Watching as Wen Muqing had already opened the drawer, Ren Chuqing suddenly shouted, "Ah Qing!"
Wen Muqing turned his head to look at Ren Chuqing, "What's the matter?"
"It's just... I suddenly wanted to ask if you would like to go to the night market later." Ren Chuqing stepped forward, took the hair dryer from Wen Muqing's hand, swiftly placed it back in the drawer, and then closed the drawer.
Only then did she feel relieved.
Ah Qing probably didn't see her diagnosis.
"The night market we used to go to when we were kids is still open, do you want to check it out?"
Wen Muqing stared at her thoughtfully, and after a moment, he slowly said, "Alright, let's go have a look."
The Wushan night market had been around for many years and was very lively.
"It's crowded here, be careful not to get separated." Ren Chuqing took hold of the other's hand.
Wen Muqing looked down at the hand holding his.
Her hand was delicate, with pale skin; blue veins faintly visible on the back, and the palm was not soft, he could even feel the calluses.
They were not the hands of someone pampered, he had seen too many hands of women far prettier than hers.
Yet these hands were the ones he yearned for!
"Is Sister worried we'll get separated by the crowd again, and can't find me?"
The sound of Wen Muqing's voice startled Ren Chuqing, and memories of the past surged up.
Yes, they had been separated in this night market before, and back then she frantically searched for him, terrified of not finding him.
Until later, in a corner of a night market stall, she saw him standing there, motionless.
He stood there like a lifeless doll, not moving an inch.
She rushed to him and embraced him, and the tears she had been holding back fell incessantly!
"Back then, when Sister found me, I was truly moved. I even thought that Sister wanted to lose me on purpose," Wen Muqing murmured.
"I would never leave you behind." Ren Chuqing tightened her grip on his hand even more.
As the two of them strolled through the night market, suddenly, Ren Chuqing's gaze was caught by a pink book.
It was a Wish Book to fulfill 100 wishes.
A hundred wishes, huh? She wondered if the remaining year's time would be enough; regardless, Ren Chuqing still bought the book.
Wen Muqing looked at the book, "I didn't expect Sister to be interested in this kind of wish book."
Ren Chuqing smiled, "I wasn't interested before, but now I feel like trying to write in it. Let's go, let's check out the other stalls!"
As she spoke, she turned around, but unexpectedly bumped into someone behind her.
"Sorry!" Ren Chuqing hurriedly apologized, but when her gaze fell on the person she had bumped into, she suddenly froze!
It was a handsome and pretty face, though still somewhat youthful, but it already exerted a strong attraction. The tall, lean stature made quite a few young girls at the night market stalls frequently glance over at this young man.
Standing beside him, Wen Muqing inadvertently narrowed his eyes.
This young man's photo, he had just seen it not long ago.
"Xiao Yuan..." Ren Chuqing muttered the name of the young man before her.
The attractive peach-blossom eyes slowly lifted to look at Ren Chuqing, but the pupils were devoid of any trace of emotion, as if looking at a stranger.
Instead, a middle-aged woman standing next to the young man looked at Ren Chuqing with disgust in her eyes, "Where do you get the nerve to call Xiao Yuan's name!"
With that, the woman started to leave, pulling the young man along with her.
"Wait!" Ren Chuqing stopped her, "I am his sister, let me speak to Xiao Yuan for just a moment, just a few words!"
She pleaded, her attitude as humble as could be.
She had once thought that when she finally had the capability, she would keep Xiao Yuan by her side, fulfill her duty as a sister, support his education, and watch him get married and have children. However, all of that was now impossible.
Looking at the boy before her, she murmured, "Xiao Yuan, I am your sister, sorry, I haven't come to see you these years, but I've always…"
"Smack!"
A slap rang out, cutting off her words.
"What right do you have to call yourself his sister? If it wasn't for you, how could Xiao Yuan's parents have possibly died!" the middle-aged woman said bitterly.
Ren Chuqing's cheek immediately swelled up on one side.
Many people around them turned their heads to look.
The youth's gaze was indifferent, as if he didn't care at all about Ren Chuqing being hit.
"Do you want me to help Sister deal with this woman?" A voice suddenly rang out in Ren Chuqing's ear—it was Wen Muqing bending over and whispering to her.
All she had to do was say the word, and he could easily disable that woman's hand!
"There's no need," Ren Chuqing said, pursing her lips.
The middle-aged woman glared at Ren Chuqing and said bitterly, "Stay away from Xiao Yuan from now on!"
After saying that, the woman quickly left, pulling Han Chuyuan with her.
Ren Chuqing stood rooted to the spot until the boy's figure had completely disappeared from her sight.
She turned her head and gave Wen Muqing a bitter smile, "Sorry, to have you witness such a scene."
Wen Muqing silently took Ren Chuqing's hand and led her away from the night market to a quiet roadside.
"Does it hurt?" His finger, smooth as jade, touched the swelling on her cheek.
"It's alright," she said softly.
"Why didn't you fight back?" Wen Muqing stared at the swelling on her cheek, finding it quite glaring.
She was silent.
"Or is what that woman said true, that Sister really did cause the death of your Xiao Yuan's parents?" Wen Muqing's voice, amidst the silent night, seemed exceptionally deep and cold.
Ren Chuqing's body trembled, and she said bitterly, "Back then, my mother and stepfather had an argument in the car over whether I should go to college. It led to a car accident, and their deaths... I truly am responsible."
The dashcam recorded their last argument, as well as the screams at the moment of the accident.
Like a nightmare, these sounds always lingered in her ears over the years.
Would everything have been different if she hadn't insisted on going to college?
"From what I see, your brother doesn't seem to have much affection for Sister," Wen Muqing's voice unexpectedly rang out again.
"Xiao Yuan was 7 when our parents had the accident. I was still a student, so his guardianship was granted to his aunt, the woman we just met," Ren Chuqing said somewhat helplessly while fiddling with the hem of her clothing. "But no matter what, I am his sister; we have an unbreakable blood connection!"
"What about me, then?" Wen Muqing bent down, his gaze directly meeting Ren Chuqing's almond-shaped eyes, "We don't have a blood relation, so to you, what am I?"
Ren Chuqing's throat clenched, and for a moment, she felt as though his gaze was like a rope, tightly strangling her neck, rendering her speechless.
His fingertips caressed the swelling on her face again, "I don't like seeing wounds on Sister's face caused by others; even if there are wounds, they should only come from me."
As he spoke, his fingers suddenly gripped her chin, and his lips pressed against her cheek, kissing the swollen area.
"It hurts…" Ren Chuqing couldn't help but say.
"This pain is from me," he murmured lowly.
At that moment, a car stopped at an intersection, waiting for the red light to turn green.
In the car, Su Yuyu was on the phone with a friend, boasting about the new pearl bracelet Jiang Huai had bought for her. Jiang Huai's gaze, however, unintentionally caught sight of a silhouette by the roadside and he froze.
It was Ren Chuqing!
And at that moment, she was in the arms of a man who was kissing her. Who was that man? Was it the pretty boy Yuer had mentioned?
Just as he thought that, the man, as if sensing something, turned his head slightly and looked in his direction.
In an instant, Jiang Huai's heart skipped a beat—this face was…