Chapter 57: Not Ready Yet

The atmosphere in Wuming’s bedroom grew noticeably heavier as he stared at the doujinshi featuring lolis and busty girls spread all over the bed.

“You. Do you have anything else to say?”

Serena continued glaring at Wuming with an irritated expression. 

In the end, it was Wuming himself who voluntarily handed over the doujinshi.

“No need for more words. Just do it.”

The complex mix of emotions on his face and the unstoppable tears revealed his current state of mind.

“Ah, farewell, my doujinshi. We’ll meet again on my phone.”

Serena didn’t say a word and didn’t immediately step forward to confiscate the books. 

Instead, she simply stared at Wuming, who looked like he had lost something important.

That expression was incredibly serious—as if those books were filled with countless memories and were an inseparable part of his life.

Yet Wuming had used these books to avoid kissing her. 

This gave Serena a strange feeling.

These books… Does Wuming value them more than me? 

Am I really that unappealing in his eyes? He has the real thing right here, so why is he still into this stuff (angry)!?!

Serena clenched her fists. 

His attitude toward these books versus her was completely different, which made her feel extremely irritated!

They’re just books, for crying out loud!

Hmph—

Unable to contain her anger, Serena turned and left Wuming’s bedroom.

Seeing Serena leave, Wuming’s mind filled with question marks.

Why didn’t she take these books?

Wasn’t that what she wanted to do? Why did she suddenly walk away?

Filled with doubts, Wuming also left the bedroom and went to the living room. 

There, he saw Serena standing with her arms crossed, looking very annoyed. She was angry.

It wasn’t hard to tell, but Wuming wondered why Serena had suddenly gotten angry.

He had handed over the doujinshi himself. 

Shouldn’t she think he was being considerate? 

How had it suddenly turned out like this?

“Ser… Serena.”

Serena ignored him and continued sulking.

This made Wuming panic even more!

Is she giving me the cold shoulder?!

He circled around to the side of the sofa, trying to get closer to Serena. 

But as soon as he approached, she immediately pulled away.

What should he do?

He didn’t know how to cheer her up. 

Seeing Serena reject his approach, Wuming helplessly sat down on the other side. 

What now…

First, let’s recall why Serena is angry.

Was it because he asked her to clean the house alone?

No, that shouldn’t cause this kind of anger.

Was it because he hid the doujinshi?

That didn’t seem right either. 

Serena hadn’t shown any disgust or disdain—just pure sulking.

Then what exactly…

Wuming remembered what Serena had said, that expectant expression waiting for a kiss, only to be disappointed. 

He subconsciously knew where the problem lay.

This girl is throwing a tantrum because I didn’t kiss her?

Wuming wasn’t entirely sure, but it was probably ninety percent that. 

But this… Wuming didn’t know how to fix it either.

The simplest way was to kiss her and ask for forgiveness. 

Serena’s soft, sweet lips were indeed tempting to Wuming, but he wasn’t ready to take that step yet.

Would everything be fine if I just kissed her? Wuming asked himself in his heart.

“Serena.”

(No response.)

“My cute and virtuous wife Serena~~~”

(Still no response.)

He tried approaching Serena again. This time, Serena didn’t dodge at all. 

It seemed she had calmed down a lot and was willing to let him get closer. 

Her ears twitched slightly—she had clearly heard his words.

“Serena~ What are you thinking about~?”

Wuming asked with narrowed eyes. 

“Are you angry because I didn’t kiss you?”

Hmph—!

Serena turned her head away huffily. 

This confirmed for Wuming that this was indeed the reason.

How old is she to get angry over something like this…

It was just not kissing her. 

Was it really worth getting this mad…

Hmph—

“You blockhead, Wuming!”

Serena turned back, glaring at him angrily. “You think that’s the only reason?!”

“Then… then what else?”

“Of course… of course it’s about my place in your heart!”

What Serena couldn’t accept most was that Wuming actually valued the doujinshi more than her!

“To avoid kissing me, you actually brought out all your doujinshi. And that farewell expression was like you were being forced to part with something precious. You’ve never looked at me like that!”

Hearing her complaint made Wuming feel like smiling. 

How could those two things even be compared?

“That’s different, Serena.”

“What’s different?!” 

Serena was special—how could she be compared to those books? Serena demanded.

“In my heart, Serena will always be number one.”

These words made Serena furrow her brows. 

She stared into Wuming’s eyes, trying to see if he was telling the truth or just saying it to comfort her.

“Then tell me. How exactly am I special?”

“Because you’ve changed my life,” Wuming explained with a smile. 

“Before, I lived here all alone. Now that you’re here, this home no longer feels the way I’m used to. It’s all thanks to you, Serena. You’ve given me a different feeling. You could even be called my ‘savior.'”

Facing Wuming’s sincere words, Serena could sense that he truly meant it. 

Her arrival had brought something new to his life.

“You… better not be lying to me.”

“How could I lie to my adorable Serena? Everything I said is true.”

“Oh.”

Serena turned her head away again. 

Although his words made her very happy, not getting the kiss from Wuming still left her feeling down.

Wuming noticed this and smiled wryly to himself. He couldn’t let her keep sulking. 

He had to cheer her up. 

And he already had a plan in mind.

“If I kiss you once, you won’t be angry anymore, right, Serena?”

Hearing this, Serena turned back excitedly, her previous sulk completely gone.

Serena sure changes her moods quickly.

Wuming silently complained inwardly.

“Sure. As long as you stop being angry, I’ll kiss you. How about that?”

“Yes! Yes!”

Serena eagerly leaned her face forward. But before the kiss—

“You have to promise you won’t get angry after the kiss.”

“Mm—mm—!” Serena nodded vigorously.

“I really don’t know what to do with you.”

Wuming slowly leaned closer to Serena. Serena closed her eyes expectantly, waiting for his kiss.

Just watch me suck Wuming until he’s dizzy!

However—

Mwah.

Wuming did kiss her. But he kissed the wrong place—her cheek—and pulled away quickly without lingering.

“You kissed the wrong place, Wuming.”

“No, that’s exactly right.”

“Hah—?”

“‘Kiss’ can mean anywhere, right?” After all, he never said it had to be on the lips…

Plan successful—

“Serena, no more being angry, okay? You said it yourself. No lying.”

“You—you cheater!!!”

“How can this count?! This isn’t the kiss I wanted at all! I wanted the kind that pulls silver strands!!!”

Serena looked extremely annoyed. She had fallen right into Wuming’s trap!

“I don’t accept this! I’m ignoring you, Wuming!”

“But you already promised that if I kissed you, you wouldn’t be angry. Our wise Serena definitely won’t go back on her word, right?”

“I—you… that doesn’t count! I want to do it again!”

“This time I’ll take the initiative!”

Suddenly—

Wuming suddenly pounced and pulled Serena into a tight hug. 

Kissing on the lips was out, but giving her hugs anytime was perfectly fine.

“You can hug me however you want.”

While embracing her, Wuming whispered softly.

“Just bear with me a little.”

“You can hug me any way you like. Even if I can’t kiss your lips, hugs are allowed. Hug me however you want.”

“That’s not the same,” Serena said with slight disappointment.

“Kissing and hugging are completely different. I want to kiss you while hugging.”

“I can’t, Serena… I can’t do it.”

Wuming said worriedly.

This puzzled Serena. It was just a kiss—why did it seem like it would take his life? He refused no matter what.

Shouldn’t a guy be eager when a girl initiates a kiss? So why was Wuming…

Could there be something he’s hiding from me? Like his saliva being poisonous?

“You don’t have a poisonous mouth, do you?”

“You don’t need to insult me just because I won’t kiss you.”

He had misunderstood her meaning.

“No, I mean… is there actually poison in your mouth? Is that why you’re so against kissing me? Otherwise, why…”

“No,” Wuming quickly denied. “It’s just that… I’m not ready to kiss you yet.”

Wuming’s face flushed red as he awkwardly explained his feelings to Serena. 

He hoped she could give him some time to prepare.

He only needed a little time, though for him, that little bit might feel quite long.

“Is kissing really that hard?”

“For me, yes. It’s a very important ritual.”

Wuming released Serena and interlaced their fingers, gazing into each other’s eyes.

“Give me some time, okay? I want to take this seriously, Serena.”

“If you don’t want to wait… then let’s do it now. After all, I can’t escape you anyway, right?”

Wuming’s adorable yet pitiful appearance made Serena’s heart race.

It was like a lamb walking into a tiger’s mouth—she could devour him in an instant!

But… forcing him to kiss her wouldn’t make the kiss sweet at all.

A forced melon isn’t sweet.

Serena understood this well.

“Fine.”

Serena sighed and agreed to wait until he was ready.

However, there was still one issue she hadn’t settled.

She released Wuming’s hand, stood up, and declared:

“But I’m confiscating all those books of yours!”