Chapter 13

Wen Lin’s whole body was burning, his face especially hot. He quickly pulled the quilt over himself.

What had just happened to him? How could his body… react that way? What would Mu Wanwan think of him now?

He forced himself to calm down, pushing away the chaotic thoughts.

After leaving the room, Mu Wanwan went straight to the kitchen. She shook her head, trying to erase the image from earlier.

She slapped her cheeks lightly, then began washing vegetables.

It was already late, so she decided to make brunch. Yesterday, when Huzi delivered braised goods, he had also brought some shiitake mushrooms and shepherd’s purse, as thanks for giving him the chance to earn money.

They weren’t expensive, so Mu Wanwan accepted them. She planned to make large buns with shiitake, shepherd’s purse, and pork for lunch.

Once the dough was ready, she prepared the filling. Considering the buns were for two patients, she reduced the seasonings to keep the flavor mild.

When everything was ready, she began wrapping the buns. Her hands were deft, producing plump, round buns of nearly identical size. Lined up together, they looked neat and appealing.

After steaming them, she placed several into a large bowl and carried them to Wen Lin’s room.

Because of what had happened earlier, both felt awkward. Their eyes met briefly before each looked away.

It was Mu Wanwan who broke the strange silence.

“Eat something first. Then take the fever reducer and antibiotics. If the fever doesn’t subside, it would be best to go to the hospital.”

Leaving the bowl and chopsticks on the table, she turned and left.

Wen Lin had no chance to speak. He looked down at the plump white buns, picked one up with chopsticks, and took a bite.

The moment he swallowed, savory juices filled his mouth. The skin was thin, the filling generous. With shiitake, the taste was rich and fragrant, and the shepherd’s purse added a refreshing flavor.

Wen Lin was no stranger to good food. He had grown up in comfort, with refined tastes.

But life as a soldier required adapting to hardship, and on missions, filling one’s stomach mattered more than flavor.

Yet Mu Wanwan’s cooking always awakened his appetite with ease. Even something as simple as these buns tasted better than dishes from many famous restaurants.

Despite his fever and weaker appetite, he still ate three.

The medicine Mu Wanwan left at his bedside—fever reducer and antibiotics—he took with warm water.

The effect soon set in. Drowsiness washed over him as his body broke into a sweat, sticky and uncomfortable.

After tidying the kitchen, Mu Wanwan returned to check on him.

Seeing his forehead damp with sweat, she fetched a towel and gently wiped him down.

Sweating was good. Once the fever broke, his temperature should fall.

Watching Wen Lin sleep peacefully as his body cooled, she finally set off to the hospital to deliver food to the old master.

—

“Oh my! Xiaoru, how can you still be sitting here! Wen Lin has come back, and he’s injured. He needs someone to care for him. If you don’t go, Mu Wanwan will—won’t that give them a perfect chance to grow closer? How will they ever divorce then?”

Lin’s mother rushed in, flustered, and became even more anxious seeing her daughter calmly reading.

“Injured? Wen Lin? Who told you that?”

Startled, Lin Huiru put down her book at once. She hadn’t heard about it.

“Of course! Aunt Wu from the compound told me. She saw them helping Wen Lin home last night. He looked hurt.”

Their current home had also been arranged by Wen Lin, in the same compound as the Wen family, though farther away.

Lin’s mother liked chatting with other housewives, and when she heard the news, she hurried back to tell her daughter.

She had always known Huiru wanted to marry Wen Lin and supported it wholeheartedly.

He was handsome, from a good family, capable in his career. If he became her son-in-law, she would be able to hold her head high anywhere.

That was why she wanted him divorced from Mu Wanwan, leaving space for her daughter.

But if the couple deepened their feelings, what chance would Huiru have left?

“Mom, I’m going out. Don’t cook for me tonight.”

Without further explanation, Lin Huiru rushed off. When she reached Wen Lin’s place, she found the door unlocked and pushed it open.

The house was quiet. Mu Wanwan seemed to be out.

Peeking into the bedroom, she saw Wen Lin asleep.

Lying quietly, he looked far less cold than usual. Huiru’s heart raced.

She sat by the bed, looking around. The bedroom bore traces of only Wen Lin’s presence.

The bedding and pillows were clearly for one person. Did Mu Wanwan not live here?

Hurrying to the guest room opposite, she found Mu Wanwan’s clothes and belongings there.

Delight surged within her.

So the two of them really did sleep separately. They hadn’t consummated their marriage.

She had been right—Wen Lin didn’t like Mu Wanwan. If a man refused to touch a woman, wasn’t that proof of dislike? Perhaps even disgust.

That meant her chances were still strong. After all, Wen Lin had always been kind to her—maybe he felt something, too.

The thought excited her, bringing color to her cheeks. Sitting again at his bedside, she clasped his hand and stayed quietly with him.

—

Mu Wanwan came home around two in the afternoon. Huzi was supposed to bring her pig offal later for the braised goods, so she couldn’t linger at the hospital.

Besides, with Wen Lin hurt and alone, she worried about leaving him unattended.

Entering the house, she went straight to the master bedroom.

What she saw froze her in place, her whole body cold.

Lin Huiru and Wen Lin were locked in an embrace. Their pose was intimate, Huiru’s cheeks flushed with shyness, the scene full of suggestion.

Wen Lin’s first reaction was to push her away. He quickly said, “Don’t misunderstand, it was an accident just now.”

He wasn’t sure why, but a guilty feeling crept in. By nature, he wasn’t one to explain himself—he believed innocence spoke for itself.

But something in Mu Wanwan’s eyes unsettled him, and he explained instinctively.