Chapter 19: Angry?

Xia Yuxin, Shao Han, and Zheng Qian jogged over to Shen Jia Yan’s side.

“Jia Yan, you’re amazing! You overtook them—we got first place,” Xia Yuxin exclaimed, gesturing excitedly with her hands.

Shen Jia Yan chuckled lightly. “Not bad, not bad.”

“Wan Ning.” Shao Han noticed Wen Wan Ning standing across from Shen Jia Yan.

Wen Wan Ning nodded at her. “Shao Han.”

Shen Jia Yan asked curiously, “You two know each other?”

Shao Han replied, “We went to the same middle school.”

“Oh.”

Xia Yuxin stared at the familiar face in front of her, frantically searching her memory.

She remembered. They had run into her the first time their dorm had eaten out together. Shen Jia Yan had mentioned back then that she was from the Experimental Class.

Xia Yuxin frowned and asked, “Jia Yan, I remember you and Shao Han weren’t from the same school. How do you know her alumni?”

Shen Jia Yan cleared her throat. “Then let me formally introduce her.” She gestured toward Wen Wan Ning with her palm up. “This is my best deskmate, Wen Wan Ning.”

Xia Yuxin grew even more confused upon hearing that. Deskmate? What deskmate? They weren’t even in the same class.

Wen Wan Ning saw their confusion and smiled softly. “We were deskmates in the first semester of our freshman year.”

“Oh~~” Xia Yuxin teased, “Birds of a feather flock together—good-looking people sit with good-looking people.” Then she made a regretful face. “But you too, Jia Yan. You had such a great resource right there and didn’t make use of it. She’s such a good student—why didn’t you learn from her?”

Wen Wan Ning came to her rescue. “Jia Yan is very smart. She’s just a bit playful. If she buckles down, she’ll definitely get great grades.”

The curve of Shen Jia Yan’s lips deepened, her eyes filled with tenderness.

Wan Ning is praising me in front of others.

Xia Yuxin caught the unprecedented look in Shen Jia Yan’s eyes and secretly noted it in her mind.

Wen Wan Ning glanced toward her own class. “You all chat first. I’ll head back to my class.”

Shen Jia Yan smiled brightly. “Okay.”

As she watched Wen Wan Ning’s figure gradually recede, she mustered her courage and called out, “Wan Ning, after the sports meet ends, let’s walk back together?”

Wen Wan Ning turned around at her words and nodded.

Xia Yuxin saw Shen Jia Yan’s radiant face and felt like she had just pieced together something huge.

I’ll have to ask her about this later.

“Let’s head back too. They’ll be announcing the results and class rankings soon,” Shao Han said.

The group returned to their class’s seating area.

Jiang Yufei waved her right hand enthusiastically when she saw them, beckoning them over.

Shen Jia Yan and Xia Yuxin walked to her side and sat down.

Jiang Yufei and Chu Ye hurried behind them to give them massages.

“You two worked hard! You’re incredible—you brought our class its one and only first place,” Jiang Yufei said as she massaged.

“Exactly! Our dorm produced a star,” Chu Ye chimed in.

The two closed their eyes and enjoyed it. “Keep it low-key,” Xia Yuxin mimicked Shen Jia Yan’s tone.

“No way!” Jiang Yufei suddenly stopped massaging.

Shen Jia Yan, Xia Yuxin, and Chu Ye all looked at her.

She frowned seriously. “We have to be high-key about this!”

“Hahaha…”

Soon, the broadcast announced the results.

The classes quieted down as everyone perked up their ears to listen.

In the end, Year 2 Class 11 placed fifteenth in the grade overall.

It was a liberal arts class, so they were at a natural disadvantage compared to the science classes—everyone understood that.

Still, they were satisfied with the result.

As noon approached, the sports meet wrapped up all its events, and the afternoon was declared a holiday.

The moment the dismissal was announced, Shen Jia Yan grabbed her mirrorless camera and dashed toward Year 2 Class 4’s area.

She didn’t even give Xia Yuxin a chance to say a word.

Shen Jia Yan stood on the outskirts of Class 4, waiting for Wen Wan Ning.

Moments later, Wen Wan Ning packed her books into her bag and walked over. “Let’s go.”

Shen Jia Yan smiled, then stood in place, looking left and right.

Wen Wan Ning saw she wasn’t moving and asked, “What are you looking at?”

“Where’s Lü Yue? Isn’t she walking with us?”

“She had something at home, so she left with Xin Xin first.”

Shen Jia Yan secretly rejoiced.

Today, it’s just me and Wan Ning walking together.

Her eyebrows lifted. “Then let’s go.”

Unsure of the exact end time for the sports meet, Shen Jia Yan hadn’t arranged for a ride. She had told her parents she would just take a cab home afterward.

“I’m heading to Hengxin Plaza today to buy some stuff anyway, so I can walk the same way as you toward home,” Shen Jia Yan made up an excuse.

Wen Wan Ning’s home was in a neighborhood about 1.5 kilometers southeast of the school—very close. Her parents had bought the place after she got into the key high school to make commuting easier.

She brushed the bangs from her eyes and smiled faintly. “Sure, it’s just me walking home today anyway.”

As they left the sports meet behind, the campus clamor faded into the distance, leaving only the laughter of scattered pairs of classmates and the rustle of shoes on fallen leaves.

The two walked side by side. The sunlight stretched their shadows long on the asphalt road, overlapping and separating.

Suddenly, Shen Jia Yan hopped onto the curb beside her, stepping carefully along it one foot at a time.

Wen Wan Ning reached out instinctively to steady her wobbling form, then frowned. “Why walk up there? It’s dangerous.”

Shen Jia Yan stopped abruptly, turned to face Wen Wan Ning, and said earnestly, “Like this—” She reached from the top of Wen Wan Ning’s head to her own forehead. “—I’m taller than you.”

“Hahaha, you’re so childish, Shen Jia Yan.”

Shen Jia Yan crossed her arms over her chest and pouted dramatically. “You’re the one who’s so tall. It puts all this pressure on me.”

Wen Wan Ning suppressed her laughter, her tone indulgent. “Alright then, you’re allowed to be taller than me.”

A satisfied smile bloomed on Shen Jia Yan’s face.

They exited the campus and walked along the small road opposite the gate that led to Wen Wan Ning’s home.

Wen Wan Ning noticed the camera swinging in Shen Jia Yan’s hand and leaned over to look. “Did you take a lot of photos at the sports meet?”

Shen Jia Yan lifted the camera. “Yeah, to record the high school sports day.” And all your various moments.

“Oh.” Wen Wan Ning nodded, then smiled meaningfully. “Are there photos of you competing in there?”

She figured that since she wanted to document the event, there must be shots of her from her classmates during the races.

“Uh…”

There were photos, but Shen Jia Yan felt too embarrassed to show her.

Wen Wan Ning clasped her hands behind her back and leaned slightly toward Shen Jia Yan, her breath warm against her ear as she whispered softly, “Can I take a look?” Her voice was feather-light, like a plume brushing her ear.

The warm breath grazed her earlobe, and Shen Jia Yan froze in place. She could count the strands of hair that drifted onto her coat collar. That voice tickled her eardrum like a feather, making her ear tips burn instantly as her fingers unconsciously gripped the camera’s edge tighter.

Wen Wan Ning seemed to notice her tension and chuckled softly.

Shen Jia Yan stared at where their shadows overlapped on the ground, watching the tilted silhouette draw nearer until she could smell the lavender scent from the nape of her neck.

“Just a peek…” Wen Wan Ning’s voice trailed off long and coaxing, with a hint of coquettishness.

Shen Jia Yan’s mind went blank, and she mechanically handed over the camera.

She even forgot it was full of her candid shots of Wen Wan Ning.

By the time she snapped out of it, Wen Wan Ning was already flipping through the photos.

Her slender fingers pressed the review button. “These are pretty good. Nice shots.”

Shen Jia Yan’s throat bobbed. “Ah, yeah, not bad.”

She watched the camera intently, a thin sheen of sweat breaking out on her back.

Wen Wan Ning’s page-turning felt like a ticking bomb counting down.

Suddenly, her fingertip paused on a photo.

In it, Wen Wan Ning sat on the bleachers with sunlight spilling beside her. Her gaze was fixed on the distance, a breeze tousling her hair tips, strands glowing golden in the sun. Her head was slightly tilted back, her profile softened in the backlighting, lashes casting delicate shadows on her cheek.

It was breathtaking.

“This photo…” Her voice was very soft.

Shen Jia Yan’s heart skipped a beat, then raced wildly. “S-Sorry, I didn’t get your permission, I just…”

Wen Wan Ning didn’t respond, just smiled and kept flipping.

As expected, most of the later photos were ones Shen Jia Yan had taken of her.

Her lashes fluttered. “These are really nice. But—”

Shen Jia Yan’s heart clenched at her words.

“You took too many of me. I need to delete a few.” As she spoke, she pressed the delete button.

Her reserved nature made her embarrassed to see so many photos of herself on someone else’s camera.

Shen Jia Yan reached out in a panic, but she couldn’t keep up with Wen Wan Ning’s speed.

Three photos were deleted in total, including the one of Wen Wan Ning on the bleachers that was her absolute favorite.

Shen Jia Yan’s throat tightened, as if someone had choked off her breath. Her heart plummeted heavily, aching in her chest.

Wen Wan Ning handed the camera back.

“You…” Shen Jia Yan opened her mouth but didn’t know what to say.

Was she angry? They were stolen shots, after all—she had no right to be. Frustrated? Mostly, it was unwillingness, like a long-cherished treasure being casually discarded without explanation.

She clenched her fists, the sting of nails digging into her palms nothing compared to the dull ache in her heart.

It wasn’t just deleting a photo. She had erased those carefully collected, unspoken moments of her heart fluttering.

She took the camera, her lips pressed into a tight line, facial muscles twitching slightly, brows furrowed deeply with creases etched between them—as if she was using all her strength to suppress the emotions about to erupt.

Wen Wan Ning sensed her displeasure and tilted her head with a smile. “Angry?”

Shen Jia Yan had never been mad at her before, but this time, she really was a little upset.

But what could anger do? She was the one in the wrong first, and more importantly, she couldn’t bear to snap at Wen Wan Ning.

Even suppressing her anger, she couldn’t fake happiness.

“No.” Her tone was noticeably cold.

Wen Wan Ning was a bit surprised. Shen Jia Yan had never gotten upset with her over anything. Though she hadn’t asked permission to take the photos, Wen Wan Ning had presumptuously deleted them too.

Like the other competitors, she probably just wanted to preserve some fond high school memories. Her actions might have truly hurt her.

Wen Wan Ning tried to make amends. “Don’t be mad. You’re the bigger person here. There are still a few photos of me left in there—I didn’t delete them all.”

Shen Jia Yan sighed. “Mm.”

She still wasn’t over it.

She must be really mad this time.

The two continued walking.

Wen Wan Ning glanced toward her home and suddenly thought of something.

She turned to Shen Jia Yan. “As long as you’re not mad, I’ll take you to my place and play guzheng for you.”