Her eyes held a hint of mockery. Lin Yanran looked at her and suddenly remembered that she had acted the same way in the student council office before. She seemed gentle, but she could always easily grasp his weaknesses.

He remained silent for a few seconds, then reached out and took the bowl, tilting his head back to drink it all in one gulp.

The spicy taste instantly filled his throat, and he couldn't help but frown.

Yu Jiuyuan handed him a glass of warm water at the right time. He took it and drank a couple of sips before he felt better.

She took the empty bowl and placed it on the bedside table, then handed him the fever reducer: "Take the medicine and get some sleep."

Lin Yanran obediently took the medicine, but after lying down, she didn't close her eyes; she just looked at her.

Yu Jiuyuan was tidying up the medicine boxes on the bedside table when she noticed his gaze. She turned around and looked at him: "What's wrong?"

"You..." He paused, seemingly finding it difficult to speak, "Don't you need to go and keep Rong Shenghan company?"

Yu Jiuyuan paused for a moment, then smiled: "He's downstairs looking at documents. I'll go keep him company later."

She reached out and tucked the blanket around him. "Sleep peacefully, I'll stay here."

Lin Yanran was stunned, staring at her face so close to hers.

Under the light, her eyes and brows appeared exceptionally gentle, lacking her usual aloofness and calculation, and instead exuding a genuine warmth.

He suddenly felt a little uncomfortable and abruptly closed his eyes: "Whatever."

Yu Jiuyuan looked at his tightly closed eyes, a hint of a smile flashing in her eyes.

She didn't leave, but sat down on the chair by the bed, picked up a book he had placed on the bedside table, and quietly flipped through it.

The rain was pattering softly, and the room was quiet except for the soft sound of turning pages.

After an unknown amount of time, Lin Yanran groggily opened her eyes and found that she had been sleeping soundly and her fever seemed to have subsided considerably.

He turned his head and saw that Yu Jiuyuan was still sitting in the chair, holding a book, and had already fallen asleep.

The rain outside the window had stopped sometime ago, and moonlight shone through the gaps in the curtains, falling on her face as softly as a painting.

Looking at her peaceful sleeping face, his heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason.

He recalled how, when he first moved into the villa, he was filled with wariness and rejection towards her, feeling that he, like Rong Shenghan and the others, was nothing more than someone she could manipulate.

But as he spent more time with her, he found himself increasingly unable to understand her.

She would make a point of having someone buy him his favorite dessert because of something he said unintentionally.

He would subtly help him out of an awkward situation when Xie Zhecheng and the others teased him.

I will put aside my pride to take care of him when he is sick...

These details seemed to quietly crack a fissure in his once hardened heart.

He sighed softly, looking at her hand resting on her knee. Her fingertips twitched slightly, but in the end, she didn't dare to make any move.

He closed his eyes, but the image of her feeding him ginger soup and her words, "I'll stay here," kept replaying in his mind.

Perhaps, she's not so bad after all.

He thought.

As night deepened, when Yu Jiuyuan woke up, she found Lin Yanran sleeping soundly with steady breathing, indicating that her fever had truly subsided.

She stood up, quietly walked out of the room, and as she closed the door, she glanced back at the closed door, a faint smile curving her lips.

Downstairs in the living room, Rong Shenghan was sitting on the sofa reading documents. Hearing footsteps, he looked up, a hint of barely perceptible expectation in his eyes.

Yu Jiuyuan walked over, sat naturally on his lap, and wrapped her arms around his neck: "Have you been waiting long?"

Rong Shenghan reached out and put his arm around her waist, resting his chin on the crook of her neck: "I'm fine."

He sniffed her scent. "You went to see Lin Yanran?"

"Yes, he has a fever." Yu Jiuyuan fiddled with the buttons on his chest. "He just fell asleep."

Rong Shenghan didn't speak, but tightened his arms around her.

Yu Jiuyuan felt his movement, chuckled softly, and turned her head to kiss the corner of his lips: "Jealous?"

He looked up and into her eyes: "No."

Yu Jiuyuan knew he was being stubborn, but she didn't call him out on it.

She leaned in and kissed his lips, her movements gentle and tender.

The moonlight streaming through the window filled the living room, illuminating the two people embracing, creating a tranquil and warm atmosphere.

After a long while, she finally pulled away from his lips, pressed her forehead against his, and whispered, "No matter what, I will come back to be with you tonight."

Rong Shenghan looked at her, the gloom in his eyes gradually dissipating, replaced by tenderness.

He lowered his head and kissed her again, this time with the preciousness and satisfaction of having regained what he had lost.

As night deepened, the villa became quiet.

Only in Lin Yanran's room was the bedside lamp still lit, as if silently telling a story.

And Yu Jiuyuan's path to conquering the world took another step forward quietly on this night when the spring rain had just stopped.