Chapter 89: Don’t Hold Me So Tight

When Jiang Muwen asked that, Wen Yichen instinctively turned his head. He looked at her, then spoke leisurely, “Come on, I’ll carry you.”

As expected, he was planning to carry her.

With Wen Yichen’s words, Jiang Muwen suddenly found herself at a loss. She glanced around again—even though there were no strangers nearby, only Gu Nianxi and the other three—she still didn’t have the courage to climb onto his back. “Wen Yichen, what are you saying? All our classmates are here.”

“Your ankle’s already so twisted, and you still want to act tough?” Wen Yichen frowned slightly, his gaze settling on Jiang Muwen.

In this moment, Wen Yichen was a completely different person from the one who had faced Zhou Yao earlier. If he was like an angel now, then before, he’d been a devil straight out of hell—she’d truly feared he might devour someone whole, bones and all.

“I’ll just walk slower, it’s fine.” Jiang Muwen still felt it was inappropriate for Wen Yichen to insist. After all, they were at school, and being so conspicuous would only bring them trouble in the end.

“Come on, there’s no one else here. I’ll carry you for a while,” Wen Yichen said calmly, as if he’d made up his mind to carry her no matter what.

“What if we run into a teacher on the way?” Jiang Muwen probed cautiously.

“Then I’ll just toss you down,” Wen Yichen replied naturally.

Jiang Muwen gave no answer, so Wen Yichen instinctively turned his head again. Seeing her incredulous expression, he couldn’t help but laugh. “Relax, I won’t drop you.”

He turned his head back. “Yesterday, when you ran into the abandoned building, you weren’t this timid.”

“That was different.”

“Weren’t both things done behind the teachers’ backs?” Wen Yichen added, speaking of things that had to be done in secret—just like what they were about to do.

Wen Yichen’s words did make a certain sense.

Seeing that Jiang Muwen still didn’t reply, Wen Yichen spoke softly, “Come on, I’ll just carry you down this path, then I’ll let you down. It’s not an easy road.”

Indeed, the path was rough, and not many people took it. After hesitating for a moment, Jiang Muwen let out a quiet “oh,” and obediently climbed onto Wen Yichen’s back. Her small hands wrapped gently around his neck, and she carefully nestled her head against one side of his shoulder.

Wen Yichen’s back wasn’t exactly broad, yet lying against it gave her an inexplicable sense of security. Feeling the warmth from his back, breathing in the faint fragrance from his hair, and enjoying the soft spring breeze—perhaps it was the gentleness of the wind, perhaps the comfort of his back, but for a fleeting moment, Jiang Muwen felt an urge to remain there forever.

Seeing the long road ahead, Jiang Muwen felt both happy and worried. She was happy because she could stay on Wen Yichen’s back for a while longer, but worried that if she stayed too long, he might not be able to bear it.

Maybe she should try to lighten his burden.

With that thought, Jiang Muwen tensed the nerves she had just relaxed, instinctively wrapping her legs more tightly around Wen Yichen, shifting her weight to try and ease his load, as if the more effort she made, the less he would have to. As she thought about this, she twisted her body carefully, trying to find a position that would make it easier for him.

Yet, these small movements had a very real effect on Wen Yichen. When she tightened her legs around him, his body instinctively tensed, and a strange sensation made the corners of his mouth twitch minutely. He needed to stop this girl at once—if she kept moving, who knew what might happen.

“Ahem.” Wen Yichen deliberately cleared his throat, then turned his head slightly, glancing at the restless girl on his back. “Jiang Muwen, what are you doing?”

“I—” His question caught her off guard. She’d thought he wouldn’t notice, but he did. “Aren’t you getting tired?”

Jiang Muwen didn’t answer Wen Yichen directly.

At first, he wasn’t tired, but after all her wriggling, he really was starting to struggle.

“I’m fine.”

“Am I heavy?” she asked.

“Not at all.” As Wen Yichen spoke, the tips of his ears gradually flushed a suspicious shade of pink.

Jiang Muwen stared at him, her heart skipping a beat. Was he really not tired? So the redness in his ears wasn’t from the strain of her weight?

“If you get tired, just put me down,” Jiang Muwen said shyly.

“I’m not tired.” Wen Yichen turned his head away again.

“Really?” Jiang Muwen still maintained her previous posture, believing it would lighten his burden.

But she didn’t know that for Wen Yichen, her posture was nothing short of a critical blow. “Ahem—Jiang Muwen—”

At last, Wen Yichen seemed unable to take it anymore.

“Hmm?” Jiang Muwen looked at him, puzzled.

“Can you not hold on so tightly? It’s a bit uncomfortable for me.”

Jiang Muwen’s lips parted as if to speak, but Wen Yichen interrupted her again. “Just relax and lie on my back.”

At that, Jiang Muwen obediently answered with a soft “okay,” then loosened her legs from around him.

Finally, Wen Yichen carried Jiang Muwen the rest of the way, then gently set her down and thoughtfully helped her walk forward.

The other four had already chosen a patch of grass to sit on. Seeing Wen Yichen supporting Jiang Muwen as they approached, everyone wore a suspiciously knowing smile.

“Come on, Chen, sit here,” Bai Xu said, scooting over and making room for Wen Yichen.

“Are we starting lunch?” Jiang Muwen sat down beside Gu Nianxi.

“No, no,” Bai Xu quickly replied, waving his hands. “Before lunch, let’s play a game.”

As he spoke, Bai Xu shot a look at Yin Lizhe. “Old Gu, bring out the stuff.”

At his words, Gu Chen swiftly pulled a deck of cards from his bag and tossed them onto the picnic cloth.

“What’s this?” Jiang Muwen asked, curiosity lighting up her eyes.

Seeing her so eager to know, Bai Xu’s face broke into a mysterious grin. “This is our never-boring, thrilling and exciting Truth or Dare.”