When the Male Lead Finds Out I’m the Transmigrator Trying to Win Him Over - Chapter 53

Although Han Qi was helping, the meal wasn’t ready until 11 p.m.

“This has really turned into a late-night snack,” Yun ruo sighed as she watched Han Qi pick a bottle of wine from the cabinet.

The cake was set aside, and the table was laid out with three dishes and a soup—more than enough for two people.

“If we don’t finish, we can take it to the office tomorrow,” Han Qi said, unconcerned. Tonight’s dishes were all made by Yun ruo, and he would finish them the same way he polished off her birthday cake last time.

“No need,” Yun ruo laughed, covering her face. She couldn’t imagine Han Qi taking lunch boxes from the fridge to microwave at the tea room—it didn’t suit the image of a domineering CEO, more like a low-level worker following office routines.

“We will,” Han Qi insisted, pouring a glass of wine and pushing it toward Yun ruo.

“It’s a bit late; we shouldn’t eat too much.”

Both of them hadn’t had dinner tonight. Their stomachs no longer even felt “hungry,” so they could eat only a little.

Yun ruo took a sip of wine and set the glass down, thinking that tonight’s sense of ritual was actually quite nice. “It’s my first time celebrating this holiday. Next time, I’ll prepare in advance.”

“We’ve got the wine; why not light a candle too? Should we dance?”

Han Qi followed her train of thought. “Should we get someone to play the violin for you?”

“No,” Yun ruo waved her hand. “Let’s just play some dance music ourselves. It’s just the two of us; no third party should be involved.”

As she said this, Han Qi’s expression softened.

“Okay,” he agreed. “Next year, we’ll do it this way.”

Yun ruo clinked her glass with his.

After finishing the simple meal, Yun ruo tidied the table. She placed the cake in the center and lightly lit a candle. “Make a wish before blowing out the candle.”

Han Qi remembered Yun ruo’s earlier words. “We can both make wishes?”

“Yes,” Yun ruo pointed at him, then at herself. “It’s just the two of us, so of course we both should.”

She closed her eyes. “I’ll start now. You should think of your wish too.”

Han Qi smiled at Yun ruo. To match the atmosphere, the dining room lights were turned off, leaving only the candlelight illuminating the space. The flickering light barely made anything visible.

Yet to Han Qi, Yun ruo’s features were extremely clear.

Her eyebrows were long and delicate; the first part she had accidentally trimmed too short while grooming and had to cover until it grew back, even resisting the urge to scratch. Her eyes were bright, clearer than before, now carrying a calmness that could handle anything. Her nose was small, with a tiny mole on the right side that could easily be missed. And her lips… his gaze lingered.

He found it amusing—thinking about these things at a time like this.

Seeing Yun ruo still making wishes, he closed his eyes too.

Yun ruo suddenly said they could make wishes, and he realized he didn’t know what to wish for—career? love? herself? or her?

Then he understood: he already had his answer.

Years ago, on a birthday, he had taken Yun ruo to buy a cake and celebrated in a private room, completing the whole wishing and candle-blowing ritual.

Feng You had curiously asked what wish he had made. He gave a universal answer to dodge the question: “If I tell you, it won’t work.”

The wish had been simple, but he couldn’t say it out loud.

Perhaps by fate, perhaps by his own fantasy, he had wished, “May Yun ruo continue to celebrate her birthdays with me.”

That wish had crossed mountains and rivers, through countless years, and had now come true.

Han Qi opened his eyes. He had finished making his wish.

When Yun ruo opened her eyes, she found Han Qi staring at her without blinking. She pointed at the cake, and the two of them blew out the candle together, then turned the lights back on.

“What were you looking at just now?” she asked.

“Curiosity,” Han Qi said. “You were making your wish before I started, and you were still wishing after I finished. What kind of wish takes so long?”

Yun ruo held up her right hand, spreading five fingers. “Because I made five wishes.”

Han Qi was a bit surprised. “Five?”

Yun ruo felt slightly embarrassed. “How many did you make?”

Han Qi, of course, had only one.

“Okay.” Yun ruo began to cut the cake. “I won’t ask what it was.”

Both of them followed the principle that saying your wish out loud would break it.

“I won’t say,” Han Qi tapped the table lightly with his knuckles—thump, thump, thump—the overlapping sounds striking the quiet room, resonating deep inside. “Out of the five wishes, is there one related to me?”

Yun ruo didn’t answer immediately. She carefully cut a triangular piece before speaking. “Yes, there’s one related to you.”

Thump—

The sound paused. Han Qi took the cake she handed him, feeling something melt inside him, an indescribable sensation spreading through his whole body.

“So,” Yun ruo said, “let’s reciprocate. Is your wish related to me?”

Han Qi had made only one wish. To admit it would show how deeply he loved her.

“…Yes,” his calm voice echoed in the dark.

“All my wishes are only related to you.”

[Current target favorability: 92%]

The alarm rang. Yun ruo closed her eyes and turned off her phone.

It was already 7 a.m. Despite the cold weather, she had to get up.

Without pausing, she threw off the covers, climbed out of bed, tidied her hair, and went to the bathroom. Splashing cold water on her hands cleared her mind.

The system commented on her willpower: [The second host sets ten alarms to wake up. If I don’t remind her, she’d probably oversleep even exams.]

“I feel guilty,” Yun ruo said, tying her hair. “On the 30th, I deliberately let him worry, just to gain favor points. Really…”

“Tasks are like that,” the system said, childish yet cruel.

“Yeah,” Yun ruo squeezed the toothpaste. “So I did it.”

She had deceived Han Qi emotionally—though he knew her intentions—and now she couldn’t slack off at work, couldn’t let him down in both love and money.

“Good morning,” she greeted Han Qi as she came downstairs, then helped the housekeeper grab something. The housekeeper commented that Yun ruo had seemed very energetic lately.

“Really?” Yun ruo rubbed her eyes, though dark circles were visible.

Han Qi was inspecting her coat. “Change this one; it’s getting colder. This is too thin.”

“Mr. Han,” Yun ruo picked up the coat from the sofa, not in a hurry to wear it indoors. “I’m not a child; I know when to wear what.”

“You never know,” Han Qi checked her hands—they were warm. “Who suffered from the cold last time?”

“Not me,” Yun ruo argued. “It was you last time.”

“Oh?” Han Qi looked at Yun ruo’s playful expression and couldn’t resist pulling her into his arms.

The housekeeper went in and out with bowls, thinking, See? They’re not just ordinary boss and assistant.

After breakfast, they left together. The next New Year’s Eve would be in February, over a month away.

The year was ending, and it was always busy. Han Qi was either on a business trip or inspecting sites, attending meetings upon returning, and in January, he’d host the annual party. Yun ruo would be kept busy non-stop.

The three days off at the end of last month had been her most relaxed time this year. She was prepared to work overtime for a whole month.

[Always working overtime, no time for romance] the system complained, still three percent short of completing the task, more eager than Yun ruo herself.

“…Not necessarily,” Yun ruo said. For example, when she delivered documents to Han Qi, he would always linger for an extra minute.

“I’m heading out,” she said, trying to shake his hand.

Han Qi glanced at today’s schedule. “The afternoon will be busy, but tonight no dinners. We can have dinner together.”

“Isn’t there overtime?”

“After eating, then work.”

Yun ruo found that unacceptable. “Everyone’s busy; we’ll sneak out for dinner?”

Han Qi: “Everyone’s going, but two private rooms.”

Eating freely without the boss present—this was the perfect “team-building” moment. Everyone couldn’t help but exclaim, Yes!

Yun ruo returned to her desk, and Assistant Liu spun over. “Are you going?”

Yun ruo calmly opened her computer. “I’m not going. I’ll stay with Mr. Han.”

“You…” Liu sighed and patted her shoulder. “No choice; that’s the life of a personal assistant.”

Previously, when Zhang Ji was here, the same thing happened. Han Qi would host dinners, and Zhang Ji would deliver things. But Han Qi always gave generous red envelopes to Zhang Ji.

“Ha ha, there’ll be more opportunities in the future,” Yun ruo thought. Not exactly a lie; she truly couldn’t join and was indeed staying with Han Qi.

After Liu left, Yun ruo relaxed, idly tapping on the keyboard and leaning back.

[Have you decided what to do?]

Han Qi’s favorability had risen quickly, but all the methods had been used. The system feared the final 3% would take a long time.

“I’ve thought of it,” Yun ruo replied in her mind.

[So soon?]

Yun ruo shook her head. She hadn’t just thought of it; she had known since the morning.

[What will you do?]

“Wait.”

No action required—just participation.

[Mysterious, but as long as you know, it’s fine. Once this succeeds, you can restart your life.]

[You’re only 19, a sophomore. Life still has so many possibilities.]

[Just thinking about it is beautiful, isn’t it?]

The system was indirectly encouraging Yun ruo.

Yun ruo closed her eyes and imagined her 19-year-old self, still youthful and lively in the dorm, popular among her roommates. Once back at school, she would participate actively in school activities, experiencing everything she hadn’t before.

Yes, her life after restarting would be even more beautiful.

Yet, she opened her eyes and looked toward Han Qi’s office. She just had to say goodbye to these people first.

At six that evening, the general management staff left work promptly to go park their cars and grab dinner. Yun ruo waited a moment before approaching Han Qi. “Okay, we can go now.”

Han Qi, forced to sit in the office for five minutes: …

“Miss Yun, are we… having an affair?”

Yun ruo gave an innocent look.

“Didn’t we agree to openly acknowledge my identity?”

This chapter continues to build the romantic tension while highlighting Yun ruo’s careful strategy to increase Han Qi’s favorability, leaving just 3% to complete the system task.

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