199: Chapter 199: Insomnia

Xue Wanrong took the orange juice. "Thank you, Xiao Chen."

"You're welcome."

By the time they finished dinner, it was already past seven in the evening.

The three of them walked out of the mall; the sky had completely darkened.

"Let's go home," Xue Wanrong said. "I'm tired from shopping today."

"Mm." Bai Li held Wang Chen's arm. "Brother Chen, where are we going to play tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow..." Wang Chen thought for a moment. "I have some matters to handle, so I might not have time to accompany you."

"Ah?" Bai Li's face immediately fell. "Matters again..."

"Be good. I'll come back to accompany you as soon as I'm done," Wang Chen said, ruffling her hair.

"Then it's a promise! You have to spend the whole day with me the day after tomorrow!"

"Alright."

It was already past eight when they returned to the Bai Family Manor.

Chen Long and Tiger carried the items bought today into the guest room, piling them high on the sofa.

"Did we buy too much..." Wang Chen looked at the pile of bags belonging to him, feeling a bit of a headache.

"It's not much," Xue Wanrong said. "When a man is out and about, his appearance is very important. You can't always wear those same few outfits to formal occasions in the future."

She paused and added, "Tomorrow I'll have someone come to take your measurements and custom-make a few suits. No matter how good store-bought clothes are, they aren't as well-fitting as custom-made ones."

"Auntie, there's really no need for such trouble..."

"It's no trouble," Xue Wanrong interrupted him. "Listen to me on this."

Wang Chen could only nod. "Then thank you, Auntie."

"Why are you being so polite with me?" Xue Wanrong glanced at him, then turned to walk upstairs. "I'll head up first. You two should rest early as well."

"Goodnight, Mom!"

"Goodnight, Auntie."

After Xue Wanrong went upstairs, Bai Li immediately pounced into Wang Chen's arms.

"Brother Chen, were you happy today?"

"I was happy," Wang Chen hugged her. "I just feel bad about the expense."

"What expense? My mom paid for it!" Bai Li said with a giggle. "My mom really likes you; she's usually not even this generous with me."

Wang Chen smiled and didn't respond.

He couldn't exactly say, 'The way your mom looks at me is a bit off,' could he?

"Brother Chen," Bai Li suddenly lowered her voice. "Tonight... I still want to sleep with you."

Wang Chen raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you afraid your mom will find out?"

"If she knows, she knows," Bai Li blushed. "Anyway, she already agreed."

"Then... let's go up?"

"Mm!"

The two of them tiptoed upstairs.

While passing through the corridor, Bai Li intentionally lightened her steps, slipping into the guest room like a thief.

Closing the door, she breathed a sigh of relief and turned to hug Wang Chen.

The two of them lingered affectionately at the door for a while before walking into the bedroom.

Meanwhile, in the room next door, Xue Wanrong stood by the window, looking at the night view outside, holding that unfinished cup of orange juice in her hand.

Her mind was a mess.

For the entire day, almost all of her attention had been on Wang Chen.

The way he looked while trying on clothes, his profile while drinking coffee, the scene of him and her daughter kissing at the movies, his movements when he served her food at dinner... every detail was clearly imprinted in her mind.

Xue Wanrong closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

No, it couldn't be like this.

He was A Li's boyfriend, her future son-in-law.

She couldn't have thoughts she shouldn't have.

But... the effect of that Charisma Halo, combined with the youthful mindset the life origin fluid had restored to her, made it impossible for her to control her emotions.

Xue Wanrong set down the cup and walked to the mirror.

The person in the mirror looked barely in her early twenties, with tight skin, exquisite features, and a slender figure.

Anyone who saw her would not believe she had a twenty-six-year-old daughter.

She reached out and touched her own face.

If... if she were twenty years younger, if she had met Wang Chen first... *Slap!*

Xue Wanrong suddenly gave herself a slap.

The sound was crisp, sounding particularly piercing in the quiet room.

She looked at the red mark rapidly appearing on her face in the mirror and gave a bitter laugh.

"Xue Wanrong, are you crazy?"

She turned and walked into the bathroom, turned on the cold water, and washed her face vigorously.

The icy water calmed her down slightly.

It couldn't go on like this.

Starting tomorrow, she had to keep her distance from Wang Chen.

Yes, keep her distance.

Xue Wanrong told herself this.

But when she lay back in bed and closed her eyes, the image of Wang Chen trying on that white sweatshirt today surfaced in her mind again.

Sunny and handsome, like the most popular heartthrob on a university campus.

Her heartbeat unhelpfully quickened again.

That night, Xue Wanrong suffered from insomnia again.

Early morning.

Wang Chen opened his eyes and felt a weight on his chest.

Looking down, Bai Li was wrapped around him like an octopus, sleeping soundly.

A sweet smile still hung on the corner of her mouth; who knew what good thing she was dreaming about.

He gently pulled out his arm, which had gone numb from being pressed, and checked the time.

Seven-twenty in the morning.

He got out of bed quietly, walked to the window, and pulled open the curtains.

This was already his fifth day staying at the Bai family home.

These past few days had been... how to put it, a bit subtle.

During the day, he accompanied Bai Li and Xue Wanrong shopping, eating, and watching movies, and at night, he secretly spent intimate time with Bai Li.

On the surface, everything was normal, but Wang Chen always had a feeling of restlessness.

And the source of all this was Xue Wanrong.

It wasn't that Xue Wanrong disliked or mistreated him; on the contrary, she was too good to him, so good that he felt overwhelmed by the favor.

Several times, he had seen her sitting alone in the garden in a daze, her gaze empty.

When he asked her what was wrong, she would always shake her head and say it was nothing, then quickly change the subject.

Wang Chen had also wondered if it was a side effect of the Charisma Halo.

But other women he had interacted with these past few days—like Bai Li's second aunt Fang Lan, some of Xue Wanrong's friends, and even the young maids in the manor—all had normal reactions.

At most, they would look at him a few more times, praise his looks, or compliment his temperament.

Even Bai Li only felt that he "seemed more attractive," but it hadn't reached the point of losing composure.

Why was Xue Wanrong's reaction so strong?

Wang Chen scratched his head, unable to figure it out.

"Forget it, if I can't figure it out, I won't think about it."

He turned and walked into the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and washed his face with cold water.

The icy water stimulated his skin, making him much more alert.

Looking at that excessively handsome face in the mirror, Wang Chen sighed.

"System, oh system, is this Charisma Halo of yours a bit too powerful? It's even affecting my mother-in-law?"

Unfortunately, the system gave him no explanation.

He dried his face and walked out of the bathroom.

Bai Li was already awake, sitting on the bed rubbing her eyes.

Seeing him come out, she immediately opened her arms. "Brother Chen, hug me~"

Her voice was soft and sweet, carrying the grogginess of someone who had just woken up.

Wang Chen went over and hugged her, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "You're awake?"

"Mm." Bai Li leaned her head on his shoulder. "What time is it?"

"Seven-thirty."

"It's still early." Bai Li nuzzled his neck. "Sleep a bit longer..."

"Don't sleep anymore." Wang Chen patted her back. "I have something to tell you today."

"What is it?" Bai Li lifted her head, her eyes still half-closed.