Chapter Thirty-Four: I’ll Carry You on My Back

“Wen Yichen…?” Jiang Muwen’s voice suddenly reached his ears, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“Huh?” Wen Yichen’s gaze returned to her.

She looked at him curiously, probing, “What were you thinking about?”

Wen Yichen’s lips parted slightly as he gazed at the girl before him, her head tilted up toward him. In a flash, he could picture her, years later, entwining her arm with another man’s, acting coquettish. The thought lodged uncomfortably in his chest, like a fishbone stuck in his throat—no matter how he tried to swallow it down or cough it up, it wouldn’t budge. “You…”

He began to speak, but faltered, finding that some words were impossible to say aloud.

Jiang Muwen, of course, had no idea what he was struggling to express. She sat waiting, attentive and expectant. “Hmm?”

“The results of the math test from the other day are out. Do you want me to check them for you?”

Jiang Muwen had anticipated something else entirely, so when he said this, her eyes dimmed a little. “Do as you like…”

—

The sports day lasted only half a day, and once it ended, everyone dispersed.

It was a rare occasion to be dismissed at noon, so as their study group of six was about to leave school, Yin Lizhe stopped them. “Since we’re free so early, why don’t we go out for lunch?”

They settled on a restaurant near school. The six of them gathered around a table, and once all the dishes were served, Yin Lizhe eagerly picked up a fried chicken drumstick and placed it in Jiang Muwen’s bowl. “Boss, have a drumstick—it’ll do you good!”

Yin Lizhe’s enthusiastic gesture made Wen Yichen’s eyes narrow slightly, though he couldn’t say why—he just didn’t like seeing Yin Lizhe treating Jiang Muwen so well.

The next moment, Wen Yichen added some vegetables to Jiang Muwen’s bowl, and before long, the vegetables had all but buried the drumstick Yin Lizhe had placed there. “After falling like that, you should eat less greasy food.”

Jiang Muwen was taken aback by his actions. Was this concern for her, or was he targeting Yin Lizhe?

The air grew quiet, the atmosphere subtly shifting—something unspoken lingered, almost suffocating.

“Wenwen, don’t listen to him. You should eat more,” Bai Xu chimed in, adding another dish to her bowl.

—

And so, one by one, each person offered a word and a serving, until Jiang Muwen’s once-empty bowl became a towering mountain of food.

She didn’t know how she managed to finish it all; she only knew that by the time she left the restaurant, she was so full she could barely walk.

Carrying her bag, she limped alongside Wen Yichen.

She couldn’t tell if it was just her imagination, but Wen Yichen seemed to be walking unusually slowly, almost as if he were deliberately matching her pace.

He glanced at her surreptitiously as they walked, noticing her difficulty. He wanted to reach out and steady her, but each time his hand rose into the air, he hesitated, as if something held him back.

It wasn’t until they got off the bus together that Wen Yichen finally spoke. “Does it still hurt?”

“Yes,” Jiang Muwen replied without the slightest hesitation.

Her candor caught Wen Yichen off guard. He looked at her, watching her struggle forward with such determination despite her injury, and felt a twinge of guilt.

He took the bag off his shoulder, strode a few steps ahead, and stopped in front of her.

His sudden pause made Jiang Muwen freeze. Before she could react, he handed her his backpack.

She didn’t ask why; he offered it, and she obediently took it.

Then, Wen Yichen turned his back to her and crouched down. “Climb on.”

“...?” Jiang Muwen stared, stunned, holding his backpack and unable to believe what she was seeing. Did his “climb on” mean the same thing she thought it did?

She hesitated, uncertain, and decided to stay put just in case.

“Jiang Muwen, get on,” came Wen Yichen’s voice again, calm but clear.

“Huh…?”

“Didn’t you say your foot hurts?” he said lightly. “I’ll carry you.”

—

As those last three words landed, Jiang Muwen’s heart skipped wildly, so caught off guard by happiness that she was left momentarily dazed.

“This… it’s too much trouble for you, isn’t it?” she said, embarrassed, looking at his back.

“We’ve already hugged before—why be embarrassed over a piggyback?” Wen Yichen replied. After a brief silence, he added, “I’ll carry you home, so my mom won’t scold me later for not taking care of you…”

With Wen Yichen saying that, Jiang Muwen couldn’t very well keep refusing. Besides—an opportunity like this was rare; if she let it slip by now, who knew when another would come?

Her heartbeat raced as she drew closer to him, each step making her heart flutter even more. In the end, she wasn’t quite sure how she ended up on his back—perhaps she just floated up there.

Suddenly, she felt his arms lift her up, and then she was securely settled against his back.

Lying there, Jiang Muwen couldn’t help but smile softly, a little shy but more than a little delighted.

Wen Yichen walked forward, step by steady step, each one so solid that Jiang Muwen felt an unprecedented sense of happiness—secure and peaceful, the kind that made her want to cling to his back forever.

Feeling the warmth radiating from him, watching the tips of his ears flush, breathing in his faint, clean scent, Jiang Muwen’s smile grew ever brighter.

Unexpectedly, Wen Yichen happened to glance back, catching sight of her beaming foolishly. “What are you smiling at?”

His sudden question startled Jiang Muwen, making her freeze and her ears flush hotly, as if he’d caught her in the act of some secret. “Was I?”

“Weren’t you?” he countered.

“Oh… I was just thinking… it’s nice being tall—not only is the view better, but even the air is fresher,” she improvised, searching for a random excuse. “Next time, if there’s a chance…”

But before she could finish, Wen Yichen interrupted her, “If you trip again, I won’t carry you home.”