"Shen Jiahe! Wake up! What time is it? You're still sleeping." Ling Keyin arrived at Shen Jiahe's house at 10 a.m. to wake her up for school. When she opened the door, she saw Shen Jiahe still lying in bed sleeping in. She opened the curtains and tried to pull Shen Jiahe out of bed.
Ling Keyin was one of the few friends Shen Jiahe had made since arriving in New York. Since they lived close by and spent a lot of time together, they gradually became inseparable best friends.
"What time is it?" Shen Jiahe slowly opened her eyes, her gaze unfocused as she looked at her best friend.
"It's ten o'clock. Don't you have class at eleven?" Ling Keyin tapped the screen with her finger and held the phone up to Shen Jiahe's face. As she spoke, she began to help Shen Jiahe pack her backpack. Over the past three years, Ling Keyin had become like a mother to Shen Jiahe. Knowing that Shen Jiahe had a habit of being forgetful, she would always ask Shen Jiahe if she had brought everything she needed before leaving the house. Sometimes, when Shen Jiahe was too lazy to cook because no one was home, Ling Keyin would even come over to cook for her.
"Oh no, I completely forgot. I was so engrossed in reading a novel yesterday that I forgot I had class this morning." Shen Jiahe slapped her head and hurriedly jumped out of bed. After quickly tidying herself up and finishing the breakfast Ling Keyin had made, she grabbed her backpack and left for school with Ling Keyin.
Since Ling Ke Yin lived in Brooklyn, New York, which was a certain distance from Upper Manhattan, and the New York subway system was over a century old, with slow speeds and unreliable schedules, Ling Ke Yin always had to leave extra time for school to avoid being late and losing credits.
As the subway entered the tunnel, both Shen Jiahe and Ling Keyin's phones lost signal. Shen Jiahe thought of Lin Shen—he didn't speak much, but his voice was as rich and smooth as a century-old wine, leaving a lingering aftertaste. His deep, luminous eyes added a touch of softness to his stern face.
"What are you smiling about?" Ling Ke Yin, sitting beside her, looked at her best friend, who was smiling, puzzled.
Ling Ke Yin waved her hand in front of Shen Jia He's face. Shen Jia He looked at herself in the subway window and realized she was smiling so widely her cheeks were dimpled.
"Are you in love? When did it start? Where did you meet him?"
"Stop, stop, stop. I did meet a guy. I'm a little smitten, but it's nothing serious yet." Faced with Ling Keyin's relentless questioning, Shen Jiahe felt at a loss.
"I met a handsome Chinese guy in math class. He borrowed some scratch paper from me, and I was so excited my hands were shaking. Yesterday, I ran into him on my way to piano class and even got his contact information!"
"That's great, sis. Next time you see him, you have to let me take a look. I want to see what kind of guy could charm my sister so much." Ling Ke Yin finished speaking and gave Shen Jia He a thumbs-up in admiration.
The two best friends chatted as they walked, and before they knew it, they had arrived at school.
"I have class in the other building. I'll come find you after class so we can eat together." Shen Jiahe pointed to the other building and said goodbye to Ling Keyin.
Although Shen Jiahe and Ling Keyin attended the same school, they were in different majors and had different schedules. They only returned to school together when their class times overlapped, and occasionally met up for lunch after class when they had free time.
The bell rang, signaling the start of class. The students gradually took their seats, and Shen Jiahe and the professor entered the classroom one after the other as the bell rang. Shen Jiahe opened her laptop and listened attentively to the professor's lecture.
As time passed, Shen Jiahe felt increasingly sleepy. Just before she was about to fall asleep, she applied some wind oil to the corners of her eyes to dispel her drowsiness. "It seems like this class is boring, I'd better do my homework," Shen Jiahe muttered to herself as she took out the homework she hadn't finished last night from her schoolbag.
More than an hour later,
"Oh, class is finally over," Shen Jiahe stood up, stretched, picked up her schoolbag, and was about to walk out when she saw Ling Keying.
"You're here so soon. Did the professor let you leave early?"
"Yes, I came to find you as soon as class ended."
"Wow, I love you so much, my darling !"
"Can you be normal?"
On campus, the sunlight spread across every corner like scorching metal sheets, making everything shine brightly and adding a sense of vitality.
Shen Jiahe and Ling Keying were holding their phones, searching for good restaurants nearby. At that moment, Shen Jiahe caught the familiar scent of camellias and glanced up to see Lin Shen passing by them. Lin Shen furrowed his brows slightly, fully focused on the book in his hands.
Shen Jiahe saw Lin Shen and blurted out without thinking, "Lin Shen, what a coincidence. Are you heading to class now?"
Hearing someone call his name, Lin Shen lifted his gaze and looked in the direction of the voice. Upon seeing Shen Jiahe, Lin Shen gently closed the book in his hands, which had distinct knuckles, and raised his hand to greet Shen Jiahe.
"I just finished class and am heading to eat." Lin Shen's gaze was calm and composed as his eyes met Shen Jiahe's.
Shen Jiahe's face flushed red like layers of red watercolor, her fingers digging into her palms as she clenched her fists. She then said, "We're also going to eat. Why don't we go together?"
A gentle breeze brushed against the girl's flushed cheeks, her thick, seaweed-like black hair swaying in the wind, and her round, sparkling eyes gleamed with anticipation.
Perhaps moved by the girl's sincere invitation, or perhaps stirred by her spring-like, sunny smile, Lin Shen found himself agreeing to have lunch with them.
Ten minutes later, the three of them walked to a Thai restaurant with a simple yet elegant decor. When Shen Jiahe asked Lin Shen what he wanted to eat, he said he didn't mind. So, Shen Jiahe and Ling Ke Yin opened Xiaoshuo to search for restaurants near the school and chose the most appetizing Thai restaurant from dozens of posts.
"You guys order first, I'll go to the restroom." Lin Shen leaned his strong arms on either side of the wooden chair and walked into the restroom with his long legs.
Seeing Lin Shen leave, Ling Ke Yin couldn't help but ask, "Is this the person you've been thinking about day and night, unable to sleep because of your crush?"
"It's not that exaggerated; I just have a little crush on her." Shen Jiahe blushed at Ling Keyin's teasing and replied shyly.
"But to be fair, Lin Shen is indeed handsome. With his clear features and broad shoulders and narrow waist, he's not easy to come by." Ling Keyin praised.
As soon as she finished speaking, Lin Shen returned from the restroom to the table. Seeing the two girls chatting, he assumed they had already decided what to order. He flipped through the menu casually and called the waiter to order.
"What major are you studying?" Ling Ke Yin noticed the atmosphere had grown quiet after ordering and took the initiative to start a conversation. She also took the opportunity to probe for information on behalf of her best friend.
"I'm studying finance. What about you two?"
"I'm studying graphic design, and Xiao Ling is studying education."
"Your majors are both pretty interesting. You must communicate with others a lot, right?"
"Yes, when I work part-time, I spend all day figuring out how to comfort children."
"Hahaha. For me, I communicate with clients more often." Shen Jiahe felt that Lin Shen had a magical way of chatting that made her feel relaxed.
Perhaps it was his elegant, deep voice that made Shen Jiahe never tire of listening to him.
After several conversations, Lin Shen gradually became more familiar with Shen Jiahe, and he started talking more. The three of them chatted back and forth, and the short lunch break ended before they knew it.
"I have class this afternoon, so I'll head back first." Lin Shen waved goodbye to Shen Jiahe and Ling Ke'yin.
"Alright, then I'll go home with Xiao Ling first."
Shen Jiahe watched Lin Shen's departing figure and suddenly called out loudly, "Lin Shen, see you next time!"
Although Lin Shen had already walked a distance, he could still clearly hear Shen Jiahe's soft and sweet voice, which sounded crisp and soothing to the ears.
Lin Shen raised his fair hand, waved it in the air, and bid farewell to Shen Jiahe once more.
After Shen Jiahe and Ling Ke'yin had walked for a while, Ling Ke'yin glanced at the passersby on the left and casually looked back. She saw a young man dressed similarly to Lin Shen staring in their direction. She squinted to try to make out his features, but the distance was too great to see clearly…