Chapter 44: You’re Amazing

On the phone, the two chatted and laughed, and the topic naturally shifted to their recent lives.

Wen Wan Ning asked what Shen Jia Yan had been doing to relax lately. Shen Jia Yan suddenly mentioned, “I’ve been playing with a Rubik’s Cube recently. I’m totally hooked.”

“Really?” Wen Wan Ning perked up. “Are you fast at it? Can you solve it in under a minute?”

“Um…” Shen Jia Yan thought for a moment. “Not yet, but I feel like with a bit more practice, I definitely can.”

As soon as Shen Jia Yan finished speaking, a soft laugh came from Wen Wan Ning on the other end of the line, her tone laced with a hint of mischief. “Really?”

Her tone sparked Shen Jia Yan’s competitive spirit. She raised an eyebrow and said, “Dare to bet?”

Wen Wan Ning’s light laugh drifted over from the phone, like a spring breeze rustling through treetops, carrying a touch of playfulness. “Sure… what are we betting?”

Shen Jia Yan unconsciously gripped her phone tighter. “If on the Saturday you come over, I can restore it in under a minute…” Her fingertips absentmindedly rubbed the edge of the Rubik’s Cube stickers. “You’ll agree to one condition of mine.”

The other end of the line fell silent for a few seconds. Shen Jia Yan could hear Wen Wan Ning’s faint breathing. Her heartbeat suddenly grew loud, thumping in her eardrums.

She worried a bit that her impulsive request might be too much, that it could make Wen Wan Ning feel uncomfortable or notice her poorly hidden selfish motives…

“Okay.” Wen Wan Ning’s voice finally came through, the end of it rising slightly, like a feather brushing gently against Shen Jia Yan’s eardrum.

Shen Jia Yan froze for a moment, as if she hadn’t quite caught that soft yet firm “okay.”

Her hand tightened around the phone unconsciously, as if trying to etch this sudden joy into her very bones.

Wen Wan Ning had agreed.

Not brushing it off casually, not deflecting with a joke, but seriously, clearly saying one word: “Okay.”

In that instant, Shen Jia Yan suddenly felt the air soften around her. The wind outside the window blew gently, moonlight spilling in and laying a faint layer of silver on the windowsill.

A smile slowly curved Shen Jia Yan’s lips, her voice soft and brimming with irrepressible anticipation. “Then you better prepare to lose to me.”

A low chuckle came from the other end, Wen Wan Ning’s voice gentle yet laced with challenge. “Who wins and who loses isn’t certain yet.”

“Then we’ll just have to wait and see.”

There were four days until Saturday. Shen Jia Yan kept the Rubik’s Cube in hand constantly—practicing during class, during breaks, during meals, even while talking on the phone with Wen Wan Ning.

She hadn’t decided what condition to ask for yet, but the fact that Wen Wan Ning had agreed to one was already enough to fill her with motivation.

Over those four days, Shen Jia Yan was incredibly busy. Besides practicing the Rubik’s Cube at all times, she also threw herself into preparing for the band’s performance. Xu Jingyao teased her, “You’re like a neglectful husband who treats home like a hotel—except for classes and sleep, we never see you.”

Finally, Saturday arrived.

With so much to prepare for the club, Shen Jia Yan was stretched thin. Wen Wan Ning didn’t plan to come early and disrupt her schedule.

Conveniently, her roommate Yu Xiaohuan had a close classmate at Jingbei Media University, so the two decided to head over together around five.

Shen Jia Yan knew she wouldn’t have much time to spend with Wen Wan Ning. When Wen Wan Ning suggested coming in the evening, she didn’t insist on her arriving earlier.

In a break that afternoon, Shen Jia Yan sent Wen Wan Ning a WeChat message: [Sorry, Wan Ning. It’s your first time at our school, and I don’t have time to show you around properly. Next time, I’ll make it up to you for sure.]

Wen Wan Ning was pairing outfits for the evening in front of the mirror when she received the message. She draped the clothes over a chair and replied: [No worries, get busy first. There’ll be plenty of chances later.]

She quickly followed up with another: [I’m still looking forward to you shining even brighter than at the high school festival performance. (Kitten with expectations.jpg.)]

Seeing the messages, Shen Jia Yan’s lips curved into a brilliant arc, her fighting spirit ignited.

She set down her phone, picked up her drumsticks, and said to the other band members, “Let’s run it one more time.”

Just before six, Wen Wan Ning and Yu Xiaohuan arrived at Jingbei Media University by subway.

Yu Xiaohuan’s female classmate met them. She had wanted to take them on a quick tour, but Wen Wan Ning politely declined, not wanting to miss Shen Jia Yan’s performance.

The three arrived early at the theater and found the front-row seats Shen Jia Yan had reserved especially for them. They waited patiently.

Not long after Wen Wan Ning sat down, Shen Jia Yan received her WeChat: [I’ve sat down in the seat you saved for me. Don’t rush—focus on preparing.]

Shen Jia Yan had been holding her phone, debating whether to ask if she’d arrived. Seeing the message, she stood up instantly and slipped to the side of the stage, peeking through a gap to search for her figure.

She had reserved first-row seats for Wen Wan Ning, so she could watch the performance better—and so Shen Jia Yan could see her more clearly.

The red curtain at the stage’s edge swayed slightly as Shen Jia Yan peered out. The stage lights hadn’t come on yet, and the audience sat in soft dimness, but she spotted that familiar silhouette at once.

Wen Wan Ning sat in the center of the front row, warm yellow light dotting her hair and shoulders. She wore a light blue dress that made her skin look exceptionally fair. Shen Jia Yan saw her tilt her head slightly toward the stage, her lashes casting a small fan-shaped shadow in the light, a faint smile on her lips.

As if sensing something, Wen Wan Ning suddenly turned toward the stage side. Shen Jia Yan hastily stepped back but still met those bright eyes. Wen Wan Ning blinked at her first, then mouthed “Fighting!”

Shen Jia Yan’s face flushed hot. She gripped her drumsticks tighter without thinking, her heartbeat pounding loud enough to drown out the upcoming show. In that moment, she was immensely glad she’d saved that seat—close enough to see the stars in her eyes, close enough to make her the sole focus of her gaze.

The performance was about to start, and the audience seats were nearly full. The theater lights dimmed gradually as the stage lights brightened.

At exactly seven.

The stage lights suddenly went dark, and a murmur of excitement rippled through the audience, anticipation thick in the air.

Wen Wan Ning straightened unconsciously, her hands resting lightly on her knees, eyes locked on the stage center.

As the drummer for Starlight Band, Shen Jia Yan’s spotlight moment was destined to command the rhythm’s ocean.

A beam of cool blue spotlight hit suddenly, landing beside the drum kit on the far right of the stage.

Shen Jia Yan sat there already, her black-and-white performance outfit outlining her sharp, clean lines. Her mid-short hair fell casually, a few strands by her ears, her expression focused yet charged with poised intensity.

Wen Wan Ning held her breath without realizing it.

Shen Jia Yan said nothing, just raised her wrist and tapped the drum lightly. “Thump—”

A crisp beat pierced the silence, like a pebble dropping into a lake, sending ripples outward.

Then, the full band’s music erupted!

Bass rumbled low, guitar soared fierce, and Shen Jia Yan’s drums formed the storm’s core, steadily driving the rhythm, propelling the song forward.

Wen Wan Ning’s heartbeat quickened with the beats, captured instantly by that power.

She watched Shen Jia Yan wield her drumsticks, a new emotion flickering in her eyes.

It was a side of her both familiar and unfamiliar.

The Shen Jia Yan on stage was no longer the gentle, attentive girl who quietly checked on her health, but a performer fully immersed in the music.

Her movements were crisp and decisive, her gaze sharp yet brimming with passion, every strike pouring her whole emotion into it.

This Shen Jia Yan was stunning, impossible to look away from.

The opening performance ended amid hot applause and cheers, the lights brightening slightly as the high energy lingered on stage.

The lead singer picked up the mic and grinned at the audience below. “That was our opener! Thanks for the warm welcome. Next, let me properly introduce every member of Starlight Band!”

Applause and cheers erupted from the seats.

Wen Wan Ning, in the front row, never took her eyes off Shen Jia Yan. She was organizing her drumsticks, a thin sheen of sweat on her forehead glistening under the lights. Her breathing was still quick, but she remained calm and focused.

“First up, our lead singer and lyricist-composer, Lin Che!” The singer pointed to himself with a laugh. “But you’ve already heard my voice, so I won’t say more.”

The audience laughed.

“Second, one of the band’s soul figures and tonight’s guitarist and arranger, Chen Yu’an!”

Chen Yu’an stood center stage, waving to the crowd with a mild smile tinged with pride.

“Third, bassist, Zhou Ran!”

Zhou Ran raised a brow, flashing a cool hand sign that drew immediate screams from below.

“Fourth, keyboardist, Su Qing!”

Su Qing smiled and bowed to the audience, her fingers sweeping the keys to play a playful note, eliciting light laughter.

The singer paused, then turned his gaze to the drum kit on the right, raising his voice. “Next, our band’s soul, the rhythm master, drummer Shen Jia Yan!”

Shen Jia Yan stood a bit shyly and bowed to the audience. As she straightened, her eyes drifted unconsciously toward Wen Wan Ning, her lips pressing into a bashful smile—worlds apart from her commanding stage presence moments ago.

In that moment their eyes met, time seemed to freeze.

Shen Jia Yan’s gaze landed on Wen Wan Ning, like finding her breath at last, tender and cautious.

Wen Wan Ning, in the front row, looked up at her from the stage, a smile blooming in her eyes. She nodded lightly, then mouthed the words, her glossy lips parting and closing in the light: “You’re amazing!”