Chapter 16 Part1 (1/2)

SCHEDULE DEVIATION: Easily Set Aflame and You're My Glory will be switching posting days this week. That means Aflame will be posted this Sunday evening N. American time (Monday for those over an ocean) and Glory will be taking the Tuesday N. American time (Wednesday elsewhere in the ocean) slot. This is a one-off thing. My normal postings will resume after that.

So, what was Jia He's birthday gift to Teacher Yi?

Chapter 16.1 — The Unexpected (1)

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He, though, merely smiled and then continued finis.h.i.+ng off his remaining half a gla.s.s of water.

That was it? A slight sense of disappointment formed secretly in the bottom of her heart. Just when she was ready to say something else to fill in the silence, she saw him come close to her, extend his arms, and gently enclose them around her. Jia He gave him a puzzled look. Suddenly, she felt a coolness on her neck, like something had been placed around it.

Standing in front of her, practically snug against her, he had circled his arms behind her and was fastening a clasp, his motions very slow. It seemed, because he was doing this by the light of the moon, he could not see very clearly and therefore was even slower.

”What is it?” She reached her hand up to feel the shape of the necklace pendant.

”A little gold pig.”

Unable to see it, she was only able to feel its lines and curvy contours. It seemed to be a very odd shape. ”It's not my zodiac year[1]yet.” Today was his birthday, yet he had given her a gift first. The glow from the lights in the sitting area spilled into where they were, and in this faint illumination, he filled another gla.s.s of water and took a couple more drinks. ”I saw it this afternoon and thought it was really suitable for you, so I bought it.”

With an ”oh,” Jia He, lightheaded, walked out of the kitchen and put on the act of going to the bathroom. In reality, she went to look in the mirror and scrutinize the pendant lying against her chest. A very cartoonish pig held a lollipop up high. Even the spiral pattern of the lollipop was detailed and properly done.

This is the image I project?She finally felt embarra.s.sed.

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She had originally thought he did not have much of a reaction to those words she had spoken, until she was sprawled in the bathtub, her entire body lathered in soap bubbles formed as a result of his kneading. There she groaned, ”Serves me right for this fate I've brought on myself.” His smile was very light, but yet in the steamy air it was infinitely magnified. By the time he had wrapped her from head to toe in a thick, cashmere blanket and carried her back to the bed, she was so sleepy her temples felt leadened.

Her forehead seemed to be given a gentle caress by a pair of soft lips, and then she heard him say, ”Sleep now.”

Only now did she abruptly realize that she had forgotten to tell him about his birthday present. ”I have a gift for you, too.”

She wanted to drag herself up again, but one of his arms pulled her back. ”We'll have it tomorrow.”

She answered with an ”okay.” All of sudden, she remembered that gift from Tian Chu. ”I forgot to tell you, out on the table there's a gift for you from Tian Chu. You can look at it yourself tomorrow.”

When she turned on the electric blanket earlier, she had still felt cold, but now, pressed against him, she was warm and cozy. As she tucked herself even further into his embrace, she heard him merely give an ”mm” and answer her, ”Lun mentioned it to me. He ran into Tian Chu when he was having a meeting this afternoon, and she asked him to help bring a gift to me.”

As she was not accustomed to wearing a necklace when she slept, her neck felt itchy and she gave a light tug at the little pig around her neck. It was just a small movement, but Yi Wenze still detected it. He lowered his head to look at her neck. ”What's wrong? It's not comfortable?”

”No.” She murmured, ”Yi Wenze, why aren't you the least bit curious about my birthday gift to you?”

That was too much of a failure on her part, wasn't it?

Amused, he laughed. ”I've already received the most important birthday gift.”

A very simple sentence, yet it was as if someone had lightly tickled the very tip of her heart. Such an indescribable feeling.

Jia He finally reflected on those earlier words she had said. Her heart giving a little tremor, she very bashfully s.h.i.+fted her body a little, but then was instantly enfolded tightly in his arms. And then she heard his voice say, ”Honey, I love you.”

This was not her first time hearing this or his first time saying it, but it still caused her heart to beat erratically.

Her voice soft, she maintained, ”I really did prepare a birthday present for you, but it's not anything valuable.” Clutching that little gold pig, she was silent for quite some time. ”I got my travel visa. It's for New Zealand.”

For a long moment, there was no sound behind her. Her heart was nearly about to stop beating from the wait. Then, she at last heard him say by her ear, ”Honey, thank you.”

Three words. She silently repeated them in her heart seven or eight times.

Smiling in secret, she snugged herself backwards and, nestled very peacefully in his arms, fell asleep.

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It was already approaching noon when she awoke the next day. He had left very early. When Jia He jogged into the kitchen to see what there was to eat, she discovered a sandwich in the refrigerator and saw from the date written on it that it was bought yesterday. Why hadn't she noticed before that he had even bought lunch? She was in the middle of ripping off the plastic wrap and tossing the sandwich into the microwave when she heard someone knocking on the door.

Wu Zhilun's face, with its wide grin and sungla.s.ses still on it, caused her to jump in surprise.

”There's absolutely nothing in my room. Here, here, make me lunch.”

Jia He looked wryly at him. ”You sure aren't worried about being too polite.” As she moved out of the way of the doorway, she heard the microwave crying wildly, and quickly she yanked out two tissues to put under the sandwich as she pulled it out. Taking a knife, she cut the sandwich in two and handed the slightly larger half to this man who was like a hungry wolf. ”How did you know I have food here?”

”I guessed it.” Wu Zhilun took the sandwich from her and poured himself a gla.s.s of water. ”Since you tend to sleep until noon every day, he'll definitely have food ready for you to eat. Is that right?”

There are some things that should be very apparent, yet it is only after they have been spoken from the mouth of someone else that they become clear to you.

She brought her face down briefly as a smile came onto her lips. Then with relish, she took a bite of her sandwich and asked m.u.f.fledly, ”When did you get here?”

”Yesterday, when I had my a.s.sistant bring the gift over. I was afraid I'd disturb you guys, so I didn't personally come over.” As he drank his water, he explained, ”Actually, it's because I hadn't sleep for more than thirty hours, so once I arrived, I just couldn't hold up anymore.”

Jia He gave an ”mm-hmm,” but, really, she knew perfectly well the true reason.

Tian Chu had specially asked him to pa.s.s on that gift. He definitely would not dare to secretly keep it, but he was also scared that if he delivered it, he would end up becoming the evildoer, so of course he had let his a.s.sistant be the cannon fodder. Last night Jia He had been the one to take delivery of the gift. When that boy went back, he undoubtedly would have reported everything to Wu Zhilun… She took another bite of the sandwich. The rich taste of bacon melded with the lettuce and filled her mouth. Such a delicious food that could appease a hungry belly.

As her thoughts reached this point, she finally started speculating, just what was that gift?

While she was aimlessly pondering on this, Wu Zhilun suddenly received a phone call. Chewing his sandwich, he mumbled some ”mm-hmm, mm-hmms” and ”uh-huh, uh-huhs,” and it was only at the end that he asked in surprise, ”For how long?” After another few seconds, he hung up the phone. From top to bottom, he swept his eyes several times over Jia He, his smile faint at first but slowly deepening. Jia He was completely baffled by the look she was receiving.

”Harmonious Family Prospers,” he began, finally bringing his gaze to land on her abdomen, ”is there some happy news?”