Chapter 149: Can I Hug You?

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“But…” Jiang Muwen looked at Yin Lize with embarrassment. She had not even decided yet—how had he already written her name down?

“It’s all about taking part.” As he spoke, Yin Lize pressed his pen once more, then returned it to Jiang Muwen’s pencil case. “You don’t have to push yourself like last time. Just take it easy.”

The sports meet arrived as scheduled. Perhaps she had truly been frightened by that fall last time, or perhaps it was simply because she had gone too long without exercising. Either way, she failed to achieve a good ranking in the relay race.

Though the event depended on everyone’s combined efforts, Jiang Muwen, who had run the final leg, still felt somewhat guilty. Amid the laughter and cheers, she lowered her head and slowly left the field.

Finding Wen Yichen was the first thing that came to mind after the race ended.

Jiang Muwen walked aimlessly, her hurried breathing not yet settled, when Zhou Yao’s voice reached her once again.

“I never thought Jiang Muwen would be simple-minded and have useless limbs too.”

“Shh—she’s right over there!” Xia Manman’s voice followed.

These two girls really were impossible to shake off.

Jiang Muwen was already upset about losing the race. Hearing those remarks made her feel even worse. She had wanted to stop and retort, but in the end she held herself back. Forget it. There was no point arguing with idiots.

Pretending she had not heard them, Jiang Muwen turned the corner and walked away on her own.

Only after she had put the sports field far behind her did her ears finally enjoy a moment of peace. Unable to find Wen Yichen, she simply chose a place and sat down.

The wind of early autumn already carried a hint of chill. It swept over Jiang Muwen’s body and tousled the loose strands of hair across her forehead. She instinctively raised a hand and tucked them behind her ear, then lowered her eyes and stared blankly at the tips of her shoes.

For one brief moment, Jiang Muwen truly felt that she was rather hopeless. Her grades had held the class back, and even her performance in sports could not bring the class any glory.

The more she thought about it, the worse she felt. Was she really so worthless in everyone else’s eyes?

Just as she was sinking into sadness, a bottle of mineral water suddenly appeared before her. Someone was offering it to her.

The bottle interrupted Jiang Muwen’s thoughts. Seeing the hand covered by a fuzzy glove, holding out the water, she felt her heart tremble. Then, almost instinctively, she lifted her head.

The next second, what entered her line of sight was a bear mascot: a furry costume, an adorable headpiece, and an innocent, radiant smile printed across it. The bear was rather tall and seemed a little thin. There was something strangely familiar about that figure.

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Jiang Muwen stared blankly at the bear before her, but did not take the bottle of water from his hand.

Seeing that she had not moved, the bear extended the bottle toward her again.

The air fell silent. The bear seemed genuinely unable to speak. He stubbornly held out the bottle, apparently determined that Jiang Muwen accept it.

Having no choice, Jiang Muwen hesitantly raised her hand. Puzzled, she looked at the bear before her and slowly took the bottle from his grasp.

“Thank you.”

After seeing her accept the water, the bear lowered his head again without the slightest response. He could not help but poke her once more.

Jiang Muwen looked up again, curiosity filling her clear eyes.

The next moment, the bear raised his hand and pointed at the bottle. Then he mimed unscrewing the cap and drinking, signaling for her to have some water.

It was rare to encounter such an enthusiastic bear, and Jiang Muwen could not help smiling. Obediently, she unscrewed the cap and took a sip.

The bear seemed very pleased by her actions. After Jiang Muwen set the bottle aside, he involuntarily raised his hand and gently stroked her head.

The tender gesture warmed Jiang Muwen. She looked at the bear curiously and finally could not resist asking, “Who are you?”

As soon as she finished speaking, the air once again fell silent. The bear did not say a word.

“Do I know you?” Jiang Muwen asked again.

After she spoke, the bear paused for a moment. Jiang Muwen could not see his expression and did not know whether he had heard her. Just as she was about to ask again, the bear finally lifted a hand to his head and shook it, his head and body moving together.

“Are you a student volunteering here?” Jiang Muwen asked tentatively.

A moment later, the bear nodded again.

So they did not know each other, and he was merely a student volunteer. Jiang Muwen’s gaze remained fixed on that round head. She stared directly at the bear for a long while before finally gathering her courage and asking, “Could I give you a hug?”

The pressure she had been under lately was simply too great. At that moment, she truly needed an embrace. Normally, she would never dare ask anyone for one. But since neither of them knew the other, and the person before her was dressed as a bear mascot, she could simply pretend she was hugging a bear.

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After she finished speaking, the bear did not react at all.

Jiang Muwen seemed to sense that he was unwilling. Her gaze slowly dimmed, and she gave a self-mocking smile.

“I’m sorry. That was too presumptuous of me. I’ve been under a lot of pressure lately. I’m really sorry.”

With that, Jiang Muwen lowered her eyes again, her gaze falling upon the bear’s white shoes.

Those shoes seemed rather large. Not only were they large—why did they look so familiar?

As she wondered about this, she saw the white shoes move slowly toward her, taking two steps. The next moment, she felt two light taps on her arm.

Jiang Muwen raised her head again, her eyes returning to the bear. Though that round headpiece bore only a single expression, she somehow seemed able to read countless emotions from it.

She stared at the bear and tilted her head slightly, looking at him in confusion.

Then, completely beyond her expectations, the bear opened his arms before her, plainly waiting for her to come and hug him.

Jiang Muwen’s heart trembled. She stared blankly at the bear, seemingly unable to believe that he had actually agreed.

“Really?” She looked at him and asked cautiously once more.

After a moment, the bear withdrew his hands and nodded obediently. His movements were a little clumsy, as though the nod made his entire body rock back and forth.

Only after nodding did the bear open his arms toward the girl once again.

Jiang Muwen froze for a second, then slowly rose to her feet. Finally, she stopped in front of the bear and opened her arms, wrapping them around his waist.

The soft fabric was so comfortable that Jiang Muwen almost did not want to let go. There was no denying that the bear was very tall—tall enough for her to rest against his chest with ease.

The next second, she felt his arms tighten around her waist. Her body trembled instinctively.

The bear had embraced her too.

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