Chapter 21: Is It—Wen Wan Ning?

The phoenix trees outside sprouted new buds, and sunlight slanted through the glass into the classroom, casting mottled shadows on the desks.

It was now April.

Wen Wan Ning’s birthday, which Shen Jia Yan had been eagerly anticipating, was approaching.

That’s right—she was even more excited than the person herself.

During the New Year, she had decided to give Wen Wan Ning a pair of shoes, so she quietly saved up her red envelope money.

The symbolism of gifting shoes varied—some said it might lead the recipient to leave, while others believed it meant the two would walk together forever.

Shen Jia Yan, of course, chose to believe the latter. She hoped she could keep walking alongside Wen Wan Ning forever, even if it was just as friends.

There were twenty-five days until Wen Wan Ning’s birthday on April 26th. Shen Jia Yan thought that just a pair of shoes felt a bit too simple; she wanted to give something else, something more thoughtful.

During evening self-study, Shen Jia Yan frowned at her history book, pen in hand, absentmindedly scribbling “What to give?” all over her notebook.

Xia Yuxin glanced at Shen Jia Yan’s notebook during a break from her problems.

She then passed her a note. Seeing no reaction, she lightly nudged her with an elbow.

Shen Jia Yan refocused and gave her a questioning look: “What is it?”

Xia Yuxin nodded toward the note.

Shen Jia Yan looked down at it: “Giving a gift to someone?”

She immediately glanced back at her own notebook.

The countless “What to give?” scrawls made it impossible to hide.

She wrote a simple “Mm” under Xia Yuxin’s question and pushed the note back.

Xia Yuxin read it and nodded meaningfully before writing, “Who to?”

Shen Jia Yan saw it but wrote nothing, pretending to read her book instead.

The note sat blank for a long while. Xia Yuxin smirked slyly and added, “Let me guess—is it that person?”

Shen Jia Yan let out a soft “Tch” at the words, glancing at Xia Yuxin’s mischievous grin. She held back at first but finally couldn’t resist writing on the note, “Who?”

Had she figured it out? Noticed how special Wen Wan Ning was to her? Was it that obvious?

Developing a crush during high school was the most normal flutter of youth. Those stolen glances from behind textbooks, the quickened heartbeat when passing in the hallway—they were all sparkling milestones on the road to growing up.

But Shen Jia Yan’s feelings were a bit special. She had fallen for someone of the same gender—a particularly wonderful girl.

Her affection was pure and clear.

Yet she wasn’t sure if those around her could view her emotions correctly, or accept that her feelings differed from most people’s—even though there was nothing wrong with it.

So she had hesitated, never voicing her crush.

Xia Yuxin wrote, “It’s—“

The bell rang.

Shen Jia Yan didn’t wait for her to finish. She grabbed her already packed bag and headed out of the classroom.

Wen Wan Ning had greeted her earlier; she had something to do today and wouldn’t walk home with her.

Xia Yuxin jogged to catch up. “You didn’t let me finish—why’d you leave?” She slung her bag over her shoulder.

“What were you going to say?” Shen Jia Yan’s tone was flat.

Xia Yuxin pulled her to a stop, turning serious. “Shen Jia Yan, do you even see me as a friend? I had the words right on the tip of my tongue, and you’re still holding back.”

She took two steps forward, then turned back. “Last chance—if you don’t spill, don’t come to me for help with anything later.”

With that, she started to walk away again.

Shen Jia Yan grabbed her bag strap and sighed softly. “Fine, I’ll tell you.”

Xia Yuxin suppressed a grin and returned to her side. “That’s more like it. Whatever it is, say it out loud—friends are for brainstorming solutions.”

“Oh, right—Yu Fei and Chu Ye both have stuff going on at home tonight; they’re not in the dorm. Why don’t you just stay on campus?” She waggled her eyebrows. “We can have a good chat.”

Shen Jia Yan thought for a moment. “Alright, I’ll call my parents.”

Back at the dorm, Shen Jia Yan first told Jiang Jing she’d be staying overnight to keep a classmate company, then called the driver picking her up to head back without her.

Though she loved fun and was a bit mischievous, she’d never given her parents any trouble or broken any rules. So when she said she’d stay on campus, Jiang Jing didn’t suspect a thing and agreed without hesitation.

An hour later, they had showered and were lying in their respective beds.

With the lights off, they prepared for some quiet nighttime talk.

Xia Yuxin spoke first. “Jia Yan, do you have someone you like?”

She could tell—Shen Jia Yan was different around Wen Wan Ning.

Sure, she said Wen Wan Ning was her best deskmate, but Xia Yuxin spent all day with Shen Jia Yan and knew her well. That wasn’t how she acted with regular classmates or even close ones.

She vaguely guessed Shen Jia Yan might be hung up on their genders, which was why she hadn’t said anything. But as her friend, Xia Yuxin wanted her to know she could share anything—she didn’t mind same-sex crushes. In fact, she kind of loved shipping them.

Mostly, she was just gossipy.

The dorm fell quiet for a few seconds.

Shen Jia Yan stared at the plain white ceiling and said softly, “Yeah.”

As expected.

Xia Yuxin’s eyes lit up. She rolled over to face her and probed, “Is it—Wen Wan Ning?”

Shen Jia Yan’s intertwined fingers stiffened. Her throat bobbed, but she couldn’t speak right away.

Though she had braced herself, hearing the question out loud felt like someone had hit pause on her.

“Mm… that obvious, huh?” she asked softly, her voice trailing off.

“Pretty obvious.”

“Then…” Shen Jia Yan paused before asking, “What do you think about it?” Her fingers unconsciously picked at the bedsheet, twisting tiny wrinkles into the fabric.

Her toes curled under the blanket as her mind raced through possible reactions and responses.

Xia Yuxin teased her on purpose. “What do I think? About this?” Her brows arched playfully, and she grinned. “Pretty shippable.”

Shen Jia Yan froze for a second, then relaxed completely, like her bones had melted. She buried her slightly feverish face in the pillow and laughed muffledly. “You’re teasing me.”

Xia Yuxin flopped back flat. “Who told you to keep it from me?”

“I—”

“I know what you’re worried about,” Xia Yuxin cut in. “But honestly, you don’t need to. Liking whoever is your freedom—no one has the right to interfere. Besides, two cute girls together? Total eye candy.” Her tone held a hint of excitement.

Shen Jia Yan’s gaze softened, a smile tugging at her lips. “We’re not together.”

“Got it, got it—high school, studies first. Plus, she’s in the Experimental Class; she’s probably all about her grades.”

Shen Jia Yan gazed out the window at the dotted lights of the opposite dorm building and murmured, “She’s so hardworking—got into the Experimental Class from a regular one. She wants a good university; I can’t distract her.”

“And right now, I don’t have any other thoughts. Being able to quietly do nice things for her like this is enough.”

Wen Wan Ning had always had clear goals, her own plans for life, and she pursued them with full effort.

Some things just weren’t on her radar at this stage—Shen Jia Yan knew that.

She couldn’t risk confessing and losing her, so doing what she could was enough.

Xia Yuxin’s brows shot up in admiration. “A true pure-love warrior.”

Shen Jia Yan chuckled and rolled her eyes at her without replying.

“Fine, fine—respect.” Xia Yuxin thought for a moment. “So what was that ‘What to give?’ in your notebook about?”

“Wan Ning’s birthday is coming up. I want to give her something more heartfelt. Been racking my brain and still can’t think of anything.”

“Ooh~” Xia Yuxin’s tone rose teasingly. “Need help?”

Shen Jia Yan dropped her nonchalance, smiling at her warmly. “Yes.”

Pleased by the attitude, Xia Yuxin grinned and stared at the ceiling, pondering. “Something heartfelt, huh…” She rubbed her chin.

Suddenly, her eyes brightened. She whispered excitedly, “How about folding origami stars yourself? They say a thousand stars lets you make a wish.”

“Mm…” Shen Jia Yan considered it.

Folding stars or cranes had been popular ages ago, but the idea of a thousand granting a wish was nice—a chance for Wan Ning to make one.

“Sounds good, but… I can’t fold them. Paper crafts are my weakness.”

“Really? Your fingers were so nimble twirling drumsticks at the school festival.” Xia Yuxin teased.

Shen Jia Yan frowned. “That’s different.”

Xia Yuxin sobered up. “No problem if you can’t—learn it. That shows even more sincerity.”

True. The more effort she put in, the better the odds Wan Ning’s wish would come true.

“Alright, I’ll buy materials tomorrow. You teach me.”

“Hey?” Xia Yuxin rolled over, her bed creaking. “You say that so casually—no begging at all.”

Shen Jia Yan smiled slyly. “Please, Teacher Xia, teach me to fold stars. Name your price.”

Xia Yuxin hummed approvingly. “Now that’s better. Teachable.”

The next day at noon after school, Shen Jia Yan rushed out to buy supplies.

After humbly asking Xia Yuxin for guidance, she began preparing for Wen Wan Ning’s birthday.

Shen Jia Yan’s crafting skills were indeed lacking. The stars were simple enough, but for someone as clumsy with handmade stuff as her, they weren’t easy.

Fortunately, Wen Wan Ning’s birthday was still nearly a month away, giving her time to take it slow.

During nearly every ten-minute break, Shen Jia Yan hunched over her desk in the corner of the classroom. Her fingertips carefully pinched colorful paper sheets as sunlight slanted through the window, casting a bright line beside her hand and illuminating the tiny creases.

Each finished star went gently into a prepared clear glass jar. Sometimes the bell rang midway, and she’d hastily tuck the half-done one into her textbook to finish next break.

Gradually, her desk drawer and the jar filled with stars of every color.

Finally, she reached a thousand.

Wan Ning’s birthday was almost here.