Chapter 27 Making a Wish: "Is this what it means to like someone?"

"It's okay, then I'll just sing it for Teacher Jiang."

Jiang Xinglan raised her phone and glanced at it. After the phone recognized her face and automatically unlocked, the message appeared in front of her.

Before she could reply, Zhou Cuo had already spoken.

“Song Huai asked me to buy this place back then, so I was in charge of the renovation and everything. If you need soundproofing materials, I can provide them to you.”

“In that case, I’d like to trouble you, Brother Zhou, to send the relevant information about the soundproofing materials to the research institute’s email address. I will arrange for someone to follow up,” Jiang Xinglan took out a business card from her bag and handed it to him. “Here is the research institute’s email address. You can send it directly here.”

Zhou Cuo reached out and took it. "Can't I just send it to you directly?"

“I am not a professional, and the laboratory renovation was not my decision,” Jiang Xinglan said. “But I am still very grateful to Brother Zhou Cuo for his willingness to contribute to scientific research.”

After saying that, Jiang Xinglan checked the time and said, "It's getting late, I'll be going now."

Zhou Cuo moved his arm as if to stop Jiang Xinglan from leaving, but at the last moment he gave up the idea.

He could only stand there, watching Jiang Xinglan leave without looking back.

He clenched and unclenched his fists, pushed open the door to the empty private room next to him, sat down, opened a bottle of wine, and began to drink by himself.

When Song Huai arrived, he saw Zhou Cuo looking dejected. "What's wrong?"

"I messed it up."

No matter how Song Huai asked, Zhou Cuo just kept repeating this sentence.

---

After Jiang Xinglan left, she went straight back to the private room.

After singing all the songs that had been requested, I saw everyone off to their cars and told them to let everyone know in the group chat when they got home.

After watching everyone leave, Jiang Xinglan drove back to her home.

After taking a shower, Jiang Xinglan saw the message from Shen Yuheng that she had sent an hour earlier.

"Is Teacher Jiang free right now?"

Jiang Xinglan stared at the line of text for a long time before making a move.

Compared to Zhou Cuo's sudden appearance, Shen Yuheng's consistent sense of propriety made her feel more at ease.

Jiang Xinglan's fingers twitched slightly.

I was busy just now and didn't see the message, sorry.

During the hour without receiving a reply, Shen Yuheng realized that she was probably busy and unable to reply in time.

So he didn't disturb them, but just waited quietly.

The response he received confirmed his idea.

"Is Teacher Jiang finished with her work now?"

"Yes, I'm home now, but it's very late today, so I'll have to listen to Teacher Shen's singing another day."

It felt as if fireworks had exploded in Shen Yuheng's mind.

A satisfied smile played on his lips.

"Okay, goodnight, Teacher Jiang."

"good evening."

---

In the following days, Jiang Xinglan and others confirmed that all the materials were prepared correctly, uploaded them to the journal's website, and checked them repeatedly before clicking confirm.

Everyone in the lab breathed a sigh of relief, but they were also worried about the manuscript being rejected.

"Don't worry, I have a lot of confidence in our research results," Jiang Xinglan reassured everyone. "We will let everyone know as soon as we have any news."

"Everyone has indeed worked hard these past few days. Let's rest for the next two days, including the weekend, and come back to the lab next Monday." Jiang Xinglan announced the decision to give everyone a break.

"Great!" Song Yu cheered. "Then I can also invite my fellow fans to celebrate my birthday together today."

"It's your birthday?" someone asked.

“Yeah,” Song Yu fiddled with her phone, “Yesterday was Shen Yuheng’s birthday. I had already made plans with my fellow fans, but it’s not too late now.”

"Well then, I'll be going now!" Song Yu looked up at Jiang Xinglan.

Jiang Xinglan nodded. "Go ahead."

After most of the people in the lab had left, Su Wan went out with Zhou Linfeng to celebrate.

Jiang Xinglan sat in her office and finally had time to think about Shen Yuheng's birthday yesterday.

She picked up the calendar on the table and wrote "Apply for publication" on the 9th.

Then my gaze shifted to number 8, and Song Yu's voice echoed in my mind, "Yesterday was Shen Yuheng's birthday."

Jiang Xinglan took out her phone and first opened the topic app.

"Shen Yuheng's Birthday"

"Chen Yuheng's Lottery"

These two topics are still trending.

Jiang Xinglan clicked on it, and the topic was still very lively.

The winning fans expressed their gratitude to Shen Yuheng in their acceptance speech.

Fans who didn't win are lamenting their bad luck.

Others were also marveling at Shen Yuheng's grand gesture.

Jiang Xinglan left and opened a chat window with Shen Yuheng.

Meanwhile, Shen Yuheng was sprawled on the sofa, utterly bored.

He learned from Li Luo that she was recently preparing a journal application, and it was for a top-tier journal, the importance of which was self-evident.

Therefore, even though it was his birthday yesterday, he did not use it as an excuse to bother her.

He glanced at the refrigerator; there was a birthday cake he had ordered long ago, hoping to share it with her.

It was later divided up by the studio and others.

Although he was very happy yesterday, he still felt a little disappointed.

Because she wasn't there.

"Happy birthday."

"A belated birthday wish."

Upon receiving Jiang Xinglan's message, Shen Yuheng immediately sat up straight.

"Thank you, Teacher Jiang."

"But how did Teacher Jiang find out?"

"You know, you have a lot of fans in my lab," Jiang Xinglan joked.

"Is Teacher Jiang finished with his work now?" Shen Yuheng asked.

"Yes, I'm currently reviewing manuscripts. I submitted the materials today and am waiting for a response."

Upon seeing this message, Shen Yuheng immediately dialed the number, and it was answered quickly.

"Did you submit your materials smoothly, Professor Jiang?" Shen Yuheng asked.

"It went quite smoothly."

"Would Teacher Jiang be free to celebrate my birthday with me?" Shen Yuheng gripped his phone slightly, anxiously awaiting Jiang Xinglan's reply.

In Jiang Xinglan's assessment of her relationship with Shen Yuheng.

Having a meal together is fine, but that doesn't include celebrating birthdays together.

But strangely enough, Jiang Xinglan was compelled by her heart to agree to his request.

"This isn't the first time I've felt this way."

This sentence flashed clearly through Jiang Xinglan's mind.

"I need to think about it." Jiang Xinglan then hung up the phone decisively.

She placed her phone on the table and leaned back in her chair, completely relaxed.

She seemed to realize that, unknowingly, Shen Yuheng had become a very special being in her world.

So special that when faced with his requests, his invitations, or anything related to him, she seems to activate another system, a system that has never been used before.

Most importantly, even after activating this system, she will not feel unhappy or unwilling; in fact, she will feel relaxed and happy.

"Is this what it means to like someone?" Jiang Xinglan murmured.

She wasn't sure; she felt she needed more experiments to verify it.

"good."

Shen Yuheng hadn't even figured out whether he had gotten what he wanted or been rejected when he received her reply.

Extremely simple.

But for Shen Yuheng, it was like a treasure.

Then, Jiang Xinglan sent another address: Guanzhi, which is a restaurant.

"Once you arrive, just go directly to 'Cloud Stop'."

Shen Yuheng was overwhelmed by the sudden surprise, but he quickly came to his senses.

Before the "okay" could even be sent, Jiang Xinglan's next message arrived: "No rush, take your time."

"Okay." Shen Yuheng's heart instantly felt like it had been placed in a jar of honey.

He is now incredibly grateful to himself for choosing to work out this morning and taking a shower, so now he only needs to rinse off once.

After coming out of the bathroom, he went to the dressing room and took out a suit.

After changing, Shen Yuheng looked at himself in the mirror and wondered, "Was it too formal?"

"But this is the first time she's extended an invitation!"

"Isn't this a bit too much!"

"But she wants to celebrate my birthday!"

After hesitating for a while, Shen Yuheng chose a more casual outfit.

After agonizing over clothes, I started agonizing over my hairstyle, and after agonizing over my hairstyle, I started agonizing over my perfume.

Fortunately, when Shen Yuheng arrived at "Yun Ting", the private room was still empty.

But not long after, Jiang Xinglan arrived carrying a small cake.

Seeing that Jiang Xinglan was also dressed in a simple black, white, and gray outfit, Shen Yuheng felt a surge of secret joy. Yes! They were practically wearing matching outfits!

"Sorry I'm late," Jiang Xinglan said, placing the cake aside. Seeing Shen Yuheng's gaze sweep over the cake, she explained, "I was in a rush and could only buy this one, but it tastes good. You can try it later."

Shen Yuheng stared at Jiang Xinglan with bright eyes, "Then I'll look forward to it."

What he really wanted to say was, "I'll like anything you prepare."

It's okay, he'll try his best, and one day he'll be able to say those words.

At that moment, the waiter pushed open the door of the private room and walked in, holding a menu in his hand.

Jiang Xinglan took off her coat and draped it over a chair next to her, then gestured to the waiter to hand the menu to Shen Yuheng.

"Teacher Jiang recommended this restaurant, so please make the choice," Shen Yuheng declined.

The waiter looked at Jiang Xinglan.

"Take a look first, and order whatever you like. I'll see if we need to add anything else after you've ordered," Jiang Xinglan said.

“Alright then,” Shen Yuheng flipped through the menu, “Does Teacher Jiang often eat here?”

"Well, I guess so. When we don't want to eat at home, our family comes over to eat."

"I see~" Shen Yuheng nodded to himself. Today he was able to eat at the restaurant where her family often had gatherings, and he could join them in the future!

"Well, have you decided what you've done?" Jiang Xinglan saw him nod and assumed he had finished looking at it.

“Hmm,” Shen Yuheng looked at the menu and named a few dishes, “Sichuan peppercorn lettuce with crispy shredded pig ears, Yunnan ham and braised pork belly with scallops, braised pork belly with secret recipe, and this mountain-style three crispy dishes.”

Then he closed the menu. "I'll just order these."

“What you ordered is similar to what we usually order,” Jiang Xinglan nodded, “Add another serving of slow-cooked veal and hand-shredded tofu with crab roe.”

Jiang Xinglan handed the menu to the waiter, "We have cake today, so we won't order any main dishes. We can order them next time?"

"Um!"

"Miss Jiang, would you like us to take the cake down and plate it together?"

"No need, we can do it ourselves."

“Okay,” the waiter put the menu aside. “If you need anything, you can just press the bell.”

After the waiter left, the private room fell silent for a moment.

"Shall we light the candles first?" Jiang Xinglan suggested.

"Hmm." Shen Yuheng transformed into a "hmm-hmm monster," nodding without hesitation whenever Jiang Xinglan made a suggestion.

Jiang Xinglan took the cake and carefully unwrapped it, revealing the cake in its entirety—a small 4-inch cake decorated with blueberries, cookies, and chocolate.

"Is this your 27th birthday?" Jiang Xinglan asked, holding the candles somewhat bewildered. She never really knew how to calculate birthdays. "How about we put '1' or '8' on them?"

“It’s 27 years old,” Shen Yuheng said, rarely seeing Jiang Xinglan so confused. He walked over and said, “You can insert ‘1’ and ‘8’ as well.”

After all, he first met her when he was 18 years old.

"Plug them all in?" Jiang Xinglan turned her head to look at Shen Yuheng on her left.

"Um!"

Adhering to the principle that the person celebrating their birthday has the final say, Jiang Xinglan inserted the numbers "2", "7", "1", and "8" into the candles and then lit them.

Then she took out a birthday hat from the side and handed it to him, asking, "Would you like to wear it?"

"Does Teacher Jiang want me to wear it?" Shen Yuheng's lips were always curled into a smile.

"You have to wear it for your birthday, right?" Jiang Xinglan held up the hat and offered it to him again.

Shen Yuheng stared at Jiang Xinglan, a fleeting smile crossing his eyes, and took the hat. "Then wear it!"

While Jiang Xinglan went to turn off the lights, Shen Yuheng first took a picture of the cake, and then took a selfie.

Then turn on the flash and let Jiang Xinglan walk over.

"Thank you!" Jiang Xinglan walked over following the light. "Come on, you can make a wish now."

Shen Yuheng clasped his hands together in front of his chest, turned his head to look at Jiang Xinglan before closing his eyes, and met her gaze.

He looked away, closed his eyes, and silently prayed, "I hope that the person standing beside me will never change every year on my birthday."

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Author's Note: The female lead has finally figured it out!! Hahahaha!! We've finally gotten to this point!!! [shy][shy][shy]