Mu Wannuo breathed a sigh of relief, her inner worries completely dissipating. “As long as the poor little thing isn’t hurt.”
She watched Ning Chuxue panting heavily, probably tired from all the trouble. Although autumn wasn’t too hot, Mu Wannuo still broke out in a cold sweat from the shock.
She took a bottle of saline solution from her bag, thoughtfully unscrewed the cap, and handed it to Ning Chuxue, while also taking one for herself.
Ning Chuxue put the little bear in her arms aside and took it with both hands. “Thank you, Sister Mu Wan.”
Just then she was a little thirsty, so she raised the bottle and chugged it.
“Poor little thing, drink slowly, don’t choke.” Seeing her wild drinking style, Mu Wannuo couldn’t help but feel worried.
Within three seconds of her warning, Ning Chuxue really did choke. She quickly put down the bottle and coughed violently toward the ground.
“Drink slowly, don’t be in a hurry.”
Seeing this, Mu Wannuo put on an expression that said “I told you so.”
Mu Wannuo picked up the water bottle Ning Chuxue had placed aside, screwed the cap back on, held it in her hand, and sat down beside her. She placed her hand on the back of Ning Chuxue’s long hair and patted her back with moderate force.
After a while, Ning Chuxue finally recovered. “Cough, cough, I almost choked to death.”
“Next time, drink slowly, don’t be in such a hurry.” Mu Wannuo helplessly stroked the top of her head.
Her stroking was much more practiced compared to the first time. Before, Mu Wannuo had stroked Ning Chuxue’s head as if to comfort herself, but now she began to consider whether this touch could make Ning Chuxue feel comfortable too. This change also made Ning Chuxue less resistant than she had been at the beginning.
“Got it.” Ning Chuxue didn’t take it to heart, and hugged the little bear again in her arms. “Sister Mu Wan, what should we do next? The seal is still with Director Zhang; I didn’t get it.”
“I’ll talk to Director Zhang and pick it up tomorrow. Right now, the poor little thing needs to rest; afterwards, follow me to get familiar with the campus.”
“Mm-hmm.” Ning Chuxue nodded obediently.
On the surface, she seemed very obedient, but deep down she was a little afraid of this unfamiliar school. Although most people seemed friendly, the incident with Qian Sheng had left her with some negative impressions—a single rat dropping spoils the whole pot of porridge. Not to mention that first impressions are very powerful, able to subconsciously change a person’s view of something.
What made Ning Chuxue feel afraid, besides the matter with Qian Sheng, were other reasons as well. She just sat here, not daring to do anything, yet she attracted a lot of gazes. Almost everyone who passed by would turn their heads to observe her.
Although these gazes were subtle and disappeared after a quick glance, it was still overwhelming when everyone did it. Even on the path to the right, a few people were gathered together chatting, occasionally turning back to look at Ning Chuxue’s direction.
However, as if intimidated by Mu Wannuo’s aura, these people only dared to watch from a distance and did not approach. This made Ning Chuxue feel very uncomfortable, unable to sit still.
Mu Wannuo also noticed these gazes. She observed more carefully than Ning Chuxue. Only a small part of these people’s attention was on her; the rest was mostly on Ning Chuxue.
Mu Wannuo’s eyes flickered with a nameless fire. Her pink lips tightened, and a cold glint flashed at the peaks of her brows. “The poor little thing is very popular at school.”
“Not really…” Ning Chuxue buried her head into the plush toy in her arms, doing so gave her a sense of security.
“How’s the rest going now?”
While asking, Mu Wannuo pulled Ning Chuxue’s hand and prepared to leave this place. She gave Ning Chuxue no time to answer.
Ning Chuxue’s wrist was pulled painfully by her, so she could only remind her, “Sister Mu Wan, what’s wrong all of a sudden? Can you be gentler? I can walk by myself.”
“No.”
“But…”
Before Ning Chuxue’s protest could leave her mouth, Mu Wannuo tightened her grip again. The sharp pain interrupted her plea.
“I still have something very important to do later; I’ll take Chuxue for a quick tour of the campus first,” Mu Wannuo spoke again.
Whether it was an illusion or not, Ning Chuxue detected a tremor in her tone. It sounded like fear, or some kind of unclear emotion. Ning Chuxue couldn’t tell, and she didn’t have the strength to resist Mu Wannuo. Unable to break free, she could only passively be dragged along by Mu Wannuo.
Until those unsettling gazes completely disappeared.
The park path was winding. Ning Chuxue only knew they had turned several corners and passed through an archway along the way. It was only after passing through the archway that Mu Wannuo finally let go of Ning Chuxue.
Inside the archway was a grove of cherry blossom trees. Because it was autumn, the cherry blossom petals were still white, with only a hint of gradient pink at the center. However, Ning Chuxue was not in the mood to appreciate these. Her eyes were full of confusion as she looked at Mu Wannuo’s back.
She could clearly sense that Mu Wannuo’s aura had changed drastically. On the bench, she had been like a majestic tiger, but now that aura had completely dissipated.
“Sister Mu Wan, what’s wrong with you today?”
Ning Chuxue felt it was very strange, but couldn’t pinpoint what was strange.
“I’m fine, Chuxue. Why would you ask that?”
“How could you possibly be fine?” Ning Chuxue looked at her with concern. Even if she were denser, she could still detect something off about Mu Wannuo today.
Before Ning Chuxue could continue pressing, Mu Wannuo suddenly turned around and then crouched down in front of her. Their gazes leveled. Ning Chuxue could clearly see the red veins at the corners of her eyes. But after blinking again, those red veins disappeared.
‘An illusion?’ Ning Chuxue wondered to herself in confusion. But she was clear that it wasn’t an illusion, because that glance just now was very clear.
Mu Wannuo was the first to reach out, placing her hand on Ning Chuxue’s forehead. It was a bit warm but not much. “The poor little thing isn’t running a fever either. Why would you think your sister has become strange?”
“But just now, for a moment, I really did feel like Sister Mu Wan had become a different person.”
Ning Chuxue felt a bit confused. She was very sure she wasn’t sick with a fever, and also very sure that Mu Wannuo had indeed seemed like a different person just now. But now, looking at Mu Wannuo who seemed no different from usual, she began to doubt herself again.
‘Was it really just my imagination?’
Her confusion received no explanation. Mu Wannuo stood up and gently took her hand. “Alright, alright, I’ll take the poor little thing for a tour. Also, even if your sister really did change, my love for Chuxue will never change.”
Compared to the last time, Mu Wannuo’s hand-holding action this time was much gentler.
“Okay.”
Ning Chuxue didn’t pursue it any further and obediently followed behind Mu Wannuo.
Seeing that Ning Chuxue had completely let down her guard, Mu Wannuo finally breathed a sigh of relief. She felt her heart beating wildly and her breathing was quicker than usual.
‘That behavior just now was still too irrational. I need to be more careful in the future.’
But what had just happened also made Mu Wannuo fully aware of one thing: Ning Chuxue was still too popular at school. She had to limit that somehow. Otherwise, one day she might run off with someone else, and by then it would be too late to take corrective action.