Although he wasn’t pleased, when he saw the lipstick in Yu Qian’s hand, Jiang Zheng still introduced it. “That one was chosen by Wu Qi and the others.”

After speaking, Jiang Zheng muttered under his breath, “The other two aren’t good-looking at all. Obviously, the one I picked is the best.”

Hearing his roommate’s name, Yu Qian instantly imagined a group of guys crouching in front of the lipstick counter, carefully selecting shades. What should she do? She actually found the image kind of cute.

With a smile on her lips, Yu Qian opened the lipstick. Sure enough, it was straight-man aesthetics at its finest.

Looking at the glaringly bold red color, Yu Qian could already picture how it would look on her lips.

Seeing that both his own choice and his roommates’ pick had been rejected, Jiang Zheng quickly grabbed the last one. “This one was chosen by the store assistant.”

If she didn’t like this one either, then his New Year’s gift would be a total failure.

Hearing that it was picked by a professional, Yu Qian felt a little more hopeful about the final lipstick.

She opened the cap and twisted it gently. It was a dusky rose shade.

As expected, women understood women best. She had been too narrow-minded just now.

Noticing that Yu Qian was finally satisfied, Jiang Zheng breathed a sigh of relief. But looking at the deep rose shade, he felt it was even uglier than the one Wu Qi and the others had chosen. Yu Qian’s taste was really questionable.

“Little Fish, since you like this one, why don’t you try it on? I think the only time I’ve seen you wear lipstick was on my birthday.”

Jiang Zheng’s eyes burned as he looked at Yu Qian.

Yu Qian hesitated. She had only applied skincare products today, with no makeup at all, and her lips weren’t prepped. What if the lipstick looked patchy or uneven?

But seeing Jiang Zheng’s expectant gaze, Yu Qian still picked up a wet wipe and wiped her lips.

Glancing at the other two lipsticks on the table, she hesitated for a moment before finally picking up the one Jiang Zheng had chosen. She applied a light layer of pink first, then layered the dusky rose over it.

Taking out her phone, she opened the camera and carefully filled in the color.

Once she finished, Yu Qian pressed her lips together and asked uncertainly, “Does it look good?”

Not just good— it was utterly mesmerizing.

Jiang Zheng stared fixedly at Yu Qian’s lips, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

Feeling uncomfortable under his gaze, Yu Qian instinctively wanted to turn her head away. But Jiang Zheng reached out, cupping her face to keep her still. Then, he leaned in……

Yu Qian froze the moment she felt the touch on her lips. Her whole body stiffened as her pupils dilated, staring at the soft black hair in front of her.

The moment lasted only two seconds. Jiang Zheng pulled back, looking at the dumbfounded Yu Qian with a dazzling smile.

Yu Qian’s gaze landed on the clear lipstick mark on Jiang Zheng’s right cheek, and her face instantly turned red.

How dare Jiang Zheng?!

“This lip print— consider it my New Year’s gift from you.” Jiang Zheng reached up to touch the mark on his cheek, his eyes filled with laughter.

Truthfully, he had originally intended to kiss her directly, but at the last second, he turned his head.

One day, he would make Yu Qian kiss him on her own.

Yu Qian, flustered by Jiang Zheng’s shamelessness, turned away, covering her face with her hands and taking deep breaths to calm herself.

“Little Fish, today is New Year’s Day. If I confess to you now, would you say yes?” Jiang Zheng leaned in close, whispering seductively in her ear.

Well, now even her ears were red.

Yu Qian squirmed and mumbled, “No.”

They had agreed on her birthday. His attempt to advance the schedule wouldn’t work.

Jiang Zheng chuckled as he looked at the little turtle retreating into her shell but didn’t expose her obvious pretense.

────ρя


The two of them stayed in the library all afternoon.

Eventually, Yu Qian got hungry, so Jiang Zheng accompanied her to the cafeteria.

“What are your plans for later?” Jiang Zheng asked.

“I’m going back to the dorm to sleep.” Yu Qian replied matter-of-factly.

“But I heard tonight’s fireworks show is beautiful. Don’t you want to see it?”

Here he goes again, trying to lure her in. Yu Qian silently stuffed her mouth with food, determined not to look into his eyes.

“Last New Year’s Day, I spent it alone. This year, I really want to spend it with you.” Jiang Zheng propped his chin on his hand, continuing to coax her.

“No. It’s too cold outside. You can celebrate with your roommates.” Yu Qian firmly shook her head.

“Sigh, so heartless.” Jiang Zheng sighed dramatically.

All the way to the entrance of the girls’ dormitory, Jiang Zheng still hadn’t convinced Yu Qian to join him for the countdown.

But before she could go inside, he called out to her.

“Little Fish, as your future boyfriend, can I get a hug in advance?”

Standing at the bottom of the dormitory steps, Jiang Zheng spread his arms, his smile bright as he waited for Yu Qian’s decision.

Yu Qian turned around and hesitated, glancing around. After confirming there was no one nearby— not even the dorm supervisor— she lowered her head, blushing, and quickly dashed into Jiang Zheng’s arms.

“Happy New Year.” Yu Qian said, giving Jiang Zheng a quick hug before immediately pulling away and running off.

Jiang Zheng stood there, unable to suppress his smile. He stayed in place for a few minutes before finally turning to leave, his mood incredibly light.

When he reached the entrance of the boys’ dormitory, he suddenly remembered the ‘sons’ waiting for him, hungry and expectant.

Normally, he wouldn’t care, but today he was in a good mood. So, he turned on his heel and headed back to the cafeteria.

────ρя


Back in her dorm, Yu Qian changed into comfortable clothes. Looking at the red gift box on her desk, she couldn’t help but smile.

She picked up her phone, took a photo, and uploaded it to her private Moments, setting it to ‘Only Me.’

She was used to recording her moods on her Moments but rarely made them public. She didn’t like people seeing her emotions.

Lying back in bed, Yu Qian’s smile lingered. Just twenty-two more days, and she would have a boyfriend.

This kind of anticipated joy was truly delightful— counting down the days, feeling happiness approach step by step, with something to look forward to every day.

That evening, she received New Year greetings from Qi Yu and the others.

Yu Qian replied to each one.

Hmm, in six months, she would be able to reunite with her friends. Ever since she entered this novel world, it seemed like her luck had been getting better and better.

Yu Qian made a decision. She would be nicer to Wang Jiajia in the future. After all, thanks to the dumb romance novel of hers, Yu Qian’s life had gained so many new colors.

She had always enjoyed being alone in her room, but tonight, influenced by a certain someone, she found her mind filled with his smiling face as she lay in bed.

She wondered what he was doing right now.

He was probably back in his dorm.

She really should have prepared a gift for him today. Thinking back, she realized she had only ever given Jiang Zheng a present on his birthday. She needed to remember to buy him gifts in the future.

Yu Qian made a note of it on her phone.

Yes, she had to buy lots of gifts for her boyfriend in the future!