Chapter 61: Thank You for Appearing in My World…

A few days before Wen Wan Ning’s birthday, she and Shen Jia Yan still didn’t contact each other much. She simply explained that the Student Union had been busy lately, leaving her with little free time.

Shen Jia Yan didn’t suspect anything.

She thought that with so little contact these past few days, the surprise she had prepared for Wen Wan Ning’s birthday might have an even better effect.

During these days, she completely immersed herself in the joy of preparing the birthday surprise.

Xu Jingyao teased her. “I’ve never seen someone get so happy preparing a birthday for someone else.”

Shen Jia Yan didn’t refute it. She just lowered her head and smiled, her eyes filled with unconcealable tenderness and anticipation. “Just thinking that she might be happy because of the surprise I prepared makes me super happy and super motivated.”

With that, she continued working on the video.

Xu Jingyao was truly moved by her seriousness and affection. This girl, who appeared cool on the outside, had such a soft and delicate heart. She seemed willing to give everything for the person she liked.

She stayed up late to edit videos for Wen Wan Ning, just for that one moment of emotion; she double-checked every decoration detail, just to give her the most perfect birthday; she even repeatedly asked herself while preparing the gift, “Will she like it? Should I do more?”

She was cautious, yet resolute.

It was like holding a piece of candy, afraid it would melt or shatter, wanting only to hand it personally to the person she loved most.

Seeing Shen Jia Yan like this, Xu Jingyao suddenly felt that liking someone could be so gentle, and also so brave.

She couldn’t help but think that if Wen Wan Ning knew all this, she would surely be deeply moved.

Not everyone could meet someone willing to give them all their tenderness.

Shen Jia Yan wasn’t the type to always say sweet words, but she was willing to use actions to tell you, “I like you. I’ve liked you for a long time. I want you to know that you are the most special existence in my heart.”

She wasn’t anxious or flashy. She just silently, step by step, approached the person she wanted to protect.

Xu Jingyao leaned against the bed, gazing at her busy back, quietly praying in her heart: She hoped Shen Jia Yan would get the response she wanted most, hoped Wen Wan Ning could see the affection hidden in the details, hoped she could feel that gentleness hidden for so long, and hoped they could truly hold each other’s hands…

On her birthday.

Shen Jia Yan sent birthday wishes to Wen Wan Ning right at midnight. She wanted to be the first to wish her.

She wanted her to know that on the first day of her new year of life, the first person she thought of was her.

【Wan Ning, happy birthday. In this new year, I hope you’re happy every day, doing what you love and walking the path you want. I’ll always be by your side.】

It was another sleepless night. Just past midnight, Wen Wan Ning’s phone screen kept lighting up.

She picked up the phone and gently rubbed her fingertip on the cold screen but didn’t unlock it.

The wind outside the window grew stronger, as if urging something. She closed her eyes, flipped the phone over, and set it down. A tear slid from the corner of her eye, silently falling onto the pillow and soaking a small dark spot.

In the morning, she woke to her roommates’ birthday wishes and responded with a smile.

After washing up, she sat in her chair, opened WeChat, and replied to everyone’s blessings one by one.

The last one. She opened the chat with Shen Jia Yan and typed: 【Thanks. I was too tired last night and fell asleep without seeing the message.】

Shen Jia Yan replied instantly: 【No problem. I knew you must have fallen asleep. Quietly asking, was I the first to wish you happy birthday? (Puppy eyes expectant.jpg)】

Wen Wan Ning looked at Shen Jia Yan’s reply, sniffled, and smiled: 【You were the first.】

On the other side of the screen, Shen Jia Yan nodded in satisfaction, paused, then continued: 【Any plans today?】

She thought it was better to ask casually to avoid mistakes. After all, Wen Wan Ning knew her so well that she would surely guess she had prepared something for her birthday. If she asked nothing, she would definitely suspect a secret plan.

Wen Wan Ning replied quickly, as if afraid she would come looking: 【Going out to eat with my roommates today.】

Shen Jia Yan deliberately delayed her reply: 【Have fun.】

Then she sent another: 【Gift is on the way. (Happy birthday.jpg)】

Wan Ning: 【Thanks. (Happy kitten.jpg)】

※

After afternoon classes, Shen Jia Yan returned to the dorm and started pairing outfits.

Xu Jingyao couldn’t stand it anymore and squinted at her disdainfully. “Is it really just for Wen Wan Ning’s birthday today? I thought you were going to propose.”

Shen Jia Yan straightened her collar in the mirror and smiled faintly. “Pretty much. I’m going to confess.”

“Pfft, isn’t it just a confes—” Xu Jingyao’s eyes suddenly widened. “What? Did I hear that right? You’re confessing?”

Fu Jinxi and Zhang Min instantly crowded over.

“Really, Jia Yan?” Fu Jinxi confirmed.

Shen Jia Yan nodded. “Really.”

Xu Jingyao hurried to her side, frowning. “Something this big, and you didn’t tell us ahead of time.”

Shen Jia Yan turned to look at her. “I’m telling you now.”

Xu Jingyao rolled her eyes. “You’re about to go, and only now? What’s the point.”

“Yeah, Jia Yan. Let us see if we can help with anything,” Zhang Min chimed in.

Fu Jinxi suggested, “How about we go with you and help set things up or something.”

Shen Jia Yan’s gaze swept over their faces, seeing undisguised concern and understanding. A warm current surged through her limbs.

“No need to worry. Nothing’s needed. Not much to prepare.” Her lips curved up. “Wait for me back in the dorm…”

Xu Jingyao grinned mischievously. “Or don’t come back.”

Shen Jia Yan shot her a glance.

“Stop messing around,” Fu Jinxi laughed. “Then we’ll help you pick an outfit.”

“Okay.”

At five in the afternoon, Shen Jia Yan set off on time with the gift.

She first picked up the specially customized cake from the cake shop, then the flowers from the flower shop, and finally took a cab to Jingbei University.

She found Su Yang and got the key.

Su Yang asked curiously, “Why’d you quietly ask for Wan Ning’s dorm key?”

Shen Jia Yan explained, “It’s Wan Ning’s birthday today.” She then lifted the cake and shook it. “I’m delivering a birthday cake to her.”

Su Yang didn’t ask more upon hearing this.

According to Yu Xiaohuan’s WeChat replies, Shen Jia Yan learned they had just gotten on the bus back to school and would arrive in about forty minutes.

She unlocked the door and entered Wen Wan Ning’s dorm, took the laptop Yu Xiaohuan had prepared, placed it on the chair in the center of the dorm, plugged in the USB drive, opened the video, set it to full screen, and paused it.

Then, she placed the snacks she had just bought on each of the four desks.

She thought that being good to the people around Wan Ning would make them treat Wan Ning even better.

She put the gift on Wen Wan Ning’s desk, the voice recorder pen next to it, and a folded note she had written.

Finally, she checked the time and set up the cake.

At the same time, she received a message from Yu Xiaohuan: 【We’re almost at the dorm building downstairs.】

【Got it.】

Shen Jia Yan quickly inserted the candles, waited one minute, lit them, turned off the light, left the dorm, and hid in the stairwell to the side.

She poked her head out toward the direction where Wen Wan Ning would come up.

Moments later, Wen Wan Ning and her roommates appeared. Shen Jia Yan pulled her head back a bit.

She watched them enter.

Yu Xiaohuan entered the dorm first, the others following closely.

In the pitch-black room, the candlelight on the cake flickered gently, illuminating Wen Wan Ning’s tender profile.

Wen Wan Ning froze. She hadn’t expected a surprise.

Yu Xiaohuan led her forward a step. “Make a wish, Wan Ning.”

Wen Wan Ning came back to herself, a faint smile appearing on her lips. “Okay.”

She lowered her head to look at the dancing candlelight on the cake, closed her eyes, clasped her hands, her eyelashes casting fine shadows on her cheeks.

The room quieted, only the sound of a gentle breeze rustling the curtains.

She silently made her wish in her heart: “I hope you can be happy.”

She opened her eyes and blew gently. The candles went out, plunging the room into soft darkness.

Applause rose softly as her roommates crowded over with smiles, offering blessings. “Happy birthday!”

Just as one roommate was about to turn on the light, Yu Xiaohuan stopped her. “Don’t turn on the light yet.”

“The surprise isn’t over.” Then, she pressed the spacebar on the laptop behind the cake.

The video began to play.

A gentle piano melody rose slowly, and the scene unfolded bit by bit.

“Twenty years ago today, a cute little girl came into this world…”

With this tender opening narration, the screen switched slowly, accompanied by photos Shen Jia Yan had carefully collected of Wen Wan Ning from childhood to now.

She had spent a full year “tricking” them bit by bit from Wen Wan Ning herself, plus the various moments she had secretly captured over the years they had known each other.

Those gazes Wen Wan Ning hadn’t noticed, the smiles she hadn’t hidden in time, and her profile kissed by sunlight while reading with her head down.

Every frame was her long-hidden affection; every second was evidence of her secretly drawing closer.

Of course, she hadn’t been able to collect photos of Wen Wan Ning from every age.

So, she had pulled in classmates from the art design major to stay up for several days, asking them to draw Wen Wan Ning from imagined periods based on her photo features and temperament, stroke by stroke.

There was her in school uniform leaning by the window reading, her hair lifted by the wind while running on the playground,

and her figure bent over writing in the classroom…

Gentle, quiet, with a touch of aloofness, yet hiding a light that drew people closer.

Those drawings weren’t real photos, but they carried Shen Jia Yan’s most genuine affection. She wanted to use these images to tell her, “Even if I missed some years of your growth, I want to make them up, because I want to remember every version of you.”

The video continued, the images gentle and delicate, like laying out Wen Wan Ning’s growth years frame by frame before her.

But since this video was to be shown to Wen Wan Ning and her roommates, Shen Jia Yan had toned down the accompanying text.

The more direct, more fervent confessions she had originally wanted to write were gently suppressed. But those unsaid words were hidden in every detail of her editing, in the music she repeatedly confirmed, in the rhythm of the frames she revised overnight, and in the soft sigh of the voice recording at the end.

“Wan Ning, thank you for appearing in my world. Happy birthday!”