Every Day with Love Is Full of Joy

Noon, at the Archery Club.

The president's office, usually filled with the soothing aroma of tea, was now permeated with the strong, pungent scent of medicinal herbs.

"What is this smell?" Su Cheng felt a momentary daze upon inhaling the medicinal odor, as it stirred up vague yet familiar childhood memories, creating an odd sense of dissonance.

Knock, knock~ Su Cheng gently rapped on the door.

After a brief pause, someone opened it from inside.

"Young Master, please wait inside. The young mistress is currently handling an important matter," said a female attendant in a cautious, deferential tone.

Su Cheng was slightly taken aback. He glanced toward the center of the room and saw that the usual tea table had been replaced with a small stove, atop which sat a steaming medicinal pot—the source of the intense herbal fragrance.

Beside the stove sat a young woman dressed in a plain white gown. She was seated on a rattan chair, eyes closed, one hand rhythmically fanning the flames with a folding fan to control the heat, while the other seemed to be calculating something, clearly engrossed in a meticulous task.

Not daring to disturb her, Su Cheng tiptoed in, trying to minimize his presence.

Just then, the young woman suddenly opened her eyes, gave him a brief glance, then lowered her lids again and calmly uttered two words: "Sit down."

Su Cheng hesitated for a moment before taking a seat nearby.

He stole a few glances at the president’s profile, but she paid him no mind, her gaze fixed intently on the medicinal pot.

Left with no choice, Su Cheng averted his eyes as well.

After a while, the liquid in the pot began to boil vigorously, releasing an even richer medicinal aroma.

Ji Qingyi stopped her calculations, set the fan aside, and slowly stood up, leaning forward to observe the changes in the decoction.

"Hmm, it's ready."

As soon as she spoke, she put on gloves, bent down slightly, and carefully poured the thick, viscous liquid into a bowl. Bubbles immediately gurgled to the surface, and an invigorating fragrance quickly filled the air.

"President, you know how to brew medicine too?"

Su Cheng couldn’t help but ask. Though he knew little about medicine, he could tell that her movements were practiced and precise, as if she had done this many times before.

Ji Qingyi scooped up a spoonful of the decoction, blew on it gently to cool it, then took a sip—as if testing the temperature—before drinking another mouthful.

"President, are you... sick?" Su Cheng asked worriedly.

"Not at all," Ji Qingyi shook her head. "The medicine I gave you last time—if you followed the instructions properly—should be completely used up by now, correct?"

"Ah... yes," Su Cheng admitted after a brief pause.

"Then this is a new batch I’ve prepared for you." Ji Qingyi scooped another spoonful, blew on it, and brought it to Su Cheng’s lips. "The temperature is just right."

Su Cheng instinctively swallowed hard.

It suddenly struck him—this spoon had just been in the president’s mouth. Drinking from it now would be akin to an indirect kiss.

"Open your mouth." Seeing him frozen in place, Ji Qingyi urged him calmly, raising an eyebrow with slight impatience. "If it cools down, it’ll taste even worse."

Startled by her tone, Su Cheng quickly parted his lips and swallowed the offered medicine.

"Why did you prepare this yourself?" he asked sheepishly after drinking.

"What do you think?" Ji Qingyi shot him a sidelong glance. "Something this important can’t be left to outsiders. The efficacy, dosage, timing, and reaction of the medicine—I know all of it by heart. Naturally, I wouldn’t trust anyone else to handle it."

As she spoke, she brought another spoonful to his lips.

"Oh... well, thank you, President..."

Faced with Ji Qingyi’s breathtakingly beautiful face so close to his, Su Cheng’s mind went blank, leaving only the words "perfect wife material" flashing in his head.

And so, spoon after spoon, he drank the entire bowl.

Su Cheng felt warmth spreading through his body, an indescribable comfort settling in. "President, this medicine is amazing! It’s like I just had a full-course meal—I feel completely nourished."

"..."

Ji Qingyi stared at him expressionlessly.

"President... what’s wrong?" Su Cheng asked, puzzled.

"How do you feel?" she asked gently.

"Ah... really good."

Su Cheng made an odd comparison: "It’s like even if I had to hang myself right now, I could probably last thirty minutes."

He was trying to describe how invigorated he felt.

Ji Qingyi’s expression remained unchanged.

"Any drowsiness?" she continued.

"Now that you mention it, I do feel a little sleepy."

Su Cheng frowned, rubbing his temples as a faint heaviness settled over his head.

"That’s expected. The tonic was too potent, so I added some sedative herbs to balance it. You just need to rest now."

Ji Qingyi stood up and walked to a nearby couch, patting the space beside her to signal Su Cheng to lie down.

"President... where should I sleep?" Su Cheng asked awkwardly, eyeing the unfamiliar sofa.

"Rest your head on my lap," Ji Qingyi said, gesturing to her long, slender legs, elegantly draped in her gown.

"Uh, wouldn’t that be too much trouble for you...?"

Su Cheng hesitated.

"I need to observe your sleeping state to assess the medicine’s effects."

Her tone was steady and professional. "As your physician, I must oversee this personally. Don’t overthink it."

"..." Su Cheng fell silent.

With Ji Qingyi putting it that way, he couldn’t refuse. "President, then... I’ll lie down now?"

Ji Qingyi nodded.

Taking a deep breath, Su Cheng carefully lowered himself, resting his head on the soft warmth of her thigh.

Instantly, a delicate fragrance enveloped him, and he relaxed so deeply that he nearly dozed off right then.

But he hadn’t forgotten his original purpose for coming here today.

Ji Qingyi gazed down at his peaceful sleeping face, then gently stroked his hair as if lulling a child to sleep.

Before long, the medicine took full effect, and Su Cheng’s breathing slowed into a steady rhythm as he drifted off completely.

Ji Qingyi watched his sleeping face tenderly, her hand hovering as if to touch his hair again—but she ultimately withdrew it.

"Tsundere!" Su Cheng suddenly mumbled in his sleep.

"Tsundere?"

Ji Qingyi repeated the word softly, studying him closely as a faint glimmer crossed her eyes. "Could he mean... me?"

Though she wasn’t well-versed in internet slang, she knew "tsundere" referred to someone who hid their shyness behind a cold, aloof exterior—a somewhat endearing trait.

"Surely not me," she murmured, shaking her head. "I’m not that childish."

Yet the very next moment, Su Cheng’s sleep-talking proved her wrong: "President’s a tsundere! Tsundere president~"

A dark line nearly formed on Ji Qingyi’s forehead, and for a second, she wondered if he was pretending to sleep just to tease her. But her keen ability to read expressions told her—he was genuinely deep in slumber.

So he’s dreaming about me, is he?

Ji Qingyi thought to herself, her lips curling slightly upward.

"I actually know everything, don't think I don't!"

Su Cheng muttered again, making Ji Qingyi feel a little flustered yet amused.

"You're so cute," Su Cheng continued sleepily.

"Cute?" Hearing this adjective that clashed with her usual image, Ji Qingyi frowned.

But she was immediately startled by Su Cheng's next words: "President, let's go on a date this weekend!"

"A date?" The word sent ripples through Ji Qingyi's usually calm heart.

"Yes, just you and me, the two of us!" Su Cheng repeated as if enchanted. "Even though we're already engaged, we haven't properly experienced what it's like to be a couple."

Ji Qingyi closed her beautiful eyes, pondering the reasonableness of Su Cheng's suggestion, though she couldn't deny the faint anticipation stirring within her.

They had indeed never gone on a proper date before.

With that, Su Cheng drifted back to sleep, saying no more. Meanwhile, Ji Qingyi began seriously considering where they should go and what they should do for their date.

A moment later, Su Cheng woke up groggily. Opening his eyes to Ji Qingyi's stunning face and the delicate fragrance surrounding her, he froze for a second before blurting out, "President, you smell amazing."

The moment the words left his mouth, he realized what he'd said and hurriedly sat up, stammering, "Thank you, President—I mean, I slept really well..."

Glancing at the clock and noticing there were only thirty minutes left before class, he quickly changed the subject. "I should head to class now."

"Wait!" Ji Qingyi sat elegantly on the sofa, her gaze commanding. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Forgot what?"

Su Cheng racked his brain but couldn't recall, so he shook his head.

"Think harder," Ji Qingyi said calmly, though her eyes held an unreadable glint.

A sense of impending danger washed over Su Cheng, and suddenly, it hit him. "Oh! Thank you for letting me use your lap as a pillow. It was the most comfortable place I've ever slept—soft as cotton candy."

Ji Qingyi narrowed her eyes.

Su Cheng hastily added, "Really, that was the best nap I've ever had."

Seeing that Su Cheng still hadn’t grasped her meaning, Ji Qingyi felt both annoyed and helpless. Suppressing her emotions, she asked, "Didn’t you have a dream earlier?"

She had given such an obvious hint—if Su Cheng still didn’t catch on, he was truly hopeless.

Sure enough, Su Cheng immediately understood and stood up eagerly. "Yes, I dreamed of you, President. Just like the saying goes, 'Daytime thoughts become nighttime dreams.'"

"Then why," Ji Qingyi scoffed, though inwardly delighted, "did your sleep-talking suggest you had some... unconventional thoughts?"

"What?!" Su Cheng was shocked and defended himself righteously. "Impossible! I would never slander you, President! Even if I don’t remember the dream, I can say with absolute certainty that I would never do such a thing! Please believe me!"

"Then explain why you mentioned 'tsundere' in your dream. Was it Cornelia? If she’s occupying your dreams, perhaps I should keep a closer eye on her."

Ji Qingyi tilted her chin up slightly, suddenly understanding why Liu Qingyue enjoyed teasing Su Cheng so much.

"No, no, no! I wasn’t thinking about her at all! And if I were thinking about anyone recently, it would only be you, President!" Su Cheng shook his head like a wobbling gourd, desperately trying to clear his name—completely unaware that he had just revealed his true feelings.

"Oh? So you’re saying I’m the tsundere?"

"Tsundere?!" Only then did Su Cheng realize what he had blurted out in his panic.

Horrified, he scrambled to explain, "Listen, 'tsundere' isn’t an insult! It’s a cute, endearing trait!"

"Cute?" Ji Qingyi raised an eyebrow. "Then don’t you have anything else to say to your adorable tsundere president?"

"I..."

Su Cheng had braced himself for Ji Qingyi’s fury and was even prepared to bluntly confess his thoughts from yesterday. But her unexpected response left him at a loss. Skipping all the intermediate steps, he took a deep breath and shouted:

"President, let’s go on a date this weekend!"

"No need to yell!"