Reborn in 2006, I met Mr. Zhou from the past.

The first half of the sentence was something Su Fengnan heard in a relationship blogger's class in her previous life.

As for the second half of her sentence, that was her experience after spending more than six years in the dating website industry in her previous life and meeting countless people—in that kind of environment where you only interact with people, what kind of men haven't you seen? She had long since seen through all the little tricks in their hearts.

She paused, then continued typing:

"However, each case must be analyzed individually, and we cannot simply apply the same principles. We live in a new era, and more and more outstanding women are holding up half the sky. In the process of growing and moving forward, if you meet the right person, you must cherish them. As the old saying goes, everything has a cause, and everything has an effect. Finally, I wish all my lovely friends who love 'Xinyuan' contentment, happiness, and fulfillment."

Click send.

By this time, it was already past midnight. Su Fengnan said goodbye to her readers, who were filled with reluctance on the other end of the screen. But thinking about the weekly interaction opportunity, they were all satisfied and went off to urge for more updates.

The morning's interaction was a great success, and afterwards, Editor Song seized the opportunity to create a reader group for "Xinyuan" to facilitate discussions. However, Su Fengnan was unaware of this yet; at this moment, she was single-mindedly focused on finishing the book before leaving for her parents.

She stayed at the internet cafe until after 6 p.m., updating more than 50,000 words in one go. This was practically her limit. Although her arm muscles were sore, Su Fengnan felt a great sense of accomplishment looking at the number of words updated in the backend.

Stepping out of the internet cafe, a cool evening breeze blew. Su Fengnan felt like she had forgotten something; her mind was blank, and she just couldn't remember.

As she passed a rice noodle shop, the rich aroma of braised pork quietly wafted into her nostrils. Su Fengnan abruptly stopped, suddenly realizing—she hadn't eaten lunch today!

She thought to herself with a self-deprecating smile: I guess I was too happy today and got carried away. I must never work so hard to finish my manuscript, neglecting to eat and sleep. Health is the most important thing.

It was lunchtime, and the rice noodle shop was bustling with activity, almost every seat was taken. Su Fengnan squeezed in and found a corner to sit down.

"Boss, a bowl of braised rice noodles!"

"Okay!"

A short while later, a steaming bowl of braised rice noodles was served. Despite being both hot and hungry, Su Fengnan ate slowly and deliberately.

After she finished eating slowly, she glanced up at the clock on the wall and was immediately startled—she was about to be late for evening self-study!

Without even wiping her mouth, she grabbed her bag and dashed towards the school.

Unbeknownst to Su Fengnan, just as she was enjoying this ordinary, everyday life, trouble was quietly creeping up on her.

......

At this moment, Chengdu Railway Station is a thousand miles away.

Yan Yun had just boarded an express train from Chengdu to Zhucheng. This train departs in the evening and arrives in the morning; after sleeping overnight, he would reach his destination at dawn.

The carriage was noisy, but Yan Yun, sitting by the window, seemed to be in another world. He had been resting with his eyes closed since boarding, exuding an aura that kept strangers at bay, completely oblivious to what was happening outside.

The train attendant slowly pushed the dining cart through the aisle; it was dinner time, and the sounds of vendors calling out their wares filled the air.

"I'd like a boxed lunch."

"I'd like two servings of fried rice with eggs."

……

A woman next to Yan Yun leaned over and said, "I'd like a plate of fried rice with eggs."

Seeing that Yan Yun kept his eyes closed, the older sister kindly nudged him, "Feed...feed...young man, do you want to eat?"

Yan Yun slowly opened his eyes, his gaze lingering on the woman's face for a long while before he uttered a few words in a hoarse voice: "No need, thank you."

After saying that, he closed his eyes again, as if he had only opened them to confirm something.

The eldest sister was so frightened by his sinister and cold gaze that she felt a chill run down her spine, and she dared not make a sound after that.

.........

On Monday morning, sunlight streamed through the classroom windows, but it couldn't dispel the chill emanating from Su Fengnan. Her face was deathly pale, and she walked into the classroom with unsteady steps, like a wilted blade of grass. She slowly moved to her seat, then slumped limply onto the desk, not wanting to move a single finger.

Seeing her swaying unsteady appearance, her deskmate Ning Xiaojun immediately leaned close to her ear and asked in a low voice with concern, "Is it your period? Does your stomach hurt a lot?"

Su Fengnan now finds even speaking a struggle, managing only a weak "hmm" squeezed out of her throat.

Yesterday, she wrote on an empty stomach to meet a deadline, and then binged on a delicious bowl of braised rice noodles in the evening, causing her stomach to churn. To make matters worse, her period arrived right on time in the middle of the night, staining her pants and sheets, and bringing with it the familiar cramps.

When she woke up in the morning, her stomach was in so much pain that she couldn't eat anything, which is why Ning Xiaojun looked so weak and frail.

Ning Xiaojun sighed. As a girl herself, she deeply understood the agony of menstrual cramps. When the pain struck, it felt like all the strength had been drained from her, and all she wanted to do was curl up in bed. Sometimes, she would even have the cruel thought that she would never have her period again. She said with concern, "Then don't go to the playground after morning reading and the flag-raising ceremony. Ask your teacher for leave and rest in the classroom."

Su Fengnan was always a well-behaved "good student" at school, and she never asked the teacher for leave for the smallest thing.

She buried her face in her arms and replied in a muffled, barely audible voice, "...Let's talk about it later."

The morning reading session was in English, and the classroom was filled with the buzzing sound of students reciting their lessons. To Su Fengnan, whose nerves were particularly sensitive at that moment, the sound was like a demonic cacophony, making her temples throb. But she could only silently endure it, burying her face even deeper.

The English teacher paced around the classroom for a while, then returned to the podium and sat down to begin grading homework.

After morning reading, Su Fengnan unscrewed her thermos and drank a few sips of the brown sugar ginger tea she had brought with her. The warm liquid slid into her stomach, slightly relieving the abdominal cramps. She had instructed her younger sister, Su Fengxia, to brew it that morning; her sister had specially made a large pot so she could take a bottle to school. Fortunately, this cup of brown sugar ginger tea protected her, allowing Su Fengnan to barely get through morning reading.

After the second period in the morning, the rousing music for morning exercises blared over the loudspeaker. Su Fengnan, disregarding everything else, clutched her stomach and rushed to the restroom as fast as she could. Luckily, it wasn't crowded at that time, and she felt a little relieved after relieving herself.

Ning Xiaojun had been waiting for her in the hallway. Seeing that she finally dragged herself out after a long while, her face even paler than before, she immediately went up to support her and asked anxiously, "You're in so much pain, aren't you going to ask for leave?"

Su Fengnan weakly tugged at the corners of her mouth, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace: "It's nothing, why take leave for such a small thing?" After saying that, she took Ning Xiaojun's arm and slowly made her way downstairs.

Ning Xiaojun felt both heartache and helplessness seeing her trying so hard to put on a brave face.

Fortunately, the weather wasn't too hot today. During the calisthenics, Su Fengnan was just going through the motions, her movements perfunctory. Having not eaten anything all morning, as soon as the exercises were finished, she felt dizzy and almost on the verge of death, needing Ning Xiaojun's support to walk.

Without a word, Ning Xiaojun helped her to the school cafeteria and bought her a bowl of steaming hot white rice porridge. Su Fengnan sipped the porridge slowly, and only after the warm porridge went down did she feel like she had finally come back to life, and the discomfort in her stomach lessened considerably.

Back in the classroom, Su Fengnan slumped weakly onto the desk, as if drinking porridge had exhausted all her energy, and her face still looked terrible.

Ning Xiaojun looked at her, reached out and gently tugged at her sleeve, and said softly, "Give me your water cup, I'll get you some hot water to replenish your energy."

Su Fengnan's voice was barely audible, with a strong nasal tone: "...Thank you."

She had finished the brown sugar ginger tea she brought, and now was exactly when she needed hot water. Ning Xiaojun's thoughtfulness warmed Su Fengnan's heart.