Chapter 78: Could You Please Stop Bothering Me?

Wen Yichen withdrew his smile, his clean face now utterly expressionless. He glanced at Xia Manman and cleared his throat lightly. “It’s nothing...”

“You seem to be in a good mood?” Xia Manman probed tentatively.

At her words, silence quickly settled between them. Wen Yichen gave no reply, simply heading toward the bus stop on his own.

To Wen Yichen, Xia Manman was like a piece of gum stuck in his hair—no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t shake her off. Yet Xia Manman kept chattering away beside him, slowly wearing away the last remnants of his patience.

“Wen Yichen... you walk so fast...” Xia Manman trailed by his side, almost jogging to keep up. Her strides were shorter than his, and after only a little while, she was already out of breath.

Seeing that Wen Yichen remained silent, she tried again, “Wen Yichen... could you slow down a bit?”

“I’m sorry, I’m in a hurry.”

He left the words behind indifferently and kept walking.

Xia Manman seemed to sense his impatience, but stubbornness flared in her heart. Watching him stride ahead, she gritted her teeth, dashed forward, and stopped right in front of him.

Her sudden block forced Wen Yichen to halt. He looked down at her, his gaze inscrutable, betraying nothing of his thoughts.

There were fewer and fewer passersby around them, which seemed to embolden Xia Manman. She stood her ground, showing no intention of stepping aside. “Wen Yichen...”

He looked at her, a trace of confusion flickering in his eyes.

“I joined this competition because—”

“I’m sorry, I’m not interested.” Before she could finish, Wen Yichen cut her off.

His bluntness left Xia Manman stunned. She knew he was cold, but she hadn’t expected such ruthless dismissal.

Wen Yichen shifted to the side, intending to walk around her, but Xia Manman quickly moved with him, blocking his way once more.

“It’s because I heard you’d be participating, so I wanted to join too...” Xia Manman blurted out the words she hadn’t managed to say before, regardless of whether Wen Yichen wanted to hear them.

Her confession visibly surprised him. He glanced at her, then looked away. “There’s no need for you to do that.”

He tried to step around her again, but Xia Manman was relentless. With a determined stride, she cut him off once more, this time grabbing his arm. She lifted her gaze to his, urgency mingling in her eyes. “There is a need!”

Noticing the dwindling number of passersby, she spoke again, “Wen Yichen, I really like you. Can I... can I hug you?”

The word “like” made Wen Yichen’s heart skip a beat. This wasn’t the first time he’d heard her confess, but every time, it left a knot of discomfort inside him.

He lowered his eyes to hers, his gaze offering only rejection, nothing more.

Seeing his silence, Xia Manman ventured timidly, “You haven’t hugged any other girl before, right?”

At her question, Wen Yichen’s eyes tightened ever so slightly, ripples disturbing their usual calm—he had not only hugged, but also kissed someone.

Xia Manman smiled softly at his silence. “I knew it...”

“I have hugged someone.”

His words startled her into stillness, as if she couldn’t quite process what he’d said. “Was it Jiang Muwen?”

“Stop guessing.”

His indifferent reply was as cold and merciless as a bucket of ice water poured over her head.

A trace of disappointment shadowed Xia Manman’s eyes, but beneath it lingered a pleading glimmer. “Then... can I still hug you?”

Perhaps infatuation had made her reckless, for she asked the question anyway. Before Wen Yichen could answer, she was already reaching out to embrace him.

Just as her arms closed around him, he abruptly lifted his hand to stop her—she had finally worn away the last of his patience. His hand gripped her wrist, gently returning her arms to her side. He fixed his gaze on her, a hint of irritation in his eyes. “Xia Manman, can you please stop bothering me?”

He truly could not stand this girl any longer, or he wouldn’t have spoken to her so harshly. Yet, even as the words left his lips, Wen Yichen paused, the irritation in his eyes slowly fading, replaced by remorse—had he gone too far?

He quickly realized he had. His words had been too harsh.

Before him, Xia Manman seemed wounded by his outburst. Tears shimmered in her eyes. “Wen Yichen... today’s my birthday... I just wanted...”

She only wanted a hug from him as a birthday present. Little did she know, such a gift was something she could never have, and even if she asked, Wen Yichen would never give it—he had only ever hugged one girl, and he would never hold another.

“I’m sorry... I didn’t mean to...” Wen Yichen panicked at the sight of her tears, flustered and unsure of what to do. Only after a long moment did he manage to speak.

“Wen Yichen, do you really hate me?” Xia Manman asked, her voice soft and trembling with tears.

“No...” Wen Yichen looked at her, at a loss for words. He didn’t hate her, but if she kept clinging to him like this, he couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t. “Um... happy birthday...”

As he finished, Wen Yichen pulled a packet of tissues from his pocket, drew one out, and handed it to her. “Don’t cry. It’s getting late—go home.”

Xia Manman took the tissue and murmured her thanks.

As she wiped away her tears, Wen Yichen asked, “By the way, where’s Zhou Yao?”

He remembered Zhou Yao had also participated in the math competition today, in the same exam room as him. The two girls were always together—so why were they apart now?

At his question, Xia Manman’s heart trembled. She deliberately looked away, and Wen Yichen couldn’t help but wonder if it was just his imagination or if she was truly feeling guilty.

Xia Manman put away the tissues and said weakly, “Zhou Yao... went home first.”