"Simeon, why did you stop eating? Are you still not used to it?" Ran looked at Simeon, who had put down his chopsticks, and asked with confusion.
"Yeah, I'm still a bit not used to it." Simeon looked up at her worried eyes and forced a smile, pushing down the irritation in his heart.
"If you don't like this, then eat some other dish!" Ran picked up a piece of scallion egg and put it in his bowl.
She had worried he might not like spicy food, so she specially made his favorite scallion egg.
"Okay." Simeon took a deep breath and forced a smile, picking up the egg and biting into it. The taste was as good as always, but he had no mood to enjoy it.
Ran noticed his bad mood but didn't know why. He was fine just a moment ago, so why did he change so quickly?
Knowing he was upset, Ran looked up at him once but didn't say anything.
"Knock knock knock... Is the village chief home?"
Just as the atmosphere between the two grew awkward, someone knocked on the door.
Hearing they were asking for the village chief, Ran was about to stand up to tell them he was not home. But before she could, Simeon stopped her and said, "You keep eating so the food doesn't get cold. I'll go talk to them."
"Okay." Ran knew he was in a bad mood and didn't insist. She sat quietly but listened carefully to the noises outside.
She was a power user with a fairly high level, so even if she didn't try to eavesdrop, she could not miss the sounds outside.
Simeon opened the door and saw a young man standing there, looking a bit embarrassed. He already guessed what was going on.
"Scholar Simeon, we just smelled a strong, unfamiliar aroma from your house, so... so..."
The young man spoke with a shy face. Under Simeon's gaze, his voice grew smaller until he lowered his head in embarrassment.
The young man knew his behavior was annoying but said, "I know I'm disturbing you. It's just that my wife is pregnant and has had no appetite lately. The smell just now gave her some hunger, so I hope Scholar Simeon can be kind."
After speaking, he raised his head with hopeful eyes looking at Simeon.
Simeon's expression didn't change. This meal was all Ran's cooking and ingredients, so he wouldn't decide without her permission.
Under the hopeful gazes of the men, he said softly, "Sorry, I..."
"Come in."
Before he finished, Ran's soft voice came from behind. He looked at her with some disagreement. This wild rabbit was hard-earned by her. She hadn't eaten much herself.
Ran smiled to calm him and took the bowls from the men, serving each half a bowl of rabbit meat.
"Thank you, Lady Ran!"
"Thank you, Lady Ran!"
The men happily took their bowls and thanked her before leaving excitedly.
With this half bowl, they could report back satisfactorily.
"Why did you give them some?" Simeon frowned and asked.
Ran smiled as she saw Simeon's unhappy expression. Her voice was calm and soothing: "I don't care about them. I just heard that the big brother said his wife is pregnant.
I know pregnancy is always hard for women. If she doesn't get proper nutrition, it might harm her and the baby.
It's just a bowl of food. If it can help her, then I'll help. It's not a big deal."
Knowing she was right, Simeon said nothing more. He looked at her quietly and said, "What do you want to eat? I'll make it for you."
They had worked hard to cook the food, but it was all given to others. She hadn't even eaten enough herself.
"There's still enough food. It's enough for us!" Ran sat at the table first. She picked up a piece of egg and put it in his bowl.
Seeing his face soften, she finally ate her meal in big bites.
Like she said, people who survived the end of the world treat any food as precious. But babies are even more important.
After the apocalypse, with zombies, acid rain, extreme cold, and heat, human reproduction is very difficult.
Few babies are born in survivor bases. Some newborns don't even survive.
Because of this, everyone agrees that the best things must be given to the children first.
They ate a simple dinner. Before it got dark, they quickly washed up and went to their rooms.
Simeon sat at the desk reading. Ran quietly practiced writing on the other side.
Her brush writing was a mess, but because he taught her before, even though she had only practiced two days, it was starting to look better.
"Shaowen, how's this character?"
She barely managed to write a barely recognizable character. Ran put down her brush and placed the papers in front of him.
Her eyes shone like a proud little cat waiting for praise.
He looked down at the messy black ink. Though it was hard to see, it was at least a character.
He looked up at her hopeful eyes and said without hesitation, "You've improved a lot. Practice more, and soon you'll write good brush characters."
"Really?" Even though she knew this praise was forced, she was still very happy.
"I'm serious! You really have a talent for reading." He nodded firmly, his tone serious.
Ran knew her limits. Even though she was thick-skinned, she blushed a little at his praise.
She quickly left the room and soon came back with a piece of cake.
She planned to give it to him before dinner to fill his stomach, but seeing him happily eating candied fruit, she decided to save it as dessert.
She put the cake on the table and gently pushed it toward him.
"Simeon, try this. I specially bought it for you! It tastes very good."
"What is this?" Simeon looked at the cloud-like cake with curiosity.
The sweet smell made even him, who didn't like sweets, swallow hard.
"This is called cake. It's a snack from my hometown."
Seeing he hesitated, she carefully picked up a piece with a spoon and brought it to his mouth.
"Try it quickly. It's really delicious!"
Under her hopeful gaze, Simeon slowly opened his mouth and swallowed the cake in one bite.
The soft, delicate, and sweet cake caught his eye. The cream was sweet but not greasy. The fluffy cake was a taste he had never tried before.
"How is it? Do you like it?" Ran saw his relaxed expression and knew he enjoyed it. She served him another piece, placing it gently by his lips.
Seeing the cake near his mouth, Simeon opened wide to eat it. He wanted Ran to feed him herself. His heart beat fast, and a blush quickly spread on his ears. The sweetness of the cake seemed to fill his heart.
"I, I can eat it myself!" Simeon shyly took the plate from her hand. His restless eyes revealed his nervousness.
Ran didn't think much. She placed the cake in his hand and returned to the desk to continue practicing with her pen.
Simeon looked like he was eating seriously but secretly watched her.
People say the best view is under the lamp. Today, he got to experience it.
Though she was not a queen, her appearance was delicate and slightly shy. Her fine eyebrows and fair, smooth skin looked like a peeled egg. Under the light, it seemed like a faint yellow veil covered her, adding a touch of charm and temptation.
As a person with special powers, Ran clearly felt Simeon's gaze on her. His burning eyes were impossible to ignore.
At that moment, her heart raced, and a blush appeared on her cheeks. It made her look even more beautiful.
Simeon's gaze grew darker. He swallowed nervously and suddenly felt very thirsty.
When he awkwardly tried to look away, Ran suddenly raised her head and looked at him with bright eyes.
Their eyes met, and Simeon felt like her clear gaze pierced him. He quickly looked away, his face pale and his heart uneasy.
Did she see it? What would she think of him?
Would she find him disgusting? That he had improper feelings for her, a woman with a scar?
Would she hate him and stay far away?
Just thinking about this made his heart feel tightly squeezed. He had trouble breathing and looked very panicked.
Ran saw his pale face. She didn't know what he was thinking, but she knew if she didn't explain now, he would keep imagining things.
She put down her pen and walked to his side. She saw his tightly clenched fist.
Ran pressed her lips together. Facing his scared eyes, she reached out, took his hand, and gently opened his fingers one by one. His palm was already bleeding slightly.
Seeing his injured hand made Ran feel a pang of pain. She let go of his hand and opened the door to go out.
Watching her leave, Simeon felt like his chest was stabbed hard. His eyes were full of despair.
She really did hate him.
Thinking this, usually calm and gentle Simeon couldn't help but tear up.
When Ran came back carrying the medicine box, she saw his pale face and red eyes.
Looking at him, Ran was startled and quickly walked up to him.
She had left silently just now because she was a little angry that he had hurt her.
But she didn't expect him to misunderstand!
"Simeon, give me your hand. I will put medicine on it!" Ran sat down in front of him, opened the first aid kit, and gently took his injured hand to treat it carefully.
Simeon, who was lost in thoughts about Ran's dislike of him, heard her voice and blinked.
He lowered his eyes and looked at Ran, who was cleaning his wound.
He held his breath without realizing it, staring at her with red eyes, afraid that if he breathed, she would disappear like an illusion.
Noticing his strange behavior, Ran looked up and saw his face, almost suffocating.
She felt both amused and worried!
She immediately put down his hand and reached out to stroke his cheek, speaking softly, "Simeon, breathe!"
She even made breathing motions for him to copy.
Simeon mechanically followed her breaths.
When his face color returned, Ran finally relaxed.
Just as she was about to speak, Simeon suddenly pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly.
It seemed like he wanted to merge her into his flesh so they would never be apart.
Ran struggled a little, wanting him to loosen his grip because it was too tight and uncomfortable.
But the more she struggled, the tighter he held on, afraid she would run away!
Helpless, Ran stretched out her hand and gently hugged his waist, patting him softly to calm him down.
Seeing her action, a quick light flashed in Simeon's eyes and vanished immediately.
His lips curled slightly, then he quickly withdrew his expression.
He buried his head in her neck, greedily inhaling her scent.
Simeon felt like a madman.
Just thinking about her leaving made him want to tie her up.
But he dared not do anything because he was afraid to scare her.
He tried hard to suppress his feelings, but his eyes kept falling on her.
After a while, his tense body relaxed a bit.
He reluctantly let go of her, his face pale as he lowered his head, not daring to look at her.
He looked like someone waiting for judgment.
Seeing him calm down, Ran stepped back a little.
But that step made his heart ache sharply.
She still hated him after all.
While he was lost in thought, Ran suddenly reached out and lifted his chin.
Seeing the sadness in his eyes, she slowly lowered her head and looked at his pale lips.
As if hypnotized, she leaned in and gently kissed his lips.
The soft touch made Simeon's eyes widen.
Seeing Ran's slightly red face as she stepped back, he still couldn't believe it.
He lifted his hand to softly touch the lips she had kissed.
Under his burning gaze, Ran felt like she was on fire.
Her cheeks, ears, and neck all flushed red.
Simeon suddenly stood up from the chair, making the chair scrape the floor loudly.
But he didn't care.
His eyes still burned as he looked at her, breathing faster.
He took a step forward and reached out with trembling hands to hold Ran's fair, soft hand.
Seeing that she did not struggle, he immediately gripped her hand tightly.
He squeezed slightly and pulled her whole body into his arms.
His voice was excited, "Ran, Ran, I'm not dreaming, right? I'm not dreaming, am I?"
"Yes! This is not a dream!" Ran smiled gently and patted him on the back to comfort him.
After he calmed down, Ran pulled him to sit and softly told him the truth: "Simeon, there is something I hid from you! Actually, I am not a broken man."
"It's okay! These things don't matter!" Simeon looked at her eagerly and didn't care that she kept this from him.
For him, as long as she stayed by his side, these things were small.
Ran pushed away his restless hand on hers and gave him a playful glare.
Simeon withdrew his hand sadly. His gentle eyes lowered, showing a hint of grievance. Afraid she would really be angry, he held back and wanted to hug her again.
Seeing he was calm, Ran said, "Actually, I am the female ruler."
"What did you say?" Simeon thought he heard wrong. He asked again in disbelief.
Ran took a deep breath, looked at him firmly, and said seriously, "I said I am the female ruler."
"Clatter!"
"Thud!"
Simeon was shocked and stood up immediately but lost strength and fell to the ground. Yet he looked at her in a daze like he felt nothing.
Ran carefully helped him up and nodded firmly at him. He still could not believe it. He pinched his leg hard until pain came, confirming he had not heard wrong.
"Fe-female ruler?!"
Simeon looked stunned and spoke quietly. Nervous, he did not know what to do with his hands and feet. Usually so gentle and elegant, he was a little shy now.
Ran knew this news would shock him. She understood how precious women were in this world. She did not expect it would affect him so much.
"You know, I escaped here for safety. That is why I had to hide my identity." She paused, then continued, "I planned to tell you after your exams, but..."
"I understand!" He still remembered when she came. He could understand and admired her choice. Without hiding, she might never have come here.
The thought that they might never meet made him feel scared.
Luckily, she knew how to hide herself. They met after all.
"Then, what about us..."
Thinking about how they spent so much time together, even under the same roof and sharing a bed, Simeon felt shy. His cheeks blushed as he looked at her with nervous hope.
Would she think he was dishonorable? That he had no restraint? Would she look down on him?
Ran saw his worry and without hesitation took his hand. Looking into his eyes firmly, she said, "Since I agreed to stay at your home, I decided you are my person. Of course, if you don't want that..."
"I want that! I want that!" Simeon said loudly and firmly.
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TL's note: Unlike many stories where it takes hundreds of chapters, the female lead here reveals her true identity early. It's a refreshing change.😍