Yan Cheng returned from the restroom and saw Wang Muman struggling alone with the large exercise books again. He took more than half of them and asked Wang Muman, "Where is He Lele?"
"She's in a bad mood, feeling down! She also said to thank you," Wang Muman said, pointing to He Lele, who was staring out the window blankly.
"It's a small matter. Li Wei was busy with his problems and thought He Lele would carry the homework with you," Yan Cheng explained for Li Wei.
Wang Muman shook her head, indicating it was fine, and followed Yan Cheng out of the building.
"Seeing how He Lele asked Mingyu that question, you can tell why she's like this," Yan Cheng said to Wang Muman as he turned his head in the darkness.
Wang Muman followed him with small steps, walking beside him.
"I thought it wasn't that deep, just like with the history teacher," Wang Muman thought. The history teacher was already married, and He Lele still went to ask questions every day, seeming to enjoy it. She assumed He Lele's feelings for Li Zhentao were similar.
He could smell a familiar faint fragrance from beside him. Yan Cheng only heard the sound of the two beads on her ponytail hitting each other and didn't hear what she said, or perhaps her voice was too soft.
Seeing that Yan Cheng didn't reply, Wang Muman looked at him.
Yan Cheng noticed her gaze and said, "Your voice was a bit soft, I didn't quite hear you."
Wang Muman repeated herself, her voice a little louder this time. She paused and observed Yan Cheng.
"You've grown quite fast! It feels like you've gotten much taller than me all of a sudden."
"Yes, I compared myself with Zhou Mingyu, and I've indeed grown quite a bit," Yan Cheng said, pushing open the office door.
This time, they didn't encounter Li Zhentao. The English teacher was packing his bag, seemingly about to leave.
"Ah, you're here. I always feel like I have four class representatives," the English teacher said to Yan Cheng with a smile.
Yan Cheng smiled back and said, "Indeed. Are you leaving, Teacher?"
"Yes, my child insists I coax them to sleep at home. I can't help it."
Yan Cheng nodded. Wang Muman said, "Goodbye, Teacher," and they left.
On the way back to the classroom, Yan Cheng remembered seeing Wang Muman's birthday on the enrollment list. It seemed to be before the Qingming Festival.
"Manman, is your birthday coming up soon? Do you have any plans? My grandma says girls' birthdays are different from boys', they should be celebrated grandly," Yan Cheng asked Wang Muman.
Actually, Wang Muman had never really celebrated her birthday because the next day was her mother's death anniversary. Her father wouldn't help her celebrate her birthday; he would only go to see her mother the next day. The smile on her face vanished instantly. Her brother had once secretly bought her a small cake, but when their father found out, he scolded him for a long time.
Seeing Wang Muman's silence, Yan Cheng thought she was worried about starting evening self-study. It wasn't until they reached the classroom that Yan Cheng noticed Wang Muman's usually calm face carried a hint of complex emotion, similar to how she looked the first time he saw her sitting alone on the bus. Yan Cheng returned to his seat and started his homework, but his mind was preoccupied: "Wasn't she happy just now? She even said she had grown taller. Why isn't she happy anymore?"
Yan Cheng looked towards the window, catching his reflection. He saw that Wang Muman was constantly moving her pen, her expression blank. He frowned, thinking hard. It couldn't be that she was angry just because he asked about her birthday, right? That was the last topic they discussed, and she hadn't even replied.
He Lele was also writing her homework, her face equally expressionless, with a hint of sadness. They continued writing their homework like this, without talking.