Chapter 359: I love you, I love you (15)
She was his deep, forbidden love, and this was the only way he could tell her some things.
Maybe she would never get to see it, or maybe in the future, when they completely lost contact would she finally see the secret hidden inside the porcelain doll.
Presents were never judged based on their monetary value. To Qiao Anhao, even if someone were to give her the most expensive thing in the world, it would pale in comparison to the porcelain doll that was gifted by Lu Jinnian.
She looked at it, finding it more attractive every time she took another glimpse. In the end, she could no longer keep it in any longer and took out her phone and passed it to Lu Jinnian. “Help me take a photo.”
When he heard her words, his lashes trembled slightly. He immediately concealed his thoughts, reaching for the phone with no emotion evident on his face.
Qiao Anhao hugged the doll and pouted. With her clear eyes, red lips, and white skin, she looked adorable.
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Lu Jinnian stared at the phone screen for a few seconds before snapping the photo.
Qiao Anhao took the phone back and examined the photo. With a satisfied expression, she started to whiten her skin with a beautifying app. She opened the weibo app after and posted the photo with a short caption: “A birthday present as cute as me, wishing myself a happy birthday…” She ended it with a smiley emoticon.
Lu Jinnian sat at the side, taking her actions in. Without much expression, he said, “Lets go back to Mian Xiu Garden.”
“Sure,” Qiao Anhao replied without hesitation. The phone in her palm vibrated, and she looked down to see that Song Xiangsi had replied to her post. “Xiao Qiao happy Birthday, you’re adorable!”
Qiao Anhao had garnered quite a few fans on weibo, and a few well-known stars from the filming crew re-posted her post, so in less than a minute, there were many comments and blessings. It soon became the most popular post in her weibo.
Qiao Anhao’s phone notification went off continuously. Due to the large influx of responses, she couldn’t look at every one of them, but every time her phone went off, she would look down at the screen.
When the car steered into the road ahead, the traffic lights turned red. Lu Jinnian stepped on the brakes, stopping the car, and took out his phone for a quick look. He typed swiftly and placed the phone back down when the traffic lights turned green.
Just then, Qiao Anhao heard another ring. She started to feel irritated and when she was about to dismiss the notification, she saw that Lu Jinnian had re-posted her photo with a simple “Happy Birthday”.
Warmth spread through her, and she turned to see through the rear view mirror that Lu Jinnian was concentrating on the road. She bit down on her lip before replying to his post, “Thank you”.
After she did so, she figured it was too obvious and so she replied to Song Xiangsi, Cheng Yang, the director, and everyone else.
When they reached the next red light, Lu Jinnian took up his phone once again. Among a sea of notifications, he saw Qiao Anhao’s reply and replied again with “You’re welcome”.
In that instance, Qiao Anhao had just refreshed her page, and when she saw his response, her lips curled into a smile uncontrollably.
Chapter 360: I love you, I love you (16)
Paperplane Editor: DarkGemIn that instance, Qiao Anhao had just refreshed her page, and when she saw his response, her lips curled into a smile uncontrollably.
She didn’t continue to reply Lu Jinnian on weibo, but every now and then, she her attention would be drawn to him, sitting beside her.
In the car, even though the two of them didn’t talk, the atmosphere felt particularly affectionate.
When the car drove past a rather old KTV, Qiao Anhao thought back to when Lu Jinnian and her had started to grow closer in the first year of high school. Every year, he would give her a birthday present, up until the year she graduated. Since then, she had not received any of his presents.
Back then, it was also coincidentally when their relationship started to gradually grow to become colder.
In high school, she treated her classmates at that KTV many times.
After the car had long passed the KTV, Qiao Anhao turned her head and looked over at Lu Jinnian. “Who would have thought that you remembered my birthday. I thought you’d have forgotten it long ago.”
Lu Jinnian stared straight at the neon lights on the street in front. The lights endlessly flashed across his face, which made his expression look slightly blurred. He was silent for around five seconds, then said, “I’ve never forgotten.”
Her birthday, his mother’s birthday, and the anniversary of his mother’s passing were the most important dates these past years. He’d never forgotten them once.
Qiao Anhao’s heart trembled, and an unspeakable anxiousness came over her. She held her breath and asked, as though to confirm something, “You always remembered my birthday?”
“After celebrating seven birthdays, how could I forget?” As Lu Jinnian said those words, his tone seemed to reveal an indescribable sentiment.
Even though the birthday gifts he gave her in her youth were modest, he would spend that day with her every year.
From the first year of high school till the first year of university, it had been seven years. In those seven years, he had fought his very hardest to love her.
Seven years?
Those words instantly reminded Qiao Anhao of their youth, and the days she persisted in loving him. She had cherished every one of his gifts, like they were the world’s most precious treasures.
Qiao Anhao’s brows suddenly furrowed. That wasn’t right. She only received six presents in the past. Why did he say ‘seven years’? Did it include this year’s present?
Qiao Anhao thought of asking Lu Jinnian when her phone suddenly rang.
It was an unknown number.
Qiao Anhao swallowed her words and picked up the phone. The sound of a polite woman’s voice came from the other line. “Pardon me, am I speaking to Mr. Xu Jiamu’s wife, Mrs. Qiao Anhao?”
Qiao Anhao was stunned for a moment. “And you are?”
“It’s the hospital, Mr. Xu has just woken up. I called the Xu family, but nobody was available to take the call, so I could only contact you.”
“I’ll be right there.” Qiao Anhao hung up the phone, and said to Lu Jinnian beside her, “We have to go to the hospital. Brother Jiamu just woke up.”
Lu Jinnian gave a gentle nod and silently turned the car around, towards Xu Jiamu’s hospital.
Along the way, from the bottom of his heart, he thought… with Xu Jiamu awake, would that be the end of them?
Along the way, from the bottom of her heart, she thought… with Brother Jiamu awake and how well their current relationship was, could they still be friends like this after the marriage was over?
Along the way, the two of them had different thoughts. One was afraid of breaking up, the other thought of starting anew.
Chapter 361: Xu Jiamu Woke Up (1)
Paperplane Editor: DarkGemThe drive took only fifteen minutes to reach the hospital Xu Jiamu was staying in.
Xu Wanli and Han Ruchu were probably busy, for they hadn’t yet made it yet. Lu Jinnian and Xu Jiamu’s relationship was always very good. When Qiao Anhao asked if he wanted to go upstairs to see him, Lu Jinnian thought about it for a moment and nodded. He parked the car in the hospital’s underground parking lot, locked the car, and followed Qiao Anhao in.
The nurse taking care of Xu Jiamu was waiting for Qiao Anhao in the first floor hall. When she saw her enter, she immediately took her upstairs. As they walked, she described how Xu Jiamu woke up.
“Today, at around six o’clock, Mr. Xu moved. Ever since Mr. Xu moved last time, he would move a little every day, but tonight, he moved quite often. We didn’t think much of it, but when I came back from the restroom just now, I noticed that Mr. Xu’s eyes were actually wide open…”
Following the nurse’s description, Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian stepped into the hospital room. It was just as she had described, Xu Jiamu lay in bed with an IV attached to his arm. His eyes were open, staring at the ceiling, as though he was thinking of something.
Even though there was no love or blood relation between them, to Qiao Anhao, Xu Jiamu was like her biological brother – a brother who had protected her ever since she was young. Especially after her parents had passed away, Xu Jiamu really doted upon her. So when she saw Xu Jiamu, who was unconscious for so long, open his eyes, a hint of excitement inexplicably came over her.
She rushed over to his bedside without a second thought and stared at Xu Jiamu for a long time. After confirming her reflection in his eyes, she then called out, “Brother Jiamu.”
Xu Jiamu stared at her with a lifeless expression, as though she was a stranger. His look was blank and unresponsive.
Qiao Anhao was frightened by the emptiness in his gaze and continued to call out, “Brother Jiamu?” Then she carefully and gently asked again, “Brother Jiamu, you don’t recognize who I am?”
When Xu Jiamu heard Qiao Anhao’s last words, his eyes finally moved. He stared at her with a glossy eyes.
Qiao Anhao held her breath, as she looked at Xu Jiamu. She didn’t dare say a word, her eyes filled with anticipation.
Xu Jiamu looked at her for a long time, then forced his hand to touch hers. He wanted to hold it, but he didn’t have the strength to do so. In the end, all he could do was stretch his lips into a slight smile. As if it required a lot of energy, he spit out two murmured words, “Qiao… Qiao…”
Suddenly, Qiao Anhao’s tears fell and she tightly grasped Xu Jiamu’s hand. She was so emotional, she couldn’t really speak. “Brother Jiamu, you’re finally awake. You don’t know just how you scared me. Brother Jiamu, I thought you’d never wake up again…”
Lu Jinnian, who had followed Qiao Anhao into the hospital room, saw this scene and only felt an abundance of needles stabbing into his heart.
The hand Qiao Anhao held Xu Jiamu with shook for a long while, before she remembered Lu Jinnian. Then she raised her hand to wipe away her tears. With a red nose, she moved away and said to Xu Jiamu, “Brother Jiamu, Lu Jinnian is here too.”Chapter 362: Xu Jiamu Woke Up (2)
Paperplane Editor: DarkGemWhen Lu Jinnian heard Qiao Anhao words, he abruptly spent a lot of energy to suppress the agony in his heart. He kept a poised expression, as he called out to Xu Jiamu, “Jiamu.”
Xu Jiamu stared at Lu Jinnian’s eyes with a hint of reliance, as though being comatose for so long had absolutely no effect on the only brotherly love he had in the world. He spent a lot of strength to make the single sound “Bro.”
Xu Jiamu, who just woke up, had used up his strength. Lu Jinnian was very silent, and so in the hospital room, only Qiao Anhao chattered on. However, her words, were mostly for Xu Jiamu.
She spoke of everything that had happened these past few months whilst Xu Jiamu was unconscious. She also talked about what happened during his car accident.
To Qiao Anhao, he was a very important friend in this world, who had a new chance at life. It was truly a joyous and exhilarating occasion.
Sometimes, some things are unromantic, but when you learn that there is something between the people, you can’t help but over think things.
So, in Lu Jinnian’s eyes, Qiao Anhao’s joy and excitement had a different meaning. Her simple call ‘Brother Jiamu’ left him especially rolling with jealousy.
Qiao Anhao said, “Brother Jiamu, you have to get better soon. I’ll be releasing a new drama soon. You once said that if I made it on TV, you’d be my very first loyal viewer…”
After those words, Lu Jinnian finally couldn’t take it anymore and said, “I’m going to the restroom.” He walked out of the hospital room.
Tonight, after seeing them chat, he finally knew that there were many promises between them.
Even though Xu Jiamu’s reactions were a little late, but when Qiao Anhao mentioned a TV drama, the emotions in his eyes began to shift. The two words “Song Xiangsi” jumped into mind, and an unspeakable anger broiled in his chest.
As it was the first time Xu Jiamu had woken up after a long coma, his body was very weak, and so not long after, his energy ran out. He slowly shut his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
Qiao Anhao pulled the covers over him, then turned to order the nurse to take good care of him. Only then did she grab her bag and walk out of the hospital room.
–
When Lu Jinnian left the room, he never went back in. He stood in the corridor and stared through the glass window at Qiao Anhao by Xu Jiamu’s bedside jabbering on. Even though he didn’t know what she said, envy crept into his heart. So much so that even the thought of him taking Xu Jiamu’s place in the car accident and becoming a vegetable crossed his mind.
Xu Jiamu fell asleep, and Lu Jinnian watched as Qiao Anhao attentively pulled the covers over him. Finally, he turned away and left.
–
Qiao Anhao walked out of the hospital room and saw no sign of Lu Jinnian in the empty corridor, so she grabbed her phone and dialed his number. Nobody picked up, so she went to ask the nurse to find a male nurse to go into the restrooms to look for him. Once she that he wasn’t in there, she walked downstairs.
She walked out of the inpatient department but still couldn’t see Lu Jinnian, and so she pulled out her phone again. This time, when she called his number, she heard it ringing not too far away.
Chapter 363: Xu Jiamu Woke Up (3)
Paperplane Editor: DarkGemQiao Anhao followed the sound of the ringtone to find Lu Jinnian smoking, as he leaned against a column.
Her eyebrows creased for a moment, and she hung up the phone. She complained, “Why aren’t you picking up the phone?”
Lu Jinnian snapped out of it when he heard Qiao Anhao’s words. A little flustered, he put out the cigarette in his hand and asked in response, “How’s Jiamu?”
“He’s asleep,” Qiao Anhao replied. “How come you’re down here on your own? I called and you didn’t even pick up.”
Lu Jinnian pulled out his phone to find three missed calls. His lips quivered, and he replied Qiao Anhao’s first question, “The habit kicked in, so I came down for a smoke.”
He paused for a moment before explaining, “I didn’t hear my phone ring just now, sorry.”
Qiao Anhao was a little angry at Lu Jinnian at first for not picking up or showing up, but the moment she saw him, her anger completely disappeared. Now, hearing his apology, she immediately smiled with curved eyes and lowered her head. She saw a lot of cigarette butts on the bin by the column, and her brows furrowed once more. “You just smoked that many?”
Lu Jinnian didn’t make a sound.
Qiao Anhao’s next words were fairly angry and worried. “Smoking is bad for the body. It’s better if you stop smoking. Quit it.”
Lu Jinnian gave a nod, then strode over to the car. He pulled the front passenger seat door and waited for Qiao Anhao to get in, then he closed the door and got in himself.
Lu Jinnian’s focus whilst driving was far worse than before. He would have even driven through a red light if it weren’t for Qiao Anhao, who reminded him just in time for him to step on the brake.
With Lu Jinnian’s birthday present and Xu Jiamu waking up, Qiao Anhao arched her brows, for she was in particularly high spirits.
Lu Jinnian saw Qiao Anhao’s smile through the rear view mirror, which made his mood hit rock bottom. Xu Jiamu being awake, did it really make her this happy?
During the summer in Beijing, artificial rain was always scheduled to go off deep in the night. The car hadn’t left the hospital for long when the heavy rain came pouring down. It lasted for only ten minutes before it stopped.
Lu Jinnian stared at the occasional drops of rain on the window and asked the question that was on his mind all night, “Did the doctor mention how long it would take Jiamu to recover completely?”
“Fastest would be one month, slowest perhaps three,” Qiao Anhao honestly relayed the information.
“Mm,” replied Lu Jinnian, then didn’t speak more. His thoughts became a little erratic.
If it’s fast, then one month, slow, then it’s two to three months…
Did this mean that they had at most two to three months together, or as few as thirty days?
Construction work on the streets of Beijing always took place at night.
The road to Mian Xiu Garden was coincidentally closed off for construction tonight.
Lu Jinnian wanted to reverse the car and take a detour, but Qiao Anhao was afraid it would take half an hour to drive around it, so she suggested to just walk over, as it would only take ten minutes.
Lu Jinnian didn’t have an opinion on it, so he stopped the car by the road and the two of them walked towards Mian Xiu Garden.
As it had just rained, there were puddles everywhere. Lu Jinnian was afraid Qiao Anhao would get her feet wet and cold, so he bent down in front of her and said, “I’ll piggyback you.”
Chapter 364: Xu Jiamu Woke Up (4)
Paperplane Editor: DarkGemQiao Anhao was stunned by Lu Jinnian’s sudden words. She stared at his back for a while in a daze, then heard his clear voice again. “It rained, so the roads aren’t easy to walk.”
Qiao Anhao thought Lu Jinnian was worried she’d be tired from walking in such high heels. She hurriedly snapped out of it and said, a little shocked by his affection, “It’s okay, I can walk. What’s more, it’s not too far.”
Lu Jinnian remained crouched. “Get on.”
After he said this, he turned around and grabbed Qiao Anhao’s arms. With a single swing, she landed on his back, with him holding her legs by his dies. Then he stood up.
Qiao Anhao was afraid of falling, so she hastily grabbed onto his shoulders. Without moving an inch, she was carefully spread across Lu Jinnian’s back.
It was quite wide, and his footsteps were steady. His bright shoes, crossed over one shallow puddle after the other. Qiao Anhao, who was on his back, felt an unspeakable sense of stability, and her stiff body gradually relaxed.
Since it had just rained at one in the morning, it was quite cold. Because of the night breeze, water from the tree leaves would occasionally drip onto Qiao Anhao’s face. Her arms and hair were cold, but her heart was particularly peaceful.
Perhaps it was because Qiao Anhao had fallen quite a bit, after walking for about a hundred meters, Lu Jinnian stopped in his tracks and pushed her up. With her hands around his neck, she turned to see the perfect outline of his side profile.
Qiao Anhao’s chest pressed against Lu Jinnian’s back. She could feel the heat of his body through the clothes between them. A warm current flowed through her racing heart, and her hands around his neck couldn’t help but stiffen up.
As both of them were quite close, Qiao Anhao could smell a mix of tobacco on Lu Jinnian’s body. The look in her eyes became gentle when she called softly, “Lu Jinnian?”
“Hm?” Lu Jinnian’s tone of voice was as gentle as his extraordinary steady footsteps.
Qiao Anhao stayed quiet for a minute, then quietly said in his ear, “We’ve been classmates for so many years.”
Lu Jinnian didn’t quite understand why Qiao Anhao suddenly said that, but he furrowed his brows and made a “mm” again. Then he said, “Including middle school, that’s six years.”
“So we’re considered friends right?” Whilst Qiao Anhao asked this question, she randomly felt nervous and apprehensive.
If they were friends, then even after Xu Jiamu left the hospital and they couldn’t pretend to be husband and wife like they were now, they could still keep in contact, right?
Even if he really had a woman he was in love with… even if he persistently loved her, that woman was already married. As time goes on and the days go by, he’ll need to start a family eventually.
Until that time came, it wouldn’t matter if he’d marry for love. If they would always keep in contact, then she would have some hope, right?
Chapter 365: Xu Jiamu Woke Up (5)
Paperplane Editor: DarkGemFriends… At first, when they were young, he could only silently be her friend because he was too poor and had low self-esteem. But back then, in his heart, he never wanted to be her friend.
Later, when he found out about her and Xu Jiamu’s arranged marriage, he thought that they’d never cross paths, or he’d just forget about her. However, when they really drew further and further apart, he realized just how dark those days were for him.
Back then, he had hoped so hard to find a reason to get close to her. Even if they couldn’t speak, he was satisfied to be able to see her from afar. But his humble desires never came true, and in the end, they became strangers.
If Xu Jiamu hadn’t gotten in a car accident, then perhaps the two of them would of continued to live in two straight paths that would never cross the other again.
But now that Xu Jiamu woke up, it’ll be the end of them…
If in the end she and Xu Jiamu got together, he was willing to turn his love into a secret, never to be mentioned. He would be by her side forever, and a friend who never bothered her. When she was sad, he would comfort her. When she had troubles, he would help her. When she was happy, he would sorrowfully wish her well…
With that thought, Lu Jinnian blinked and said in a very clear voice to Qiao Anhao on his back, “Weren’t we always friends?”
Weren’t we always friends?
Those words whirled in Qiao Anhao’s mind before she completely understood his meaning. Her cautious heart suddenly fell far back, as though she had taken a chill pill. She then went along with Lu Jinnian and gave him an affirmative “mm”. Moments later, she added, “Yeah, we were always friends.”
They tried their utmost to be with one another in the past… Two people who clearly deeply loved each other… But times change and years go by… Because they had once lost, they didn’t dare act rashly. Because they had loved far too deeply, they were even more timid. Even if they could only be friends, that was a gift from the heavens.
Lu Jinnian didn’t speak. He just piggybacked Qiao Anhao through the pale green lights. As they drew closer to Mian Xiu Garden, they saw that the osmanthus tree in the courtyard had just bloomed
Qiao Anhao, who was on Lu Jinnian’s back, could smell the sweet scene of it and her lips couldn’t help but slightly curve upwards.
Lu Jinnian purposefully slowed his footsteps, as though to immortalize this beautiful moment in time.
When they passed another billboard, Qiao Anhao saw two words “seven years” on a poster. Then she remembered the question she’d wanted to ask Lu Jinnian before she received the hospital’s call. She then pushed her head out and broke the silence between them.
“Lu Jinnian, when you were in the car just now, you told me that you gave me seven birthday presents. Do you still remember what those seven gifts were?”
Every gift he gave her was carefully prepared, how could he not know?
Lu Jinnian pretended that he couldn’t remember and asked, “What were they?”
Qiao Anhao tilted her head and thought for a moment, then she recounted each and every one of them. “The first year of high school it was a music box.”
That music box wasn’t expensive. Just a hundred something yuan. It was the first time Lu Jinnian had attended her birthday party. When he saw Xu Jiamu and Qiao Anxia gifting her all sorts of expensive luxury goods, his heart had felt notably defeated.
Chapter 366: Xu Jiamu Woke Up (6)
Paperplane Editor: DarkGem“The second year of high school was a pretty notebook.”
“The third year of high school was a porcelain cup.”
“The first year of university, you gave me a photo frame.”
“The second and third of university were a necklace and an anklet… And the final gift was tonight’s porcelain doll!”
Qiao Anhao recounted each and every birthday present Lu Jinnian had given her. They were a complete match to Lu Jinnian’s memory, but when she said the last gift, his brows furrowed. Except for today’s gift, the seventh gift… shouldn’t it have been the rose and cake he had given her on her fourth year of university? Back then, he gifted her the most expensive gift he’d ever bought. Why didn’t she mention it?
Lu Jinnian felt that there was something not right about that, and he quietly asked, “On the fourth year of university, I also gave you a birthday present. Don’t you remember”
“Fourth year?” Qiao Anhao asked with some skepticism. “Did you remember incorrectly? The birthday in my fourth year of university you were at a film festival in Changsha. You didn’t attend my birthday party, how could you have given me a present?”
Even though Lu Jinnian couldn’t clearly see Qiao Anhao’s expression, but based on her words, she sounded at a loss, and so he asked her in doubt, “I didn’t?”
Qiao Anhao was always protective over Lu Jinnian’s gifts, so she couldn’t have remembered incorrectly. But to avoid making a mistake, she tilted her head and thought about it seriously. Once she was completely sure, she said to Lu Jinnian, “You really didn’t. You didn’t even say ‘Happy Birthday’ to me that year!”
Lu Jinnian didn’t say anything. From the bottom of his heart, he understood. That year, he received an award, yet he went all the way to Beijing. Seeing that the gifts were thrown in the rubbish bin, she obviously never received them, which goes to say, someone seized them
Who could it have been?
Han Ruchu’s name suddenly popped up in Lu Jinnian’s mind.
It was her, definitely her!
What transpired that night came too suddenly, and hit him too hard. He obviously didn’t think of such a loophole back then. Thinking back now, he realized… how could Han Ruchu have been so certain that he loved Qiao Anhao. She must of definitely seen his gift to her.
Han Ruchu, who had always hated him, must of found out that he liked her son’s fiance, so that’s why she did that.
So, that woman, she not only killed his son, but she also made him misunderstand Qiao Anhao all those years ago.
His heart suddenly felt upset and delighted at the same time.
He was delighted that the woman he loved, even though she didn’t love him, had never learned of his feelings.
He was upset that someone had him in the palm of their hands. After all the hate and blame, Qiao Anhao was actually innocent all along.
Qiao Anhao looked at Lu Jinnian for a long time without making a sound. Then she asked, “Did you really give me a birthday present in my fourth year of university?”
Lu Jinnian snapped out of his own thoughts, and calmly said, “I think remembered wrong.”
Qiao Anhao suddenly settled down, as she hugged Lu Jinnian’s neck. She asked a question she’d thought of whilst she was just recounting the presents. “You really like Shmily merchandise, don’t you?”
“Hm?” Lu Jinnian softly asked back. “Why?”
Chapter 367: Xu Jiamu Woke Up (7)
Paperplane Editor: DarkGem“I just realized that the gift you gave me had ‘Shmily’ engraved on it. These past few years, this brand has been especially popular.”
Actually, Qiao Anhao had long ago seen the engraved letters ‘Shmily’ on Lu Jinnian’s first gift. Back then, she didn’t know what it was, nor did she know that this brand produced all kinds of gifts. Up until around four years ago when she saw a Shmily gift store on the high street. That’s when she knew that those letters were the name of a brand.
Lu Jinnian’s tone remained elegant and calm. “That brand’s gifts aren’t bad.”
“They’re great.” Qiao Anhao sounded like she really agreed. After a while, she said, “Do you know the touching story behind this brand?”
“What story?”
“I saw on Weibo that this brand, Shmily, was an acronym for See, How, Much, I, Love, You. They say that the founder of the brand was a lovesick man. The only reason why he created this brand was to confess to the woman he loved, but the gifts industry was too competitive. The popularity of this brand was low for many years before it grew popular. Then this story has been shared on Weibo.”
“So there’s such a romantic story.”
“Yeah, it’s really romantic!” Qiao Anhao’s words had a hint of envy. “That girl is so lucky.”
Lu Jinnian smiled without saying a word, as he piggybacked Qiao Anhao through the gates of Mian Xiu Garden.
See, How, Much, I, Love, You.
Shmily.
Previously, the gifts he gave her were quite cheap, but they had deep meanings.
He personally engraved those words onto the first gift.
Later on, about over four years ago, when they had already stopped keeping in contact and he had become rich, he then officially founded this brand.
It only sold some cheap gifts, and the rent in Beijing was expensive. At first, it didn’t make any profit. In fact, it made a loss. Back then, his assistant even said that he wasn’t business minded and recommended that he close all of his branches. He refused to do so for no reason other than because it was the best confession he once gave her.
Shmily.
See, How, Much, I, Love, You.
–
When Han Ruchu called the hospital, Xu Jiamu had already fallen asleep and Qiao Anhao had already left. It was quite late, but since she knew that her son had wokenn up, she called the housekeeper to driver her to the hospital.
The road from the Xu family to the hospital coincidentally passed the street in front of Mian Xiu Garden’s neighborhood.
Han Ruchu always thought that her son didn’t pay attention to what was out the window, but the housekeeper driving suddenly slowed the car down…
Han Ruchu furrowed her brows. She raised her head and saw the housekeeper staring straight outside the window. Who knew what the housekeeper was looking at. She asked her, “What’s the matter?”
The housekeeper heard Han Ruchu’s voice and pointed out out of the car window, saying, “Missus, look, it’s Miss Anhao.”
Han Ruchu followed where the housekeeper was pointing to see Qiao Anhao, who was carried on someone’s back. The person carrying her was Lu Jinnian.
Chapter 368: Xu Jiamu Woke Up (8)
Paperplane Editor: DarkGemSince the car was quite far away, and there was construction happening on the other road, Han Ruchu and her housekeeper simply couldn’t hear what the pair outside was saying. However, from their expressions, they seemed to be having fun chatting.
The housekeeper said, “It looks like Miss Anhao’s relationship with that bastard isn’t bad. The young master loves Miss Anhao, and now that the young master has finally woken up…”
As the housekeeper said this, they coincidentally saw Qiao Anhao tilt her head and stare at Lu Jinnian with a sweet smile. The housekeeper suddenly stepped on the breaks.
After the car had stayed on the street for some time, she said, “Do you reckon Miss Anhao is falling for the bastard? If so, then what of the young master?”
Han Ruchu’s expression instantly froze over. She stared wordlessly at the two outside until Lu Jinnian carried Qiao Anhao into the neighborhood. Only then did she divert her eyes. The housekeeper in the drivers seat said with annoyance in her voice, “The young master treated that bastard so well. For him to dare treat the young master like that…”
When Han Ruchu heard this, her expression looked worse for wear. As though to cut the housekeeper off, she said with a cold tone, “Start the car.”
The car drove off.
–
Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian talked for a long time, but they were quite tired, so eventually they stopped talking. She closed her eyes whilst on Lu Jinnian’s back.
Her breathing was light, as she blew incessantly on his neck. It somewhat distracted his heart and stiffened his steps.
A cool gust of wind came in, and woke Lu Jinnian up. He suppressed the evil fire in his heart, and walked even slower than before.
Even though both of them didn’t speak, but the atmosphere felt far better than when they spoke. There was a feeling of everlasting peace and quiet.
Even if Lu Jinnian wanted to make this road longer, they had reached the end. He stepped into his own courtyard.
Because of the rain, the flowers in the courtyard had fallen to the ground. There were quite a few petals stuck to Lu Jinnian’s leg.
When they reached the door, he brought his hand up to the doorbell. Before it could ring, Madam Chen opened the door. “Mr. Lu, Missus.”
Lu Jinnian greeted her with a nod.
Qiao Anhao, who was carried on his back, blinked and called out, “Madam Chen.”
After they entered the mansion, Qiao Anhao didn’t have any intention of getting down, nor did Lu Jinnian say anything for her to get down, so he continued to carry her in. Madam Chen changed Qiao Anhao’s shoes for slippers, and he changed into slippers himself. With Qiao Anhao still on his back, when he reached the bottom of the stairs, he looked at her as though having thought of something and said, “We’re home.”
Qiao Anhao knew that Lu Jinnian meant for it to be a sign for her to get off of him. With a reluctant heart, she waited for five seconds, and then said in an unwilling voice, “Put me down.”
Lu Jinnian didn’t say a thing but lowered his body. Qiao Anhao conveniently slipped off of him.
Lu Jinnian then said, “I’m going to the restrooms. Go upstairs first and help me turn on the shower.”
Qiao Anhao nodded, turned, and trotted upstairs.
Lu Jinnian stared at Qiao Anhao, who disappeared around the corner of the stairs, with the hint of a wide smile in his eyes. He turned to look at Madam Chen, who immediately understood and ran into the kitchen.
The lights were off in the bedroom. Qiao Anhao pushed open the bedroom door and went to reach for the light switch on the wall. Before she even pressed the switch, there was already light in the room. She furrowed her brows and was about to walk in when she stopped, dazed, in her tracks…Chapter 369: Xu Jiamu Woke Up (9)
Paperplane Editor: DarkGemThe lights were off in the bedroom. Qiao Anhao pushed open the bedroom door and went to reach for the light switch on the wall. Before she even pressed the switch, there was already light in the room. She furrowed her brows and was about to walk in when she stopped, dazed, in her tracks…
There were two rows of candles at her feet with about a meter-wide pathway in between the rows. The candles wound around the bed and sofa and out towards the balcony, where the light was even brighter.
With the light from the candles, Qiao Anhao saw that the walls were covered in light pink and purple balloons. On the wall directly facing the television, the two words “Happy Birthday” were spelled with the balloons..
The whole scene looked familiar. Qiao Anhao stood there for a long time, before she strode over to the pathway formed by candles. She walked towards the balcony, and when she went around the sofa, she saw the entire balcony densely covered with candles. The orange glow from the candlelight radiated non-stop, accentuating the unlit red candle in the center, making it particularly eye-catching. It clearly spelled out the four words – Qiao Qiao, Happy Birthday.
This was clearly the surprise she had originally prepared on Lu Jinnian’s birthday.
While Qiao Anhao was in a deep trance, and before she could even register what was happening, the familiar sounds of footsteps came from behind her.
She instinctively turned her head and saw Lu Jinnian, who still wore the formal suit from the conference, holding a cake with lit candles in both hands. He calmly and elegantly strode towards her, as he emerged from the candlelight pathway.
The glow from the candles all over the floor brought about a romantic atmosphere. A layer of creamy yellow light highlighted the compelling handsomeness of Lu Jinnian’s face. The reflection of light in his eyes made them particularly bright.
Qiao Anhao’s heart was transfixed by Lu Jinnian, who drew closer to her one step at a time. She thought it was all an illusion.
When Lu Jinnian was half a meter away from Qiao Anhao, his feet stopped. He pushed the cake in both hands in front of her, and looked into her eyes with a rare seriousness and concentration. He said with magnetism in his voice, “Because there wasn’t enough time, I wasn’t able to personally bake you a cake like you did, so I had to ask my assistant to order a cake from Black Swan.”
Qiao Anhao, who had just walked into this scene, was already full of suspicion as to whether Lu Jinnian knew about the preparations she had made on his birthday, but now, hearing it from his mouth, she was absolutely sure of it. She stared at it, and asked with a slight tremble in her voice, “You… know?”
Lu Jinnian knew what Qiao Anhao was asking about. He blinked lightly, and gazed into her eyes. Keeping his cool, he first gave a slight nod before saying, “Yeah, I know.”
Qiao Anhao moved her lips, wanting to ask him how he knew, but before she could ask, he spoke again. He told her everything he wanted to tell her when he came back to Mian Xiu Garden on the day after his birthday, and found out that he’d missed the surprise she’d prepared him. “I’m so sorry. That night, because of my own reasons, I was in a bad mood and hurt you. I’m also sorry that I missed out on your surprise for me.
“I want to say sorry for that night.” Lu Jinnian paused for a moment, and then added, “And I want to say thank you for that night.”
With only the glowing candlelight lighting the room, Qiao Anhao stared at the charmingly handsome and noble man who left people breathless.
The bottom of her eyes welled up.