Chapter Seventy-Seven: The Relentless Shadow

The uncle spoke as he handed the freshly made pancake to Wen Yichen.

Wen Yichen raised his hand to take the pancake, then placed the money in the uncle’s palm. “Uncle, about this… please keep it a secret for me. Don’t tell anyone, okay?”

Seeing Wen Yichen so shy, the uncle couldn’t help but chuckle. “Alright, alright—”

…

When Wen Yichen returned home, his hands were full of food. Besides breakfast, he had thoughtfully bought a few apples for Jiang Muwen.

Upon arriving, the house was still quiet. Wen Yichen figured Jiang Muwen probably hadn’t woken up yet, so he carried the apples into the kitchen.

Actually, Jiang Muwen had already woken up when Wen Yichen opened the door. She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling for a long while before gradually coming to her senses—last night, Wen Yichen had gotten drunk, and she was invited to sleep beside him.

The more Jiang Muwen thought about it, the more flustered she became. She wondered what Wen Yichen’s reaction would be upon seeing her awake, but whatever it was, it shouldn’t be unpleasant, right? After all… according to Wen Yichen’s character, if he truly disliked her sleeping in his bed, he would have pulled her up as soon as he sobered.

But recalling Wen Yichen’s drunken state last night… Jiang Muwen felt she couldn’t quite figure this boy out.

Perhaps because her thoughts troubled her, Jiang Muwen felt a little hot. She threw off the covers, got dressed, and carefully exited the bedroom.

As soon as she stepped out, she heard the sound of a knife falling on the cutting board, one gentle thud after another. Hearing that, Jiang Muwen could almost picture Wen Yichen standing there, methodically slicing something.

Finally, she reached the kitchen doorway. The young man before her was bent over, seriously cutting apples he'd placed on the board.

Why was he slicing apples so early in the morning? Did he have a habit of eating apples after breakfast? Even if he did, peeling and cutting them into pieces seemed rather meticulous.

After a while, Jiang Muwen dismissed the thought—perhaps her own life was just too rough.

Looking at the boy bathed in sunlight, Jiang Muwen was suddenly struck by a sense of beauty. In the hazy light and shadow, she seemed to glimpse a future where the two of them lived together.

As she was lost in thought, Wen Yichen spoke quietly, “You’re awake?”

His gaze remained fixed on the apples before him, as if he had no time to look up at Jiang Muwen.

Before Jiang Muwen could reply, Wen Yichen spoke again, “Go freshen up, breakfast will be ready soon.”

Jiang Muwen still obediently stood there.

“…,” Wen Yichen seemed to sense that Jiang Muwen hadn’t left. He paused his movements, looked up at her. “Is something wrong?”

“So you peel and cut apples into pieces to eat?” Jiang Muwen glanced at the unevenly cut apple chunks, asking timidly. She never had that habit—usually, she just washed apples and bit right in.

Wen Yichen was momentarily at a loss for words—he didn’t have that habit either, but he thought it might be more convenient, and with that special urge to take care of her, he’d ended up bringing apples into the kitchen.

“Go wash up.” Wen Yichen didn’t answer Jiang Muwen directly, and she didn’t dwell on it. Since he didn’t say otherwise, she simply assumed he’d tacitly agreed.

Once she finished freshening up, Wen Yichen’s breakfast was ready. The meal was simple, with soft sunlight spilling across the table, giving Jiang Muwen a feeling of warmth.

He had prepared a cup of chocolate milk for her, its rich aroma filling her nose and instantly awakening her taste buds.

As soon as she sat down, Wen Yichen’s voice drifted over, “Jiang Muwen… after I got drunk last night… did I do anything unusual?”

It was Wen Yichen’s first time drinking and he’d gotten completely drunk. Worse yet—he remembered nothing the next morning.

Hearing his question, Jiang Muwen stiffened slightly. Not only was he unusual, he was alarmingly so. She almost wanted to show him the video she’d recorded last night, but thought better of it. “Not really… you just talked a bit more.”

“What did I say?” Wen Yichen looked at her nervously, as if afraid he’d said something he shouldn’t have.

After his question, Jiang Muwen recalled last night’s hug when he rushed over to her, and her ears involuntarily grew hot. “Nothing much…”

Wen Yichen couldn’t tell if Jiang Muwen was telling the truth, and felt too embarrassed to press further. “Um… I have a math competition this afternoon. After it’s over, I’ll tutor you.”

…

The afternoon math competition ended close to five o’clock. When Wen Yichen walked out of the exam hall, the sky was painted a rosy red by the setting sun.

Bai Xu had also participated in the competition, but their routes didn’t coincide. Once they exited the venue, they parted ways.

Wen Yichen had only walked a few steps when a familiar voice called his name from behind. He instinctively slowed down and glanced back.

The caller was Xia Manman. Seeing her, Wen Yichen was startled. Although he didn’t really want to wait for her, he paused out of courtesy.

“What a coincidence!” Xia Manman hurried to Wen Yichen’s side, her eyes sparkling with laughter.

Wen Yichen turned away and continued walking. To her comment, he merely replied with a faint “Mm.”

How troublesome—this girl really was persistent.

“Do you take this road too?” Xia Manman quickened her pace to keep up with Wen Yichen, whose stride forced her to walk faster.

“I’m taking the bus home.”

“What a coincidence! I’m taking the bus too!” Xia Manman chimed in.

…

Who knew whether she really was taking the bus or if everywhere was conveniently on her way.

Seeing Wen Yichen silent, Xia Manman started fishing for topics. “This competition was so hard…”

“If it were easy, it wouldn’t be a competition,” Wen Yichen replied coolly.

Xia Manman paused, then searched for another topic. “The math teacher kept encouraging me to participate…”

She chattered on, but Wen Yichen didn’t catch a single word. He didn’t want to listen, nor was he interested.

As Xia Manman talked, Wen Yichen’s thoughts drifted far away. Suddenly, he remembered the pancake vendor’s words this morning: “That girl suits you well.” He couldn’t help but smile faintly.

“Wen Yichen, what are you smiling about?” Xia Manman suddenly asked, pulling Wen Yichen back to the present.