The inside of the coat pocket was lined with soft cashmere, blocking out the cold wind outside. Xi Liye’s palm was dry and warm, almost hot.
Heat continuously flowed from him, quickly driving away the numbness and pain in her fingertips.
“I’ll warm your other hand later,” Wen Chu heard Xi Liye say.
What???
Male Lead, are you a dog? Why are you so obedient to everything I say??
Holding a girl’s hand so easily—where’s your moral integrity?!
Dazed, Wen Chu let Xi Liye lead her to the cafeteria.
Since it was a weekend morning, there weren’t many people around, but Wen Chu still deliberately chose the most secluded corner she could find.
It couldn’t be helped.
Corners were a social anxiety sufferer’s dream paradise.
After asking about her preferences, Xi Liye went to get food.
Sitting down, Wen Chu looked at the hand he had warmed earlier.
It felt as though traces of his warmth still lingered on her fingertips.
Watching his tall figure calmly selecting food at the serving counter, she silently reflected on her actions just now.
Wasn’t there enough physical contact?
Every move she had tried had been casually accepted by him.
He was being far too accommodating.
If this continued, how was she supposed to make him annoyed?
How was she supposed to break up with him?
No.
She had to pull herself together!
Just as she strengthened her resolve, Xi Liye returned carrying two trays.
He set one in front of her.
A steaming bowl of seafood porridge, several light side dishes, and a cup of hot milk with white steam rising from it.
“Thank you.”
Wen Chu thanked him softly.
She scooped up a spoonful of porridge, blew on it, and carefully put it into her mouth.
The porridge was soft, fragrant, and perfectly warm.
It was genuinely delicious.
The warmth of the food eased some of the cold and nervousness in her body.
Then she bit into a strip of mushroom in the porridge.
Her eyes suddenly lit up.
An idea appeared.
“There are mushrooms in the seafood porridge.”
Wen Chu looked up at Xi Liye.
Xi Liye looked puzzled.
Wen Chu accused him,
“I hate mushrooms!”
Xi Liye sighed helplessly.
“But I asked you earlier if seafood porridge was okay, and you said it was.”
“But I didn’t know there would be mushrooms in it.”
Wen Chu deliberately put on a wronged expression.
After spending some time with her, Xi Liye only felt that the girlfriend he had somehow acquired was extremely delicate.
If he asked too many questions, she would easily become upset and explode.
She needed to be coaxed.
For the sake of making their future interactions more manageable, he felt he couldn’t keep indulging her bad habit of getting angry so easily.
He should explain things properly.
“Wen Chu, when I asked you earlier, you said it was fine. If there’s a mushroom in it that you don’t like, that isn’t my fault.”
His tone became slightly serious.
The male lead was angry?
Wen Chu was secretly thrilled, though she kept a pitiful expression on her face.
Looking down, she resembled a little kitten with drooping ears.
“But… I really don’t like them.”
Her voice was deliberately sweet and clingy.
Even Wen Chu herself felt a chill hearing it.
Too much!
Internally, she applauded her own acting skills.
Who could possibly tolerate this?
Yet when Xi Liye saw her pitiful expression and heard her weakened tone, his irritation instantly disappeared.
“One last time.”
Xi Liye reached out and pulled her bowl toward himself.
Then, under Wen Chu’s stunned gaze, he picked up a clean spoon and carefully began removing every single mushroom strip from her porridge.
One by one.
Wen Chu stared at the now “purified” bowl of seafood porridge.
Her mind went blank.
What…
What was happening?
Did men actually like this kind of sweet, clingy voice?
How vulgar!
She opened her mouth but couldn’t force out a single word.
Xi Liye raised his eyes.
Seeing that she was still frozen, he slightly lifted a brow.
“What’s wrong?”
“Anything else?”
“N-No…”
Wen Chu answered dryly.
Lowering her head, she silently took a spoonful of mushroom-free porridge.
At the same time, she comforted herself internally.
It’s okay.
It’s okay.
They had only been together for a few days.
The heroine wouldn’t appear until six months later.
She still had half a year to break up with him.
After comforting her fragile heart, the two finished eating.
Following the normal process of a date, they couldn’t exactly end things after only having breakfast.
Even though Wen Chu desperately wanted that.
After all, the weather was freezing.
Lying comfortably in her dormitory sounded much better.
After discussing it, Wen Chu looked through the many classic couple date activities and finally settled on one—
Perler beads.
Her reasoning was very solid:
The environment was usually quiet and artistic.
There was no need for excessive conversation, preventing awkward silences.
There was a specific activity to focus on, so things wouldn’t become uncomfortable.
Most importantly, there probably wouldn’t be many people there at this time.
It was basically a paradise within social-anxiety sufferer Wen Chu’s comfort zone.
Besides…
Before transmigrating, she had often seen videos about it online and had wanted to try it.
But she had never dared to leave the house.
Now she finally had the chance.
Originally, Wen Chu thought Xi Liye would look down on this kind of activity.
Unexpectedly, he agreed very easily.
That wasn’t right.
Wasn’t the male lead supposed to be a dark, obsessive lunatic?
Why did the early-stage male lead seem rather gentlemanly?
The craft workshop was hidden on the second floor of a creative arts building.
It was warmly decorated, with a faint scent of coffee and wood lingering in the air.
On a weekday morning, there were very few customers.
Only a couple chatting softly in a corner and a girl making felt crafts alone.
Wen Chu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Environment approved.
Few people.
Perfect.
Since she was afraid of social interaction, she skipped the receptionist’s introduction and chose a package herself.
She picked up two pegboards and several large boxes of color-sorted beads.
For herself, she chose an adorable tilted-head kitten design.
For Xi Liye, she handed over a pattern of a bright red fox making a cute expression, along with the corresponding beads.
“You… want to try this?”
She tried to make her tone sound considerate and natural.
Xi Liye accepted the pattern.
He glanced at the color guide, said nothing, and followed her to a bright table near the window.
At first, the atmosphere was surprisingly peaceful.
Even harmonious.
Wen Chu immediately immersed herself in the task.
Using a small pair of tweezers, she carefully picked up beads and placed them onto the board according to the pattern.
Gradually, she began enjoying herself.
The outside world faded away.
All that remained was the soft clicking sound of beads landing on the plastic board.
Watching the image slowly take shape before her, the corners of her lips gradually lifted.
This was something the shut-in version of herself before transmigration had never experienced.
That was why Wen Chu treasured the opportunity so much.
Meanwhile, Xi Liye slowly worked on his red fox.
But eventually, his attention drifted toward Wen Chu beside him.
His gaze swept across the eyelashes casting faint shadows beneath her lowered eyes.
Across the slightly puffed cheeks that had taken on a healthy pink hue because she was concentrating so intently.
He had to admit it.
This girlfriend he had obtained through sheer coincidence was very beautiful.
And that kind of beauty happened to strike precisely at a hidden preference buried deep within him—
A preference that even he himself might not have fully realized existed.