If it had been Song Qingya cooking for someone she liked, she would have definitely sent a long string of messages to let him know how much effort she'd put in.
She imagined how she would express her feelings if she were the one doing it.
But this male lead was a classic man of action, a man of few words.
Fei Jin was always like this—he gave silently but rarely expressed himself with words.
If Song Qingya hadn't gained the protagonist's perspective, she never would have known that Fei Jin had actually wanted to build a good life with the original owner of her body.
She understood now. He had been trying all along, he just hadn't found the right way to show it.
No matter how unreasonably the original owner acted, he thought it was fine, believing that any two people living together needed to adjust to one another.
He had tolerated and tried to understand her predecessor's willfulness countless times, all just to make her happy.
It wasn't until the original owner tried to drown herself in the river, crying that he was blocking her path to happiness, that he became completely disillusioned.
As things stood now, the male lead's attitude toward her was still strange.
Although he would sometimes show concern and take care of her,
Song Qingya knew in her heart that these actions were driven more by a sense of duty than genuine love.
They had a long way to go if they were ever going to truly repair their relationship, and it would take a lot of effort from both of them.
After eating her fill, Song Qingya swallowed a pill.
A strong wave of drowsiness washed over her.
She groggily fell onto the bed and drifted off to sleep.
As she drifted in and out of consciousness, she thought she heard a voice.
"BEEP. Repair process: 1%."
Then, another voice chimed in. "Your Performance System is activating..."
Just as she thought she was about to enter some wondrous space, she suddenly heard, "Insufficient points. Unable to activate access. Activation failed. Please keep trying..."
'Keep trying? What does that mean?'
In her groggy state, she sank into a deeper sleep.
The strange words seemed to echo in her ears, making her head spin.
「When she woke again, bright sunlight was streaming through the window.」
Song Qingya gave a big stretch and started to sit up to work out the kinks.
But in that instant, she froze.
An unprecedented sensation filled her entire body.
All the aches and pains in her body had vanished without a trace.
'Could the country air really be this magical?'
Just then, there was a sudden knock at the door.
She quickly got out of bed, surprised to find that even the headache that had been plaguing her was gone.
She walked impatiently toward the door.
"Fei Jin, you're back? I have great news—I'm all better! My head doesn't hurt, and my feet don't ache anymore!"
The words died on her lips.
As the door was slowly pushed open, she saw that the person standing outside was not who she had expected.
It was a pretty, sweet-faced young woman wearing a blue plaid top.
"Sister Qingya, you're alive? I mean... you're really back?"
The young woman's voice was filled with shock.
Faced with this sudden question, Song Qingya was completely bewildered.
"Who are you?"
She feigned a bout of amnesia.
"I'm still sick, and my head's all foggy. I can't seem to remember who you are at the moment."
The girl hesitated for a moment before enthusiastically grabbing Song Qingya's hand and introducing herself. "It's me, Xiu Xiu! Wen Xiuxiu, the one who helps out at Aunt Zhou's house!"
Wen Wei had never imagined that she would actually become the female lead of this period drama, transformed into Wen Xiuxiu of the 1980s.
The show had been a critical success ever since it started airing.
It was a hot topic among netizens, and many of her fans even flooded her agency's comment sections, begging her to take the role.
At first, Wen Wei had no interest in such old-fashioned, unremarkable period dramas.
But when she learned that Song Qingya was also actively trying to land the role,
she decided she had to snatch the female lead position no matter what.
They had entered showbiz at roughly the same time. Why was Song Qingya always one step ahead of her in every way?
Whether in terms of fame, fanbase, or public perception, Song Qingya was miles ahead. On major video platforms, fans even used clips of Song Qingya's acting to criticize hers.
This left Wen Wei feeling incredibly resentful.
At one fashion gala, Song Qingya was scheduled to make her grand entrance last, stunning everyone in a high-end custom-made gown.
Wen Wei flew into a rage, berating her assistant and ordering him to immediately find a dress similar to Song Qingya's green one so she could change before Song Qingya made her appearance.
However, after the gala, Wen Wei secretly damaged Song Qingya's dress, hoping to embarrass her.
To her surprise, Song Qingya didn't panic in the slightest. Instead, she handled the situation with complete composure.
She quickly grabbed a pair of scissors, cleverly altered the long gown into a short dress, and stepped back onto the red carpet.
That night, topics like "Song Qingya's stunning transformation" quickly went viral online.
This unexpected fashion moment ended up winning her a host of new fans.
To make matters worse, netizens began to scrutinize Wen Wei's every move.
From then on, Wen Wei's public image took a nosedive.
At the same time, the feud between her and Song Qingya deepened.
She blamed Song Qingya entirely for her loss of fans.
And so, this highly anticipated period drama became Wen Wei's key to turning the tables.
To secure the role of the female lead, Wen Wei went out of her way to learn the producers' schedule and attended their reception in a glamorous gown.
She forced herself to drink with those sleazy, middle-aged men late into the night.
Finally, one of the producers let it slip that the female lead role was as good as hers.
However, when she woke up hungover the next day, Wen Wei found herself lying on a large, hard, cold brick bed, surrounded by dilapidated furnishings.
A displeased voice sounded in her ear. "Wen Xiuxiu, do you have any idea what time it is? Is the Fei Family just feeding a lazybones for nothing?"
This sudden turn of events left Wen Wei completely stunned.
"What did you just call me? Who is Wen Xiuxiu?"
Zhou Huaihua's eyes widened in surprise. "What's gotten into you? Your name isn't Wen Xiuxiu?"
Hearing this, Wen Wei scrambled to a mirror.
She really did see an unfamiliar yet pretty and delicate face.
She had really become Wen Xiuxiu!
This meant that in this parallel world, she was about to become the destined female lead.
But in truth, Wen Wei wasn't very fond of the male lead.
She preferred men who were funny, romantic, and thoughtful.
Fei Jin's personality was cold, and the script mentioned he had a scar between his eyebrows. By no stretch of the imagination could he be considered handsome.
Wen Wei was both excited and conflicted.
She worried how someone as obsessed with appearances as her was supposed to win over the male lead.
After several days of depressing farm work, she finally got her chance.