It was his own dream, which means subconsciously he actually thought of himself as…

No way, that’s too embarrassing.

Ruan Xinyuan shook his head vigorously in his mind, forcing himself to shake off everything from the dream.

He closed his eyes tightly, wrapped in his blanket, and had to squeeze his thighs together, waiting for that shameful reaction to subside.

The fact that the person sleeping next to him became the object in his dream was just too much.

It was full of scenes that couldn’t be broadcasted!

Ruan Xinyuan rarely had this type of dream, and he never had any improper thoughts about Qi Xun before, so why suddenly last night…

Could it be because he hadn’t released in a long time, and accidentally seeing someone’s abs last night caused a burst of desire?

That could be possible, after all, he was never someone with strong desires.

Wait, why would seeing Qi Xun… cause a burst of desire?

Ruan Xinyuan’s mind was still a mess, and not thinking about anything meant thinking about everything. When he finally felt his thing slowly calm down, he dared to carefully turn a bit to the side.

He didn’t know if Qi Xun was awake yet, but outside it was already bright.

He scanned the position beside him with his peripheral vision, his body like a sculpture that could only move its eyeballs, and was surprised to find the other side of the bed neatly made, with hardly any trace of someone having slept there.

Ruan Xinyuan paused, took a breath, finally relaxed his stiff posture, and turned his head, looking at the empty bed on the other side, realizing he was so tense he almost forgot to breathe, not noticing there wasn’t another person there at all.

It almost made him doubt whether Qi Xun had slept in the master bedroom last night.

But the indented pillow proved that the other person had slept there, just that he didn’t know when he got up and left, now the room had only him.

Ruan Xinyuan propped himself up, stretched his neck, leaned against the headboard, unlocked his phone, and checked the time.

It was 7:30 in the morning. Thanks to going to bed early last night, he woke up naturally without an alarm. His first class on Monday was at nine, so he didn’t need to rush to school.

Ruan Xinyuan put down his phone, stretched lazily, feeling a bit reluctant to get out of bed.

Just then, he inadvertently turned his head, his gaze paused, and he suddenly noticed on the sofa by the bed, his white short-sleeved undershirt, yellow-green plaid shirt, and light blue ripped jeans from yesterday were all neatly folded.

He lifted the blanket and walked a few steps to the sofa, picked up the stack of clothes, and a faint, pleasant lavender scent invaded his nostrils. They were clearly washed and dried.

Then he casually flipped through them, and the next second, his hand froze. Between the short-sleeve and the plaid shirt, there was a small piece of fabric—his underwear was folded inside.

Qi Xun actually… washed them together?

That means he touched the pair he wore yesterday.

For a moment, the scenes from the dream replayed in Ruan Xinyuan’s mind, becoming even clearer.

Now even holding his own underwear felt hot to the touch.

“Click—”

“Xiao Yuan, you’re awake?”

A familiar, gentle, low voice pulled Ruan Xinyuan’s thoughts back. He looked up sharply towards the door, seeing Qi Xun wearing a blue and white striped short-sleeve with a brown apron, peeking in at him.

“Ah, um, good morning, Brother Xun.” Ruan Xinyuan’s face was still burning, his hand unconsciously clutching that piece of fabric, wanting to hide it behind him.

Qi Xun’s gaze swept over Ruan Xinyuan’s hand holding the pure white underwear, and he seriously explained, “I washed your personal clothes separately with the lingerie washing machine, sterilized and dried them, they’re clean.”

Hearing this, Ruan Xinyuan hugged the stack of clothes to his chest, hiding the underwear inside, “Ah, thank you, Brother Xun, I’ll just… change and freshen up.”

Without needing to say more, Qi Xun could tell from the look in his eyes that he was hinting for him to step out, so he considerately left the room, “Alright, I’ll wait for you to have breakfast.”

Qi Xun gently smiled, closed the door, and left. Ruan Xinyuan stared at the clothes in his arms, momentarily lost in thought.

Finally, he slowly untied his robe, changed into his clothes, picked up the robe, and went to the bathroom to wash up.

On the sink, Qi Xun had already laid out the toiletries, even squeezing a pump of toothpaste with a little tail.

Ruan Xinyuan squinted as he brushed his teeth, appreciating Qi Xun’s thoughtfulness.

Then he silently concluded in his heart, Qi Xun really is a great person.

A few minutes later, he finished tidying up, grabbed his phone, and left the room.

Qi Xun was sitting at the dining table, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper, seemingly having finished breakfast. On the opposite side, there was a beautifully arranged and appetizing sandwich and a steaming cup of milk.

Ruan Xinyuan sat down in the empty seat, picked up the sandwich, and took a bite, his eyes lighting up.

The aroma of avocado, bacon, and fried egg exploded in his mouth, simple yet delicious, sparking his appetite for breakfast.

After taking a bite, he sipped the hot milk, gradually filling his empty stomach.

Qi Xun sat across, seriously reading the newspaper, occasionally sipping coffee.

Ruan Xinyuan ate his sandwich slowly, not disturbing him.

It was a quiet, comforting morning, as if they had been living like this for a long time, staying alone in the same private space without any discomfort.

Once Ruan Xinyuan finished his milk, Qi Xun also finished reading the entire newspaper, drinking the last sip of hot coffee.

“You have class this morning, do Mom and Dad or Grandma have any plans today that need my company? I only have one class this morning on Monday, I’m free in the afternoon.” Qi Xun put down the newspaper and asked Ruan Xinyuan.

“Buzz buzz buzz—”

Ruan Xinyuan licked his lips with milk stains, just about to answer when He Qiu’s call came through.

He wiped his hands, tapped his phone screen with his finger, glanced at Qi Xun, and answered the call, “Hello, Mom, have you had breakfast?”

He Qiu said a few things on the other end, and Ruan Xinyuan didn’t say much, just acknowledging, “Okay, I got it, take care and message me if you have any issues.”

He hung up and then answered Qi Xun’s earlier question, “Brother Xun, you can go about your own business. My mom said they’re planning to explore Jiang City on their own today and will take the high-speed train home at 8:30 tonight after dinner.”

“Then we’ll just be responsible for sending them to the train station tonight?” Qi Xun asked.

Ruan Xinyuan tilted his head slightly in thought, nodding, “Okay, I’ll message them on WeChat later.”

“We can get ready to leave.” Qi Xun checked his watch and stood up.

Ruan Xinyuan was just about to get up and put the dishes in the sink behind him when a figure passing by blocked the light for a few seconds. By the time he reacted, Qi Xun had already picked up the dishes and ceramic cup, turning to place them on the kitchen counter, leaving him no chance to clean up.

“Check if there’s anything important you left behind,” Qi Xun reminded while putting on a thin, dark blue, worn-out denim jacket in the living room, “If not, let’s go.”

Ruan Xinyuan was dazzled by Qi Xun’s outfit, his mind in a whirl.

Usually, Qi Xun always mixed black, white, and gray, but today he surprisingly wore a denim jacket paired with white wide-leg pants, looking fresh and handsome. Even though his hairstyle wasn’t the youthful straight hair, he seemed several years younger.

This Qi Xun would unconsciously attract a lot of attention at school…

“Xiao Yuan?” Qi Xun raised an eyebrow, reminding him.

Ruan Xinyuan coughed twice, pretending to be busy, “Okay, I’ll go change my shoes.”

In just ten minutes, Qi Xun drove Ruan Xinyuan to the school.

He didn’t drive in but stopped at the school gate as Ruan Xinyuan requested.

There weren’t many people entering the campus on Monday. Ruan Xinyuan said goodbye to Qi Xun and walked through the school gate.

He picked up a shared electric bike at the entrance and sped to the West Building.

Coincidentally, he ran into his three roommates eating breakfast and waiting for the elevator.

Ruan Xinyuan patted the left shoulder of Jiang Qifeng, who was standing on the outside, and playfully dodged to the right.

“Huh?” Jiang Qifeng looked around, finally locking onto the person behind him, “What a coincidence, Brother Yuan, you’re here. Your pen and book are in my bag.”

“Thanks for the trouble.” Ruan Xinyuan patted him encouragingly on the back.

Fang Youzhi gave Ruan Xinyuan a meaningful look, teasing softly, “You seem to be in good spirits, better than when you sleep with us.”

Yan Kangliang drank his soy milk without saying a word, silently giving a thumbs-up, about to say something shocking, but Ruan Xinyuan stopped him with a smile.

“Ding—”

The elevator door opened, and a crowd of people squeezed into the enclosed space.

The meat buns in Fang Youzhi’s bag smelled delicious, but Ruan Xinyuan found them a bit greasy, his stomach feeling slightly uncomfortable. Fortunately, the third floor arrived quickly, so he didn’t mind.

The four of them walked out of the elevator in pairs, casually complaining about the courses as they headed to the classroom.

*

At 7:20 in the evening, Ruan Xinyuan quietly slipped out of the evening study classroom, rode his bike to the school gate, and got into Qi Xun’s car just in time.

“I talked to Mom this afternoon. They should have their luggage almost packed by now and will wait for us at the hotel entrance.” Ruan Xinyuan quickly said, fastening his seatbelt.

The wind was strong while riding, blowing his bangs apart, revealing his beautiful eyes.

Qi Xun glanced at him for a few seconds, then took a White Rabbit milk candy from his denim jacket pocket, placing it in his palm, and handed it to Ruan Xinyuan, while his other hand controlled the steering wheel.

The candy seemed small in his wide palm. Ruan Xinyuan took it without much hesitation, unwrapped it, and put it in his mouth.

The sweet, rich flavor spread across his tongue, making him feel like Qi Xun was coaxing a child.

Qi Xun hadn’t said anything when he handed over the candy, as if he knew he liked it.

Well, he did like these milky candies, but how did Qi Xun know?

“A colleague shared them in the office today. I don’t really like sweets, but I saw you liked little cakes last time, so I brought it for you.” Qi Xun seemed to read Ruan Xinyuan’s mind, explaining himself.

Ruan Xinyuan smiled, revealing dimples as sweet as the candy, “I do like it.”

About twenty minutes later, the car arrived at the hotel where He Qiu and the others were staying.

Ruan Xinyuan saw the three of them chatting at the hotel entrance from ten meters away and rolled down the window to call them over.

Hua Jin was the first to notice, interrupting Ruan Linfu’s chatter, and walked over with her bag.

Qi Xun stopped the car, opened the trunk, and got out to help Ruan Linfu with the luggage.

Once everything was ready, He Qiu and the others got into the back seat.

Ruan Xinyuan asked first, “How was it today, did you have fun?”

“It was alright. Jiang City is similar to our place, just bigger.” Hua Jin shook her short curly hair like a lion’s mane, humming, not quite satisfied.

Ruan Linfu agreed, “The food tastes similar to ours, but it’s indeed closer. Yuan, you should bring Xiao Qi to Ning City when you have time.”

“Yes, we’ll cook for you then,” He Qiu smiled.

Ruan Xinyuan cheerfully agreed, also telling them that Qi Xun had prepared many gifts, which he mailed directly to avoid inconvenience on the train.

He Qiu and the others said Qi Xun was too polite, and Qi Xun gently smiled, saying it was just a small gesture, and they didn’t refuse the goodwill.

Ruan Xinyuan chatted casually with his family, suppressing the sudden nausea, and rolled down a quarter of the window for fresh air.

When they arrived at the train station, Hua Jin waved them off, indicating they didn’t need to send them further, even skipping hugs, walking away without looking back, very cool.

Seeing his grandmother’s tsundere side, Ruan Xinyuan found it quite cute.

Once their figures completely disappeared from his sight, he got back into Qi Xun’s car, ready to return to school.

“Do you need to apply for an overnight stay?” Qi Xun asked.

Ruan Xinyuan looked up at him, answering, “As long as we scan our face in the dorm within 24 hours, it’s fine, not that strict.”

“Okay,” Qi Xun continued, “Then when are you free? We can go grocery shopping together.”

Ruan Xinyuan thoughtfully opened his schedule. Except for the evening, Tuesday was full, and Wednesday afternoon had only one class, “Wednesday evening is fine?”

“Alright,” Ruan Xinyuan picked the time, and Qi Xun agreed without much hesitation.

Talking about grocery shopping reminded Ruan Xinyuan of the cohabitation.

Thinking about cohabitation brought last night’s dream back into his mind, persistent as ever.

He blushed slightly, feeling guilty, and took out his phone to scroll randomly, pretending to be busy.

Another half-hour drive back to school, Ruan Xinyuan’s stomach discomfort intensified, accompanied by nausea and tinnitus, feeling something was off.

But until he reached the dormitory, he didn’t show any signs of discomfort, enduring it, and after saying goodbye to Qi Xun, he decided to take some medicine in the dorm.

However, as soon as he sat down in his spot in the dorm, before he could take the medicine, a piercing pain replaced the stomachache, the same symptoms as two days ago.

He clutched his chest inside the curtain, not making a sound, and after a long three minutes, the symptoms finally faded, leaving a throbbing in his temples.

Along with the disappearance, the stomachache and nausea were gone too.

Ruan Xinyuan wiped his sweaty palms, trembling as he drank some hot water, recalling everything that just happened.

How could this be… wasn’t he pain-free since marrying Qi Xun?

Why did the symptoms recur, with new accompanying symptoms?

Did marrying Qi Xun not work? That couldn’t be, otherwise, why wasn’t he in pain before?

What was the problem…

Unable to figure it out, Ruan Xinyuan knew he needed help.

So he opened WeChat and privately messaged his spiritual grandmother.

[Abundant Wealth Golden Ingot: Grandma, ever since you told me to find my destined person, I’ve been inexplicably unwell, seeking medical help to no avail, suspecting it’s due to my mysterious fate. After marrying Professor Qi, I didn’t have any episodes for two days, but tonight it inexplicably happened again, why? [Little Cat Sighing]]

It didn’t take long for Hua Jin to send several exclamation marks, then ask.

[Lifesaver Xiao Hua: Why are you only telling me this important thing now?! Let me think… hmm, did you not have any physical contact with Xiao Qi today?]

Ruan Xinyuan struggled to recall, and it seemed he hadn’t.

Wait, but the past two days?

He remembered the day they got their marriage certificate, Qi Xun held his hand, and yesterday at the dinner table, Qi Xun also squeezed his hand.

Ruan Xinyuan seemed to realize something, typing with trembling fingers.

[Abundant Wealth Golden Ingot: Grandma, you don’t mean… it really is…]