Chapter 27 Birthday Gift
As moonlight slipped through the curtains at three in the morning, I squinted to peek at the person beside me—Lin Yan, lying on his side in an awkward position, his arm dangling across my waist, neither daring to embrace me tightly nor holding me loosely, as if afraid I'd run away in the middle of the night. In the eight hours since the misunderstanding was resolved, this usually calm and elegant master Lin Yan had become like a rain-soaked golden retriever, even his breathing cautious and ingratiating.
(At five in the morning, there was a slight noise from the kitchen)
I slid to the kitchen door in my slippers and nearly dropped my jaw at the sight before me—Lin Yan, wearing those dark gray pajamas I'd complained looked like an apron, was frantically making glutinous rice balls, following a tutorial on her phone. On the counter lay five or six failed attempts: sesame balls with the filling exposed, cracked red bean buns, and a strange lump of dough that looked more like a kidney than a heart.
"Are you sleepwalking?" I deliberately put on a cold face.
He was so frightened that his hands trembled, and the newly kneaded glutinous rice balls fell "plop" into the pile of flour. His fingertips covered with white powder curled up awkwardly: "I saw you didn't eat much last night... I wanted to make some lava glutinous rice balls for a midnight snack." His eyes were bloodshot behind the lenses, and it was obvious that he stayed up late to look up the recipe.
On the third day, I was slumped on the sofa playing games when Lin Yan came over for the third time, wanting to say something but holding back. Ever since he was allowed to "make amends," he's been suffering from separation anxiety plus.
"If you want to talk, just tell me." I deliberately pressed the switch.
He immediately threw back the blanket and squeezed in, wrapping his arms and legs around me like a silkworm, resting his chin against my hair and muttering, "The weather forecast says the thunderstorm will last until 2:17 in the morning. Ruirui is afraid of thunder..."
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not afraid even at the age of three… Hey, where are you touching?!”
"Check if the heat pad is firmly attached." He lifted the corner of my clothes righteously, placed his warm palm on the waist where fingerprints were still left, and suddenly buried his face in my neck as if he had lost his temper: "Ruirui, I seem to have... become more like a goblin than you." His voice was muffled, and his breath made me itch.
The moment the thunder exploded outside the window, he reflexively covered my ears, completely forgetting that he was the one who would be stressed during a thunderstorm.
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Ever since that last incident, I've felt like something's not right with Lin Yan. His masterful spirit is gone, and he acts like a newly arrived eunuch, completely submissive and timid towards me.
"Ruirui, what do you want to eat tonight? I'll...I'll go get it." (In the past, I would just decide, "Let's have this for dinner")
"It's getting colder today, do you want to wear this coat?" (He used to just wrap me in it)
"Um... Did Lao Si invite you to play games? Go ahead, have fun. I... I just need to read some literature." (Before? Haha, he would quietly find an excuse to keep me by his side.)
After just two days of novelty, I felt uncomfortable all over. Seeing him clearly wanting to be clingy but forcing himself back, the uneasiness and flattery in his eyes felt like a small thorn in my heart. Damn it, I'm not annoyed by his excessive meddling and ridiculous jealousy, but I also don't want to see him become this timid little wife! Is this still the Lin Yan who can report someone to the renovation without making a sound? I'm actually starting to feel bad for him! For Lin Yan!
No, I have to turn this bastard back to his original form! His birthday is coming up soon. An idea popped into my goblin head - give him a big one! Let him know that I'm not angry, I... I love him very much!
I immediately took action. I secretly roped in Lao Si and his girlfriend, Xiao You, who was in the late stages of social infatuation, as "accomplices," and we decided to meet in our own den. I gritted my teeth, used my best scholarship, and slipped into the mall. The saleswoman's remark, "Your boyfriend is so lucky," made my ears burn. After much searching, I finally settled on a simple, elegant watch. The dial's sheen echoed Lin Yan's pretentious, elite demeanor. The key was that I could wear this thing on his wrist every day, reminding everyone—this guy belongs to me! (Symbolically powerful, right?)
To keep it a secret from him, I was forced to be secretive. I'd go get the cake without him, hide the gift under my computer desk (thinking it was a perfect plan), and have encrypted chats with Xiaoyou and Laosi in the group chat (pretending to play games, but actually plotting). I'd often lock myself in a small room (pretending to be playing the Rift), but actually be searching for how to pop party balloons or grinning at my hidden watch.
My actions were like adding fuel to the fire in the eyes of "Humble Lin", who was already in a "period of deep reflection" and had nerves thinner than a hair.
I could feel his searching gaze.
"Ruirui, you seem to be very busy recently?" he asked tentatively, his tone cautious.
"Ah? No, I'm playing games." My eyes wandered and I quickly changed the subject. "That idiot Lao Si is such a jerk!"
His eyes darkened, and he didn't ask any more questions, but just remained silent. His hesitant, hesitant look, so worried about what would happen, made me clench my fists, but also feel soft-hearted.
That afternoon, I was hunkered down in my room, confirming the cake's delivery time, when my phone vibrated. It was an encrypted message from Lao Si: "Brother Rui, Boss Lin has come out of the lab, looking utterly pale! As planned, I've sent him a distress signal! Are you ready?"
"Roger that!" I replied quickly, my heart pounding. Success or failure depended on this one move!
A few minutes later, I heard the sound of hurried footsteps downstairs, as if someone was about to demolish the building, followed by the frantic clatter of a key being inserted into the lock. Here they come!
I held my breath and exchanged glances with Xiaoyou, the fourth child. The door was suddenly slammed open!
The living room was completely dark, a deliberate act of mine. Deadly silence. From the doorway, I could hear muffled, rapid breathing, trembling with the intensity of a person on the verge of collapse.
"Surprise!!!" I yelled and turned on the headlights at the same time!
I held a large, silly-looking bunch of sunflowers (picked by Xiaoyou), which were said to symbolize "loyalty," and, trying to put on what I thought was a very handsome smile, strode towards him. Lao Si and Xiaoyou were behind me, carrying a cake with candles on it, singing "Happy Birthday" at the top of their lungs.
Lin Yan stood at the door, frozen. His face was pale, his eyes red as a rabbit's, his hair disheveled, his clothes wrinkled, a complete loss of his usual delicate demeanor. The look in his eyes as he looked at me shifted from dead despair to disbelieving bewilderment, then finally exploded into ecstasy and... a profound sense of grievance?
The next second, he rushed over like a cannonball and squeezed me tightly into his arms! The force was so strong that I almost died on the spot. The sunflower in my arms groaned under the heavy pressure.
"Rui Rui..." His voice was shaking, and the scalding liquid poured directly into the crook of my neck, burning me so much that I shuddered. He buried his face in my neck, his body still shaking, "Rui Rui... you scared me to death... I thought... I thought..."
Fuck… that's a huge reaction! He strangled me so hard it hurt, but it hurt even more in my chest. The elation I felt from the success of my prank was instantly overwhelmed by guilt. I awkwardly hugged him back, patting his tense back like I was soothing a frightened large dog: "It's okay… it's okay… look, I'm fine… happy birthday, silly dog."
He held my hand tightly the entire time, from blowing out the candles to cutting the cake, as if he was afraid I would run away. Lao Si and Xiao You were very considerate, and they left after singing and eating the cake. Xiao You even winked at me before leaving.
As soon as the door closed, the world was quiet. Just as I breathed a sigh of relief, Lin Yan shoved me down onto the sofa. A kiss, tinged with the sweet aroma of cake, slammed down on me, fierce and urgent, tinged with fear, and... salty tears? As he kissed me, tears flowed silently, like a floodgate.
"Lin Yan...you..." I was so breathless from his kiss that I finally pushed him away a little, "Wait a minute! I...I haven't given you the gift yet!"
"I don't want any gifts..." His voice was very hoarse, with a strong nasal tone. Like an abandoned child, he hugged me tightly, burying his face in my chest, "I was so worried about you... I couldn't find you... I couldn't get through on the phone... I thought you... didn't want me anymore... I was so scared..." The last few words were choked in his throat and he couldn't say any more.
My heart softened completely. For the first time, I didn't get angry or act tough. I reached out and stroked his soft hair like I was stroking fur. My voice sounded corny even to me: "Silly boy... I'm fine right here. Where else can I go? I have a surprise for you."
"These past few days... I've been thinking... I was wrong... I was really wrong..." He raised his head, his red eyes looking at me wetly, like a big dog caught in the rain, "I shouldn't have been so controlling of you... I shouldn't have been jealous... I shouldn't have bothered you... Can we go back to the way we were before? Don't hide from me... Don't ignore me..."
I sighed and pinched his pale face: "Oh, I'm not really angry! It's just that seeing you look so cowardly is so awkward, and I feel bad!"
"Really?" His eyes lit up instantly, and he asked cautiously with a hint of disbelief, "Then...then do you...still like me?" This humble and straightforward question accurately hit the softest part of my heart.
My face flushed, my eyes darted around, and my voice was so low that I could hardly hear it: "...Love... Love you." After saying that, I wished I could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
Lin Yan's body suddenly stiffened, and then huge ecstasy exploded in his eyes like fireworks! "Really?! Ruirui, say it again?" His voice was distorted.
"That's enough!" I was so embarrassed that I wanted to hit someone. "If you didn't hear it, forget it!"
"I heard it! I heard it!" He smiled like a fool, hugged me tightly, and gave me a hard kiss on the face. His voice was full of ecstasy of regaining what he had lost. "I love you too! Ruirui! I love you so much!" The kiss fell again, more lingering and more passionate than before, as if to make up for all the grievances and uneasiness of these days.
"Hey... Lin Yan... you dog..." I was so weak from his kiss that I struggled to get up, "I haven't given you the gift yet!"
Only then did he reluctantly let go a little. Blushing, I fished out the wrapped box from under the computer desk next to the sofa (my perfect hiding spot) and threw it to him unhappily, "Here! Take it! It'll save you from being suspicious!"
Lin Yan carefully unpacked it, and when he saw the watch, the light in his eyes brightened even more. He put it on immediately, looking left and right, unable to let it go. Then he suddenly pounced on me again: "Thank you Ruirui! I like it very much! Now... shall we continue?" His eyes instantly switched from silly dog to hungry wolf.
"Hey! Lin Yan! You fucking... uh..." The protest was ineffective.
After a flurry of activity, I was so exhausted that my eyelids were drooping. I collapsed in his arms like a drained salted fish, mumbling in a daze, "...You dog... why don't you praise the gift I gave you..."
Lin Yan laughed softly, his chest shaking. He bent down and kissed my sweaty forehead, his voice soft and satisfying as never before. "Silly boy, no matter what you give me, even if it's a stone, I'll love it. Because it's from you." He hugged me tighter, "I love everything about you."
I closed my eyes, but couldn't help but curl up the corners of my mouth. I turned over, facing him, opened my eyes in the dim light, looked at his face that was full of satisfaction and tenderness, and said seriously, "I like everything about you, Lin Yan." I poked his heart with my finger, "So, cheer up! Stop acting so humble, it's annoying! Just be your smiling tiger, I'm used to it."
Lin Yan was stunned. In the darkness, I could feel his body tense up for a moment, and then that huge warmth and sense of strength returned. He suddenly turned over and pressed me down, his eyes rekindled with the familiar, aggressive light and smile, his voice hoarse and dangerous:
"Chen Rui, you're really a foul... saying such things when I'm so moved..."
"It seems that you really don't want to sleep?"
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