It was past nine when Cen Jin finally returned home with Li Wu.
After changing their shoes, just as the young man was about to head straight to his study sanctuary without looking back, Cen Jin hurriedly called out to him.
Li Wu turned around.
Cen Jin felt inexplicably anxious, her hand touching her shoulder bag: “Are you free the day after tomorrow?”
Li Wu thought for a moment and said, “I can be.”
“What do you mean ‘can be,'” Cen Jin was exasperated by this straightforward youth, “That day is your birthday.”
Li Wu froze for a moment, as if he had long since put this matter out of his mind: “Oh.”
Cen Jin was amazed at his indifferent attitude toward such an important day: “You haven’t forgotten your birthday, have you?”
Li Wu said, “I remember.”
Cen Jin asked, “Did you celebrate it before?”
“Yes.”
“How did you celebrate?”
Li Wu replied, “We would buy some meat and eat together with grandfather.”
Cen Jin felt like crying: “Besides that, do you have any other expectations? Like what gifts you want to receive, or what plans you’d like to make?”
The young man lowered his eyes, considering it like a problem of the century for a long while.
Cen Jin’s patience ran out. She pulled a blue ticket from her bag’s inner compartment: “Would you like to watch a soccer match?” She highlighted points that might spark his interest: “A football game. With Real Madrid that you were interested in before.”
But Li Wu seemed uninterested, merely glancing at what was in her hand, and asked: “Will I be watching alone?”
“Of course not,” how could she feel at ease letting him go alone to such a crowded public place: “I’ll go with you.”
Suddenly, light appeared in the young man’s eyes, though his attitude remained tentative: “Do you want to watch it?”
“Don’t ask about me,” Cen Jin was nearly driven to anger by his excessive caution: “It’s your birthday, if you want to watch it, we’ll go. If not, we’ll make other plans.”
“I want to watch it,” he blurted out.
Cen Jin was stunned for a moment, then held out the ticket: “Good.”
Li Wu didn’t take it, only saying: “You keep it,” worried that she might suddenly have something come up and he’d end up going alone, he improvised an excuse: “I’m afraid I’ll lose it.”
Cen Jin thought it made sense and put the ticket back in her bag.
After watching Li Wu enter the study and close the door, Cen Jin finally let out a breath.
Somehow, planning this child’s birthday made her more nervous than celebrating Wu Fu’s thirtieth birthday.
In previous years, she clearly understood Wu Fu’s interests and the items she purchased generally suited his tastes. But Li Wu was a person of few words, and even after living together for three months, she still couldn’t quite figure out what he liked.
The first step is always the hardest.
Once she figured it out this year, next year probably wouldn’t be so worrisome.
Cen Jin comforted herself with this thought as she went to her room to wash up and change.
After removing all the complex makeup, Cen Jin finally felt refreshed. She tied her hair in a loose bun and returned to the living room to message Chun Chang.
The woman’s tone was as excited as if breaking a record: Chang! I gave him the ticket!
Chun Chang: …You sound like a girl experiencing first love, plotting to ask a guy out.
Cen Jin scolded: Get lost, men are much easier to deal with. But how to get along with a younger brother, I’m indeed troubled, completely clueless.
Chun Chang: Your parents know you’ve accepted him as a brother?
Cen Jin replied: They don’t. But my dad will support me.
Chun Chang sighed: Well, okay. Lost a husband, and gained a brother, I guess you’ve managed a seamless transition. Seriously though, facing this young, fresh, beautiful, pure, and unrelated flesh every day, don’t you have even the slightest thought of taking advantage?
Cen Jin smirked: You think I’m like you? Always in heat.
Chun Chang righteously declared: I’m a woman with normal physiological needs, aren’t you?
These words were too inappropriate to hear. Cen Jin was tired of Chun Chang’s nonsense and closed the chat window.
She turned on the TV, flipping through several channels, all showing similar New Year’s Eve galas.
She selected one of them, turned the volume to a minimum, and started watching.
The program was quite engaging at first, and Cen Jin watched with interest, but later she grew tired, her thoughts becoming distant, hazy, and wandering… Her head tilted to one side as she fell into sweet slumber.
―
Li Wu had set an alarm for himself, so he could rush to give Cen Jin New Year’s greetings at the first moment.
With fifteen minutes left until midnight, he was already getting restless, checking his phone every thirty seconds on average, afraid of missing the perfect moment.
Finally, he simply canceled the 23:58 alarm, put his phone back in his pocket, and quickly walked out of the study.
Outside was dark and quiet, with only very faint human voices and singing.
They flowed from the TV at the end of the hallway, along with brilliantly changing lights.
As if by intuition, Li Wu unconsciously lightened and slowed his steps as he turned into the living room.