Chapter 43
These past few days, Chen Zhiyi has been acting mysteriously, not revealing any information about his birthday. Lin Ting hasn't asked him either; to her, it doesn't matter whether it's a surprise or a shock.
On her birthday, at 5 p.m. as agreed, Chen Zhiyi picked up Lin Ting at the entrance of the job fair.
Lin Ting was stunned when he saw it was a taxi. He opened the door and got in. As soon as he sat down, he was greeted by a silly-looking smiling face. Then the two of them held hands.
They would only secretly hold hands when the two of them were together; otherwise, they would act normally. But even just holding hands could make Chen Zhiyi extremely excited, and he would occasionally giggle like an idiot.
"Why are you taking a taxi today? Where's Uncle Chen?"
Chen Zhiyi knew the purpose of her question and clicked his tongue, "Uncle Chen was young once too, he knows it's not easy to be a third wheel."
"It's Christmas Eve, aren't your parents going home?" Lin Ting asked.
“It’s just a Western holiday, they won’t care about it. Besides, it’s the end of the year and they have a lot of important meetings to attend, they’re busy flying around.” Chen Zhiyi placed his other hand on their clasped hands and patted them a few times to comfort them. “Even if they’re at home, I’ll make it clear that I’m going to celebrate your birthday today. If that’s the case, given how much my mom likes you, she might even compete with me to celebrate your birthday.”
Mentioning Chen's mother made Lin Ting feel uneasy. She lowered her eyes for a moment before slowly saying, "Your mother called me yesterday to ask about your recent studies."
"Our school just held a mock exam a couple of days ago, and I guess they received my report card. But I did pretty well this time, so why would she call you?"
"So she called me specifically to thank me, saying that after I'm done with my work and before the Spring Festival holiday, I'd like to invite my family to a meal to express my gratitude, saying that I, as your teacher, have also made a great contribution to your rapid improvement in grades."
Chen Zhiyi understood the meaning behind her words and stared at her. "My mother is my mother, and I am me. I never treated you as a tutor from the beginning. I was the one who had ulterior motives towards you, I was the one who had unrequited love, and I was the one who relentlessly pursued you. Swallow all your unease and guilt."
This string of blatant adjectives, delivered in a serious tone, made Lin Ting's face turn red inch by inch.
Chen Zhiyi looked at her blushing profile and knew she was shy, so he changed the subject, "Besides, what's wrong with you, being so young and always thinking about being someone's elder?"
Unable to contain her anger, Lin Ting kicked Chen Zhiyi hard.
Chen Zhiyi hissed and feigned pitifulness, "Domestic violence!"
This time, Lin Ting stomped on the ground a few more times, thoroughly carrying out the "domestic violence" act.
The two drove to a villa in the suburbs, pushed open the white gate and went inside. The house was not big, just a small single-story house, but it had a huge yard with a lawn, swings, flowers and plants, and everything else you could want.
There was a tall osmanthus tree in the yard, its leaves all gone and its branches bare. But one could imagine that when it was lush and leafy, it would be like a huge embrace, tightly holding the house. This reminded Lin Ting of the peach tree in his hometown that had accompanied him as he grew up.
"Where is this?" Lin Ting asked.
"This villa was designed by my mother. She often brought me here to sit when I was very young,"
"design?"
"Yes, my mom studied architectural design." Then she pointed to the surrounding area, "This is a suburb, it used to be a cotton field, right at the foot of Yunshan Mountain, you know Yunshan, right?"
Lin Ting nodded. Yunshan is another famous geological forest in Jinshi, an excellent place to nourish the lungs.
"Then my mother took a liking to this piece of land, thinking it was very suitable for retirement, so she fenced it off and developed this detached villa area."
"So this whole area belongs to your family?" Lin Ting asked in astonishment. She knew his family background was outstanding, but standing here, she realized that it went beyond just being outstanding.
Chen Zhiyi put his arms around her shoulders and whispered in her ear, "Don't worry, everything will be yours from now on."
Lin Ting shoved him away, "Nonsense."
Chen Zhiyi smiled and pointed to the osmanthus tree, "Does it look a little familiar?"
"Hmm, it reminds me of the peach tree in my hometown."
Chen Zhiyi snapped his fingers. "Great minds think alike. I've been thinking about where to celebrate your birthday these past few days. Restaurants are too tacky, and karaoke bars are too noisy. Then I thought of this place. Although it's quite different from your hometown, it's quiet and peaceful. This is the first time in thirteen years that I'm celebrating your birthday properly. I hope it's something familiar yet unique. I also hope that this will be a new beginning for you, that you can let go of those painful unfinished things and start something new, filling the void of these thirteen years."
It would be a lie to say Lin wasn't expecting anything, and it would be a lie to say she wasn't moved, but all she could manage in return for her heartfelt words was, "Thank you!"
Chen Zhiyi affectionately pinched her nose, "Actually, I really like this place myself, and I especially like coming here at night. This time, I'm just taking advantage of your presence."
"Why?" Lin Ting asked, somewhat puzzled.
Chen Zhiyi kept everyone in suspense, then said, "Come with me."
When the two walked to the rooftop, Lin Ting realized that it was a huge rooftop design with three large lounge chairs in the middle and an outdoor fireplace and barbecue grill in the corner. It was obviously a great place for a family to have a good time for a day.
The flames in the fireplace burned brightly, releasing heat and light, driving away the winter chill.
Chen Zhiyi lay down on a recliner and gestured for Lin Ting to lie down on the recliner next to him.
Lin Ting lay down and then realized why Chen Ziyu had said he liked coming here at night the most.
It turns out that the starry sky in the city can be so clear and dazzling, and can be felt so closely, as if you could reach out and feel the softness and tranquility of the moonlight.
"I never expected to see such a brilliant starry sky here." Lin Ting was somewhat surprised.
"Yes, when I was little, I loved chasing and running around here trying to catch the stars. Back then, it felt like I could be happy for a long, long time if I could catch one. But when I grew up, I realized that was impossible."
"When I was a child, I often sat at my doorstep counting stars, but I found that I could never count them all. Now, I'm juggling work and studies and haven't looked up at the starry sky for a very long time." After saying this, Lin Ting closed her eyes, enjoying the moonlight and feeling the peace of the moment.
After a long day of job fairs, Lin Ting was feeling a bit tired. In the quiet surroundings, and without feeling the cold, she quickly drifted off to sleep. Chen Zhiyi looked at her peaceful sleeping face, got up, and brought her a light blanket to cover her before going to prepare other surprises.
In a daze, Lin Ting seemed to wake up again. She returned to the year she was ten years old, back to her birthday.
As she walked toward the door, fear and terror gripped her; she didn't want to see that scene again—two lumps of raw, white flesh pressed and crushed together, a sight that was nauseating.
But before she could even reach the door, a couple with beaming smiles walked out.
It was no one else, and there was no one else.
They were just her beloved parents.
Lin Qin waved to her, her lips curving into a smile, "Come here quickly, it's your birthday today, and your parents have cooked a lot of your favorite dishes."
Qin Qiang smiled and said, "Tingting is ten years old. It's a very important birthday. Our whole family is celebrating together. Dad even bought a cake today. We're having a lively birthday celebration."
Lin Ting waited a very long time for the most ordinary birthday wishes from her parents.
Warm tears welled up in her eyes, and Lin Ting blinked hard to suppress the moisture.
Lin Ting ran towards her parents, only to find that everything around her began to blur. She took a step forward, and her parents took a step back. She couldn't catch up with them no matter what she did. In the end, everything turned into nothingness, becoming a vast expanse of white.
She called out in the mist, but heard no response.
But soon, she heard the laughter of a family of three ahead. Excitedly, she rushed forward and pushed through the fog, the first thing she saw was Qin Qiang.
Just as Lin Ting was about to call out "Dad," the alluring woman standing next to Qin Qiang threw herself into his arms and called out sweetly, "Husband!"
Immediately afterwards, a child hugged Qin Qiang's leg, looked up, and called out softly, "Daddy, Daddy."
This woman is not Lin Ting's mother, nor Lin Qin, but Xie Yuling, whom Lin Ting hates to the core.
The child was not himself, but his half-brother, who shared half the same bloodline.
Suddenly, Lin Ting felt a sharp pain in her heart, as if she were being slowly sliced to pieces.
The outcome remains the same; it has never been reversed.
Lin Ting looked at everything before her, tears streaming down her face, and began to sob.
The crying drew their attention.
Xie Yuling shouted at her, "He is my husband."
The child shouted at her, "He's my dad!"
Their voices, one after another, were like a tight band around her neck, making Lin Ting's head ache so badly she felt like it was going to explode. She slowly squatted down, burying her head between her arms.
Just then, a warm palm was placed on the top of my head, and a warm current flowed into my skin, relieving my headache slightly.
A frantic call filled my ears, "Lin Ting, Lin Ting."
She looked up, opened her eyes, and vaguely saw a familiar face. She murmured, "Chen Zhiyi."
"I'm here!" The voice was clear and melodious, like a spring breeze.
Lin Ting opened her eyes wide; it was all just a dream.
"Did I fall asleep?"
Chen Zhiyi brushed away the stray hairs from Lin Ting's forehead. "Did you have a nightmare? Your brows were furrowed the whole time."
Lin Ting pursed her lips and shook her head.
"Alright, I'll show you something." Chen Zhiyi held out his hand to Lin Ting, who stood up without hesitation and placed her hand in his.
The two went downstairs and into the living room, where Lin Ting was stunned by the scene before her.
Gifts of all sizes formed a wall, in various colors such as pink, yellow, and blue, making it seem as if you had fallen into a colorful candy world.
So dazzling!
Everyone hopes to receive gifts on their birthday, especially when it's a wall of gifts. Lin Ting felt as if peach bubbles were constantly rising inside her, sweet and delightful.
Chen Zhiyi pointed to the side, where a KT board was placed on a wooden shelf with the words "Lin Ting's Birthday Gift Shop" written on it.
Then, pausing his playful antics, he cleared his throat and said very seriously, "Welcome to Lin Ting's Birthday Gift Shop. Here are her birthday gifts from age 10 to 23. Now, please take a seat, my lady, and I will introduce each of these gifts to you."
After speaking, Chen Zhiyi bent down, one hand behind his back and the other outstretched, making an invitation.
Lin Ting looked up, covered her face with her hands and chuckled, then sat down in the chair and listened to the person in front of her.
"First, when Lin Ting was 10 years old, she learned that her birthday and Christmas Eve were on the same day. It turned out that on Christmas Eve, if you put a big stocking by your pillow, Santa Claus would secretly come and deliver presents. So she excitedly told her mother, 'Mom, Mom, for my birthday today, I want a big cotton stocking. When I go to sleep, Santa Claus will bring me presents, so I can get two presents on my birthday!' Her mother said, 'Okay, no problem.' So her 10th birthday present was a pair of big red cotton stockings and a Santa Claus doll. May she always have a childlike heart."
"When Lin Ting turned 11, she received a box of hair accessories. It was full of all kinds of pretty little hair clips and hair ties. The colorful decorations and sparkling rhinestones dazzled her eyes. With this box of beautiful accessories, Lin Ting could share with her friends and dress herself up beautifully, like a little princess."
"When she was 12 years old, her childhood ended after her birthday. She received a pair of red leather shoes. There were no fancy decorations, only a big bow. They were simple and elegant. Wearing them, Lin Ting ushered in her teenage years."
"After entering junior high school, Lin Ting focused all her attention on her studies. She wanted to get into the best high school in the county and then her dream university. Her birthday gifts were mostly related to her studies. She had a fine and durable Hero brand fountain pen, a complete set of English Harry Potter books, an e-percent electronic dictionary, and MP3 players for practicing English listening comprehension. She had everything that other classmates had, and even things they didn't have. They all envied Lin Ting because she had a mother who loved and doted on her very much."
"When she turned 18, it meant she had come of age and received her first touch of red in her life, a lipstick."
"When she turned 20 and went to university, she got her first mobile phone, which was a big step in her life. She left home and traveled far away to embrace university life."
"At the age of 21, she received another pair of red leather shoes, but this time they were high heels, marking her transformation from a naive young girl into an outstanding, independent, and intellectual woman."
"At 22, she began to enter society and attend various part-time job interviews. In order to cover up her naivety and highlight her inner maturity, she needed a slightly formal suit to complement her."
"At 23, she encountered a major setback in her tutoring career, which she was so proud of. But for this setback, it was also a great blessing. He was attracted to her sincerity, resilience, hard work, and never-give-up attitude. He was completely captivated by her; no amount of positive adjectives could adequately describe her. He liked her and admired her. This boy thought that he would never be able to express his feelings, and that it was better to stay by her side as her lover than to leave her and lose her. Perhaps this love was blessed by heaven, for he had the opportunity to confess to her, and even more fortunately, his feelings were reciprocated. In his eyes, the past six months had been without trials or challenges, just waiting for the right moment, like the darkness before dawn. No matter how dark it was, it would eventually disappear, the sun would still rise as usual, and they would stand together again—it was destiny."
"Today is the first time this boy has celebrated his birthday with the girl he likes. He is both nervous and excited and wants to give her all the best things in life. He specially commissioned a necklace with an ear-shaped dangling needle. Lin Ting is also a name for listening. I am willing to stay by her side for the rest of my life and be her listener."
With that, Chen Zhiyi walked up to Lin Ting, opened the brocade box, and said, "Lin Ting, would you be willing to let me put this necklace on you?"
No one had ever celebrated her birthday with such care before. The thirteen-year gap was suddenly filled in a short period of time. Lin Ting was both moved and flustered. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She was filled with mixed feelings, and many words were stuck in her throat, and she didn't know how to say them.
The person in front of me is truly etched in my heart; I will never forget them in this lifetime.
Lin stood up from her seat, covered her eyes, and turned away, trying to hold back the tears that were welling up in her eyes.
"You can't cry at such a beautiful moment, crying would spoil the mood."
Lin Ting finally straightened up and glanced at Chen Zhiyi, but his words made her lower her head again. Her hand covering her eyes trembled slightly, and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks, a blush of excitement and joy blooming on her face.
After a moment, Lin Ting straightened up and looked at Chen Zhiyi, her face and eyes still red. A thousand words couldn't express the depth of her emotions, so she uttered a hoarse, "Thank you!"
Chen Zhiyi took the necklace out of the brocade box and held it out in his palm. "Do you like it?"
"I like them all." Lin Ting nodded, tears welling in her eyes.
"All?" Chen Zhiyi was taken aback.
Lin Ting wiped away her tears, smiled, and said to him earnestly, "Yes, I like the necklace, and I like the other thirteen gifts too. Every single one of them touched my heart."
Hearing her say that, Chen Zhiyi laughed, "Then I'll put it on for you?"
"good!"
Chen Zhiyi walked around behind Lin Ting, brushed the hair around her neck to the front, revealing her fair and delicate neck, and then carefully wrapped the necklace around the girl's neck and gently fastened it.
The silver necklace, like a galaxy adorned with stars, flowed around her neck, shimmering with a captivating light.
Lin Ting touched the necklace pendant, which had a very unique design. The outer circle was a heart with a small ear inside. "A necklace with an ear design must be hard to find on the market."
"It's not that it's hard to find, but that it's unique. This was custom-made by a studio I found. The little ears are you, and the heart is me. You can always hear my heart beating for you, and you will always be in my heart."
Although it sounded cheesy, Lin Ting couldn't help but smile.
"Custom-made? Is it very expensive?" Lin Ting became serious.
"It's not expensive." Chen Zhiyi said decisively, as if he had anticipated her question. "I know you would refuse if I bought you designer brands, since it's all family money. So I specifically found a silver jewelry customization studio. I designed all the details myself. The price isn't high, but the sentiment is genuine."
"I didn't expect you to have such a talent for design. Why don't you change careers? It would be a real shame if you became an actor in the future."
"You're just making fun of me. Talking about design in front of you, are you saying I'm showing off my limited skills?"
“I didn’t say that.”
"Just tell me."
Lin Tingyi still held the pendant in her hands, a bright smile unconsciously appearing on her face. Chen Zhiyi could tell that it was a genuine affection from the bottom of her heart, but he still felt a little guilty. "When I start earning my own money later, I'll definitely get you a diamond one."
"Why does he sound like a nouveau riche with diamonds?" Lin Ting couldn't help but laugh.
Whether it has diamonds or not is not important; I just really like it.
"real?"
"real."
"Then promise me you'll wear it every day from now on."
"good!"
"You have to take it with you when you shower and sleep."
"good!"
"Seeing it will remind you of me."
"good!"
Lin Ting was very obedient at this moment, agreeing to whatever Chen Zhiyi said. If it were before, she would definitely have said one thing but meant another, but she was undoubtedly moved by him.
How lucky she is to have met a boy who is completely devoted to her, especially since he is an outstanding person in every way.
"From now on, only I can pick it."
"Okay!" Hmm? Something's not right. "Can't I even take it off myself?" Lin Ting asked.
"No." Chen Zhiyi was very certain, then gently hugged Lin Ting and whispered tenderly in her ear, "I'll replace it with my engagement ring."
Where will the future lead? Will it lead to the ending they envisioned? Lin Ting wasn't sure, but at this moment, the vows were real, and so was her affection.
Then just live in the moment and cherish the present.
What the future holds, we'll see when that time comes. Right now, being happy is the most important and worthwhile thing.
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