Chapter 150: Could It Be That I Have to Take Responsibility for Him? (Part 1)

The moment the bear's furry paws wrapped around Jiang Muwen's waist, her mind went entirely blank. This embrace felt entirely devoid of unfamiliarity; an embrace between strangers surely should not feel like this.

The bear instinctively bent forward slightly, the arms circling her waist tightening involuntarily with a trace of lingering affection, giving Jiang Muwen the distinct impression that this hug was hard-won.

For a long time, the bear did not release his hold. Not only did he keep his arms around her, but he also raised one hand, gently and softly patting her back as if comforting a wronged little kitten. It was as though he understood all her grievances, as though he knew every bit of her sorrow and pain.

An inexplicable surge of emotion welled up in Jiang Muwen's heart, her nose stinging with a sudden sourness. All the grievances and blows she had suffered over these past days, both old and new, seemed to erupt all at once in this very moment.

Perhaps it would be better to just cry her heart out right now; anyway, the person in front of her did not even know her, she thought. With that, Jiang Muwen buried her face in the bear's chest. The soft and fluffy fabric seemed to offer her boundless comfort, and within moments, tears welled up in her eyes.

At first, the bear had no idea what Jiang Muwen was doing, until he felt the girl in his arms trembling. No, it was not trembling; it was sobbing.

She was truly well-behaved, neither making a fuss nor causing a scene. She cried very softly, perhaps because she had buried her face inside the mascot costume, muffling the sound of her weeping somewhat.

Seeing the girl cry like this, the bear's paw, which had been gently patting her back, paused. As if startled, he waited a moment before slowly lifting his hand to stroke the girl's head with doting tenderness.

He did not say a single word, yet to Jiang Muwen, it was the greatest comfort possible. These emotions had been suppressed in her heart for so long, and today, they were finally released.

Jiang Muwen had no idea how long she cried. Perhaps she had grown a bit tired, or perhaps she had simply cried away all her unhappiness, but finally, she stopped. Jiang Muwen raised her head again, her limpid eyes red and swollen from crying. Perhaps she really had wept too fiercely this time; even though the tears had stopped, her whole body was still racked with occasional residual shudders.

The corners of her eyes were still wet with undried tears, and her bright eyes retained a lingering trace of sorrow that had not yet completely faded.

The next second, the bear slowly raised his hand, his furry palm cautiously touching her cheek, and then, little by little, gently brushed away the tear tracks on her face.

The bear's chest had already been soaked through by Jiang Muwen's tears, the tiny fibers matted together by the moisture, making that patch a shade darker than the surrounding fur.

Jiang Muwen stared at the bear's chest, a flicker of slight apology passing through her eyes. In truth, she had never expected to cry all over someone else's clothes—no, the truth was she never expected herself to cry at all.

The air fell silent. After staring at the garment for a moment, Jiang Muwen hesitantly raised her hand and gently stroked the bear's chest, attempting to smooth down the damp and rumpled fabric she had messed up.

The moment her small hand brushed against the clothing, the bear instinctively flinched. Her movements were very light, and the mascot suit was made of thin fabric, so as Jiang Muwen stroked it like this, the person inside the costume naturally felt a tickling sensation.

The next second, the bear raised his paw and gripped Jiang Muwen's wrist.

Jiang Muwen lifted her gaze, looking at that round, goofy head, her heart skipping a beat. His reaction seemed somewhat unreasonable. Ordinarily, a stranger would not hug you so tightly during an embrace, nor would they grasp your wrist with such practiced familiarity.

"I'm sorry," Jiang Muwen instinctively pulled her hand back.

The bear said nothing, only slowly lowering his hand.

"May I venture to ask who on earth you are?" Jiang Muwen asked, looking tentatively at the bear before her.

When she finished speaking, there was still no response.

"Then can I take a look at you?" Seeing that the bear remained unresponsive, Jiang Muwen pressed on.

Ancillary silence was her only reply. The bear simply stood before her, neither nodding nor shaking his head.

Given that Jiang Muwen was much shorter than the bear standing before her, she had no way of directly pulling off his headpiece. Left with no other choice, she cautiously reached out toward the bear. Her small hand touched the round head, and the next second, she gently lifted the headpiece upward.

Gradually, a fair face came into Jiang Muwen's view. A chin, lips, a nose—the features of the person before her became increasingly clear, and increasingly familiar. Until she caught sight of those clear, vibrant eyes.

Jiang Muwen's pupils constricted, her heart skipping a beat as though she had missed a pulse. She could hardly believe that the person who had just handed her water, given her an embrace, and offered her comfort was actually Wen Yichen, the one she had searched for everywhere without success.

She should have thought of this! From his height, his white shoes, to the way he hugged her—

Her mind went completely blank in an instant. Looking at Wen Yichen right before her eyes, Jiang Muwen suddenly had no idea what to do. Everything had happened too suddenly, so suddenly that she was not mentally prepared in the slightest.

With that thought, Jiang Muwen let go in a panic.

A dull thud echoed in Jiang Muwen's ears as the headpiece fell squarely and neatly, covering Wen Yichen's face entirely.

The two of them stood rigidly in place. At this moment, the bear before her was lowering his head. Jiang Muwen looked at him and then offered a bitterly helpless smile. Even though the headpiece blocked Wen Yichen's head, Jiang Muwen could practically sense the dark lines cascading down his face right now.

"I—I'm sorry!"

Getting hit squarely like that with the headpiece must have hurt a bit, right?

Even if it didn't hurt, he must have been completely dazed by the sudden hooding, right?

Jiang Muwen looked at the bear before her, remembering to reach out and stroke the plush fur on his headpiece. As she smoothed it down, she offered another awkward, losing-face smile.

"Well, goodbye then!" With that, Jiang Muwen lowered her hand, turned around, and prepared to scurry away in disgrace.

Before she had taken even two steps, however, he grabbed her wrist. A surge of force yanked her body backward, and before Jiang Muwen could react, she was pulled right back into place.

Finally, the bear in front of her spoke. His familiar, deep voice, muffled slightly by the headpiece, reached her ears: "Where are you going?"

The next second, Jiang Muwen's heart fluttered anxiously. Wen Yichen showed not the slightest intention of letting go of her. She instinctively tried to pull her hand back, but the grip around her wrist seemed to tighten by a fraction.

The girl raised her eyes to look at the bear before her. The air was quiet. Clearly, the bear was smiling down at her, but right now, she somehow sensed something else lingering beneath that smile. She had only hugged this bear—surely she wasn't expected to take responsibility for him, was she?