Chapter Thirteen: The Secret Shared by Five

Seeing Jiang Muwen’s bewildered expression, Yin Lize couldn’t help but laugh as well. “Little Wen! From now on, you’re my big brother!”

Jiang Muwen was taken aback by Yin Lize’s declaration and hurriedly protested, “No, no, no, I’m not anyone’s big brother...!”

She had no desire to be anyone’s big brother, much less Yin Lize’s—she simply couldn’t bear that title.

“If you ever find yourself in trouble, just come to me, Big Brother. I’ll definitely help you!” Yin Lize paid no attention to Jiang Muwen’s protests. Having said his piece, he turned around, sprawled over his desk, and promptly fell asleep.

And so, the two boys, one after the other, slept through the entire morning.

When noon arrived, the entire class burst from the room like sprinters in a hundred-meter dash, racing to the cafeteria. The only ones left in the classroom were Wen Yichen and Yin Lize, still deep in their slumber.

Jiang Muwen didn’t go to the cafeteria. Instead, she went to the supermarket downstairs with Gu Nianxi, heated up a couple of boxed lunches, and returned to the classroom.

A faint aroma of food drifted from the packaging, subtly infusing the air.

Wen Yichen opened his eyes in a daze. The first thing he saw was the boxed lunch on the corner of his desk, steam swirling gently against his cheek and carrying a hint of delicious curry.

Waking Wen Yichen was actually quite simple—apart from banging drums by his ear, just the smell of a fragrant meal would rouse him.

He glanced at the lunch, then looked around. When his gaze landed on Jiang Muwen, sitting directly opposite him, he started in surprise, as if he hadn’t expected her to be there at all.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” Wen Yichen’s voice was still hoarse from sleep.

“The cafeteria is too crowded, so we bought boxed lunches,” Jiang Muwen replied, pushing the meal toward him.

“I figured you’d sleep through lunch, so I brought one back for you,” she added.

Wen Yichen took the lunch, glanced around the empty classroom, and asked, “Where’s Bai Xu?”

Bai Xu? He had dashed out the moment the bell rang, probably still fighting for food in the cafeteria.

“He’s in the cafeteria.”

No sooner had Jiang Muwen spoken than Yin Lize awoke from his deep sleep like a man from a dream.

He sat up slowly, stretched lazily, and when his eyes landed on the boxed lunch, they lit up with delight.

He picked it up, assuming Jiang Muwen had brought it for him. “Thanks for the lunch, Big Brother!”

…

Yin Lize’s words caught Wen Yichen’s attention. He looked at Yin Lize, then at Jiang Muwen, who wore an awkward expression.

For some reason, hearing Yin Lize call her “big brother” made Wen Yichen feel uncomfortable, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on why.

No one responded to Yin Lize, and silence fell over the room.

“That one’s from me,” Gu Nianxi finally broke the quiet, gently correcting him.

Yin Lize looked up, locking eyes with Gu Nianxi. After a moment, he smiled at her. “Thanks, Boss Gu!”

In truth, Yin Lize wasn’t as intimidating as everyone believed. He simply exuded a kind of roguish aura that made others instinctively keep their distance.

In his classmates’ eyes, he was like a lion—always one bad mood away from devouring everyone.

Wen Yichen glanced at Yin Lize, then turned his attention back to his lunch, opening it with slow deliberation and scooping up a bite.

As soon as the rice entered his mouth, Jiang Muwen called his name.

He looked up, only to see Jiang Muwen holding out her hand to him.

…?

He couldn’t quite guess what she wanted. Swallowing his food, he assumed she was asking for money for the lunch. “I...”

“Did you happen to take my pencil case?” Jiang Muwen asked quietly.

Only then did Wen Yichen recall the matter.

He looked around, set down his chopsticks, and quietly opened his backpack, moving as if engaged in something illicit.

A moment later, he pulled out a soft, pink plush pencil case.

He had just placed it into Jiang Muwen’s hand and hadn’t even withdrawn his own when Bai Xu walked in on them.

Bai Xu was never one to hold back. At the sight of Wen Yichen’s gesture, he became instantly and uncontrollably excited.

“Aha!” Bai Xu laughed, ignoring the others entirely. He glanced at Wen Yichen, then nimbly took his seat. “So it really was Little Wen that came to your house for tutoring yesterday?”

Wen Yichen instinctively shot Bai Xu a glare, frustrated that his carefully guarded secret had been blurted out so carelessly.

All at once, the three of them seemed frozen in place. At Bai Xu’s words, the ears of two of them turned red in unison.

It was only when Wen Yichen fixed him with a glare of death that Bai Xu realized his mistake. But once spoken, words can never be taken back. Now everyone had heard.

Besides the three who were stunned, there were two more in the room, equally shocked.

After all, the semester had only just begun, and everyone was still half-strangers. For Jiang Muwen to have gone to Wen Yichen’s house for tutoring was a startling revelation to those who didn’t know the full story.

“Little Wen, you and Wen Yichen…” Gu Nianxi’s voice trailed off, her face full of astonishment as she looked at Jiang Muwen.

At this point, there was no hiding the truth.

For a moment, the air seemed to freeze; no one spoke, and the unnatural silence was almost unbearable.

Wen Yichen finally shifted his gaze to Gu Nianxi. Taking advantage of the relative privacy, he spoke at last. “Jiang Muwen and I are neighbors.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Jiang Muwen’s heart gave a heavy thump. All Wen Yichen had admitted was that they were neighbors, yet it felt as though he’d publicly announced something monumental.

The secret Wen Yichen had always wanted to keep hidden had now been spoken aloud by his own lips. Once again, silence descended.

“Could you all… not mention this to anyone?” Wen Yichen added.

After he spoke, Yin Lize piped up, “We won’t, we won’t! This is a secret between the five of us.”