"Is it really pretty?"
Ye Manman seemed skeptical, but she still smiled.
Watching her walk toward him, He Chen took a deep breath, trying to calm the heart that was about to leap out of his throat.
He couldn’t speak, just stared at her intently.
Ye Manman curved her lips, stopped in front of him, and instead of climbing on him like before, she bent slightly, leaning close to his face.
"Why aren’t you talking?"
Her breath was light, with a faint lipstick scent, very unique and enticing.
He Chen felt his palms starting to itch, the itch spreading to his fingertips, swiftly reversing direction up his arm.
An unspeakable sense of restlessness made him clench his jaw tightly.
He tried hard to maintain his expression, but under her gaze, he quickly lost control.
He Chen let out a heavy breath, wrapped his hands around her waist, slightly exerting force as if wanting to pull her into his arms.
"Manman, please have mercy on me..."
His tone was pitiful, but his eyes burned like flames, like a wolf or a tiger, as if ready to devour her on the spot.
Ye Manman resisted for a moment, but couldn’t withstand his strength, so she straightened her body and leaned closer to him.
With his hands around her waist, He Chen still felt it wasn’t enough, his chaotic thoughts almost making his head explode.
"Manman, you..."
He wanted to tell her to sit back on his lap but could only sigh heavily as the words wouldn’t come out.
Ye Manman seemed to know what he was thinking, squinting slightly, she wrapped her arms around his neck, climbing onto his lap like before.
The two returned to their face-to-face embrace, only now Ye Manman seemed even harder for He Chen to resist, or perhaps he never could resist her.
They said nothing, just looked at each other, their emotions enough to convey all their thoughts.
Ye Manman wore a thick coat, though the weather wasn’t as cold as January, so it was just draped over her, and the clothes underneath were simple.
In winter, many layers are needed, and with the coat on, the inner clothes are hidden, so Ye Manman’s clothes were simple and easy to remove.
This was convenient for He Chen.
He didn’t know what he was doing, kissing her head and letting his idle hand wander elsewhere.
He Chen was usually straightforward, never like this before.
Ye Manman froze, pushed him back a little, eyes wide with disbelief and shyness, instinctively grabbing his wrist.
But before she could say anything, He Chen lowered his head and kissed her again.
Outside, the street was bustling with constant noise, yet their room was very quiet.
They could even hear customers downstairs asking for extra sauce with their fried chicken, and Jiang Tianrui loudly saying no problem.
Ye Manman didn’t dare make a sound, biting her lip, eyes wide open, occasionally glaring at him, the recently applied lipstick smeared, much of it consumed by He Chen.
He Chen’s eyes shone brightly, fixated on her expressions, Ye Manman shyly turned her face away to evade his gaze, but he lowered his head to press his forehead against hers, forcing her to meet his eyes.
Whenever she tried to speak or make a sound, He Chen would lower his head to kiss her, swallowing every sound she tried to make.
...
"Bad guy!"
Ye Manman tidied her clothes, her face burning as she remembered their mischief in the room and instinctively turned to scold him.
He Chen silently accepted it, not refuting.
Because he was also embarrassed.
Yet the whole experience was novel, and it made him feel deeply satisfied.
He Chen rubbed his fingers with a flushed face, as if savoring the memory, prompting Ye Manman to throw a piece of clothing at his face.
"Pervert!"
"..."
Ye Manman wasn’t truly angry, just overwhelmed with shyness, unsure how to express her feelings.
He Chen pulled the garment off his face, giving a silly grin.
"Sorry, Manman. I’ll ask next time, wait for your consent, okay?"
He had been overwhelmed with longing, his brain muddled, the phrase "lust blinds judgment" proving true, grateful she wasn’t angry.
He Chen was relieved, lowered his posture as he comforted her.
Ye Manman couldn’t bring herself to say harsh words, after all, she was quite satisfied with his attentiveness or she would’ve pushed him away earlier.
"Hmph, I won’t talk about this anymore."
"There’s so much laundry at home, that’s your task now. I’m not speaking to you."
Ye Manman hadn’t changed into many clothes, but now she felt very embarrassed, unable to linger under He Chen’s amused and pampering gaze, constantly reminded of earlier events.
Absurd, yet enjoyable.
Shy, but intrigued for more.
Quite the contradiction.
She decided to calm down by doing some practice tests.
Spring was approaching, and with Cheng Yuan’s shop busy, she hadn’t visited Ye Manman for a week for tutoring, mentioning before leaving last time that she might not visit for a while.
So Ye Manman hadn’t touched any of her exam papers for a week.
Though confident in her abilities, Ye Manman never blindly boasted, knowing the need to continually solidify her knowledge.
Seeing her slip to the first floor, He Chen also breathed a sigh of relief, silently rubbed his drying fingers again, tidied up the room, then gathered dirty clothes from both himself and Ye Manman for washing.
He couldn’t be with her constantly, especially after days apart, even he didn’t know how he resisted the urge to pin her down.
He knew he had to stay busy for a while and wait until evening.
Thinking of this, he felt especially motivated, quickly finishing the laundry, bidding farewell to Ye Manman and the Jiang siblings, and then quickly went to find Liu Jitong.
Before He Chen left, he mentioned Liu Jitong, which reminded Ye Manman of something she forgot in recent days.
She suddenly looked up to see Jiang Yuan with her head bowed, looking a bit down.
Oh no.
This likely meant Liu Jitong had rejected her.
Ye Manman smacked her forehead, regretting forgetting this matter, hesitating whether to inquire about it with Jiang Yuan, who noticed her gaze.
"Manman, are you wondering what happened with him and me?"
Though Jiang Yuan looked a bit off, she didn’t seem as saddened as Ye Manman expected, even sitting beside her, casually recounting the day’s events.
Ye Manman then learned that Jiang Yuan courageously confessed to Liu Jitong the next day, and though he declined citing her young age, they talked for a long time.
Jiang Yuan was very grateful he shared his current busy life and inability to date or marry with her, and for his gentle acknowledgment of her youthful hope with a comforting hug.
Though they didn’t end up together, Jiang Yuan didn’t regret expressing her feelings, at least Liu Jitong no longer saw her as just a little girl.