21 – Can I hug you?
Wen Man’s entire body tensed, her eyes fixed unwaveringly on Wen Yanchuan’s gaze, a fine layer of sweat forming in her palms.
The warmth from Wen Yanchuan’s palm still lingered on her cheek—this was the first time she had truly felt his body heat.
Scorching, blazing.
Unconsciously, Wen Man swallowed, her eyelashes trembling faintly.
The mole on the bridge of her nose had always been something she disliked, and because of her aversion, it had been concealed day after day.
Some said that mole on her nose was unlucky, affecting Wen Man’s fortune. Wen Man didn’t blame fate or others, but as if venting, she directed all her negative emotions toward that mole.
Yet, no matter how much she disliked it, she never chose to remove it.
It was as if, without it, Wen Man would have nowhere left to direct her blame.
But now, someone was gently caressing it with his scorching fingertips, as if comforting it, telling it: You are beautiful.
Wen Man’s heart felt as though it might leap out of her chest.
Almost instinctively, Wen Man parted her lips: “What about me?”
She asked Wen Yanchuan: “Does Mr. Wen think I’m beautiful?”
Wen Yanchuan’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, his praise generous, expressing his feelings without reserve.
“Perhaps saying this might make Miss Wen feel it’s overly impolite, but it’s the truth—you are so beautiful that I’ve wanted to kiss you countless times.”
Wen Man’s heart trembled.
She quickly turned her face away, fumbling somewhat flusteredly for the car window button. The window slowly descended, and the fierce winter wind of London swept across the surface of the Thames, carrying light flurries of snow that brushed against Wen Man’s cheek through the open window.
Mingled with her warm, soft, and sweet breath, it filled the entire car.
Wen Man’s fingers gripping the window frame still trembled slightly.
It was all a lie.
Time and again in front of others, time and again when alone, she denied others and denied herself. Every word she spoke about not liking Wen Yanchuan was a lie.
Her heart was about to leap out—the heart doesn’t lie.
Wen Man closed her eyes tightly, suppressing her agitation—an unprecedented agitation.
It was a feeling she had never experienced, not even when she was with Jiang Jin.
…
By eleven o’clock at night, the moonlight over London grew richer, casting a shimmering glow over the Thames.
Wen Man sat in the car, leaning back in her seat. This time, she didn’t sit near the door but closer to the center console.
After leaving the restaurant, the bearded London driver had parked the car near London Bridge and then stepped out.
The location wasn’t particularly secluded, with people all around.
Wen Yanchuan tapped lightly on the center console, and the sunroof overhead slowly opened. Unlike a narrow skylight, Wen Man could see a vast expanse of sky.
Wen Man tilted her head back, waiting, her eyes filled with eager anticipation.
“Has Mr. Wen often come here to watch fireworks before?”
Wen Yanchuan tapped his fingers lightly on his knee, his eyelids lowering slightly. After a moment, he reached down beneath the center console and picked up a pure white cigarette case. Wen Man glanced at it but didn’t recognize the brand.
Wen Yanchuan tapped the case twice, shaking out a cigarette, his voice slightly hoarse: “Do you mind?”
Wen Man shook her head—she wasn’t overly sensitive about such things; it didn’t matter to her.
Wen Yanchuan pressed a silver lighter, lighting the cigarette. With the faint crackling of the flame, he exhaled slowly before answering: “Occasionally.”
A tremendous boom erupted across the sky. Wen Man quickly looked up to see a magnificent firework burst open, illuminating half the sky and instantly stirring a wave of gasps and cheers.
Wen Man’s eyes were illuminated by the fireworks. She tilted her head back, her lips slightly parted.
Fireworks bloomed one after another, different from any Wen Man had seen before.
Completely different—they were dazzling, filling half the night sky with brilliance. Countless fireworks connected into a vast expanse, blooming in unison. Stunned by their beauty, Wen Man raised a hand to cover her lips and gasped in awe.
“Magnificent” was the only word that came to Wen Man’s mind.
The fireworks never stopped. Wen Man’s neck grew sore, her eyes grew tired, yet she dared not blink, afraid of missing even a single moment.
Belatedly, Wen Man took out her phone and aimed it at the skylight, recording the fireworks.
When the video timer ticked past a minute, Wen Man could no longer bear the ache in her neck and hand. She shifted slightly, causing the camera to tremble.
Wen Yanchuan turned to ask her, “Would you like to get out of the car to watch?”
Sitting and looking up was indeed uncomfortable, and the view of the fireworks was limited.
Wen Man wanted to, but her identity and Wen Yanchuan’s did not allow her such indulgence.
Back in China, her name was likely flooding the trending searches. If she were photographed watching fireworks with Wen Yanchuan now, the consequences would be unimaginable.
She could afford to be careless, but Wen Yanchuan could not.
Wen Man shook her head without answering.
Wen Yanchuan said nothing more. Instead, he took the phone from Wen Man’s hand, raised his arm, and continued recording the fireworks for her.
Wen Man watched Wen Yanchuan’s profile. When he took her phone, his fingertips had brushed against hers.
The two sat quietly in the car. After what felt like an eternity, the fireworks finally ceased.
Wen Man still felt a lingering sense of longing.
“Mr. Wen, it’s over. Let’s go back.”
Wen Yanchuan held the phone steady, unmoving, as if waiting for something.
In the next moment, exclamations erupted around them once more.
Wen Man looked up, gazing out through the skylight.
A massive red firework bloomed, forming a delicate crimson rose in the night sky. A single blossom, stunning enough to take one’s breath away.
Beside the enormous red rose, there was also a ‘W’ emblem.
For a moment, Wen Man froze. She stared blankly at the red rose, her throat tightening.
Was it a coincidence?
Wen Yanchuan’s low, magnetic voice suddenly sounded beside her ear, “Does Miss Wen like such dazzling and beautiful things?”
Wen Man stared unblinkingly at the red rose and nodded dazedly, “Yes.”
“Even if it’s fleeting?”
Wen Man’s gaze remained fixed. “It’s already in my heart. It will never disappear.”
Wen Yanchuan chuckled softly. “Miss Wen, is it deafening?”
Wen Man was taken aback and turned to look at Wen Yanchuan. “What?”
“The sound of firecrackers may be loud, but it lacks elegance. It doesn’t suit Miss Wen.
I’m not good with words, but since Miss Wen wanted to hear a sound, I had no reason to refuse.
Miss Wen, do you find it deafening?”
Listening to Wen Yanchuan’s voice, Wen Man’s mind went blank for a moment before she recalled the words she had spoken while drunk:
‘It’s been over a month without even a sound. Even firecrackers make a noise, right? Six million spent on firecrackers would surely be deafening.’
At that moment, Wen Man finally understood.
The New Year’s fireworks over the Thames would not last forever, but the red rose engraved with the ‘W’ emblem was Wen Yanchuan’s exclusive ‘sound’ for her.
It wasn’t just the fireworks that were deafening.
Even Wen Man’s feelings and her beating heart were deafening.
The pretense of strength she had maintained crumbled in an instant. Beneath the fireworks, her raised defenses were abandoned, leaving her vulnerable.
Wen Man’s eyes suddenly welled up, reddening like a soft-eared rabbit. Amidst the fireworks, she asked Wen Yanchuan,
“Mr. Wen, may I hug you?”