Chapter Sixty-One: Wen Yichen, Ready for a Game?

Yin Lizhe’s gaze lingered for a moment on Wen Yichen’s wish before he quickly looked away, pretending he hadn’t seen anything at all.

He lit the candle, then raised his eyes, letting his gaze fall naturally on Gu Nianxi. The candlelight flickered, casting the girl before him in a warm glow through the sky lantern. She lowered her eyes, the corners of her mouth gently lifted in a soft smile, her expression suffused with tenderness. On her delicate face, two shallow dimples appeared. Yin Lizhe looked at her and, for a brief second, was lost in thought—Gu Nianxi was truly beautiful, though he had never really paid attention to her before.

“Boss Gu!” Yin Lizhe finally called out to Gu Nianxi.

She looked up at the sound of his voice, the warm yellow light reflecting in her clear eyes. She gazed at Yin Lizhe, a smile still lingering at the corners of her eyes. “Yes?”

“What did you wish for?” Yin Lizhe asked curiously.

“I’m not telling you. If I say it out loud, it won’t come true,” Gu Nianxi replied, unable to hold back a small smile.

“Then let’s trade—”

Gu Nianxi was about to refuse when Yin Lizhe interrupted her, “I wrote that I want to be a big star. What about you?”

Caught off guard by his straightforwardness, Gu Nianxi hesitated. Not answering would seem awkward, but telling the truth felt the same. She paused for a moment, then finally spoke, “I wrote that I hope the few of us can keep having fun together like this.”

…

Ling’an Town had always been a tourist hotspot. Even on ordinary weekdays, many visitors came from afar. The local hotels were far from plentiful, and when Yin Lizhe made the reservation, only two double rooms remained. Naturally, the arrangement became two girls in one room and two boys in the other.

Night deepened. Jiang Muwen and Gu Nianxi shared a bed. After a moment of quiet, Gu Nianxi’s gentle voice drifted to Jiang Muwen’s ears, soft and tender: “Xiao Wenwen, how are things between you and Wen Yichen?”

A simple, casual question, yet it landed like a stone in water, stirring up ripples in its wake.

“I… with him…” Jiang Muwen’s voice grew soft as she spoke, as if lost in memories of their interactions. She didn’t know what had gotten into Wen Yichen lately—he seemed to especially enjoy teasing her. After a while, she began recounting to Gu Nianxi all the little ways Wen Yichen had bullied her.

…

“Xiao Xi, what do you think is going on with Wen Yichen?” After Jiang Muwen finished her story, she couldn’t help but add the question.

What’s going on? The question made Gu Nianxi freeze for a second—truly, those involved are often the last to see clearly, while outsiders see everything.

“He likes you!” Gu Nianxi answered without a trace of hesitation. “If he didn’t, he wouldn’t bother talking to you at all.”

“But it’s not the same…” Jiang Muwen frowned, then turned over to face Gu Nianxi. “We’ve grown up together since we were little…”

To Jiang Muwen, she and Wen Yichen had always been close, so even if he didn’t like her, he’d still talk to her. In her eyes, perhaps Wen Yichen only saw her as a very good friend.

Gu Nianxi looked at Jiang Muwen and, for a fleeting moment, wanted to open up Jiang Muwen’s head to see what she was really thinking. Something as obvious as liking, how had it become unshakable friendship in Jiang Muwen’s mind?

“Enough about me—Xiao Xi, let me ask you something…” Jiang Muwen changed the subject, looking at Gu Nianxi with a face full of curiosity, then edged closer as if she feared someone might overhear.

Even though they were the only two in the room, she deliberately lowered her voice, as if afraid someone else might be listening in. “Do you… like Yin Lizhe?”

The moment the words left Jiang Muwen’s lips, Gu Nianxi’s heart skipped a beat. She looked at her in surprise, then also lowered her voice. “How did you know?”

But soon, the astonishment in Gu Nianxi’s eyes faded—after all, for a girl, it wasn’t that hard to notice.

Before Jiang Muwen could say anything, Gu Nianxi’s gaze dimmed. “But liking him is pointless… He doesn’t like me, he likes…”

The word “you” made it to the tip of Gu Nianxi’s tongue, but she swallowed it back down. Her mouth hung slightly open as she looked at Jiang Muwen. For some reason, the last word just wouldn’t come out—she didn’t know if Jiang Muwen was aware, nor if saying it aloud would make things awkward.

Yin Lizhe had never told Gu Nianxi, but she had already seen it for herself.

Gu Nianxi wanted to say more; Jiang Muwen could tell. Seeing Gu Nianxi like this, Jiang Muwen’s heart grew heavy—it felt as if she had taken away something precious from someone else. “Xiao Xi…”

“It’s all right,” Gu Nianxi interrupted before Jiang Muwen could finish. She gave her a soft smile, tucked the covers around her, and said, “Liking him is my own business. Who he likes isn’t up to me, and you can never predict these things. As long as he’s happy, that’s enough.”

A melon forced from the vine is never sweet. To Gu Nianxi, there was no point in fighting for what was never hers to begin with. “Let’s sleep. Good night.”

…

On one side, two girls huddled together in bed, the lights off, whispering into the night. On the other, two boys sat silently in a brightly lit room, not saying a single word.

The two boys had been sitting on opposite sides of the bed for two hours, not speaking, the room eerily quiet, the silence tinged with a peculiar awkwardness.

For Yin Lizhe and Wen Yichen—two straightforward, steel-willed young men—sharing a bed and a blanket was something they both instinctively rejected.

Even more so—because they were rivals.

Though neither would say it aloud, they both knew it well. If not for not wanting the girls to think they harbored some deep-seated hatred, they wouldn’t even bother with small talk.

Time ticked by. At first, they could distract themselves with their phones. But after a while, even that lost its appeal—they’d scrolled through everything, even old posts from days ago, yet still refused to speak to each other.

Sometimes, boredom makes a person sleepy. Yet, even as their eyes grew heavy, neither was willing to be the first to lie down and sleep.

Yin Lizhe glanced up at Wen Yichen.

Sensing he was being watched, Wen Yichen looked up as well.

Their eyes met. The awkwardness in the air thickened.

Neither looked away. If embarrassment could color their faces, at that moment, both would have been bright green—the purest shade imaginable.

Finally, Yin Lizhe’s lips twitched, and he spoke in a low voice, “Wen Yichen, want to play a game?”

“…Fine.”