Give Me Heartthrobs 34

Chapter 34: Secret Feelings

In the night, a gentle breeze was blowing. Ye Qizhen gazed silently at Wen Yu smiling at her. In a trance, it felt like something brushed lightly across the tip of her heart, quietly disturbing her supposedly calm emotions.

Ye Qizhen forgot to answer.

The smile on Wen Yu’s face hadn’t faded, and she asked again, “Not sweet?”

Ye Qizhen answered absentmindedly, “Sweet.”

Being called sweet for the first time, Wen Yu found it novel. “Really?”

Ye Qizhen nodded distractedly: “Really.”

Seeing Ye Qizhen’s mood was still low, Wen Yu thought she was still unhappy about the competition. She took a step closer and actively asked, “Do you want me to hug you?”

She remembered that when Ye Qizhen comforted her before, she would hug her gently, and it was quite effective.

Ye Qizhen’s heart was chaotic right now. She looked at Wen Yu hesitantly, wanting to say no. Knowing Ye Qizhen was stubborn about saving face, Wen Yu didn’t wait for an answer. She wrapped her arms around Ye Qizhen and hugged her lightly.

After nestling into Wen Yu’s embrace, Ye Qizhen still involuntarily raised her arms to circle Wen Yu’s waist. The embrace was fragrant and soft; she sniffed carefully, liking it. She liked it the first time she hugged Wen Yu, but the hug now seemed to have changed flavor in her eyes.

Wen Yu let Ye Qizhen hug her. She quietly lowered her head, cheek pressing against Ye Qizhen’s hair, subconsciously hoping this hug could last a little longer.

By the quiet lakeside, thin bodies pressed together, stirring up bits of warmth. After hugging for a moment, Ye Qizhen suddenly called out in a muffled voice, “Wen Yu.”

Wen Yu looked at Ye Qizhen’s face. “Mn?”

Ye Qizhen tilted her head slightly, her voice carrying a hint of grievance: “Do you have to be so good to me…”

“Yes.” Wen Yu gave an affirmative answer without thinking. No matter what, she was willingly good to Ye Qizhen; this was beyond doubt, no need to struggle over it.

Ye Qizhen smiled foolishly at Wen Yu. Besides being moved, there was more attachment, and unease. Actually, she hid half a sentence, daring not to say it to Wen Yu: What if I want to like you?

…

In the following days, life went on as usual.

By the end of October, the ginkgo trees in front of the Arts Building were golden. When the late autumn wind blew, withered leaves rustled down. Stepping on fallen leaves and walking over the pebble path, Ye Qizhen went to the art studio to find Wen Yu as usual after class.

There weren’t many people in the studio after class. Through the glass window, Ye Qizhen saw Wen Yu sitting by the window. She didn’t walk in immediately but stood outside looking a few more times. Just then, a boy in a black jacket walked over to talk to Wen Yu. She quickly recognized who the boy was.

It was the one who asked Wen Yu to pick up the ball on the basketball court that day, named Nie Nanfeng. High looks and personality, quite famous in the Art Academy. Ye Qizhen only learned these things later. Wen Yu never lacked pursuers, and Ye Qizhen didn’t pay much attention to the boys around Wen Yu. But she remembered Nie Nanfeng at once because Wen Yu helped him pick up the ball that day.

After Nie Nanfeng left the studio, Ye Qizhen walked slowly to Wen Yu, skillfully pulled a stool over to sit next to her, and grinned at her.

Looking back and seeing Ye Qizhen’s smiling face, the corners of Wen Yu’s lips lifted too. She couldn’t help asking, “Didn’t you want to get off the single list? Coming to our studio every day, who have you taken a fancy to?”

“Is there anyone else here besides you?” Looking around the studio, Ye Qizhen spoke off the cuff. After saying it, she realized the sentence was a bit wrong, very wrong, but she tried hard to maintain an indifferent smile, not wanting to reveal anything.

Wen Yu indeed remained calm. Others aside, how could Ye Qizhen possibly flirt? She glanced at the top of Ye Qizhen’s head and ordered in a low voice, “Come here.”

“What?” Ye Qizhen was puzzled but leaned towards Wen Yu.

When Ye Qizhen got closer, Wen Yu held Ye Qizhen’s shoulder with one hand and leaned towards her. With the other hand, she picked a half-withered leaf from Ye Qizhen’s hair and showed it to her. Then she reached out again, using her fingertips to tidy Ye Qizhen’s hair, stroking gently.

Ye Qizhen’s mind wasn’t on the withered leaf, but on Wen Yu’s hand on her right shoulder. Sitting like this, getting closer, Wen Yu was half a head taller than her. Her gaze swept and landed right on Wen Yu’s lips. She could vaguely feel the warm breath brushing past, and she swallowed quietly.

“Done.” After tidying Ye Qizhen’s hair, Wen Yu looked at Ye Qizhen’s face, then turned her attention back to the drawing board, holding the pen to modify the draft.

Knowing Wen Yu needed quiet to draw, Ye Qizhen accompanied her silently. Zoning out for a while, she waited until Wen Yu put down the pen before asking, “How do you want to spend your birthday?” It was almost November, and she had been thinking about this early on.

Wen Yu had no ideas. Hearing Ye Qizhen mention wanting to eat barbecue, she said casually, “Treat you to barbecue, okay?”

Thinking of her again. Ye Qizhen dragged out her voice to remind her: “It’s your birthday, don’t ask me.”

Wen Yu thought for a moment. “Celebrate at my place, just us.”

Whatever she wanted was fine. Ye Qizhen agreed quickly: “Okay.”

…

Wen Yu stayed in Nancheng for the summer vacation. For convenience, she rented a studio apartment off-campus. Later, she didn’t cancel the lease and simply lived there. Not many students moved out of the dorms in their sophomore year, but Wen Yu had planned this long ago. She liked quietness and didn’t lack living expenses; renting was more than affordable. Although Wen Qiuxian didn’t care about her, the money in the card had never been short.

Wen Qiuxian was very lavish in spending, very much the style of nouveau riche. She had money, just a bad reputation; everyone knew she made her fortune by fishing for men. She was even more willing to spend money on Wen Yu. Although she had an air of dust (meaning promiscuity/vulgarity) that people looked down on, the daughter she raised had extraordinary temperament and got into a famous university. She didn’t say anything, but she was quite proud of this in her heart.

Ye Qizhen often came to Wen Yu’s place during the summer vacation; it was just across the road from the school. At first, she worried about Wen Yu living alone, but Wen Yu said she was used to it since high school, and being quiet gave her more inspiration. There was a small kitchen here for cooking. They had cooked a few times before. Ye Qizhen just jokingly said she craved dishes made by Wen Yu, but she didn’t expect Wen Yu to take it seriously.

Wen Yu’s birthday was on Friday, which happened to be Halloween. The streets were quite lively, but they didn’t go anywhere. The two of them fiddled with dinner in the small kitchen, enjoying themselves more than squeezing through crowds outside.

Ye Qizhen stir-fried the ribs timidly, her movements slightly comical.

Wen Yu watched from the side and laughed. “Are you sure you don’t want my help?”

Ye Qizhen insisted: “No, it’s your birthday, you rest.”

Wen Yu was extremely amused by Ye Qizhen’s focused expression while cooking.

Strictly speaking, Ye Qizhen could only cook two dishes: tomato and eggs, and stir-fried green vegetables. But to celebrate Wen Yu’s birthday tonight, she did her homework in advance and learned a few more dishes on the spot. From washing vegetables to cooking, she took care of everything alone, not letting Wen Yu lift a finger. Although they were all simple home-cooked dishes with little technical content, they looked decent when placed on the table—simple but warm.

There was only one small table in the apartment, just right for two people to eat. Before the meal, Ye Qizhen brought out the small cake she had ordered earlier. She inserted the candles, lit them one by one, and then ran to turn off the lights.

Wen Yu really wasn’t particular about these things. In her impression, Wen Qiuxian would throw her some extra money on this day, nothing more, nothing special. Watching Ye Qizhen busying herself foolishly, perhaps today would be her most memorable birthday.

The room darkened, only candle flames flickering. Ye Qizhen urged Wen Yu: “Okay, make a wish.”

Wen Yu was stunned. She never believed in these things, but in front of Ye Qizhen, she cooperated, putting her palms together and closing her eyes to make a wish.

When Wen Yu closed her eyes, all of Ye Qizhen’s attention was drawn to her, unconsciously looking only at Wen Yu. Since realizing her feelings for Wen Yu had changed, it was like a seed buried in her heart. The more she interacted with Wen Yu, the more this seed sprouted and grew, uncontrollably. But she hid it well, showing no sign in front of Wen Yu.

After blowing out the candles, only a few wisps of white smoke remained. With a snap, the room brightened again. Ye Qizhen raised the disposable paper cup in her hand. “Student Wen, Happy Birthday!”

Wen Yu raised her paper cup to clink it. Staring intently at Ye Qizhen’s brows and eyes, she suddenly asked, “Will the wish made come true?”

Holding the paper cup, Ye Qizhen had never seen anyone ask this after making a birthday wish. But since Wen Yu asked, she must really hope it would come true, right? She looked at Wen Yu firmly and said firmly, “It will, very effective.”

No matter when, having hope is always good.

Will it? Wen Yu smiled without speaking. Her wish was that Ye Qizhen could accompany her for every birthday in the future. Is that too greedy?

Tonight, Ye Qizhen’s cooking skills exceeded her usual level. Several dishes were made seriously according to recipes, and the taste wasn’t bad; even the tomato scrambled eggs were more delicious than usual. The four dishes, not too large in portion, were mostly eaten by the two.

It was still early after dinner. Just like a usual weekend, the two stayed together watching a movie. Wen Yu brought a big bag of snacks to the coffee table. She didn’t eat snacks herself but kept them occasionally because Ye Qizhen would come.

“Want to drink?” Ye Qizhen saw Wen Yu bringing several cans of beer.

Wen Yu nodded, harboring some other thoughts. If she drank, Ye Qizhen would most likely stay to take care of her. She opened a can of beer and asked Ye Qizhen on a whim, “Want to drink together?”

“I’ll blush if I drink,” Ye Qizhen said honestly.

Hearing Ye Qizhen say this, Wen Yu quite wanted to see it. “Want to try? You can stay at my place tonight.”

“Okay, I’ll keep you company.” Thinking it was Wen Yu’s birthday, a special situation, Ye Qizhen didn’t refuse. She clarified first, “You can’t laugh at me if I blush.”

“Mn.” Wen Yu already wanted to laugh.

Watching the movie, eating snacks, and drinking beer, Ye Qizhen suspected her alcohol tolerance had improved. She drank a small half can easily, remembering she used to get dizzy after one glass.

The movie had quite a few laugh points. Ye Qizhen sipped beer in small mouthfuls. Finding something funny, she subconsciously looked at Wen Yu. When she found Wen Yu also looking at her, there was an indescribable subtle feeling.

Ye Qizhen’s face flushed red without drinking much. Her cheeks became rosy. She reached out to cup her face for manual cooling. Seeing Wen Yu laughing, she complained embarrassedly, “Said not to laugh at me.”

“Didn’t laugh.” Wen Yu couldn’t stop laughing.

“Still saying you didn’t laugh?” Ye Qizhen smiled softly herself.

One sentence each, the atmosphere inexplicably joyful.

…

But laughter couldn’t cover up the heavy heart. Ye Qizhen indulged herself a little tonight. Clinking glasses with Wen Yu, she gulped down a few more mouthfuls of alcohol in one go. She also wanted to drink a little tonight. She was worried that if she didn’t drink, facing Wen Yu, her wild thoughts would keep her awake. But if she drank, she would get very sleepy and fall asleep as soon as she hit the bed.

When Wen Yu looked at Ye Qizhen again, she saw Ye Qizhen leaning on the sofa with eyes half-closed, drowsy. She picked up the can of beer Ye Qizhen drank from to weigh it, then looked at Ye Qizhen, surprised. Like this without even finishing one can?

Ye Qizhen smacked her lips, humming something.

Wen Yu leaned closer.

She heard Ye Qizhen say, “Want water.”

So Wen Yu got water for her.

After drinking water, Ye Qizhen looked at Wen Yu with hazy eyes: “Want candy.”

Wen Yu laughed. Usually so good at taking care of people, but as soon as she drinks, she just thinks about ordering people around. She searched in the snack bag and found a pack of fruit candy. Unwrapping one, she fed it into Ye Qizhen’s mouth, staring closely at Ye Qizhen’s face, unable to look away again.

Ye Qizhen held the candy in her mouth, unable to taste it. She stared at Wen Yu too. In a moment, her face moved a bit closer, staring straight into Wen Yu’s eyes. Reaching out, she touched Wen Yu’s hair. She wasn’t as good at flirting as Wen Yu; doing these actions seemed clumsy and shy. Wen Yu flirted with her just like this…