Cannon Fodder in an Era Drama — I Survive with Acting-Chapter 78: Is It Really That Attractive?

She planned to say she had developed a casual interest in traditional Chinese medicine, and even wanted to study the use of acupuncture points.

That way, when she used her "abilities" in the future, it would seem perfectly natural.

Over the next few days, she sought out Yuan Wei for help.

She hoped to get her hands on some books about ancient traditional Chinese medicine.

Yuan Wei’s family came from a long line of doctors.

Her father was quite famous in the area, an experienced old traditional physician.

Her family had originally intended for her to carry on the family practice.

But ever since she was a child, she’d never had much interest in it, so she had barely touched many of the books that had been passed down.

When she heard Song Qingya say she wanted to read some medical texts, she was completely astonished, her eyes wide as she stared at her friend.

"Are... are you serious? You want to read medical books?"

After a moment, she couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

"Are you sure you didn’t fry your brain with that fever? Why don’t I just get you a couple of foreign novels to read instead? At least those are more interesting. This stuff is just mind-numbingly boring."

"There’s no need, Aunt Yuan."

Song Qingya shook her head with a smile and explained in a relaxed tone.

"I’m just thinking of flipping through them casually, just to pass the time. You can just bring me whatever books you have at home. They don’t need to be particularly valuable—the ordinary ones are fine."

Hearing her say that, Yuan Wei didn’t press the issue.

To be honest, she’d long felt that all those medical books at her house were just taking up space anyway.

This was the perfect opportunity to get rid of them.

"All right, then."

Yuan Wei said after a moment’s thought.

"As long as you don’t mind the trouble of hauling them, I’ll pack them up and send them over to your place."

Recently, a new desk lamp with a glass shade had appeared in the bedroom.

The light it cast was very soft yet bright. Fei Jin had bought it specially for Song Qingya to use for reading at night.

That way, the light wouldn’t be too harsh.

He still couldn’t figure out, however, when exactly his wife had developed such a keen interest in traditional Chinese medicine.

Song Qingya had changed quite a bit these past few days.

No matter what she was doing, she always seemed to have a thick, ancient tome on traditional medicine in her hands.

Occasionally, she would even mutter the names of acupoints or needling techniques.

Seeing her so engrossed in the knowledge within these books, Fei Jin worried that reading for too long at night would strain her eyes.

So he had gone out of his way to pick out a new lamp from the market, one with better illumination and just the right brightness.

He just wanted Song Qingya to be more comfortable and not strain herself while studying late into the night.

But then again, sometimes being overly considerate could lead to unexpected consequences.

Ever since he’d brought home the new lamp, Song Qingya had indeed become even more absorbed in her reading, and for much longer stretches of time.

So much so that the time she spent with him before bed had dwindled significantly.

This was starting to make Fei Jin feel a little regretful.

Feeling refreshed and relaxed after brushing his teeth and washing his face, Fei Jin felt refreshed.

He had been planning on cuddling with his wife and chatting for a bit.

However, when he pushed open the bedroom door, he found his dear wife sitting on the bed.

She was holding a thick copy of the *Treatise on Cold Pathogenic and Miscellaneous Diseases*, staring at the pages without blinking, so completely absorbed that she hadn’t even noticed he was back.

Seeing Song Qingya looking so utterly captivated...

’He almost started to wonder if he was less appealing than a book.’

"Qingya, is that book really so captivating?"

Fei Jin asked tentatively, a hint of indignation in his voice.

’More captivating than me?’

He hadn’t even realized the extent of his own jealousy.

Song Qingya froze for a moment when she heard him, then a smile touched her lips and she let out a soft laugh.

She casually tossed the book aside and leaned back languidly against the headboard.

"Well now, Comrade Fei Jin," she said, her tone teasing, "have you finally started to think you’re handsome?"

"..."

Faced with her sudden comeback, Fei Jin was momentarily speechless, the corner of his mouth twitching.

"Oh, don’t be shy."

Song Qingya continued, a bright smile on her face.

"It’s a rare quality, being able to acknowledge your own strengths."

As she spoke, she raised a hand, slowly extending a finger to gently trace the bridge of his nose.

Then, she brushed against his thick eyelashes, her touch as light as a feather skimming across water.

The man before her had handsome, chiseled features.

She spoke to him in a tone one might use to coax a small child.

"Fei Jin, don’t you think you should try looking at things from a different perspective sometimes? Being handsome and being a capable fighter aren’t mutually exclusive, you know. They can both be true at the same time."

"I’m not as handsome as you make me out to be!"

he said, his gaze dropping with a hint of self-mockery.

"Look at this scar on my face. I was a tough guy back in the army; how could someone like me possibly make a living with my looks?"

"And why not!"

’It was only after she’d transmigrated that Song Qingya discovered something: the male lead had never been confident about his looks.’

’She was so exasperated she wanted to drag him back to the modern era for a reality check.’

’She wanted to let Fei Jin see for himself just how diverse modern beauty standards were!’

’It was so frustrating!’

’Fei Jin was so handsome he looked like a character model straight out of a video game.’

’And yet he was convinced the scar on his face ruined his looks.’

’And those girls who didn’t want to get close to him?’

’That was purely because his attitude used to be so cold that no one dared to approach him.’

’It had nothing to do with him being ugly.’

From that day on, Song Qingya had started complimenting him in every way she could, telling him over and over again that he wasn’t ugly at all and had no reason to feel so insecure.

At first, Fei Jin was skeptical.

’In his mind, the fact that Song Qingya hadn’t even dared to bring up sleeping in the same bed after marrying him must have meant she was afraid of him, too.’

But as the days passed, under Song Qingya’s subtle influence, he had slowly let down his guard and stopped deliberately trying to hide the scar on his face.

’Song Qingya had once read that you should "coddle a man like you coddle a child."’

’She had initially thought that method wouldn’t work on Fei Jin.’

’After all, he was always so calm and self-restrained, nothing like a child who would throw a tantrum.’

’But she later came to understand that a little extra praise really did work wonders.’

’At the very least, the Fei Jin of today probably didn’t think that little scar on his face was so terrifying anymore.’

Gazing at the beautiful woman bathed in the lamplight, her eyes soft and captivating, Fei Jin’s expression gradually softened.

He raised an eyebrow slightly, and the look in his eyes grew much gentler.

Song Qingya noticed the subtle shift in his demeanor and couldn’t help but curve her lips into a triumphant smile.

A mischievous glint flashed in her eyes as she deliberately reached out and pinched his firm waist.

"It’s not just your face," she said, winking with a flirtatious smile in her voice. "I’m particularly fond of this part, too."

"Ah..."

His Adam’s apple bobbed. "Qingya," he said in a low voice, "don’t mess around."

But Song Qingya’s smile only grew more cunning,

She even looked up and gave him a deliberate wink.

Her lips curved into a shallow arc as she softly spoke.

"Besides, you can’t touch me right now anyway. I’m just teasing you—so what are you going to do about it?"

’The first little advantage of being pregnant.’