The weekend before Wen Wan Ning’s birthday.
Shen Jia Yan went to the mall by herself and bought the pair of shoes she had picked out for so long.
With the shoes and the little stars ready, she was full of anticipation for the upcoming birthday.
After the last evening self-study session on Monday.
Shen Jia Yan carried the bag with the shoes and stood in front of the fish tank as usual, waiting for Wen Wan Ning.
Soon, the three of them met up.
On the way, they chatted about the funny things that had happened in class.
Wen Wan Ning noticed the bag in Shen Jia Yan’s hand but never asked about it.
Finally, they reached the school gate.
Shen Jia Yan pulled Wen Wan Ning to the side away from the crowd.
“What’s up?” Wen Wan Ning looked at her hand being pulled and asked as they walked.
The three of them walked under a tree. Shen Jia Yan picked up the bag and handed it to her. “Happy birthday.”
Wen Wan Ning was slightly stunned.
She remembered her own birthday and had even prepared a birthday gift.
Lü Yue frowned first and asked, “Isn’t Wan Ning’s birthday tomorrow?”
Wen Wan Ning also tilted her head to look at her.
Seeing that Wen Wan Ning didn’t take the bag, she pulled her hand back a little and scratched her head with her left hand. “Ah, I know. I can give it to you tomorrow too.”
She had her own little selfish motive for giving the shoes today. She wanted to see Wen Wan Ning wearing the shoes she gave her on her actual birthday tomorrow.
Of course, she wouldn’t demand that she wear them, and she didn’t know if she would, but it was just her small hope.
The moment she pulled her hand back, Wen Wan Ning reached out and took the bag. “Thank you.”
Shen Jia Yan’s mouth, which had just calmed down, curved upward with her action of taking the bag. “You’re welcome. As your best former desk mate, it’s only right for me to prepare a birthday gift for my most outstanding desk mate.”
Wen Wan Ning smiled, her lips curving up. “No ‘former’.”
No former meant that she was, and always had been, her best desk mate.
“Hehe.” Shen Jia Yan’s smile bubbled up from the bottom of her eyes.
Lü Yue, as Wen Wan Ning’s current desk mate, huffed lightly. “Your current desk mate is still here. Saying I’m not good enough, huh?”
Wen Wan Ning didn’t respond to her words. She turned her head to look at the nearly dispersed crowd and reminded Shen Jia Yan, “Let’s go. It takes you some time to get home.”
“Okay.”
After crossing the road, the three of them parted ways.
Lü Yue curiously kept asking Wen Wan Ning, “What gift is it? What did she give you?”
When Wen Wan Ning took the bag, she had glanced down at it and could roughly tell it was a shoe box.
She just smiled and didn’t answer Lü Yue’s question. She didn’t open the bag to look either; she wanted to go home and carefully unwrap her gift.
Shen Jia Yan got home, took a shower, and sat at her desk.
She propped her right cheek on her hand, her eyes fixed on an English word in her book. Three minutes later, her gaze was still on the same word.
She was a bit nervous, constantly thinking about what Wen Wan Ning would think when she saw the gift.
Would she not like it? Would she actually dislike it but pretend to like it to avoid embarrassing her? Would she think there was some bad connotation to gifting shoes…
With that in mind, she picked up her phone from the side, thinking she should send a WeChat message explaining her intention behind the shoes so she wouldn’t misunderstand.
Just as she opened the WeChat page, a message from Wen Wan Ning came in.
Wan Ning: [The shoes are really nice. I like them a lot. Just… don’t spend so much in the future.]
The shoes had cost Shen Jia Yan over a thousand yuan. It wasn’t extremely expensive, but for a high school student, it wasn’t a small amount.
Shen Jia Yan’s family was well-off, but Shen Yan and Jiang Jing were very strict about her spending. They didn’t allow her to spend recklessly, and her weekly allowance was limited.
The money for the shoes came from her saved New Year’s money. She was very willing and happy to spend it on something for Wen Wan Ning.
Shen Jia Yan thought for a moment and still asked her: [Do you really like it?]
Wen Wan Ning looked at her reply, a smile appearing on her lips.
The kid is so sensitive.
She replied earnestly: [I really like the shoes you gave me.]
After sending the message, she picked up the shoes beside her and examined them carefully.
She really liked them.
With the added sentimental value, she liked them even more.
Seeing the message, Shen Jia Yan’s suspended heart settled, and she quickly explained the meaning behind the shoes.
Jia Yan: [Glad you like it. Um, I want to explain my thought behind gifting the shoes.]
[Gifting shoes has a few connotations, but mine is just one: I hope that as your friend, I can keep walking with you forever.]
Wen Wan Ning was amused by her serious explanation and replied: [Got it. We’ll definitely do that.]
Night fell gently, and Shen Jia Yan curled up in bed, her lips still curved in an uns fading smile.
Tuesday, Wen Wan Ning’s actual birthday.
Shen Jia Yan arrived at class early.
She specially swapped duties with the classmate on cleaning duty for the day, taking the mop to the corridor of their class that everyone had to pass on their way upstairs.
While mopping, she casually glanced around.
She wanted to see if Wen Wan Ning was wearing the shoes she gave her.
She waited a long time but didn’t see Wen Wan Ning.
Maybe there are too many people. She already went upstairs without me noticing.
Shen Jia Yan checked the time. It was about time to head back to class. She decided not to wait anymore and would check after school.
After putting the mop away, she still couldn’t let it go and peeked out the door again.
The moment she stuck her head out, she met Wen Wan Ning’s gaze looking right at her.
Wen Wan Ning had also been searching for her.
Seeing Shen Jia Yan, she lifted her foot slightly, letting her clearly see what shoes she was wearing.
It was the birthday gift she had given her.
The two exchanged smiles.
Wen Wan Ning then went upstairs with the crowd.
Shen Jia Yan had never told her about her little wish, but she hadn’t expected Wen Wan Ning to be so attentive, deliberately showing her that she was wearing the shoes.
In fact, Wen Wan Ning had understood her intention long ago.
Giving her the shoes the day before her birthday meant she wanted to see her wear them on the actual day.
Of course, she was willing to wear them for her.
Xia Yuxin saw Shen Jia Yan’s highly raised corners of her mouth and her eyes curved like crescent moons. She couldn’t help but frown and ask, “What’s got you so happy? Did you get first in the monthly exam?”
Shen Jia Yan rolled her eyes at her and laughed. “Not telling you.”
The class bell rang, and Xia Yuxin didn’t pursue it further.
She thinks I won’t know if she doesn’t say? It must be about your best desk mate.
At noon dismissal, Shen Jia Yan had Xia Yuxin buy lunch for her and bring it back to the dorm. She herself carried the bag with the bottle of little stars and waited for Wen Wan Ning in front of the fish tank.
They only had the agreement to walk together after evening dismissal; they didn’t specially wait at noon.
Today was Wen Wan Ning’s birthday. Although she had seen her briefly in the morning, they hadn’t had a chance to talk. Shen Jia Yan wanted to see her early, say “happy birthday,” and give her the last gift.
She carried the bag and hid by the side of the fish tank, quietly peeking toward the exit.
Soon, Wen Wan Ning and Lü Yue walked out from the exit, chatting as they went.
Shen Jia Yan jogged up and suddenly appeared in front of them, stopping. “Wan Ning.”
Wen Wan Ning’s eyelashes trembled sharply, her shoulders instinctively shrinking, her whole body bouncing lightly like a startled cat.
After seeing who it was, her tense back slowly relaxed, and she smiled. “Jia Yan, you scared me.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I was just playing a little joke.” Shen Jia Yan quickly explained.
“It’s fine. Why are you here?” Wen Wan Ning asked.
Shen Jia Yan walked out with them. “Of course, to give you birthday wishes as early as possible.”
Wen Wan Ning stopped to look at her, tilting her head with a smile. “You’re already the first person to give me birthday wishes.”
Shen Jia Yan had originally planned to stay up until midnight last night to wish her happy birthday on WeChat, but at 11:30, her biological clock started tugging at her relentlessly. Unable to fight the sleepiness, she edited the message in advance and set an alarm for 11:59.
The alarm went off on time. She quickly opened her eyes, opened WeChat, copied the blessing into their chat, and stared at the screen time.
As soon as it turned 00:00, she hit send.
Sleepiness hit instantly, as if the wakefulness had been a dream.
She fell asleep again before Wen Wan Ning could reply.
When her WeChat message came in, Wen Wan Ning was still reading. She saw the blessing right away but didn’t reply.
She knew Shen Jia Yan and understood it was late. She must have forced herself to stay up until midnight, so she decided not to reply and let her sleep.
“Ah?” Shen Jia Yan thought for a moment and realized she meant the WeChat. “I saw you didn’t reply, so I thought you didn’t see the message.”
“I was asleep last night and really didn’t see it. This morning when I did, I figured you were already on your way to school, so I didn’t reply.”
“I’m replying to you face-to-face now.” Wen Wan Ning turned to face Shen Jia Yan directly, her gaze landing on her face as she said earnestly, “Thank you for the birthday wishes, thank you for your thoughtfulness. I’m really happy to have you by my side, Shen Jia Yan.”
Shen Jia Yan’s mind went blank instantly. Her fingers clutched the hem of her school uniform, wrinkling the fabric in her palm. Her cheeks burned, even her ear tips aflame, her heart pounding as if it would burst through her chest.
This is too foul. Flirting without even knowing it.
“Um… uh… you’re welcome…” Shen Jia Yan barely knew what she said.
“Hahaha.” Wen Wan Ning laughed at her flustered appearance. “Alright, let’s go.”
Lü Yue snickered on the side. Then, she noticed Shen Jia Yan was carrying another bag.
Unable to resist her curiosity, and wanting to change the topic to ease Shen Jia Yan’s awkwardness, she asked, “Why is Jia Yan carrying another bag today?” She joked, “It can’t be another birthday gift for Wan Ning, right?”
The three of them had just reached the entrance of Shen Jia Yan’s dormitory building.
Shen Jia Yan stopped.
Having been seen through, she felt a bit shy.
“Yes.” She shoved the bag into Wen Wan Ning’s hands. “Wan Ning, happy birthday.” She quickly added, “I’m heading back to the dorm first. Bye!”
With that, she darted into the dormitory building like smoke.
