Birthday

Su Cheng finished reading the diary, and after Li Guanqi endured a long lecture with mixed emotions, class was finally over.

Then, Su Cheng sent her a message.

Su Cheng: "I've finished reading the diary. I completely understand your feelings and thoughts now."

Seeing this, Li Guanqi's face flushed slightly, but she quickly composed herself and replied succinctly, "Mm. Give it back to me at the gathering tomorrow."

Su Cheng: "Sure. I have to go to the dojo at noon."

Li Guanqi: "Got it."

Su Cheng: "By the way, do you know what Xuan Ying likes?"

Suddenly, Su Cheng's question made her body tremble violently as she realized something—

This Sunday was Xuan Ying's birthday!

No wonder the two girls hadn't shown any disappointment earlier. Instead, Xuan Ying had even seemed excited. So that was the reason!

The class gathering had to follow school rules, but Xuan Ying's birthday was a different story. Once midnight struck, the theme could easily shift to her birthday dance party.

At that point, she could ask for anything she wanted, right?

And if Xuan Ying invited Su Cheng to dance in that setting…

Goodness, the odds were stacked way too high!

Just thinking about it made Li Guanqi inexplicably uncomfortable, especially since Xuan Ying would be the one inviting him on her birthday.

She had a feeling Su Cheng wouldn’t refuse—he wouldn’t want to embarrass Xuan Ying in front of everyone.

Who knows…

Maybe he’d even secretly practiced some smooth dance moves.

The dilemma and conflict she faced now were obvious.

After calming down, she decided to ask Su Cheng directly.

Li Guanqi: "I think she’d like anything you give her."

After sending it, she waited.

A moment later, Su Cheng replied.

Su Cheng: "Oh, I see. That gives me an idea."

Reading this, Li Guanqi decided to probe further.

Li Guanqi: "Can you dance?"

Su Cheng: "Of course! I’m the Dance King of Asia!"

Huh?

Li Guanqi was utterly baffled. Since when had he mastered dancing behind her back?

Dance King? Had he really been secretly practicing ballroom dancing this whole time?

Su Cheng: "Care to join me?"

Seeing his follow-up message, Li Guanqi took a deep breath and decided to drop the roundabout questions.

She went straight to the point.

Li Guanqi: "Xuan Ying might invite you to dance at her birthday party this weekend. How are you going to handle that?"

Su Cheng: "A jealous Guanqi is super cute, by the way."

……

Staring at her phone screen, Li Guanqi’s expression froze. But as if sensing her reaction, Su Cheng quickly sent another message.

Su Cheng: "Actually, all I know is the morning exercise routine. I used to take it way too seriously, so my classmates made fun of me and called me the 'Dance King of Asia.'"

Just like that, Su Cheng casually revealed his past humiliations.

An image flashed in her mind—him standing in class, diligently performing the morning exercises while his classmates laughed at him.

Picturing that scene, the gloom in Li Guanqi’s heart completely dissipated, and she began typing a comforting reply.

Li Guanqi: "A perfect date stands out among rotten ones. So, don’t worry about what others think."

Su Cheng: "Thanks for the encouragement. Next time, let’s dance together—we’ll be the perfect dates!"

For some reason, her face burned again.

Then, the two resumed their earlier conversation.

Li Guanqi: "You still haven’t answered my question."

Su Cheng: "Of course I wouldn’t dance with her! First, I don’t know how. Second, if I were to dance with anyone, it’d be you! Confident emoji"

After exchanging a few more messages, the class bell rang, and both put away their phones.

The morning classes ended, and Li Guanqi picked up her bag, walking toward Xuan Ying and Zhao Yan.

But unexpectedly, the two girls completely ignored her.

As if she didn’t exist.

This wasn’t just absentmindedness—it was as if they had completely erased her from their thoughts. They didn’t even notice her standing right beside them.

Li Guanqi understood immediately. Normally, the two would invite her to lunch at this time.

But today, they had suddenly forgotten about her.

No doubt, they were heading to Sister Qin’s place.

So, she stayed silent, trailing behind them as usual, planning to uncover the truth.

Sure enough, they entered the library.

She took her usual seat in the farthest corner and quietly listened.

Today’s Sister Qin lecture was about to begin.

"I’m so excited! I wonder what he’ll give me."

The moment she sat down, Xuan Ying couldn’t contain her excitement, resting her chin on her hands as she drifted into fantasyland.

Zhao Yan, however, showed no particular reaction. She simply picked up a book—The History of Classical Art—and began flipping through it.

"By the way, I really owe you one this time."

Xuan Ying suddenly turned to Zhao Yan with a sweet smile, as if to say, Sisters help each other out!

"It was nothing. I just had a word with the vice class president."

Zhao Yan smiled faintly.

Xuan Ying immediately looked touched.

"No, I just never expected you to go along with my plan…"

Her eyes welled up with tears, overwhelmed with gratitude—and guilt. After all, her best friend also had feelings for Su Cheng, yet she had given Xuan Ying this opportunity.

"Between us, there’s no need to keep score. Besides, it’s your birthday. It’s only right."

Zhao Yan turned another page, her tone indifferent. But deep down, this was her strategy after losing to Li Guanqi in the chess incident.

Her new motto: Better to let Xuan Ying win than let Li Guanqi have him.

Xuan Ying wiped her tears but shook her head firmly. "No, I owe you this time. Next year, on your birthday, I’ll help you!"

"Huh?"

Zhao Yan was taken aback. She hadn’t expected Xuan Ying to be so generous and froze for a moment.

"Alright, it’s settled then~"

Xuan Ying giggled.

Zhao Yan didn’t respond, returning to her book. After calming down, she realized Xuan Ying was just being polite—no need to take it seriously.

Li Guanqi listened silently, her gaze shifting between the two girls. Just as she had guessed, the class gathering had been prearranged.

Right then—

"Well, well, everyone’s here."

Sister Qin walked in, holding a thermos, a faint smirk on her lips.

"About tomorrow—"

Xuan Ying couldn’t wait and tried to cut in, but Sister Qin waved her off.

Xuan Ying obediently closed her mouth, looking at Sister Qin expectantly.

"Tomorrow, during the day, you can visit him under the pretense of helping him buy a suit. At night, I’ll attend your birthday party as your guardian."