The relationship between Liu Chen'ang and Su Bai is deeply inspiring

There's a saying that goes:

Late risers waste the morning, early risers waste the day.

For most college students, waking up early is nothing short of a devastating blow to their quality of life.

If an early start is absolutely necessary, many would rather stay up all night until the appointed hour, chugging strong coffee to stay alive, then crash afterward once the task is done.

Liu Chen'ang dragged his exhausted feet downstairs, dark circles under his eyes, moving sluggishly.

Old Liu's Land Rover was already parked there, a hulking beast of a vehicle.

"What took you so long? A real man shouldn’t be so indecisive!"

"Got it, got it. It didn’t even take that long—just washed my face..."

"Washing your face shouldn’t take any time at all. A splash of water is enough. Or did you use face wash?"

Liu Chenhu shot her a suspicious look.

Liu Chen'ang pursed her lips in denial. "No, just a quick rinse."

"Good. I don’t want my son acting like some delicate flower."

"..."

Dad, what era do you think this is? Even guys use face wash these days.

Liu Chen'ang grumbled internally but kept it to herself.

After all, her dad had always been… eccentric. This wasn’t new.

For instance, he loved harping on about how a boy should be, probably thinking it would drill some psychological conditioning into her.

Maybe it would’ve worked once, but ever since Su Bai awakened her true nature, Liu Chen'ang had nothing but disdain for that kind of talk.

After placating her father, Liu Chen'ang opened the car door, slid into the passenger seat, and buckled up.

Back straight, posture rigid.

Her military-man father had strict standards for sitting properly—not that it was a bad thing, since good posture did help with spinal health.

Still… being around her parents always left her with this low-key tension. She’d gotten used to it, but it was annoying, especially compared to how relaxed she felt with Su Bai.

Luckily, Liu Chen'ang had a strong mindset.

Anyone less resilient, raised under these bizarre conditions, would’ve spiraled into depression long ago.

Even if Liu Chenhu was a bit extreme, compared to most ordinary kids, Liu Chen'ang had it pretty good.

Plenty of pocket money, a Lotus sports car to drive—all she had to do was follow the family’s weird rules.

Regular kids have it way harder when they’re grinding for success, right?

Back when she was younger, Liu Chen'ang used to feel hard done by. But one day, it suddenly clicked.

It’s not so bad, really.

At least materially, she was well-off.

And as for the emotional scars… well, Su Bai could fill those.

Just thinking about Su Bai made Liu Chen'ang giggle like an idiot.

"What’s so funny?" Liu Chenhu asked, side-eyeing her.

A flicker of unease crossed Liu Chen'ang’s face. "Nothing… Dad, where are we going today?"

"We’re running by the river."

"The river, huh…"

"Met a kid around your age there the other day—probably from Jiangcheng University too. His training routine was on point. You should learn from him."

"..."

"Kid looked like he came from money, but I didn’t recognize him. No clue who his parents are."

That was the puzzling part.

Given Su Bai’s clothes and demeanor, his family background should’ve been one Liu Chenhu knew.

Su Bai had a local accent, though Liu Chenhu couldn’t place exactly where. But with his connections, he should’ve at least heard of any major players in the province.

Plus, a guy as tall, handsome, and polished as Su Bai? The socialite moms would’ve been fighting over him.

Yet Liu Chenhu had zero recollection of him.

"Impressive. A college kid who can wake up to train? That’s not normal."

Liu Chen'ang nodded along.

She wasn’t just humoring her dad—she genuinely agreed.

There was this weird trend where old people were full of energy while the younger generation was perpetually drained.

Whether it was academic pressure or work stress, who knew?

From what Liu Chen'ang had observed at Jiangcheng University, most students couldn’t stick to a morning routine.

Speaking of morning routines…

That seemed to be Su Bai’s thing.

Ugh, what’s wrong with me? No matter the topic, my thoughts always circle back to him.

Liu Chen'ang was fully, hopelessly smitten.

Ever since Su Bai showed her the joys of being a girl on Tianrong Mountain… there was no going back.

"Come to think of it, that kid said he’s in computer science. Same as you."

"What?!"

Liu Chen'ang’s expression twisted. "Dad, what’s his name?"

"Su Bai. You know him?"

"Ah… he’s in my class. We’re sort of… uh, good friends."

"That’s perfect! Man, what a coincidence—your classmate, and I just happened to bump into him while working out."

Coincidence?

Liu Chen'ang’s lips twitched.

If you wanted to call it that, sure. They’d already gone way beyond friendship—thoroughly acquainted, you could say.

But her dad hadn’t even considered that possibility…

"So, what’s Su Bai’s deal?"

"Not sure. His adoptive mom’s from Ancheng, but he’s sharp on overseas investments, handles big funds. Probably tied to some foreign family? Hard to say. There’s gossip about him at school, but most of it’s useless."

Liu Chen'ang’s analysis was impressively detailed.

Liu Chenhu nodded, satisfied. "Good. Knowing how to network with useful people already puts you ahead of your peers who only care about partying."

"Haha, I try."

"Finance, huh… That’s a sensitive field. As long as he doesn’t cause trouble, we won’t pry. If he ever needs help with daily life stuff, extend some goodwill. We’re locals—it’s only proper."

When Liu Chenhu said locals, he wasn’t talking about small-town nobodies like Xue Tao.

He meant the kind of well-connected power players who could pull strings in education, healthcare, and other high-demand sectors.

Not that Su Bai had kids needing schools or health issues to worry about.

But the offer alone showed Liu Chenhu’s favorable impression.

What did Su Bai even do to win him over?

Whatever it was, Liu Chen'ang wasn’t complaining.

If her dad ever suspected her feelings for Su Bai and tried to interfere, that’d be a disaster.

As long as she didn’t slip up, the situation was safe.

But soon, Liu Chen'ang realized she’d overestimated her own composure.

Because today’s workout?

They ran into Su Bai by the river again…