Chapter 131: Could You Come to My House? (Part Two)

Jiang Muwen gazed at his shoulder, her hands coming to a halt as she found herself lost in thought. Wen Yichen seemed to notice her distraction; he tilted his head slightly, and a moment later, his low voice reached her ears: "Are you finished?"

At his words, Jiang Muwen abruptly snapped back to reality. She glanced at the young man before her, then quickly averted her eyes, hurriedly peeling off the remaining adhesive plasters. "Yes, all done."

Once she had finished, Wen Yichen slowly raised his hands to straighten his collar.

He sat there quietly for a moment before leaning forward to pick up a canned soda from the table and taking a sip.

Jiang Muwen sat beside him, the soft light casting a gentle, silk-like golden glow over him. He must be exhausted from these past few days. In her memory, he had never been one for heavy manual labor, yet for the last seven days, he had been lugging around that heavy camera every single day.

"Are you very tired these past few days?" Jiang Muwen asked cautiously.

The moment the words left her lips, Wen Yichen froze, then quickly composed his expression. "Not tired."

"The camera was heavy, wasn't it?" she pressed, her concern deepening.

This time, her tone was different—a calm, yet underlying sense of heartache permeated her words. It was a tone Wen Yichen had never heard from her before. His grip on the soda can faltered, and his heart seemed to ache in response. "It wasn't heavy."

Not wanting to worry her, he offered a faint, polite smile.

His words only made Jiang Muwen’s heart ache more. The camera was clearly heavy, and his shoulder was visibly injured, yet he insisted it wasn't heavy at all.

It was he who had snatched the task from her without a second thought. If not for him, she would likely be the one lying in a hospital bed right now. At the thought, her nose stung with unbidden tears.

"If it wasn't heavy, how did you get injured?" she muttered to herself, casting a stealthy glance at the boy beside her.

"I just twisted it by accident." Wen Yichen, seemingly unaware that she was referring to the raw, bloodied marks on his shoulder, instinctively reached out and ruffled her hair gently. "I need to get back to work. You should go too, so you don't end up getting home too late."

With that, he rose and walked quickly back toward the crew, chatting, interacting, and helping move equipment with such normalcy that one would never guess he was in any pain.

Jiang Muwen watched him for a while before reluctantly turning away, walking slowly toward her own office. This was the final day of their professional internship; it felt as though she had only just begun, yet seven days had already passed in the blink of an eye.

***

By the time Jiang Muwen finished her final task, the sky had turned dark. She walked out of the company alone, met by the evening breeze, which carried a hint of residual heat. Yet, she felt no joy; the image of Wen Yichen kept her heart aching. Unable to voice her distress, she opened Weibo and, after a few taps on the screen, posted an update:

"My childhood friend has been doing a professional internship. Today, while I was applying plasters for him, I discovered bloodstains on his shoulder from carrying the camera. QAQ"

Shortly after the post went live, comments began to pour in, most of them urging the friend to get some rest and suggesting that she give him a massage.

"..." Jiang Muwen stared at the replies, momentarily bewildered. But soon, the confusion faded, replaced by an irrepressible, doting smile.

Just as she was imagining herself massaging Wen Yichen’s shoulders, her phone vibrated.

Her thoughts were pulled back instantly. She glanced at the screen, her heart skipping a beat. It was a message from Wen Yichen.

*Wen Yichen: Are you back yet?*

Why would he suddenly send her a message like this? Asking if she was "back yet"—could something be wrong?

Jiang Muwen stared at the message for a moment before composing herself.

*Jiang Muwen: I’m on the bus.*

*Wen Yichen: Can you come to my place?*

The moment the message appeared, her heart skipped another beat. Was he actually going to ask her for a massage?

*Jiang Muwen: ?*

*Wen Yichen: There’s something I need your help with.*

He seemed hesitant to say it outright. Yet, even if he was shy, she didn't mind. After all, she would happily dash over to him whenever he called, regardless of the reason; the prospect of seeing him again was never a loss in her eyes.

***

*Jiang Muwen: Okay.*

A while later, the bus finally pulled to a stop near the entrance of his apartment complex. As soon as Jiang Muwen stepped off, another message arrived from Wen Yichen: *Are you here yet?*

*Jiang Muwen: Almost, almost. Just wait a little longer.*

*Wen Yichen: Okay, sorry to trouble you.*

Not long after she stepped into the elevator, another message chimed: *Are you here yet?*

Honestly, in all the time she had known him, she had never seen Wen Yichen message like this. He was acting like an automated, time-delayed reply, checking in every few minutes.

It felt as though they were up to something illicit, something that required immediate action.

*Jiang Muwen: I'm here. Help me open the door.*

*Wen Yichen: There’s a key under the mat at my door. Use that.*

Jiang Muwen stared at the message, momentarily stunned. Their relationship seemed to have grown closer without her even noticing. He was so trusting, leaving a key under the mat like that.

She knelt at his doorstep, lifted the corner of the mat, and sure enough, found the key hidden in the upper right corner.

She picked it up, inserted it into the lock, and with a gentle turn, the door clicked open. As she stepped inside, the faint scent of medicinal plasters greeted her.

Before she could even close the door, Wen Yichen’s voice drifted toward her: "Come into the bedroom."