Chapter Eight: The Little Girl Next Door

Wen Yichen—his sole amusement seemed to be poking fun at Jiang Muwen whenever he pleased. As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Muwen obediently responded with a soft "oh," slipped into her slippers, and hurried after him into the bedroom.

Jiang Muwen was long used to Wen Yichen’s biting tongue. Throughout their third year of middle school, he’d called her an idiot more times than it would take to circle the globe several times over.

Of course, aside from "idiot," Wen Yichen had unlocked a whole arsenal of similar jabs: “Did you leave your brain in your desk after school today?” “If you keep this up, I’ll start charging you emotional damages.” “Why on earth did I agree to tutor you?”

Yet for all his words, Wen Yichen still showed up every day, come rain or shine, dragging a chair to sit by Jiang Muwen’s side and patiently tutoring her, indulging her endless tests of his patience.

The moment Jiang Muwen stepped into his bedroom, a familiar feeling washed over her. It felt as though she hadn’t been in this room for nearly a year, yet nothing seemed to have changed. The space was as orderly as ever, suffused with a faint, pleasant scent that put her at ease.

Perhaps because she hadn’t been inside for so long, Jiang Muwen didn’t immediately sit at the desk. Instead, she glanced around curiously. The curtains were only half-drawn, leaving the room in gentle shadow, while the speakers played the distant strains of a game’s background music.

“Are you done with the tour?”

Wen Yichen’s lazy drawl suddenly sounded in her ear, making Jiang Muwen startle. She snapped out of her reverie and turned to face him, dazed, where he leaned against the wall, arms crossed.

“When you’re finished, sit down nicely,” Wen Yichen added, his tone tinged with impatience.

Jiang Muwen quickly obeyed, recognizing the subtle mood in his voice and not daring to say a word. She quietly unzipped her bag and took out her test papers.

Just as she laid the papers on the desk, the speakers came alive.

“Wen Yichen, where are you?!”

The sudden voice made Jiang Muwen jump. She stared at the speakers, then at the game interface on the computer screen, before her gaze landed instinctively on Wen Yichen. She parted her lips to speak, but the voice blared again: “Wen Yichen, do you have to be such a jerk? Abandoning us like this!”

It didn’t sound like Bai Xu—it must have been another classmate.

“Wait, did Wen Yichen just say… a tour? Do you have guests over?” another voice asked.

After a pause, Bai Xu chimed in, “Guests? Don’t tell me it’s—”

His voice grew sly, and just as he was about to continue, Wen Yichen strode over to Jiang Muwen, bracing a hand on the desk and caging her in. “It’s the little sister from next door, here to ask me about some homework problems.”

Wen Yichen casually tossed out the excuse—he absolutely couldn’t let the others know Jiang Muwen was at his house.

As he spoke, his breath brushed gently over Jiang Muwen’s head, making her heart race uncontrollably.

The classmates on the other end believed his explanation, all except Bai Xu, who knew perfectly well—there was no little sister next door, only Jiang Muwen.

He chuckled. “Little sister, huh… Well, you take your time teaching her. We won’t bother you, hehe.”

His tone was so mischievous that even separated by a screen, both Jiang Muwen and Wen Yichen could imagine his sly expression.

The others, taking Bai Xu’s cue, instantly assumed Wen Yichen and the so-called little sister were up to something secretive. After Bai Xu’s words, another boy joined in, “Little sister, this big brother is amazing—you’d better study hard with him.”

Jiang Muwen had just opened her mouth to reply when Wen Yichen’s hand covered it, his palm warm against her lips, making her mind go utterly blank for a moment.

“Huh? Why isn’t little sister saying anything?”

“She’s just shy. You all keep playing, I’m logging off,” Wen Yichen replied coolly, cutting the voice connection and quitting the game.

The next moment, he dragged over a chair and sat down beside Jiang Muwen as he always did.

“Alright, tell me—which problems don’t you understand?” Wen Yichen reclined comfortably, waiting for the troublemaker to speak.

“I… if… I don’t understand any of them… what will you do?” Jiang Muwen mumbled softly.

She’d spoken so quietly that Wen Yichen hadn’t caught it. He pulled his chair closer, leaning in. “What did you say? Louder.”

Wen Yichen always carried a certain presence, and his sudden proximity left Jiang Muwen tongue-tied—not only because she liked him and felt embarrassed, but also because she feared that repeating herself would test his already limited patience.

When she remained silent, Wen Yichen prompted, “Go on, I’m not going to eat you.”

At that, Jiang Muwen gritted her teeth, stamped her foot, and declared loudly, “I don’t understand any of them!”

…

After her outburst, the room fell into a strange, still silence.

Wen Yichen seemed genuinely startled. After a long pause, he finally spoke, his tone languid, “You know, this is the first time I’ve seen someone so boldly admit they don’t know anything at all.”

“You’re the one who told me to say it louder,” Jiang Muwen muttered, wounded.

…

He couldn’t exactly argue with that. On hearing her retort, Wen Yichen said no more. He picked up the stack of test papers, leafed through them, then asked, “None of them?”

Jiang Muwen nodded meekly, offering no further explanation. The air seemed to thicken, and she braced herself for an impending explosion.

But to her surprise, Wen Yichen didn’t get angry.

She snuck a glance at him, only to find him utterly dumbfounded—perhaps this was what it meant to be truly shocked.

At last, Wen Yichen spoke, his face incredulous as he looked at Jiang Muwen, as if confirming the impossible. “You really can’t do any of them?”

Jiang Muwen nodded.

“Are you serious?”

“…Yes.”

At that, despair washed over Wen Yichen’s face in bold capital letters. He slapped the test papers heavily onto the desk, then stood up from his chair.

Startled by his reaction, Jiang Muwen watched him anxiously, treading on thin ice. “You promised to help me with my homework…”

“I’m not kicking you out,” Wen Yichen replied, heading for the door.

“Then what are you doing…”

Pausing with his hand on the doorknob, Wen Yichen said, “I’m just telling my mom to set an extra place for dinner.”