Chapter 7: Becoming a Better Version of Myself

The next morning, Li Huangxuan was still deep in sleep when he was startled awake by the sudden sound of a rooster crowing.

Startled, he jolted up, nearly scared out of his wits.

Lin Ximeng stood beside his bed in a tracksuit, holding a squeaky rubber chicken.
“Lazybones, it’s seven o’clock! Time to get up and wash up,” she called out.

“It’s only seven—who gets up at this ungodly hour?” Li Huangxuan mumbled, half-asleep, rolling over to go back to sleep.

“Dreaming” was a perfectly normal word—
but when combined with Lin Ximeng’s name (Ximeng = “evening dream”)… it felt strangely suggestive.
Especially since last night’s dream was indeed not safe for work.

Lin Ximeng reached out and tugged his ear.
“It’s in the roommate agreement. Please comply strictly.”

A vivid image of Sun Wukong popped into Li Huangxuan’s head.
So annoying!
Whatever fondness he had developed for Lin Ximeng yesterday evaporated in an instant.

Who needs women? Isn’t sleeping far more enjoyable?

Eventually, under Lin Ximeng’s relentless tugging, he dragged himself out of his warm bed, still half-asleep while brushing his teeth.

At the door, Lin Ximeng bounced up and down energetically. “Hurry up and come running with me!”

Her fitted tracksuit showed off her graceful figure.
Every inch of her radiated health and vitality.

Li Huangxuan was reminded of school days when he’d have to run laps in the freezing winter wind—a memory he would’ve rather left buried.

We’re just roommates, why are you acting like we’ve been married for ten years?

The morning sun peeked over the eastern clouds.
Dew glistened on the roadside leaves.
Street cleaners were already hard at work, the rhythmic swishing of their brooms filling the air.
Delicious smells drifted out of a nearby baozi shop.

Still groggy and dressed in athletic shorts, Li Huangxuan finally saw what Jiangcheng looked like at 7 a.m.

Behind their apartment complex flowed a river lined with drooping willows and stone railings.
Plenty of elderly people were out exercising, but few young people—
Maybe because most of them were completely drained by work and clung desperately to every second of sleep.

Lin Ximeng’s ponytail swayed back and forth as she jogged.
Li Huangxuan, who rarely exercised, was out of breath after only a few steps.

“Hey, why are you dragging me out here to run? Can’t I just be a lazy piece of trash in peace?” he complained.

Lin Ximeng stopped and turned to him seriously.
“Everyone is born with a purpose. No one is a waste of space.”

That line struck a chord.

Li Huangxuan had always been the average guy—
decent looks, average grades, never good at sweet-talking girls.
Especially after being put in the same class as that guy in high school, his self-worth had taken a serious hit.

But everyone’s the main character in their own story.
And if there’s a chance to become a better version of yourself—
why not take it?

“You giving up already?” Lin Ximeng teased.

“Give up? Are you kidding? I was the long-distance running champ back in high school!” Li Huangxuan boasted, then picked up the pace to catch up.

The sun had now fully risen, shining down on the riverside willows.
The dew on the leaves evaporated, glistening green in the light.

After their run, the two grabbed breakfast at the baozi shop.

Li Huangxuan chewed on a pork bun and asked, “I’m heading to work in a bit. What about you—any plans?”

Lin Ximeng rested her chin on her hand. “Just wandering around, maybe take some photos, sing a little.”

“I get the photo part. But sing?” he raised an eyebrow.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” she said mysteriously.

At 8:20, Li Huangxuan changed and headed out to catch the subway.
He arrived at work around 9:00.

He worked as a junior designer at an advertising agency.
The pay was ¥4,800/month, with a tiny bit of commission—
just enough to survive in Jiangcheng.

As he approached the building, he spotted a petite girl with a ponytail and gold-rimmed glasses.
She wore a white pinstriped blouse and a blue skirt—
a classic artsy good-girl vibe.

He did some mental math:
He’d been secretly crushing on Xu Wanqing for over two months.

Right then, he couldn’t help but compare her with Lin Ximeng.

Lin Ximeng was the kind of beauty who stunned you at first glance.
Xu Wanqing, on the other hand, was gentler and more graceful—
the kind of girl parents would love.

If he brought Xu Wanqing home, his parents would be overjoyed.
But if he brought Lin Ximeng, his mom would probably pull him aside and whisper, “Son, what does this girl see in you?”

Li Huangxuan reminded himself sternly—
You’ve only known Lin Ximeng for two days. Your feelings for her are superficial, just a fleeting crush.

Plus, she’d be gone in a month. They might never see each other again.

It was better to focus on Xu Wanqing.

Sigh. I’m not the only guy in the world torn between two women, right?
He Shuhuan—I feel your pain.

“Morning, Wanqing,” Li Huangxuan greeted with a smile.

“Morning!” she returned the smile warmly.

There were lots of guys in the company who had their eyes on Xu Wanqing.
But Li Huangxuan always felt she treated him just a little differently—
One of life’s greatest delusions: She likes me.

They entered the elevator together and chatted about their weekends.

Xu Wanqing said she mostly stayed home, reading and watching shows.
Li Huangxuan said he spent the weekend hanging out with his roommate—
conveniently leaving out the fact that the roommate was a woman.

Back in school, he used to think math class was the worst torture.
But after entering the workforce, he realized how naïve that was.
Adulthood was a hundred times harder than school.

If he could go back, he’d stop reading Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils during math class and actually study.

Maybe life wouldn’t be so rough now.

That morning, he redrew the same design eight times, only to have them all rejected by his supervisor—
followed by a thorough scolding.

He wanted nothing more than to throw his mouse in the guy’s face and yell:
“I quit! You can design it yourself, jerk!”

That afternoon, two pieces of news came in—
one bad, one good.

Bad news: His design still wasn’t approved, and he had to work overtime.
Good news: Xu Wanqing also had to stay late.

Which meant—time alone together.

By 5:30, most of the older employees had packed up and left, patting his shoulder on the way out:
“Hang in there, kid!”

He couldn’t tell if they were being kind… or just enjoying his misery.

Soon, it was just him and Xu Wanqing in the office.

Li Huangxuan glanced at her as she focused on her screen, then coughed lightly and asked casually,
“Wanqing, wanna grab dinner after work?”

Xu Wanqing looked up, thought for a moment, then smiled. “Sure!”

Li Huangxuan grinned, heart racing—
Dinner now, maybe a movie after?

But just then—ding! His phone buzzed with a message.

Mengmeng: Are you off work yet? I forgot my key at home.