A friend’s words… a simple hug should be… fine, right?
Even though the idea felt somewhat out of place, it suddenly popped into her mind.
But when Mo Xiangwen’s hand steadied her shoulder, her body answered before her mind could catch up.
By the time she realized what was happening, her arms had wrapped around his waist of their own accord, pulling him into a tight embrace.
Pressed against the warmth of Mo Xiangwen’s chest, a strange sense of relief washed over her in an instant.
Her arms tightened instinctively, and all the pent-up frustration and tangled thoughts in her heart seemed to pour out with the force of her grip.
Just as her body greedily yearned to lean in closer, nuzzling against him, her briefly offline reason finally made a belated return. It forcefully commanded her to let go, and she quickly stepped back.
Almost simultaneously, a fierce wave of embarrassment surged to her cheeks and ears like a hot flush. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest, the thumping so loud it nearly made her dizzy.
Su Mengyao looked up at him, forcing a smile. “Yeah, thanks.”
She hesitated afterward, wanting to explain that it was just a friendly hug, but then realized emphasizing it would only make things weirder.
Yeah, after all, they were good friends, and it had been an accident. A quick hug was totally normal… right?
Mo Xiangwen felt a touch of confusion, but seeing she wasn’t hurt eased his mind, so he pushed the puzzlement aside.
Probably just a reflex from the scare, he thought.
No need to pry and make things awkward for both of them.
“Good thing you’re okay. Nothing else matters.”
Mo Xiangwen comforted her, then bent down to right the fallen esports chair.
He adjusted the backrest lever and carefully inspected it to make sure there were no issues.
Su Mengyao stood by, feeling a bit embarrassed. She reached out to help, but it was just lifting a chair—she wouldn’t be much use.
Instead, she waved to the saleswoman nearby.
Seeing the gesture, the saleswoman hurried over.
“Sorry, I accidentally knocked this chair over just now. I’ll buy it—could you let the boss know?”
The saleswoman had naturally heard the chair crash earlier, but since these were the boss’s relatives, she hadn’t dared say a word.
She paused thoughtfully, then approached Mo Xiangwen. “Handsome, mind if I take a look at the chair?”
She was the staff, after all, so Mo Xiangwen had no objection. He nodded and stepped aside.
The saleswoman examined the chair thoroughly and found nothing wrong.
“No worries, miss. This is from the display area—we weren’t going to sell it anyway.” She smiled warmly. “Since you and the chair are both fine, we’re all good.”
“…Alright, then. I’ll still mention it to your boss later,” Su Mengyao said, not entirely reassured.
The saleswoman breathed a quiet sigh of relief and nodded with a smile.
This was the best outcome. These chairs were tough—even if you tried to break one, it wouldn’t. But with the young lady taking responsibility, at least no one could blame her if something came up later.
“Anything else I can help with, miss?”
“Nope.”
“Alright, I’m still showing some other customers the desks and chairs, so I’ll get back to it.” The saleswoman smiled. “Just flag me down if you need anything.”
Once the saleswoman left, the two of them stood there, staring at each other awkwardly.
Mo Xiangwen hesitated, then suggested, “Shall we keep looking inside?”
“Yeah!”
For some reason, he sensed Su Mengyao’s mood had lifted… or rather, cleared up suddenly.
They moved on to the sofa section. Maybe because sofas didn’t sell as well here, the styles were all pretty similar, differing mainly in color and material.
After the near-fall earlier, Su Mengyao was much more careful. She lay back on a sofa, eyes narrowing comfortably in bliss, looking every bit the lazy kitten.
After two or three minutes with her eyes closed, she jolted upright in a mild panic.
Mo Xiangwen asked curiously, “What’s up?”
“Uh… it’s really comfy. I almost dozed off without realizing,” Su Mengyao said, pursing her lips.
“So, still going with the esports chair?” Mo Xiangwen teased.
Su Mengyao shot him a look and pouted. “Nah, I’ve changed my mind—sofa it is. Same as yours.”
“Hey, no spine.”
“Xiangwen, you’re annoying,” Su Mengyao grumbled, cheeks puffing out. “Why don’t you try it?”
Mo Xiangwen shook his head. “No need. If you’re happy with it, that proves it’s good.”
Su Mengyao circled behind him. As her hands touched his back, the familiar feel of his shirt made her pause, the earlier incident flashing back.
“What are you doing behind me?” Mo Xiangwen twisted to look, wondering what she was up to.
Snapping out of it, Su Mengyao ducked her gaze and gave his back a gentle push. “Come on, just try it.”
Her push wasn’t strong, but he played along, taking a few steps forward.
“Alright, alright, I’ll give it a go.”
Under her expectant gaze, he lay down and eased the backrest lever, reclining slowly.
Just as Su Mengyao had said, the sofa felt incredibly comfortable.
The moment he settled in, he felt a soft, enveloping support cradling him from all sides, gently bearing every ounce of his weight.
He couldn’t help closing his eyes. A familiar scent wafted into his nose… Mo Xiangwen’s nostrils twitched as he instinctively inhaled twice more.
This fragrance was definitely familiar. It felt like he’d just smelled it… exactly like the scent from when Su Mengyao had been in his arms.
Suddenly feeling awkward, Mo Xiangwen snapped his eyes open—only to find a beautiful face inches away, a pair of dark eyes blinking at him.
Who else but Su Mengyao?
She’d quietly shifted to his right side at some point, half-crouching with one slender, pale arm propped on the sofa and her phone in the other hand.
Seeing him open his eyes, Su Mengyao blinked reflexively, flashed an embarrassed smile, and quickly stood up, retreating a distance.
No wonder the fresh, clean scent had been so strong.
“Ahaha…” Su Mengyao laughed nervously, trying to play it off. “I just wanted to see your reaction, that’s all. Totally innocent, no ulterior motives!”
