Chapter Forty-Five: Trouble Is Brewing

When Wen Yichen finished speaking, Yin Lize’s gaze followed the direction of the voice. He looked at Wen Yichen, seemingly still in a daze. After a while, his attention finally shifted to Jiang Muwen. “Big Brother, then what kind of juice do you like?”

“Orange juice—”

Before Jiang Muwen could reply, Wen Yichen answered for her again, dragging out his words lazily.

“...” Hearing Wen Yichen’s voice again, Yin Lize’s face stiffened. Although he and Wen Yichen could be considered friends, sometimes he really wanted to jump up and give Wen Yichen a good beating—especially when Wen Yichen suddenly joined the conversation whenever he was talking to Jiang Muwen.

At last, Yin Lize couldn’t hold it in any longer. He shot Wen Yichen a look. “I was asking Big Brother—” As he spoke, his gaze returned to Jiang Muwen, full of anticipation. “Big Brother, what do you like to drink? I’ll bring it for you next time!”

She looked at Yin Lize and forced a bitter smile. “Orange juice...”

Yin Lize: “...”

Jiang Muwen knew that Yin Lize had been hoping for an answer different from Wen Yichen’s, but as luck would have it, Wen Yichen was exactly right.

In this world, aside from her parents, the one who knew Jiang Muwen best was probably Wen Yichen—her likes and dislikes, her preferences and aversions, even her fears. Wen Yichen knew them all.

...

Afternoon classes always seemed to have a drowsy magic to them. As soon as the bell rang and the math teacher walked out, more than half the class collapsed onto their desks, leaving only a few scattered students still sitting upright, like the last survivors after a zombie invasion.

After enduring a period of incomprehensible lessons, Jiang Muwen finally decided to turn around and ask Wen Yichen for help with some problems.

She picked up her book, turned around, and saw Wen Yichen sleeping with his head on the desk.

The boy before her had his eyes closed, long, thick lashes resting obediently on his delicate face. Sunlight poured down, tenderly tracing the contours of his cheeks.

He was so quiet, he seemed like a peerless work of art, as if all the world’s beauty had gathered in him at this very moment.

“Wen Yichen...?” Jiang Muwen called softly.

But Wen Yichen didn’t respond at all.

Looking at the boy before her, a mischievous idea suddenly flashed through Jiang Muwen’s mind. She couldn’t help but giggle to herself.

The next moment, she carefully lifted her pen and lightly touched Wen Yichen’s face with it.

Turning him into a little cat would be adorable, wouldn’t it?

She had to admit, sometimes Wen Yichen was just like a cat—unpredictable, but still deeply adored by Jiang Muwen. To her, he was a rare and precious treasure.

The tip of the pen gently touched Wen Yichen’s clean face, starting with his nose—she carefully drew a dark dot on the tip, then drew three whiskers on one cheek, then the other.

Just as she was about to move to his forehead, Wen Yichen’s lashes fluttered twice, his brows furrowing slightly as he instinctively scratched at his face with a large hand.

“Jiang Muwen, what are you doing?” Bai Xu’s voice suddenly startled Jiang Muwen.

Bai Xu hadn’t spoken loudly, but it was enough to wake Wen Yichen.

The next moment, Wen Yichen opened his sleepy eyes, glanced at Bai Xu, then turned to Jiang Muwen. He slowly straightened up, sleepiness still lingering in his eyes, along with a trace of laziness and a hint of annoyance. “Bai Xu, what’s your problem?”

Wen Yichen’s voice was soft, still tinged with the huskiness of sleep.

Bai Xu stared at Wen Yichen’s face and was momentarily stunned. His mouth hung open, the corners twitching as he struggled to suppress his laughter. “It’s nothing, Jiang Muwen said she wants to ask you about some math problems.”

With that, Bai Xu returned to his seat, trying hard to maintain his composure. He had to admit, Jiang Muwen was a true artist of the soul—he’d never seen Wen Yichen look so cute before, like a little cat escaped from the deep forest, a glimmer of spirit shining in his clear eyes.

But... seeing Wen Yichen like this, Bai Xu simply couldn’t hold back his laughter.

He sat down, pretending to be calm, then turned his back to Wen Yichen. The next moment, he started to laugh silently, his shoulders shaking in delight—though from Wen Yichen’s angle, all he could see was Bai Xu’s convulsing back.

At this point, Wen Yichen had no idea what had happened to him. He looked at Bai Xu in confusion, then turned to Jiang Muwen. “What’s Bai Xu laughing at?”

Seeing Wen Yichen’s earnest expression, Jiang Muwen couldn’t help but smile at the corners of her eyes—he was just too adorable like this.

“N-nothing,” Jiang Muwen answered, feigning innocence. “Maybe... he’s sick?”

After hearing this, Wen Yichen glanced over at Bai Xu again. Seeing Bai Xu’s shaking back, Wen Yichen frowned—forget it, not worth worrying about.

He turned his attention back to Jiang Muwen, glanced at the exercise book in her hand, and said calmly, “I’m going to the restroom first. I’ll help you with the problems when I get back.”

With that, he stood up and walked out of the classroom.

No sooner had he risen and taken a few steps than the gazes of the surrounding students all fell upon him. Some whispered to their neighbors, others covered their mouths to stifle laughter.

Wen Yichen noticed their reactions, his brows knitting together—something was off. Why was everyone acting so strange?

The instant Wen Yichen stepped out of the classroom, the whole class burst into laughter.

A few minutes later, Wen Yichen returned—storming back, murderous intent written all over his face.

No wonder Bai Xu had turned his back on him, shaking like he was having a seizure. No wonder his classmates looked at him as if he were some oddity. No wonder even in the hallway, people couldn’t help but stare at him.

It was all because of the masterpiece drawn on his face!

Unfortunately, the marks had been made with a permanent marker and couldn’t be washed off easily.

When Jiang Muwen saw Wen Yichen appear at the classroom door, his gaze immediately locked onto her. Wen Yichen didn’t need to think twice to know—aside from her, who else in class would dare do this? “Jiang Muwen—!”

The black markings on his face had faded a little, but his fair cheeks were still streaked with water and a faint red from having been scrubbed so hard.

Looking at Wen Yichen, Jiang Muwen’s heart gave a guilty thump—she was in real trouble now.