Chapter 1608

Ye Heng'an gazed at her rosy lips, his brow arching slightly as he leaned in close to her ear, his breath warm and fragrant, his voice laced with a tantalizing allure. "Then I'll punish myself with some manual labor—serving you until you're completely satisfied." The suggestive words sent a flush creeping up Mu Nuan's cheeks to the tips of her ears. She gave his ankle a light kick and shot him a glare. "Who taught you to be such a troublemaker?" With a smirk, Ye Heng'an gently cupped her face, his eyes softening. "Niannian did. He said the toughest ones are no match for the shameless. As long as I throw all dignity aside around you, I can stick to you like glue for the rest of our lives." "You... stop hanging out with him," Mu Nuan huffed. That little rascal Niannian was corrupting perfectly good boys. "Still mad at me?" Without waiting for an answer, he scooped her up into his arms. "I’ll take my punishment now—bed or couch?" "Hey, hey, put me down! I’m not mad anymore!" "Then are you still leaving?" "Of course," she said, checking her watch. "For class. If we head back now, I can still make the afternoon lecture. Come on, let me go!" This time, Ye Heng'an obliged, setting her down before accompanying her to check out and return to campus. Since there was still time before class, Mu Nuan headed straight to her dorm. Xiao Qingqing walked in shortly after, her previously gloomy mood brightening the moment she spotted Mu Nuan. "Nuan! When did you get back? I thought you’d be skipping today too." "Just a little while ago. Sorry I missed your call this morning." "Oh, that’s nothing! But I’ve got something big to tell you," Xiao Qingqing said, pulling Mu Nuan down onto a chair. "After you left the cafeteria yesterday, Kang Yao stopped me. She said her whole thing with Ye was fake—she’s not his girlfriend at all. She only pretended because she saw how persistent he was with you and how you kept turning him down. She wanted to provoke you into reacting." Xiao Qingqing leaned in, eyes sparkling. "She also said that for over a year abroad, Ye barely spoke to any girls—hardly even to her. Nuan, don’t you think that’s just... heartbreakingly devoted?" Mu Nuan looked at her, lips curving into a faint smile, her eyes and brows radiating a composed grace that spoke of long-settled acceptance. Xiao Qingqing couldn’t help but frown. "What’s going on? You already know?" "Mm, I was with An’an last night." "With her?" Xiao Qingqing’s eyes narrowed with suspicion, a mischievous glint flashing in them. "You don’t mean… the kind of 'together' I’m thinking of, do you?" She punctuated her question with a suggestive clap of her hands. Mu Nuan’s cheeks flushed slightly—this woman was insatiably nosy. The moment her face turned pink, Xiao Qingqing leapt up from her chair, practically vibrating with excitement. "No way! Holy crap, that’s some lightning-fast progress! The ship I’ve been rooting for actually sailed? Oh my god, Nuan, this is amazing!" Mu Nuan scratched her brow sheepishly. "Could you maybe… dial it down a notch?" "How can I not be excited? Wait, so—what about Night? I heard… it’s supposed to be mind-blowing, right?" "Ugh, how do I even answer that?" Mu Nuan wrinkled her nose. "It’s the same as you and your boyfriend, isn’t it? Just… normal stuff." At the mention of her boyfriend, Xiao Qingqing’s expression stiffened. "We never… did anything." Mu Nuan sucked in a sharp breath. "What’s with that look? Regret?" "Of course not," Xiao Qingqing muttered, pressing her fingers to her temples. "Just… some unpleasant memories resurfacing." Noticing her friend’s sudden shift in mood, Mu Nuan’s brows knitted together. "Did that Yang Yun go crawling back to Ding You again?" Ever since the second semester of freshman year, Ding You had been relentlessly pursuing Xiao Qingqing. His unwavering devotion to Xiao Qingqing was precisely what had touched her heart. But no sooner had Xiao Qingqing agreed to date Ding You than Yang Yun, a senior in their fourth year, began openly expressing her feelings for him. Though Ding You paid her no attention, Yang Yun kept hovering around them, putting on that fake sweet act—like a toad that doesn’t bite but still disgusts you just by being there. Xiao Qingqing let out an exasperated sigh. "Nuan, tell me, how can such shameless creatures exist in this world? Just now, when I was having lunch with Ding You, that Yang Yun came waltzing over. Right in front of me, she picked food from her own plate and put it on Ding You’s, saying she noticed him smiling last time he ate it and assumed he must love it. And then she had the nerve to tell me not to mind, that it was just how friends interact. Like, seriously—" She couldn’t hold back a string of curses. Mu Nuan wrinkled her nose in disgust. "You didn’t call her out on the spot?" "I didn’t. But I did take the food she gave him and threw it straight into the trash. I told her that what my boyfriend likes to eat is my call, not hers. If no one wants her, she should work on herself instead of playing the innocent while acting like a clingy pest." Mu Nuan gave her a thumbs-up. "Good for you! So why are you still upset?" "Because of Ding You," Xiao Qingqing huffed, crossing her arms. "I told him to stay away from Yang Yun, and he actually had the nerve to say it wasn’t his fault—that she’s the one who keeps finding and following him. Is it really so hard for him to just take a stand in front of me?" Seeing her friend so worked up, Mu Nuan offered, "Want me to step in?" "No," Xiao Qingqing said firmly. "Relationships are between two people. We’ll have to sort it out ourselves. Anyway, enough about him. Your good news with Ye Heng’an earlier was a sweet distraction. But let me warn you—Ye Heng’an is way more of a catch than Ding You. You can bet those annoying flies will swarm around him. There’s no shortage of shameless people these days, so watch your back." Mu Nuan shrugged. "If he dares to entertain those disgusting pests, I’ll never speak to him again." After their afternoon classes, Xiao Qingqing linked arms with Mu Nuan as they left the lecture hall. At the foot of the steps stood Ye Heng’an, clearly waiting for someone. Spotting Mu Nuan, he waved. Xiao Qingqing grinned at the pair. "Well, look who’s here—your boyfriend. I’ll spare you the third-wheel treatment and get going." Mu Nuan's cheeks flushed slightly. "Cut it out. You're just going to see your boyfriend, aren't you?" Xiao Qingqing nodded with a knowing smile. "Alright, let's not tease each other then. I'm off to have dinner with Ding You. Call me if you need anything." With that, she waved at Ye Heng'an in the distance before disappearing down a side path. Mu Nuan quickened her pace to catch up to Ye Heng'an. Tipping her chin up, her eyes sparkled with playful energy. "Why didn’t you call before coming?" Ye Heng'an found her radiant smile as refreshing as a spring breeze. Gently tilting her chin up with his fingers, he leaned in and kissed her. Just then, students fresh from class streamed past, casting curious or bashful glances their way. Mu Nuan’s face burned crimson. She took a step back and swatted his arm lightly, whispering, "What are you doing? There are so many people around." "Missed you, that’s all," he murmured, closing the distance between them and taking her hand. Bending slightly to meet her gaze, he added in a low voice, "Nuan Nuan, let’s move in together."