Chapter Fifty-Seven: Would You Like a Hug?

Simple words, just five in total, yet they left the other five utterly dumbfounded. No one had expected that the idle troublemaker, the so-called school bully whom everyone saw as aimless, was actually the principal’s nephew. If this news ever got out, wouldn’t the whole school be in an uproar?

Before anyone had recovered from the shock, Yin Lizhe spoke again, “You must keep this a secret for me!”

...

After dinner, the group wandered around together.

December in City A was bitterly cold; now and then, gusts of icy wind swept through, as if the chill could pierce clothing and sink into one’s skin.

Luckily, City A was livelier than usual tonight. Every street glowed with lanterns and festive decorations, casting a warm hue over the frigid city. Laughter and chatter from passersby drifted to their ears, so vibrant that it almost made one forget the winter’s bite.

They had planned to ring in the New Year together, but due to various circumstances, the six eventually returned to their own homes, unable to celebrate as one.

By the time Wen Yichen and Jiang Muwen arrived at their neighborhood, it was already late. They had just stepped out of the elevator when a group message arrived.

Yin Lizhe had posted in their six-person study group: “Remember to kiss the person you’re spending New Year’s Eve with at midnight!”

No sooner had the message been sent than Bai Xu replied instantly: “Bro, you didn’t even drink tonight!”

Yin Lizhe: “Of course not! This is called the New Year’s Kiss—it’s a tradition from abroad, I think it’s rather interesting.”

Jiang Muwen stared at her phone screen, then glanced at Wen Yichen standing beside her.

The lighting was dim, falling softly on him. His face was impassive, giving off an aura that kept strangers at bay.

Jiang Muwen looked at Wen Yichen, but at this moment, she simply couldn’t picture the New Year’s Kiss Yin Lizhe had mentioned.

Wen Yichen seemed to sense her gaze. The next moment, he turned his head, his eyes settling on Jiang Muwen. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing...” Jiang Muwen awkwardly shifted her gaze away, unwilling to let Wen Yichen discover she’d been imagining that New Year’s Kiss.

“I never expected there’d be such customs abroad...” Jiang Muwen’s cheeks flushed, a little embarrassed—the foreign tradition was rather bold.

Hearing this, Wen Yichen’s lips curved slightly upward. He bent down and whispered softly in her ear, “Yet just now, you looked like you were expecting something.”

At his words, Jiang Muwen’s face instantly reddened, but thankfully, the dim lighting hid it from Wen Yichen.

“I did not!” she pouted, unsure what had gotten into Wen Yichen lately—why was he so fond of teasing her?

Flustered and shy, Jiang Muwen made her way to her front door, unzipped her backpack, and instinctively reached inside, searching for her keys.

She searched for quite a while, but could not find them.

Wen Yichen strolled over, leaning lazily against his own door, casting a sideways glance at Jiang Muwen.

“What now? Forgot your keys again?” he said, chuckling softly.

“...” Jiang Muwen zipped up her bag and slung it back over her shoulder. “It’s fine, my parents are home!”

With that, she knocked on the door.

Yet no one came to open it.

She instinctively pulled out her phone and dialed her mother. As soon as the call connected, she heard noisy sounds in the background.

“Mom, where are you?” Jiang Muwen asked.

“Sweetheart, we’re celebrating New Year’s with Aunt Su Yu and her family. Is something wrong?”

“Mom... I forgot my keys...” Jiang Muwen complained, sounding just like a kitten that had been bullied.

“Forgot your keys...”

Before her mother could reply, Su Yu snatched the phone. “Little Wenwen~ If you forgot your keys, just come stay at Auntie’s house for a while! We’ll be back soon! That’s all for now, goodbye!”

Before Jiang Muwen could say anything more, the call was cut off.

She stared blankly at her phone screen, then slowly turned to look at Wen Yichen.

“What did your mom say?”

“My mom... and your mom are out celebrating New Year’s... They told me to stay at your house for a while.”

As soon as she finished, Wen Yichen straightened up and said helplessly, “Alright then... I’ll let you stay for a bit.”

Though he sounded reluctant, Jiang Muwen caught a suspicious smile on his face—was the moonlight playing tricks on her? Why did she feel Wen Yichen was actually quite happy to have her stay?

Before Wen Yichen could take out his keys, Jiang Muwen spoke again, her voice excited, tinged with anticipation: “Wen Yichen! It’s 11:59!”

At her words, Wen Yichen instinctively paused, his gaze falling on Jiang Muwen’s phone.

“23:59”

The numbers flashed before his eyes, and in the next instant, the digits changed to “00:00”.

Behind them, fireworks suddenly burst into the sky, exploding in clusters of dazzling color.

Wen Yichen instinctively looked out the window. The sound of fireworks filled the air, illuminating the dim corridor in a brilliant glow.

“Wen Yichen—!” Amid the commotion, Wen Yichen heard Jiang Muwen calling him.

He turned around, fireworks reflected in his eyes, shining brightly.

Seeing him turn, Jiang Muwen’s face lit up with a radiant smile. “Happy New Year!”

Another year had passed. Celebrating New Year’s with Wen Yichen was a happiness beyond measure for Jiang Muwen.

Wen Yichen looked at her, a gentle smile rising on his lips. “Happy New Year.”

Outside, the fireworks continued, their noise drowning Wen Yichen’s voice. Jiang Muwen could only watch his lips, guessing what he was saying.

Jiang Muwen did so, and Wen Yichen as well.

He watched the girl before him smile, her cherry lips moving as though speaking, but the fireworks were too loud—he couldn’t hear a word, only reading her lips, straining to catch her voice amid the explosions.

“Hug?” At last, Wen Yichen managed to decipher Jiang Muwen’s words.

He paused, wondering if he’d misheard.

He looked at Jiang Muwen, seeking confirmation.

“Hug?” she repeated.

Hearing it twice, Wen Yichen realized he hadn’t been mistaken.

He paused, secretly delighted, but feigned helplessness and replied, “Alright.”

Jiang Muwen watched him. Before she could react, Wen Yichen walked over and, in the next moment, wrapped her in his arms.