Green Tea Top Student Falls in Love with Me - Chapter 37

It was getting late, and the temperature dropped sharply. There was no one to be seen on the road, only the glow of lights from every house and the sound of laughter floating from within. Before long, Shi Wangui’s candied haws were finished as the two of them shared them bite by bite, and they arrived home just in time.

Their house was currently pitch black. Shi Wangui thought it was typical of Wen Youren not to leave a single courtyard light on so they could see the path home. Just as Shi Wangui was about to turn on her phone’s flashlight, Wen Youren stopped her.

In the next second, Wen Youren covered Shi Wangui’s eyes and leaned down against her shoulder, whispering, “I will lead the way.”

Shi Wangui nodded dumbly. The sudden contact made her heart race and her mind flutter with nervous anticipation. What is she doing? Their relationship was truly becoming hard to decipher.

Why am I actually feeling a bit excited?

When they reached the familiar threshold, Shi Wangui instinctively raised her foot, but Wen Youren stopped there. She simply guided Shi Wangui’s hand inside to find the light switch and pressed the button for the outdoor light.

In an instant, the courtyard lit up.

Shi Wangui stood there, frozen.

It was different from the usual courtyard. The swing was draped in strings of lights, and a round table had been placed in front of it with a cake on top. The cake was anchored by several white balloons. There was also a small, exquisite black gift box on the table. The lights on the swing were arranged to spell out four large words: “Happy Birthday.”

“This…”

Wen Youren unwrapped a piece of candy and popped it directly into Shi Wangui’s mouth. “Happy birthday, my little birthday girl.” She then walked over to the swing and pressed a button. The tiny bulbs on the golden wires all began to twinkle with a warm, pale yellow glow, reflecting beautifully off the white balloons.

“How did you know today was my birthday?” Shi Wangui asked, stunned. She had never told anyone her birthday. If anyone still remembered, it would only be Sun Yi and Wang Hu.

She had not known Wen Youren for very long. Although they spent every day together, they had never sat down to discuss such things.

The cold winter wind whistled, brushing against their faces and painting them with a faint rosy blush. Their breath formed soft mists in the air. The corners of Shi Wangui’s eyes grew red and shimmered with tears.

Wen Youren replied, “Because I have had my eye on you from the very beginning.”

Shi Wangui stood rooted to the spot. She liked me from the very start? But didn’t we both hate each other back then? She really hid it well.

“Birthday girl, come cut the cake to welcome your sixteenth year.”

Shi Wangui walked happily to the cake. This was the first time she had ever eaten cake on her birthday. In previous years, she was always at school and could not buy one, let alone expect her family to provide it.

Wen Youren had bought a strawberry cake. Strawberries sat atop a ring of cream flowers, and the edges were decorated with small floral patterns. A space was left in the middle where “Happy Birthday” was written. The cake was not particularly fancy, but it was very cute. In Wen Youren’s eyes, Shi Wangui was the definition of cute.

Two candles formed the number “16.” Wen Youren lit them for her and said, “Make a wish, birthday girl.”

Shi Wangui put on the birthday hat, closed her eyes, and said aloud, “I hope Wen Youren and I will be happy for a lifetime.” She then opened her eyes and blew out the candles.

Wen Youren teased, “Wishes don’t come true if you say them out loud. Besides, it is your birthday. Why include me in the wish?”

Shi Wangui did not mind. “If I don’t say it, how will the heavens hear it? Even if it is my birthday, if I didn’t have you, I wouldn’t even have the chance to make a wish.”

Wen Youren smiled. “Fine, whatever you say.” With that, she picked up the small box and handed it to Shi Wangui, signaling her to open it.

Shi Wangui had been eagerly anticipating what the gift might be. With the owner’s permission, she slowly opened it. Inside was a pair of matching rings. They were simple and elegant with no external decorations, but their initials were engraved on the inside. The silver glinted under the lights, filling her with joy.

“Happy birthday,” Wen Youren said again.

Shi Wangui took out one ring and slid the one with her own initial onto Wen Youren’s finger first. “I am the first one to put a ring on you! You’re wearing my name, so it means I’m with you every day.”

Wen Youren touched the ring gently. Then, she picked up the other ring. Since she was taller than Shi Wangui, she leaned down slightly, then dropped to one knee. She slowly slid the ring onto Shi Wangui’s finger and pressed a light kiss to her hand.

“I didn’t know what flavor of cake you liked, and I didn’t want to ask directly. I saw that you liked strawberries, so I chose a strawberry cake. There aren’t many bakeries in town and the styles are limited. In the future, I will bake cakes for you myself. I will make more and even better ones, so you can be my birthday girl every single day,” Wen Youren said.

If there had been any lingering awkwardness between them, Wen Youren’s initiative and Shi Wangui’s tendency to rationalize things and her relative obedience had smoothed it over. Since the night of the misunderstanding, both had slowly adapted to their new roles, and the awkwardness was fading.

Shi Wangui said, “It is fine. I like it very much.”

“I like the cake, I like the ring, and if I had to be specific, I like you too.”

Wen Youren smiled. “Actually, I didn’t know how to handle feelings before. I was worried we would be awkward or grow apart. I was afraid you would reject me or leave. But now, I only hope we make the most of the present.”

“Mmhmm.”

Shi Wangui cut a piece of the cake for Wen Youren, specifically a piece with the word “Happy” on it. “For you.”

Wen Youren took the cake. “Okay. But let’s go back to school next week. Are you willing?”

Shi Wangui had only come here to accompany Wen Youren, so now that the other had suggested going back, she naturally would not refuse. “Sure. But let’s not tell Shi Qin. We will be staying in the dorms anyway, so he won’t know we are back.”

Wen Youren nodded. “Okay.”

“Oh, wait for me a moment!” Shi Wangui put down her cake with a grin and ran into the house.

When she came back out, she had a mischievous look on her face. Her hands were tucked behind her back, hiding something.

“I have something for you too.” Shi Wangui pulled out a necklace. It had two layers of chains wrapped together; it was originally quite long but was now looped. The pendant at the bottom was a star, hanging from a cord made of three woven strands. The white star dangled at the bottom and glowed faintly when it moved.

“Actually, I bought this right after that night I offended you. I wanted to find a chance to give it to you. Back then, I might not have known exactly how I felt about you, but I definitely knew I didn’t hate you.”

“It’s just…”

“Oh, just take it!” Shi Wangui said shyly, thrusting the necklace toward her.

Wen Youren would not let it go; she wanted the answer. “And how about now?”

“Huh?” Shi Wangui was stunned for a second before she realized what was being asked. She turned her head away. “Now… I guess it’s love.”

Wen Youren smiled. “Okay.”

“Let’s eat the cake.”

Shi Wangui agreed. “Okay!”

It was cold outside, and they huddled together for warmth. Neither suggested going inside to eat. Under the witness of the starry sky, they celebrated a very special birthday.

After a while, Wen Youren took out the necklace. “Help me put it on.”

Shi Wangui shyly took the necklace. As she was fastening it for Wen Youren, she discovered it was adjustable. There was a small pull ring at the clasp. With a tug, the two loops could turn into one long chain. She had bought it simply because it looked good, but it seemed the designer had intended it for different styles.

Her hands moved a bit too fast. Upon finding the ring, she gave it a pull, and Wen Youren clearly felt the necklace on her neck grow longer. Wen Youren reached up and pulled it further until the necklace hung all the way down to her navel.

“Was this a specific design you bought?” Wen Youren asked curiously.

Even though it was not, Shi Wangui refused to admit it. “Of course. See, I have great taste. One item, two uses. In the winter, you can wrap it twice so the star is visible. In the summer, you can wear it as a single long chain to look cool.”

Wen Youren touched the star at the bottom. “You are right. One item, two uses.” With that, she looped the chain over Shi Wangui’s neck as well, pulling the two of them flush against each other.

Caught in a sudden gaze, Shi Wangui’s pupils shrunk as she looked at Wen Youren in shock.

Hehe, my girlfriend is really beautiful.

But once she recovered, she stammered, “What are you doing?”

“One item, two uses,” Wen Youren repeated.

The necklace was long, but it was still a tight fit for two people. If they moved even slightly apart, the chain would choke their necks. To be comfortable, they had to stay very close.

Shi Wangui eventually leaned her head onto Wen Youren’s shoulder. As she turned her head, her breath brushed directly against Wen Youren’s ear.

Sensitive to the touch, Wen Youren’s body trembled. She then lifted Shi Wangui up and sat her on her lap, wrapping her arms around her waist. “It is a bit cold. Let’s hug to keep warm.”

Shi Wangui relaxed her body and hugged Wen Youren back. Their winter clothes were so thick that even though they were clinging to each other, they could barely feel each other’s body heat.

“When are we taking this necklace off?” Shi Wangui asked, her face red.

The pale yellow lights on the swing were still twinkling, and the balloons were tied to the frame. A few bright red persimmons still hung from the top of the tree, unpicked.

Suddenly, Shi Wangui felt a cold sensation on her neck. She reached up to touch it, thinking it was water. When she looked up, she realized it was not water. “It is snowing.”

Wen Youren leaned her back against the table and looked up. “Yes, it is snowing.” She tugged at the necklace, causing Shi Wangui to sit up, and then leaned into the crook of Shi Wangui’s neck to gently unfasten the chain.

“Thank you for the gift. I love it,” Wen Youren said with a smile.

Shi Wangui replied, “As long as you like it.” Just don’t loop it over my neck next time.

“But I like its dual use even more.”

Shi Wangui was silent.

Snowflakes drifted down, quickly turning into water spots on their black down jackets. Shi Wangui reached out to catch a few. “The snow came early this year.”

Wen Youren asked, “Shall we go inside? Are you cold?”

“Let’s go in,” Shi Wangui replied.

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