After looking at the photos Li Hao sent, Zhu Yaya went to see the ones Brother Yan had posted.
As expected, when Brother Yan does something, it's always top-notch.
She had thought Li Hao's photography skills were decent, but after seeing Yan Heng's photos, it felt like Li Hao was completely outclassed.
Even she herself was almost moved to heart-flutters looking at the girl in the photo, holding flowers with both hands, her eyes and brows smiling. She shamelessly thought, so I actually look this good!
She excitedly rolled over a few times on her bed, then glanced a few more times at the flowers Yan Heng had given her, now in a vase.
They say giving flowers has its nuances—flowers have their own language, and the type and number of flowers carry different meanings.
Zhu Yaya's curiosity and interest were piqued. She wondered what meaning the flowers Yan Heng gave might hold. Roses, she knew, were about love, but she wasn't sure about the others. So, she opened her phone and searched on Baidu.
First, she typed "baby's breath flower meaning" into the search bar. The results quickly appeared before her eyes—"silent love," "love that is willing to play a supporting role," and so on.
She then searched for "rose flower meaning." The internet said three roses represented "I love you."
Zhu Yaya's face flushed crimson. She buried her head in her quilt and, taking advantage of having the house to herself, let out a series of incoherent squeals. She hugged the blanket and rolled back and forth on the bed several more times.
What on earth did Yan Heng mean by this?
Was it a confession?
But when he gave her the flowers, he said he just picked them randomly! Who would randomly pick flowers like this? Then again, he's a guy, he probably doesn't know about these things! But he said he works part-time at a flower shop! Would someone working at a flower shop not know flower meanings?
Ahhh!
She was going crazy!
Her face still red, Zhu Yaya bit down tightly on her little handkerchief, pondering whether Yan Heng did this on purpose and what her own feelings towards him really were.
Every time she was in danger, he was the one who rushed to help her in time. He never seemed bothered by the trouble, taking her to the West District every day and then back to the South District. It seemed like whenever she made any request, he never refused, simply saying "Okay."
They had hugged before. They had held hands.
Yan Heng. Yan Heng.
Zhu Yaya silently repeated his name in her heart, an inexplicable, secret joy rising within her. This joy was like gulping down a large cup of chilled sour plum soup with ice cubes on a sweltering summer day.
A sudden impulse seized her. She opened Yan Heng's QQ chat window, typed a few words, then regained her senses and deleted them one by one.
What if Yan Heng didn't mean it that way?
It would be too risky. How awkward it would be if he didn't!
Zhu Yaya's little handkerchief was almost frayed by her teeth.
This is so annoying!
What exactly does Yan Heng mean?!
In a dilapidated neighborhood in the West District of the capital, Yan Heng returned home. As soon as he entered, he leaned back against the door, not even turning on the light, just standing quietly in the darkness.
He pulled his phone from his coat pocket, turned it on. The screen lit up in the dim evening light, and Zhu Yaya's photo appeared prominently on the softly glowing display.
It was a photo of Zhu Yaya giving a speech on the podium as an outstanding student representative after the October monthly exams. The very photo that had gone viral on the campus forum at the time.
Under the bright sunshine was the girl's radiant, smiling face.
His eyes fixed on it, the corners of his lips curving upward into a smile.
The next morning, after a night of inner turmoil, Zhu Yaya, sporting dark circles under her eyes again, went to the Tian Tian Breakfast Shop in the West District to find Yan Heng.
Yan Heng already knew her preferences. As soon as he saw Zhu Yaya, he packed the buns she usually liked and handed them to her the moment she approached.
Noticing the heavy shadows under her eyes, Yan Heng frowned disapprovingly. "Such dark circles. Did you stay up late again? I told you not to stay up late."
It's all your fault!
Zhu Yaya took the breakfast bag, shot him a somewhat resentful glance, didn't say a word, and snorted coldly.
This left Yan Heng utterly bewildered.
What's going on?
His brows remained tightly knit.
As Zhu Yaya followed Xu Chun out of the breakfast shop, Yan Heng thought for a moment and asked the shop owner for some time off.
"That girl seems off today. Did you two lovebirds have a fight? Made the little girl unhappy," the owner teased.
A flicker of confusion passed through Yan Heng's eyes. "We didn't fight."
"Ah, what do you know about a young girl's heart? A girl's feelings are the most delicate. Go on, hurry and comfort her."
"Okay."
After speaking with the owner, Yan Heng quickly took off his apron, put on his jacket, and hurried after them.
With his long legs, Yan Heng soon caught up with Zhu Yaya. She was nibbling on a bun, carefully trailing behind Xu Chun and Murong Beichen, who was walking beside Xu Chun.
Hearing hurried footsteps behind her, Zhu Yaya felt a surge of alertness. She turned around and saw Yan Heng rushing to catch up.
She stopped in her tracks, looking at him in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
After catching up, Yan Heng let out a relieved sigh, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke. "You... what's wrong today?"
"Nothing's wrong!" Zhu Yaya was baffled.
Yan Heng cleared his throat lightly. "I... I thought you seemed unhappy today." She hadn't smiled at him.
"Oh," Zhu Yaya remembered she hadn't given Yan Heng a friendly look at the breakfast shop, and the reason for that made her face flush unnaturally. "No, I'm fine today. Just now, it was because..."
"Was it because my tone was too harsh?" Yan Heng's eyes held a hint of apology. "Ahem, I didn't mean it just now. Maybe it's just how I usually talk to people..."
Zhu Yaya looked up at the boy apologizing to her and couldn't help but smile, her eyes crinkling. "It's not because of you! And I'm not angry either."
She was about to say something else when she realized she'd lost sight of Xu Chun and Murong Beichen. "Wait, where's Xu Chun? Let's catch up with them first!"
"Okay."
Later, they caught up with Xu Chun and Murong Beichen.
Zhu Yaya saw a young woman in a red coat passing by them. She was holding a bouquet of yellow daffodils. The yellow daffodils were a splash of bright color in the cold, austere winter.
Zhu Yaya's round eyes shifted thoughtfully. She asked Yan Heng beside her, as if casually, "Brother Yan, the daffodils that lady was holding just now were so pretty! And they were yellow. I've never seen yellow daffodils before! By the way, do you know what yellow daffodils mean?"
Yan Heng answered without thinking. "To return affection."
In that moment, countless fireworks, of every color imaginable, exploded in Zhu Yaya's heart.
He knows flower meanings!
What this implied was crystal clear to Zhu Yaya.
It meant Yan Heng had given those flowers intentionally. It meant...
He liked her.
All the frustration from last night vanished in an instant, replaced by a wave of relief. If she weren't concerned about her image, she could have burst into song right then and there.
Unable to contain her happiness and excitement, a huge smile stayed plastered on her face.
Yan Heng noticed her sudden surge of joy and excitement. Without overthinking it, he found himself sharing in her happiness, a faint smile touching the corners of his lips.
