Chapter 50: Awakening Hearts

Early on the third day, Han Wenwen woke to the insistent alarm.

She opened her eyes, shook the thermometer on the table, and tucked it under her arm before climbing out of bed and heading to the bathroom.

After brushing her teeth and freshening up, she checked the thermometer—it showed 37.5 degrees, a clear improvement.

Even for a little fox like her, deeply familiar with matters of the heart, there were moments of budding romance. No girl wanted to show her less attractive side to someone she liked.

Sick as she was, she couldn’t wash her hair or dress up, so she focused on other ways to look her best.

For instance, she opened the lip balm and gently dabbed a bit on her lips with her pinky finger.

This approach was more precise, less noticeable, and actually effective.

She also used a comb with a touch of water to tidy her hair and applied face wash to make her skin glow.

After these small, mostly futile tasks, she lay back in bed and murmured, “He should be here soon—said he’d come this morning.”

Sure enough, not long after, Lin Zheng Ran used his spare key to open the door. Han Wenwen had given him that key, claiming it saved her the trouble of getting up to let him in.

Of course, that excuse didn’t hold up to scrutiny.

Lin Zheng Ran entered with breakfast and saw Han Wenwen lying in bed, watching him. “Awake already?”

Han Wenwen smiled, her heart full. “Yeah, just woke up. What did you get for breakfast? I feel like eating fried dough sticks.”

“You didn’t mention it the day before yesterday, so I just grabbed something. Make do with it.”

Han Wenwen pursed her lips. “So, what did you get?”

“Fried dough sticks.”

Han Wenwen stared at him in amazement, thinking, this must be my destined one—it’s incredible.

Lin Zheng Ran sat on the bed’s edge and noticed her color looked better, her lips not as dry. “How have you been feeling these past couple of days? Did you take your temperature this morning?”

“Aside from trouble sleeping at night with my mind racing, everything else is fine. This morning’s temperature was 37.5 degrees.”

“That’s okay. Still thinking about making money? If you feel clear-headed today, we can chat about what you plan to do going forward.”

Han Wenwen didn’t answer right away; she hadn’t really thought about earning money these past days because her dreams were all about him.

After a pause, she said slowly, “Chat about what I want to do? What do you mean? Isn’t it about following you?”

Lin Zheng Ran ate his fried dough sticks in big bites as Han Wenwen slowly sat up.

“Yes, following me, but take Lily and Heqing as examples—I won’t force you into anything you don’t want. Tell me what kind of work you want, and I’ll help you excel in it.”

Han Wenwen was stunned; this wasn’t what she expected. She thought following him meant helping with his stall or something similar.

Leaning against the bedframe, she tilted her head and laughed. “Are you that amazing, Lin Zheng Ran? So, I can do whatever I want? And you’ll help me make money?”

“Yeah, that’s why I always envy you for having such a capable friend like me.”

Han Wenwen chuckled at his joke, hugging her knees on the bed as she thought. “Then I need to think carefully. You asking me this, Lin Zheng Ran, makes me realize I never thought about it before because I knew making money is tough—most people don’t have choices.”

Lin Zheng Ran settled beside her, their shoulders brushing close.

“Let me rephrase—do you have any dreams? Or what do you want most?”

“Dreams?” Han Wenwen’s mind flashed through memories from childhood to now, leaving her unsure how to start. “Well, I do.” She looked at Lin Zheng Ran earnestly:

“I’ve always wanted a real home of my own, to spend a lifetime with the person I like, and maybe have a few little foxes together.”

Lin Zheng Ran’s chewing slowed.

“Huh?”

Han Wenwen kept smiling. “But that’s what I thought as a kid. After elementary school, I gave up on it because I figured I’d never like anyone. Yet, with your question now, I think my dream is still that.”

Because this year, Han Wenwen realized she could like someone after all.

Lin Zheng Ran met her gaze and said slowly, “So… how does that relate to what I asked? Is this about work?”

Han Wenwen looked at this clueless guy.

She tilted her head up to the ceiling, cupping her cheeks as she thought seriously:

“As for work, I want something where I can earn money without leaving home. Since you said I can dream big, how about a job where I play games all day and get paid for it!”

“Your dream’s pretty ordinary,” he teased.

“Can’t I? Truth is, even though I seem outgoing, I’m actually quite a homebody. I love reading novels, playing games, and watching movies, so that’s why I say I don’t have any special talents.”

Lin Zheng Ran asked if she had paper and pen; Han Wenwen pulled out her backpack and handed them over.

He wrote down a lot of things, and Han Wenwen glimpsed various professions.

“I kind of figured this out before. You were hunting for online jobs—game coaching, writing fan fiction, making outfit videos—yet you never went for real-world stuff, so I guessed what type of work you’d like.”

He passed the list to her. “I’ve jotted down some online gigs that pay. See if any appeal to you.”

Han Wenwen scanned it and instinctively pointed to one. “If we’re talking what I like, this one’s it. I tried it before, but I didn’t make money, so I quit.”

Lin Zheng Ran saw what she pointed at. “A game streamer? So, playing games at home and earning from it.”

He pondered carefully:

“You know, that might suit you well. You’re not into going out, you love games, and for streaming, your looks and voice are definitely assets.”

He suggested, “We can start with some voice-over videos to build a following, then move to live streams.”

Han Wenwen looked at him. “But my gaming skills are terrible. I tried streaming before and found that in the gaming world, nothing else matters if you don’t have skill—viewers get fed up and start complaining.”

Lin Zheng Ran stood up. “That’s easy; I’ll teach you. My dad’s study has a computer. You rest this morning, and I’ll take you to my place this afternoon so we can practice.”

Han Wenwen thought about going to his house but played it cool. “You’re so serious about this, Lin Zheng Ran. But this was just a random pick—will it really make money? I’m running low on cash right now.”

“Like I said, you might not pull it off alone, but with me, it’s possible.”

Han Wenwen gazed up at him, her fingers clutching the blanket tighter, and repeated her earlier question: “Since you’re so capable, Lin Zheng Ran, do you think my dream from before could come true?”

Lin Zheng Ran hesitated, then sighed. “I really don’t want to answer that, but as your friend, I’ll just wish you achieve it soon.”

Han Wenwen covered her mouth, laughing with joy. “Thanks, Lin Zheng Ran. If it ever happens, I’ll make sure to thank you properly.”