Chapter Sixty-Eight: Sharing a Midnight Snack

Wen Yichen turned around, just about to leave, when suddenly he felt a small, delicate hand weakly grasp his finger. The cool touch at his fingertips made him pause for a moment. He stood there, frozen for a few seconds, then his ears suddenly flushed hot—could it be that she noticed the stolen kiss just now?

Thinking so, Wen Yichen cautiously glanced back. The girl before him was still sleeping soundly, her soft little hand loosely holding two of his fingers. He tried gently to slip his fingers free from her grasp, but as soon as he moved, she held on even tighter.

That gentle grip from Jiang Muwen made Wen Yichen abandon his previous thought. He turned back around and sat quietly in the nearby seat.

"Jiang Muwen?" Wen Yichen called her tentatively.

"Mm?" she replied, unsure if it was a response upon waking or a dream murmur. Her voice was soft and childish, like a feather lightly teasing at his heart.

Wen Yichen watched Jiang Muwen for a while, then asked softly, "Are you awake?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the air fell quiet.

So it was just sleep-talking...

He let out a silent sigh of relief, leaned back in his chair, watching his phone as he waited for her to wake.

Around nine o'clock, the girl's hand finally loosened, and she opened her sleepy eyes.

"Gurgle—"

In the silence, a stomach rumble broke the air. The next moment, Jiang Muwen's ears flushed red—how embarrassing. She had only eaten a bowl of instant noodles at five, and now she was hungry again.

She quietly picked up her pen, pretending nothing had happened, focusing intently on her workbook.

"Are you hungry?" Wen Yichen asked.

"No," Jiang Muwen replied without hesitation.

"Gurgle—" As soon as she finished, her stomach rumbled again, louder this time.

Jiang Muwen's heart trembled, but she pretended not to hear anything, keeping her eyes fixed on the workbook.

The air remained silent, but mixed within was a hint of awkwardness. Finally, Wen Yichen spoke softly, "Shall we go out for a late-night snack?"

"Eat..."

…

The two sat down at a late-night eatery near the residential complex. Jiang Muwen said she suddenly missed the crayfish from this place, so they ordered a plate.

It was Friday night, and the night market was bustling, the crowd almost twice as large as usual.

Soon, the steaming crayfish arrived at their table, the aroma instantly awakening their appetites. Seeing the enticing dish, Jiang Muwen could hardly resist reaching out for one.

After putting on disposable gloves, they dove into their feast.

Jiang Muwen grabbed a crayfish and began to peel it, imitating the motions she'd seen, but she was hopeless at it. Wen Yichen had eaten two or three already, while she was still struggling with her first.

She glanced at Wen Yichen, then at the stubborn crayfish in her hand, and continued peeling silently—the feeling of being able to look but not taste was truly frustrating.

Wen Yichen noticed her clumsy efforts. The next moment, he handed her a carefully peeled crayfish, its tender meat dipped in savory sauce.

The moment the crayfish touched her lips, she was startled; she looked up and met Wen Yichen’s clear, calm eyes. He said nothing, just gave her a look, urging her to eat the crayfish in his hand.

Understanding his silent message, Jiang Muwen obediently took a bite. The delicious flavor lingered in her mouth, and as soon as she swallowed, another crayfish was offered.

And so it went: Wen Yichen fed her, Jiang Muwen ate, the feeling so surreal that for a moment she felt like an animal being fed by its caretaker.

Finally, when Wen Yichen offered her another crayfish, she spoke, "Actually... I can peel them myself."

Wen Yichen raised his brows, lips curving in a half-smile.

Seeing his indifference, Jiang Muwen assumed the crayfish was meant for her, but just as she opened her mouth to take it, Wen Yichen suddenly withdrew his hand and popped the crayfish into his own mouth.

"Wen Yichen, you..." Jiang Muwen looked at him, momentarily at a loss for words.

Seeing Jiang Muwen’s reaction, Wen Yichen couldn’t help but laugh, peeling another crayfish as he teased, "You want more?"

Jiang Muwen felt a little embarrassed. She grabbed a crayfish and tried peeling it herself, muttering, "I can do it myself..."

Hearing this, Wen Yichen looked at her with interest, curious to see how her self-claimed peeling skills would turn out.

Watching her struggle bit by bit with the shell, at last, a not-quite-clean crayfish appeared in her hand. She stuffed it into her mouth and stopped.

"Not eating anymore?" Wen Yichen asked casually.

"Mm."

Wen Yichen glanced at the plate. "There are still a few left—"

"I won't eat more, I'll get fat," Jiang Muwen said, peeling off her disposable gloves—though in truth, she wasn’t worried about gaining weight, she simply couldn’t peel crayfish and was too embarrassed to ask Wen Yichen to teach her or feed her.

If she knew how, she could easily finish another plate.

Wen Yichen couldn’t help but laugh, his eyes clear, the warm yellow streetlights casting flecks of light in them. "As if you won’t get fat if you eat and then sleep right away..."

He was teasing her—for falling asleep at the desk right after dinner, then waking and coming out for a late-night snack with him.

It was hard to imagine such biting words coming from someone so gentle in appearance.

Jiang Muwen was momentarily speechless, but after a pause, she seemed to recall something, her gaze returning to Wen Yichen. "By the way, Wen Yichen, when I was dozing off earlier, I felt something touch my lips..."

She spoke as she absentmindedly touched the corner of her mouth. It had felt ticklish and soft, but she hadn’t known what it was.

The next second, Wen Yichen’s ears flushed red. "You must have imagined it..."