desire

The sound of the seatbelt being fastened into the slot was crisp, and the dim yellow light from the parking lot streetlights shone on Yang Zheng's profile.

Shen Anxia hesitated for a moment, and after a long while, she said seriously, "I'm afraid I won't be able to repay what you've done for me."

"What are you worried about?" Yang Zheng laughed. "Nobody's asking you to pay it back."

Yang Zheng started the car and drove Shen Anxia straight to the Shen family home.

"But I can't enjoy this kind of sacrifice with a clear conscience." What Shen Anxia didn't say was that she was more afraid that she would do something unplanned, uncontrollable, and not guided by her own subjective will.

For example, she was attracted to Yang Zheng.

Yang Zheng somewhat understood Shen Anxia's thoughts, and he comforted her, "So Anxia, ​​we've known each other for several months now, do you think I'm someone worth befriending?"

"Well... he does have quite a few friends." Shen Anxia couldn't deny that Yang Zheng was indeed a good friend and worth befriending.

"Isn't it normal for friends to pick each other up at the station for a birthday celebration?" Yang Zheng laughed.

"That's... normal."

"That's settled." Yang Zheng started the car and turned the steering wheel. "Don't put so much pressure on yourself. Don't worry about things that haven't happened just because Lao Si acted as a go-between."

Shen Anxia looked at Yang Zheng and felt a little relieved. She smiled and said, "Everyone must feel comfortable with you. You always take other people's feelings into account."

"Not really," Yang Zheng glanced at the rearview mirror and turned around. "It depends on the person."

"So, why haven't you had a girlfriend all these years?" Shen Anxia truly didn't understand.

Yang Zheng laughed: "Didn't I say before that I would tell you about this later?"

Shen Anxia: "..."

Is this matter so difficult to talk about? Shen Anxia must have asked twice, right? Does this person really have some hidden illness that's inconvenient to discuss?

Thinking of this, Shen Anxia's expression was somewhat indescribable. She swallowed hard, trying to make herself look as appropriate as possible, and silently counted the distance in her mind.

The twenty-minute drive passed quickly. Yang Zheng safely dropped Shen Anxia off downstairs. Shen Anxia glanced at the lights on the fifth floor, then turned to Yang Zheng: "It's been so long since I've seen Mom and Dad. I'll be with them for the next couple of days. See you on the 3rd. As for the 5th, I'll spend lunch with Mom, Dad, and A-Yi. We'll..."

She and Yang Zheng had previously arranged to spend a day together on the third day.

Shen Anxia thought for a moment: "Three o'clock in the afternoon?"

Yang Zheng nodded: "Okay, are you going back to Xinfeng on the morning of the 6th?"

“Yes, an early morning high-speed train, so I can stay at home one more night.” Shen Anxia smiled faintly.

Yang Zheng nodded: "Then I'll pick you up at six o'clock on the morning of the third."

"Okay, good night, thank you for bringing me back." Shen Anxia turned and walked into the building.

As the lights came on floor by floor, Yang Zheng's composed "friendly face" gradually turned melancholic. He stood downstairs, looking at the light on in the living room on the fifth floor without moving.

After a long silence, he sighed and murmured, "If we're friends, then for life... But if we can't even be friends... Anxia..."

...

Shen Anxia spent two days with Shen Ke, Zhao Ping, and Shen Anyi. When they learned that Yang Zheng had made another appointment with Shen Anxia on the 3rd, Zhao Ping and Shen Ke exchanged a knowing look. Zhao Ping, in particular, was overjoyed.

On May 3rd, under a clear sky, Yang Zheng and Shen Anxia went hiking as planned. The mountain they were going to, Songxiang Mountain, was known as the city's "latest blooming cherry blossoms," and it just so happened to be blooming at this time of year.

At 7:40, the two arrived at the foot of the mountain, each carrying a backpack. Shen Anxia asked, "Are you ready, Mr. Yang Zheng?"

"Miss Shen Anxia, ​​you are ready."

"Set off!"

Halfway up the mountain, the two passed by the cherry blossom grove, and Yang Zheng asked, "Do you want to rest for a bit?"

Shen Anxia looked at the mountaintop and said to Yang Zheng, "Let's enjoy the scenery on our way down!"

"good!"

With one burst of energy, the two of them reached the summit in about an hour and stood in the small pavilion at the top, gazing at the distant mountains.

There aren't many people able to go up the mountain right now, so the two of them were definitely fast.

Watching Shen Anxia climb such a high mountain as if it were just a stroll through the streets, her figure still light and graceful, without any signs of fatigue or weakness, only her slightly pink skin showing signs of abundant energy, Yang Zheng glanced at the time and smiled gently: "It took almost forty minutes less than expected, I really didn't expect that."

"Hmm?" Shen Anxia looked at Yang Zheng and asked, "Did you not expect you to climb up so quickly, or did you not expect me to be able to climb up?"

Yang Zheng: "..."

Shen Anxia suddenly realized from Yang Zheng's brief silence that he hadn't thought of something, and she was almost amused by her anger: "Mr. Yang Zheng, who are you underestimating? I can handle Mount Tai too, how about we have a chance to compete?"

Seeing Shen Anxia's "try me if you're not convinced" look, Yang Zheng laughed and said, "I mean, it took my colleagues and me three whole hours to climb this mountain before."

“I can tell from your expression that this ‘colleague’ is a female colleague.” Shen Anxia’s comprehension was exceptional at this moment.

Yang Zheng: "..."

Fearing that Shen Anxia might be jealous because of the words "female colleague," he quickly explained, "It was an activity organized by the company, a group activity."

Unexpectedly, what Shen Anxia cared about was not "female colleague" at all, but the gender classification of "woman". She stood up straight to prove for women: "With wings, many women can fly farther than men. Besides, I am not a delicate queen. I have plenty of strength and means."

Hearing Shen Anxia utter this classic line from a famous novel, Yang Zheng was amused and chuckled softly while rubbing his temples, his words barely audible: "Okay, a scorpion demon that can fly with wings."

"Yang!!! Zheng!!!" Shen Anxia raised her backpack and threw it at Yang Zheng.

As if sensing in advance that Shen Anxia might resort to force, Yang Zheng grabbed the back of a chair in the pavilion, casually sidestepped, leaped out of the pavilion, and ran away laughing.

Shen Anxia didn't actually throw the backpack out. Seeing Yang Zheng leap out of the pavilion, she stopped chasing him. She put the backpack on the bench, casually put her long legs on the back of the bench in the pavilion, first did a split and bent over to stretch, and then sat on the bench to massage her calves.

After Yang Zheng returned, he sat down on a bench on the other side.

After feeling her muscles completely relax, Shen Anxia took out a bottle of mineral water from her backpack and drank it.

Yang Zheng saw that she didn't need his help to open the bottle cap at all, which made Yang Zheng feel that there was only one girl in the world who could make him so devoted to her.

After resting for a while, more and more people climbed to the top of the mountain. Shen Anxia asked Yang Zheng, "Shall we go down the mountain?"

"Okay, let's go."

The two of them picked up their backpacks again, went to the restroom first, and then walked down the mountain along the same path.

They were more casual on the way down the mountain, taking photos wherever there was scenery, but Shen Anxia only let Yang Zheng take one photo and then refused to let him take any more.

“Mr. Yang Zheng,” Shen Anxia complained while looking at the photos on her phone, “I’ve finally discovered a shortcoming of yours. My height of 165 cm looks like 12 cm in the photos you’ve taken.”

"This shows that there is still a lot of room for improvement in my photography skills." Yang Zheng was not discouraged at all.

"You're quite the talker."

"The main problem is that I haven't had a chance to practice taking photos, so you can let me take a few more pictures to practice."

"I don't want to be photographed by you and become a square root of two," Shen Anxia said, looking at her tiny self under the vast expanse of pink cherry blossoms.

"..."

After descending the mountain, the two ate at a small restaurant at the foot of the mountain, rested briefly, and then returned.

Back in the city, it was still early, so Yang Zheng drove to a wetland park. The two of them sat on a bench under the willow trees by the lake, enjoying the evening sunshine and breeze, allowing themselves to completely relax.

Shen Anxia didn't speak, nor did Yang Zheng.

The two sat there until the city lights came on. Shen Anxia felt as if every cell in her body had been renewed, and she felt revitalized. She asked the person next to her, "What are you thinking about?"

Shen Anxia continued to gaze into the distance, not looking at Yang Zheng.

Yang Zheng's gaze was also fixed on the distance. He answered the person next to him, "I've thought about a lot, but it feels like I haven't thought about anything at all. What about you?"

"I think life is a grand experience."

Yang Zheng withdrew his gaze and looked back at her: "Since it's an experience, how about we try some food?"

Shen Anxia smiled at him: "Okay. I really want to eat hot pot today."

"Last time I went to a hot pot restaurant with them. It was small, but the taste was pretty good." Yang Zheng stood up.

Shen Anxia also stood up: "I got my internship salary, my first monthly salary ever. I've already treated my parents and Ayi, so today it's my treat."

Yang Zheng looked at her intently and said, "Okay."

After dinner, Yang Zheng took Shen Anxia home.

On the 4th, Shen Anxia stayed at home all day and didn't go out.

At midnight, Shen Anxia received a message from Yang Zheng.

Happy birthday, Anxia! It's exactly 2:13 AM on the day of the Beginning of Summer. May you enjoy every season.

Shen Anxia replied to him, "Thank you, Yang Zheng. I wish you all the best and that all your wishes come true. Good evening."

Yang Zheng quickly replied with "goodnight".

Perhaps because she was too tired from climbing the mountain, Shen Anxia slept in late, a rare occurrence, and didn't get up until almost ten o'clock.

Upon leaving the bedroom, she received a round of gifts from her family. Shen Ke gave her the tablet computer that Shen Anxia had been longing for, Zhao Ping prepared a gold necklace, and Shen Anyi, who hadn't gone to tutoring, also prepared a hand cream for Shen Anxia.

After Shen Anxia finished her makeup and changed into a pale yellow dress, Shen Ke drove the family of four to the cake shop first. After picking up the cake, they went to the restaurant they had booked.

Yang Zheng had a happy birthday, and in the afternoon, he picked up Shen Anxia on time.

I opened the car door for her and let her get in first.

"Have you eaten cake?" Yang Zheng looked at Shen Anxia, ​​who was dressed exceptionally beautifully today. She even wore light makeup, something she usually doesn't wear. He fastened his seatbelt, feeling incredibly happy.

"I've already eaten, and I even brought you a corner... It's just not very pretty, but it has strawberries on it." Shen Anxia took out a small box that she had specially gotten from the cake shop and handed it to Yang Zheng.

Yang Zheng was pleasantly surprised: "You actually have one for me?"

"I even dug up a few strawberries for you; I snatched them from Ah Yi."

Yang Zheng opened the box, picked up a small fork, speared a strawberry, and handed it to Shen Anxia.

Shen Anxia shook her head: "I ate a lot."

Yang Zheng then started eating, and after a couple of bites, he suddenly asked, "Did you make a wish?"

"It's granted."

"Then this is a cake that carries your wishes."

Shen Anxia smiled and said, "Yes."

Your wish will definitely come true.