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Chapter 20 – “Can’t I Care About You?”

The cigarette hadn’t been lit yet.

The moment Wei Xun saw Que Wanshu, he seriously doubted if he was dreaming. It wasn’t until her voice clearly entered his ears that he realized this wasn’t a dream—he was really seeing her.

The first thing he did upon realizing it was real was to hurriedly toss away the cigarette in his hand. Then, as if trying to cover up, he quickly stepped on it—just like a teenager caught secretly smoking by an adult.

Que Wanshu: “…”

Wei Xun: “…”

After the initial shock and joy, an awkward silence spread between them. They stared at each other, neither knowing what to say.

In the end, Que Wanshu spoke first. She glanced at his stiff right foot stepping on the cigarette and said, “Don’t litter cigarette butts.”

Wei Xun: “…”

He paused for a few seconds, then awkwardly turned his face away and said, in a cool tone, “Mm, I’ll pick it up in a bit.”

But he didn’t move at all, still standing frozen in place. And so did Que Wanshu. Standing under the streetlight, she felt overwhelmed. All the things she had wanted to tell him by the riverside bubbled up her throat—only to be pushed back down by her fear and hesitation.

After another minute of silence, Wei Xun finally reacted. He noticed her thin clothes, the slippers on her feet, and realized she had just come from outside. Frowning, he asked, “You just got back? Where did you go?”

Que Wanshu pressed her lips together and replied, “Went for a walk.”

“A walk? At this hour?” His frown deepened and his tone grew more serious. “It’s so late—do you know how dangerous it is for a woman to be out alone right now? Did you really have to go for a walk at this time?”

“…”

Already in a bad mood and chilled from the night wind, Que Wanshu bristled at the scolding tone in his voice and couldn’t help but snap back, “Why do you care?”

Wei Xun said nothing.

If anyone else had said that to him, he probably would’ve sneered and walked away without a second thought. But when it was Que Wanshu, every principle and boundary he had melted away. Not only did he not get mad—he even found her defiance kind of cute.

Hopeless.
He knew it from the first moment he saw her tonight. The emotions he had buried deep inside could no longer be contained—they surged up like a fountain. And instead of chaos, what he felt was peace, like his soul had finally been soothed.

It was like being on a turbulent sea under a storm, and suddenly the weather cleared, the storm was blown away by a gentle breeze, and sunlight poured down, bringing everything back to calm.

Just looking at her made Wei Xun feel like he had let go of everything.
So why keep resisting?

He hated being ruled by emotions, but being ruled by Que Wanshu didn’t feel so bad. In fact, he welcomed it—willingly, even happily.

After quietly watching her for a moment, he suddenly said, “Can’t I care about you?”

Que Wanshu was stunned. She looked up, only to see Wei Xun walking toward her, step by step, quickly closing the distance between them—until only a single step remained.

Looking at the small gap between them, Wei Xun suddenly felt all his recent inner struggles were unnecessary.

It’s just one step.
All he had to do was cross it.

Even if it were a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand steps, he’d still cross them all to reach her—and she wouldn’t be able to escape.

So he crossed it—without hesitation.

Now, the tips of their shoes nearly touched. If Que Wanshu lowered her head, she’d fall into his arms. If she raised her head, she’d find his face incredibly close—close enough that he could kiss her just by leaning in.

She instinctively wanted to back away, but his gaze was like a spell. It rooted her to the ground, as if invisible vines had grown up from the pavement and held her still. She couldn’t move, only raise her head to meet his eyes.

“Can’t I care about you?” Wei Xun asked again, his voice soft. “Hm? Que Wanshu?”

She held her breath.

Her heart pounded wildly like a drum, and a faint flush crept up her pale cheeks. She didn’t know how to respond.

Say “no”?

But his intense, assertive gaze enveloped her like a net, silently declaring, “Why the hell not? I have more right than anyone.” She was sure that if she said no, he would absolutely argue back like that.

Say “yes”…?

She opened her mouth.

After a moment of hesitation and struggle, she chose to dodge the question entirely.
“When did you learn to smoke?”

Wei Xun had expected her to change the subject and wasn’t disappointed. He raised an eyebrow and replied smoothly, “After you dumped me. Why?”

That shut her up. After a long pause, she muttered, “…Smoking is bad for your health.”

Wei Xun snorted and mimicked her tone, “Why do you care?”

Que Wanshu: “…”

Before she could respond, he repeated, “Do you care about me, Que Wanshu?”

His voice was deep and pleasant, with a teasing lilt that made her heart itch and her ears burn.

In the end, she couldn’t hold it in. Turning her face away, she abruptly stepped back—as if fleeing. Seeing this, Wei Xun didn’t press further and kindly gave her a bit of space to breathe.

He glanced down at her averted eyes and the pink blush on her cheeks, then noticed the subtle trembling of her shoulders.

The night air was chilly. The wind had picked up, and it was beginning to bite through her thin sweater.

Wei Xun looked at her clothes, then quietly asked, “Aren’t you cold?”

She instinctively shook her head—but the next second, he reached out and grabbed her hand. Her fingers were ice cold.

Holding her hand in his, he began to gently warm it with his palm. “Your hands are freezing—and you still say you’re not cold?”

She had always had cold hands and feet in fall and winter. In the past, she used to sneak her cold hands into his shirt collar to surprise him—then laugh mischievously when he flinched.

Thinking of that made a smile appear in Wei Xun’s eyes, and the cold look on his face softened.

He gently rubbed her hands between his, and she didn’t resist—just let him hold them.

A streetlight above cast a warm, yellow glow over them, forming a kind of protective dome, enclosing them in a little world that belonged to just the two of them.

In this world, time moved both slow and fast—slow enough that a moment felt like a lifetime, fast enough that it made them wish it would last longer.

After a while, once her hands were as warm as his, Wei Xun let go and said, “Wait here.”

Then he turned and walked to his car, opened the door, and returned with a large gray coat.

He opened it to put it on her. She quickly waved her hands, “It’s okay, I live upstairs, I’ll be fine—”

“Hand.” Wei Xun cut her off firmly.

His tone left no room for argument, and Que Wanshu had no choice but to raise her hands and let him dress her in the coat.

He zipped it up and pulled the hood over her head, making sure no wind could get in. Then he looked into her eyes.

This time, Que Wanshu didn’t look away.

Her eyes, round and soft, shimmered like rippling water in the light—like the clearest glass marbles, beautifully transparent.

“Thank you,” she said softly. “Next Wednesday, I’ll give your coat to Mr. Xie and ask him to return it to you.”

Wei Xun looked at her and asked, “Why ask him? Why not give it to me yourself?”

She blinked, confused. “Huh?”

“I’ll take Wei Qian to class next Wednesday,” he said.

At that, something inside her seemed to burst into hidden fireworks. A quiet joy spread through her, and the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but lift.

But she quickly lowered her head, hiding her smile. “…Oh.”

After a pause, she asked, “But why are you here?”

“To see you,” Wei Xun said, glancing at her hooded head before extending a hand, palm up. “Give me your phone.”

“Hmm?” Que Wanshu was puzzled but instinctively handed it over.

He unlocked the screen. A forest painting was set as the wallpaper. Then he swiped, and the passcode screen popped up.

He turned the phone toward her. “Password?”

The next second, Que Wanshu quickly snatched the phone back, pressing it to her chest with a flustered expression. “What are you doing?”

Her guilty reaction made Wei Xun narrow his eyes. Was she hiding something?

What was it—another man?

That damned “neighbor boy”?
Or that pretty-boy mirror dude he saw at Huajing last time?

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The moment Wei Xun thought there might be another man, his gaze immediately turned sharp with jealousy. But before the overwhelming wave of possessiveness could take over, his reason returned just in time. He quickly reined in his expression and handed her the phone he had brought from the car, saying calmly, “Add me.”

His tone was nonchalant, but his eyes burned with intensity.

Que Wanshu glanced at the QR code on his screen, then up at him. After a few seconds of hesitation, she finally gave in under his persistent gaze and obediently unlocked her phone—carefully shielding the screen so he wouldn’t see the password.

310107—

She entered the numbers, and the phone unlocked smoothly.

She then opened her messaging app and added him as a contact.

With both his goals for the evening achieved, Wei Xun was in noticeably better spirits. Watching her quietly fiddling with her phone, he suddenly said with a warning tone, “Don’t block me again.”

After a beat, he added, “And don’t mute me from your Moments either.”

Que Wanshu: “…”

How did he know she was just about to mute him?!

One look at her expression, and Wei Xun knew he’d guessed right. She had definitely been planning to mute him. Gritting his teeth, he suddenly reached out and grabbed both sides of her hoodie, pulling her directly toward him.

Caught off guard, Que Wanshu stumbled into his chest, and in the chaos, her arms instinctively wrapped around his waist.

“What did I just say?” Wei Xun cupped her face with both hands over her hood, forcing her to look up at him. His sharp gaze bore into her still-shocked expression as he said sternly, “Repeat it.”

They were far too close.

His pleasant scent surrounded her from all directions, enclosing her completely. At this distance, she could even feel his cool breath gently brushing against her face, causing a subtle tickle.

Que Wanshu instinctively tried to move away, but his hands firmly held her head in place. With no other option, she obediently replied, “…Don’t block you. Don’t mute you either.”

Wei Xun pressed on, “Can you do that? And don’t say anything other than yes.”

Que Wanshu: “…”

Then why even ask her?! Was he just picking a fight?

But seeing his face that clearly said “I’m not letting go until you say it”, she had no choice but to give in: “Yes.”

Wei Xun still didn’t trust her: “Swear it.”

Que Wanshu: “…”

Que Wanshu: “I swear.”

Seriously, could this guy be any more childish?!

Yet even after getting her promise, Wei Xun still didn’t release her. He continued to cradle her face, gazing at her so intently it felt like his eyes had touched every inch of her skin.

Finally, after a while, he let go. Gently, he adjusted her hood and said softly, “It’s getting late. Go in and rest early.”

“Okay,” Que Wanshu replied gently. “Be careful on your way back.”

With that, she slowly turned around and began walking toward the building. But just as she was about to enter, she suddenly stopped. Turning her head, she saw Wei Xun still standing in place, watching her.

Her last bit of hesitation and inner struggle disappeared. Summoning her courage, she walked back to him. They were now only two or three steps apart. Half of her face was lit by the streetlight, the other half hidden in shadow—anxious and nervous written all over it.

“Wei Xun.” She called his name. Though she had mentally prepared herself, the next sentence caught in her throat. “I…”

She tried again: “I…”

It was just a simple apology.

Just a single “I’m sorry.”

But why—why, the moment her eyes met his, did it feel like she’d become the mute mermaid princess, unable to speak a word?

Her lips parted, then closed again, over and over. Her hands, hidden in her sleeves, clenched tightly, her face full of anxious frustration.

Wei Xun stood still, watching her. He saw the way her mouth kept trying to form the words. He saw her anxious, guilty expression. He saw the soft, warm light welling up in her eyes.

And in that moment, as if their hearts were connected, he understood everything—even without her saying a word.

They had never fought or had cold wars very often. Even when they did, it was usually his fault—either acting like a jerk or being unreasonable. Though his temper wasn’t great and he could be stubborn, he would immediately cave once he realized she was really upset. He’d apologize quickly and shamelessly, and she, being kind and softhearted, would always forgive him.

Only once—just once—had Que Wanshu been more at fault. But for some reason, she’d been unbelievably stubborn and refused to apologize. Wei Xun had been so angry he could barely stand it and had decided to give her the cold shoulder until she came to make peace and apologize first.

So he waited. One day passed. Two days. Three.

No apology. Not even a single sticker message.

Wei Xun: “…”

He was furious. Was this girl a ninja or something? How could she hold out for so long? If this kept up, he’d probably be waiting until the end of the world for her to reach out.

She could hold back. But he couldn’t. He needed to see her.

So he’d decided to storm over to the Que residence and negotiate with the ninja herself—only to open the door and find her already standing outside his room, head hanging low. He didn’t even know how long she’d been waiting there.

When he opened the door, she looked up in a panic, her slightly reddened eyes meeting his.

“…”

Wei Xun was caught off guard. He hadn’t even had time to adjust the furious expression on his face, so he just stood there stiffly, silently staring at her.

His features were naturally sharp and cold. When he wasn’t smiling, he always looked arrogant and unapproachable. As his friend Cao Ying once put it: He looks at everyone like they’re trash, and if anyone annoys him, he’ll explode on the spot.

Thinking about it now, Wei Xun realized he must’ve looked just like that—no wonder Que Wanshu had been so timid, like a frightened little animal.

She had pressed her lips tightly together, hands curled up against her chest, fingers nervously tangled. Her eyes darted around, flicking to him and away again, and her lips kept opening and closing as if words were stuck in her throat.

From that look alone, Wei Xun had known what she wanted to say. So he didn’t rush her—he just waited, patiently.

Some people find it easy to say kind or apologetic things to strangers, but very difficult to say them to those they truly care about. Que Wanshu was exactly that type.

He used to not understand why that was. He was the opposite—he didn’t care about strangers, and only showed his soft side to people he loved. But over time, he realized something: the reason people struggle to speak honestly to those closest to them… is because they care too much. They worry that if they don’t say things just right, they might actually make things worse.

So before speaking, they weigh and reconsider their words—again and again.

Even then, they’re still scared.

Que Wanshu had always seemed gentle and resilient on the outside, but inside she was sensitive, fragile, and prone to overthinking. That hadn’t changed, even after all these years.

Wei Xun looked at her quietly. In that moment, the image of the girl who once stood outside his door years ago, trying so hard to apologize, overlapped perfectly with the one standing before him now. His heart softened completely.

So before she could open her mouth, he took the lead and said, “I know.”

Afraid she didn’t hear, he took a step toward her—then another—and said again: “I know everything, Que Wanshu.”

You don’t have to say it. I already understand.

So even if the apology doesn’t come out now—it’s okay.