Chapter 12: Thank You for Remembering My Preferences

The people who arrived were Wen Wan Ning, Lü Xin, and a girl whom Shen Jia Yan did not recognize but who looked very much like Lü Xin.

It had been an entire vacation since she had last seen Wen Wan Ning, and she missed her terribly.

During the break, she had wanted to contact her several times but hesitated and gave up each time, afraid of disturbing her. She held back until the day they returned to school.

Although their new classes were on the same floor, they had not bumped into each other all morning. Shen Jia Yan had thought she would not see her that day, but here she was.

Once they sat down, Shen Jia Yan could not wait any longer. She turned to Xia Yuxin beside her and said, “Yuxin, you all sit first. I see some familiar classmates over there. I’ll go say hi and come right back.”

“Okay, go ahead.”

Shen Jia Yan walked over to Wen Wan Ning’s side, pulled out the chair next to her, and sat down. “Wan Ning, Lü Xin, what brings you two here for lunch?”

Wen Wan Ning jumped a little at the sudden appearance of someone beside her, but relaxed instantly when she saw it was Shen Jia Yan. The corners of her lips curved up slightly. “No one’s home at our places today, so we came out together for lunch. What about you?”

Shen Jia Yan glanced back at her roommates and replied, “I’m here eating with some classmates from my new class.”

Wen Wan Ning furrowed her brows teasingly. “New classmates? New desk mate? You told me not to forget you as my desk mate, but here you are getting along great with your new one. Have you forgotten me already?”

Shen Jia Yan hurriedly explained, “She’s not my desk mate. She’s a roommate from my new dorm. You’re my best desk mate. How could I forget you? No way, never.”

Wen Wan Ning laughed at Shen Jia Yan’s flustered appearance, a sly glint appearing in her eyes. “Then let me introduce you to my new desk mate.” She pointed to the girl next to Lü Xin who looked so much like her. “Lü Yue.”

“Lü Yue? She looks so much like Lü Xin, and even the name is similar. Are you twins?” Shen Jia Yan looked back and forth between them curiously.

“You guessed right. Xin Xin and I aren’t in the same class anymore, but Yue Yue is in mine.”

Shen Jia Yan remembered that Lü Xin had been assigned to Class 3, so Lü Yue must be in Class 4 with Wan Ning. Lü Xin was Wan Ning’s childhood friend, so Lü Yue probably was too.

Knowing Wan Ning’s new desk mate was her childhood friend put Shen Jia Yan much more at ease. It was far better than sitting next to some stranger with an unknown personality.

They were no longer in the same class, and Shen Jia Yan felt like she was always worrying like some fussy elder.

“You guys are amazing! You all made it into the Experimental Class!”

“It’s okay. Although we both got into the Experimental Class, neither Yue Yue’s nor my scores were as good as Wan Ning’s,” Lü Xin replied.

A proud expression lit up Shen Jia Yan’s face, as if she herself had been praised. She smiled and said, “You’re all awesome.”

Of course, Wan Ning was the most outstanding of them all.

The group chatted and laughed for a while.

Xia Yuxin saw that all the dishes had arrived but Shen Jia Yan still had not returned, so she called out, “Jia Yan, the food’s all here.”

“Okay, coming right back.” Shen Jia Yan reluctantly stood up. “I’ll head back over then.”

Wen Wan Ning nodded. “Okay, go on.”

Shen Jia Yan returned to her seat and had just taken two bites when something suddenly occurred to her. She excused herself to use the restroom and went to the counter. “Hello, could I see the order for Table 3? I want to check if there’s anything else to add.”

She took the bill for Wen Wan Ning’s table from the server and looked it over.

“Please add an order of blanched water spinach, and let me know the total.”

Ever since Shen Jia Yan had “bought” the intel on Wan Ning’s favorite dish from Han Shuang at a “high price,” she had kept it in mind, hoping to use it someday. She had not expected the opportunity to come so soon.

After settling the bill for Table 3, Shen Jia Yan wanted to pay for her own table as well, but the server told her a girl had already done so. She returned to her seat.

Once back, she looked at Xia Yuxin and asked, “You already paid?”

Xia Yuxin nodded while eating. “Yeah, my treat today. No fighting me over it. Plenty of chances for you all later.”

With that, Shen Jia Yan did not press the issue.

“Fine then. Next time, I reserve the right, and no one fights me for it.”

“Deal, no fighting you,” Xia Yuxin mumbled through a mouthful of food.

“Hahaha…”

After eating for a bit, Jiang Yufei leaned over from the side and whispered, “Jia Yan, I just heard you say your friends all got into the Experimental Class. That’s so impressive!”

Hearing others praise Wan Ning made Shen Jia Yan happier than if they had praised her. She beamed with pride. “Yeah, they’re all really excellent. They got into this key high school as paying students, and after just half a year, they all made it into the Experimental Class.”

The four at the table all turned to look toward Table 3, their faces full of envy and admiration.

Soon after, Shen Jia Yan and her group finished eating and prepared to leave. As they passed Table 3, she glanced at the dishes that had not all arrived yet, smiled, said goodbye to Wen Wan Ning and the others, and walked on.

Not long after Shen Jia Yan left, a plate of blanched water spinach arrived at Table 3, surprising all three girls.

Wen Wan Ning asked puzzledly, “Xin Xin, did you order this?”

“Nope, I actually forgot to order it for you today,” Lü Xin said sheepishly, scratching her head.

“Did you order it then, Yue Yue?” Wen Wan Ning pressed.

“Not me.”

Wen Wan Ning called over the server. “Excuse me, I don’t think we ordered this.”

“Oh, that was added by the girl who left just now. She already paid for it too.”

“I see. Thank you.”

Lü Xin teased, “Wan Ning, your desk mate is way too good to you. She even knows what you like to eat and is so generous with her money.”

A faint blush colored Wen Wan Ning’s fair cheeks. “Don’t talk nonsense. I’ll transfer the money to her later. I can’t keep letting her pay.”

She had no idea how Shen Jia Yan knew her favorite dish, and it surprised her that she remembered it so well. She always managed to surprise her with warmth in these little ways, making her realize just how wonderful it felt to have someone remember her preferences.

Lü Xin added quickly, “Well, think it over carefully. Don’t hurt her feelings over something like who pays, after all her good intentions.”

The three finished eating and headed home.

Wen Wan Ning held her phone, debating whether to transfer money to Shen Jia Yan.

After hesitating for a long time, she finally messaged her.

[Jia Yan, how much did you spend on our lunch today?]

Shen Jia Yan had set Wen Wan Ning’s WeChat notifications to top priority with special alerts.

Her phone buzzed, and she opened WeChat immediately, knowing it was from her.

Seeing the message, her upturned lips drooped again. She thought for a moment before replying: [What’s up?]

Wen Wan Ning continued: [Can’t keep letting you pay. Tell me how much, and I’ll transfer it.]

Reading the reply chilled Shen Jia Yan’s heart. She did not want Wan Ning to always draw such clear lines between them. Even as good friends, she wanted to be as close as Lü Xin and Lü Yue were to her.

Wen Wan Ning noticed that Shen Jia Yan usually replied instantly to her messages, but this time there was a long delay.

Had she really hurt her feelings, like Lü Xin said?

After a long while, Shen Jia Yan finally replied: [Was the blanched water spinach good?]

Wen Wan Ning understood her meaning, sighed, let it go, and replied with raised brows: [Delicious. Thank you for remembering my preferences.]

Seeing the response, Shen Jia Yan’s drooping lips curved up again.

※

Life in the new class gradually became routine after half a year, and sophomore year arrived in the blink of an eye.

The first order of business upon advancing to sophomore year was, as always, changing classroom locations. The sophomore classrooms were on the south-west side of the teaching building.

This time, Shen Jia Yan’s class moved to the second floor, while Wen Wan Ning’s remained on the fifth.

The front door of Shen Jia Yan’s classroom faced the stairwell, and the back door led to the main hall of the teaching building, connecting to the outer platform entrance. Besides the first-floor classes, most students from the upper floors passed through that door for school arrival and dismissal.

They were no longer on the same floor, making chance encounters even harder.

Shen Jia Yan figured that if she just let things happen naturally, the odds of seeing Wan Ning would be minuscule. In another half year, Wan Ning might even forget her. She had to create opportunities herself.

Wan Ning definitely passed by their class for morning arrival and afternoon dismissal, so she planned to wait and stage “chance encounters.”

The bell rang for the end of the last class. Some students had already packed their bags and bolted out the moment it sounded. Others only began packing after the bell.

Shen Jia Yan was in the latter group. She packed her bag unhurriedly.

Dismissal rush hour meant crowds flowing down from the fifth floor, making it slow going to reach the second.

When she figured the timing was right, she slowly made her way to the classroom door.

Standing at the doorway, she peeked out stealthily to see if her target was coming.

Once she saw Wen Wan Ning and Lü Yue pass by, she jogged up and lightly patted Wan Ning’s backpack.

“Wan Ning, what a coincidence.”

Wen Wan Ning turned at the voice. “Jia Yan, how come you’re just leaving now?”

“Yeah, I had cleaning duty today, so I was a bit late.” Shen Jia Yan gave the excuse she had prepared in advance.

Wen Wan Ning believed it without question. “Then let’s walk together.”

Shen Jia Yan could not suppress the upward curve of her lips. “Sure!”

Even though their classes were on different floors now, if she could “bump into” Wan Ning every day and walk a stretch together, that was something to be thrilled about.

Sitting in the car on the way home, leaning against the window and watching the scenery flow by outside, Shen Jia Yan pondered excuses for the next “encounter.”

She dared not tell Wan Ning the truth—that she wanted to walk with her. She feared it crossed a line, that Wan Ning might overthink it, and that they might not even remain friends.

So, “chance encounters” avoided that awkwardness, but she could not use the same excuse every time.

The next morning, after the inter-class exercises, homeroom teacher Sun Yan entered the classroom.

“There’s a bad flu going around lately. Several students in our class have already caught it and gone home. Everyone, be careful. The school issued disinfectant to every class for this reason. After dismissal each day, someone needs to stay a little late to spray and disinfect the classroom. Any volunteers?”

Here was the perfect excuse, plain as day.

Shen Jia Yan’s heart bubbled with irrepressible joy.

The class exchanged glances; no one wanted to stay late. As they murmured among themselves, Shen Jia Yan raised her hand without hesitation. “Teacher, I can do it!”