Chapter 103: You Don’t Have to Be So Afraid of Me

Wen Yixin heard Wen Yichen say that and a teasing, unreadable smile appeared on his face. He shifted slightly toward Wen Yichen and said, "If I want it, I still won’t let you take the photo."

Just then, Jiang Muwen’s voice drifted into the air. "All done!"

As she spoke, she handed the phone to Wen Yixin. Wen Yichen looked at the girl before him and was just about to say something when a low male voice abruptly cut him off.

"What is this?"

It was Gu Niancun’s voice. Wen Yichen turned toward the sound and saw Gu Niancun holding the small decorative bottle on the table, studying it with interest.

Wen Yichen had seen that decoration before in Jiang Muwen’s bedroom.

"This is a weather bottle," Jiang Muwen said immediately. Her voice was soft, her tone cautious, as though she were afraid of something.

"A weather bottle?" Gu Niancun raised a brow slightly, seeming to take some interest in it. After speaking, he lifted his eyes and glanced at Jiang Muwen.

Jiang Muwen gave a small "mm." By chance, when she looked up, she met Gu Niancun’s gaze. The man’s eyes were deep, and it felt as if his attention had never once left her. Even though there was only confusion in his expression, his brows drawing together ever so slightly made her heart tremble involuntarily.

She had done nothing wrong, yet she still panicked and looked away.

"It can forecast the weather?" Gu Niancun asked.

Jiang Muwen hummed again. Her small hands nervously clutched at her sleeves. Her lips parted as if she wanted to say something, but no words came out.

Gu Niancun looked at her calmly, and a complicated look flickered through his eyes. Was this girl afraid of him?

He was used to other people being afraid of him, and yet at this moment, he did not want the girl before him to fear him. He did not want her to think of him as an inaccessible iceberg.

He did not know where this feeling had come from. She seemed a little different. Every time he saw her, he found himself wanting to draw closer.

"It can show different crystalline states according to different kinds of weather," Jiang Muwen finally said.

Seeing how tense she was, Gu Niancun could not help but let out a soft laugh. "You don’t have to be so afraid of me. I’m not a lion. I’m not going to eat you."

At his words, Jiang Muwen’s heart shivered again. His voice seemed gentler than before. She lifted her eyes and looked at the faint smile on his face, and the tightness in her chest gradually eased. At that moment, he looked like an iceberg bathed in sunlight, the ice slowly melting and then shining brightly beneath the light.

Seeing that Jiang Muwen seemed to relax a little, Gu Niancun spoke again. "Don’t worry, I won’t eat you. If I did, Gu Nianxi would eat me."

When he finished, he could not help but laugh softly, the corners of his mouth lifting into a pleasant curve. His smile seemed infectious. As soon as he smiled, Jiang Muwen gave an awkward little smile as well.

Gu Niancun seemed never to have seen Jiang Muwen smile in front of him before. With that smile, it felt as if the whole world had become softer.

"How much is this? I’ll buy it." Gu Niancun held the weather bottle in one hand and lazily slipped the other into his pocket, preparing to pay.

Jiang Muwen was just about to answer when Wen Yichen spoke first. "Three hundred."

Jiang Muwen turned to look at Wen Yichen in astonishment. Three hundred? That was one zero too many compared with what she had bought it for. True, Gu Niancun was rich, but they could not just set the price like this.

She looked at Wen Yichen, and Wen Yichen looked back at her. After putting on that outfit, he already had a weary, world-worn face; now, there was an added trace of displeasure in that same expression.

Was he angry?

Before Jiang Muwen could say anything, Gu Niancun’s gentle voice reached her ears again. "Here you go. Three hundred."

Jiang Muwen took the three bright hundred-yuan bills from Gu Niancun’s hand, and an inexplicable sense of guilt welled up inside her. It felt as though they were cheating a rich man out of his money.

Seeing the three hundred in Jiang Muwen’s hand, Wen Yichen seemed even less pleased. If only he had bought that bottle first, or simply told Gu Niancun outright that it was not for sale.

After Gu Niancun left with the weather bottle, Jiang Muwen walked over to Wen Yichen, raised a hand, and pinched his arm, which was all muscle and no excess flesh. "Wen Yichen, have you lost your mind? Just because he’s rich doesn’t mean you can scam his money like that."

Hearing her say that, Wen Yichen, who had already been feeling sour inside, became even more unhappy. He stared at Jiang Muwen, leaned down slightly, and his tone carried a hint of accusation. "Are you an idiot? Don’t you know what he’s after?"

At that, Jiang Muwen froze. She stared blankly at Wen Yichen, seemingly not understanding why he would suddenly say something like that. Tilting her head up a little, she replied softly, "Wen Yichen, what are you talking about? How could Gu Niancun be the kind of person you’re imagining?"

As soon as she finished, Wen Yichen seemed momentarily stumped. He looked at Jiang Muwen, and a complicated expression flashed through his eyes. Slowly, he straightened up. Perhaps he really was being too suspicious.

But seeing another man tease her into laughter, seeing her smile so brightly at someone else, made him deeply uncomfortable.

Forget it. He did not want to think about it anymore.

Wen Yichen adjusted his expression, then lifted the black skirt hem slightly and said, "I’m going to change," before turning and leaving.

This year’s charity sale ended later than last year’s. On the way home, Wen Yichen remained silent the entire time, sullen as if he had some sort of illness that shut him off from the world. Wen Yixin followed beside the two children, yet unexpectedly could not think of a single topic to liven up the atmosphere.

Only now did Wen Yichen finally understand what it meant to love someone from afar: even jealousy was a luxury he was not entitled to. His heart was bitter, but he could only swallow it down. Every time he saw Gu Niancun, he began to feel restless and insecure.

Jiang Muwen had probably also noticed Wen Yichen’s displeasure, but she did not dare say anything. What if she opened her mouth and only made him angrier? That would be terrible.

The group walked side by side. No one knew when Wen Yixin had drifted over to her side. The next moment, he lightly tapped Jiang Muwen on the shoulder.

Jiang Muwen looked up at him in confusion.

"Little Muwen." As he spoke, Wen Yixin pulled her slightly toward himself and deliberately lowered his voice, as though he were about to tell her a secret.

"Mm?"

"You like Wen Yichen, don’t you?"