Wen Lin’s entire body was burning, his face scalding hot. He quickly grabbed the blanket beside him and pulled it over himself.
What had just happened to him? He had actually… reacted like that. What must Mu Wanwan think of him now?
He could only force himself to calm down and stop thinking about such chaotic things.
After leaving the room, Mu Wanwan went to the kitchen. She shook her head, trying to fling the earlier scene out of her mind.
She patted her cheeks and began washing the ingredients.
It was already late, so she decided to make a combined breakfast and lunch. When Huzi had delivered the braised goods yesterday, he had also brought some shiitake mushrooms and shepherd’s purse to thank her for giving him a chance to earn money.
They weren’t expensive items, so she had accepted them. At noon, she planned to make pork buns stuffed with shiitake mushrooms and shepherd’s purse.
After kneading the dough, she prepared the filling. Since the buns were meant for two patients, she deliberately used less seasoning to keep the flavor light.
Once everything was ready, she began wrapping the buns. Her hands were skillful—within moments she shaped plump, round buns, nearly identical in size. Lined up together, they looked neat and adorable.
When she finished wrapping them, she boiled water and set them to steam. It didn’t take long before they were done.
She picked out a few, placed them in a large bowl, and carried them to Wen Lin’s room.
Because of what had happened earlier, both of them felt slightly awkward. When their eyes met, they quickly looked away.
Mu Wanwan was the one to break the strange silence.
“Eat something first, then take the fever reducer and anti-inflammatory. If the fever doesn’t go down, you should go to the hospital.”
After setting down the bowl and chopsticks, she left without waiting for a response.
Wen Lin didn’t even get the chance to say anything. He looked at the white, plump buns in the bowl and picked one up with his chopsticks.
With the first bite, juice filled his mouth. The bun had thin skin and generous filling. The shiitake mushrooms added richness, while the shepherd’s purse brought a refreshing taste.
Wen Lin had grown up in a well-off family and had always eaten well. After joining the military, he had learned to endure harsh conditions—during missions, filling his stomach was all that mattered.
Yet Mu Wanwan’s cooking always easily stirred his appetite. Even something as simple as buns tasted better than dishes from well-known restaurants.
Though he had a fever and less appetite than usual, he still ate three buns.
She had already placed the medicine by his bedside. He swallowed the fever reducer and anti-inflammatory with warm water.
The medicine worked quickly. Drowsiness crept in. His body burned as he sweated heavily, sticky and uncomfortable.
After Mu Wanwan finished eating and tidying up the kitchen, she went to check on him.
Seeing his head covered in sweat, she fetched a towel and wiped him down.
Sweating was a good sign. Once the heat left his body, the fever would likely subside.
Watching him fall into a steady sleep, his temperature gradually lowering, Mu Wanwan left to deliver food to Grandpa Wen at the hospital.
“Oh my goodness! Xiaoru, how can you still sit there so calmly? Wen Lin is back—and he’s injured! This is exactly when he needs someone to take care of him. Aren’t you going to visit?
If Mu Wanwan takes care of him, won’t that give them a chance to develop feelings? How will they divorce then?”
Mother Lin rushed in breathlessly. Seeing Lin Huiru still reading made her even more anxious.
“Wen Lin is injured? Who told you?”
Lin Huiru jumped up, startled. She hadn’t heard anything.
“Yes! Aunt Wu from the compound told me. She saw someone helping Wen Lin home last night—it looked like he was hurt.”
The house they lived in had been arranged by Wen Lin. It was in the same residential compound as the Wen family, just farther away.
Mother Lin loved chatting with the idle women in the compound. The moment she heard the news, she hurried home to tell her daughter.
She had always known Lin Huiru wanted to marry Wen Lin—and she fully supported it.
Wen Lin was handsome, came from a good family, and was capable. If he became her son-in-law, she could hold her head high for the rest of her life.
So she was eager for Wen Lin to divorce Mu Wanwan and make room for her daughter.
If the young couple actually developed feelings for each other, what would happen to Xiaoru?
“Mom, I’m going out. Don’t make dinner for me tonight.”
Lin Huiru ran out. When she reached Wen Lin’s house, she found it unlocked and went straight in.
The house was quiet. Mu Wanwan didn’t seem to be there.
Glancing into the bedroom, she saw Wen Lin asleep on the bed.
Lying there peacefully, he looked less cold than usual. Lin Huiru’s heart couldn’t help but race.
She sat beside the bed and looked around. Only then did she notice that the bedroom seemed to bear traces of only Wen Lin’s presence.
There was only one pillow and one quilt on the bed. Did Mu Wanwan not sleep here?
She quickly checked the guest room opposite and indeed saw Mu Wanwan’s clothes and personal items there.
Joy flooded her.
They must have been sleeping separately all along—probably hadn’t even consummated the marriage.
She knew Wen Lin didn’t like Mu Wanwan. If a man didn’t want to touch a woman, didn’t that mean he disliked her? Maybe even despised her.
That meant she still had a big chance. Wen Lin treated her so well—perhaps he liked her a little too.
The more she thought about it, the more excited she became, her face flushing.
She returned to Wen Lin’s bedside, took his hand, and quietly stayed with him.
Mu Wanwan returned a little after two in the afternoon. Huzi would soon deliver more pork offal, and she still had braised goods to prepare, so she couldn’t stay long at the hospital.
Besides, Wen Lin was injured and alone at home—she felt uneasy.
After entering, she went straight to the master bedroom.
The moment she saw the scene before her, her entire body turned cold. She froze.
Lin Huiru and Wen Lin were tightly embracing each other. Their posture looked intimate, Lin Huiru’s cheeks flushed, her expression shy—leaving much to the imagination.
Wen Lin’s first reaction was to push Lin Huiru away.
“Don’t misunderstand. That was just an accident.”
He didn’t even know why he suddenly felt guilty. Normally, he wasn’t someone who bothered to explain himself—what was clear would remain clear.
But the look in Mu Wanwan’s eyes just now made him care. Almost instinctively, he explained.