But Xu Musen still smiled and said, "That's called sponsorship, not raising."
"Aren't they the same? I'm also being 'raised' by my family."
"...It sounds nicer that way."
Xu Musen helplessly smiled, looking into her clear eyes, perhaps to her, the term "raising" was just that simple.
It meant being kind to the other person without expecting anything in return.
Actually, Xu Musen always found it quite strange that An Nuannuan seemed to trust him exceptionally.
An Nuannuan looked naive, but she was not foolish at all; her thought process was just a bit different, or else her family wouldn't feel at ease allowing her to study away from home alone.
Moreover, An Nuannuan was quite guarded around others; becoming friends with her was not an easy task.
Zhao Lianmai had even told Xu Musen that she and An Nuannuan were very familiar, but if Zhao Lianmai offered her some snacks to eat, or gave her some hairpins or the like,
An Nuannuan would always find a way to return the favor, or to offer money in exchange.
Others found it not easy to get close to her either.
An Nuannuan loved to eat, but when out shopping together, she wouldn't accept anything given by shop owners without first getting Xu Musen's consent.
In Xu Musen's mind, the first real interaction he had with An Nuannuan was that time in the square when she was selling the flowers he had thrown away.
And according to her, it was not the first time she had picked up his discarded flowers.
Now that he understood An Nuannuan's character, he was sure she did it on purpose, which means they probably had crossed paths before.
"Nuannuan, did we know each other before?"
Xu Musen suddenly asked.
An Nuannuan blinked her big eyes and shook her head, "I knew you, but you probably didn't know me."
Xu Musen thought about it; the first time he sent Yao Mingyue a love letter was during his second year of high school, which ended up becoming well-known throughout the school.
"So you knew me before my senior year of high school?"
"Even earlier than that."
An Nuannuan's eyes carefully observed Xu Musen's face.
"Then why didn't you tell me earlier?"
Xu Musen thought that she had known him since his junior year.
An Nuannuan looked down at her legs, then slowly began to speak, "Back then, you were always with her every day..."
Xu Musen exhaled. That was true; back in school, he only had eyes for Yao Mingyue, and aside from He Qiang, with whom he could share a few words, everyone else might as well have been invisible to him.
"Looks like I missed out on many beautiful things in the past."
Xu Musen smiled and turned his head to look at An Nuannuan, "You didn't make fun of me back then, did you?"
Back in the day, he was notoriously known as a sycophant, and the label of "toad lusting after swan meat" stuck to him so firmly that Xu Musen couldn't be bothered to argue it away.
An Nuannuan hurriedly shook her head.
"Of course not. I only knew that you really cared about her at that time, at least you were brave enough to express your feelings... It wasn't your fault, it was just that you didn't get a response."
An Nuannuan raised her eyes to look at Xu Musen, her small hand slowly grasping the hem of his shirt, stopping at the position of his wrist.
Her large eyes seemed to speak.
"I just don't understand why some people, who obviously care about each other so much, always hesitate. My mom once told me, you can't hide when you like someone, and you shouldn't hide it, because sometimes, once you miss the chance, you might really never get it again..."
An Nuannuan rarely said so much in one go; when she spoke of her mother, there was a hint of dimness in her eyes.
Xu Musen listened, looking at the girl whose emotions had dipped slightly.
He felt a wave of warmth in his heart.
It turned out that when he faced rejection and mockery from the whole school, there was someone who would quietly feel sorry for him on the side.
"You said you knew me a long time ago, did we have any other interactions before? Because I always feel... like you really trust me a lot."
Xu Musen remained curious about her attitude towards him, even though he was quite handsome now.
But An Nuannuan clearly wasn't one of those girls who went brain-dead over good looks alone.
An Nuannuan blinked, her hand gently holding Xu Musen's wrist, "Didn't we agree that in the next few days, you'd accompany me to visit my grandparents? I'll tell you then, okay? I have something to show you."
The softness of the girl's hand was like cotton candy, the dazed sound of her voice also carried a touch of anticipation.
She had even learned to keep people in suspense.
Xu Musen couldn't help but tease her, "It's not going to be your treasured sock collection, is it?"
An Nuannuan's lips shifted slightly, her face slightly flushed, "I actually don't wear socks often, but I do have a lot of other things..."
She said, lowering her head.
Xu Musen was taken aback.
Wait, are you seriously showing me?
How generous and yet rich.
"Nuannuan, you know, I've always respected the elderly and loved the young; I'm definitely going to visit the grandparents and the little ones, but as for the rest, you don't need to bother, I'm not that kind of person."
Xu Musen declared earnestly.
Actually, as soon as he guessed that the investment last time was from An Nuannuan's family, Xu Musen had been looking for an opportunity to express his thanks.
To them, a hundred thousand might not mean much, but for Xu Musen, it was like a timely rain on his first pot of gold, a significant difference.
An Nuannuan observed his demeanor, but her mind was resolute because whenever he spoke with such a stern face,
It was actually the grammar rule of "a double negative equals an affirmative."
Not wanting it means wanting it.