopes: "No, I was waiting for you."
"Ah!"
Yu Shuman couldn't help but drop her head in shame. "It's all my fault! How could I just fall asleep!" Qin Ran reached out and patted her messy hair: "Senior, you were just too tired. It's okay. Are you hungry?"
As soon as Qin Ran mentioned it, Yu Shuman's stomach started growling.
Airline meals were notoriously sparse and unappetizing, and although she had eaten some buffet food in the business class lounge before boarding, she hadn't dared to eat much, fearing being caught by paparazzi. Now, Yu Shuman's stomach was growling with hunger. She slumped onto the sofa in resignation: "I'm hungry, really hungry. I could eat a horse."
Qin Ran stood up, put on her glasses, and said, "Come on, Senior, let's eat lunch."
She brought out the dishes she had prepared—just three in total. Although Qin Ran appeared calm, she was secretly worried about whether her cooking would suit Yu Shuman's taste. After all, just three days ago, Qin Ran had been a kitchen disaster.
Even now, Qin Ran was somewhat anxious, her heart pounding as she brought the dishes out. Yu Shuman glanced at the food Qin Ran had prepared, and couldn't help but smile.
Her tone was full of joy: "Junior, you did a great job. Have you been practicing at home?"
"Don't tease me. Try it first and see how it tastes."
Yu Shuman sat down, picked up a pair of chopsticks, and tried a small abalone. Qin Ran watched her intently, not even blinking, waiting to see her reaction. Only when Yu Shuman's expression showed that she genuinely found it delicious did Qin Ran relax. She scooped a bowl of rice for Yu Shuman, placed it in front of her, and then sat down to eat with her, chatting as they ate.
Yu Shuman, in slippers with no socks, couldn't help but swing her feet under the table. Wearing her nightgown with her hair loose, she looked completely relaxed.
Her curly, tousled hair often fell across her shoulders while she ate, forcing her to tilt her head back, arch her neck, and use her left hand to gather the strands and push them behind her. At such moments, her neck and shoulders were fully exposed to Qin Ran's view.
Qin Ran fell silent for a moment. Eating with her senior like this was both sweet and torturous.
After lunch, Qin Ran stayed at Yu Shuman's dormitory for a long time. In the evening, neither of them cooked; they ate the leftovers from lunch and ordered takeout, lounging on the sofa, watching TV, and having dinner together. It was only around 8:30 in the evening that Qin Ran finally said goodbye to her senior, taking all the day's trash down with her.
In the following days, Yu Shuman stayed at home. Xiao An brought a beautician over for therapy sessions. Although she had lightened up a bit, tanning is easy, but whitening is difficult. When it came time for the event, Yu Shuman had no choice but to rely on makeup to cover the tan.
Sister Li also brought a fashion designer over to take Yu Shuman's measurements. The designer joked with Yu Shuman, saying, "You've kept your figure well. You've even lost a bit since last time." Sister Li gave her a meaningful look. For most celebrities, this would be good news, but not for Yu Shuman.
If Qin Ran knew Yu Shuman had lost weight again, she would be heartbroken, as Yu Shuman was dear to her heart.
The designer worked overnight to adjust the measurements, and by mid-July, Yu Shuman was ready to attend her first fashion event. This time, she was attending as Whitney's spokesperson. Early in the morning, Lucy arrived with her team, and the dress had already been hung in the living room the day before.
As Lucy was doing Yu Shuman's makeup, Sister Li arrived with a jewelry box. She opened it in front of Yu Shuman, revealing a set of imperial yellow padparadscha sapphire jewelry, including earrings, a necklace, and a bracelet.
Through her etiquette lessons, Yu Shuman had learned that in formal social settings, less is more when it comes to jewelry—no more than three pieces. The jewelry Sister Li brought fit this rule perfectly.
During her classes, the etiquette teacher had shown the students pictures of first ladies from various countries, demonstrating that their jewelry was minimal—usually no more than two or three pieces. Most commonly, they wore earrings and brooches, the latter being more common in social settings.
After changing into her outfit and finishing her makeup, Sister Li helped Yu Shuman put on the jewelry. Yu Shuman lightly touched the orange-yellow gemstone on the necklace and couldn't help but ask, "Sister Li, is this very expensive?"
A flash of pain crossed Sister Li's face: "Very."
The more concise Sister Li's answer, the more Yu Shuman understood the value of this piece. But Sister Li waved it off, saying, "It's a gift from the partners. You can keep it."
The price of an imperial padparadscha sapphire is heavily dependent on its color, with the most expensive being sherry-colored sapphires. Sherry is a broad category, but the most valuable shade is the orange-yellow one, known as the imperial color.
Sister Li had no idea which gemstone mine Qin Ran had raided to get such a complete set of imperial padparadscha sapphire jewelry, but she didn't dare guess its price. Calling it worth millions would be an understatement, and even tens of millions might be too low. At an auction, it could fetch an even higher price.
Sister Li was too tired to express her envy anymore.
She had once thought Yu Shuman had gained a wealthy girlfriend, but now it seemed that with a bit of effort, she might have a wealthy wife—one who was head-over-heels in love with her. Looking back, Sister Li wanted to slap herself for once patting Yu Shuman on the shoulder and saying, "Work hard, and you can have your own bags too." Now, it was clear that Yu Shuman didn't need bags! She had a complete set of jewelry worth millions!