Chapter 73: Unsolicited Kindness

"You..."
"I..."
Both spoke at the same time.

Song Waning was the first to laugh. "You go ahead."

"No, you first," Wen Jingxing insisted.

"If you won't, I will," Song Waning said bluntly. "Where did this water pouch come from?"

She held up the item in her hands, showing it to Wen Jingxing.

"The day we went boating, the temperature dropped. You got drunk and kept saying you were cold, so I asked the production team for this," he replied.

Clearly, his explanation was mostly fabricated.

But it didn't matter; Song Waning believed it.

"Oh... Thank you. I didn't expect you to be so thoughtful," she murmured, her voice especially soft at the end.

Wen Jingxing caught it anyway. "What do you mean, 'didn't expect'...?"

Just how bad was her impression of him before?

"Nothing." Song Waning stuck out her tongue, barely moving, then immediately walked away.

"Wait," Wen Jingxing called, stepping forward and grabbing her hand.

Song Waning turned back, following his pull, almost colliding with his stride, but managed to steady herself in time. "What is it?"

"Sorry, did I hurt you?" Wen Jingxing realized he might have pulled a bit too hard.

Song Waning waved it off casually. "It's fine. What did you want to say?"

"Oh, it's... this." Wen Jingxing pulled a photo from his pocket and showed it to Song Waning.

She stared at it, puzzled. "This photo... it seems to be mine?"

Hearing her say that, Wen Jingxing's eyes seemed to light up.

But the next moment, Song Waning extinguished that hope. "But I don't even know who the person in the photo is. Maybe I kept it because he's handsome."

She didn't remember herself?

A flicker of shock appeared in Wen Jingxing's eyes, and his curiosity about the past only deepened. What had happened to Song Waning after he left and moved away? Not only had her personality changed drastically, but now she didn't even recognize herself.

Yet this woman before him was undeniably Song Waning; there was no possibility she was someone else.

Seeing Wen Jingxing silent for so long, Song Waning pressed, "What's wrong? Do you know him?"

Wen Jingxing looked into her eyes, then shifted his gaze. "Nothing. Just curious."

If he was curious, Song Waning was even more so. Given his personality, when would he ever care about someone else?

"Alright, let's go eat. It's getting late," she said.

When Song Waning stepped outside, the cameraman was already waiting at the door.

He didn't know what had happened between Song Waning and Wen Jingxing, but he could sense that after yesterday—especially last night—their relationship had returned to its former closeness.

As long as the couple he shipped was happy, the cameraman's own mood soared, even on a rainy day.

Song Waning paused by the railing, rubbing her chilled arms.

Wen Jingxing held up an umbrella and said, "Come on."

Today, Song Waning wore a pale green long dress, the hem falling below her knees, topped with a white wool cardigan. She wore white knee-high socks and beige ankle boots.

Luckily, the original owner had checked the weather and brought clothes with long sleeves before heading out.

Otherwise, Song Waning would have frozen herself.

She counted the original owner's shortcomings on her fingers—not only did she not drink, she was frail, and whenever she squatted too long, standing up made her vision go dark.

Now she discovered something else: she was sensitive to the cold.

At the slightest drop in temperature, her hands and feet grew cold. And today, her outfit had no pockets.

Song Waning's eyes wandered, finally settling on Wen Jingxing's pocket.

Wen Jingxing raised his brows. "What, your hands are cold?"

She nodded eagerly. "Yes, exactly!"

She hoped Wen Jingxing would understand.

Instead, he replied with little sympathy, "Why not just wear another layer?"

"No, no," Song Waning refused. She wasn't about to go back after coming all this way.

In truth, Wen Jingxing had said it deliberately. He wanted Song Waning to ask him.

But since he wouldn't, neither would Song Waning. She stubbornly rubbed her hands for warmth.

At last, Wen Jingxing relented. "Give me your hand."

"What?" Song Waning looked up at him.

Without further ado, Wen Jingxing took Song Waning's left hand and slipped it into his large coat pocket.

Song Waning's smile blossomed, and she couldn't help but sigh, "It's so warm."

"If that's warm, bring over your other hand," Wen Jingxing said, turning his face aside.

Rain had fallen today. Li Weiwei checked the forecast and saw it would last all day, so she started her livestream early—hoping to finish work sooner tonight.

She was always a little mischievous; she never notified the guests in advance when she went live, wanting their most genuine attitudes and reactions.

So when viewers entered the livestream, they witnessed this scene:

[I feel like a stray dog, suddenly kicked by someone.]

[The rain hasn't shattered my heart, but this serving of couple sweetness has smashed it to pieces.]

[Young Master Wen is funny—he knows it's cold but won't give Song Waning his coat, only lets her warm her hands in his pocket.]

[You're all saying this couple is sweet, but Young Master Wen isn't nearly thoughtful enough.]

[Are you stupid, upstairs?]

[Who are you calling stupid?!]

[Think about it: if he lent her his coat, they couldn't walk so close together. Have you ever seen them holding hands? Song Waning is too shy; she never holds Young Master Wen's hand.]

[Oh, that makes sense! I never considered it before!]

...

Song Waning kept her hand in his pocket all the way, basking in the warmth that spread through her whole body.

Her good mood lasted until she caught sight of the late-arriving Jian Anan, at which point it completely shattered.

"Ningning, your complexion looks especially good today. And your outfit really flatters your skin."

Jian Anan appeared before Song Waning with her face still swollen.

Song Waning: ...

Damn it. After several failed attempts to frame her, and suffering losses each time, Jian Anan had grown somewhat colder toward her.

Song Waning was quite pleased—having no one annoy her was a delight.

But today, she seemed to have taken the wrong medicine, speaking in the same tone as when Song Waning had first transmigrated.

Was Jian Anan up to something unpleasant again, suddenly being so ingratiating?

Song Waning didn't know she had guessed right.

With so many people present, Song Waning wouldn't completely ignore Jian Anan, but at the very least, she would say something to make her uncomfortable.

"What, you just noticed today? I've always looked this good. But your face hasn't improved at all. You really should see a doctor. For a celebrity, your face is your most important asset."

Song Waning propped her face with one hand and tucked stray hair behind her ear.

Her face was exceptionally beautiful, and Jian Anan, already jealous, was nearly driven mad by Song Waning's words.