Chapter Thirty-Three: Five More Minutes of Study

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At half past five in the afternoon, Lu You finished preparing a sumptuous dinner and placed six cakes into an insulated bag.

Mrs. Shen sat nearby with a spoon, eating with great enthusiasm.

Seeing the cakes in the refrigerator rapidly dwindling, she said in anguish, “Do you really have to give them to so many people? Can’t you leave a few more at home?”

Lu You was helpless. “I’m your son. I’m not going anywhere. If you want some, I’ll make more for you next week.”

“You said it. I’ll remember that.” She leaned close to his ear and lowered her voice. “Are you giving one to her?”

Unlike his mother, Lu You made no attempt to be secretive. He answered calmly, “Yes. She’s in the same class as Li Yu, and they sit directly in front of and behind each other. I’ll have Li Yu pass it to her later.”

“Class Two? Is she one of those top students?”

“Mm. She’s ranked first in their class.”

“Then you’re in trouble.” Mrs. Shen looked at her son sympathetically. “With such a huge gap in grades, what if she’s the type who only cares about studying? You won’t even have a chance to pursue her.”

“My grades aren’t that far behind hers, are they?”

“Haha, son, that joke was hilarious.”

Lu You no longer felt like talking to her. There was no point.

“Come to think of it, why don’t you give it to her yourself?”

Lu You zipped up the insulated bag and shook his head. “It’s not time yet. If I’m too deliberate about it, she might not accept it. Let’s leave things as they are for now.”

He picked up the insulated bag and headed toward the garage. “I’m leaving.”

“Be careful on the way. Don’t ride your electric bike so fast,” Mrs. Shen called after him.

“Got it!”

Once the elevator doors closed, Lu Jiany an carried his daughter over to his wife. “Yuyin, what were you and our son talking about just now?”

“We were talking about the girl he has a crush on.”

“A boy or a girl?”

“Lu Jiany an, was that supposed to be funny?” Mrs. Shen shot her husband an exasperated look.

“Er… no, it wasn’t.” Mr. Lu immediately stopped teasing her. “Which girl? Should we go to the school and have a look?”

“Nothing has even started yet. We’ll talk about it later.”

…

Lu You parked his bike and returned to his classroom. There were only a few people there at that hour.

He took two cakes from the bag, wrote messages on two sticky notes, and attached them before placing the cakes on Yuan Wenliang’s and Meng Yi’s desks. Once that was done, he picked up the insulated bag and left the classroom again.

“Cake, as promised.”

“A token of goodwill from your former deskmate.”

Lu You arrived at the cafeteria and found Li Yu at the agreed-upon spot. He had already finished eating, and an empty plate sat in front of him.

“Have you been waiting long?” Lu You placed the insulated bag in front of him. “This is the dessert I promised you during military training. Take it back to the classroom to eat.”

“I’ll open it and have a look first.” With anticipation, Li Yu pulled open the zipper. A wave of cold air escaped, revealing four purple cakes in cups. “They look pretty good. What are they?”

“Grape yogurt mousse. Cold, smooth, and delicious.”

“Are all four of these for me?”

“Keep dreaming! One is yours, one is for Xu Nian, and the rest are for Tang Wan.”

“Why?” Li Yu protested. “You clearly promised to make them for me. How come Tang Wan gets one more than I do?”

“Because I made them myself. If you’re unhappy, keep it to yourself—unless she offers you some.”

“Fine. It’s your birthday today, so I won’t argue with the birthday boy.” Li Yu accepted the unfairness. “How about I buy you a chicken leg as a birthday present?”

“No need. I already ate at home, and I’m still a little full. I should get back to the classroom.”

“Then let’s go.”

Li Yu picked up the insulated bag, and the two of them left the cafeteria together.

…

When Lu You returned to the classroom again, almost everyone had arrived.

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Yuan Wenliang was sitting at his desk, savoring the cake one bite at a time. When he saw Lu You sit down beside him, he offered his congratulations in a formal tone.

“May your birthday be joyful, your studies successful, and everything go smoothly.”

He then placed a pork-floss pastry on Lu You’s desk. “It is but a small token of my feelings. Please do not refuse it.”

Looking at the tiny package, Lu You could not help laughing. “It really is a small token.”

Yuan Wenliang laughed along with him. “The gift may be modest, but the sentiment is sincere. It is enough that you understand my intentions.”

“How does the cake taste? Is it to your liking?”

“It’s delicious.” Yuan Wenliang returned to his normal manner of speaking. “Sweet and slightly sour, with a wonderful texture. Where did you buy it? I’d like to get some other flavors to try.”

“I made it myself.”

“Not your mother?” Yuan Wenliang did not seem convinced.

“No. I did everything myself.”

A look of astonishment and admiration appeared on Yuan Wenliang’s face. “Young people these days are even competing in the kitchen?”

“It’s just a personal hobby. Don’t treat it as a general requirement.”

…

Class Two’s classroom.

Tang Wan and Xu Nian sat facing backward in their seats, watching Li Yu take four cups of cake from the insulated bag.

Two cups were placed in front of Tang Wan, while Xu Nian and Li Yu each received one.

“What’s going on?” Xu Nian looked displeased. “So this is unequal treatment?”

Li Yu felt deeply understood. “You think so too? That’s exactly what I told Lu You. He told me to keep my complaints to myself.”

“What does that have to do with him?” Xu Nian did not understand.

“He gave them to us, so of course he gets to decide how they’re distributed.”

“That makes sense. By the way, is today some special occasion? Even I got one. Shouldn’t all four have been for Wanwan?”

Tang Wan quietly reached out and pinched her thigh, warning her not to get carried away.

“It’s his birthday today, so we got cake. Stop talking and eat,” Tang Wan said.

She picked up one of the cups and examined it. The top layer was a thin, translucent purple jelly. The second layer was another purple substance whose name she did not know. The third layer was jelly as well, containing peeled, pitted grapes cut in half. The bottom layer was pure white and resembled cream.

Xu Nian and Li Yu had already started eating. Tang Wan did not stand on ceremony either and began with the disposable spoon.

The cake was tangy and sweet, soft and dense, with a refreshing chill. Tang Wan suddenly felt that perhaps the purpose of living was simply to enjoy a bite of cake like this.

“This is grape yogurt mousse, isn’t it? It’s really good!” Xu Nian recognized the dessert and praised it. “Ask Lu You tonight where he bought it. When we have time, Wanwan and I can go try the place.”

“You want to go to his house?”

“Does his family own a cake shop?” Xu Nian asked curiously.

“No.”

“Then why are you saying we should go to his house?”

“Because he made it himself.”

Li Yu’s revelation left Xu Nian and Tang Wan frozen in place, their faces filled with disbelief.

“Are you sure he didn’t just help his mother?” Xu Nian asked, hoping Li Yu would clarify.

“His aunt’s cooking is even worse than Lu You’s.” Li Yu answered between bites. “After military training, I went to his house for dinner. He prepared everything himself. He makes more varieties than his aunt, and they taste better too.”

“Damn! He’s unbelievable! Handsome and useful, too. He’s practically perfect!” Xu Nian no longer knew how else to describe Lu You.

Tang Wan furrowed her brows, glared fiercely at her, and reached out to pinch her lower abdomen with a little force.

Xu Nian yelped in pain and quickly signaled with her eyes that she was sorry and would not say anything reckless again.

Li Yu was burying his head in his cake and failed to notice the exchange.

“Apart from his grades being a little lacking, Lu You can do a bit of everything. Singing, sports, video games, and so on. I discovered his cooking during the summer vacation. He even knows a few acrobatic tricks.”

“Acrobatics? What kind?” Xu Nian’s interest was piqued, and a curious light flashed through Tang Wan’s eyes as well.

“Ask him to perform for you when you have the chance. It’s hard to explain in just a few words.”

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The four little cakes were soon gone. Tang Wan also contributed her second cake, and the three of them divided it among themselves. She was simply too embarrassed to eat it all by herself.

The two girls turned around, and Xu Nian leaned close to Tang Wan’s ear.

“Why don’t you give Lu You to me? Besides, if you’re determined to study hard enough to get into Tsinghua or Peking University, you won’t have time to think about things like this.”

Tang Wan immediately panicked and protested, “No! I’ll still have time even if I study! Besides, you don’t even like him.”

“Not liking him now doesn’t mean I won’t like him later! He’s handsome, has no romantic history, and cooks wonderfully. Someone like him is impossible to find, even with a lantern.”

Xu Nian continued fanning the flames.

“I…” Tang Wan had just begun to speak when Xu Nian interrupted her again.

“He probably only has some feelings for you anyway, and the two of you don’t actually have any relationship. If I make a move, it wouldn’t really count as stealing someone else’s boyfriend. I’ll go wish him a happy birthday later and get his contact—”

Before Xu Nian could finish, Tang Wan seized her wrist with force. Fury and murderous intent surged in her eyes as she enunciated each word.

“Don’t. You. Dare. Go. He. Is. Mine!”

Xu Nian was startled and hurriedly soothed her. “All right, all right. He’s yours. I won’t go after him.”

Ten minutes later.

Tang Wan lay face down on her desk, her ears so red they looked ready to bleed. She did not dare face anyone.

Xu Nian wore an exceptionally radiant smile and occasionally whispered, “He’s mine.”

Looking at Tang Wan lying there in embarrassment, Xu Nian sighed inwardly.

Without a little stimulation, she would never take a step forward. Did she really think that taking things slowly would lead to anything?

Once Tang Wan had more or less recovered, Xu Nian asked again, “Are you going to wish him a happy birthday?”

“Yes, of course!” Tang Wan had already decided to throw caution to the wind. After saying something even more embarrassing than that, what did this matter?

“Then I’m counting on you,” Xu Nian teased.

…

At ten ten that evening, after the third self-study period ended, Lu You packed his schoolbag and went down to the second floor to find Li Yu.

To his surprise, he could still see Tang Wan sitting at her desk through the corridor window. She usually went home by then.

That figure seemed to notice Lu You watching her, so she turned her head. Their eyes met.

She then picked up her schoolbag and hurried out.

“Lu You, could you walk with me for a while? Li Yu said he’ll wait for you in the parking lot.” Tang Wan’s eyes held both anticipation and nervousness.

Lu You looked toward Li Yu and saw him nod. Without thinking further, he said, “Then let’s go.”

The two of them left side by side.

“How was the mousse?” Lu You began.

“It was delicious. I heard you made it yourself?” There was unmistakable pleasure in Tang Wan’s voice.

“Mm. I made it at noon. Is there any other dessert you’d like? I can try making something over the weekend.”

“No need. When my birthday comes next March, you can make me a cake. We’ll call it my birthday present, all right?” Tang Wan used a small trick to reveal the date of her birthday.

Lu You silently committed it to memory. “All right. I’ll remember.”

“And also… happy birthday, Lu You.” Tang Wan managed to deliver her birthday wish. It was simple, but it was what she had most wanted to say.

“Did you make a birthday wish this year?”

“I did. Do you want to know what it was?” Lu You looked at her.

“Can you tell me?”

“Mm.” His gaze grew gentler.

“Then let me hear it. Perhaps I can even help make it come true,” Tang Wan said playfully.

“I hope that you, Tang Wan, will study for five more minutes during evening self-study from now on. That way, at least I’ll be able to see you once every night—to watch you walk past me.”

Tang Wan stopped in her tracks.

Her heart trembled. An emotion she had never experienced before surged from the depths of her heart and spread through her entire body.

Lu You walked two more steps before realizing that no one was beside him. Just as he was about to turn around, someone tugged at the hem of his clothes.

“Lu You, Tang Wan has heard your wish. She will help you make it come true.”

The moment she finished speaking, Lu You felt two soft hands gently pinch his right little finger. Then a figure darted past him and quickly vanished into the distance.

“Birthday wishes really do come true.”

Lu You raised his right hand and looked at his little finger, his face filled with an irrepressible smile.