Shi Ruan pressed her palms together and bowed in an apologetic gesture.
"Sister, I'm hungry," she said.
But how could she be hungry when it had just been mealtime?
Ji Chunsheng's voice came from the kitchen, "I've cut some fruit. You can have a snack first."
Shi Ruan was certain now - she just wanted to make trouble for Ji Chunsheng.
Shi Ruan handed the fruit plate to Shi Li, saying, "You eat first. Let me know if you need more."
Shi Li asked, "Sis, does your head still hurt?"
Shi Ruan's voice returned to a weak tone, "It still hurts."
Ji Chunsheng brought over a glass of warm water, "If you're not feeling well, why don't you go lie down for a bit?"
Shi Ruan glanced secretly at Shi Li, then asked Ji Chunsheng, "Would you mind entertaining the four of them? My head is bothering me a bit."
Though convinced Shi Ruan was faking, Shi Li still asked with concern, "Why does your head hurt? Did you go to the hospital?"
Shi Ruan replied bravely, "It's nothing. I just bumped it accidentally. I'll be fine. I went to the hospital and the doctor said there's no concussion, but I might feel drowsy and nauseous. I just need to rest."
Since it was his own sister after all, Shi Li couldn't help but complain, "How did you bump your head? You're an adult, not a 7 or 8-year-old child. Can't you be more careful? Does Aunt know about this?"
Shi Ruan shook her head, "Don't tell Mom, please. It's nothing serious. If she finds out, she'll just fuss over it."
Ji Chunsheng said apologetically, "It's my fault. Your sister got hurt trying to save me. Don't worry, I'll take care of her during this time."
That was enough. Hearing this, how could Shi Li not understand Shi Ruan's little scheme? [Shi Ruan, oh Shi Ruan, playing the hero and the victim at once. You've really mastered the 36 Stratagems.]
It made Shi Li laugh in exasperation. [Fine, fine, fine. If Shi Li had your cunning, how could he fail to win over Feng Yunhe?]
He never imagined Shi Ruan would have such talent for scheming.
Hearing Feng Yunhe mentioned again in Shi Li's thoughts, Rongrong and Qiao Jingjia exchanged knowing glances at Fu Huixing.
Spending every day in class together, who wouldn't know about Fu Huixing's little crush?
Fu Huixing maintained a calm expression, as if he hadn't heard anything.
Shi Ruan was busy communicating with Ji Chunsheng through eye contact and didn't notice the little exchange between the other three.
Shi Ruan was speaking in a sickeningly sweet tone, "It's alright, I'm fine. You don't need to feel guilty. I'm just glad you're okay."
Shi Li cursed internally again. [Unknowingly, I've become her wingman.]
The tactless younger sister interrupted the couple's ambiguous atmosphere, "Sis, if you're not feeling well, you should go to bed."
Shi Ruan glared secretly at her little cousin, suddenly understanding why people say having children affects a couple's private life. Just when the couple wants to do something unspeakable, the child says she needs to use the bathroom.
Ji Chunsheng also urged her, "You should go rest."
Shi Ruan suddenly slapped her forehead, "I just remembered, we need to turn in lesson plans next Monday. I have to write my lesson plans before I can rest."
Before Shi Ruan could turn her pleading gaze to her little cousin, Ji Chunsheng spoke up, "You go to sleep. I'll write the lesson plans for you."
Having been tricked into doing homework for her cousin many times as a child, Shi Li could guess the hidden dagger beneath this familiar opening.
"Huh?" This was an unexpected windfall.
Her cousin had been writing her homework since childhood, so Shi Ruan had full confidence in Shi Li's abilities.
But Ji Chunsheng was different. She asked uncertainly, "Do you know how to write them?"
"Aren't your lesson plans just copying? It shouldn't be too difficult, right?"
Shi Ruan smiled sheepishly, "Then I'll trouble you with it."
According to school requirements, they needed to write five plans per week. Two months into the semester, Shi Ruan had only written half of one.
If the school wasn't checking at midterms, she'd still have only half a plan done by the end of the semester.
Shi Ruan owed a total of 39.5 lesson plans. As she handed the two plan books to Ji Chunsheng, she felt a tiny bit guilty - but so little it could be ignored.
Shi Ruan thought to herself that taking that basketball hit wasn't for nothing after all.
Originally, Shi Ruan's plan was to get injured protecting Ji Chunsheng. Not only would she gain his favor, but she could also use the hospital record to ask for leave and avoid tomorrow's "homework collection."
Handing over both plan books, Shi Ruan felt as if a huge burden had been lifted from her shoulders.
She thought, if Ji Chunsheng could help her complete all 30-something lesson plans, even if she ultimately failed to win him over, she'd still come out ahead.
As Shi Ruan lay in bed, she happily calculated that by the end of the semester, she could find another boyfriend to write her lesson plans. (＾－＾)V
(Dear children, we must establish correct values. It's wrong to reap without sowing. Don't learn from this, and remember that the characters' views don't represent the author's views. Kisses!)
With beautiful expectations for the future, Shi Ruan drifted off to sleep.
In her dream, she had five boyfriends who fought every day over who got to write her lesson plans. Meanwhile, she favored her primary husband: "Man, I entrust all my lesson plans to you. This is my special grace to you."
Ji Chunsheng brought fruit plates and snacks to the group on the sofa. "Have some snacks first. If there's anything else you want to eat, I can order delivery."
Rongrong and the other two didn't dare say they didn't need anything. All three looked to Shi Li.
Shi Li continued smiling, "No need. This is enough."
"I'm not sure what you young people like to do for fun?"
Shi Li knew well what was most important to his cousin right now, so he reminded, "Weren't you going to write the lesson plans?"
Ji Chunsheng nodded, "Right. Well, make yourselves at home. Shi Li, you entertain the kids. I'll go copy the lesson plans."
Before leaving, he added, "Oh, and your sister is sleeping. If you want to watch TV, you can go to the home theater on the left side of the first floor. It's soundproofed."
Unsurprisingly, the three heard Shi Li's sarcastic voice again, [He even knows there's a home theater here. How impressive.]
