Chapter 38 Chapter 38

Although the results of the three subjects tonight were not ideal, Ren Li still held on to hope and expected a miracle to happen.

After returning home from evening self-study, she temporarily put aside her bad mood. Since she had already promised Wen Shuo, she still had to give him the gift.

Upon returning home, Ren Li dove headfirst into the kitchen and began to work. Seeing how late it was, Lin Yuan naturally asked a few more questions. Perhaps the mother-daughter chat she had a while ago had helped, for after learning it was a birthday gift for a friend, she didn't ask any further questions.

Although the cake looks simple, it is very troublesome to make.

Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks, beat the egg whites with sugar several times, then add the egg yolks mixed with corn oil and milk, mix gently and sift in the cake flour, mix evenly and pour into the mold to shake out the bubbles, then put it in the oven... Ren Li knows every step by heart and is not at all flustered.

She was very careful. After putting the mold into the preheated oven and waiting for the cake base to be ready, she went to the refrigerator to find some cream and fruit as raw materials for cake decoration.

She didn't know what kind of cake Wen Shuo liked, but it should at least be simple, so she picked and chose, and finally chose blueberry lime and mint.

The waiting process was a bit long. Ren Li went back to the bedroom and read a book for a while until the timer finished one circle. There was a ding sound from the oven, and the cake was finally baked.

She went to the kitchen, put on gloves and carefully took the mold out of the oven, turned it upside down on the baking rack and waited for the cake to cool before removing it from the mold.

Fortunately, the cake this time turned out beautifully. Ren Li breathed a sigh of relief. The clock had already pointed to eleven o'clock.

Everything was ready, and she carefully placed the cake dough in the refrigerator. In order to ensure the best flavor, she planned to get up early tomorrow morning to frame it.

After cleaning up the kitchen, Ren Li washed up and returned to the bedroom. Her phone was thrown on the bed, with many unread messages on it. She picked it up and saw a message from Wen Shuo an hour ago.

The list was long and contained many words. As far as I could remember, this was the first time Wen Shuo had ever sent so many words in one go.

It was time to go to bed. Ren Li turned off the lights and lay down on the bed, but she was not sleepy.

She hid in the quilt, holding her phone and replying to Wen Shuo's message.

What did they talk about later? Probably some irrelevant topics.

Wen Shuo was talking about today's party, his friends, and the many people he wanted to introduce to Ren Li. Ren Li was talking about today's exam, the books she'd read recently, and the snowy weather...

Both of them had a tacit understanding with each other, and no one was the first to say good night.

Because in Ren Li's heart, today is indeed a special day - Wen Shuo's "birthday" which only comes once a year.

Finally, the clock struck midnight. Ren Li nestled under her covers, carefully composing a message for Wen Shuo and sending it.

Pear [Happy Birthday^^ I hope all your wishes today will come true [cake][fireworks][fireworks]]

The phone continued to vibrate, and Ren Li was startled. After seeing that it was Wen Shuo calling, she hesitated, but finally picked up the phone.

It's a bit noisy across the street, maybe the birthday party hasn't ended yet.

Her heart was beating fast. She put her ear close to the receiver and whispered, "Hello, can you hear me? Happy birthday!"

Wen Shuo's voice came from the receiver, a little drunken: "Li Li."

Hearing this name, Ren Li was stunned and unconsciously tightened her grip on the phone.

As far as I can remember, Wen Shuo never called me that before.

There was no answer, so Wen Shuo repeated, "Li Li..."

Ren Li suddenly realized: "Have you been drinking? Teacher He clearly emphasized before that minors are prohibited from drinking."

Wen Shuo on the other end of the phone smiled: "I'm an adult now."

Ren Li said righteously: "Even if I'm an adult, I can't do that."

"Okay, I'll do as you say." Wen Shuo's voice was filled with doting, and he continued, "Li Li, you know, you are really special in my heart."

He used the word "special".

Ren Li had never experienced this feeling before: sweet, sour, and indescribable... She felt light and airy, like a cloud floating in the sky. She was afraid she had misinterpreted the meaning, but she did hear Wen Shuo say "special."

Unable to conceal her inner panic, Ren Li pretended not to care and hastily changed the subject, "Forget it, I wouldn't believe you. There must be a lot of people wishing you a happy birthday today, and one more wouldn't make a difference."

After a pause, she added, "But I still hope to be the first one today."

"Well, you're always the first."

He was being blatant, yet Ren Li retreated. She didn't know what to say next, or what Wen Shuo expected her to say. She wondered if all boys liked to tell jokes like this. It was ambiguous and vague, yet it made her want to think about it over and over again.

She finally came to her senses briefly: "The birthday wishes have been delivered, and my mission is completed. Go to bed early, I am going to bed too."

"Yeah, okay. Good night, Lili."

"good evening."

She quickly hung up the phone.

Perhaps it was past bedtime, Ren Li lay in bed, suffering from a rare insomnia.

She tried hard not to recall the conversation that had just taken place, but it always backfired.

She tossed and turned in bed, not knowing when she finally fell asleep. But judging by the tired look with dark circles under her eyes the next day, she did sleep quite late the previous night.

Even though she slept late, she had to get up early. Before Lin Yuan got up, Ren Li had finished framing the cake for Wen Shuo. The cake wasn't big, fitting perfectly into the small box. To avoid conspicuous consumption, she even included a takeout bag on the outside before leaving.

It snowed all night last night and the snow on the road had not melted yet, so the school bus arrived extra late today.

Ren Li was standing on the side of the road staring at the traffic light in a daze, when the school bus stopped in front of her.

She gathered herself together and was thinking about how to face Wen Shuo later. However, when she stepped onto the school bus with her handbag, she found another girl sitting next to Wen Shuo.

Ji Nian leaned on Wen Shuo's shoulder, looking like she hadn't woken up yet. She didn't wear any makeup today, which made Ren Li feel that she looked even more natural and beautiful.

Seeing Ren Li, Wen Shuo naturally pushed Jinian's head. Jinian opened his sleepy eyes and asked Wen Shuo, "Are we there yet?"

Wen Shuo kicked her foot: "No, get up."

"Oh." Ji Nian closed his eyes again: "No, I'm so sleepy."

Their every move was so natural that anyone who saw them would think their relationship was extraordinary. Ren Li hid the bag behind her: "No, I ate too much this morning and want to stand for a while."

Ji Nian refused to get up, so Wen Shuo stood up. Suddenly, her head felt empty, and she woke up. Seeing Ren Li, she stretched and said, "I'm sorry for taking up your space. It's all because we played too late last night, and I was so sleepy, so I stayed over at Wen Shuo's..."

Her words contained so much information that Ren Li couldn't hide the look of surprise on her face for a moment.

In fact, it wasn't just Ren Li. After Ji Nian said this, the girls on the school bus also looked over here with surprise.

Ren Li smiled awkwardly: "It's okay, this isn't my place anyway. I didn't know you two were so close..."

Ji Nian smiled: "Yes, we have known each other for a long time."

Wen Shuo couldn't bear it any longer: "Don't listen to her nonsense. After the party yesterday, many people stayed at my house, not just her."

As soon as he clarified, Jinian's face instantly turned sour.

Wen Shuo noticed the dark circles under Ren Li's eyes, stared at her for a while, and asked, "Why do you look so tired? Did you not sleep well last night?"

Ren Li subconsciously turned her face to the side and pretended to lift her hair, trying to cover it up: "It's okay, I slept late last night."

She felt that Wen Shuo should know the reason, especially after she stayed up late to chat with him and said "Happy Birthday". But also yesterday, Wen Shuo spent the whole night with another girl.

Ren Li refused to sit down, and Wen Shuo didn't force her. He stood up and stood beside her.

The school bus continued to move forward for a while, and he suddenly asked: "Did I say anything strange to you yesterday?"

Ren Li didn't know what was considered strange in Wen Shuo's mind, if the words "You are special" last night counted as such.

Wen Shuo: "I woke up this morning and found a call record with you on my phone, but I can't remember what I said to you. Sorry, I was a little confused yesterday."

A bitter feeling began to well up in Ren Li's heart. Oh, it turned out that those words were just casual remarks made by Wen Shuo.

But she appeared nonchalant and replied, "Nothing special, just something like 'Happy Birthday'."

"What are you talking about?" Ji Nian squeezed over, tilted his head and looked at Wen Shuo, "Add me in too."

Ren Li moved to the side, trying to make room for the two people.

She took out headphones from her pocket and smiled: "Nothing, you guys chat, I want to listen to English."

She tilted her head to look at the snow outside the window, ignoring Wen Shuo. Time had never seemed so long. She listened to section 1 over and over again, but still hadn't arrived at school.

Later, the school bus finally stopped at the familiar small square. Ren Li got off the bus, but unexpectedly, Ji Nian followed her.

"Wait for me."

Wen Shuo was originally walking side by side with Ren Li. Ji Nian came over and squeezed in between them. "If you don't mind, let's go together."

Wen Shuo pulled her collar and moved her aside: "Your classroom is over there."

Ji Nian winked at him: "You forgot, I'm not going to the Art Building today. Our classrooms are in the same direction."

Oh, it turns out Wen Shuo even remembers which classroom she is in.

Ren Li didn't want to be so petty, but she just cared inexplicably today.

It turned out that everything was just my own illusion. Facts have proven that Wen Shuo is just as good to other girls.

She suddenly didn't want to be a third wheel between the two of them, so she quickened her pace and walked towards the teaching building.