Chapter 32 — Half and Half Again
Su Yanyi shook off 001 and wrapped herself in a bathrobe before leaving the bathroom. She was greeted by the sight of Qin Jiran sitting stiffly on the sofa. When he saw her come out, he immediately shot to his feet.
She could tell that he was embarrassed, but she chose not to comment on it. Ignoring him, she picked up a clean towel and started to dry her hair. However, because her hair was too long, a few tresses kept slipping out. Impatient, her movements increased in aggression until her head eventually started to hurt.
Qin Jiran asked tentatively, "I can help you with that?"
He simply couldn't bear to stand by and watch as Su Yanyi destroyed her own hair. It made his heart ache, so the question had involuntarily slipped out.
Thinking he had been too abrupt, he looked at her awkwardly and hurriedly tried to explain, "Your scalp will hurt if you keep doing that."
Su Yanyi stopped wiping her hair and looked up, scrutinizing him as if skeptical about his intentions, but then she recalled his attentive care for her during her time as a human vegetable and relaxed.
"Okay," she agreed, surprising him when she passed the towel over. However, he quickly recovered. Carefully, he helped her dry her hair, and although he actually wasn't very experienced, his movements were exceptionally gentle and attentive. He made sure that he wasn't hurting her at all.
Soon, he became more skillful, and he even started to lightly massage her scalp as he carried out his ministrations. It felt so comfortable that Su Yanyi felt her eyes droop a bit.
As expected, this man was good at taking care of others!
Just as she finished praising him in her heart, a wave of displeasure washed over her. What was she thinking?
Rather than saying he was good at taking care of other, it should be said that he was good at taking care of her, and only her.
After all, this man was hers. How could she let him go and take care of other people?
After Qin Jiran helped Su Yanyi wipe her hair, he went to take a shower. She got on her bed and habitually settled down right in the center. Then, she remembered Qin Jiran and immediately moved over to one side.
She even measured the space with her eyes to make sure it was a half of the bed before she laid down, propped her head up with a pillow, and started to read a book.
Soon, Qin Jiran —now in pajamas— stepped out of the bathroom. There was still heat coming off of him, and he looked very much at home. Glancing over, Su Yanyi realized that it was her first time seeing this side of him.
Normally when she saw him, he would be in formal to semi-formal attire; it was very different from how he looked currently.
Seeing the space she'd made for him on the bed, his eyes flashed, and he got on the bed. He laid down and… remained completely motionless.
On the outside, it seemed like Su Yanyi was reading a book, but she was actually observing Qin Jiran. Seeing him lie there like a corpse with his eyes closed, the corners of her lips twitched, and a trace of amusement appeared in her eyes.
Stupid man! He was so slow-witted and stupid, no wonder her past self never realized that he liked her.
He doesn't even know how to take the initiative, this stupid man!
No matter how much she wanted to interact with him so they could understand each other more, she was helpless to the fact that neither she nor Qin Jiran was good with words. When they were together, work was essentially the only thing they talked about.
"Are you tired?" She asked, putting down her book. He looked like he was already asleep, but clearly, it was impossible for him to fall asleep that quickly. When he heard her question, he opened his eyes and responded hesitantly, "I'm alright."
Whether he was tired or not hinged on what Su Yanyi was trying to imply. Did she want him to be tired so she could tell him to sleep and rest well, or did she want him to not be tired so they could have a conversation with each other? He was in a dilemma.
Meanwhile, Su Yanyi was thinking: What did he mean by "alright"?
She pondered, trying to figure out whether he was tired or not.
Su Yanyi and Qin Jiran were two individuals with remarkable mental capabilities, they both used said capabilities to try to guess what the other was thinking. This was likely a problem with people of high IQ; they preferred to guess for answers rather than ask for them directly, and most of the time, they would guess wrong.
"Then let's sleep." She still couldn't figure out the meaning behind his answer; in any case, she felt like sleeping. Lying on the same bed was already awkward enough. She didn't really want to talk under these circumstances.
While she personally felt like her behavior was very calm and cool, Qin Jiran somehow sensed a sulking tone to it, almost as if she was being coquettish!
It must be his auditory hallucinations again. How could Su Yanyi, of all people, act coquettish? Impossible.
Since she was telling him to sleep, he decided to comply. After he wished her goodnight, he immediately closed his eyes again. Su Yanyi stared at him. It was hard to tell if she was miffed or not, but she quickly turned off the lights and prepared to pull the blanket over herself.
That was when she found a problem.
Why was there only one blanket on her bed? And if she recalled correctly, there was only this one blanket in her entire room.
It put her in a predicament because Qin Jiran was lying there in his pajamas without a blanket covering his body.
His sleeping posture was textbook proper. He seemed to have no intention of taking her blanket. The room wasn't cold, but the temperature was bound to drop later in the night.
Su Yanyi hesitated for a moment before moving to pull the blanket over him.
"Don't steal my blanket later, you can only use half."
Having a blanket over herself was essential to her sleep, so sharing half of it with him was already very generous of her.
Qin Jiran opened his eyes. They were bright, conflicted, and deep. Even in the dark, she could sense that he was looking at her.
Half of her bed, and half of her blanket. He wasn't aware, but what she'd given him was not only half of her bed and blanket, but also a half of her world. Regardless, he was full of joy and emotions.
No matter why she gave him half of her bed and half of her blanket, they were enough to create a memory that he would never forget.
In the darkness, Qin Jiran gave a silent laugh, and then Su Yanyi heard the sound of her System upgrading.
Congratulations on accomplishing the task once!
+1 Point.
Progress: 10/10
LEVEL 1 Accumulation Mission: Complete!
The System can be upgraded to LEVEL 2 after the Upgrade Mission is complete. The Upgrade Mission is to personally brew a cup of coffee for dear Mr. Qin and receive his praise.
Please continue to work hard!
Complete! Ten points!
When she heard the notification, she was consumed by feelings of turmoil. She was surprised, happy, irritated, and unspeakably guilty.
Making someone smile genuinely was both hard and easy at the same time.
In the past, she'd never gone out of her way to make anyone smile before. Neither had she experienced the emotions of anxiety, disappointment, anticipation, hesitation, and dedication that she had experienced in her current life. Sometimes, her past self would feel gloomy and void.
And now, she had finally completed the mission of making Qin Jiran smile genuinely ten times. She wasn't used to the tide of emotions that was crashing against her heart, and she didn't know what to make of it either.
VIN: I feel like this chapter started light and ended on a sentimental note.
When I was translating the line, "He wasn't aware, but what she'd given him was not only half of her bed and blanket, but also a half of her world" confused me. I thought about it and decided that this line speaks volumes.
Sharing her bed, sleeping next to someone else and possibly waking up to him, I think that's a huge step for the cold and cautious SYY. She was vulnerable and helpless when she was killed in a (hospital) bed in her past life. By giving QJR half of her bed and blanket (the blanket part is also important because I think giving him the blanket on her own volition means a lot more than sharing the bed itself), she's truly letting down her guard around him.
The final passages showed us beyond her feelings of happiness over the completion of the mission. I've always felt like she cared more about completing the mission than making QJR happy. The final passages were actually very refreshing, I was pleasantly surprised. I'm going to stop before this tl note becomes half the length of the chapter itself, so…
What do you guys think?
RELEASE SCHEDULE: 5x a week until chapter 65. Currently sporadic due to school.