The Salted Fish And Protagonist A Ended Up Together - Chapter 42

Gu Man’s gaze fell on Wen Mian’s right foot, her lips pressed tightly together.

Wen Mian understood. She smiled and said, “I’m fine. You take your medicine first.”

Gu Man looked up, disagreeing as she met Wen Mian’s eyes. Shaking her head slowly, she said, “No. Let me.”

Let you? Let you do what? Wen Mian was puzzled. The next second, a startled cry escaped her throat as her arms instinctively wrapped around Gu Man’s long, slender neck. Her voice was full of shock: “What are you doing holding me?”

Gu Man looked down at her and answered obediently, “You’re injured.”

“I’m injured?” Realization dawned on Wen Mian, and she laughed. “Alright, it’s not serious. You can put me down now.”

Gu Man shook her head stubbornly, biting her lower lip. “No.”

She stopped looking at Wen Mian, holding her firmly as she walked to the bedside, bending over to carefully place her on the bed.

Wen Mian shifted, leaning against the headboard. She looked up at Gu Man, her voice soft and gentle. “Since you won’t let me step on the floor, then you take the medicine by the bed yourself.”

Gu Man’s lips tightened further, her eyes flashing with reluctance. She slowly turned her head away, avoiding Wen Mian’s gaze.

“Hmm?” Wen Mian threatened playfully.

Gu Man snapped her head back, staring straight at Wen Mian. She pouted pitifully. “I don’t want to.”

“Then should I feed you myself?” Wen Mian made a move to get out of bed.

Gu Man gave a heavy huff. “You’re doing this again!”

Despite her words, she obediently turned to get water and swallowed the cold medicine. Her entire face immediately wrinkled up from the bitterness.

Seeing Gu Man like this for the first time, Wen Mian’s eyes were filled with constant amusement.

After finishing, Gu Man leaned close to Wen Mian and opened her mouth to show her, saying like she was claiming a reward, “I finished it.”

Wen Mian smiled and reached out to gently stroke her hair. She couldn’t help but think to herself: So soft!

As her hand slid down the smooth, silk-like black hair, Wen Mian noticed Gu Man’s face was still flushed. She asked in a low, gentle voice, “Besides the dizziness, do you feel anything else?”

Suddenly asked, Gu Man felt the gland at the back of her neck become even more swollen and hot. As if finding a protector to lean on, she complained aggrievedly, “It hurts in the back.”

Somewhere actually feels bad? Wen Mian’s expression immediately turned serious. She asked urgently, “Where in the back does it hurt?”

Her hand, which had been resting on the bed, began sliding up Gu Man’s spine to search for the spot.

The sudden touch intensified the restless sensation. Gu Man’s back stiffened, and with every light stroke from Wen Mian, she leaned back, wanting to be even closer.

But the fleeting touch was not enough to satisfy her. With teary eyes and a low, raspy voice, she said, “It’s… it’s the gland.”

Wen Mian’s fingertips paused. Even if she hadn’t experienced it personally, she knew something about the sensitivity of glands in this world. Except during essential periods, people almost never let anyone touch them.

But… looking at the struggling Gu Man, Wen Mian’s fingers gradually slid upward. She slowly parted Gu Man’s hair, revealing the swollen, red gland.

As if startled by the sudden coolness or as if greeting Wen Mian, it instantly turned even redder.

At the same time, Gu Man’s neck twitched, but in the next second, she leaned back again, proactively offering her gland to Wen Mian’s fingertips.

The moment the cool fingertips touched the gland, both of them stiffened, the corners of their eyes flushing red.

The Sandalwood pheromones suddenly erupted, possessively filling the entire room. But that wasn’t enough, they quietly drifted to the back of Wen Mian’s neck, enticed Wen Mian’s pheromones to come out.

The moment they emerged, the sandalwood scent wrapped around them tightly, leaving no air between them.

Wen Mian let out a low gasp. Feeling her gland gradually harden, her body was filled with a strange sensation. It felt as though she had been thrown into an erupting volcano, searing and hot.

No longer needing Gu Man to entice them, her Strawberry pheromones also surged forth.

Gradually, the two blended together, becoming indistinguishable.

Everything that happened after that felt to Wen Mian like she was looking at the world through a mist, blurry and unclear. She only remembered the slight sting of being bitten, followed by the tingling, aching sensation of pheromones entering her system.

The sun was high in the sky when Wen Mian slowly opened her slightly aching eyes with a soft groan.

The windows weren’t open, and the air wasn’t circulating; it was still filled with the sweet and elegant fragrance of blended sandalwood and strawberry.

Wen Mian froze for a moment, then quickly looked beside her. Gu Man was not there.

She felt a mental breakdown coming on. Covering her face, she felt frustrated by her own lack of self-control.

While we didn’t “do it,” there was a temporary mark. Won’t everyone know the moment I go out?

For the first time since transmigrating into this world, Wen Mian felt a bit of dissatisfaction toward “Him.” Why couldn’t this be hidden?!

After contemplating life for a long while, Wen Mian finally got up, her eyes dull. She stood dejectedly under the shower, letting the warm water wash away the stickiness from her body.

After showering, she blankly changed her clothes and put the old ones in the washing machine.

Gripping the doorknob, she spent several minutes mentally preparing herself. Then, she turned the handle and pulled the door open.

Just one step out, Wen Mian wanted to retreat. She was spiraling internally. Is it too late to go back to my hometown?

“Good morning,” Wen Mian gave a socially awkward laugh and did a stiff little wave. Her eyes were fixed on the floor, not daring to meet Gu Man’s gaze.

The redness that had never left Gu Man’s ears deepened. She also wanted to look away, but she couldn’t.

Forcing her gaze to stay steady, Gu Man spoke in a low voice, “I will take responsibility.”

Wen Mian snapped her eyes up. The woman in front of her had eyes full of seriousness and determination. Even though her eyelashes were trembling violently, she refused to look away.

After meeting Wen Mian’s eyes, Gu Man’s fingers immediately gripped the hem of her shirt. Her throat felt dry, and it took a lot of effort to speak. “Wenwen, are you willing to let me take responsibility?”

For some reason, Wen Mian also felt incredibly overwhelmed. Her lips moved for a long time before she finally spoke: “In what capacity are you saying this to me right now?”

“In the capacity of someone who wants to take care of you for the rest of my life,” Gu Man answered firmly.

“Not as a friend?” Wen Mian continued to ask, not realizing her voice was shaking uncontrollably.

“Not as a friend. As a girlfriend,” Gu Man replied.

“Have you figured it out?” There was a hint of a sob in Wen Mian’s voice.

“I have. Wenwen, it was my fault before. Because of what I said, you suffered for two days. I’ve reflected deeply over these past two days. I promise, it will never happen again. So, Wen Mian, are you willing?”

Gu Man stared straight into Wen Mian’s eyes, forcing her voice not to shake too much.

Wen Mian looked back at her and didn’t speak. Silence spread between them. Gu Man swallowed nervously, her heartbeat pounding against her chest, intense and anxious. Her eyelashes flickered up and down rapidly, perhaps a thousand times a minute.

Wen Mian suddenly laughed, a faint glint of tears in the corners of her eyes. She crossed her arms over her chest, tilted her head back, and said arrogantly, “Hmph! I wasn’t going to agree, but seeing how sincere you are, I have decided to be merciful and give you a chance.”

Saying this, Wen Mian stretched out her right hand, palm up, in front of Gu Man. “The dating show is about to end, so shall we walk into the world outside together?”

Gu Man suddenly gripped her shirt even tighter, her pupils shrinking. Her heart seemed to hit a pause button for a second, but in the next, it broke through all limits, thumping wildly.

She hadn’t thought she would succeed; she had already planned to slowly “braise the princess” with warm water. But… Wenwen agreed!

The surprise was like a sudden explosion of brilliant fireworks. In an instant, a surge of emotion rushed through her entire body.

The corners of Gu Man’s eyes lifted uncontrollably. The trepidation and unease in her eyes dissolved, leaving only bright light. Her usually praised reaction time vanished; she just stared blankly at Wen Mian’s face, not knowing how to react.

Wen Mian let out a chuckle and nudged her open hand. She laughed, “Still not taking it? If you don’t take it soon, I’m taking it back.” Her tone was full of teasing.

Gu Man hurriedly reached out and placed her hand in Wen Mian’s palm, then gripped it tight. “You’re not allowed to take it back.”

Feeling the dampness between their palms, Wen Mian’s racing heart gradually calmed down. she teased, “So bossy, huh?”

Gu Man bit her lip nervously, her eyelashes trembling as she looked at the floor, but the strength in her grip didn’t loosen at all.

Wen Mian didn’t speak again either, quietly holding her hand.

They say the palm is an externalized heart, connected to the blood vessels and listening to the heartbeat. Wen Mian hadn’t quite understood that before, but at this moment, she felt it clearly.

After an unknown amount of time, with all their focus concentrated on their palms, they were suddenly interrupted by a ringtone.

Wen Mian’s eyes crinkled. She raised their joined hands, shook them slightly, and said with a smile, “Can we let go for now?”

Gu Man didn’t want to. She lowered her head, trying to avoid the issue.

Wen Mian felt a bit helpless, but more than that, she felt an overflowing sweetness. She coaxed, “Alright, alright. I’ll let you hold it again later.”

Gu Man looked up at her aggrievedly, slowly releasing the hand, and asked in a low voice, “Really?”

Wen Mian hummed in affirmation. “Really. I never lie to you.”

Their palms gradually pulled apart, and with it, Gu Man’s burning temperature faded. A late sense of reluctance felt in Wen Mian’s heart.

Wen Mian bit her lower lip lightly, turned around, and slowly walked toward the stairs. “Let’s go. Let’s head downstairs together.”

At this moment, she had clearly forgotten the reality that she had been temporarily marked and was still carrying Gu Man’s pheromones.

Seeing Wen Mian’s unsteady silhouette, Gu Man quickly caught up to support her as they went down the stairs.

Because of the hand-holding, they were the last to come down.

Wen Mian followed Gu Man’s lead and sat on the sofa next to Zhang Yunxi. Sensing everyone’s burning gazes, she blanked for a second, then turned to look at the others.

“What’s wrong?”

Hearing her question, Zhang Yunxi couldn’t help but look at the others too, mainly at Su Shiqiu.

Su Shiqiu and Mu Ya avoided Wen Mian’s eyes, their expressions full of complexity. Especially Su Shiqiu, she shot a look at Gu Man that clearly said: You’re really something else!

Wang Mo kept her head down, hidden emotions swirling in her eyes, looking like a little flower wilted from lack of water after being scorched by the sun.

No one responded, but seeing their faces, Wen Mian suddenly understood. Her expression changed, and she pressed her lips tight, secretly glaring at Gu Man. Her look said: See! This is all your doing!

Fortunately, the staff were all Betas, otherwise, Wen Mian felt she would have truly lost face to the entire world, though things weren’t much better as they were.

Zhang Yunxi looked left and right, completely confused. What is it? Are you guys isolating me?

She leaned closer to Su Shiqiu, tugged on her sleeve, and asked in a low whisper, “What’s wrong with you guys?”

Su Shiqiu shook her head and replied softly, “Nothing, we’re just seeing if Mianmian’s injury is better.”

Zhang Yunxi pouted, not believing it, but she couldn’t find anyone who could answer the question. The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she got. She gave a heavy huff, shifted her seat away from Su Shiqiu, and moved closer to Wen Mian.

Soon, Zhong Li set the breakfast on the dining table. After everyone finished eating, they slumped back onto the sofa.

Zhang Yunxi finally couldn’t contain her intense curiosity. She looked around stealthily, covered her mouth with her hand, and whispered to Wen Mian, “What exactly happened just now?”

Wen Mian smiled and glanced at her sideways. Instead of answering the question, she said, “Gu Man and I made up.”

Zhang Yunxi’s eyes widened. She asked urgently, “You made up?”

Wen Mian nodded. “So you don’t have to worry anymore.”

Zhang Yunxi patted her chest and nodded repeatedly. “That’s good. You have no idea, when you two were fighting, Gu-jie’s eyes were practically shooting lasers at me,” she complained.

Wen Mian smiled and coaxed her: “I can’t believe that happened. I’ll get revenge for you right now.”

As she spoke, she turned her head toward Gu Man, who had been staring at her intently the whole time, and said, “Did you hear that? You’re not allowed to do that next time~”

Her tone, however, was full of playful acting.

Gu Man’s eyes lit up instantly. She nodded and replied obediently, “I understand. I’m sorry.”

Whether “understanding” meant she would actually stop was another matter entirely.

Wen Mian, currently unaware of the linguistic trap, turned to Zhang Yunxi to claim credit: “She apologized to you. Hehe, are you happy now?”

It wasn’t a matter of being happy or not, Zhang Yunxi felt like she was seeing a ghost. This was Gu Man? Then who was the elegant, cold Gu Man from before? Could it be that the Movie Queen had a twin sister?

She nodded blankly, her head bobbing up and down. “It’s… it’s fine. I didn’t really take it to heart anyway.”

Seeing Zhang Yunxi’s dazed expression, Wen Mian laughed. She dismissed the girl’s countless questions with a firm tone: “This is Gu Man. Beyond a doubt, one of a kind. Don’t worry about it.”

Zhang Yunxi’s gaze landed on Wen Mian, and she gave a dazed “Oh” in response. She simply stopped looking at the two of them and shifted her body again, moving toward Su Shiqiu.

A helpless yet doting smile appeared on Su Shiqiu’s lips as she opened a bag of snacks and handed it to her.

Zhang Yunxi took it blankly, stuffing the snacks into her mouth and chewing incessantly.

Of course, it wasn’t just Zhang Yunxi who found it unbelievable, the viewers in the livestream were even more shocked, shouting in disbelief.

【This isn’t my Manman! Give me back my cold and elegant Manman!】