The weather began to warm up after the start of spring.
By mid-March, some of the cherry trees on the Jiangcheng University campus had started to bloom.
While the senior students were accustomed to this, it was a novel and refreshing sight for many of the first-year students experiencing this campus beauty for the first time.
Therefore, during their free time in the afternoons when there were no classes, many students would invite a few friends, buy some snacks and drinks, and head to the school's best scenic spots. They would spread out picnic mats, enjoy the flowers, and chat.
It happened to be Lu Lei's birthday, and there was only one long class that afternoon.
So, the sisters from Xia Nuannuan's dormitory put their heads together and invited the few friends from Qin Tian's dormitory to have a picnic in Sakura Park and celebrate Lu Lei's birthday.
The four people from Dormitory 208, including Qin Tian, readily agreed.
After their class finished at 3:30 PM, everyone from the two dormitories returned to their respective rooms to gather their prepared items before heading to Sakura Park to meet.
Xia Nuannuan and her dormitory mates were responsible for preparing the snacks and desserts.
Qin Tian and his three roommates were in charge of ordering a cake for Lu Lei and buying some heavier drinks.
Qin Tian had already picked up the cake from the cake shop at noon and handed it to Chen Zhuang to carry.
Qin Tian and the other two carried some drinks and fruits, making their way to Sakura Park.
After waiting for a while, they saw Xia Nuannuan and her three friends approaching, their laughter and chatter filling the air.
Lu Yanran had already moved out of their dormitory. Cheng Meng had moved in right after her, so the dormitory still had four people, and the atmosphere was noticeably more harmonious than before.
The four beautiful girls walked together, their laughter and smiles as bright as the blooming cherry trees behind them, undoubtedly creating a stunning spectacle that drew the attention of onlookers.
Upon seeing Qin Tian, Xia Nuannuan's smile became even more radiant, and she instinctively quickened her pace.
Shen Siqi, Cheng Meng, and Lu Lei exchanged amused glances, a hint of helplessness on their faces, and also sped up to catch up.
"Brother, what kind of cake did you order? Where did you get it?"
As Xia Nuannuan approached, her curious gaze fell upon the cake box placed on the ground.
"At the shop near our neighborhood, the one you said had delicious egg tarts. I ordered a ten-inch fruit cake."
Qin Tian replied with a smile.
Xia Nuannuan's beautiful eyes lit up, and she nodded excitedly, "That's great! The cakes at that shop look really delicious too."
"Don't you have to worry about gaining weight today?"
Qin Tian teased her with a chuckle.
During this time, whenever they entered this shop, Xia Nuannuan would eye the various small cakes in the display case with longing. However, due to her post-New Year weight concerns, she had refrained from buying any, only opting to buy a couple of egg tarts to share with him.
Xia Nuannuan gave him a playful glare and said with a sweet smile, "Haven't you heard of cheat days for dieting? It's Lei Jie's birthday today, so I definitely have to eat some of this cake!"
"Nuannuan, please. Your weight has been coming down recently, you're even lighter than I am. Still dieting?"
Shen Siqi said with a smile.
Chen Zhuang eagerly stepped forward with a beaming smile and took the bag full of snacks from her hands.
"Siqi, you bought so much food!"
"With you as a big eater, could we not buy more?"
Shen Siqi rolled her eyes.
"Hehe... I just eat a lot, I don't really like snacks much."
Chen Zhuang sheepishly defended himself with a simple smile.
"Brother Zhuang, don't spout nonsense. When our dormitory is hungry at night and can't find anything to eat, who do you think it goes into?"
Cao Mingliang retorted with a hint of annoyance.
"You scoundrel, no one thinks you're mute if you don't speak!"
Chen Zhuang glared at him, his voice full of mock indignation.
"Hahaha..."
Everyone couldn't help but burst into laughter at this scene.
"It's getting late, everyone, let's get moving!"
Qin Tian called out.
Everyone nodded in agreement and then got busy.
They spread out two picnic mats side-by-side on the ground, placed the cake in the center, and arranged the various snacks, fruits, and drinks around it.
Chen Zhuang first opened a bottle of juice and poured eight cups with disposable paper cups.
Subsequently, the eight people from the two dormitories took off their shoes, stepped onto the picnic mats, and sat in a circle.
"Come, come, let's have a toast first. Wishing our beautiful student Lu Lei a happy birthday."
Cheng Meng initiated the lively atmosphere, raising her cup with a radiant smile and taking a sip.
"Lei Jie, happy birthday!"
"Lu Lei, happy birthday."
"Cheers, cheers..."
Everyone raised their cups in succession, offering their birthday wishes to Lu Lei.
"Thank you everyone, thank you!"
Lu Lei said gratefully. The smile that bloomed on her gentle and beautiful face was even more lovely than the surrounding cherry blossoms.
After taking a sip together, Xia Nuannuan opened the cake box and lit the candles.
Led by Shen Siqi, everyone sang a birthday song and then had Lu Lei blow out the candles and make a wish.
"I hope that no matter how many years pass, we will all remain the best of friends."
Lu Lei clasped her hands together, making her birthday wish.
Upon hearing this, everyone showed sincere smiles; this was also everyone's shared wish.
"Alright, let's eat cake!"
After blowing out the candles, Lu Lei said with a smile.
"I'll cut it, I'll cut it."
Cheng Meng raised her hand to volunteer and then picked up the plastic knife to start cutting the cake.
"Here, the first slice, the best one, is for the birthday girl."
"Thank you."
Lu Lei graciously accepted and took the first piece of cake handed to her by Cheng Meng.
"Qin Tian ordered the cake, so the second slice is for you."
Cheng Meng handed a slice of cake to Qin Tian.
Qin Tian accepted it, then handed it to Xia Nuannuan beside him, saying with a smile, "Nuannuan, you eat first." "Hey, hey, hey, you two aren't the main characters today, no public displays of affection!"
Cheng Meng said in a serious tone.
"That's right, Brother Tian. There are several single dogs here, so give us a break today!"
Cao Mingliang immediately chimed in.
"You went shopping with a girl yesterday, don't pretend to be single!"
Qin Tian glanced at him and then looked at Xia Nuannuan, saying, "Don't pay attention to him, eat quickly!"
Xia Nuannuan nodded, her cheeks flushed, and took a small piece of cake, but first, she offered it to his mouth.
Qin Tian smiled, opened his mouth to eat it directly, and nodded in appreciation with a surprised expression.
"It really is quite delicious. You should try it quickly!"
"Mm!"
"Fine, I take it back."
Cheng Meng rolled her eyes helplessly and went back to cutting the cake.
"You just moved in, and you haven't attended many of our two dormitories' gatherings. Look at me, I'm already used to it and can't be bothered to say anything anymore,"
Shen Siqi pointed to herself and said with a playful smile.
Lu Lei beside her also smiled sweetly, eating her cake in small bites.
"Alas, spring is here, the cherry blossoms are blooming, why is no one pursuing me? Help me escape this sea of suffering soon!"
Cheng Meng sighed.
Her words amused everyone again.
After Chen Zhuang received his slice of cake, he glanced at Qin Tian and Xia Nuannuan feeding each other on the opposite side. Following their example, he took a small piece and offered it to Shen Siqi's mouth beside him.
Shen Siqi was taken aback. Under everyone's curious gazes, she shot Chen Zhuang an embarrassed and annoyed look.
"Chen Zhuang, what are you doing? Isn't this awkward?"
"I..."
Chen Zhuang seemed a bit confused.
"Don't copy them for everything, okay? This isn't your usual style!"
Shen Siqi said with a look of speechlessness.