Chapter 26: Refusal
Mu Anyan’s voice was unusually cold and deep. “It’s none of your business.”
Yet the girl continued examining the small package in her hand, and the restlessness in his heart grew even more pronounced. He strode forward and snatched it away from her. “Go sleep in the room next door.”
There was a flicker of emotion in Jiang Mugui’s eyes. “The room next door hasn’t even been cleaned. How am I supposed to sleep there?”
Mu Anyan stared at her, about to say something. But when their gazes met, he found that her distant, melancholy look had returned, lingering in his mind and refusing to fade.
He disliked the feeling—found it strangely unsettling, in a way he could not explain. So, without lingering any longer, he turned and left, choosing to sleep in the room next door himself.
“Um.” She did not call him by name.
He stopped and looked back. Jiang Mugui lowered her eyes slightly and covered her ankle with one hand. Her voice softened, though her expression remained calm. “It still hurts a little. Could you change the compress for me again?”
There was no hint of coquettishness in her voice. She sounded as though she were simply stating something perfectly ordinary, making it impossible to refuse.
Mu Anyan watched her for a while. Seeing the sincerity in her expression, he ultimately said nothing. He stepped forward, took her towel, then went downstairs to replace it with one wrapped around ice before returning and pressing it against her ankle once more.
As he reapplied the compress, his eyes met hers. Her lashes fluttered twice, and she said softly, “Thank you.”
The scent of her body wash drifted toward him again. It was the men’s fragrance he used. To be honest, he had hardly ever used it after buying it and had nearly forgotten what it smelled like. Yet the girl had brought the memory back to him. And now that scent was mingled with her own, drifting straight into his nose.
Mu Anyan frowned and rose to his feet, the agitation in his heart intensifying. “Go to sleep early.”
“There’s something else.” She called out to his retreating back.
He stopped and heard her say, “I have an eight o’clock class tomorrow morning.”
The man turned around. “I’ll take you.”
Then he left the room and went next door.
Watching his back, Jiang Mugui’s thoughts were in complete turmoil as well. She found herself thinking again of the dream she had had before and collapsed onto his bed almost dejectedly.
There was hardly any scent on the sheets. He probably had not been coming here for a long time.
She lay there with her eyes open, unable to feel the slightest hint of sleep. In truth, if he had not sought her out this time, she had intended to remain strangers with him for the rest of their lives. But now he had come to take responsibility for her again. That belated sense of responsibility only threw her heart into greater confusion, leaving her tossing and turning through the night.
In the end, she simply stared at the ceiling until dawn.
At seven the next morning, Mu Anyan knocked on her door and handed her a complete set of newly purchased clothes.
Jiang Mugui took them, said thank you, and changed.
He had ordered breakfast for her, but she only ate a few hurried bites before setting it down and turning her gaze toward him. It was obvious that he had not slept well either. A trace of weariness showed on his face, though he concealed it deeply.
After breakfast, Jiang Mugui got into his car with him.
When they arrived at the university, Mu Anyan parked the car. Jiang Mugui turned to look at him, seemingly intending to speak first. She had already decided what to say: since he wanted to take responsibility for her and make amends, she would give him the opportunity.
But he spoke a step ahead of her.
“Mugui, I have a flight back to S City tonight. I may not be able to look after you for the next few days, so be careful at school on your own.”
His words were like a basin of cold water, drowning the words she had not yet managed to say:
“Since my ankle hasn’t healed yet, could I stay at your place for a while?”