Chapter 82: This Is the End

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Naturally, Xia Manman had heard everything Wen Yichen and Jiang Muwen had said. She stared blankly at Wen Yichen, seemingly unable to process it for a moment—she would never have guessed the relationship between Wen Yichen and Jiang Muwen.

“Wen Yichen...” Xia Manman called his name again, naively believing that this might persuade him to walk a bit further with her.

But just then, by some twist of fate, Wen Yichen raised his hand and hailed a taxi. The car slowed to a stop before them. He opened the door and, in a gentlemanly manner, placed his hand against the doorframe.

Before Jiang Muwen could react, a gentle force guided her into the car. Once seated, she instinctively glanced at Xia Manman.

Their eyes met, neither of them looking away. Xia Manman stood outside, watching her, her face turning nearly green with jealousy.

“We’ll be heading home first,” Wen Yichen said politely to Xia Manman, his lips curving in a faint smile. Then, without hesitation, he slipped into the taxi, closed the door, and left Xia Manman standing alone outside in a daze.

The taxi rolled slowly forward. Inside, it was silent; neither Jiang Muwen nor Wen Yichen spoke.

After a while, Jiang Muwen finally broke the silence. “By the way... just now, you said...”

Earlier, Wen Yichen had told her that his mother wanted her to come to their house for dinner...

“Don’t you have plans tonight?” Wen Yichen asked reflexively. He’d remembered the message Jiang Muwen sent yesterday, which he’d kept in mind. After a brief pause, he quickly added, “But if you want to come... I’ll ask my mom to make an extra portion.”

The air grew heavy and quiet. Jiang Muwen’s heart thudded in her chest. The sudden invitation left her momentarily stunned. After a while, she spoke softly, “No need...”

Her previous excuse about being busy was just that—an excuse. Lately, everything had left her mind in chaos, making it impossible to focus on anything else.

The atmosphere felt awkward. Wen Yichen longed to explain himself to Jiang Muwen, yet had no idea how to begin. Since she hadn’t asked, he feared any explanation would seem abrupt, and he was no good at hinting around the subject. So he simply stayed at her side, silent, keeping her company.

After returning home, Wen Yichen changed into comfortable clothes as usual. After dinner, he lounged lazily at his desk, everything as it had always been—except that the seat beside him was now empty, no longer occupied by Jiang Muwen.

The soft glow of the desk lamp fell on the vacant chair. Wen Yichen found himself staring at it, lost in thought. Bai Xu was right—perhaps he really had been kicked in the head by a donkey. Everyone could see through Xia Manman's schemes. Wasn’t it Jiang Muwen he ought to care about?

With that, he tore his gaze away and forced himself to focus on his book.

But before long, his phone began to vibrate on the desk. Wen Yichen glanced at the screen—it was a voice call. The caller was none other than Xia Manman.

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After a moment’s hesitation, he moved his finger to the screen and answered with a tap—some things needed to be made clear with Xia Manman.

When the call connected, Wen Yichen didn’t speak, simply gazing quietly at his book.

“Wen Yichen...?” Xia Manman’s tentative voice came through, the background noisy—clearly, she wasn’t at home.

He replied with a muted “Mm,” acknowledging her.

“Want to hang out together?” Xia Manman asked.

“No.”

“But everyone’s here...” she said awkwardly, as if his presence was required just because the others were there.

“So?” Wen Yichen replied indifferently, his eyes still on his book.

“Everyone thinks that...”

But before she could finish, Wen Yichen cut her off. He knew exactly what she was about to say—and it was precisely what he hated hearing most. “Xia Manman, I only see you as a classmate, nothing more.”

At that, the girl on the other end fell silent.

“I don’t like you,” Wen Yichen added when she still didn’t respond. “And as for that photo, you and Zhou Yao both know what really happened. I think it’s time to let this go.”

The background noise persisted on her end. After a quiet pause, the girl hesitantly asked, “Is that person... Jiang Muwen?”

“Stop guessing,” Wen Yichen replied coolly.

“Wen...”

“If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up.” Not giving Xia Manman a chance to finish, Wen Yichen ended the call.

The abruptness of Xia Manman's call left Wen Yichen staring at his book, his heart all the more unsettled.

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On one side, Wen Yichen sat with his book, unable to read a single line. On the other, Jiang Muwen sat at her desk, lost in a daze.

Jiang Muwen stared blankly at her untouched homework, her mind a blank. Forget it, she thought, maybe a walk through the supermarket would help.

After dinner, the supermarket grew livelier as more shoppers arrived. Surrounded by shelves brimming with goods, Jiang Muwen’s spirits slowly improved.

As she wandered, her gaze caught on a box of snacks placed high on the top shelf.

After a moment’s hesitation, she reached up to grab it, but she was too short—even on tiptoe, she could only brush the edge of the box.

She glanced around. Seeing no one nearby, she reached up again, then gave a little jump. Her fingertips grazed the box—just as she was about to grasp it, her hand slipped away.

She stared up at the snack, eyes full of longing, then stubbornly rose onto her toes once more.

Just as her fingers were about to touch the box, a large, well-defined hand reached out and got there first.

In the next second, the box was plucked down with ease.

Before Jiang Muwen could react, a familiar male voice sounded behind her. “So this is the ‘business’ you were busy with—coming to the supermarket to buy milk star biscuits?”

“...!!!” At the sound of his voice, Jiang Muwen’s heart skipped a beat. Wen... Wen Yichen?

A chill ran down her spine. She turned around mechanically, feeling as if she’d been caught doing something wrong, even though she hadn’t.

She looked up at Wen Yichen—he was holding the milk star biscuits she had tried so hard to reach, looking at her with a half-smile, his bright eyes carrying a hint of mischief. Seeing her silent, he shook the box lightly. “Hmm?”