Chapter Twelve: Thank You, Big Brother

Happiness arrived so suddenly that Jiang Muwen was momentarily at a loss.

“What are you dazing off for? Start copying!” Wen Yichen shot her a glance before his eyes returned to the exam paper.

For Wen Yichen, a boy who insisted on eight hours of sleep each night, ten o’clock was already past his bedtime. He ought to have been comfortably tucked in, but instead, thanks to Jiang Muwen—this little tyrant—he found himself, for once, sitting at a desk, racing to finish her homework.

He’d always thought nothing could keep him from his sleep, until he met Jiang Muwen, and realized how utterly mistaken he’d been.

Now, between him and his bed, there remained a barrier of nearly ten assignments.

How bold a person is, how late their homework drags on—these words could not describe anyone better than Jiang Muwen.

“Wen Yichen…” Jiang Muwen suddenly called his name, causing his hand to pause mid-sentence. He stopped, looked up, and gazed at the girl beside him.

“But our handwriting is different. If you do my homework, won’t the teacher notice?”

“Do you really think the teacher will check every single one?” Wen Yichen retorted. With so much holiday homework, he doubted any teacher would bother grading each page.

He did have a point. At his words, Jiang Muwen relaxed, buried her head, and began copying again. It was her first time copying Wen Yichen’s homework, and she had to admit—it felt strangely novel.

By the time they finished, it was almost midnight.

Wen Yichen finished the last word, tossed his pen onto the table, and slumped back in his chair, staring blankly ahead. If he’d known it would end like this, he should have just given the assignments to Jiang Muwen to copy from the start.

“Wen Yichen…” Jiang Muwen called his name softly. Perhaps because she hadn’t spoken in hours, her voice was tender and a little muffled.

“Mm?” Wen Yichen responded, his voice rough and low, as if it rose straight from his throat.

“Thank you…”

It had been so long since he’d heard Jiang Muwen thank him. The sudden words made him turn his head instinctively. He gazed at her in silence, then finally smiled—a smile so faint it was as though an ancient glacier had finally cracked, letting a gentle sunlight in, scattering crystalline light.

“It’s late. Go home and sleep,” Wen Yichen didn’t answer her thanks directly. He got up, tiredly scratched his hair, shuffled to the bedroom door in his slippers. “I won’t see you out. Be quiet when you leave—everyone should be asleep by now.”

By the time the two of them had washed up, it was already deep into the night. When they woke the next morning, both were groggy, meeting outside their doors with the dull, lifeless eyes of fish.

Wen Yichen glanced at Jiang Muwen, so drained he couldn’t even muster a simple “morning.”

Yet even in his bleary state, Jiang Muwen still found him strikingly handsome—a unique kind of beauty.

He was her sustenance, her spiritual nourishment; whenever her gaze fell upon him, her whole being seemed to brighten, her mood lifted. The moment he appeared, it was as if every ray of sunshine bathed him, driving away the gloom and making the world seem bright and good.

But as soon as Wen Yichen spoke, all that beauty vanished. His voice was cold—clearly full of morning grumpiness: “What are you standing there for? Let’s go.”

…

After arriving at school, Jiang Muwen sat at her usual seat, patiently unpacked her books, and reached for her pencil case.

“That’s odd… where’s my pencil case?” She didn’t find it at first, so she stuck her head into her bag, rummaging through every corner.

Still, it was nowhere to be found. Pulling her head out of the bag, she remembered—she’d left it on Wen Yichen’s desk the previous night.

She wanted to ask Wen Yichen if he’d seen it, but when she turned around, she was surprised to see him sprawled on his desk, fast asleep.

His long lashes rested obediently on his cheeks, and the lazy sunlight of early autumn spilled over him, gilding him in a soft, golden haze.

In that moment, all the surrounding noise faded away for Jiang Muwen, and the world seemed to dim around her. In the sunlight, she could almost see the motes of dust floating beside Wen Yichen, and his body rising and falling with each breath. He looked just like a docile big cat, napping peacefully in the sun.

He seemed to be the very embodiment of all things good; as long as he was there, every trouble in her world shrank to nothing, even the air itself tasted sweet, like cotton candy.

How could she not like such a wonderful boy?

Jiang Muwen was utterly entranced, admiring Wen Yichen’s extraordinary beauty, when suddenly a boy’s voice shattered the lovely atmosphere she had so carefully built.

“Hey! Muwen! Hurry, hurry, hurry! Homework! I need the assignments and the exercise books, both of them!”

It was Yin Lize’s voice.

He charged to his seat in a whirlwind, flinging his backpack onto the desk with a flourish. No sooner had he touched his chair than he spun around. “Quick, quick! I’m desperate here! Help a brother out!”

…

Jiang Muwen turned, staring blankly at Yin Lize, still dazed.

“Aiya! Why are you so slow!” Apparently in real distress, Yin Lize stood up himself when she didn’t react, walked over to her, crouched down, and pulled the holiday homework from her desk.

“Hey—” Jiang Muwen didn’t even have time to stop him before he slid back to his own seat.

She didn’t dare say anything to his face, much less scold him, since he looked every bit the sort of person you didn’t want to cross.

They say those who leave their holiday homework for the last night are brave, but today, Jiang Muwen had seen someone even bolder.

Watching Yin Lize’s back as he frantically copied, Jiang Muwen couldn’t help but feel both amused and exasperated. Who would have thought the notorious troublemaker could look so desperate over homework?

It wasn’t long before Yin Lize returned all the papers and exercise books to Jiang Muwen.

She was just about to comment on his impressive speed when Yin Lize cut her off.

“Thanks, boss!” he shouted at her with boisterous gratitude.

The sudden shout nearly scared Jiang Muwen out of her wits.