Chapter 134: Attentive

Song Wanning smiled helplessly. What was with Aunt Li’s motherly tone?

"Thank you for your concern, Aunt Li," she said.

A brief silence fell between them, yet neither found it awkward, nor did they feel the need to fill the void with forced conversation.

After a moment, Aunt Li continued, "The young master is such a thoughtful person. When he heard that you needed that item, he insisted on buying it himself. I had expected him to just have his assistant bring it over."

Aunt Li didn't say anything explicitly. She had watched the young master grow up, and this was the first time she had seen him pay such close attention to a woman. She understood the situation perfectly. The young master had his own intentions, but that didn't necessarily mean the young lady did, too. Young people had their own ways, and she certainly wouldn't interfere recklessly. At most... she would offer a little support from behind the scenes. In any case, everything she had just said was the truth.

Reflecting on Aunt Li’s words, Song Wanning realized it was true. There had been many times when Wen Jingxing had taken care of her—driving her home after she was drunk, bringing her heat patches when it was cold, or providing a hot water bottle when her feet were freezing. There were so many thoughtful gestures, one after another, that they had quietly and imperceptibly woven themselves into the fabric of her life. She hadn't noticed the changes as they happened, but looking back, the details were all there.

Honest as ever, Song Wanning nodded. "You’re right. He is a very kind and gentle person."

Aunt Li was taken aback to hear the word "gentle" from Song Wanning. Most people described Wen Jingxing as cold or heartless. Before this, only one little girl had ever said such things about him. Aunt Li did not know that the woman before her was that very same little girl who used to play by Wen Jingxing’s side.

"I didn't think you would agree with me," Aunt Li said.

"Why?" Song Wanning asked, meeting Aunt Li’s eyes. She could tell that Aunt Li’s affection for Wen Jingxing was akin to a mother’s devotion to her child.

Aunt Li sighed. She wanted to mention that Wen Jingxing had a close childhood friend, but she feared that bringing it up might cause a rift between them. After all, didn't young people nowadays pride themselves on being each other’s one and only?

She changed the subject. "The young master never liked to smile when he was young, and his temper wasn't great. He only started to mellow out as he grew older. Back in high school, a girl confessed to him by singing a love song at the school anniversary gala. The young master turned her down flat. When she asked for a hug to end her decade-long secret crush, he..." Aunt Li paused.

Song Wanning was listening intently. "And then?"

*To have known someone for over a decade back in high school—they must have known each other since they were very young...*

"And then, when that girl walked over to hug him, the young master gave her a shoulder throw and tossed her to the ground."

Song Wanning couldn't help but burst into laughter. The sudden movement caused a warm rush to surge from her lower body. Her abdomen cramped, and she hurriedly forced herself to suppress her laughter. "Are there any other stories?"

She was quite curious about Wen Jingxing’s past. People often said that men changed when they got rich, so she wondered what had caused a man with a net worth of over ten billion to remain so chaste his entire life.

Aunt Li was amused by Song Wanning’s reaction. "There are plenty. Otherwise, why do you think everyone unanimously agrees that the young master is a..." She caught herself just in time. Even though she was talking to Song Wanning, she couldn't speak ill of the young master!

Aunt Li went on to recount several "dark" tales about Wen Jingxing—how he ruthlessly rejected girls who confessed to him, or how he tortured his diligent employees at the office.

By the time Wen Jingxing returned, he found Song Wanning covering her mouth and giggling. He didn't know what Aunt Li had said to make her so happy.

Both women stood up as he entered.

"Young master, your clothes are wet."

"Jingxing, go change your clothes."

They spoke at the same time, though Aunt Li gently pressed Song Wanning back into her seat.

Wen Jingxing walked over and handed a black bag to Song Wanning. She thanked him, while Aunt Li took his wet suit jacket.

"Aunt Li," Wen Jingxing instructed, "go prepare this for A-Ning to drink."

Aunt Li opened the bag and saw it was brown sugar. "Right away, young master." She hurried off, sensing this was the perfect time for the two of them to talk.

Little did she know that as soon as she left, Song Wanning had sent Wen Jingxing off to change. When he returned, he couldn't find her in the living room, so he went looking for her. He finally found her in the bathroom, holding a small basin and attempting to wash a blanket.

Wen Jingxing didn't care what she was washing; he reached in to check the water temperature and found it ice-cold.

Seeing him touch the water, Song Wanning blocked him. "Wait! This water is dirty!"

Instead, Wen Jingxing pulled her hand out, found it just as cold, and frowned.

"Wait! I haven't finished washing it!" she protested.

"You don't need to wash that," he said.

"It’s dirty, so of course it needs to be washed. I can't trouble Aunt Li with this."

Wen Jingxing stopped and looked at her. "That blanket shouldn't be washed in water."

Song Wanning froze. *Oh no, I'm going to owe him again.* "So... is it ruined?"

"Yes. But don't worry about it. It’s just a blanket; it’s not expensive."

Song Wanning didn't believe for a second that anything Wen Jingxing called "not expensive" was actually cheap. These items that couldn't be washed in water were surely as pricey as the dress he had lent her earlier.

"But I really don't..."

"No 'buts.' Aunt Li should have the brown sugar water ready. Go drink it."

He led her to the kitchen, where she drank the brown sugar water under his watchful gaze. She could taste the red dates and ginger slices; it had a slight spicy kick, but the aftertaste was sweet. It was palatable.

Afterward, Wen Jingxing personally led her to her room.

"I’m not a child, I can take care of myself," Song Wanning said helplessly.

"You couldn't," Wen Jingxing countered. "The water was freezing, and you were still washing it."

"I..." Song Wanning was speechless. In normal circumstances, she rarely paid attention to such things.

The air conditioner was still on in the room, making the air feel a bit stuffy after the rain, though she had set the temperature high. Seeing this, Wen Jingxing reached over and turned it off.