Wang Muman looked up at the familiar face in front of her, a little confused.
"Manman, Grandma asked for a peace charm for you, and a bracelet. I have one too," Yan Cheng showed her his wrist.
Wang Muman took it dazedly, her heart swelling with emotion. She lowered her head, tears flowing fiercely.
Yan Cheng was startled by her reaction and quickly asked, "Why are you crying?" He didn't know how to handle a girl crying.
Everyone else had left the classroom. Yan Cheng grabbed a tissue, intending to hand it to Wang Muman, but the person in front of him just stared at the peace charm, weeping silently, as if she hadn't seen it. Yan Cheng thought about waiting for He Lele to return, but five minutes passed without any sign of her. Had she fallen into the toilet?
Zhou Mingyu called Yan Cheng back to the dormitory, but Yan Cheng told him to go ahead. Zhou Mingyu had intended to ask what was happening, but his roommate urged him to go back and shower, so he left first.
"Manman, wipe your face. This whole pack of tissues is for you. Your nose is about to run," Yan Cheng checked the time, even considering calling out for her in the girls' restroom.
After he spoke, Yan Cheng felt Wang Muman crying even harder, her body slumping until she was no longer visible. He suddenly remembered a sentence from a book: When you feel wronged, a single comforting word from someone else can be the last straw that breaks the camel's back. He patted his mouth, thinking he hadn't said anything that would cause such a reaction.
Just then, He Lele finally returned, saying, "Manman, sorry to keep you waiting, I had a bit of a stomach upset." She returned to her seat, out of breath, and as she turned, she saw Wang Muman with her head on the desk, Yan Cheng staring at her, unsure of what was happening.
"Yan Cheng, did you bully Manman?" As soon as she said it, He Lele realized it was impossible. The word "bully" couldn't possibly apply to Yan Cheng.
"How could I? I just said 'Happy Birthday' and gave her the peace charm Grandma asked for." Yan Cheng thought back carefully, still feeling he hadn't done anything wrong.
"It's Manman's birthday today! I didn't even know." He Lele was astonished. Wang Muman hadn't mentioned it at all today. She always celebrated her own birthday in a big way and hadn't bought Wang Muman a gift.
Yan Cheng tugged at He Lele. "Let her vent for a while. We'll wait outside for her." Actually, he had something to tell He Lele. Regarding birthdays, it was a bit of a "taboo" for Wang Muman.
By this time, there was no one else in the classroom. Even the last two people had gone to the balcony in the corridor. Wang Muman actually didn't want to cry, but for some reason, hearing Yan Cheng's two sentences made the pent-up grievances in her heart impossible to contain. Now, her tears flowed uncontrollably, unable to stop.
He Lele bombarded Yan Cheng with questions: How did you know it was Manman's birthday? Why didn't she say anything? Why is she crying? Do you know something?
After all, it was her family matter. Yan Cheng hesitated for a moment, but He Lele was Wang Muman's best friend and someone she would be spending a lot of time with, so he decided to tell her. Yan Cheng then recounted what his grandmother had told him. He Lele listened to everything with unusual seriousness for the first time, then fell into quiet contemplation.
"So, Manman doesn't celebrate her birthday. Then why did you go to all this trouble? Look how long she's been crying!" He Lele retorted, leaving Yan Cheng momentarily speechless.
"It's not her fault. I thought about it repeatedly, and I still felt it needed to be celebrated, because everyone deserves to have a festival that belongs to them and should be celebrated properly."