Hearing this, Pu Tao rested her head in her hands. “Then how did you two get together?”
“It didn’t take long for me to realize that my feelings for her were a bit strange,” Wen Xi shook her head gently, sighing. “I’d get nervous as soon as she got close to me. Who interacts with a friend like that?”
“You’re still like that now,” Pu Tao couldn’t help but chuckle. “When she gets even slightly close to you, you look like you don’t even know where to put your hands.”
Wen Xi lowered her head and laughed softly. “Is it really that obvious?”
“And then? What happened next!”
“And then…”
Wen Xi sometimes felt she was quite bold herself, or perhaps it was truly a case of a newborn calf not fearing the tiger. Of course, the biggest reason was probably that Shen Yu was so special to her that it gave her that courage.
A few weeks after that chat, on a certain day after school, Wen Xi mysteriously said to Shen Yu, “By the way, I have a friend who wants to give you a love letter.”
Shen Yu paused her movements and looked at Wen Xi. “Did you tell your friend about our relationship?”
“No, no,” Wen Xi waved her hand. “She’s just anxious about whether or not you’d agree.”
Shen Yu’s expression remained indifferent. “There’s no need to be anxious. Just tell her that Shen Yu has never accepted a confession from anyone.”
“Oh, and,” Wen Xi’s hand, resting at her side, kept tugging at the corner of her shirt, “this friend is also a girl. She was wondering if you… might like girls…”
Shen Yu stopped dead in her tracks. Wen Xi’s heart skipped a beat, and she stopped as well.
Shen Yu looked at Wen Xi, her eyes somewhat dark, yet her tone was filled with nothing but helplessness. “Wen Xi, are you asking this because you want to tell your friend later?”
Wen Xi kept her head down, not daring to look at her. “Of course not. Something so private… I wouldn’t tell her.”
“So you know it’s private,” Shen Yu sighed. “Then are you asking because you want to know?”
“…Yeah.”
“Whether I like them or not doesn’t have much of an impact on whether we are friends.”
“I… I’m just a bit curious.”
Shen Yu’s gaze deepened. “Curious about what? Would you distance yourself from me if I liked girls?”
Wen Xi panicked, her bright and beautiful eyes staring at Shen Yu. “Don’t think that! I’m sorry, I spoke without thinking. Just pretend I never asked today, okay?”
Shen Yu looked down at her, silent for a long while, before saying: “I don’t know.”
Wen Xi’s eyes widened slowly. “Huh?”
Shen Yu wanted to reach out and rub her head, but remembering how Wen Xi had been avoiding her lately, she pulled her hand back.
Shen Yu looked at Wen Xi, saying word by word: “I don’t know if I like girls. I haven’t… liked anyone yet.”
“But if the person I happen to fall for is a girl, I will choose to follow my heart.”
Hearing this, Pu Tao slammed the table in excitement. “She definitely liked you at that point! She was giving you a hint!!”
The flow of Wen Xi’s storytelling was interrupted. She looked at Pu Tao with interest. “How so?”
“What she meant was clearly that she could have feelings for a girl,” Pu Tao huffed. “If she really didn’t like girls, she should have just said so directly. And she said it while staring right at you!”
Wen Xi looked at Pu Tao quietly, smiling without a word.
“Fine, fine, I want to fast-forward!” Pu Tao looked at Wen Xi with expectant eyes. “Mutual pining, so sweet! I want to skip to the confession!”
“You don’t need to hit fast-forward, I’m almost there anyway.” Wen Xi took a sip of water to clear her throat.
It was the first time Wen Xi realized that when those long-buried memories were brought out again, they were so profound and clear.
Not long after the end of the semester, it was the Spring Festival.
On the day the arts institution Wen Xi attended went on break, they held a Spring Festival gala.
Wen Xi acted like an invisible person at the institution whenever she had nothing to do.
However, she looked at Shen Yu sitting next to her and asked, “Don’t you have a performance today?”
Shen Yu wore a mask, playing the invisible person along with her. “No. My father thinks it’s beneath me.”
What Shen Yu didn’t say was that her father didn’t even want her to come to this gala.
This kind of gala was meant to be a celebration for everyone, but in reality, it served as a recruitment brochure, arranging performances for top students to showcase their talents on stage.
Wen Xi had also been scheduled; several of her paintings were displayed in the hallway outside.
Wen Xi said softly, “I see.”
The two of them hid in a corner chatting, not paying much attention to the performances on stage.
Shen Yu checked the time and the program schedule. “How late is this going to go before we can leave?”
Wen Xi thought for a moment. “Probably around nine o’clock.”
“That late,” Shen Yu frowned slightly. “I’ll walk you back in a bit.”
Wen Xi’s home was in a rather old residential area. She felt it was a bit shabby, so she pursed her lips and declined. “No need. Like you said, it’s late. If you walk me back, you’ll get home even later.”
“It’s fine, I’ll take a taxi back,” Shen Yu toyed with her phone. “It’s settled then.”
Without waiting for Wen Xi’s reply, Shen Yu added: “Want snacks? I’ll go get some for you.”
“…Okay.” Wen Xi sighed inwardly. “Then just drop me off at the bottom of the building.”
A hint of a smile hid in Shen Yu’s eyes. “Okay.”
After speaking, Shen Yu stood up and grabbed a few bags of snacks that Wen Xi liked from nearby.
Wen Xi spent the rest of the time feeling a bit gloomy while eating cookies non-stop, occasionally stuffing some into Shen Yu’s mouth.
Looking at the cookie held out to her, Shen Yu couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous. She took off her mask and carefully bit the cookie from Wen Xi’s hand.
Shen Yu said softly, “Thank you.”
Wen Xi shook her head. “It’s nothing. Want more?”
“You eat first,” Shen Yu looked at Wen Xi. “If I want more, I’ll get some from you.”
“Alright.”
The gala did indeed end very late, but the arts institution was right next to a busy downtown area. Shen Yu looked at Wen Xi and gestured toward that direction. “Want to walk around?”
Wen Xi poked her head out to look. “Sure! Let’s go!”
But she regretted those words soon after. Along the way, whether it was food, drinks, or toys, if Wen Xi stared at something for more than a few seconds out of curiosity, Shen Yu would buy it immediately. Wen Xi’s payment speed couldn’t compete with Shen Yu’s at all. Before long, they were carrying large and small bags of things. Wen Xi’s gaze became fixed; she didn’t dare look left or right.
“It’s too much, I can’t finish it all,” Wen Xi murmured.
“Most of them are just little snacks,” Shen Yu didn’t think much of it. “Put them in the fridge when you get back, but try to eat them as soon as possible.”
Shen Yu called a car for the trip to take Wen Xi home.
Wen Xi secretly looked at Shen Yu’s profile. The city lights flickered across her face in the night, so beautiful it felt like a dream.
How lucky she was to have met Shen Yu.
The taxi stopped at the entrance of Wen Xi’s neighborhood and didn’t drive inside.
After getting out, Shen Yu saw that it was pitch black inside with no streetlights.
She frowned slightly, turned on her phone’s flashlight, and took some of the bags. “Lead the way, I’ll walk you in.”
“No, really,” Wen Xi forced a smile. “It’s very winding inside, and it’s night. It would be bad if you got lost coming back out.”
“Wen Xi,” Shen Yu called her name. “Be good. Lead me in. I don’t feel safe letting you go alone.”
Late at night, Wen Xi’s heart fluttered. She compromised. “Fine, but make sure you remember the way.”
Shen Yu smiled. “Don’t worry, I have a very good memory.”
They walked in with Wen Xi leading the way. Shen Yu didn’t find it particularly winding, though there was a lot of greenery in the complex.
When they reached the bottom of Wen Xi’s building, Wen Xi reached out. “Give the things to me.”
Shen Yu didn’t answer. She looked up at the building. “Which floor are you on?”
Wen Xi’s fingertips curled. “Fifth floor.”
“Fifth floor…” Shen Yu looked up. No lights were on in the fifth-floor units. “Is your family asleep?”
Wen Xi paused, then nodded randomly. “Yes.”
“Sleeping so early,” Shen Yu said, walking toward the stairs. “These things are heavy. I’ll take them up for you.”
“Eh? Hey!” Wen Xi regretted mentioning the floor number. She hurriedly followed Shen Yu. “Didn’t we agree on the bottom of the building?”
Shen Yu repeated with a hint of mischief, “The things are heavy. I’m afraid they’ll strain your hands.”
Climbing five floors while carrying these things was actually quite tiring, but Shen Yu didn’t even lose her breath. She even walked ahead of Wen Xi, as if she were the one leading the way.
Wen Xi felt like facepalming, but the situation didn’t quite allow for it.
When they reached the fifth floor, Shen Yu finally stopped and turned to ask, “Which door?”
Wen Xi pointed to the unit on the right.
Shen Yu stood there and waited.
The hallway was very old. The light overhead flickered, the wall plaster was peeling off in places, and the doors were covered in small advertisements.
Yet Shen Yu stood there unfazed, looking at Wen Xi as if curious why she hadn’t opened the door yet.
Wen Xi began to have that illusion again, as if Shen Yu could accept all the shabbiness here.
She snapped out of it, put the things in her hands on the floor, and took out her keys to open the door.
Since she had already lied downstairs, she spoke very softly after opening the door and didn’t turn on the lights. “It’s very late today, so I won’t invite you in for a seat. Go home quickly. Thank you for today. Send me a message when you get home.”
“Okay.” Only then did Shen Yu hand over the bags.
Before leaving, she accidentally caught a glimpse of the shoe rack. There were only a few pairs of shoes, and judging by the size and style, they were all Wen Xi’s.
As Shen Yu turned to leave, her expression gradually turned somber.
She walked down a few steps, but after hearing Wen Xi close the door, she turned back. There was a barred window next to the door of these houses. Wen Xi had the curtains drawn, but after entering, she turned on the light. Her movements were not cautious or muffled; it didn’t sound like someone trying not to wake family members.
Shen Yu frowned, and only then did she walk downstairs.
A few days after this, it was New Year’s Eve.
Shen Yu’s home was very busy these few days. Relatives and friends kept coming and going to give New Year greetings. Her father turned no one away; he loved the bustle.
That’s how New Year was at her house, but her mother’s side of the family didn’t associate with them. Her mother’s death and her father’s quick remarriage had displeased them.
On New Year’s Eve, Shen Yu was still thinking about Wen Xi.
She sent Wen Xi a message.
【Where are you?】
【At home, getting ready to watch the Spring Festival Gala.】
Shen Yu’s fingertips paused. She typed and deleted several lines of text.
Finally, she just sent: 【Okay.】
At the dinner table, the guests today were close relatives, including those from her stepmother’s side.
As they chatted, the topic eventually turned to Shen Yu.
On one hand, they said how pitiful this child was for losing her mother at a young age, and how lucky it was that her father married her stepmother to make up for her childhood. On the other hand, they said the father was blessed to have both a son and a daughter, two children who were high-achieving and obedient, one beautiful and one handsome, who would surely bring honor to their parents in the future.
Her younger brother looked at Shen Yu cautiously.
Shen Yu looked at him. “Do you think I’m going to get angry?”
The brother looked at Shen Yu’s expression and nodded hesitantly.
Shen Yu smiled. “Smart. You guessed right.”
Shen Yu was never someone with a good temper to begin with, and her mood was particularly bad today.
She looked at her father, whose mouth couldn’t stop grinning at the praise, and curled her lips sarcastically.
She liked seeing her father unhappy. When he was unhappy, Shen Yu was happy.
Shen Yu picked up her water glass, moved it to the side, and let go.
With a “bang,” the room fell silent instantly.
Shen Yu stood up with a cold face, pushed back her chair, and looked at the stunned relatives.
She glanced at her father with pure malice. “Sorry, my hand slipped. Something came up suddenly, please excuse me. Oh, and I wonder if I brought you enough honor this time.”
Without waiting for anyone’s reaction, she walked straight toward the front door.
She heard her father roar in rage: “Shen Yu, you come back here!”
“And then?” Pu Tao exclaimed. “Did she go to find you?”
Wen Xi smiled and nodded. “Yes. After ‘running away from home,’ she came to find me.”
“She just wanted an excuse to come and be with you.” Pu Tao blinked.
Wen Xi said nostalgically, “I know.”