When they got home, Yu Shuman made a cup of brown sugar ginger tea for Qin Ran to warm her up. "Xiao Ran, your body is too weak. You didn't get enough nutrition before, and now you hardly exercise. If you don't start working out, you're going to turn into a little piglet," Yu Shuman warned bluntly.
Qin Ran wrinkled her nose at the thought of becoming a little pig and softly protested, "I won't! I have a gym, and I'll exercise properly."
"Don't just talk about it—start doing it. Tomorrow morning, you'll get up and run with me. We won't go outside; we'll run on the treadmill at home," Yu Shuman said, sticking to her word. Qin Ran couldn't help but groan in despair. Yu Shuman woke up so early; how could she possibly get up? She pleaded, but it was of no use.
Qin Ran then thought of something mischievous. "Senior, exercising in bed is also exercise. We could continue that."
This one sentence made Yu Shuman blush deeply. However, Qin Ran ultimately decided not to use the small bottle again tonight since they had just spent their first night together. Even though Yu Shuman had mostly recovered thanks to her good physical strength, Qin Ran didn't want to push her too much.
But what Qin Ran didn't expect was that while she wasn't going to push Yu Shuman, Yu Shuman was going to push her. The next morning, as Qin Ran lay comfortably in the warm, fragrant bed, she was pulled out of bed by Yu Shuman, who had decided to drag her along for a morning run as promised.
At six in the morning, Qin Ran was still groggy when Yu Shuman yanked her out of bed. After Qin Ran was fully awake, Yu Shuman nudged her to wash up. By the time Qin Ran had washed up, it was already 6:30. Yu Shuman then led her to the gym and pushed her onto the treadmill.
Qin Ran didn't even have time to complain before Yu Shuman had already started running. While Qin Ran was washing up, Yu Shuman had already placed two bottles of water in the gym. Now that everything was set, she began her workout.
For those who want to lose weight, exercising in the morning on an empty stomach is extremely effective. Especially for someone like Yu Shuman, who is incredibly fit, running on an empty stomach in the morning is like a perfect buff. Although Qin Ran's stamina couldn't compare to Yu Shuman's, after some time of self-adjustment and exercise, she didn't experience hypoglycemia or strain from exercising on an empty stomach.
Resigned to her fate, Qin Ran followed Yu Shuman's lead. Although they ran together, their exercise settings were different. Qin Ran had to settle for a lower speed, slowly jogging, while Yu Shuman could start at a higher speed and gradually increase it. After their morning workout, both of them were drenched in sweat. After resting for a bit, they returned to their rooms to freshen up.
Yu Shuman was quicker in her routine, so by the time Qin Ran came out, she found that Yu Shuman's assistant, Xiao An, had already arrived and brought breakfast for both of them.
As Qin Ran sat down, she realized that since Xiao An was there, Yu Shuman must have work to do today.
"I should be back pretty early today. I'm just going to shoot a commercial, so it shouldn't take long."
"Okay," Qin Ran replied as she sipped her soy milk. "Then we can watch your variety show together; it airs today." Yu Shuman nodded in acknowledgment. After finishing her soy milk, she bid Qin Ran goodbye and left with Xiao An.
Qin Ran saw her off at the door, then slowly finished her own breakfast, tidied up the kitchen, and headed downstairs to catch a ride to school.
Yu Shuman had said she'd be back early, so after class, Qin Ran didn't go to the office. Instead, she went to the supermarket to buy some fresh ingredients and snacks, then headed home to cook dinner. Yu Shuman returned home at 4:30 in the afternoon. After she got home, she put on an apron and joined Qin Ran in the kitchen to help with dinner.
This was a new experience for Qin Ran, as it was the first time she and Yu Shuman cooked together. Qin Ran was happy to cook for Yu Shuman, and she felt a sense of satisfaction knowing that Yu Shuman would be eating her food. Now that they were cooking together and dividing the tasks, Qin Ran felt that the work was hardly enough to keep her busy.
During the earlier stages of washing and chopping vegetables, Qin Ran allowed Yu Shuman to help out. But once it came time to fry the ingredients, she shooed Yu Shuman out of the kitchen. "Manman is a big star. What if the smoke from the kitchen makes your face all ashy?"
Yu Shuman protested, "What nonsense are you talking about? How could that happen?" But she couldn't resist Qin Ran's insistence and ended up sitting obediently in the dining room. She occasionally came in to wash up, even preparing the fruit platter for after dinner.
After several trips back and forth, Qin Ran finally finished cooking, and Yu Shuman jumped into action, putting on oven mitts to carry the dishes out. Before long, the table was filled with the dishes Qin Ran had prepared—a satisfying spread of four dishes and a soup.
Qin Ran's cooking skills were improving, and her dishes were becoming increasingly appetizing.
As they ate, Yu Shuman shared some details about her day on set. "Today, I was shooting with another spokesperson—a little girl. She was really cute."
"How little are we talking?" Qin Ran asked, her voice tinged with jealousy. After all, in the world of women who love women, who wouldn't be drawn to someone like Yu Shuman? Qin Ran worried that another girl might come along and try to steal Yu Shuman away.
Yu Shuman could hear the jealousy in her voice and couldn't help but burst into laughter—so much so that she held her stomach. Qin Ran blushed, scolding her, "It's not good for your digestion to laugh like that during meals."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but it's just too funny."
"What's so funny?"
Yu Shuman blinked and then said, "She's really just a little girl—only six years old. Are you still jealous?"
Qin Ran's face turned even redder. The thought of being jealous of a six-year-old made her cheeks burn with embarrassment. Yu Shuman didn't tease her further, calming down and resuming her meal.
They continued chatting and laughing until they finished eating. Yu Shuman volunteered to wash the dishes, but not before Qin Ran made sure she was wearing gloves. Yu Shuman's hands had finally become soft and smooth again, and if they got all wrinkled from washing dishes, it wouldn't just be Qin Ran who would be upset—Sister Li would probably come charging in with a knife.
After resting for a while and letting their food settle, Yu Shuman dragged Qin Ran back to the gym for another workout session. They both worked up a sweat, and after cleaning up, they collapsed on the couch. Qin Ran glanced at her phone and noticed that the show was about to start.
"Manman, hurry! It's almost time!"
Yu Shuman knew she was talking about the variety show and responded, "Coming!" She came out of the room, still toweling off her hair, her tips still dripping water from the rush.
Qin Ran patted the seat next to her, and Yu Shuman sat down. Qin Ran then took the towel from her hands and began to carefully dry her hair. Yu Shuman's hair was thick and soft, like silk, and Qin Ran couldn't help but envy it. As someone who often stayed up late, Qin Ran's hair was far less luxurious.
But ever since she started living with Yu Shuman, Qin Ran's schedule had become much healthier. Especially since they started sleeping in the same bed, Qin Ran couldn't stay up late playing on her phone and disturbing Yu Shuman's sleep. She had to follow suit and go to bed early too.
There was no denying that since she began sleeping and waking up early, Qin Ran's overall well-being and skin condition had improved significantly. It turns out that a good sleep schedule and a healthy lifestyle are the best beauty secrets. No anti-aging serums or expensive face masks could compare to the benefits of adequate sleep and regular exercise.
Yu Shuman was a prime example. She rarely visited beauty salons, and aside from being pushed to get hand treatments several times, she hardly had any facial treatments. Even when sleeping next to Qin Ran, she rarely saw Yu Shuman using face masks. Yet, her complexion was always radiant. Although her work schedule was busy, thanks to Qin Ran's influence, she never had to stay up late, and she could maintain a regular sleep schedule.
Her skin was smooth, fair, and full of vitality, thanks to her youthful collagen, unlike the artificial looks of some celebrities. She had no dark circles, and her complexion was rosy and glowing.
Qin Ran felt a sense of pride, knowing that Yu Shuman's healthy condition was partly due to her cooking. Qin Ran always made sure their meals were balanced and nutritious, perfectly suiting Yu Shuman's taste while being low in oil and salt. She had nurtured Yu Shuman into being soft and fair.
As for the effort Yu Shuman's mother had put in over the first 18 years of her life, Qin Ran conveniently ignored it.
After carefully drying Yu Shuman's hair, they still had some time before bed, so Yu Shuman decided to let it air dry naturally.
Yu Shuman's variety show started, beginning with the show's usual animated intro. After the title and slogan appeared, the main show began. The first to appear were the three regular guests—two teachers and Zeng Qian. They were familiar faces, and after some playful banter with the crew, they embarked on their journey.
After the three met up, the show cut to a segment of them figuring out how to use the stove before moving on to the season's other guests. Yu Shuman was the first to be featured, probably because she was the first to arrive, and the editing followed the sequence.
Qin Ran also heard her voice in the show: "Senior, are you starting the shoot now?" That was what Qin Ran had asked at the time. Since only her voice was featured and she didn't appear on screen, the production team added a cute little animated character with her voice. They even put a caption identifying her as "Anonymous Roommate Junior."
Because Qin Ran's voice had sounded so pitiful, the production team made the little character look teary-eyed, resembling the QAQ emoticon, and even added a comical crying sound effect.
In contrast, Yu Shuman appeared on camera with a big smile, carrying her suitcase. Hearing her junior's whining, Yu Shuman gave a very "big sister" comforting smile: "Yes, we're about to start."