Startled at first, Manman had no time to grasp the meaning in his words. By the time she did, she had already been pulled along for a walk.
Her little face was blushed from the sun, and her lowered shadow overlapped with his tall figure, the light dappling in a way that dazzled her eyes.
The group reached halfway up the hill. Chun Xia was the first to find a stone bench and called the others to sit. Seeing Manman being pulled up the steps by the arm by Jiang Yan, Chun Xia grinned and joked, "You guys are like an old ox pulling a cart."
Drinking water, Du Yu spurted it out.
Manman's eyelids lifted, not knowing that Chun Xia could be so talkative, she stared wide-eyed.
Chun Xia, afraid that she would get truly angry, pulled her to sit down first, handing her a bottle of mineral water, and whispered near her ear, "It's rare for us to go out for fun, loosen up a bit."
She tried hard to twist open the bottle cap, but couldn't, Manman was sweating all over, unsure whether it was because of what Chun Xia had said, or because of what he had just said.
Jiang Yan and Du Yu sat shoulder to shoulder under a tree, enjoying the shade.
"Manman never had a boyfriend before?" Jiang Yan asked precisely, as she didn't seem to have had any contact with men.
Logically, Manman was twenty-nine this year, it seemed impossible that she hadn't been in a relationship.
Speaking of this, Du Yu felt sad for Manman, "Don't mention it. You should know about her family environment, right? With her mom who likes to make a fuss about nothing, how many good men must have been scared off."
The cap now off, Jiang Yan suddenly lost the desire to drink water.
"If it were just her mom, that would be one thing, but it's mainly her group of sisters," Du Yu said, getting really angry, "each of them thinks they're so high and mighty. If Manman finds a good match, they feel slighted. If Manman finds someone not so good, they feel she is disgracing them."
Any man who was slightly normal and thought about living a good life would not want to approach Manman after hearing what Du Yu said.
Du Yu dared to say this, betting on the fact that Jiang Yan had a bit of true affection for Manman: "Manman is average-looking, has a bad job, and her family's situation is not great." He added, slapping Jiang Yan on the shoulder, "I'm saying, bro, which part of Manman do you like? I'll take it into consideration."
"I like Manman. But liking someone, really, there's no clear reason," Jiang Yan said, feeling embarrassed himself, his eyes involuntarily glancing towards Manman.
Manman was still wrestling with the bottle cap, her little face tense.
Her innate and unobscured purity shone, like a bright light, suddenly dazzling his eyes.
Jiang Yan thought: Such a good and pure girl should be cherished by a good man no matter what.
Rustling, the sound of the wind, feeling as if their gaze, like a spotlight through the gaps in the branches, fell on her face, Manman turned her face away slightly.
How long had it been since she was last in touch with boys?
In her memory, the boys who approached her withdrew once they knew her family, comparing her looks where she couldn't even match Yuanyuan who wasn't nearsighted, let alone the family situation where hers was the worst of all.
Because she never started, not even one boy had ever told her he liked her.
Her heart had gradually grown cold to the matter, occasionally thinking it was okay to spend a lifetime alone. Yet, why now had a man suddenly appeared, proclaiming he liked her?
Her heart skipped irregular beats
Looking at the sky, cloudless for miles, the air in the mountains was fresh, the cool breeze blowing gently, the tourists climbing the mountain grew more frequent and younger, many in groups.
A group of about ten young people clawed their way up, in twos and threes.
The bottle cap in Manman's hand remained unopened when, looking up, she collided faces with Wen Haoxue from the crowd.
There was no time to hide.
"Sister Manman?" Wen Haoxue's round face was always expressive, her surprise turning to a familial smile within just three seconds, a camera's click wouldn't have caught the swift change in her expression, "Did Sister Manman come alone? It's no fun to play alone. If you had said something, we could have come together."
Who would want to come with her?
Manman's frown barely had a chance to turn into a voice when Chun Xia, sitting next to her, indignant for her friend, said, "Manman didn't come alone."
Not alone?
Wen Haoxue caught sight of Du Yu and Jiang Yan sitting under the large tree, oh, that impoverished fellow. Her eyes smiled into two parentheses.
Not to mention Jiang Yan being broke, according to what Wen Haoxue knew, Du Yu and Chun Xia were also the moonlight clan type of white-collars, without money. So, Manman, you should be careful about who you befriend, tying up with two penniless friends, connecting you to a ruined household – weren't you tricked? With this thought, Wen Haoxue sincerely "sympathized" with Manman.
Standing there, motionless, with a hesitating posture, Wen Haoxue indeed attracted the attention of her companions.
"Haoxue, is that your sister?"
"Yeah. My older cousin sister."
"Is she alone? If she is, let her join us. It's more fun with more people."
"I'd like that too, but my sister doesn't want to." Wen Haoxue said with endless regret.
"Why doesn't she want to?"
Everyone's gaze turned towards Manman, followed by surprise as they noticed Chun Xia, Du Yu, and Jiang Yan. The moment they saw Jiang Yan, many girls' eyes gleamed with brightness.
A handsome guy with red lips and white teeth, and most importantly, not effeminate, his slightly challenging long eyebrows exuded a masculine charm.
Seeing the reaction of the crowd was just as she expected, Wen Haoxue dropped the bomb, "Don't be fooled by his looks, he actually has other 'talents'."
Without the need for details, everyone could imagine.
A pretty boy?
One who lives off women?
The girls giggled unabashedly, starting to point fingers and comment on the handsome guy.
Enraged, Du Yu wanted to stand up but was held back by Jiang Yan pressing his shoulder.
"Don't get angry, Brother Yu. I'm not angry." Jiang Yan's mouth curled up slyly, his eyebrows lifted, exuding an aggressive pride that turned a group of young girls' faces red.
Weren't we talking about a ruined household?
Such arrogance?
Wen Haoxue couldn't resist anymore: which expression, which gaze of this man looked like someone from a ruined household? Could it be that she and her family were mistaken about something?
Seeing even her younger cousin doubt it, Manman's own suspicions grew stronger.
A group of young girls gasped in amazement.
With long strides, Jiang Yan suddenly sat beside Manman, his big hand wrapped around her, pulling her into his embrace like a little bird. Manman's face didn't have the chance to turn red when she heard him say with a light and leisurely tone at the corner of his mouth,
"You're right, I only want her to support me."
Boom.
Manman's mind went blank.
Wen Haoxue and a group of girls beat a hasty retreat.
"You know, Haoxue, your sister is really pitiful, ending up with someone so shamelessly declaring he wants to live off a woman."
Twirling a finger in her ear piercing, Jiang Yan only cared about Du Yu and Chun Xia, who were laughing so hard they were bending forward and backward, and who could spill his secrets at any moment.
The petite body in his arms moved, and Jiang Yan realized he had crossed a line, hurriedly loosening his grasp.
But Manman was already past blushing or skipping a heartbeat, her voice cold and natural, "Mr. Jiang, we really are unsuitable for each other."
Hiss— Jiang Yan sucked in a breath of cold air.