Chapter Forty-Four: Reluctant to Let Go

Wen Yichen set the glass of milk down and wiped away the trace left at the corner of his lips, much like a cat caught in the act, hastily erasing the mark of its secret indulgence. He looked up, meeting Yin Lizhe’s gaze, his eyes filled with surprise and, beneath that, an unmistakable awkwardness.

Jiang Muwen glanced at Yin Lizhe and forced a bitter smile. “I thought… that the milk was misplaced by one of Wen Yichen’s little admirers… so I gave it to Wen Yichen…”

Just as she spoke, Bai Xu entered the classroom and took his seat, his expression puzzled. “Wen Yichen—why are you so odd? Why do you always return the gifts those girls give you for your birthday every year? Isn’t it a shame to disappoint their good intentions?”

Bai Xu’s words immediately caught Jiang Muwen’s attention; she leaned back discreetly, eager to listen in on their conversation.

After Bai Xu asked, Wen Yichen paused, then pulled a book from his bag and flipped through a few pages nonchalantly. “Accepting their gifts would be the real disappointment.”

To him, since he neither knew nor liked those girls, it was best to clarify things swiftly—he disliked leaving them with unnecessary fantasies, letting them believe they still had a chance.

Jiang Muwen listened secretly, her heart tightening. Wen Yichen refused other girls’ birthday gifts, but every year, he accepted hers. Even something as simple as a card, he kept tucked away in his drawer...

Hearing Wen Yichen’s words, Bai Xu grew more curious. He leaned closer to Wen Yichen, lowering his voice as he studied him. “So tell me, have you ever accepted a girl’s gift?”

Bai Xu and Wen Yichen had known each other for years, and every year Bai Xu helped return gifts. He’d thought that returning them would discourage the girls, but each year new admirers appeared, and Wen Yichen would hand their gifts to Bai Xu to be returned. Year after year, this routine made Bai Xu suspect Wen Yichen had some sort of allergy to presents.

“How could I not?” Wen Yichen retorted.

“Then tell me, whose gifts have you accepted?” Bai Xu pressed, following Wen Yichen’s lead.

Wen Yichen paused, struck by the question. Had it not been asked today, he might never have realized that, from childhood to now, every gift from a girl that he’d actually kept had come from Jiang Muwen.

The gifts from his admirers were always returned, and girls he barely knew never gave him anything—at most, a birthday greeting.

“Gifts from friends, I always accept,” Wen Yichen replied calmly, breathing a silent sigh of relief that Bai Xu hadn’t trapped him with his words.

Bai Xu eyed Wen Yichen, the mischievous glint in his gaze deepening. He glanced toward Jiang Muwen. “Friends… or—”

He deliberately dragged out the last word, but before he could finish, Wen Yichen looped an arm around Bai Xu’s neck and tugged him close. “Or what, hmm?”

At that moment, Bai Xu seemed caught by the scruff of fate, unable to move. “Nothing… nothing at all…”

Only then did Wen Yichen’s face relax into a satisfied smile.

Just as Bai Xu was about to ask Wen Yichen to let him go, a soft, tentative female voice called out to them. “Wen Yichen…”

The gentle tone made Wen Yichen tense—it was Xia Manman.

He looked up at her, then wiped away his smile and released Bai Xu. “What is it?”

His gaze was calm, yet beneath the calm lay surprise and awkwardness. After all, yesterday he’d not only rejected Xia Manman’s confession but hung up on her call, and now she appeared before him as if nothing had happened—something he hadn’t expected.

“Yesterday… was your birthday…” Xia Manman spoke as she carefully placed a gift box on Wen Yichen’s desk. “I didn’t know what you’d like, so I got you a scarf…”

Wen Yichen looked at the pale pink box in silence.

Before Xia Manman’s hand could leave the gift, Wen Yichen reached to return it. “Xia Manman—”

“I know.” She cut him off before he could finish. It was as if she anticipated his words. She glanced at him and, in a voice only they could hear, whispered, “I heard everything you said yesterday, but I don’t want to give up—that’s my own decision. Giving you a gift is something I do willingly. I just hope… you won’t reject me a second time.”

With that, Xia Manman let go and walked back to her seat.

Before him, Xia Manman was like an indomitable cockroach; unless she won Wen Yichen’s heart, she would persist, refusing to back down.

“Brother Chen, Xia Manman—she’s something else!” Bai Xu watched her retreating figure and couldn’t help but sigh, seemingly impressed by her persistence.

At his words, Wen Yichen’s brows furrowed. For some reason, hearing Xia Manman’s name irritated him. He punched Bai Xu. “Stop bothering me!”

On one side, Wen Yichen was agitated by Xia Manman’s relentless pursuit; on the other, Jiang Muwen remained outwardly calm, though her heart churned with turmoil.

This time, it seemed she’d truly encountered a formidable rival.

She stared at Xia Manman’s silhouette, lost in thought, oblivious to whatever Yin Lizhe was saying.

Suddenly, a large hand waved in front of her, pulling her out of her reverie.

“What are you thinking about?” Yin Lizhe asked curiously, following her gaze.

“Nothing,” Jiang Muwen replied, her eyes returning to him. “What’s up?”

“I just asked—if you don’t like milk, what do you like?” Yin Lizhe patiently repeated his question.

He had spoken quietly, but Wen Yichen, seated behind them, still overheard. Each time he saw Yin Lizhe speaking to Jiang Muwen, Wen Yichen felt a surge of irritation. Whether it was a male’s instinctive competitiveness or possessiveness, he couldn’t say. Before Jiang Muwen could answer, Wen Yichen interjected, “She likes juice, just like me.”

Rather than simply answering, his words sounded more like a hint—see, even her tastes are the same as mine.