Chapter 15

He Cheng’an was no longer just a male supporting character described in words; he truly existed in her life and Lu Yun realized all of these in Li Ling’s wedding.

Since she couldn’t bear the thought of He Cheng’an’s final outcome, and as Zhang Meili suggested she go on blind dates, Lu Yun felt that no one could compare to He Cheng’an.

She thought it might be better to give it a try with him.

However, Lu Yun herself did not expect to say it so soon.

When He Cheng’an came looking for her, he happened to run into her and Chen Zhiqiang as they were leaving the Cotton Textile Factory.

She doesn’t want to upset He Cheng’an, so, she hugged him and asked if he wanted to date her.

He Cheng’an could hardly believe he was hearing those words.

He braced himself, causing his bicycle to stop, and his body trembled slightly. He even had the illusion that he might be imagining it.

Yet, despite his disbelief, He Cheng’an’s instinctive response of ‘What are you talking about?’ was swallowed back down, ultimately transforming into a simple “Okay.”

It felt as if an endless energy coursed through He Cheng’an as he took Lu Yun to Zhou’s Restaurant.

He hadn’t calmed the excitement in his heart yet, and in the dusk light, he stood outside the restaurant, unable to contain the smile in his eyes as he looked at Lu Yun.

When they sat down to order, Lu Yun and He Cheng’an chose deep-fried meatballs, fish-flavored shredded pork, stir-fried cabbage, and garlic eggplant, along with two servings of rice for their main dish.

As the restaurant brought out the steaming, enticing dishes, Lu Yun couldn’t help but think that eating freshly prepared food in a restaurant was far better.

In her previous life, whenever Lu Yun dined out, she would often order extra takeout because she was too lazy to cook at home. Although the takeout wasn’t as delicious as eating at the restaurant, it didn’t bother her. After all, why go to the trouble of changing clothes just to go out when she could simply have it delivered?

As she tasted a piece of the crispy fried meatball, she asked, “Can you cook?”

He Cheng’an sat up straight and replied, “Yes, I can do laundry and cook. I can handle anything from now on. If you want me to do something, I can learn how to do it.”

Lu Yun hadn’t expected He Cheng’an to be capable in this way, and for a moment, she couldn’t help but reflect on what the female supporting character’s life might have missed out on.

Lu Yun even started to regret that she hadn’t read the content after the male and female supporting characters exited the story. If she had, maybe she could have found some clues about their final outcome.

Although they were together now, Lu Yun still hoped that in the narrative, they would also end up together. Otherwise, what would become of He Cheng’an, who would come out of prison in the future?

—o—o—o—

On the way back, He Cheng’an accompanied Lu Yun home.

When Lu Yun reached the gate of the courtyard and turned back to look, He Cheng’an was still standing there.

She lowered her head and smiled before pushing the door open and going inside.

At that moment, the courtyard was quite lively. Aunt Li was talking about her nephew from the countryside.

She sat on a stool with a handful of sunflower seeds, chatting away while cracking the seeds: “When it comes to marriage, one can’t be too picky. If one is too picky, people might think they’re some sort of fairy, able to find any man they want. My nephew’s family is willing to offer a betrothal gift of thirty-six legs, a Shanghai-brand watch, and three hundred yuan. My nephew can cook, too, and he can help with meals regularly.”

As Lu Yun walked by, she noticed Aunt Li looking at her, so she nodded. “Yes, the betrothal gift should be big. If the gift is too little, how can anyone get married? We can’t have people living as bachelors for a lifetime.”

She poked directly at Aunt Li’s sore spot, causing her to tremble with anger.

No matter how angry she became, Lu Yun didn’t care, she directly walked straight past her.

Hearing the door close, Aunt Li spat quietly, but she only dared to mutter, “Just because she’s a bit pretty, she really thinks she’s a fairy. She thinks she can marry whoever she wants. If that were the case, why doesn’t Chen Zhiqiang marry her? I want to see what kind of partner she can find in the future. There’s a decent-looking girl in our village who, relying on her looks, ended up being choosy about marriage. What happened in the end? She chose the worst one.”

“Let her be picky! She looks so soft and weak, but her mouth is so sharp. Meanwhile, my nephew will be a bachelor for life.”

Lu Yun came out of the bathroom, drying her hair with a towel. She liked cleanliness and almost always took a shower when she got home, although sometimes she washed her hair daily and other times every other day.

While her hair dried in the room, Lu Yun took out the work she hadn’t finished in the office that day.

A thick stack of documents was placed on the table. She wrote slowly, not being able to write in cursive, so her handwriting was neat and delicate.

Lu Xiang’an lived in the house across from Lu Yun. Every time he came to visit her, he had the habit of knocking on her window.

One night, around ten o’clock, Lu Yun heard the familiar sound and put down her work, thinking it was Lu Xiang’an.

As she opened the window, she said, “Can you please knock on the door next time? Just so you know, when winter comes, I won’t be opening the window. It gets so cold when the wind blows in.”

While she was speaking, her words suddenly halted as she noticed the man standing outside her window.

“Hey, He Cheng’an, how did you get in?” Lu Yun asked.

He Cheng’an stood outside in the same clothes as earlier. He fixed his gaze on Lu Yun and spoke in a very low voice, “I climbed over the wall, Lu Yun. Are we really dating?”

After he had seen Lu Yun home, He Cheng’an didn’t go back.

He was worried that the next time he met her, she might say she regretted dating him or directly tell him they should break up.

While they had been eating together, he had felt fine, but now that Lu Yun was home, his heart was in turmoil.

Unconsciously, he had climbed over the wall and, seeing that Lu Yun’s light was still on, he had come to knock on her window.

Now that Lu Yun stood in front of him, he was even more afraid that she would be upset or that he was intruding.

Lu Yun nodded at him. “Yes, we’re dating. You should go back and get some sleep.”

Finally, He Cheng’an smiled. “Okay, I’ll listen to you. I’ll do whatever you say. I’ll go back and sleep now!”

Lu Yun was concerned that he wouldn’t be able to sleep well after going home and would come looking for her early in the morning. She said, “You’re not allowed to come over tomorrow morning.”

He Cheng’an nodded. “Alright, I’ll listen to you. If you don’t want me to come, I won’t.”

Lu Yun added, “And you can’t sneak over either. Just go home and sleep more.”

He Cheng’an nodded again. “Okay, I’ll listen to you.”

—o—o—o—

Another new day began.

Sister Sun laughed heartily in the office. “Look, don’t you think Lu Yun looks even prettier than a few days ago? Her complexion is great! I wonder what she did with her hair; it looks like she just casually tied it up, but it’s clearly different from how we do it.”

As Sister Sun mentioned hairstyles, she touched her own hair. “You know, everyone in our factory has been getting perms lately. I’m thinking of cutting my hair a bit shorter and then getting a perm. Just to my shoulders. What do you all think? Does anyone want to get a perm with me? I asked my husband to come along, but he acted like it was the same as asking him to go shopping with me. He just didn’t want to go.”

Everyone in the office laughed.

Sister Sun was looking at Lu Yun, who absentmindedly touched her own bun.

In the hot summer weather, when Lu Yun had just arrived, she used to wear two braids but occasionally let her hair down.

Now, she was used to tying her hair in a high ponytail or bun. With colder weather approaching, getting a perm didn’t sound bad at all.

However, as Lu Yun ran her fingers through her silky hair, she felt a bit hesitant.

Her hair was in good condition, and she didn’t know how long it would take to restore it after a perm. But soon, an idea struck her, and her mood brightened.

Lu Yun remembered that in the novel, the female supporting character had her hair permed, and when the female lead first saw her, she remarked on how smooth the supporting character’s hair was.

After that, the supporting character bought conditioner and started to dress up, becoming prettier than before.

Who would have thought that the original text could still be useful like this?

Lu Yun thought that since there were no fancy perms like French curls or corn curls available at the moment, a simple curly hairstyle would do. Even if she didn’t let her hair down, a casual high ponytail still looked good.

Since arriving in this world, she hadn’t visited a hair salon or changed her hairstyle at all.

Once the curls loosened over time, she could return to her straight, long black hair. But for now, if her hair grew a little longer, she would need to get a haircut anyway.

He Cheng’an did not seek out Lu Yun while she was at work, as she had requested.

However, when she finished for the day and stepped outside, she saw him in his usual spot.

As Lu Yun approached, she noticed that there were some red veins in his eyes, but they still sparkled brightly.

He probably hadn’t slept much since returning home yesterday, yet he looked energetic, completely devoid of any signs of fatigue.

Lu Yun wasn’t sure how long He Cheng’an could maintain this state. She pointed to the gate of the Cotton Textile Factory and said, “Next time you come, just wait for me at the entrance.”

He Cheng’an always waited at a distance, whether outside the Cotton Textile Factory or in the alley where Lu Yun lived.

She figured it was because she had told him before not to wait outside her home or workplace. Now that she was inviting him to wait there, he likely believed they were really in a relationship.

As He Cheng’an looked toward the entrance of the Cotton Textile Factory, he noticed several couples together, enjoying their time as couples, and he couldn’t help but feel happy.

He Cheng’an asked, “Do you have any free time this weekend?”

Lu Yun replied, “I want to get a perm this weekend.”

He Cheng’an cautiously asked, “Can I accompany you?”

Lu Yun informed him, “Getting a perm takes a long time. If the salon is busy, we could end up waiting for several hours.”

He Cheng’an responded, “I’m willing to wait with you.”

Hearing his words, Lu Yun smiled and said, “Alright then, see you this weekend.”