Chapter 48: Here to Deliver a Gift to You

Shen Jia Yan had obtained Wen Wan Ning’s class schedule for the entire semester from Su Yang, so she knew quite well when Wen Wan Ning had classes and when she had free time.

She had two classes that afternoon, with the last one ending at four-thirty.

At two in the afternoon, Shen Jia Yan set off from her school.

By two-thirty, she arrived at Jingbei University with the “surprise” for Wen Wan Ning.

She always made a habit of arriving early to wait for her, because she knew that the feeling of waiting for someone was different from being waited for.

Waiting was a choice, as well as a gentle persistence. Being waited for, on the other hand, brought a sense of security from being cared about.

She was willing to be the one who waited—not out of passivity, but because she understood.

She didn’t want to burden Wen Wan Ning or make her feel obligated to respond or rush over. She simply stood there quietly, content with waiting for the person she thought about day and night to emerge from the crowd.

Upon arriving at the school, she wandered around on her own first. As Wen Wan Ning’s class neared its end, she went to the building where she was studying and sent her a message: 【Wan Ning, I’m at your school looking for you. Waiting for you downstairs from your classroom building. (Puppy eyes expectant.jpg)】

Wen Wan Ning, who was sitting by the window in class, felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She took it out and saw Shen Jia Yan’s message.

Sunlight slanted across her textbook, but it couldn’t overshadow the smile that played at her fingertips as she gently caressed the phone screen.

She had just read Shen Jia Yan’s message and hadn’t had time to reply when she instinctively looked up toward the window.

On the small square in front of the teaching building, people flowed like a river. Yet she spotted that familiar figure at a glance.

Shen Jia Yan wore a simple white shirt and light blue jeans, her usual backpack slung over her shoulder, and she carried a delicate gift box in her hand. She stood under the shade of a tree, sometimes looking down at her phone, other times lifting her head to gaze toward the building’s entrance, as if waiting for someone to appear.

Her expression was earnest, tinged with a childlike anticipation—like a quiet, loyal little dog waiting for its owner to come home.

Wen Wan Ning couldn’t help but smile.

She quietly pressed her face to the window, gazing down from above at Shen Jia Yan’s “I’m here for you” pose. Her heart suddenly felt soft and warm.

She glanced at her watch; there were less than ten minutes until class ended.

She quietly replied to Shen Jia Yan: 【I see you. I’m at the third-floor window. Class ends soon.】

After sending it, she closed her notebook, gently put her pen into her bag, and her lips curved in a smile the whole time.

Yu Xiaohuan, sitting beside her, leaned over and whispered, “Who is it? You’re smiling so sweetly.”

Wen Wan Ning didn’t deny it, simply saying softly, “It’s Jia Yan.”

Yu Xiaohuan instantly understood and raised her eyebrows. “She’s here to see you again?”

Wen Wan Ning nodded, her gaze unconsciously drifting back to the person waiting outside. “Yeah,” she said softly.

Just then, the bell rang.

She slung her bag over her shoulder and headed to the door, her steps light and quick.

Downstairs, Shen Jia Yan was looking at Wen Wan Ning’s reply on her phone: 【I see you. I’m at the third-floor window. Class ends soon.】

She jerked her head up and sure enough, she saw figures hurrying down the stairs from the building.

Her heart beat a little faster.

A few seconds later, the door was pushed open.

Wen Wan Ning appeared in the sunlight, her long hair swaying lightly, a smile on her lips—like the first breeze of spring, gently blowing into Shen Jia Yan’s world.

“Jia Yan, why are you here?” Wen Wan Ning walked up to her side, cheeks dimpled with a smile.

Shen Jia Yan lifted the gift box in front of her. “To give you a gift, of course.”

Wen Wan Ning eyed the box. “A gift? Why are you giving me a gift?” Her birthday was still some time away.

Shen Jia Yan met Wen Wan Ning’s puzzled yet smiling gaze, her own lips curving gently, her tone soft but earnest. “I saw your Moments post.” I know you really want it.

When the person you like desires something, of course you’d find a way to give it to her.

Wen Wan Ning paused slightly, her eyes falling on the gift box before lifting to Shen Jia Yan. “My Moments?” she repeated softly, a hint of surprise in her voice.

Shen Jia Yan nodded, her eyes brimming with unconcealed tenderness. “The one where you posted about really wanting to collect that figurine series.”

She paused. “I just thought, since you like it so much, I wouldn’t let it remain just a regret.” She shook the box in her hand. “So, I got the whole series you wanted.”

As Wen Wan Ning listened, a wave of soft emotions surged in her heart—surprise mixed with being moved.

The hidden edition of this series was extremely hard to get; it sold out in seconds every time. Wen Wan Ning had tried a few times herself, only to find broken links or no stock left. Later, she’d just casually mentioned it in Moments, never expecting Shen Jia Yan to actually remember and act on it.

She looked down at the gift box, still not quite able to believe it.

“You really got the whole set?” She looked up at Shen Jia Yan, her tone laced with undisguised delight.

Shen Jia Yan nodded, a proud yet gentle smile on her lips. “Yeah, even the hidden edition.”

Wen Wan Ning gazed at the box, her fingertips lightly tracing the edge of the wrapping paper. “So… you went through a lot of trouble for this?”

Shen Jia Yan smiled, her tone casual. “Not really, I just asked around, had some people help me find channels…”

She downplayed it, but Wen Wan Ning knew it must have been far more effort than she let on.

“Just for a set of figurines?” Wen Wan Ning’s voice held a touch of reproach, but beneath her furrowed brows was unmistakable heartache.

“I could tell you really liked them,” Shen Jia Yan said warmly. “I didn’t want you to just watch others have them and smile while saying ‘it’s fine.’ You deserve anything you like.”

Wen Wan Ning looked at her, feeling as if something had gently struck her heart.

She opened her mouth to speak, but the words caught in her throat. In the end, she only asked softly, “Why are you always so good to me?”

Because I like you…

Shen Jia Yan smiled, her gaze as soft as a spring breeze. “Because I’m your best friend.”

Let me borrow the identity of ‘friend’ for now, and like you cautiously.

Wen Wan Ning’s heart trembled sharply.

Yes, they were friends.

Friends since high school.

But why did those words make her feel a little sad?

“Hey, enough of that. Don’t overthink it.” Shen Jia Yan quickly shoved the gift box into Wen Wan Ning’s hands. “Take it back to the dorm and check it out properly.”

She glanced at her watch. “I have club activities tonight, so I won’t stay. I’m heading out. Bye!”

She waved and turned, jogging away.

“Hey…” Wen Wan Ning’s other words hadn’t left her mouth before Shen Jia Yan had run off.

She was afraid Wen Wan Ning wouldn’t accept the gift, or that she’d insist on asking how much it cost and try to pay her back.

She knew her well—Wen Wan Ning never liked owing anyone anything, no matter how small.

But she didn’t want this affection to turn into a transaction.

She wanted her to know that this wasn’t just a figurine—it was her heart, hidden away for so long.

As Shen Jia Yan jogged away from the building, she quietly glanced back.

Wen Wan Ning still stood there, clutching the gift box, staring dazedly in the direction she’d left, as if she hadn’t yet recovered from those words.

The wind gently lifted her hair strands, sunlight spilling across her face, highlighting an indescribable emotion.

Shen Jia Yan looked away, her smile gradually fading.

She knew she’d said “best friend” again.

She had a thousand words in her heart, wanted to say “I like you,” but she chose the safest way, hiding her feelings behind the label of “friend.”

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to say it—it was that she was too afraid that saying it would ruin even their current relationship.

She was still willing to wait.

Even if just for a little more time, as long as Wen Wan Ning stayed by her side.

Soon, Wen Wan Ning snapped out of it.

She carried the gift box back to the dorm.

The moment she gently placed it on the desk, it caught the eye of Yu Xiaohuan, the only one in the dorm at the time.

The pattern on the box showed it was the figurines they were all obsessed with.

She hurried over, eyes sparkling as she leaned in close, her voice excited. “Wan Ning, is this the series you said you wanted to collect?”

Wen Wan Ning nodded, her voice soft. “Yeah, it is.”

Yu Xiaohuan’s eyes widened in disbelief. “The hidden edition of this set is super hard to get. How did you suddenly get the full set?”

Wen Wan Ning’s fingers caressed the edge of the wrapping paper, as if stroking a long-hidden secret.

“She gave it to me,” she said softly, her tone carrying a gentleness and cherish she hadn’t even noticed herself.

“Who?” Yu Xiaohuan asked instinctively, then her eyes flew wide. “Shen Jia Yan?”

Wen Wan Ning didn’t deny it, just nodded, her lips curving into an unconscious smile.

It was a faint smile, yet it hid emotions she couldn’t conceal—like finally waiting for something, or finally grasping hold of it.

Yu Xiaohuan pulled over a chair and sat down, watching as Wen Wan Ning opened the box. “She’s too good to you. She actually managed to get something this hard to find and give it to you.”

Wen Wan Ning gently lifted the lid, revealing the complete set of long-dreamed-of figurines inside, including the rarest hidden edition, all pristine.

“Yeah,” she murmured softly, her tone so tender it didn’t sound like she was talking about a gift, but about a person. “She’s a really, really good friend.”

A friend?

Yu Xiaohuan watched her expression and suddenly felt a twinge of doubt.

She stared at Wen Wan Ning’s face, her gaze probing. “Wan Ning, honestly, as an outsider looking in, everything she’s doing for you goes way beyond what you’d do for a friend.”

She paused, her tone serious. “Have you ever thought… that maybe she doesn’t see you as just a friend?”

Wen Wan Ning’s fingers paused slightly.