Han Ruochen glanced at the man with a strange look in her eyes. She wondered why the man had suddenly thought of coming over and sitting next to her. There were so many seats that were empty with no one sitting in them, so why was the man only sitting in the chair that was next to her?

As if sensing what was going on in Han Ruochen’s mind, Zhai Muchen turned to look at her and sternly said, "I am just trying to avoid unnecessary speculations on the part of the villagers. I hope that I am not disturbing you by my presence. Or am I?"

"No, there is no such thing." Han Ruochen stiffened. Her spine was going all rigid as if she had made some big mistake. She shook her head and refused at once. The banquet did not have any set seating arrangements; if Zhai Muchen wanted to sit next to her, then he could do that without asking. Why was she acting so stubborn and suspicious? Could she be thinking that such a fine man might have fallen in love with her? As if!

But there was something strange.

Han Ruochen did not know what was going on; it was as if she knew what the problem was, but at the same every time she tried to think of what the problem was, it was as if something was blocking her and she could not see past it. It was a truly confusing feeling!

Under Zhai Muchen’s gaze, she could only sit tightly and not make the situation any more awkward than it already was. However, she became a bundle of nerves when she felt the many gazes that were locked on her. She clenched her fists and reigned in her temper, telling herself that there was no point in losing her temper with these people and collected herself slowly.

She then raised her head and quickly stole a glance at Zhai Muchen. She heaved a sigh when she saw that the man was eating his meal silently without making things any more awkward than they already were. She quickly regained her composure and picked up her own chopsticks lest she make a joke of herself again.

But she had just picked up the chopsticks when she realised that there was something even more awkward waiting for her.

Her chair and Zhai Muchen’s chair were side by side. Because it was still warm, Han Ruochen was wearing a pair of white shorts, and she could sense Zhai Muchen right beside her as well as the warmth that was radiating off his thigh. The feeling made her uneasy.

She glanced at the man beside her once again, but she realised that the man was sitting next to her with a cool and aloof expression on his face as if he could not sense what was going on. Maybe he did not even care about such a small thing. This man...why was he so warm? Han Ruochen was worried that once he got married, his wife would end up getting smothered to death by him. But it would be quite a relief in winter, as his wife wouldn’t have to carry a hot bag with her all the time. He himself was a moving, talking heater.

Putting that aside, Han Ruochen felt an uncomfortable feeling washing all over her body.

In her past life, even though Han Ruochen was no longer young, she did not know anything about romance. Her husband was a fool who only knew how to breed her like a sow. There was nothing gentle about his actions, and the way he treated her was as if he were using her to vent his frustrations for being born a fool. She had never felt the gentleness of a man, much less the soft and doting actions that one showed when they were chasing after their beloved.

The warmth radiating from Zhai Muchen made Han Ruochen have the false impression that they were sitting thigh to thigh. She felt uncomfortable and awkward and wished that the meal would finish as soon as possible. She was worried that if she sat there any longer, then she might end up with half of her body paralysed. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"What’s the matter with you? Do you have a bad stomachache? Why are you fidgeting so much, Miss Han?" said Zhai Muchen as he raised his head and looked at the woman with a slightly bewildered look in his eyes, as if he had no idea why this woman was suddenly acting like this. Han Ruochen paled upon hearing his words. She straightened up in her chair and then started to eat her food without moving much. She was worried that if she acted a bit more awkwardly, then she would be the one treated as a pervert.

She put all her concentration into peeling the crayfish and soon the awkward thoughts ceased.

As a result, she missed the glint in Zhai Muchen’s eyes and the upward lift of the corners of his mouth. Zhai Muchen glanced at Han Ruochen’s knees that were touching his. He could not help but feel comfortable in this position; hence, he did not move his legs and remained in the same position.

By the time the meal finished, Han Ruochen felt like her legs had turned into jelly. She slowly got up on her feet and almost fell on her face.

"Hey, careful!" Zhai Muchen reached out to catch her by her arm. It was a good thing that he caught her, or else she would have tumbled right into the dirty dishes.

Han Ruochen’s face turned pale. Fortunately, Zhai Muchen had caught her in time, or she would have become a joke tonight.

"Thank you, Brother Muchen." After listening to Zhai Muchen’s long speech on capitalism and capitalists, she changed her way of addressing him.

Zhai Muchen’s eyes lit up when he heard her call him Brother Muchen. He nodded at her before saying to her, "Then I shall take my leave. I only came here because Ah Heng asked me to check up on you."