Chapter 44
When Yu Li said the word "want," she felt as if the confusion she had felt all afternoon had vanished.
He felt relaxed and that evening he and Yan Shiting looked at a lot of materials together, and finally decided on the school and major they wanted to apply for.
Even after falling asleep, Yu Li didn't pay attention to what Yan Shiting was talking about.
Two days later, he woke up to find an extra table in the living room, forming an L-shape with Yan Shiting's large desk. Behind the table, the bookshelf was filled with postgraduate entrance exam review materials and practice questions.
In addition, Jiang Miao added him as a friend and sent him several documents.
【Mr. Yu~ These are some teachers' profiles that President Yan has already selected. Please take your time choosing. If you're not satisfied, I'll find you a few more.】
Yu Li opened a document and took a look.
At the very beginning is a resume, and behind it is the teacher's teaching experience.
Yu Li exited the document and replied to Jiang Miao's message: 【Who are these teachers?】
Jiang Miao: [Your online tutors are available one-on-one and on call. Just contact them when you need to attend a class.]
If you feel embarrassed, Mr. Yu, you can let me handle the contact :-D
Yu Li: [Wouldn't this be too much trouble for you?]
After all, Jiang Miao is Yan Shiting's special assistant, and she is already very busy.
Jiang Miao: [Mr. Yu, don't worry, the banquet will pay me an extra salary.]
Yu Li: !
He paused for a moment, then typed back: "Thank you."
You're welcome!
Yu Li discerned his pleasure from the two spiritual symbols Jiang Miao embodied.
He felt relieved that he hadn't bothered anyone else.
In the past, when Yan Shiting went to the company during the day, Yu Li could only sleep, besides reading.
Now that he has things to do every day, his life is gradually becoming more fulfilling.
He is at his most energetic in the morning. He attends two online classes, takes a nap, and then does some more practice problems before returning home.
After dinner, he would curl up in his rocking chair and read a book while Yan Shiting worked on the side, occasionally feeding him some snacks and fruit.
Early that morning, Yu Li received a message from Yan Sui inviting him to his brother's birthday party.
Three years ago, Yan Sui invited Yu Li once.
That was the only time in the past few years that Yu Li went to celebrate Yan Shiting's birthday.
Later, because of Yan Shiting's "warning" to him, Yu Li never went there again.
Having spent more time with Yan Shiting, Yu Li gradually realized that what he thought was a warning was actually just Yan Shiting's objective statement.
It was only because Yan Shiting's expression was cold and he was Yan Sui's older brother that he felt those words were unpleasant and hurtful.
"Come on, come on! I see you and my brother get along pretty well, why don't you come and join us?"
Coming to her senses, Yu Li stared at the message on her phone screen and remained silent for a moment.
His relationship with Yan Shiting was more than just good.
Yu Li thought for a moment, then declined: "I won't be attending the banquet."
He had seen Yan Shiting's identity information on the marriage certificate and knew that the day of the banquet was not Yan Shiting's birthday, but the day before his birthday.
Yan Sui said with some regret, "Are you really not coming? This banquet was planned by Uncle He and me, so it definitely won't be like the last party."
He thought Yu Li had developed a psychological trauma from what happened at the party, which was why she didn't want to attend.
Yu Li: [It has nothing to do with the party; it's just that the banquet was crowded and noisy, which I didn't like.]
Yan Sui: [Okay, okay, I understand. I'll pack some snacks for you after the banquet.]
Yu Li replied with an "Mmm" emoji.
He simply didn't attend the banquet, but that didn't mean he wouldn't celebrate Yan Shiting's birthday.
-
This year's birthday celebration for Yan Shiting was the first time Yu Li and he had spent it together since they got together.
This date holds an extra layer of extraordinary significance for Yu Li.
Yu Li spent several days preparing a gift.
On the evening of December 20th, Yu Li took a taxi and arrived at the Yan Family Manor around 10 p.m.
The banquet at the manor had just ended, and traces of fireworks were still visible on the red carpet.
Butler He was leading a group of people to tidy up when he saw Yu Li and his eyes lit up with joy: "Little Yu, you've arrived."
He looked towards the northeast of the courtyard and said, "The young master has already drunk too much and gone to sleep. The young master is in the plum grove."
Merlin?
Yu Li was slightly taken aback.
The first time he celebrated Yan Shiting's birthday was on the night of Yan Shiting's birthday banquet. After witnessing how unapproachable the Yan Sui family was, he felt depressed and wandered to the plum grove, where he happened to meet Yan Shiting.
Unexpectedly, after the banquet ended today, Yan Shiting still went to that plum grove.
Does that plum grove have any special meaning?
Yu Li gathered her thoughts, thanked Steward He, and quickly walked towards the plum grove.
The Yan family courtyard has a variety of plants, with wintersweet being the most abundant, occupying one-third of the courtyard and forming a small plum grove.
The wintersweet has already bloomed this month.
Yellow flowers adorn the branches, and a rich fragrance can be smelled as soon as you walk in.
After passing two wintersweet trees, Yu Li saw Yan Shiting's figure.
Despite the low temperature, Yan Shiting took off his coat, rolled up his shirt sleeves, and began pruning the branches of a wintersweet tree with garden shears.
As Yu Li walked over, Yan Shiting, who heard the footsteps, turned around, his eyes softening in an instant.
"Do we need to prune the branches now that it's this season?" Yu Li bent down and picked up a branch.
There are also some yellow wintersweet blossoms on the branches, which smell very fragrant.
“Refine the shape,” Yan Shiting replied in a low voice.
“These branches are quite thin, and they intersect with the branches of the wintersweet next to them, making the area look messy.”
Yu Li responded with an "Oh".
Yan Shiting handed him the garden shears and asked, "Want to give it a try?"
Yu Li was indeed somewhat interested and nodded.
Yan Shiting led him to another wintersweet tree, stood beside him, and guided him step by step on which parts to prune.
Yu Li trimmed the branches according to his instructions, and soon figured out the pattern herself.
After cutting off a branch according to his own idea, he turned around and asked, "Is that right?"
Yan Shiting stared intently at him, his eyes deep, and nodded slightly upon hearing this.
"That's right."
Yu Li felt a little shy under his gaze.
But receiving Yan Shiting's approval gave him some confidence, and he continued to prune the next one.
There weren't many places on the tree that needed pruning. When Yu Li put down her hands, Yan Shiting took the garden shears and said, "These wintersweet trees were all planted by my parents."
Yu Li was slightly taken aback.
So, is this why Yan Shiting came here?
He turned to look at Merlin and said, "You've done a great job."
Looking down at the cut branches, Yu Li squatted down and picked them up one by one, saying, "Brother, let's take all these cut branches back and put them in the vase in your room."
He remembered that there was an ornate vase in Yan Shiting's bedroom, but there were no flowers in it.
Yan Shiting casually placed the garden shears under a wintersweet tree, walked over to him and picked them up together: "Whatever you say."
They had just finished pruning two wintersweet trees, so there weren't many branches that had fallen to the ground.
The two of them finished picking it up in a minute, just enough to fit in one hand.
After getting up, Yu Li yawned and swayed slightly.
Yan Shiting quickly helped him up and asked in a deep voice, "Are you sleepy?"
"Go back to your room and sleep."
Yu Li's schedule has been relatively stable lately, and it's time for him to sleep right now.
After a while, Yu Li regained some clarity and said with pursed lips, "You can't sleep. It's your birthday after midnight."
He seemed to remember something, his earlobes flushed red, and his gaze wandered. "I prepared a birthday present for you."
"It might not be very good, but please don't mind it."
How could Yan Shiting possibly find it distasteful?
He nodded slightly, led Yu Li back to the villa, and went up to the third floor to their room.
Yu Li found the vase, put the wintersweet branch inside, and adjusted its shape.
After finishing this task, he took a deep breath, led Yan Shiting to the table, and took out a USB drive from his coat pocket.
"This is the gift I'm giving you."
The USB drive contained a small program he had written.
Yan Shiting clicked on it himself. After an opening animation with a blue underwater scene, accompanied by soothing music, a small blue and white fish appeared in the water.
The little fish swam to the surface, looked at a goose drinking water on the shore, and blew out a bubble.
Clicking the bubble will cause it to pop, revealing a date.
"Our wedding date," Yu Li introduced.
The little fish blew two more bubbles, and when you opened them one by one, you saw two more dates.
Yan Shiting knew that it was Yu Li's birthday, and also his birthday.
The little fish blew out two bubbles. Yan Shiting clicked on the window, and this time two sentences appeared: "Even though the little fish and the wild goose live in different worlds, there will always be moments when their worlds intersect."
Happy birthday, brother.
After that, the little fish stopped blowing bubbles and stayed quietly in the water, occasionally swimming around.
"I set up two accounts; you can leave a message by clicking on the little fish."
Yu Li clicked on the little fish, randomly typed in "AAA", and then logged into another account.
This time, the opening animation is different. It shows a lone goose flying across the sky, finally resting by the lake, where it encounters the little blue and white fish.
Immediately afterwards, the goose plucked a leaf from a nearby maple tree and dropped it into the water. The moment it touched the water's surface, the maple leaf disappeared, and the number "AAA" appeared.
After the demonstration, Yu Li nervously clasped her hands together.
He was short of money and couldn't give material gifts, so he created this mini-program, a secret base exclusively for him and Yan Shiting.
Yan Shiting looked at the page of the mini-program.
A moment later, his gaze fell on the nervous Yu Li.
No wonder I've noticed Yu Li acting a bit suspiciously these past few days; he's been preparing his birthday present.
Yan Shiting could understand why Yu Li had given him this mini-program.
—If he doesn't like to express his feelings, then leave a message using the mini-program.
Sometimes, using words can reduce psychological barriers compared to speaking directly, allowing for smoother expression.
During the banquet, Ting's Adam's apple bobbed slightly.
He gently hugged Yu Li, sighed, and said, "Thank you, Xiao Yu, I like it very much."
Yu Li was taken aback.
The intimate whisper of "Little Fish," with the earnestness that Yan Shiting used when calling his name, stirred his heart more than any other words.
He hugged Yan Shiting back and whispered, "I also want to thank you."
The bedroom lights were bright, and to the soothing music from the mini-program, they shared a kiss that carried the scent of winter plum blossoms.
Their lips and tongues intertwined, deeper, gentler, and more passionate than before, as if they were entrusting everything to their lover.
The figure moved swaying under the light, from the desk to the bed.
In this bedroom, on this bed, Yan Shiting suddenly thought of the night they officially became a couple.
He breathed heavily and kissed Yu Li's forehead with affection.
The only despicable thing he ever did in his life was to use the child as an excuse to get Yu Li to agree to marry him.
He had originally planned to end things here; he was already lucky to be able to get married and have someone by his side.
But Yu Li took the initiative to come to his side, with love in her heart, with the ability to love that he longed for.
Overjoyed, Yan Shiting kept kissing Yu Li's face, his lips, his ears, and his chin.
Yu Li's heart pounded like thunder. He tilted his head back to respond, only to find that Yan Shiting's kiss stopped at his chin and then stopped.
Yu Li opened her eyes in confusion, her misty eyes looking at Yan Shiting: "Brother?"
Yan Shiting, unusually, avoided his gaze, his large, warm hand moving down to his slightly protruding belly: "It will hurt it."
Yu Li blushed.
He bit his lip, wrapped his arms around Yan Shiting's neck, and said in a defiant manner, "It's okay, as long as it doesn't all go in... it's fine."
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