Chapter Thirty-One: Trying to Steal a Chicken, Only to Lose the Rice (Bonus Chapter!)

Wen Yichen paid her no mind, only casting her a sideways glance. After his gaze slid away from her, the corners of his mouth unconsciously curled upward, as though he was stifling a laugh.

"Wen Yichen! I'm telling the truth!" Jiang Muwen stared earnestly at Wen Yichen’s handsome head, as if determined to remove whatever it was she thought clung to his hair.

Despite her persistence, Wen Yichen remained unmoved.

But how could she know that all her little schemes had long been seen right through by Wen Yichen?

Jiang Muwen, this girl, sometimes possessed a stubborn streak—if she couldn’t accomplish something, she simply wouldn’t let it go.

When they finally reached the bus station, Jiang Muwen pressed on relentlessly, "Wen Yichen, if you don’t believe me, just wait until everyone gets on the bus and sees that thing on your head and laughs at you! Don't blame me for not warning you!"

Perhaps Wen Yichen could no longer bear Jiang Muwen’s constant chatter at his ear; at last, he turned around. One hand unconsciously braced against the rolling advertisement board at the station, placing Jiang Muwen between himself and the board.

The sudden movement caught her completely off guard; she trembled slightly, raising her eyes, still somewhat startled.

The next moment, Wen Yichen bent down, obediently lowering his head.

"…"

His unexpected closeness left Jiang Muwen flustered and at a loss, her mind suddenly blank, unsure what she ought to do.

Seeing no response from her, Wen Yichen lifted his gaze, "Weren’t you clamoring to see? What do you see now?"

His low voice drifted into her ears, not loud, but enough to stir her already rippling heart into a storm.

Those clear, pure eyes lingered on her, sunlight gentle, and in the boy’s gaze, Jiang Muwen glimpsed a rare tenderness.

"Nothing…" Jiang Muwen obediently replied.

Though autumn had already arrived in City A, Jiang Muwen felt a strange… heat rising within her.

"So why were you insisting there was something on my head?" Wen Yichen arched his brow, looking at Jiang Muwen with amused interest.

"I saw wrong… Is that not allowed?" Jiang Muwen deliberately looked away.

At her words, Wen Yichen dropped his hand, straightened up with ease, and then turned away. "I never expected not only your brain but your eyesight would be so poor."

"???" Jiang Muwen stared at his retreating figure, momentarily speechless. Trying to trick him had only backfired—this must be what it felt like to lose more than you gained.

She watched the boy’s silhouette and suddenly recalled the words Gu Nianxi had spoken to her that day, her mood inexplicably lifting again—he must possess some magical power; every time Wen Yichen appeared before her, he could make her happy.

It might sound unbelievable, but in all her dreams of the future, Wen Yichen’s presence was always there.

…

Evening tutoring arrived as expected, and Jiang Muwen appeared punctually before Wen Yichen.

"First, we’ll cover the key points, then tackle the homework," Wen Yichen habitually scooted his chair closer to Jiang Muwen.

Listening to his patient explanations at her side, Jiang Muwen’s mind wandered again to Gu Nianxi’s words.

On one side, Wen Yichen was desperately explaining example problems; on the other, Jiang Muwen was desperately trying to figure out whether Wen Yichen truly liked her.

With Gu Nianxi’s suggestion, it seemed Wen Yichen really did care for her. Otherwise, why would he tutor her? But maybe it was just her forcing him, blade at his throat, compelling him to help; then again, he always made her sit beside him on the bus…

Caught in her indecision, Jiang Muwen found it impossible to focus on Wen Yichen’s lecture. If someone handed her a bouquet now, she could spend all night unraveling this question.

"…Do you understand?" Wen Yichen’s voice suddenly cut through the silence, followed by a hush.

"…?" The unexpected question caught Jiang Muwen off guard. If she answered honestly, she feared he’d throw her off the eleventh floor.

Wen Yichen watched her for a moment, guessing that this little ancestor had probably zoned out again. "Did you get a high ranking and start floating off?"

"No, no…"

"What exactly are you thinking about?" Wen Yichen peered at Jiang Muwen, genuinely puzzled at what could so thoroughly distract her.

"I was thinking… I heard the school is hosting a sports meet the week after next?" Jiang Muwen purposefully changed the subject.

"And?" Wen Yichen asked indifferently.

"Did you know about it?"

"I don’t know about the sports meet, but I do know—three weeks from now, it’s the midterm," Wen Yichen replied, then, mimicking Jiang Muwen, thoughtfully added, "Did you know about that?"

Seeing Jiang Muwen’s expression freeze, Wen Yichen couldn’t help but chuckle quietly. "There’s also a math test next week, and I heard there’ll be a physics test too…"

"Wen Yichen…" Before he could finish, Jiang Muwen interrupted, "Could you go over the last question again?"

For some reason, Wen Yichen grew unwilling when Jiang Muwen asked, "I’ve already explained it once."

Jiang Muwen wasn’t foolish; Wen Yichen’s meaning was clear—he didn’t want to repeat himself.

But what could she do? She had to appease her own ancestor: "Could you please go over it one more time?"

"I’m tired."

Jiang Muwen glanced at Wen Yichen, then quietly turned her head, studying the example problems on her own while feeling secretly aggrieved.

"If you didn’t want to explain, just say so. ‘I’m tired’… hmph…" Jiang Muwen muttered under her breath, deliberately mimicking Wen Yichen’s tone when she said "I’m tired."

Of course, all her complaining was barely audible. Wen Yichen only heard her mumbling, not catching the words. "What did you say?"

"…!" At that, Jiang Muwen’s heart jumped. "I said… I had another question for you, but since you’re like this, I won’t ask."

Her reply piqued Wen Yichen’s strong curiosity. "Ask."

"I won’t."

"If you don’t ask, I won’t explain any more problems."

"…" Jiang Muwen paused. Was Wen Yichen… threatening her?

"If you insist on hearing it, then I’ll ask," Jiang Muwen set down her pen. "Do you know why witches keep black cats instead of white cats?"

"…"

"Because if they kept white cats, their clothes would get covered in white fur!"

"…Ridiculous," Wen Yichen was completely flummoxed by her antics, unsure how to respond. "If you have the time to think about things like that, you’d be better off working through a few more math problems. That way, you won’t be at the bottom of the next test."

Yet after tutoring ended, Wen Yichen lay on his bed, recalling Jiang Muwen’s joke and couldn’t help but laugh out loud. The next moment, he pulled out his phone and sent Bai Xu a message:

"Do you know why witches keep black cats instead of white cats?"