Ruthless Romance

Chapter 5: To Hold Your Hand Until We Grow Old Together

Suddenly, a pair of arms encircled her body, pulling her back against him. She could feel the lingering dampness from his recent shower, along with the fresh scent of his body wash. Their proximity was overwhelming, making her heart race.

Her hands instinctively pressed against his chest, trembling slightly.

The hands around her waist abruptly released her. "Get out," he commanded.

His voice had grown inexplicably hoarse. Confused about what had displeased him this time, she fled the room like a frightened deer.

Back in her storage room quarters, Wen Yan regretted not asking about Shen Jie's situation. However, remembering their intimate moment, she couldn't summon the courage to return.

Early the next morning, Mrs. Liu entered her room with a glass of water, "Here, Yan Yan, take some cold medicine."

Wen Yan was puzzled. Mrs. Liu hadn't known about her cold, and more importantly, how dare she offer medicine without Mu Tingchen's permission?

Sensing her confusion, Mrs. Liu sat on the edge of her bed with a gentle smile, "The young master left for a business trip. He won't be back for about a month. He instructed me to give you this before he left. Go ahead, take it."

Wen Yan felt conflicted emotions, but learning of his extended absence brought an inexplicable sense of relief.

After taking the medicine, she hurriedly prepared for school. Upon entering the art studio, she was surprised when the principal personally delivered all her missing art supplies, "Miss Wen, please check if anything is missing?"

Wen Yan was taken aback, "No... nothing's missing, but... why?"

The principal offered no explanation, simply saying, "Good, then," before departing.

After he left, she contemplated the supplies thoughtfully. It couldn't be from Mu Tingchen – he wouldn't care about her school needs.

"Yan Yan, I heard someone's anonymously sponsoring you! The school acted so quickly, and these supplies are even better than mine!" Chen Mengyao arrived and immediately began examining everything.

Wen Yan remained silent, organizing her materials.

Chen Mengyao pursed her lips before enthusiastically speculating about the anonymous sponsor: "Who do you think it could be? Shen Jie's been sent abroad by his father and won't be back for years. Could it be him? The timing of his departure and this sponsorship seems connected."

Wen Yan froze. Between Mu Tingchen and Shen Jie, she found it easier to believe it was the latter.

Thinking of that gentle, refined man brought an inexplicable ache to her heart.

Shen Jie's departure was her fault...

During Mu Tingchen's absence, Wen Yan noticeably relaxed. On her birthday weekend, Chen Mengyao insisted on taking her out for the day, keeping it just the two of them knowing Wen Yan's discomfort with crowds.

As they prepared to head home, Chen Mengyao produced two small gift boxes as if by magic, "These are birthday presents from Shen Jie and me."

Wen Yan hesitated to accept them. She couldn't afford to reciprocate, and the packaging alone suggested expensive contents. Though poor, her years in the Mu household had taught her to recognize luxury.

"Thank you for spending the day with me, but I can't accept the gifts," she said, inhaling deeply the cold air laden with snow.

Chen Mengyao forcefully pressed the boxes into her hands, "My friendship doesn't come with strings attached, though Shen Jie might have ulterior motives..."

Wen Yan paused, not quite understanding her meaning.

Chen Mengyao pulled out her phone, dialed a number, and handed it to her.

Wen Yan stared at the name displayed: Shen Jie.

Holding the phone to her ear, she heard his warm, affectionate voice: "Xiao Yan, it's me."

The thought of his gentle demeanor made her heart clench, and she managed a hoarse, "Mm."

"Happy birthday. And..." Shen Jie paused, his voice carrying an unusual nervousness, "Xiao Yan, I like you. Wait for me until I return home. Please wait for me."

The confession hung in the winter air like suspended snowflakes, each word crystallizing the complexity of her situation. Here was Shen Jie, offering her something pure and untainted by the past – a stark contrast to the weighted relationship she shared with Mu Tingchen.

The irony wasn't lost on her. While one man commanded her presence with cold authority, another asked for her to wait with gentle hope. Yet both requests seemed equally impossible to grant, though for entirely different reasons.

Standing there in the winter cold, clutching gift boxes she didn't deserve and hearing words she shouldn't accept, Wen Yan felt the full weight of her circumstances. Her life wasn't her own to give – it belonged to a debt she could never fully repay, to a man whose very absence felt like both punishment and relief.

The snow continued to fall around them, each flake a reminder of how different her world was from those of her friends. Chen Mengyao's genuine friendship and Shen Jie's sincere affection were luxuries she couldn't afford, just like the presents in her hands. In the Mu household, even the simplest gestures of kindness came with complicated implications.

As Shen Jie's words echoed in her mind, Wen Yan couldn't help but wonder if there would ever be a time when she could accept such feelings freely, without the shadow of her past looming over every choice she made.