Chapter 190 - Couple's Scarf

Chu Qianqian’s comment made Mu Han realize something he hadn’t noticed before: the human ability to adapt is truly remarkable. By now, he no longer felt cold.

However, seeing Chu Qianqian’s uneasy expression, his body-which had been fine moments ago-suddenly seemed to re-experience the chill from the outside. Except, it wasn’t cold at all. In fact, it felt warm. His lips curled into a barely noticeable smile, and his eyes softened with a hint of warmth.

Today, Chu Qianqian was wearing a white high-neck sweater as her inner layer, paired with a short beige tweed jacket. Now that she had removed her scarf, her fair neck was mostly exposed to the bone-chilling wind, causing her to shiver visibly.

So sensitive to the cold, yet stubbornly trying to help others. Silly, but also kind of adorable.

Taking the scarf from her, Mu Han gave it a quick once-over. Not bad-long enough.

“Hey! Mu Han, what are you doing?!”

Before her sluggish nerves had time to react, Chu Qianqian felt something being draped around her neck. Soft and fuzzy, it carried residual warmth. She glanced down and immediately realized-it was the very scarf she had just taken off.

Instinctively, she looked up and froze in shock. She watched as Mu Han took the other end of the scarf and began wrapping it around his own neck. Since the scarf was quite long, he even managed to loop it around twice.

Once the scarf was shared between the two of them, it had no extra length to spare. Still a little dazed, Chu Qianqian suddenly noticed that she and Mu Han were now standing shoulder to shoulder, incredibly close.

Being this near to each other, sharing the same scarf-anyone glancing at them would instantly assume they were a sweet and inseparable couple.

This thought sent a jolt through Chu Qianqian, and she quickly took a step back. Raising her hands, she attempted to undo the scarf. However, Mu Han stopped her.

His arm, solid as if forged from steel, clamped firmly onto Chu Qianqian’s shoulders, making her movements futile.

His warm breath was alarmingly close, leaving Chu Qianqian paralyzed like a doll with its wind-up mechanism suddenly removed. She dared not move a single inch, terrified that if she so much as turned her head, one of those overly dramatic scenes from TV dramas might replay itself in real life. The last thing she wanted was to end up kissing Mu Han!

Feeling the rigidity in her posture, Mu Han’s slight smile faltered just a bit. He had been hoping she might turn her head. Unfortunately, this woman always managed to be supremely alert in critical moments, leaving him no opportunity at all.

Mu Han loosened the arm that had been firmly wrapped around Chu Qianqian’s shoulders. He stepped back slightly, creating barely half an arm’s length of distance between them. His voice was as light and breezy as ever, “Why are you standing there frozen? Let’s go. I already called Xiao Liu earlier to come pick us up. He should be here by now.”

The words seemed to jolt her awake from some sort of trance. Chu Qianqian blinked rapidly, as though she had just snapped back to reality. Instead of attempting to take the scarf off again, she took large, purposeful steps forward, completely focused on walking. All she wanted was to get to the car as quickly as possible and put an end to this awkward situation.

With both of them sharing the same scarf, Chu Qianqian’s brisk pace left Mu Han no choice but to quicken his steps to keep up with her.

Qingyi, trailing behind them, watched the interaction unfold with an expression of disbelief, as if he were witnessing something right out of a dream. Before he could process the scene, both Mu Han and Chu Qianqian unexpectedly sped up. Startled, Qingyi abandoned any pretense of maintaining his composure, grabbed the gift bags he was carrying, and broke into a run to catch up.

Chu Qianqian’s hurried strides finally slowed when she caught sight of a familiar black Maybach parked ahead. Standing by the car, she wasted no time unwrapping the shared scarf. Swiftly, she tossed it back to Mu Han, swung open the front passenger door, and stepped into the car in one fluid motion.

The sequence of actions was so seamless it resembled a perfectly choreographed routine-quick and efficient, with not a second wasted. By the time the two men standing outside processed what had happened, the car door had already slammed shut with a definitive “thud.”

This might very well have been the first time someone had so decisively and thoroughly rejected Mu Han. Holding the scarf she had flung at him, he stood there, momentarily stunned. Then, quite unexpectedly, his lips curled into a smile. Shaking his head slightly, he adjusted the gift bags in his hands, opened the rear door of the car, and gestured for Qingyi to enter first.

Qingyi, on the other hand, was still recovering from his shock. This wasn’t just any ordinary moment-it was the first time he’d ever seen Mu Han caught at such a disadvantage. While internally marveling at Chu Qianqian’s sheer audacity, Qingyi didn’t miss the opportunity to gauge Mu Han’s reaction.

Contrary to Qingyi’s expectations of anger, frustration, or even the man’s usual impassive demeanor, the sight of Mu Han smiling had Qingyi’s heart skipping a beat. The abrupt change in atmosphere was so startling he nearly dropped the bags in his hand. His eyes rounded in surprise as he jabbed at Mu Han’s arm with his finger, as though trying to confirm this smiling man was, in fact, real.

Once he was sure the person beside him was indeed Mu Han, Qingyi climbed into the car, his face still frozen in an expression of world-weary skepticism.

Instead of heading onto the highway, the Maybach remained on the main roads, cruising steadily through the city streets.

The atmosphere inside the car was a little stifling. Perhaps it was the lingering awkwardness, or maybe it was just the lack of fresh air. Breaking the silence, Qingyi cracked the window open slightly, letting in a gust of icy wind. The chill revived the stagnant air, bringing with it a crispness that made breathing easier.

Turning his head to the side, Qingyi quietly studied Mu Han and Chu Qianqian from his seat.

Sitting in the front seat, Chu Qianqian’s expression was hidden from Qingyi’s view. He didn’t dare look directly into the rearview mirror either, for fear she might notice him watching. So instead, he focused on observing her posture.

It didn’t take long for him to pick up on something unusual. Chu Qianqian appeared to be resting against the seat, but in reality, she was barely leaning back. Her body remained rigid, refusing to relax.

The cause of her unease was no mystery-Qingyi’s gaze shifted to the man sitting beside her: Mu Han. To his surprise, Mu Han was still smiling, the curve of his lips exactly as it had been before he got in the car.

“Heaven help us! Mu Han’s been possessed by aliens!”

Qingyi’s internal monologue ran wild, and he couldn’t completely suppress the twitch of his lips into a warped smile.

Noticing Qingyi’s strange expression, Mu Han turned slightly toward him, lowering his voice as he asked, “What’s going on?”

His tone was calm and rich, and the rare smile softened his usually steely demeanor. But to Qingyi, this only made the situation even stranger. “Mu Han, do you realize your character setting is completely falling apart?!”

Of course, there was no way Qingyi would ever dare to voice such thoughts out loud. It seemed like Mu Han had conveniently forgotten about the little lie Qingyi had told earlier, and the last thing Qingyi wanted was to remind him, risking a confrontation.

“Nothing,” Qingyi said with a forced smile. “I’m just realizing how incomplete my understanding of you is. I’m mentally reworking your profile.”

Mu Han raised an eyebrow, his eyes brimming with skepticism. He knew Qingyi too well. Though Qingyi usually acted obedient and well-behaved, his mind was always racing with thoughts. Chances were, he was still silently throwing jabs at Mu Han even as he spoke.

Still, Mu Han was usually indulgent when it came to Qingyi, and given his good mood today, he let it slide without pressing further. He turned his attention back to the scarf in his hands.

As his fingers absently traced the material, Mu Han couldn’t help but notice a faint fragrance lingering on it. He wasn’t certain if it was his imagination, but it smelled delicate, like dewy white roses at dawn, or freshly bloomed jasmine. The scent was light and soothing, much like the personality of the scarf’s owner.