When Chen Bing woke up at 6:30 the next morning, she felt a slight headache, but the feeling was not very strong and would not affect her exam.
I took out a thermometer to measure my temperature, and it was 37.8°C, which wasn't too high.
This is largely thanks to my dietary habits and disciplined exercise routine over the years; I can easily handle a small virus.
After finishing her meal, Chen Bing went to the bathroom to wash up, and then opened the door to prepare breakfast with Shang Yunmiao as usual.
As soon as he entered the living room, he saw a lovely cook wearing a beige apron, a white turtleneck sweater, and a neat high ponytail, busy in the kitchen.
If you get a little closer, you can see a stainless steel insulated lunchbox on the dining table.
Seemingly noticing her, Shang Yunmiao paused in her act of holding a spoon and preparing to taste the food, then turned around to look at her.
"Chen Bing, you're awake! Does your head still hurt? Do you need any medicine? Have you taken your temperature? What's it?"
As Xiao Shang spoke, he put down his spoon and jogged over.
Without giving Chen Bing any room to refuse, Shang Yunmiao walked up to him quite forcefully and then raised her small hand to test the temperature on his forehead.
"It's okay, it doesn't hurt too much. I took my temperature after I got up, and it was less than 38 degrees Celsius."
After hearing this, Shang Yunmiao breathed a slight sigh of relief, then smiled happily and said, "Then why don't you sit in the chair and wait a little while? The porridge is ready, I'll go get it for you."
After saying that, she turned around and returned to her own battlefield.
Chen Bing, who wanted to help, thought for a moment and realized that it wouldn't be appropriate for him to go over; it would only upset Shang Yunmiao. So, he pulled out a chair at the dining table and quietly waited for the silly girl's breakfast.
"I've made it. Chen Bing, would you like to try it?"
The young cook placed the breakfast she had carefully prepared that morning in front of her. In addition to a bowl of pumpkin porridge, there was a steamed egg drizzled with vinegar and a few slices of white radish.
Seemingly a little embarrassed by the simple breakfast, Shang Yunmiao pursed her lips and explained, "You're sick, and I thought you probably couldn't eat anything greasy. I looked around at home and figured I could make this. The supermarket isn't open yet, and I don't know where else to buy vegetables... I'll go buy some when I get back this afternoon. Why don't you try it now and see if it suits your taste?"
As she said this, Shang Yunmiao placed her two small hands on the table, looking like a well-behaved kindergarten child waiting for the teacher to scold her.
If she hadn't caught a cold, Chen Bing really wanted to pinch her chin and let the girl feel the affection he felt for her at that moment.
Without commenting on Shang's self-deprecating remarks, Chen Bing picked up a spoon and tasted the pumpkin porridge. She then gave Shang a thumbs up and praised him, saying, "It tastes great, I really like it."
"Hehe, really?" After tilting her head and laughing happily for a while, Shang Yunmiao got up and served herself a portion to eat.
"By the way, Chen Bing, I've prepared lunch in advance for today. We'll eat in the car after the exam this morning, instead of finding a restaurant nearby like before, okay, Chen Bing?"
Because she was fully aware of Shang Yunmiao's kind considerations, Chen Bing readily agreed to this small request.
It's likely that the psychological effect genuinely impacted her physical health. After eating this breakfast, which was infused with Shang Yunmiao's deep affection, Chen Bing felt much better. While it wouldn't be a cure-all, it at least made her feel warm and her mind clearer.
After finishing breakfast and packing their things, the two got off the elevator and prepared to leave.
During this time, Shang Yunmiao asked if she could drive, saying that she also had a driver's license.
This time, Chen Bing didn't indulge her request. The young man firmly refused, saying that Shang Yunmiao had already sacrificed a lot of time to take care of him, and that he should seize this time before the exam to review. He added that he was currently in good condition, and driving was no problem at all.
Despite Chen Bing's insistent stance, Shang Yunmiao finally accepted the proposal. She then sat in the back seat, frantically studying her review materials, not wanting to disappoint Chen Bing's good intentions.
In silence, the two quickly arrived at the examination room.
On the eve of their parting, Shang Yunmiao worriedly checked Chen Bing's temperature again.
"Don't worry, I'm fine now. Have you forgotten what level of genius your brother Bing is? It's just a little fever, it can't defeat me."
"Hmm... okay, then you must not force yourself."
"Mmm, I know." Patting Shang Yunmiao's head, Chen Bing comforted her, "You should focus on the exam, don't worry too much about me. Have you reviewed all the knowledge points?"
"Yes, that's enough. Chen Bing, you too, don't worry about me anymore. I'm not a child anymore."
"Yes, she's a mature young woman, the kind of mature woman who will be engaged to me soon, right?"
"Mmm!" Without the slightest hint of shyness, Shang Yunmiao held Chen Bing's hands and looked at him with her big, happy eyes.
Being moved is a kind of power, and Chen Bing seemed to have gained this power from Shang Yunmiao's eyes.
They'd save the farewell kiss for when they met again. After smoothing a strand of hair from Shang Yunmiao's forehead, Chen Bing waved goodbye to the lovely woman.
Regarding the question that Chen Bing had been pondering deeply yesterday, after a day like this, he now had the idea to continue thinking about it.
Reflecting on his life so far, Chen Bing thought that this journey he had retraced could be described as complete and happy.
He has achieved various accomplishments and experienced many interesting things. He has not only built a happy family, but is also about to start a happy family with his beloved classmate, Xiao Shang.
So where do all these happy things come from?
A cursory thought might lead to the conclusion that it was "Chen Bing's own effort."
But upon closer examination, Chen Bing discovered that throughout his long and arduous journey, a lovely girl had always been by his side.
He thought to himself that he knew his own personality better than anyone. Although Chen Bing was an ambitious young man with ideals and aspirations, and could indeed settle down and focus on his work at times, he was also, in truth, a lazy fellow.
Just like his personality, which is sometimes cheerful and sometimes gloomy, Chen Bing is also sentimental. Sometimes he thinks about working hard, and sometimes he thinks about giving up.
If this innate personality isn't altered by any external force, Chen Bing believes that his rebirth might have made him a renowned prodigy in the surrounding area before high school, but he would never have achieved the top score in the city's high school entrance exam. And in the high-pressure environment of high school, his heart would likely lean towards hedonism.
In the end, let alone becoming the top student in the province, Qingyan isn't even guaranteed to be one. The most likely outcome is that she'll become an ordinary high-achieving student, an ordinary but excellent person.
So, how did you achieve what you have today?
The answer is undoubtedly that it was because Shang Yunmiao had always been by his side.
Chen Bing didn't know when it started, but faced with the little girl's adoring gaze, she unconsciously began to want to live the life that the child admired.
He worked hard and strived forward. What he wanted was no longer just the praise of others and inner satisfaction, but also the admiring gaze of this lovely childhood sweetheart.
In addition to setting goals, Shang Yunmiao also found great help in her daily perseverance.
Undoubtedly, while Chen Bing is more talented, he can't match Shang Yunmiao in terms of perseverance. With her encouragement and companionship, whenever Chen Bing has thoughts of slacking off, he can draw strength from Shang Yunmiao to keep striving.
Later, due to his unconventional personality and active mind, Chen Bing, while extremely talented, often fell into the trap of depression. But as soon as Shang Yunmiao, like a little sun, always full of energy and vitality, appeared in front of him, these low moods would vanish.
So you still don't understand?
The person he is now, the person Shang Yunmiao loves, could not have become by Chen Bing alone. He had already fully incorporated Shang Yunmiao's elements into his long second life, in the process of gradually becoming himself.
In popular parlance, he already resembles Shang Yunmiao.
Does Shang Yunmiao like her current self, not her past self?
So what if it is, and so what if it isn't?
Just like the same excuse she often used to cheer up Shang Yunmiao, the person Shang Yunmiao liked was never any specific person. Or rather, although it was a specific person, that specific person was actually Chen Bing, who had accompanied her through so much of her life and whose entire being, inside and out, was shaped like her...
Just as Chen Bing had fully figured things out, the last exam of the afternoon ended and the bell rang.
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