Chapter 143

Lin Yuewei couldn’t remember exactly when she’d started preparing this birthday surprise for Gu Yanqiu. It was probably right after they got together, when Gu Yanqiu told her that her birthday fell on Arbor Day.

Lin Yuewei had tucked that away in her head then. Every now and then, she’d think about what surprise she should prepare for her. When filming on Mist City wrapped, she finally started making plans.

That night, when she saw Yin Lingxi give Gu Yanqiu a bracelet, she was genuinely surprised. She had never once seen Gu Yanqiu wear a bracelet, so she’d assumed she didn’t like them and hadn’t even considered the possibility. As it turned out, that wasn’t the case.

Lin Yuewei kept thinking about it. She couldn’t sleep that night, so she went downstairs and called Jiang Congbi.

“What kind of bracelet was it that you said you bought for your girlfriend last time?” Lin Yuewei asked in a lowered voice. She was downstairs, but she was still worried about waking Gu Yanqiu in the bedroom upstairs.

“What are you asking for? Buying for some other pretty girl again?” Jiang Congbi said warily. One bracelet was enough; she wasn’t making much money, and yet she was buying bracelets to give people every day, each one more expensive than the last. What a spendthrift.

Lin Yuewei said, “For my own pretty girl.”

“Cut the crap. What pretty girl do you have at home? Your place only has one…” Jiang Congbi abruptly fell silent. Two seconds later, she said in disbelief, “You mean Gu Yanqiu?”

Lin Yuewei let out a soft snort. “Who else would I mean?”

Jiang Congbi was full of curiosity. “No, seriously, how did you suddenly get enlightened? Which immortal pointed at your rotten wooden brain and opened it up?”

Lin Yuewei was afraid Gu Yanqiu might wake up, realize she was gone, and come looking for her downstairs. She urged her anxiously, “Hurry up and send me the style; we can talk about the rest tomorrow. I’m in a hurry to go to sleep.”

“Fine, fine. Wait a sec, I’ll look it up for you.”

Two minutes later, Jiang Congbi sent her the official website link for the bracelet. Lin Yuewei looked at the product photo on the model and added it to her list of considerations, but she didn’t make a final decision. Gifts for Gu Yanqiu couldn’t be careless; she had to go to the counter herself and buy it.

When Jiang Congbi heard that, there was no way she wasn’t coming along to watch the fun.

The next day at noon, they met at a mall near the counter during lunch break, bought the bracelet, and handled lunch while they were at it.

Lin Yuewei estimated it had been about a year since she’d last stepped into a luxury store. She was now fully committed to playing the part of an eighteenth-tier little celebrity, and her public lifestyle had been dragged all the way down to eighteenth-tier level too. When she saw a store like this, she wouldn’t even spare the door a glance.

She said she was buying a bracelet for a woman, gave the price range, and the sales associate in a small suit began introducing options. Styles, materials, colors; rose gold had been trendy these past couple of years, so a lot of the new designs came in rose gold, and they sold quite well.

The salesperson had just introduced a rose-gold piece when Lin Yuewei said, “Not this one.” Then she added, “Not this color.”

The salesperson paused, then smoothly switched back to a warm smile. “Of course. Then let’s look at the next one. This is our newly launched XXX series…”

Lin Yuewei listened carefully. Normally she never bothered with this kind of fluff; she would just look for whatever was pretty, wave her hand, swipe her card, buy it, and leave. But this time she was choosing with great care, and her expression didn’t show the slightest impatience.

Jiang Congbi watched her in silent amazement.

In the end, Lin Yuewei didn’t pick the one Jiang Congbi had recommended, the one she’d bought for her little girlfriend. Instead, she chose a different one that she liked better, several tens of thousands more expensive than Jiang Congbi’s.

Jiang Congbi sighed. “Was that really necessary? Just to buy something a little more expensive than mine? You had to compete over this too?”

Lin Yuewei took the little wrapped gift bag the store handed her and tucked it into the black backpack she’d specially brought, one that didn’t let a single bit of light through. Only then did she find the time to turn and answer Jiang Congbi. “What if one day the two of us go out to eat together, and she’s wearing a bracelet, and your girlfriend is wearing one too, and they’re exactly the same? What do you think then?”

Jiang Congbi: “……”

Two seconds later, she said sincerely, “You really do think of everything.”

Lin Yuewei gave a faint smile. “I never would’ve thought she liked bracelets. If she’d told me earlier that she liked them, I wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble. My eyes are almost blind from all this.”

“What does your eyesight have to do with it? Why do you keep blinking?”

“I was carving something for her. A little trinket that isn’t worth much.” Lin Yuewei cut off the topic as though she were keeping a secret. “All right, let’s go upstairs and find a restaurant to eat at. I’m hungry.”

Jiang Congbi followed after her a few steps and bumped her shoulder lightly. “Didn’t you say giving gifts was shallow? And that you yourself were the best gift? What happened to that attitude?”

“I never said I wouldn’t give myself.”

“Wow.” Jiang Congbi let out an honest, heartfelt exclamation.

“Don’t get any weird ideas.”

“Ha ha ha, anyway, everyone knows you’re the bottom, so there’s nothing to get weird about.”

“……”

After parting with Jiang Congbi at the mall entrance, Lin Yuewei drove back to the Lin residence. She put the black backpack into her own bedroom closet, disguising it carefully before returning to the place she shared with Gu Yanqiu. That evening, she waited at the usual time to welcome Gu Yanqiu home, acting as though nothing had happened.

******

Lin Yuewei finished singing the last line of happy birthday, but Gu Yanqiu was still frozen in place.

She felt a little embarrassed.

She couldn’t help clearing her throat. Only then did Gu Yanqiu seem to come back to herself; she walked toward her step by step. She didn’t seem nearly as happy as Lin Yuewei had imagined; there was a flicker of dark fire in her eyes as she looked over.

Lin Yuewei instinctively shrank her neck. Had she overdone it?

The woman rushed into her arms fast and fierce. Lin Yuewei lifted the cake higher. “Careful with the cake!”

Gu Yanqiu pushed her back a few steps until her spine hit the wall. Lin Yuewei held the cake up carefully and checked it over. Once she confirmed it hadn’t been damaged, she finally let out a breath of relief. She had spent most of the day making it by hand.

Then Lin Yuewei lowered her head and met a pair of reddened eyes. She froze completely.

“Don’t…”

Cry…

Before she could finish, Gu Yanqiu drew in a deep breath. She looked straight at Lin Yuewei as if she had a thousand things to say, but in the end she cupped Lin Yuewei’s face in both hands and turned all those words into a kiss on her lips.

Lin Yuewei quietly took it in for a moment, then said, “Why are you so cold?”

Gu Yanqiu gave her a resentful look and let her go. She had thought Lin Yuewei had forgotten her birthday and was standing outside in the cold wind.

The surprise was a surprise, but the buildup had gone on too long. The sadness she’d felt in the yard just now was still hard to shake.

Lin Yuewei finally had room to breathe. She set the carefully held cake on the table, then stood amid a floor full of colorful confetti-like decorations and opened the paper bag on the table. She took out two candles and a lighter, lit them, and stuck them into the cake. Candlelight fell across both their faces.

Gu Yanqiu looked at Lin Yuewei across from her. The light made Lin Yuewei’s bright red clothes look both ridiculous and adorable at once.

Lin Yuewei gazed at her expectantly. “Make a wish.”

Gu Yanqiu closed her eyes in front of the candles shaped like “2” and “6”; her lips moved slightly.

After a long while, she opened her eyes and blew out the candles in one breath.

Lin Yuewei put on a surprised face. “You made such a long wish?”

Gu Yanqiu smiled a little. “Maybe I wanted too many things. How long did I take?”

Lin Yuewei estimated it. “Three minutes?”

Gu Yanqiu was shocked too. “That long?”

Lin Yuewei burst out laughing and handed her the bread knife she’d fetched from the kitchen. “Come on, cut the cake.”

Gu Yanqiu said, “I can’t see very well.”

“I forgot.” Lin Yuewei walked over to the wall. “I’ll turn on the light.”

With a soft click, the room lit up all at once.

After Gu Yanqiu adjusted to the sudden light, she took the knife in one hand and cut the cake into halves, then into quarters. She put two portions onto plates, handed one to Lin Yuewei, and Lin Yuewei waved it off, saying, “I’m not eating yet. Be careful when you eat.”

Gu Yanqiu’s gaze sharpened slightly as she immediately remembered those setups on TV where gifts were hidden inside food or drink. Could Lin Yuewei have hidden something in the cake?

She looked at Lin Yuewei. Lin Yuewei gave her a meaningful look.

Gu Yanqiu ate the cake by herself, very carefully, chewing slowly and cautiously, afraid that if she bit down too hard she might hit a ring or something and chip her teeth. Unfortunately, after finishing the whole piece, there was nothing inside.

She started on the second piece.

Lin Yuewei smiled and pressed down on her hand. “Is the cake good?”

Gu Yanqiu nodded. “Good.”

Lin Yuewei said, “Really good?”

Gu Yanqiu nodded again.

Lin Yuewei grinned in satisfaction. “I made it.”

Gu Yanqiu’s eyes went wide. The redness around them hadn’t fully faded yet, and she looked like a silly little rabbit.

Lin Yuewei said, “After you left for work this morning, I started making it. I spent the whole day on it. And then when you called at noon…” Lin Yuewei paused, as if embarrassed, and lowered her lashes. Looking down, she said, “Anyway, I’m not saying any more.”

She wasn’t good at saying this kind of thing. She had always been the type to do more than she said. Besides, Gu Yanqiu had already seen the cake and given it a good review, and that was enough.

Gu Yanqiu’s eyes grew a little damp again, but she held it back.

She and Lin Yuewei had already cried too much in front of each other. Crying because she’d been wronged was one thing, but for something this happy, there was no need to cry.

Gu Yanqiu immediately picked up her fork and started eating the second piece. Lin Yuewei went, “Hey,” and hurriedly said, “I was kidding. There’s nothing hidden in the cake.”

Gu Yanqiu looked up. “Huh?”

Lin Yuewei took the plate from her and led her to the sofa. She tipped her chin toward the gift bag on the sofa.

The gift Gu Yanqiu had been waiting for all day; even though she knew what it was, she was still overjoyed. “Can I open it?”

Lin Yuewei shrugged and smiled. “Of course. It’s for you.”

Gu Yanqiu took out the silver bracelet she’d been hoping for. Lin Yuewei kept her eyes fixed on her face, not wanting to miss a single expression. Their first birthday together, their first gift; its meaning was naturally extraordinary.

First came joy, then appraisal, then surprise, then thoughtfulness, then calm again. After that came joy once more.

Lin Yuewei: “???”

She understood the expressions at the beginning and end, but why was there surprise in the middle?

Gu Yanqiu put the bracelet on her wrist and looked at the young woman waiting beside her. Lin Yuewei praised her sincerely, “It looks good.” Her slender, fair wrist would look good wearing anything.

Gu Yanqiu’s eyes flickered slightly, but she didn’t ask the question in her heart: this bracelet was different from the one she’d hidden in the drawer before. Where was that one now?

Lin Yuewei didn’t notice the subtle shift and just attributed Gu Yanqiu’s surprise to the fact that she’d received two birthday bracelet gifts in a row.

“Actually, I didn’t plan on buying this one at first. It was only after Yin Lingxi gave you one last time, and you said you liked silver bracelets, that I went out and bought one for you later.”

Gu Yanqiu blinked.

Lin Yuewei pulled out her right hand, which she’d been keeping in her pocket all along, clenched into a fist with her palm facing down, and walked up to Gu Yanqiu. “Hold out your hand.”

Gu Yanqiu extended her hand and opened it, palm up.

Lin Yuewei loosened her fist, and two Buddhist beads dropped into Gu Yanqiu’s palm.

That’s right; two beads.

Lin Yuewei glanced at her and cleared her throat. “I originally wanted to carve you a whole string, but my skills aren’t up to par. I spent a long time carving them, and only these two turned out presentable. The rest…”

“When did you start preparing this?” Gu Yanqiu rubbed the two smooth, rounded beads in her hand, feeling the tiny scripture carved into them with her fingertips. Warmth welled up in her heart, and she asked with a smile.

“The idea was settled a long time ago, but I only really started making them after the last drama I filmed wrapped.”

“Weren’t you always at home?”

“I learned in secret while you were at work. There’s a little storage room in my family’s backyard, and I kept the tools in there.” Lin Yuewei looked quite pleased with herself for having hidden it from her. Gifts for Gu Yanqiu had to be a secret from start to finish; not a single word could leak out. Even Ran Qingqing didn’t know what she’d been tinkering with in that storage room.

“Thank you. I really like it,” Gu Yanqiu said, moved.

“Take out the thank you.”

“I really like it.”

Lin Yuewei hugged her and let out a sigh against her shoulder, saying honestly, “I’m glad you like it. Actually, I kept hesitating over whether I should even give it to you. A string became two beads; that’s a bit too much shrinkage, isn’t it? But since I’d already made them, I figured it’s the thought that counts.”

“Mm.” Gu Yanqiu couldn’t help but smile.

“Can two beads even be played with?”

“They probably… can’t.”

“Then should I carve a few more?”

“Just drill holes in them and make them into a bracelet. One for you, one for me; a couple’s bracelet.”

“Jiang Congbi actually guessed right!” Lin Yuewei pulled away from her embrace, looking strangely surprised.

“What did she say?”

“Before, she told me to prepare a small gift for you and suggested a couple’s bracelet. I said you definitely wouldn’t like it, but then…” She shook her head dejectedly. “Looks like I still don’t understand you very well. I’m not even as good as Jiang Congbi is at understanding you.”

“That’s not true.” Gu Yanqiu regretted the slip of the tongue a little and held her shoulders. “I like everything you give me, whether it’s Buddhist beads or a bracelet. I only said it could be a couple’s bracelet because two beads are hard to string together, so they happened to be able to be worn separately.”

“Oh.” Lin Yuewei still looked rather listless.

Gu Yanqiu leaned in and kissed her.

Chu.

Lin Yuewei kept a straight face.

Gu Yanqiu kissed her twice.

Chu-chu.

The corner of Lin Yuewei’s mouth lifted before she forced it back down.

Gu Yanqiu wrapped one hand around the back of her head and the other around her face, drawing her closer to herself.

Chu-chu-chu-chu-chu-chu-chu.

It was a little ticklish. Lin Yuewei could no longer control her expression; she laughed and ducked into Gu Yanqiu’s arms. “That’s cheating.”

Chu-chu-chu.

Lin Yuewei burst out laughing. “Hahahahaha.”

Chu-chu-chu-chu.

It was so ticklish that Lin Yuewei really couldn’t take it anymore. She begged for mercy. “Spare me, sir.”

The Great Sir Gu kissed her twice more, then finally showed mercy and let her off.

Lin Yuewei staggered to freedom with a lipstick print on the right side of her face. The birthday girl was terrifying; she was even a little wild.

Gu Yanqiu said, “What about the other gift?”

Lin Yuewei said, “What other gift?” She had only prepared the Buddhist beads and the bracelet. As for the anniversary gift, that was the anniversary gift; did she want to draw it out in advance? The thing was still at the Lin house. She couldn’t bring it out right now.

Gu Yanqiu lowered her gaze and pointed.

Lin Yuewei looked down and saw a pink ribbon bow.

Gu Yanqiu opened the final gift, smeared some of the cake’s cream onto it, and tasted it slowly at the table.

Lin Yuewei was casually draped in Gu Yanqiu’s silk bathrobe, sitting cross-legged on the bed and holding a golden rooster mounted on a crystal base. Her expression was complicated.

Lin Yuewei had wanted to see the gifts Gu Huai and Gu Feiquan had given her. Gu Yanqiu had asked which one she wanted to open first, and Lin Yuewei had chosen Gu Feiquan’s. Gu Yanqiu’s expression had immediately turned subtle, and only then did Lin Yuewei finally understand the implication behind it.

“I thought necklaces or bracelets and things like that were too ordinary, so this golden rooster of mine not only represents your zodiac sign, it can also be displayed at home as a decoration. A golden rooster heralds dawn and brings good fortune; the meaning is pretty good too.”

Lin Yuewei: “………………”

May he stay ordinary forever.

Lin Yuewei complained, “Does Gu Feiquan’s brain work differently from everyone else’s?”

“Don’t rush. There’s more.” Gu Yanqiu suppressed her smile and, recalling Gu Feiquan’s tone, pointed at the golden rooster and said seriously, “Look at this chicken. At first glance, it’s just an ordinary golden rooster.”

Lin Yuewei’s reaction was exactly the same as Gu Yanqiu’s at the time. “And if you look closer?”

Gu Yanqiu’s lips curved upward; that triumph in her eyes and brows was strikingly familiar. “Look closer and it’s not an ordinary chicken anymore. The eyes are gemstones; did you see that? I had them custom-made.”

Lin Yuewei laughed until she nearly fell over on the bed, calling out, “My God.”

Gu Yanqiu collapsed beside her too. This couldn’t be thought about; the more you thought about it, the funnier it got, especially when there was someone next to you laughing along. It was impossible to stop.

Lin Yuewei propped herself up, her body still shaking with laughter. “Seriously, I used to think Gu Feiquan was still a little threatening, but now not at all. He’s way too funny.”

Even if Gu Yanqiu liked someone, she definitely wouldn’t like someone like Gu Feiquan. Was this what a real straight man was like? Lin Yuewei had always considered herself straight as well and thought she lacked romance, but compared to Gu Feiquan, she suddenly felt a little inflated.

Gu Yanqiu also sat up and said in disbelief, “The key is that he really thinks this golden rooster is great.”

Lin Yuewei flopped back down again, clutching her stomach as her abs started twitching all over again. “Stop talking, or I’m going to be laughed to death by your brother tonight.”

Gu Yanqiu froze at this unfamiliar form of address and murmured the word back to herself. “Brother?”

Only then did Lin Yuewei realize what she’d said. Her expression changed immediately. “I didn’t mean to.”

That was how she thought of it in her heart, but Gu Yanqiu might not necessarily feel the same. Before, she had been careful to address him by name directly; today she was too relaxed, and the words had slipped out by accident.

Gu Yanqiu shook her head lightly. “It’s fine.”

Seeing that she didn’t seem bothered, Lin Yuewei boldly asked, “So what do you think of Gu Feiquan now?”

Gu Yanqiu said calmly and wryly, “He’s a good person.”

Lin Yuewei: “……”

Gu Yanqiu pulled on her hand to get her sitting upright, bringing her to eye level, then let her gaze fall toward a corner of the room. “I don’t know either. I don’t dislike having such a brother, but I can’t quite say it out loud yet.”

“He seems to really like you, and he cares about you too,” Lin Yuewei said only what she’d personally felt; whether it was from their chat on WeChat or what she’d seen with her own eyes at the hospital last time.

“I know,” Gu Yanqiu said softly.

If not for that, she wouldn’t have gotten close to Gu Feiquan. And after later learning the matter of her mother, Shen Huaiyu, her hostility toward He Songjun had lessened quite a bit, let alone toward Gu Feiquan. But perhaps it would only be on the day the truth was finally revealed that she could truly, sincerely call him “brother.”

Gu Yanqiu took her phone and opened the chat window with Gu Feiquan. Lin Yuewei took it from her and scrolled up from the bottom, seeing the line “brother love you.” She couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s pretty cute.”

He didn’t dare say it in Chinese, so he resorted to English as a trick. Thinking back to how he had asked Gu Yanqiu before but said nothing, then immediately obeyed when she threatened that using Gu Yanqiu would lower her impression of him, it was obvious he was a sister con through and through.

Gu Yanqiu looked worried. “Do you think he can be trusted?”

Lin Yuewei first went, “Huh?” and thought why was this question being asked to her? She was the one who had the most contact with Gu Feiquan; she was just an observer. But after a moment, she understood. Gu Yanqiu’s suspicious nature had flared up. Even if she believed the other party deep down, she still couldn’t be certain and wanted a definite answer from her.

Because she was the only person Gu Yanqiu trusted.

Lin Yuewei felt tender toward her and reached out to ruffle the top of her hair. “When you trust him completely, then accept him. It’s fine.”

Gu Yanqiu said, “But…”

Lin Yuewei looked into her eyes and repeated softly, “It’s fine, okay?”

Gu Yanqiu’s mood gradually settled. “Mm.”

Lin Yuewei moved on from the subject and pulled over the other box that had been set aside. She rubbed her hands together, eager to try. “Come on, let’s see what your dad gave you.”

Gu Huai’s gift was not only not straight-man-like at all; it had clearly been prepared with great care for Gu Yanqiu.

Lin Yuewei looked down into the box and patted her chest in lingering fear. “Luckily you didn’t open this one first, or I’d have been mortified.”

What Gu Huai had prepared was also a string of Buddhist beads. The material, color, and patina were all exquisite; anyone could tell at a glance that it was expensive. It was impossible to say how much better it was than the string on Gu Yanqiu’s wrist, or than the clumsy one Lin Yuewei had carved herself. It was leagues above them all.

Gu Yanqiu leaned over and, after clearly seeing what was inside, remained unreadable. She didn’t reach for the beads; instead, she took out the envelope laid beneath them. On the front, Gu Huai had personally written six basic but legible characters: To My Daughter, Opened by Her Only.

Gu Yanqiu slowly unfolded the letter and read downward, word by word.

The letter wasn’t long; it was only one page. Before Gu Yanqiu read it, Lin Yuewei glanced at the time. It took a full five minutes to read. She let out a soft breath.

“What did he write?”

Gu Yanqiu pressed at the corners of her damp eyes and handed her the paper.

My daughter:

So many things have happened over the past year, and the impact on you has been very, very great. Dad should first say sorry to you. But today is your birthday, so we won’t talk about such heavy subjects. Your birth was delivered by me; at the time the umbilical cord was wrapped twice around your neck, and your little face had turned purple from holding your breath. I patted you on the back until you burped and heard your first loud cry. I changed your diapers, mixed your milk powder, got up in the middle of the night to hold you while you cried yourself hoarse, and slowly coaxed you to sleep. When you were eight months old and had just started to talk, you were especially clingy with me; if you couldn’t see me, you would cry. I took you to the company with me, and during meetings I carried you in my arms. You were very good; as long as I gave you a pacifier to suck on, you wouldn’t cry. When you were one year old, you learned how to walk; after another month or two, you learned how to run. You were far smarter than other children. Right now, as I write this letter, all I can see in my mind are the scenes of you slowly growing up year by year. If I were to write them all out, I’m afraid it would take three days and three nights.

I think you must have forgotten all of this. You started forming memories around age three or four; then the company expanded and my work suddenly became much busier, so I couldn’t accompany you often. By the time I finally had some free time again, you were already about to start middle school, with your own ideas, your own circle of friends, and not as close to your father as before. The thing I regret most is missing that period when you were growing the fastest, which led to you becoming so easily doubtful about whether you were loved.

No matter what your mother is like, Dad loves you; more than anyone else in this world loves you.

To have you in this world is my honor, and having you as my daughter is also my honor.

Your loving father, Gu Huai

Author’s note:

President Gu has many people who love her; she isn’t lonely at all. Just wait for her to rise up~

The domineering CEO countdown is now online