Chapter 256: Do You Know Who He Likes? (16)

“Do I have a choice?” Lu Jinnian replied casually as though he didn’t care about his own birthday.

Qiao Anhao frowned. Through the tiny door opening, she could vaguely catch a glimpse of Lu Jinnian. He had his head lowered as he flipped leisurely through the documents. As he flipped, he paused momentarily as though a thought had struck him.

He lifted his head, looking into the empty space in front of him, his expression dazed, a tiny deprecating smile curling his lips. He lowered his head once again, studying his documents. With an emotionless expression, he replied indifferently, “Besides, there isn’t much to celebrate.”

Ever since his mother passed away, the number of people that knew his birthday dwindled, his father, his wife, and his grandfather… But every year on that day, they would only celebrate Xu Jiamu’s birthday. How could they remember his? There wasn’t much to celebrate.. and there wasn’t anyone to celebrate with him…

His assistant did not say anymore.

Silence fell on the room.

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Lu Jinnian sat gracefully, resuming his work. However, from the tiny opening, Qiao Anhao could see the usual cold, detached look he had on his face, even his tone was his usual frosty one. But somehow, she could sense a hint of loneliness and isolation.

She distinctly remembered that every year on Xu Jiamu’s birthday, he would often invite everyone out to have fun. It was always a joyous occasion and Lu Jinnian would definitely be there. He would even prepare a present for him, appearing indifferent as usual. Who knew that it was also his birthday… It was both their birthdays, but he had to stand by the sidelines, watching as his little brother was flooded with gifts and blessings. And on that very day, he wouldn’t receive a single greeting.

Qiao Anhao could feel a throbbing ache clench her heart, she leaned against the wall for a long while. Only when Madam Chen came out of the kitchen did she finally come back to her senses, walking over to knock on the door.

That afternoon, Lu Jinnian and his assistant left directly after lunch.

Qiao Anhao had the whole day to herself since there wasn’t any filming that day. Since it was both Lu Jinnian and Xu Jiamu’s birthday on Friday, she decided to get the both of them a present. Out of habit, she called Zhao Meng to ask her out, but she was on a date. Qiao Anhao didn’t want to disrupt her, so she called Qiao Anxia instead.

Since Qiao Anxia was working in Qiao Enterprise, her working hours were flexible, and she agreed to Qiao Anhao’s request instantly.

Coincidentally, both Qiao Anhao and Qiao Anxia had to renew their car plates that day. Since Qiao Enterprise was in the central business district, Qiao Anhao took the metro over to find her cousin.

Qiao Anxia remembered that it was Xu Jiamu’s birthday, hence she decided to pick out a present for him while Qiao Anhao shopped.

When Qiao Anxia was about to pay, she turned and saw Qiao Anhao leaning over the counter, staring at something. Qiao Anxia titled her head slightly and saw her pointing at an elegant tie clip.

 Chapter 257: Do You Know Who He Likes? (17)

When Qiao Anxia was about to pay, she turned and saw Qiao Anhao leaning over the counter, staring at something. Qiao Anxia titled her head slightly and saw her pointing at an elegant tie clips.

Qiao Anxia couldn’t keep her laughter in. “Qiao Qiao, isn’t one present enough? How many presents are you going to get Xu Jiamu?”

Qiao Anhao smiled back at her as she received the neck tie from the counter staff with her hands. She looked down to inspect the tie clips for awhile before turning to look at Qiao Anxia. Holding up the necktie to her own chest, she asked, “How is it?”

Qiao Anxia took two steps back, studying Qiao Anhao. After a short pause, she nodded slowly. “It’s good.”

Qiao Anhao lowered her head again to scrutinise the necktie once more before nodding her head in satisfaction. The more she looked at it, the more pleased she was with her choice, she started to imagine how Lu Jinnian would look.

Qiao Anxia looked on impatiently, hurrying her, “Qiao Qiao, are you done?”

Qiao Anhao passed the tie clips over to the counter staff. “I would like to get this.”

The counter staff smiled slightly as she nodded. “Would you like to pay together or separately?”

Qiao Anxia took out her wallet and pulled out a black card. Without even thinking, she replied generously, “Together.”

“Separate.” Qiao Anhao reached out to block Qiao Anxia’s hand as she smiled warmly at the staff. She turned back to look at Qiao Anxia. “Sis, it’ll be better for me to pay for a present myself.”

Qiao Anxia seemed slightly irritated. “Suit yourself.”

She turned turned back to pass her card to the staff. “Charge my item then, there isn’t a password.”

The staff smiled politely as she reached over to take the card to make payment. Afterwards, she packed Qiao Anxia’s item into a bag and passed it back to her. Pointing towards the customer service counter at the exit, the staff continued, “Miss, if it’s a gift, you could go there to get a card and your gift wrapped.”

Qiao Anxia smiled slightly as she nodded in acknowledgement. Reaching over to grab the bag, she tilted her head towards Qiao Anhao. “I’ll go over to take a look first.” She then walked away.

After settling the bill, Qiao Anhao walked over as well. She picked out two exquisite boxes and passed it to the staff, informing her in which box to place which gift. The red box was for Xu Jiamu and the blue box was for the tie clips.

Qiao Anxia who was writing her blessing at the side asked curiously, “Qiao Qiao, isn’t both presents for Xu Jiamu? Why do you need to separate them?”

Qiao Anhao’s fingers trembled slightly before she resumed writing the birthday card. After writing ‘Happy Birthday’, she replied lightly, “I have a friend in the filming crew with the same birthday.”

Initially, Qiao Anhao had wanted to tell Qiao Anxia that it was for Lu Jinnian, but when she remembered that Qiao Anxia was rejected by Lu Jinnian a month ago, she couldn’t bring herself to tell her, afraid that she would be upset.Chapter 258: Do You Know Who He Likes? (18)

“Oh…” Qiao Anxia replied indifferently before passing the card over to the staff.

After Qiao Anhao had packed both gifts, they left the shop.

When Qiao Anhao had mentioned about the filming crew, Qiao Anxia seemed to have been reminded that the day after her cousing was in danger, rumours of Lin Shiyi exploded.

In the past, she wouldn’t have thought much of it. But after the night she had witnessed how Lu Jinnian went crazy because of Qiao Anhao, she immediately understood when Lin Shiyi got scolded by everyone the next day, it was definitely Lu Jinnian’s doing.

She had thought that he had done enough, but that night, when she attended a dinner, she met several board directors from Huan Ying Entertainment. When the conversation stirred towards producer Sun, they clarified that Lu Jinnian had forced him to withdraw his funds and leave the crew.

Lu Jinnian’s love for Qiao Anhao had gone to a point where he could forsake monetary benefits…

“Sis, how’s this dress?”

Qiao Anhao’s sudden voice jolted Qiao Anxia back to her senses. She turned towards her. Qiao Anhao stood in front of a full length mirror, her hands holding onto a small pink dress, her head tilted to a side, awaiting Qiao Anxia’s verdict.

The rays from the lamp fell on Qiao Anhao, leaving her flawless milky skin glistening. She wasn’t wearing any makeup, but her skin was smooth and delicate, her thick lashes framing her soulful eyes, her red lips a stark contrast against her white teeth. Qiao Anhao was no doubt a beauty.

After Qiao Anhao’s parents died, she had been living in Qiao Anxia’s home. All these years, Qiao Anhao had constantly given in to her cousin’s requests and had always been compliant. Hence, even though Qiao Anxia was aware that Qiao Anhao was much prettier than she was, she had never harped on it.

Deep inside, she had always believed that Qiao Anhao could never suppress her. In her eyes, Qiao Anhao was just an orphan while she was the eldest daughter of Qiao Enterprise, the apple of her parents’ eyes, the future owner of Qiao Enterprise.

But now, as Qiao Anxia stared at Qiao Anhao, she was left in a daze.

She had never known that Qiao Anhao was this mesmerising, to the point it tugged at her heart. Was this why Lu Jinnian had fallen for her? For her looks?

Qiao Anhao turned to look at Qiao Anxia who was staring at her, frowning slightly. Her plump lips pouted as she called out to her, “Sis? Sis?”

When Qiao Anxia finally came back to her senses, she realized that she had gone into a daze. She lowered eyes before looking back up to praise her cousin, “It’s pretty. Do you like it? I’ll get it for you.”

Qiao Anhao turned to face the mirror, studying herself a little longer before shaking her head. “Forget it, let’s go walk around.”

After walking for another hour, Qiao Anhao still didn’t get anything. In the end, they randomly entered a coffee shop for a rest.

Ever since Qiao Anhao found out about Lu Jinnian’s birthday, she had been secretly planning on how to celebrate it. When they entered the coffee shop, she saw a wall that was filled with pretty pink and purple balloons. Inspired, she decided to decorate Mian Xiu Garden to surprise Lu Jinnian.Chapter 259: Do You Know Who He Likes? (19)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemAfter ordering coffee, Qiao Anhao reached for her phone and went on Taobao to pick out balloons and some pretty decorative items whilst she was at it. She felt immediately excited, seeing as she could amass all different types of pretty candles. With her head tilted, she thought about what she wanted to write on the bedroom floor.

After thinking about it for a long time, in the end, Qiao Anhao thought of the most simple words: Lu Jinnian, Happy Birthday.

And so, she sent those words off to the store with the dimensions of the bedroom floor. The store took a moment to estimate it all, then told Qiao Anhao just about how many candles she needed.

Following the store’s instructions, she made her order.

There needs to be a birthday cake to celebrate a birthday… Qiao Anhao finished shopping for the decorations. She originally wanted to go order a cake from Black Swan, but once she exited Taobao, she saw an advert for handmade cakes. She blinked, hesitating, but finally gave in. She followed the advert and entered the store. Inside, she bought all of the equipment needed to bake a cake, an oven, and ingredients; she was ready to personally bake a cake for Lu Jinnian’s birthday.

When Qiao Anhao finished paying, she thought about her perfect idea and her lips couldn’t help but curve upwards.

Stunned by Qiao Anhao’s beauty, every now and then, Qiao Anxia would stare at her for a while. She wasn’t sure if it was her mind playing games on her, but the more she examined her cousing, the more beautiful and flawless she looked from all 365 degrees round. Her beauty was definitely worth a second look.

Qiao Anxia saw that Qiao Anhao was always playing with her phone. Every now and then, she would also let out a silly laugh, which prompted Qiao Anxia to not be able not to ask, “What’s got you so happy?”

When Qiao Anhao heard Qiao Anxia’s words, she raised her head and stared at her with curved brows. Then she bit on her straw and drank some juice. With a cheerful smile, she said, “I bought some things off Taobao.”

“You good-for-nothing! How is this something to be so happy over,” Qiao Anxia teased, doubtful. She lowered her head and glanced over at her own phone. A notification from QQ popped up. Qiao Anxia casually clicked it open and saw news of Lu Jinnian’s new film in cooperation with Hollywood.

The news published a photo of Lu Jinnian’s close-up. His handsome eyes and cold expression were celestial.

Qiao Anxia stared at it for a good long while before diverting her eyes to Qiao Anhao. She said, “Lu Jinnian is just becoming bigger and bigger. Not only does he own the film industry in mainland China, but now he’s entering Hollywood.”

Qiao Anhao had also seen the news sent in the WeChat group. When she heard Qiao Anxia’s words, her lips curved into a smile, and she said to Qiao Anxia, “Yeah.”

Back in university, when Qiao Anhao was in Beijing and Lu Jinnian was in Hangzhou, she missed him, yet she couldn’t brazenly contact him, so she had thought of all these ways to send him texts or QQ messages.

Even now, when Qiao Anhao saw the headlines, she was just as sneaky and hesitant as she was before, sending Lu Jinnian a message, [The news say that you’ll be working with Hollywood on your new film. Is that true?]

Lu Jinnian quickly replied to Qiao Anhao’s message with just a simple one word reply, [Yeah.]

But even so, it suddenly felt to Qiao Anhao like they had gone back to the beautiful times of their youth.

Chapter 260: Do You Know Who He Likes? (20)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemQiao Anhao stared at her phone screen , and thought for a moment. Then, just as she used to do to Lu Jinnian whenever she went to Hangzhou and cried for him to treat her to dinner, she sent him another message, [You have to treat me to dinner.]

[Okay.] Qiao Anhao’s phone received Lu Jinnian’s reply, which was then followed by another message with a few more words, [What do you want to eat?]

[Anything’s fine.] After Qiao Anhao typed this, she paused for a second, and added the words, [What day?]

[Today.]

[Then Anxia might come. I’m with her right now.]

[Ok, where are you? I’ll come pick you both up.]

Seeing as Lu Jinnian had no thoughts, Qiao Anhao told him where they were.

After about a minute, Lu Jinnian sent another message, [Alright, wait for my call.]

[Okay then.] Qiao Anhao replied to Lu Jinnian with those two words. She turned her eyes from her phone, towards Qiao Anxia who was taking a selfie. “Sis, as I sent Lu Jinnian a message just now to congratulate him, I casually asked him to treat us. Who would of thought, he actually agreed. Do you want to eat?”

Qiao Anxia’s expression, as she looked into the camera, slightly froze for a second, and she said in a neutral tone, “Whatever, I don’t mind.” She looked into the camera, posed with an elegant expression, and pressed the capture button.

Just when Qiao Anxia put her photo through MeituPic, ready to edit, she looked up at Qiao Anhao and said, “Qiao Qiao, can I ask you a question?”

“What question?” Qiao Anhao stared at Qiao Anxia with her full attention.

Qiao Anxia also put down her phone, and her expression became serious. “Qiao Qiao, do you know who Lu Jinnian likes?”

Qiao Anhao shook her head. “No, I don’t.”

She paused, bit her straw, and took two sips. Then said to Qiao Anxia, “But when I asked him once, he told me that the woman he loves is already married.”

Qiao Anxia didn’t make a sound but stared directly at Qiao Anhao. She closely looked her up and down. After staring for a long while, Qiao Anxia realised that Qiao Anhao’s eyes were only filled with curiosity. She wasn’t hiding anything, nor did she look guilty. Only then did Qiao Anxia divert her eyes. It seemed like Qiao Anhao really didn’t know that she was the woman Lu Jinnian was in-love with.

Qiao Anxia lowered her head, sitrring the coffee in her cup. With a gentle “yeah”, she continued to say, “She’s married.”

So Qiao Anxia already knew that the woman Lu Jinnian loved was married after all. Didn’t that also mean that she knew who she was?

Qiao Anhao forcefully bit her straw. After some hesitation, she still asked, “Sis, do you already know who Lu Jinnian loves?”

Qiao Anxia didn’t say a word.

Qiao Anhao lowered her eyes. She secretly mentally prepared herself, then asked in a relaxed voice, “Who is it?”

Qiao Anhao was already married to Xu Jiamu, and in all these years, Lu Jinnian didn’t let her know that she was the one he loves.

He must of not wanted to disrupt his brother’s marriage.

Also, Qiao Anhao and Xu Jiamu seemed like they were doing well… If she revealed the truth, would it disrupt Qiao Anhao’s happiness?Chapter 261: My Birthday Present to You (1)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemQiao Anxia hesitated for a moment. In the end, she curved her lips, shook her head, and smiled at Qiao Anhao. “How would I know who Lu Jinnian loves? I haven’t contacted him in so long. I know as much as you do. I just heard from other people that the woman he loves is already married, so I thought I’d may as well ask you.”

“Oh,” Qiao Anhao replied, embarrassed. She bit her straw and turned her head to look out of the cafe window.

After a pause, Qiao Anxia put the mug in her hands down and asked again, “It’s been a long time since I saw Jiamu. How is he recently?”

The real Xu Jiamu was still lying in the hospital. He hadn’t woken up yet, but people didn’t know about that… Qiao Anhao nodded and said, “He’s great.”

After a while, she continued, “You know how it is, after Jiamu was disfigured, he doesn’t like to see people.”

“Yeah, it’s such a shame. If Jiamu hadn’t gotten in that car accident, then the two of you together would be an ideal couple.”

Qiao Anhao lowered her eyelids to cover the guilt in her eyes. She smiled, and didn’t say anything.

“But it’s all right. Cosmetic surgery is so advanced now. Wait until Jiamu gets better, then we’ll plan something.”

–

When Lu Jinnian received Qiao Anhao’s message, he was sitting in Huan Ying Entertainment’s meeting room, listening to department performance reports. He had already brushed over these reports before the meeting, so he was already a little distracted.

Then the phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated. At first, he didn’t consider taking it out, but feeling a little bored, he fished it out to find a text from Qiao Anhao.

For that split second, Lu Jinnian felt that time had stopped. This was similar to when he used to sit in his university library, tired from the pressure of filming and studies, and he would suddenly receive a random, meaningless text from Qiao Anhao, like, “You took on a historical drama?”, “I heard Brother Jiamu say that because of filming, you failed your course?”, “It’s snowing in Hangzhou? Does that mean you can see the Broken Bridge covered in snow?”

Whenever it got around to that time, he was a little a tired and irritated, but then, like a miracle, things would quiet down and he would chat with her on the phone for a long time.

Thinking back to those precious days of his youth, a hint of sadness and sorrow came over Lu Jinnian. His fingers gently tapped on the phone screen as he replied to Qiao Anhao.

It was already five o’clock when the meeting came to an end. Lu Jinnian returned to the office to handle some urgent documents for the day. Then he grabbed his phone to check the time—it was already twenty past five. He clicked open and reread the messages, sent during the meeting, between him and Qiao Anhao. In the corner of his lips, there was a hint of a smile.

“Mr. Lu…” cried the assistant, pushing open the door and entering.

Lu Jinnian hurriedly put his phone on his desk. With a cold expression, he said, “What?”

“Mr. Lu, you have a dinner scheduled for tonight. It’s booked for seven, but there might be traffic, so we have to leave early…”

Before the assistant could finish, Lu Jinnian interrupted in a flat voice, “I won’t be attending tonight’s dinner.” The assistant was stunned. Lu Jinnian stood up. As he put on a jacket, he said in a cold tone, “I’m taking the car. Come directly to the office tomorrow morning. You don’t have to go to Mian Xiu Garden.”Chapter 262: My Birthday Present To You (2)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemThe assistant was stunned. Lu Jinnian stood up. As he put on a jacket, he said in a cold tone, “I’m taking the car. Come directly to the office tomorrow morning. You don’t have to go to Mian Xiu Garden.”

Without waiting for his assistant to react, Lu Jinnian pulled open his office door and left straight away.

–

Perhaps it was because Qiao Anhao had drank a lot of juice, she had to go to the restroom. On her way there, she dug through her bag for tissue. While searching, she realised that she forgot to bring her phone. She hastily turned back. But as she needed to go, she hesitated for a moment, then turned right back into the restroom.

Just two minutes after Qiao Anhao left, the phone on the table started to ring.

Qiao Anxia looked up and saw the three words “Lu Jinnian” appear on the screen. She hesitated for a moment, not picking up the call.

The phone automatically hung up, but after thirty seconds, Lu Jinnian dialled again. Qiao Anxia raised her head and looked at Qiao Anhao’s phone a few times. The fourth time Lu Jinnian called, she finally reached for it and picked it up, “It’s me.”

Hearing Qiao Anxia through the phone, Lu Jinnian creased his brows and didn’t say a word.

Qiao Anxia waited for half a minute before saying, “Qiao Qiao’s in the restroom. If there’s something urgent, I’ll get her to call you back when she gets back.”

“No, it’s fine.” Lu Jinnian’s voice sounded neutral through the phone. “I’m already at parking block B on the lower floor of the mall. In a bit, come down.”

“Okay.” Qiao Anxia stopped for a moment, then said, “Goodbye”. With that, she hung up. Just as she was about to put Qiao Anhao’s phone back on the table, she saw two shipping notifications from Taobao pop up on the phone screen.

Qiao Anxia instantly thought about how ecstatic Qiao Anhao looked sitting there just now and couldn’t help her curiosity about what she bought, and so she casually clicked it.

A bunch of cake baking equipment and a bunch of balloons, and candles.

Was this the surprise she wanted to give Xu Jiamu?

Qiao Anxia couldn’t help but chuckle, she then swiped down to Taobao’s chat log. As a result, she saw the name “Lu Jinnian”. Qiao Anxia furrowed her brows and scrolled right to the top and took a serious read at Qiao Anhao and the seller’s conversation. When she saw Qiao Anhao send the seller the phrase, “Lu Jinnian, Happy Birthday”, she finally understood. So it turns out, these things that Qiao Anhao bought weren’t for Xu Jiamu’s birthday, but to celebrate Lu Jinnian’s birthday…

Qiao Anxia couldn’t help but glance over at the two gift boxes opposite her. She thought about what Qiao Anhao had said to her about a friend in the crew celebrating their birthday in two days. That friend… was it Lu Jinnian?

The hand Qiao Anxia used to clutch Qiao Anhao’s phone couldn’t help but clench harder. With her fingers on the screen, some other apps repeatedly popped up and closed endlessly.

As Qiao Anxia calmed down, she lowered her head and looked at Qiao Anhao’s phone. She realised that her finger was randomly hitting things on the phone. Qiao Anhao’s photo gallery unexpectedly opened.

There weren’t many photos in Qiao Anhao’s photo albums, but one of them caught Qiao Anxia’s full attention.Chapter 263: My Birthday Present To You (3)

 Paperplane  Editor: DarkGemThere weren’t many photos in Qiao Anhao’s photo albums, but one of them caught Qiao Anxia’s full attention.

It was a photo of a man and a woman. The woman was Qiao Anhao, and the man was someone she was far too familiar with, Lu Jinnian.

Qiao Anxia paused for five minutes, then she raised her fingers and enlarged the photo. Qiao Anxia noticed that the photo was clearly shot above the bed. Lu Jinnian’s eyes were shut, and Qiao Anhao was held in his arms. He was deep asleep with Qiao Anhao cuddled against his chest.

There was a hint of feminine gentleness in Qiao Anhao’s eyes. The photo was shot just aboveher breasts, so it didn’t reveal anything explicit, but there was a deep love bite on her white, delicate collar bone, which exposed everything.

Qiao Anxia thought that she would never forget this moment and this feeling for the rest of her life. Startled and astonished. In disbelief. Yet the photo on the phone’s screen, and the chat log on Taobao, made it impossible for her not to believe it.

Qiao Anxia’s head was blank for almost a minute, then a thought registered – Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian actually slept together…

How did they end up sleeping together? When did they sleep together?

As Qiao Anxia was thinking, she looked for the time Qiao Anhao’s photo was shot. She realised that it was something that had happened two months ago…

No wonder Lu Jinnian suddenly dropped his status to play the second male lead. No wonder Qiao Anhao’s casual words could get Lu Jinnian to treat them to a meal. And no wonder she could get Lu Jinnian to come out for dinner. It was only because she mentioned that Qiao Anhao would be there that he agreed…

So way back then, the two of them were already secretly sleeping together.

Qiao Anhao was married to Xu Jiamu. How could she mess around with Lu Jinnian? If sh*t hit the fan and Xu Jiamu found out, then what would happen? By that time, wouldn’t it cause blood brothers to turn against each other? Also, the Qiao family and Xu family had an arranged marriage. For something like this to happen, wouldn’t it ruin all these years of close friendship between the two families? Moreover, Qiao Anhao would definitely be scolded for sleeping around…

At this point, Qiao Anxia’s back became cold. She couldn’t dare imagine how Qiao Anhao would hold her own in front of her close friends and family if that day really did come…

Almost fifteen minutes later, a waitress came over to ask Qiao Anxia if she needed another drink. Only then did Qiao Anxia snap back to reality. She shook her head and forced a smile. She waited until after the waitress had left before she put Qiao Anhao’s phone back to it’s original spot.

Qiao Anxia’s mind was racing. She grabbed a spoon and casually stirred her coffee. As her drink began to foam up, Qiao Anhao finally came back.

“Sorry to make you wait. There were quite a lot of people,” she said sweetly, a gentle smile on her lips.

Qiao Anxia raised her head and looked at Qiao Anhao’s innocent face with some disbelief. This girl was actually a woman who would betray her marriage. She forced a smile back at Qiao Anhao, and tried to remain calm as she said, “Lu Jinnian called just now. He said that he’s already in the parking lot downstairs. He also said that after you come back from the restroom, we should head down.”

“Oh?” Qiao Anhao replied. She casually tapped her call log and saw that Lu Jinnian had made a few missed calls and there was one call received. Then she raised her head, smiled at Qiao Anxia, and said, “Let’s head down.”Chapter 264: My Birthday Present To You (4)

Qiao Anxia seemed to have been affected by the photo; she could sense a hint of anticipation on Qiao Anhao’s face as she smiled.

Qiao Anxia arranged her expression before settling the bill. When they were both in the lift, she casually asked, “Qiao Qiao, is Jiamu treating you well?”

It was not the first time that Qiao Anxia had asked her this question. Qiao Anhao tilted her head to the side, her voice cajoling. “Sis, you have asked this question many times after I got married.”

“I’m just worried that you aren’t happy.”

Initially, she was indeed worried that because of something she did, she had caused her unhappiness, but this time, she had asked to find out if what was happening between her and Lu Jinnian was because she was mistreated.

Qiao Anhao’s smile grew warmer with Qiao Anxia’s concern. Even though she was well aware that she didn’t marry Xu Jiamu, she still decided to lie to make Qiao Anxia feel better. ” Why won’t I be happy? Jiamu has always treated me well, you’re a witness to that.”

Qiao Anxia had wanted to ask her why she would betray him if he treated her well… but she wasn’t able to say such harsh words to Qiao Anhao, afraid that she would feel embarrassed, harming their relationship. In the end, she asked once more, “Really?”

“Really.” Qiao Anhao wasn’t aware of Qiao Anxia’s thoughts, so she smiled sweetly at her, reaffirming her doubts.

Qiao Anxia stared at Qiao Anhao for a long while, only when they reached the ground floor and the elevator doors open did she nod her head slightly. “Then all’s good.”

She then couldn’t help adding, “Qiao Qiao, I really hope that you have a happy marriage.”

Qiao Anhao’s marriage was just a show, a show that would continue till the day Xu Jiamu woke up. But who knew when that would be… Till then, she could only keep up the facade, pretending to be in a fake marriage.

She turned to smile at Qiao Anxia once more. “Sis, you don’t have to worry about me, I’ll definitely live a blissful marriage. You should be worrying about yourself, you should really consider Cheng Yang.”

Qiao Anxia curled her lips into a smile, remaining silent. From the corner of her eyes, she could see Lu Jinnian’s car.

–

Lu Jinnian chose the dinner location. They had light cantonese food in an exquisite restaurant with elegant decor. In the large room, there were only the three of them. Halfway through their dinner, someone came in with a violin to play a short tune.

After dinner, it was already 10 pm. There weren’t many cars on the street and since both Qiao Anhao and Qiao Anxia didn’t drive, Lu Jinnian sent Qiao Anxia home. Qiao Anxia had originally wanted to return back home, but Cheng Yang called halfway and she went to his apartment instead.

After dropping her off, Lu Jinnian started his car once more.Chapter 265: My Birthday Present To You (5)

Since both Qiao Anxia and Qiao Anhao boarded Lu Jinnian’s car, they sat at the back while he drove. When he turned into another street, the lights flashed red and the car stopped momentarily. Lu Jinnian looked into the rear mirror and caught a glimpse of a shopping bag beside Qiao Anhao. While they were having dinner, Qiao Anxia mentioned that they had went shopping for birthday presents.

That bag probably contained Xu Jiamu’s present… Lu Jinnian couldn’t help staring at the bag, envy clouding his gaze. Even when the lights turned green, he was still focused on the shopping bag. Only when the cars behind him started beeping did he come back to his senses, stepping on the accelerator. Turning the steering wheel, he made a turn, widening the distance before asking casually, “You went to buy a present for Jiamu just now?”

“Yea,” Qiao Anhao replied. She remembered the present she had gotten for him. Hesitating slightly, she decided to surprise him on Friday instead.

There wasn’t much change in Lu Jinnian’s expression, but his grip on the steering wheel tightened. He sank into silence before finally asking, “What did you get?”

“A tie,” Qiao Anhao replied.

Lu Jinnian nodded, no longer continuing the conversation. The warm street lamps shone into the car, their rays hitting his face, blurring his features.

That night, after showering, Qiao Anhao climbed into the bed. When Lu Jinnian came out of the shower, he didn’t even switch off the lights before pressing onto her, lowering his head to kiss her ferociously. His actions were rough and impatient, pulling off her panties, entering her.

Qiao Anhao trembled, hugging his broad shoulders instinctively. Lu Jinnian tensed slightly before deepening the kiss.

The next day, he left early in the morning to attend a meeting at Huan Ying Entertainment. He drove off without even having breakfast.

After the morning meeting, it was already 10 am. Without having time to even take a sip of water, he left for a lunch meeting. After the lunch, it was already 1.30 pm. From the moment he was awake, he had been working endlessly, only able to take a breather now.

His lunch meeting was held in a clubhouse, and after his meal, he entered the restroom for a breather, while his assistant drove the car to the service centre for a wash.

When the assistant returned after half an hour, Lu Jinnian was already refreshed and talking on the phone.

The assistant stood beside him silently. Only when he ended the call did he ask, “Mr. Lu, do we go back to the company now?”

Lu Jinnian nodded. The assistant was about to head out when he recalled something. He reached into his pocket and fished out a voice recorder, passing it to Lu Jinnian. “Mr. Lu, is this yours?”

Lu Jinnian titled his head, shaking his head as he coldly replied, “No.”Chapter 266: My Birthday Present To You (6)

“But Mr. Lu, this was found in the back of your car by the cleaning staff.”

The voice recorder belonged to either Qiao Anhao or Qiao Anxia… Lu Jinnian frowned, stopping his movement. He reached out and took the voice recorder before walking towards the elevator.

After returning back to Huan Ying Entertainment, he started working on the pile of urgent documents that were stacked on his desk. By the time he was done, it was already 4.30 pm.

He lifted his head to massage his temples before slouching back into his chair. He sat silently, resting for about five minutes before straightening to open his laptop. Just then, he caught sight of the voice recorder that was placed on his desk.

He stared at the voice recorder, hesitating slightly before reaching out to grab it.

This voice recorder seemed rather worn out, it was probably bought a while ago.

Lu Jinnian’s grip on the voice recorder tightened, his thumbs circling it. He couldn’t seem to figure out who it belonged to. One couldn’t help but be curious of the unknown. Even though Lu Jinnian knew that he had to return the voice recorder, he still couldn’t help but press the play button.

There was a buzzing sound before a clear voice came through, about ten seconds later, Lu Jinnian heard a familiar voice calling a familiar name. “Qiao Qiao, what did you say?”

It was Xu Jiamu’s voice, it was deep and soulful, pleasing to the ears.

Qiao Anhao’s reply didn’t come through, instead, the buzzing sound took over. After a long while, Xu Jiamu’s impatient voice came through again, “Qiao Qiao, hurry and tell me what you were saying. Why do you need to close the door?”

“Wow, you’re serving me water?”

“Jiamu, can you be serious. I have something important to tell you.” Qiao Anhao’s voice finally came through.

“Sure sure, I’ll be serious.” Xu Jiamu’s indulgent voice came through, he even coughed seriously before continuing, “I’m serious now, you can say whatever you want, I’m all ears.”

There was a moment of silence before Qiao Anhao begun speaking in her warm voice. “There’s a saying whereby everyone is on earth to await their other half, I believe that mine has appeared and that’s you.”

Lu Jinnian froze as he stared at the voice recorder blankly.

Xu Jiamu didn’t respond, instead, Qiao Anhao’s voice came through sentence by sentence.

“I don’t have big dreams, I just wish for us to be together.

“I’m also not that good with words, but I wish to let you know that in the next fifty years I will still love you as much as I do right now.

“I believe that in this life, there won’t be anyone else I can love as much as I love you.

“You might not know this but since the day I met you, everything I did was to be near you.

I have many dreams but all of them are about you. I have many desires and they all are to be with you. I have made many wishes and all of them are for you to love me.”

Chapter 267: My Birthday Present To You (7)

“To the world, you might be just an ordinary human, but to me you are my entire world.

“For the rest of my life, I will only love you.”

A long while after her last word, Xu Jiamu finally responded, “Qiao Qiao…”

After him calling her name, there was another long pause. Xu Jiamu’s voice then came through again, a certain solemness to it. “In my whole life, I will only love you.”

The recording then ended, nothing else coming through.

Silence settled in the office, and Lu Jinnian remained paralysed, the voice recorder still in his hands.

His expression was calm and indifferent, showing neither anger or joy, his eyes staring straight at the voice recorder.

He seemed to have fossilised.

Lu Jinnian remained in that position till someone knocked on the door. He lifted his head slowly, staring at the tightly shut door, his lips moving slightly but nothing coming out. He moistened his lips and swallowed some saliva before tightening his grip on the voice recorder. He took a deep breath to calm himself before saying, “Come in.”

His assistant opened the door but didn’t walk in. He stood, politely informing Lu Jinnian, “Mr. Lu, it’s already 7 pm, do you want to go back?”

Lu Jinnian lowered his lashes, sinking into silence before replying, “You can leave now, I’ll drive back myself later.”

“Sure,” the assistant replied before taking two steps back to lightly close the door.

Silence returned to the office once more. Lu Jinnian turned to look out the window, realizing that the skies were dark and the entire city was lit by tiny sparks of light.

He reached for his cigarette box out of habit. He stood up and lit a stick, smoking silently.

He had always been aware… but to hear it with his own ears… His heart ached and throbbed with unimaginable pain.

In my whole life, I will love you the most.

In my whole life, I will only love you.

Such a beautiful confession.

Lu Jinnian shut his eyes, using all his strength to suck in the nicotine, trying to numb his feelings. But his breath was too hasty, he choked onto the smoke, coughing uncontrollably.

–

The day before, Qiao Anhao had specifically found a local seller so that her order could be delivered to Mian Xiu Garden in the afternoon.

There was a total of two large boxes. Qiao Anhao and Madam Chen carried them up to the second floor, hiding them in the bedroom. Lu Jinnian’s birthday was the next day and Qiao Anhao was worried that he would find out about her surprise. Both of the boxes were placed in the dressing room cupboard. She even locked it and stowed the keys.

The cupboard was where she had kept her luggage, and now that the boxes took up the space, she could only place her luggage in a corner of the dressing room. But as soon as she remembered her secret box, she hurriedly took it out.

Chapter 268: My Birthday Present To You (8)

After searching for a place to hide the metal box, she couldn’t help taking a look at the contents. The box was flooded with plane and railway tickets. She fiddled around and pulled out the sky blue envelope.

She opened the envelope and took the letter inside. Line by line, her cursive handwriting filled the page.

Lu Jinnian,

The existence of everyone in this world is to await the appearance of their other half, I think i have met mine, and it is you.

I don’t have big ambitions, I just wish to be with you.

I’m not that good with words either, but I want to say that for the next fifty years, I wish I could still love you like I do right now.

For the rest of my life, there won’t be anyone else I would love as much as I love you.

You have no idea how hard I have been trying to approach you ever since the first day we met.

I have many dreams, but all of them are of you. I have many wishes, but all of them are to be with you. I hope for a lot, but all of it is for you to love me.

To this world, you may just be a mere human, but to me, you are the entire world.

For the rest of my life, I will only love you.

Qiao Anhao.

At the back of the letter, she had used a light pink pen to write a line from Jay Chou’s song, ”

“Rainy days aren’t the most beautiful,

It’s the house we hid to shelter from the rain that is…”

At that time, even though she was about to graduate from college, she was still a naive romantic youth. The neat rows of words seemed to reflect her insecurity and embarrassment.

Back then, she had read out the whole letter to Xu Jiamu to ask for his opinion. After listening to her, he had scolded her, but afterwards, he had helped her correct one word. The last line was changed from ” For the rest of my life, I will love you the most” to ” For the rest of my life, I will only love you.”

Who knew that the word that he changed had become a prophecy over time. After all these years, Lu Jinnian was still the only one in her heart.

Qiao Anhao sighed, returning the letter back to the envelope, sealing it in the tin box. After circling the entire house, she stuffed the box under the bed.

It was just a few consecutive days that Lu Jinnian stayed in the house, but Qiao Anhao seemed to have gotten used to his presence. After dinner, she would sit in the living room, watching television as she counted down the time until he would came back.

If he was late, she would catch up on a live broadcast drama. The drama would end at 9.45 pm, by then, Lu Jinnian would already be back. But today, after the drama ended, he was still not back. She watched another twenty minutes worth of advertisement, but there were still no signs of Lu Jinnian’s car.

Qiao Anhao sat on the sofa in boredom, adjusting her posture several times. She took the remote control and started switching channels, trying to find something interesting to watch. When it was about 11 pm, Madam Chen, who had been sleeping, came out to get some water. When she saw Qiao Anhao still sitting on the sofa, she got a shock. “Mrs. Lu, why aren’t you asleep?”

Qiao Anhao continued staring at the television. She replied indifferently, “I’m not sleepy.” After a moment, she added, “Hurry and go to sleep after drinking your water.”

Chapter 269: My Birthday Present To You (9)

“Mrs. Lu, you should sleep early too,” Madam Chen nagged before heading back to her own room.

Once again, Qiao Anhao was the only one left in the living room. She watched the television for a while more before glancing up to look at the clock. It was about televen thirty, but Lu Jinnian was still not back yet.

It’ll be his birthday in another half an hour….

Qiao Anhao bit her lip, clenching her phone. She yearned to call and ask him why he wasn’t back, but after finding his number, she realized that she didn’t have any excuse to rush him home.

The past few days had been sweet and blissful, she had even started treating herself as his wife, but she knew it was just temporary, and soon, the dream would come to an end.

She pressed her lips, forcing herself to put down her phone. Hugging her arms, she curled up at the edge of the sofa, her mind running as she stared at the television.

When the clock struck twelve, the clock in the living room started to ring. Qiao Anhao moved, loosening her stiff limbs. It was Friday already, it was his birthday, but he wasn’t back.

Qiao Anhao took a deep breath, sinking into a daze before pulling out her phone. She bit on her fingers, debating on whether or not to wish him happy birthday. Her fingers flew across the phone, and the words “Happy Birthday” appeared.

She bit down on her lip once again, and just when she was about to hit send, she heard the engine of a car coming from outside.

She hurriedly threw her phone aside, rushing to the window to see who it was.

Lu Jinnian stood in front of his office’s window, smoking one stick at a time. Only when he finished the entire box did he take a deep breath, tossing the empty box into the bin. He stood in a daze for a while longer, before leaving the office with his car keys.

When the car left the office building, he glanced at the clock. It was already 11 pm. After the heavy downpour, the streets were wet with tiny puddles everywhere.

Lu Jinnian drove his car around the city aimlessly. He wanted to go to his another mansion, but when he was halfway there, he remembered that his relationship with Qiao Anhao had only gotten better when he was present. His heart clenched slightly, and he turned his car back to the city.

He didn’t know where he could go, driving around aimlessly once again. Unknowingly, he was heading back to Mian Xiu Garden, only when he reached it did he come back to his senses.

Lu Jinnian hesitated slightly, slamming onto the breaks. His car stopped immediately. Straight ahead, he could see that the living room lights were still switched on. He lowered his lashes, sinking into deep thought before starting his car once again, preparing to leave.

The moment he was about to hit the accelerator, the door flew open and Qiao Anhao ran out in her pyjamas.

Lu Jinian’s foot froze before leaving the accelerator, stopping the car once again.

Qiao Anhao ran over in her slippers.

Lu Jinnian’s car windows were down. When Qiao Anhao reached the car, a wide grin spread across her face, and she asked him sweetly, “You’re back?”

Chapter 270: My Birthday Present To You (10)

Lu Jinnian’s car windows were down. When Qiao Anhao reached the car, a wide grin spread across her face, and she asked him sweetly, “You’re back?””

Lu Jinnian didn’t respond, he just glanced at her briefly before turning his head away to look straight ahead. His perfect features was calm without any a trace of emotion, his entire body giving off a frosty, distant vibe.

Sensing his bad mood, Qiao Anhao quickly hid her smile, asking cautiously, “What’s wrong?”

When Lu Jinnian heard her speak, he tilted his head slightly, glancing at her through the rearview mirror, his fingers squeezing the steering wheel. Just one glance, and he abruptly pulled out the car keys and pushed open the doors to leave the car.

Lu Jinnain took large strides into the house, without even glancing at Qiao Anhao.

She hurriedly followed behind him. By the time she entered the house, he had already changed into house slippers and was removing his jacket.

Qiao Anhao slowed down, stopping about half a metre behind Lu Jinnian. In a small voice, she asked, “Have you eaten dinner? Do you want some food?”

Lu Jinnain ignored her, continuing to remove his jacket. He casually threw it onto the sofa before walking up the stairs.

Qiao Anhao took her phone from the sofa before following after him. At the entrance of the bedroom door, she asked him again, “Do you want to bath? It’ll help you relax after a long day.”

Lu Jinnian continued to ignore her as he walked out of the room.

Qiao Anhao touched her cheeks in confusion before running after him again. “It’s late, aren’t you going to rest?”

Lu Jinnian pushed open the study room door and entered as though Qiao Anhao hadn’t spoken. Before she could react, he slammed the door, shutting her out of the room.

Qiao Anhao looked at the tightly shut door. She turned the knob unconsciously, realizing it was locked.

She frowned, not understanding the situation. Why was he in such a bad mood?

Qiao Anhao stood outside the study room for a while before walking to the bedroom. She chewed on her fingers as she pondered. Just then, she remembered Lu Jinnian telling his assistant that there wasn’t much point in celebrating his birthday.

She clearly remembered the loneliness and despair on his face when he had said that.

Today is his birthday, is that why he’s so moody?

Qiao Anhao ran to her side of the bed, pulling open the cupboard to take the blue gift box out.

She had wanted to give it to him after she had prepared everything, but now, he had locked himself in the study room…

Qiao Anhao bit her lip, standing up to get the backup keys Madam Chen had left, ten went back up.

–

“Qiao Qiao, Qiao Qiao, Qiao Qiao!”

Qiao Anxia shouted three times before sitting up on her bed violently.