“Fr-friend…”

Zhou Nanye spoke haltingly, his voice slightly subdued, and his eyes dimmed a little.

In his current state of humility, he felt unworthy. How could he even dare to voice his unrealistic thoughts about Mianmian?

No matter how much he liked her, he didn’t dare to say out loud the hidden feelings buried deep in his heart.

Hearing Zhou Nanye’s answer, Jiang Mianmian felt a few black lines forming on her face.

What exactly had she been expecting?

This silly boy was timid and reserved, someone who had to be taken down slowly, bit by bit—there was no rushing him.

“Oh… just a friend…”

Jiang Mianmian murmured to herself, and Zhou Nanye’s eyelashes trembled slightly. There was a faint trace of sadness in his expression.

When one loves someone, they often see themselves as insignificant, like dust, while the person they admire seems as unattainable as the moon high in the sky. Zhou Nanye felt the same way. How could he dare to reach for something so far out of his league?

Jiang Mianmian noticed Zhou Nanye’s sense of loss and instinctively held his slender hand.

She knew he was insecure about his background and his speech impediment. Even if she proposed that they become a couple, this silly boy would likely refuse.

So, Jiang Mianmian was waiting for the right moment—for Zhou Nanye to confess his feelings to her himself.

She quickly changed the subject to avoid letting him dwell in his negative thoughts.

“Suddenly, I remembered—my birthday is in just half a month…”

“Xiao Nanye, when is your birthday?”

Being held by Mianmian’s soft, delicate hand, Zhou Nanye’s mood brightened significantly.

When he heard her mention that her birthday was in half a month, he made a mental note of it.

However, when it came to his own birthday, he hesitated. Coincidentally, the date on his records happened to be the same as Mingyao’s birthday.

“Th-the day after tomorrow…”

After saying this, Zhou Nanye couldn’t help but worry that Mianmian might misunderstand and think he was deliberately making up such a date.

He quickly added an explanation, “Be-because… that was… the day I arrived… at the orphanage… so they set that day… as my birthday…”

Jiang Mianmian didn’t think Zhou Nanye was deliberately trying to be clever. Instead, she felt her heart ache.

On the same day that Mingyao celebrated his sixth birthday, surrounded by family and treated like a little prince, six-year-old Zhou Nanye had been sent to an orphanage.

Because he didn’t know his actual birthday, the orphanage had simply designated his first day there as his birthday.

She couldn’t help but tighten her grip on Zhou Nanye’s slender fingers. “Xiao Nanye, your birthday is coming up soon. Why didn’t you tell me?”

He was so reserved. Because of his stutter, he was used to keeping everything to himself. While Mingyao flaunted his birthday to the entire class, Zhou Nanye quietly kept it to himself, not expecting anyone to celebrate with him.

“It’s just… a fake birthday… I don’t… celebrate it…”

In the orphanage, only the younger children celebrated birthdays. Once Zhou Nanye grew older, he stopped celebrating even his “official” birthday. Over time, he had almost forgotten about it.

It was only when Mianmian asked that he remembered his birthday was the day after tomorrow.

“That won’t do! Even if it’s not your real birthday, we’re celebrating it! Xiao Nanye, is there anything you’d like for your birthday?”

Jiang Mianmian couldn’t stand to see him suffer even a little. She was determined to celebrate his birthday. Without giving him a chance to refuse, she asked again.

“I… I want… to eat Mianmian’s… homemade cake…”

At first, Zhou Nanye didn’t want to trouble Mianmian to celebrate his birthday. But when she asked him what he wanted, his selfish desire overcame his rationality.

“…” Jiang Mianmian almost misunderstood his words. For a second, she thought he was saying he wanted to eat her…

“Sure! But don’t complain if the cake I make doesn’t look very good~”

Once she realized what he meant, she quickly responded.

“I-I wouldn’t…”

“No matter what… Mianmian makes… it’s good…”

Zhou Nanye said, his cheeks slightly flushed.

In fact, he had worked part-time at a bakery and knew how to make cakes. But all he wanted was to eat one made by Mianmian herself.

For the first time, Zhou Nanye began to feel grateful that his birthday was the day after tomorrow.

Because of this, Mianmian wouldn’t be attending Mingyao’s birthday party.