Chapter 17 — Just as Dense

Although Su Yanyi wanted to loudly refute with "You're the one who's sick, your whole family is sick!" it was obviously too improper for an imposing ice queen like her to say. Therefore, she merely tossed Qin Jiran a very reserved glance before showing him her rigid back as she coldly returned to her bedroom.

The married couple lived in the same house, but they each had a bedroom and study of their own. The boundaries were clear. For Su Yanyi, closing her bedroom door meant closing the door to a world where Qin Jiran and her could communicate. Or maybe, even if they were in the same world, they would not be able to communicate!

She'd clearly wanted to act as a family member would and eat with Qin Jiran so that they could interact and understand each other more, but why did he come to the conclusion that she was sick? Why!

Qin Jiran's thoughts were also a mess. Su Yanyi's strange behavior lately was impossible to ignore, and now just mentioning her being sick made her immediately turn away. It was worrying.

Could it be that she was actually sick?

He hesitated and hesitated some more, took some time to read over a script, and mulled over the film crew for the script, and still felt unsettled. From time to time, his gaze would drift in the direction of his door as he wondered if he should go ask Su Yanyi for clarification.

If she really was sick, then she needed to get it cured as soon as possible!

Finally, Qin Jiran was no longer able to sit still. He left his study and stationed himself in the small living room outside of Su Yanyi's bedroom. With his script in hand, he appeared as though he was reading it, but in reality, he was staring at Su Yanyi's bedroom door.

He rarely ever knocked on her door because he knew what kinds of things annoyed her, and he'd refrain from doing said things. Since he moved in three years ago, he'd noticed something about the villa—it was implicitly divided into two areas.

One area, he could go into, and the other, he could not. Just like with Su Yanyi's heart, there was an unbridgeable distance.

He would always work hard in an attempt to make this place feel like a home, and he'd tried equally hard to make Su Yanyi feel like they were a family. Even if he couldn't foster romantic love, there was still the possibility of family love or friendship.

However, he was unsociable by nature. Whenever he faced Su Yanyi, he would become especially wooden and clumsy. His IQ and his acting skills would both fail him, causing the distance between him and Su Yanyi to grow further and further apart. In this villa, he was more like a guest… and an unwelcome one at that.

Su Yanyi didn't like him and had only rejected him more over the years. He would immerse himself in work to escape the tension of the villa. Working hard would allow him to stand taller and be busy enough to temporarily forget the coldness of this place.

Facing Su Yanyi, he was like a coward. He only dared to gaze at her in secret, and he wasn't brave enough to take the initiative. He didn't even dare to knock on her door.

Knowing this, he revealed a self-deprecating expression, ridiculing himself for his own cowardice and his inability to actively fight for his love. Su Yanyi was probably clueless about his feelings for her.

Why wouldn't she be, when he was too scared to even hint at it?

It was very late when Qin Jiran retired to bed. Su Yanyi's bedroom door did not open once.

Maybe it was due to how late he'd slept, but the next morning, he slept much longer than usual, and he didn't even wake up on his own.

He didn't have a habit of locking his door at night since the villa was a safe place to live in.

So, when he woke up that morning to Su Yanyi's finger poking him, he thought he was still dreaming.

"Wake up, make breakfast," She'd waited for quite a while before realizing that Qin Jiran had no intentions of waking up, so she had decided to take matters into her own hands.

There were many methods to wake someone up. Su Yanyi wasn't a noisy person, so after some contemplation, she'd settled on poking Qin Jiran's head.

However, this method seemed to be too gentle. After noticing that the man was still in a deep slumber, she had decided to poke harder while she took the opportunity to observe him.

On a normal day, she wouldn't pay much attention to his appearance, but now that she was, she couldn't help but admit that the man was very handsome. His looks belonged to the tall and lofty category, with attractive brows, a straight nose, and just overall memorable features.

Only when he was asleep would he appear softer; the rest of the time, he was cold and distant.

However, she was convinced that he only looked cold and lofty and that in reality, he was actually a bit foolish. Otherwise, why would he think she was sick? So stupid!

Last night, she'd also mulled over the situated and concluded that the problem laid in Qin Jiran, not her. Him and his stupid brain, always thinking about strange things.

In that case, the next time she wanted to do something good for him, she would have to be much more straightforward about it!

Seeing the man open his eyes, she told him bluntly, "Get up, I'm hungry."

"Yanyi?" Qin Jiran was still feeling a bit groggy, so he hadn't registered the situation yet.

Sure enough, he was a little stupid; such a dull reaction! She looked at him with some worry and couldn't help but suddenly recall a saying that she'd seen somewhere before: A man in love is a stubborn animal. They will not feel regret because after falling in love, they will become simple-minded.

Su Yanyi interpreted this "simple-minded" as "dumb." No wonder she had been clueless to his romantic feelings for three years!

On the other hand, it must be mentioned that she was completely oblivious to the fact that a part of the problem laid in her own shortcomings. She was just as dense as Qin Jiran.

She'd always assumed that she was simply inexperienced in love and never stopped to consider the possibility that maybe she was just too dense to understand the concept.

Maybe in her eyes, they were two entirely different notions. Or maybe she couldn't tell the difference between them. In any case, she was fully convinced that the man was a foolish one.

But… a foolish man wasn't that bad. A foolish man could be loyal, sincere, honest, and frank. She wouldn't need to guard against him or have scruples about him. As long as she showed him the same honesty and sincerity, being together with a man like this would definitely ensure a very pleasant and comfortable relationship.

"Hurry and get up, I'm hungry and waiting for you to make breakfast," she said as she clumsily patted his head. This was her way of showing comfort and intimacy. Then, she thoughtfully left his room to give him space to change.

There was an odd expression on Qin Jiran's face as he sat up on his bed, staring after Su Yanyi's departing back. Suddenly, he started to wonder if the sun had risen from the west today.

Or maybe the sun never rose at all? Why was Su Yanyi acting so abnormally?!

VIN: So, who do you think is denser?

RELEASE SCHEDULE: 5x a week. Why? Because chapter 65 begins the 8k (in raws) chapters, so I'll need time to stockpile those.