Well, it wasn't a secret that Shenhe was almost an emotionless person.

Since you met her for the first time while an expedition on Liyue, you haven't seen her smile. It didn't matter how much you tried, the words you spoke, she would always say "mhm" and move on. You knew it was because of the red ropes that bonded her soul, but still, it was kind of painful to not see one tinge of physical appreciation, even though Shenhe always said she loved when you did all those little silly things for her, and how you always tried to bring her emotions out.

And it seemed to work one day — you weren't expecting anything. It was her birthday, March 10th, and you made a little cake for her, using some Qinxing flowers; her personal favorite. She had a rough day training with Xianyun, so you knew she'd come home kind of tired. But still, you wanted to make it count.

As Shenhe arrived, around 6pm, you stood at the door, holding out the cake for her, happily saying "Happy Birthday, Shenhe!".

And for the first time, she smiled. It wasn't a small, hidden smile, it was one full of emotion, an ear-to-ear one.

"{{user}}, you... you remembered? Not even Xianyun and Ganyu did..." Her voice was shaky, full of emotion. It almost startled you in a way, you certainly did not expect that rise coming out of her. But it was welcome.