Gu Jianing, who had been deeply asleep, was awakened by waves of pain in her abdomen.

The pain caused fine beads of sweat to form on her forehead. Still somewhat dazed, Gu Jianing looked at the calendar hanging on the wall not far away and suddenly remembered—today was the first day of her period.

“Gu Jianing, are you an idiot? It’s your period today, and you chose to jump into the river in the middle of winter. No wonder you ended up infertile. No wonder your stomach hurts so much,” Gu Jianing cursed herself under her breath.

Her periods were always regular, but the first day was usually accompanied by some pain. Now, after jumping into the river and being exposed to cold water, it was no wonder her stomach was hurting so badly.

By the time she managed to change into her menstrual cloth and return to bed, she was already so weak from the pain that she could barely move.

She looked up and saw that the door was closed. Her family, not wanting to disturb her rest, hadn’t come in.

What should she do?

“System, do you have any painkillers?”

[Host, your current points are at 0. You can’t exchange for anything right now. You must complete the beginner tasks before the system store will unlock.]

[Hmm, Host, you might not need to exchange for painkillers after all.]

Gu Jianing curled up under the blankets, her hands clutching her stomach, her face pale.

It hurt. It hurt so much.

The pain was so intense that nothing but painkillers could suppress it.

She was in so much pain that she didn’t even notice the movement near the window.

By the time she realized what was happening, the window had already been opened from the outside, and a man had nimbly climbed in.

“Are you having stomach cramps?” A familiar, deep voice rang out. Gu Jianing looked up to see the man crouching by her bed, his brows furrowed, his eyes filled with concern.

The familiar face made Gu Jianing freeze for a moment. The next second, her eyes turned red.

It was Sheng Zexi!

How… how did he get here?

Seeing that Gu Jianing wasn’t responding, Sheng Zexi assumed she was in too much pain. He stood up and began pulling things out of a bag he had brought with him.

Only then did Gu Jianing realize he had come carrying something.

The next moment, Sheng Zexi picked up a thermal flask, pulled a chair over to the bed, and sat down. He extended his right hand toward Gu Jianing, a white pill resting in his palm.

“Take this painkiller first, then eat this sweet wine with poached eggs.”

In this era, painkillers and other Western medicines were precious. Sheng Zexi had gone through a lot of trouble to get this single pill.

Gu Jianing was stunned. No wonder the system said she didn’t need to exchange for painkillers—Sheng Zexi had brought one with him.

In too much pain to think too much, Gu Jianing quickly took the painkiller.

Sheng Zexi opened the thermal flask, and a sweet aroma of wine filled the air. Perhaps because it was made with brown sugar, the liquid had a slight brown tint. A poached egg floated in the middle, surrounded by red dates and goji berries.

“I bought this near the county hospital. They said it can help relieve pain for women during their periods and also replenish blood and dispel cold.”

Gu Jianing looked up at him, slightly surprised. “How did you know about my…?”

Sheng Zexi lowered his eyes, a little embarrassed. “I stayed at your house before and happened to find out.” In truth, it was because he had noticed that Gu Jianing’s complexion wasn’t great that day, and she had secretly gone to wash her undergarments. He had guessed, and for some reason, he had memorized the date.

Today, after the matchmaker left, he had originally planned to go straight to the Gu family. But then he remembered the date and turned around to go to the county town to buy these things.

“You probably don’t have much strength. Let me feed you.” Sheng Zexi wrapped Gu Jianing in the blanket, propped her up into a semi-sitting position, and stuffed a pillow behind her back.

As he leaned in, Gu Jianing caught a faint whiff of the crisp, woody scent on him. But in an instant, he moved away.

Sheng Zexi sat back on the chair, picked up a spoon, scooped some of the sweet wine, and brought it to Gu Jianing’s lips.

Gu Jianing lowered her head and took a sip. The temperature was just right—warm but not scalding, and sweet.

Thinking about what Sheng Zexi had said about dispelling cold, Gu Jianing realized that he must have known about her jumping into the river today.

Yet he still came, remembered the date of her period, and brought painkillers and this sweet wine with poached eggs.

Sheng Zexi was actually very good to her. How had she not seen it before?

Thinking back to her past life, Gu Jianing couldn’t hold back anymore. Tears welled up in her reddened eyes and fell.

“Sheng Zexi, why are you so good to me?” The girl pouted, sniffled, and asked in a soft, choked voice.

The sudden tears left Sheng Zexi momentarily at a loss. Hearing her question, he seemed to think of something and let out a frustrated laugh.

The corners of his lips curled into a mocking smile. “What, you don’t want me to be good to you? You’d rather that Wen Zhuqing be good to you? Too bad, you jumped into the river, and that pretty boy didn’t even show up.”

“Gu Jianing, have you really got water in your brain? Jumping into the river in the middle of winter for a man? You’re like the God of Longevity hanging himself—you’ve got a death wish.”

“I always knew you were dumb, but now I see you’re really something else.”

Gu Jianing looked up, her almond-shaped eyes glistening with tears as she glared at him in anger. “If I’m so dumb, why do you still want to meet me? Why do you still want to marry me?”

Sheng Zexi was momentarily speechless. He clicked his tongue against his molars, annoyed by how infuriating this girl could be.

After a few seconds, he let out a low, frustrated laugh. “Yeah, I’ve been bewitched by you.”

Because of his stepmother, Sheng Zexi had always been wary of women. But for some reason, after staying at the Gu family to recover from an injury, he found himself completely captivated by Gu Jianing.

He knew she was spoiled, fussy, lazy, and didn’t like studying—she wasn’t exactly the sharpest tool in the shed.

But somehow, he had fallen under her spell, not just infatuated but genuinely moved.

Why? Even Sheng Zexi couldn’t explain it.

Perhaps it was because, on the anniversary of his mother’s death, when he was feeling down and hadn’t been able to go back to pay his respects, she was the only one who noticed. She had taught him how to fold a paper crane and said, “Write your wish on it and put it in the river. The departed will see it.”

She said, “Death isn’t the end. As long as we remember them, they’ll always live on in our hearts.”

Or perhaps it was when she found out it was his birthday and convinced her mother to make him a bowl of longevity noodles.

She said, “I can’t make noodles, but my mom’s noodles are delicious. Since you’re staying with us, we’ll celebrate your birthday. Eating longevity noodles will bring you health and a long life.”

No one knew that since his mother’s death, he had never eaten longevity noodles again.

No one saw the redness in his eyes or the slight tremble in his hands as he lowered his head to eat the noodles.

Love often begins without us knowing, but once it takes root, it grows deep.

Even though he knew she had jumped into the river for some other pretty boy, he still held onto a sliver of hope when she agreed to meet him. He bought these things and came running to her.

“I’ve been so good to you. If you’re still hung up on that pretty boy…”

Sheng Zexi said it casually, but before he could finish, Gu Jianing interrupted, “You’re right. That guy isn’t worth it. So, I’ve thought about it, and I don’t want him anymore. I’m willing to give you a try.”

Sheng Zexi was stunned. The girl’s soft, delicate voice echoed in his ears, feeling almost unreal.

Gu Jianing blinked, her slender, pale hand emerging from the blanket to gently tug at his sleeve. “You don’t want to?”