Everyday Romance After Becoming a Billionaire

The word "fine" was still on his tongue when Shen Qingning’s struggles caused her jacket to fall open a bit. Su Ran’s eyes fell on the impressive pair straining against her wool sweater. *Uhh...* ’So that’s where all her nutrition went, huh?’

"I really don’t need to. I’m healthy. The doctors are just making a mountain out of a molehill with those physicals. I’m not doing it."

"Alright, I guess you are pretty well-nourished," Su Ran said as he released her. Seeing is believing. Doctors used machines to check a person’s vitals, but he could tell just by looking that she was perfectly healthy. After all, if she weren’t getting enough nutrition, she never would’ve gotten so... big.

"Class President, can you hand me my purse?"

"Here."

"Here, take my insurance card. Using this will cover some of the cost. I’ll pay you back for the rest."

"Okay."

Su Ran agreed without hesitation. If there was an insurance card, of course he would use it. Su Ran was rich now, but even he would still file a claim for a paltry one or two hundred yuan if he got sick. Shen Qingning, however, was extremely frugal and had too much pride to freeload. Of course, if Su Ran hadn’t brought her to the hospital, she would have gone back to her dorm. Only when she truly couldn’t stand it anymore would she have found some small clinic for treatment. That probably would have cost more money without even curing her, and she would’ve ended up in the hospital anyway. In the end, it’s always the people like Shen Qingning, trying to pinch every penny, who waste the most money.

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE...

Just then, Shen Qingning’s stomach rumbled. She hadn’t eaten much for breakfast, and on top of feeling weak, she was now starting to feel a bit better after resting with the IV drip. It was lunchtime, and the family of the patient in the next bed had brought food for them—braised pork. The aroma was so fragrant that Shen Qingning’s stomach began to growl insistently. She was starving.

RUMBLE RUMBLE...

RUMBLE RUMBLE...

She glanced at Su Ran. He was leaning back in his chair, completely engrossed in a game of Honor of Kings. ’Isn’t he hungry?’

She glanced at her IV. There were still two bags to go, which probably meant another two hours. ’I’ll just tough it out.’

Another ten minutes passed. She was even hungrier, so hungry she was starting to feel hypoglycemic.

She glanced at Su Ran again. He was still playing Honor of Kings. ’Video games are a plague!’ Shen Qingning thought.

’Just have to hold on a little longer.’

She was getting hungrier and weaker by the minute. The Class President was still playing. ’Do boys just not eat when they’re gaming?’

’Forget it. I can’t take it anymore. I’m going to starve to death.’

"Class President... Class President... Class President..." ’Is he so focused that he can’t hear me?’ Shen Qingning reached out and tugged his sleeve. "Class President..."

"What is it?" Su Ran’s eyes were still glued to the screen. His Luna was performing her "Unlimited Moonlight Combo," unleashing a flurry of attacks in the enemy’s top lane. He dashed in to strike Lü Bu, zipped back out, then dove in again for the kill. From there, he chained his combo onto a minion, dove under the enemy tower to one-shot the fleeing Wang Zhaojun, and then flew to the enemy’s blue buff to steal it. The entire sequence was flawless and fluid.

"Class President, it’s lunchtime."

"I know. What about it?"

"I... c-can we order some takeout? I’m hungry, RUMBLE... RUMBLE..."

Su Ran smiled to himself. ’He’d heard her stomach rumbling from the very beginning but had kept quiet. He knew her type: she wouldn’t order takeout unless she was absolutely desperate, since it was cheaper to wait and eat somewhere after she was discharged.’

"What do you want to eat?"

"Food!"

"Food?"

"Mhm, I’m starving. I’m feeling a little hypoglycemic."

"Here, take over for me. I’m gonna go out and see if I can find something good to eat."

Su Ran handed her the phone, got up, and left.

"I don’t know how to play Luna."

"1-3-A-2-A-3-A-3."

"What’s that supposed to mean?"

"The button combo for her Unlimited Moonlight."

"..."

After Su Ran left, Shen Qingning took over. The match, which they had been dominating, quickly went south.

Cheng Yaojin: [Are you a friggin’ kid? Don’t pick Luna if you can’t play her. You’re throwing. Just wait, I’m reporting you.]

Diao Chan: [Luna, if you can’t play, stop feeding them kills! What the hell are you even doing?!]

Sun Ce: [What rotten luck. I was on an 11-game win streak. Knew the matchmaking wouldn’t let me keep it up.]

Galo: [Luna, just play safe. Heal up, don’t panic.]

Her teammates’ flaming completely broke her composure. ’I didn’t know how to play Luna in the first place! The Class President forced me to play. Why are they yelling at me?’ she thought, feeling incredibly wronged. ’At least that Galo player hadn’t flamed her. A rare, decent human being.’

「A little over ten minutes later.」

Su Ran returned, carrying takeout.

"Did you win?"

"Here."

She handed him the phone. Su Ran glanced at the screen.

[Dear Summoner, you have been flagged by the system for ’malicious in-game behavior, including intentionally losing the match and de-ranking.’ Your account has been suspended. The suspension will be lifted on: Jan 4, 2032]

Su Ran: "Ten years?"

Shen Qingning flinched. "I told you I can’t play Luna! You were the one who forced me to play."

Su Ran: "Just being bad at the game doesn’t get you a ten-year ban. What on earth did you do? That account has every skin! It’s worth a lot of money."

Shen Qingning: "I was trying to play properly, but I told you I don’t know how! I really did my best, but they kept calling me garbage. Then even that Galo player said I was throwing on purpose. I just... lost it. So I started feeding. I gave them twenty kills."

Su Ran: "I don’t even know what to say to you. That Galo was Zhang the Immortal."

Shen Qingning: "I’m sorry."

Su Ran: "It’s fine. It’s just a game. Come on, time to eat."

Shen Qingning: "Okay... But Class President, aren’t you angry?"

Su Ran: "Let’s eat first. I need to build up my strength before I can get properly angry."

Su Ran set up the small tray-table over the hospital bed and laid out the takeout containers—three homestyle dishes and a soup. He sat on the edge of her bed and started eating with her. Shen Qingning was genuinely starving. She began to wolf down her food, taking huge bites without any concern for appearing ladylike. This, of course, was a clear sign she didn’t have feelings for Su Ran. If she did, she would have been much more conscious of her appearance. As it stood, she just saw him as a kind Class President and classmate.

An interesting dynamic developed as they ate. In each container of food, a single piece of meat would inevitably be left behind. Neither of them would touch it, each politely intending to leave it for the other. But the other wouldn’t take it either, thinking it was being saved for them. And yet, both of them desperately wanted that last piece.

Shen Qingning kept her head down, eating her plain white rice, but her eyes were glued to the last piece of braised pork. ’The food the Class President ordered is so good. It’s exactly what I was craving... or maybe I’m just that hungry.’