The next morning, a phone ring broke the quiet of the room. Ji Nian groggily reached for her phone by the bedside.
"Hello?"
When He Yi heard the woman's voice, still heavy with sleep, she said loudly, "Sis, get up quick! I almost forgot, you need to lose 5 pounds, and filming starts in a week. Get up and go for a run!"
Ji Nian squinted her drowsy eyes and wailed, "I'm still not pretty enough for this? You're making me exercise this early in the morning!"
He Yi snapped on the other end of the phone, "Sis, gaining 10 pounds on camera—this time your role is in a fantasy drama, you're playing an immortal fairy! An evil, vicious female villain!"
Ji Nian rolled over and mumbled hazily, "But I already am a fairy in real life."
He Yi knew she wanted to lounge in bed longer. She said, "Right now you're playing the beautiful second female lead, but I'm telling you—if there's even a tiny bit that doesn't satisfy the original fans when you're on camera, believe me, you'll be flamed to death."
Ji Nian was still filled with sleepiness. She had been worrying over what song to play for Yu Luobai yesterday, so she did her homework and specifically practiced the piano to avoid getting rusty. That's why she had gone to bed so late.
"I'll go for a run later," Ji Nian yawned.
"No way, hurry up! It's already 8 o'clock. Get out of bed. Oh right, I told Shuyao to tell the villa's auntie not to come cook these days. Xiao Tang will send breakfast over to you soon."
Still in a daze, Ji Nian got out of bed and drew the curtains. She resigned herself, "Fine fine, I'm getting up now. I'll go for a run."
When she went downstairs, as expected, she didn't see the auntie in the lobby. Ji Nian put on her workout clothes with a face of despair and headed out the door.
She slowly made her way to the lakeside road. The morning sunshine was nice and the weather was good.
She swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and started jogging slowly.
The scenery along the park was quite nice, but this wasn't the time to appreciate it—she had only run for five minutes but already felt out of breath.
In her past life, Ji Nian rarely exercised. She didn't expect that after transmigrating into such a pretty face and nice figure, she would still be forced to lose weight.
"Ms. Ji?" A voice called from behind.
Ji Nian, hands on her waist and panting heavily, turned around. Seeing the person behind her, she froze in shock.
"What a coincidence, we meet again." Pei Yuchen had a gentle smile.
Ji Nian blinked and composed herself before giving an embarrassed laugh. "Oh, it's Doctor Pei. What a coincidence, you're out jogging too..."
"Actually I've been running here for a bit. I didn't expect that after going around, I'd run into someone else out jogging," Pei Yuchen replied with a smile.
"Hehe," Ji Nian chuckled awkwardly and started jogging again. "Doctor Pei, do you come here to run every day?"
Jogging alongside her, Pei Yuchen turned to look at her as he answered, "I guess you could say that."
Good, then she definitely wouldn't come here to run tomorrow, Ji Nian decided inwardly.
Seeing how she was already losing steam, Pei Yuchen smiled, "Ms. Ji, could it be that you rarely exercise usually?"
Ji Nian no longer had any spare attention to think about anything else. She had just started running and was already feeling dead tired.
"Yeah, I didn't want to," Ji Nian answered dispiritedly.
Seeing her like this, Pei Yuchen's lips quirked up slightly, though he said nothing more.
After half an hour, Ji Nian really couldn't go on. She plopped down unceremoniously onto a stone bench by the roadside, waving a hand as she panted, "Doctor Pei, you go ahead and keep running. I'll head back after I catch my breath."
Pei Yuchen twisted open a bottle of mineral water and smiled as he handed it over. "Seeing Ms. Ji like this, it seems you really don't exercise often."
Ji Nian gulped down the water greedily, finally breathing a sigh of relief. She raised her head, about to thank him—when her heart skipped a beat.
"Um...this water..."
Pei Yuchen arched a brow, his smiling mouth answering, "I brought it with me this morning. I haven't drunk from it."
They had been running together for so long out here, yet he had given her the only bottle he had to drink. Ji Nian couldn't help but praise inwardly: heavens, this villain is too much of a gentleman!
"Let's go," Pei Yuchen said.
Still feeling touched inwardly, Ji Nian looked bewildered at his words. "Go where?"
Pei Yuchen's brows rose as he spoke, "Didn't Ms. Ji just say she was heading back? It just so happens that I'm about done too. Shall we head back together?"
Dazed, Ji Nian stared. This villain is so casual? He even drove her back last time.
If this kept up, it probably wouldn't be good. After all, they weren't on the same side. She wanted to hug the female lead's thighs.
"We probably don't head the same direction..." Ji Nian said with an awkward laugh.
Pei Yuchen nodded. "If I remember right, my villa and Zhan's aren't far apart. It's the same road."
Ji Nian was embarrassed knowing she had been caught out avoiding him, but still laughed, "Oh, what a coincidence. Then...let's head back together."
Pei Yuchen didn't fail to notice how she was avoiding him, but that just made him want to tease her more. His eyes glinted playfully as they walked wordlessly side by side.
The villa district was very quiet in the early morning. To be precise, Ji Nian rarely ran into others here. The greenery on both sides of the wide road made it feel secluded, with only the occasional bird cry.
If it wasn't for the villain walking beside her...Ji Nian might feel more at ease.
"Seeing Ms. Ji's appearance earlier, it seemed like you were forced to come out running?" Pei Yuchen asked with a smile.
"Mm..." Ji Nian lowered her head. She racked her brains, trying to remember the last time she went jogging properly. It had been many, many years.
"Mm?"
Ji Nian looked at the man beside her clad in black workout clothes, his hair a little messy. Somehow, he gave off a wild aura that was kinda roguishly handsome when combined with his usual cultured temperament.
Although Ji Nian had sighed over this before, Shuyao really lived up to being the female lead with all these fresh meats and pretty boys around her.
"I have to lose some weight recently," Ji Nian answered.
Pei Yuchen looked her up and down. She wore workout clothes that emphasized her curvy figure. He smiled, "Based on height ratios, Ms. Ji is already quite slim right now."
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," she said. She actually had to lose more weight? In the past whenever she read news about actresses forcing themselves to abstain and not eat, she never truly understood until now. Embarrassed, she explained, "Work requirements..."
Only then did Pei Yuchen recall that she was a celebrity. He hadn't expected the body standards would be that harsh.
"I see."
Since Ji Nian knew he was the villain, during their two interactions so far, she found Pei Yuchen very gentlemanly with good manners, not what she expected...considering that he turned out to be a sicko.
Seeing that they still had some ways before reaching the villa, Ji Nian couldn't resist asking, "Is Doctor Pei not at his stop yet? I'm taking a turn up ahead to my place..."
Before Pei Yuchen could reply, a sudden cry made him halt his steps. A look of irritation passed over his face as he turned to look.
"Chenchen, you're back but didn't even come see Granny?" An old woman hobbled over slowly, supported by a cane.
Pei Yuchen rubbed his temples with a smile. "Granny, I just got back. I'm still adjusting to jet lag."
"You can't come home even if you have jet lag? Going around staying outside," the old woman said angrily.
