CHAPTER 44: CHAPTER 44: IT’S SO GOOD TO HAVE YOU

He Chen was obviously stunned for a moment, as Ye Manman instructed him to raise his hand and sit obediently, like a well-behaved big dog.

Although he had never been in a relationship, he could clearly feel that Ye Manman seemed to be jealous just now.

Because someone else saw him shirtless?

But almost all the men had taken off their clothes.

He Chen glanced at her, feeling a bit embarrassed as he tugged at his clothes.

"Manman, are you"

jealous?

He didn’t have the nerve to ask, but his heart was overwhelmingly excited, and sweet as honey.

Ye Manman took out some candies from her bundle and stuffed a few into his hands.

"Humph, from now on, don’t just take off your clothes outside, got it?"

"Eat some candy to replenish your strength."

She didn’t bring much food, but she had a lot of candies and chocolates, which were crucial in such sudden disasters as they could provide instant nourishment and energy.

Going out so early, nobody had breakfast, and everyone was hungry, not to mention climbing mountains and setting up tents in the pouring rain, seeing everyone swaying was proof of how exhausted they were.

If something happens later, how can we have the strength to run?

Ye Manman also ate a piece of chocolate herself, then leaned against He Chen for warmth.

No matter how close she got, it was still cold.

"He Chen, my hands and feet are so cold."

Every family was huddled together closely, and she too snuggled tightly against He Chen, but her pants and shoes were wet, making it impossible to get warm.

He Chen could hear the trembling in her soft voice and felt tremendous heartache.

"How about you take off your shoes and put your feet on my belly, it’s warm on my belly."

At this moment, there were no other means to keep warm, as the rain outside showed no sign of stopping or even lessening. Everyone inside the tent could only see the water curtain outside and nothing else.

He Chen helped her take off her shoes, wrung the socks dry, and placed them aside.

Suddenly, Ye Manman climbed onto his lap.

"That way, you’ll catch a cold and get a bellyache."

"Just hold me, I’ll warm up quickly."

He Chen was so considerate and attentive, but Ye Manman’s heart was not made of stone. She didn’t want him to suffer from a bellyache or catch a cold.

She didn’t agree with the act of testing someone’s love by putting cold feet on someone’s belly for a genuine response. A bit of playful teasing is fine, but not in this type of situation.

Moreover, cuddling clearly provided a larger contact area, allowing both to warm up rapidly.

He Chen hadn’t expected her to be concerned about this, feeling both happy and deeply moved.

He gently held her back, and Ye Manman, as soft as if she were boneless, nestled right into his arms, crossing her hands with her forehead resting on his shoulder, kneeling on his lap, burying the entire upper body into his chest.

"Look, isn’t this warmer for you too?"

Ye Manman didn’t think too much; she simply chose the fastest way they both could warm up together, not realizing her actions amounted to four words.

Throwing herself into his arms.

He Chen’s whole body stiffened.

His hands were on her back, feeling the warmth spread from her clothes, and when she spoke, her breath warmed his chest...

He not only didn’t feel cold, but also felt he might need to cool down a bit.

He Chen awkwardly cleared his throat and let out a "hm," lowering his head to see Ye Manman’s two white, tender feet crossed over each other. Her smooth, white heels were so cold they were turning a bit red.

His heart ached, and he stretched out his long arms, warming her feet with his large hands.

Whether it was his hands being too hot or her feet being too cold, when Ye Manman felt her feet being enveloped in warmth, her body slightly shivered, and her heart suddenly felt warm.

"So warm."

"He Chen, it’s really good to have you."

Ye Manman sincerely exclaimed, happily raising her head to give He Chen a peck on the chin before blushing and nestling into his arms again.

He Chen’s face reddened as well, awkwardly looking around.

Then he realized many people were watching them. Upon noticing his gaze, quite a few shyly looked away, some even secretly chuckling.

His face, therefore, turned even redder, his mind becoming a bit muddled.

"Oh, these newlyweds have such a good relationship. It’s truly enviable."

An older lady sitting nearby witnessed the whole scene, laughing cheerfully.

They, like others, loved to discuss such gossip, especially after witnessing it firsthand.

Around them, there were sporadic voices of agreement, praising the couple for their good relationship. Some young couples even imitated them, with the wife snuggling into the husband’s arms, but most were unsuccessful.

After all, not every man is as tall and strong as He Chen, nor is every woman as petite and delicate as Ye Manman.

Most chose to huddle together, rubbing their hands for warmth, looking enviously at He Chen and Ye Manman holding each other firmly.

Ye Xiaotong was shivering with cold, unable to change clothes like Ye Manman could, wearing nothing but damp clothes, feeling neither wrapped nor exposed, her lips turning white from the cold.

Yang Xiumei and Ye Guoqiang were naturally the same, the three huddled together, their gazes unconsciously drifting towards He Chen and Ye Manman.

"Humph, it’s all her fault. Otherwise, I should be at the town, avoiding this suffering."

Ye Xiaotong’s resentment was overwhelming, but she dared not voice it loudly.

That group of older ladies was too aggressive; she couldn’t confront them directly.

Yang Xiumei and Ye Guoqiang felt a pang of discomfort listening to her comment.

Ye Guoqiang: "What are you saying? Does that mean if you were in town, you wouldn’t care about us?"

Yang Xiumei felt disheartened since her hard-raised biological daughter didn’t seem to worry about her safety, caring only about herself; it made her feel cold all over.

"Dad, I mean if I were in town now, I definitely would find someone to save you. It’s certainly better than being stuck here together, right?"

Ye Xiaotong turned her head towards them, a touch of vulnerability and innocence showing on her pale face.

"You are my parents, how could I not care for you?"

Her words comforted Ye Guoqiang, and Yang Xiumei felt she hadn’t raised her daughter in vain, hugging herself as she trembled, laughing while praising her.

"Xiaotong is truly sensible, she knows to care for her parents."

The three continued huddling together, but Ye Xiaotong said nothing more.

She kept observing He Chen and Ye Manman, feeling immensely jealous of their closeness.

Why does Ye Manman’s husband treat her so well?

And listen to everything she says?

Looking at He Chen holding Ye Manman carefully as if she were a treasure, Xiaotong felt a surge of anger, her stomach churned with jealousy.

Xie Fengmian never treated her so lovingly.

He never listened to her, always demanding she follow his instructions.

Besides, she recently saw Ye Manman wearing a gold bracelet on her wrist!

Considering He Chen was supposedly digging for food, and that parasitic family supposedly drained all his money, how could he still buy Ye Manman a gold bracelet?

The Xie Family was supposedly wealthy, so why was she given nothing but a fake silver bracelet?

Why!

It shouldn’t be like this!

Filled with jealousy and resentment, Xiaotong suddenly felt a rush of sour bile.

She vomited with a "wah."