Chapter 021

He Ye’s birthday is July 8th. On the morning of the 7th, Zhu Qing and Wu Yuanyuan both came to He Ye’s house.

One was He Ye’s best friend since childhood, and the other was her high school deskmate. Their friendship was deep and fresh.

Wu Yuanyuan, who was closer, arrived first. When Zhu Qing showed up, Wu Yuanyuan stared at her and burst out laughing. “You look tanned!”

Zhu Qing covered her face and wailed, “How could I not be tanned? The sunshine in Yunnan is so strong, and I still apply sunscreen every day.”

He Ye listened to their travel stories with a smile.

Zhu Qing quickly changed the subject. “Tomorrow is Xiao Ye’s birthday. I have an idea. Let’s take some Hanfu^[1]is traditional Chinese clothing and It usually consists of a long, flowing robe with wide sleeves and a high waistband. photos together!”

High school students don’t have much free time, but now that they’re completely liberated, they want to dress up beautifully and go out for some fun.

Zhu Qing was obviously well-prepared. She opened a promotional page for a Hanfu shop, and the three girls gathered around to look at it.

Wu Yuanyuan asked, “Will this be very expensive?”

Zhu Qing explained, “The lowest price is 1500 yuan per set, but the store manager is my cousin. If we take the photos ourselves, the costumes are free, and each person only needs to pay 100 yuan for makeup. After all, my cousin would be embarrassed to let the stylist work for nothing, so we should at least show some appreciation.”

Wu Yuanyuan immediately hugged Zhu Qing and kissed her. “It’s great to have connections. It saves so much!”

He Ye was also quite moved.

Zhu Qing then added, “Zhou Xiangming contacted me yesterday and said that he and Lu Jin also wanted to celebrate your birthday. He asked if I had any special plans. I thought, since we’re all amateurs at taking photos and Zhou Xiangming has a professional camera and skills, why don’t we let him be our photographer tomorrow if you’re okay with it?”

He Ye was stunned.

Wu Yuanyuan asked, “Wait, how did they know about He Ye’s birthday? When did they get so familiar with her?”

Zhu Qing chuckled. “You’ll have to ask Xiao Ye. I just found out that the three of them went home together almost every day during senior year.”

He Ye felt a flush rise in her cheeks as her long-held secret was revealed publicly.

Wu Yuanyuan interpreted her blush differently and exclaimed, “Oh, I knew you had a special relationship with Lu Jin. You lied to me about not being familiar with him!”

Zhu Qing, realizing she had missed some details, asked Wu Yuanyuan, “What did you say?”

Wu Yuanyuan explained, “Once, in March, during heavy rain, I saw He Ye and Lu Jin sharing an umbrella. They were so close!”

He Ye tried to explain, “That time was really a misunderstanding. I…”

Zhu Qing, perceptive as ever, asked, “That time was a misunderstanding. Which times weren’t?”

He Ye was at a loss for words.

Under the repeated questioning of her two close friends, He Ye, who wasn’t good at lying, soon admitted that Lu Jin had accompanied her to the tutoring interview.

Zhu Qing yelled, “I knew it! I noticed from the beginning of school that Lu Jin treated you differently. You still didn’t believe it!”

Premature love wasn’t allowed in high school, but any sign of a relationship between a boy and a girl didn’t escape their classmates’ notice.

“So Lu Jin did so many things secretly because you were so focused on studying. If it had been me, I would have noticed long ago.”

“I actually confirmed it a while ago. We ran into them at a scenic spot. I tricked Zhou Xiangming, and he was exposed right away. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to be distracted from your exam preparations.”

At this point, He Ye could no longer deny that Lu Jin was more than just a “helpful” friend.

It was like solving a puzzle. Before knowing the answer, many clues were overlooked. Once the answer was clear, the previously ignored clues became undeniable evidence.

He Ye lowered her head, her mind in turmoil.

Zhu Qing, who had calmed down, sat next to her, hugged her, and asked, “Why is this happening? Don’t you like Lu Jin?”

Wu Yuanyuan hurried to sit on the other side and looked at He Ye in confusion. If a boy as handsome as Lu Jin liked her, she would be thrilled to be with him, even if he had scored zero on the college entrance exam.

He Ye replied, “I’ve never thought about it before. I don’t know what to do.”

Zhu Qing, understanding He Ye well, smiled, “What’s there to worry about? Just tell me if you have any feelings for Lu Jin—whether you get nervous when he’s close, your heart beats faster when you see him, or if you feel a little secretly happy.”

He Ye said, “I do get nervous. I’m always like this around people I don’t know well, including female classmates. I want to talk but don’t know what to say, and if I don’t talk, I’m afraid of awkward silence.”

Zhu Qing asked, “What about your heartbeat?”

He Ye shook her head.

Wu Yuanyuan asked, “Do you think Lu Jin is handsome? Do you like his looks?”

He Ye replied, “He’s handsome, but I wouldn’t say I like him. It’s more like admiring a celebrity poster.”

Wu Yuanyuan asked, “Have you ever imagined how nice it would be to date someone as handsome as him?”

He Ye shook her head again.

Wu Yuanyuan looked at Zhu Qing, who shrugged. This was probably the difference between a top student who scored more than 700 points and ordinary girls like them.

After a moment of silence, Zhu Qing flipped through her chat history with Zhou Xiangming and tentatively suggested, “How about we ask Zhou Xiangming to take photos for us tomorrow instead of Lu Jin?”

All of tomorrow’s activities were planned to celebrate He Ye’s 18th birthday, and her mood was the most important. Inviting Lu Jin might make He Ye feel awkward.

He Ye bit her lip.

Zhou Xiangming had probably mentioned the travel plans to Lu Jin already. What would Lu Jin think if he wasn’t invited at the last minute?

Lu Jin was a classmate who had helped her many times.

In fact, if it weren’t for the four tutorial books that Lu Jin recommended, He Ye’s Chinese and English scores might still be around 100, and her total college entrance exam score would have been 30 or 40 points lower. She could have still gotten into other top universities, but she wouldn’t have been able to go to Jiaotong University at all.

He Ye didn’t have any romantic feelings for Lu Jin, but she did appreciate him as a classmate who had helped her a lot and felt grateful.

In this situation, He Ye didn’t want to embarrass Lu Jin.

Since He Ye stayed silent, Zhu Qing changed the subject, saying, “Forget it, let’s just use our phones to take the photos. We won’t even call Zhou Xiangming. The girls can just have fun by themselves, and the boys can go do their own thing.”

The image of Zhou Xiangming’s aggrieved face flashed through He Ye’s mind again. Last time, she had just sent him wedding candies late, and he had been resentful, thinking she didn’t treat him as a friend.

“No, we’ve already made an appointment, so let’s just call him.”

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

Originally, He Ye had an interview with a tutor on the 8th, but she postponed it for a day to celebrate her birthday.

Early the next morning, the girls went to Zhu Qing’s cousin’s Hanfu photo studio to get dressed up. They had chosen their costumes the day before, two sets for each person.

“Wow, He Ye, you look so beautiful!”

“I really envy girls your age. Just keeping your skin moisturized is enough.”

“Let me tell you, the most important thing when taking photos in Hanfu is to be natural. Imagine yourself as a girl from that era. If you get the right temperament, the photos will turn out beautifully.”

Zhu Qing’s cousin and the stylist were very enthusiastic, sharing their photography tips with the 18-year-old girls with a smile.

Two hours later, He Ye and the other two arrived at the entrance of the scenic area.

Zhou Xiangming was already there, with a camera hanging around his neck. Next to him stood Li Liang, a bespectacled student holding a lighting board, a magical tool for photography.

When Zhou Xiangming saw the girls in their new outfits, he jokingly whistled, causing Li Liang to blush.

Zhu Qing asked in confusion, “Isn’t Lu Jin coming?”

Zhou Xiangming glanced at He Ye and said with a smile, “He knows his own aura and is afraid you’ll feel too self-conscious, so he said he’d join us for dinner tonight instead.”

Who would feel self-conscious?

Zhu Qing and Wu Yuanyuan were both cheerful and outgoing, only He Ye tended to be more reserved.

Zhu Qing hadn’t expected Lu Jin to be so considerate. As the boys walked ahead, she whispered to He Ye, “Xiao Ye, give Lu Jin a chance. You didn’t understand before, but maybe you’ll fall for him once you get to know him better. Lu Jin is such a top-notch guy, dating him would definitely be worth it.”

He Ye didn’t respond, but she did appreciate Lu Jin’s thoughtfulness.

With Zhou Xiangming around, she no longer felt any social pressure. Li Liang, though a man of few words, had a great sense of humor and could make people laugh with just a few remarks.

They spent the morning taking photos at one scenic spot, then changed clothes in the afternoon to visit another.

By the end of the day, Zhou Xiangming was exhausted, lying on a bench with his camera in his arms. He glanced at He Ye tiredly and said, “No wonder Lu Jin didn’t come. He just wanted to be lazy and left all the hard work to us while he enjoyed himself in an air-conditioned room.”

He Ye: …

If you want to insult Lu Jin, just insult him directly. Why do you look at her while you’re talking?

Li Liang, sitting at Zhou Xiangming’s feet and fanning himself with one of the girls’ prop fans, gritted his teeth and said, “We need to make sure he treats us to a big meal tomorrow.”

This hinted that although Lu Jin hadn’t come, he still intended to reward Zhou Xiangming and Li Liang for their hard work today.

He Ye understood and lowered her head silently.

After leaving the scenic area, the girls went back to the Hanfu shop to return their clothes, while the boys headed to the restaurant to meet Lu Jin.

The restaurant had been booked after Lu Jin recommended it to Zhou Xiangming, who then recommended it to Zhu Qing. They had all agreed to split the cost among the six of them.

Lu Jin was already in the private room, just as Zhou Xiangming had predicted. He was sitting comfortably in the air-conditioned room, wearing a white shirt. He looked so handsome and elegant that it made others envious—and maybe even a little irritated.

“When we’re pursuing girlfriends in the future, you have to help us,” Zhou Xiangming said, chugging half a bottle of water before making the request with a grin.

Lu Jin glanced at the camera Zhou Xiangming had placed on the table and replied, “I’ll help if I can.”

Zhou Xiangming tapped the camera with a sly smile and said, “Want to see? He Ye looked stunning today, more beautiful than you can imagine.”

Lu Jin didn’t say anything.

Zhou Xiangming teased, “I’ll show you her solo photos if you show me what gift you prepared.”

Lu Jin replied, “No need.”

Li Liang chimed in, “Exactly, have some professional ethics! How can a photographer share photos privately? Look how ethical Lao Lu is.”

Zhou Xiangming scoffed, “He’s just good at pretending. He must be overthinking things!”

Li Liang added, “Being a hypocrite is also a skill. At least he’s holding himself back.”

Lu Jin: …

At half past five, Zhu Qing’s laughter echoed outside the room; the girls had arrived.

Lu Jin looked up and saw He Ye walking behind Zhu Qing. She had changed back into her usual clothes and tied her hair into a simple ponytail.

When their eyes met, she quickly looked away, her fair face turning red.

Lu Jin smiled.

Zhu Qing asked, “What are you laughing at? You’re the one who had it easiest today. Why don’t you pour us some water?”

Obediently, Lu Jin stood up, rolled up his shirt sleeves to his elbows, picked up the teapot, and poured tea for the girls.

The dining table was round, with six seats in total. Since it was impossible for Zhu Qing and Wu Yuanyuan to sit next to Lu Jin, the empty seat to his right was naturally left for He Ye.

He Ye’s face turned even redder. It was an uncontrollable physiological reaction.

Lu Jin looked at Zhou Xiangming.

Zhou Xiangming quickly changed the subject, and once the conversation got going, everyone started talking and laughing. He Ye’s expression gradually softened.

She focused on eating, avoiding even glancing at Lu Jin. Out of the corner of her eye, she occasionally caught him picking up his glass or chopsticks.

He even put food on her plate several times, as if he knew that Zhu Qing and the others were aware of it and felt no need to hide it anymore.

He Ye couldn’t bring herself to refuse, so she quietly ate what he offered.

Around six o’clock, Zhou Xiangming asked the waiter to bring out the birthday cake that Lu Jin had brought. It was a large cake with pink candles shaped like the number “18.”

The flickering candlelight added a special ambiance, but because of Lu Jin’s earlier comment, “adults can say it,” the “18-year-old” candles seemed to carry a more significant meaning.

“Congratulations to our little Ye Zi for officially becoming an adult today!” Zhu Qing said it with a bright smile.

Amid Zhu Qing’s cheerful laughter, He Ye made up her mind, blew out the candles, closed her eyes, and made a wish:

“I wish my family and friends good health and happiness. I hope my part-time job during the summer goes well, and I wish everyone gets accepted into their preferred universities and achieves academic success.”

When it comes to love, I might as well give it a try. There’s nothing to be afraid of anyway!

***

T/L Notes:

Announcement!!

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