Chapter 71
Christmas Eve is approaching, and Chen Zhiyi remembers it clearly. It's her 29th birthday, and he wants to celebrate it properly for her to make up for the past five years.
The last time I celebrated her birthday, I was still a student with limited funds, all of which came from my parents. It was a bit of a hassle to spend them. Looking back, it was so simple. The birthday meal was just an outdoor hot pot. I feel ashamed to even mention it. So this time, I'm determined to go all out.
Buying her a gift was already a headache for Chen Zhiyi. She didn't like the bags and jewelry that girls usually like, and even thought they weren't as nice as what he could make himself. With her skillful hands, what couldn't she make? Giving her cash or a black card was even worse; she would definitely feel that was an insult.
Lately, after dinner, Lin Ting always stays in her study, revising design drafts on the computer. The spring collection needs to be finalized, and she is more nervous and anxious than anyone else. She brainstorms every day, tearing up the drafts she draws again and again, always feeling dissatisfied.
On the contrary, Chen Zhiyi is much more comfortable. Filming for "Live Skin" will wrap up next week, and he only needs to shoot some individual shots in the next few days. He basically only has half a day of filming in the morning.
With her role reversed, Chen Zhiyi became the main force in household chores, cooking dinner and cleaning.
Zhang Ke suggested taking on some business activities, but Chen Zhiyi refused. He said that it was not easy to return to family life, so what was wrong with enjoying it for a few more days? They were not short of money.
Seeing Lin Ting sitting in front of the computer with a worried look on her face, Chen Zhiyi got up from the sofa, cut a plate of fruit and brought it in. Without disturbing her, he fed her bite by bite with a small fork.
Once her brow relaxed a little, Chen Zhiyi casually remarked, "Someone's having a birthday party."
Lin Ting hadn't reacted yet, "Who?"
Chen Zhiyi turned her chin towards him, "You!"
Lin Ting suddenly realized, but it didn't matter. She didn't really celebrate her birthday. The last birthday she could remember was five years ago when he helped her celebrate. After that, it just passed by like any other day.
The fact that he asked today is undoubtedly because he wants to celebrate my birthday. It's so nice that there are still people in this world who remember every important moment of my life.
She put down her pen, cupped Chen Zhiyi's face in her hands. His face was clean and delicate, without even a stubble. She recalled the netizens' comments about him, calling him the ceiling of male celebrities' looks in the entertainment industry.
This ceiling is really hard to kick!
While others can only lick in front of the screen, I can knead it at will, which greatly satisfies my vanity.
That's what I thought, so I did it.
He arched his nose like a pig's snout and pinched his mouth into an "O" shape. "What? Want to celebrate my birthday?"
Chen Zhiyi mumbled, "Um, how do you want to spend your time? How about we go on a trip abroad? We've never gone out together before."
Lin Ting pointed to the computer drawing software and the drawings spread all over the table, her face full of helplessness, "Do you think I'm worthy?"
Chen Zhiyi hesitated for a moment, "Then how about giving a gift?"
Lin Ting squinted and thought for a moment, "Okay, you can make one yourself."
Chen Zhiyi nestled his head against Lin Ting's shoulder and rubbed against her, feigning grievance, "Isn't this making things difficult for me?"
Lin Ting couldn't help but chuckle. Heaven was still somewhat fair; it gave him a beautiful appearance but not a pair of usable hands. He couldn't do any handicrafts, let alone change a light bulb or fix a drain at home—essential skills for a stay-at-home man.
The man was perfectly justified: "I have money, I can hire a repairman."
One sentence can leave you speechless.
"Then just buy anything, nothing too expensive." Lin Ting knew he was stubborn and would definitely insist on buying something.
“Okay, then I’ll buy the apartment downstairs tomorrow and put your name on it.” Chen Zhiyi said calmly, as if he were just chatting about the weather.
Lin Ting turned her head and glanced at him. Was he showing off his wealth?
Chen Zhiyi immediately explained, "If we buy the apartment downstairs, we can bring Auntie over to live with us, which will make it easier for us to take care of her."
Lin Ting was touched, but still refused. "Forget it, my mom won't come. If she wanted to, I would have brought her here long ago. She's used to living in the countryside, where she knows all the neighbors and can have private conversations. Living in the city, everyone keeps their doors tightly shut and they don't know each other. It would be very uncomfortable for her to be cooped up in these high-rise buildings all day long. We only need to go back to see her once a month, and there are security cameras so we can check on her anytime."
Chen Zhiyi could tell that it was both a reason and an excuse. Although they had been living together for a while, she kept her finances very separate.
His income is his, and her income is hers.
She never interferes, unlike other girlfriends who try to control everything; she keeps things too separate, which makes it easy for them to drift away.
But he didn't like that. He liked being mixed up with her. He wanted her income to be hers, and his income to be hers too.
Lin noticed the disappointment on Chen Zhiyi's face and knew he had misunderstood. In her view, no matter how perfect the relationship between the sexes was, women should remain independent individuals in terms of personality, career, and finances, and should not be too dependent on men.
"Don't overthink it. Liking someone isn't just about material possessions and extravagance. I value shared values, intellectual connection, and the little things in everyday life. Our house is big enough now; even if my mom comes over, she has plenty of room. And what I just said is true. Having money isn't a reason to squander it; money should be spent where it's needed. It's just a regular birthday; there's no need to make it so extravagant. A big meal together and blowing out the cake is enough."
Chen Zhiyi was dissatisfied, saying, "The feast and cake were too simple. Five years ago, when I didn't have money, I could manage like this. Now that I have money, I must celebrate properly."
Lin Tingting laughed and joked, "How come you're so rich now that you can buy the whole world?"
Chen Zhiyi nodded very seriously, "Okay, I will do everything I can to get you anything you want."
Seeing his serious yet helpless expression, Lin Ting decided to tease him, "Alright! I do have something I really want right now."
This piqued Chen Zhiyi's interest, and his eyes lit up. "What?"
Lin Ting stretched out her hand, feigning pitifulness, "My brain is failing me. Can you give me some design inspiration? The spring collection is driving me crazy."
Chen Zhiyi was taken aback at first, but after a moment he reacted, he grabbed her outstretched hand and comforted her, "Don't put too much pressure on yourself."
Lin Ting pouted, looking determined, "This is my first time independently managing the entire process, and I really want to do it well."
Chen Zhiyi patted the back of her head. "Then tell me about your design concept this time." Other couples don't like to talk about work at home, but Chen Zhiyi quite enjoys it. Love should permeate every aspect of life.
Lin Ting pulled up the data on her computer. "This time it's an exclusive design for e-commerce platforms. Our brand sells through e-commerce channels both domestically and internationally, so I wanted to create a design with Chinese characteristics and cultural heritage. But I searched for many big brand designs, and most of the patterns were common Chinese elements such as flowers and birds, eaves, and ancient buildings. I wanted to do something uncommon, but I just couldn't find the right angle."
Chen Zhiyi pondered for a moment, “The first time I had a basic understanding of Chinese culture was through the story of the twelve zodiac animals. It’s interesting and fun, and the zodiac animals also represent a characteristic we are associated with. When we go to a store to buy things, if the item has a zodiac animal engraved on it, we will consciously look for the one that matches our own zodiac animal. We also collect these kinds of products, such as bracelets, pendants, brooches, etc. Moreover, foreigners are now also familiar with the twelve zodiac animal culture, know their own zodiac animal, and will buy a zodiac animal souvenir to take back when they come to China. This is also a way of understanding Chinese culture.”
Lin Ting still frowned, "But the twelve zodiac elements are widely used, so they're not very novel."
"The most common Chinese zodiac elements on the market are animal patterns, but what if you changed them to oracle bone script?"
"Oracle bone script?" Lin Ting had obviously never seen it before.
Chen Zhiyi opened his browser on his computer and found a picture: the twelve zodiac animals in oracle bone script. "This is it. I found it very attractive when I first saw it. Moreover, oracle bone script is the earliest mature writing system discovered in China so far. It is the source of Chinese characters and the root of our Chinese culture. I think combining these two elements, with its appeal and story, will be popular with everyone."
Lin Ting downloaded the image and imported it into the drawing software.
Chen Zhiyi continued, "Men's clothes don't need large-area pattern decorations. We can design them to the size of an egg. We also don't want them to be cartoonish or trendy, which would be too common and lack cultural depth. We can design them in a totem style, which is traditional and formal, and can be used in any style."
Following Chen Zhiyi's description, Lin Ting quickly drew a portrait pattern using the image of a rat as an example. The center featured the rat in oracle bone script, surrounded by a circle of auspicious cloud patterns. "Is it like this?"
Chen Zhiyi gave a thumbs up. Sure enough, smart people understand things quickly, and the things they make are even more exquisite than imagined.
Once the source of inspiration was opened, everything became clear. Lin Ting refined Chen Zhiyi's ideas, "It's not just about auspicious cloud patterns. I can also add Chinese-style patterns like phoenix, qilin, and dragon patterns, or some rare ethnic minority totem patterns. When we launch it, we'll create the stories behind the patterns, twelve patterns, twelve little stories. I've already thought of a name for this series: 'Wearing Culture and Blessings on Your Body.' What do you think?"
The light radiating from his passion was dazzling. Chen Zhiyi nodded earnestly, "Okay!"
Lin Ting immediately kissed Chen Zhiyi's cheek, then hugged his head and rubbed it wildly, so excited that she forgot herself. "Oh my, you are my lucky star, my source of inspiration. Why don't you give up being a star and become my design assistant?"
Chen Zhiyi laughed along, "Okay, I'll do anything for you, even be your slave."
Lin Ting felt a surge of warmth in her heart and kissed him deeply, saying, "I can't bear to."
////////
On Christmas Eve, Lin Ting was supposed to leave right after get off work, but she was held up by work. Chen Zhiyi waited in the car for two hours and she still hadn't come out. He noticed that all the lights in the other rooms on her floor were off, except for one room that was still lit.
He didn't want to keep sending messages, so he put on a hat and mask and went into the building fully armed.
Sure enough, even the reception desk on the first floor was empty, and the elevator, which was usually bustling with people coming and going, was completely dark.
Everyone else went out to celebrate the holiday, but she foolishly stayed until the very end, not caring that the holiday and her birthday clashed.
As Chen Zhiyi walked to Lin Ting's office, he made sure to avoid being caught on camera, ensuring his face wasn't photographed at all.
This is a dormitory-style office where everyone works in a shared space surrounded by transparent glass walls. It would be bright and airy during the day if sunlight streamed in.
He spotted Lin Ting immediately. Her table was in the corner, as she always did. In crowded places, she preferred to stay in a secluded spot, keeping a low profile and creating a safe zone for herself.
Under the lamplight, her eyes shone brightly, and her paintbrush danced across the paper, completely oblivious to the passage of time.
Chen Zhiyi thought to himself, "Thank goodness she came up, otherwise waiting for her for another hour would have been pointless."
He knocked on the glass door, the crisp sound waking Lin Ting from her immersive work. Although Chen Zhiyi was dressed entirely in black, with only his pearly black eyes visible, Lin Ting recognized him at a glance.
Her face filled with terror, she jumped up from her seat. This was too audacious! She stammered, unable to speak, "You, you..."
Calming down, she stood on the table, tore off a piece of cloth to cover the surveillance camera, and then turned to Chen Zhiyi, "Why did you come up here?"
Chen Zhiyi remained calm, walked over, put his arm around her waist, and lifted her off the table. "I've come to pick up our birthday girl from get off work."
Even though the surveillance camera was covered, Lin Ting was still worried. She immediately broke free from Chen Zhiyi's embrace, took a few steps back to create a safe distance, and said, "Didn't I say I'd be down soon?"
Chen Zhiyi smiled, removed his mask, and pulled up the chat history. "It's been two hours since you said you'd come down right away." He walked towards Lin Ting as he spoke.
Lin Ting immediately stopped him by holding up five fingers, "Don't get too close, what if someone sees us? And there are security cameras too."
Chen Zhiyi, leaving no room for argument, grabbed her waist and pulled her close, saying, "Your office is the only one still lit up in the whole building. Everyone else left early to celebrate Christmas Eve. Surveillance cameras? Didn't you cover them up? What are you afraid of?"
Lin Ting was held tightly by him, so she gave up struggling and muttered, "We still have to be careful, we can't let anyone see us."
Chen Zhiyi looked around nonchalantly, "Where is everyone else? I don't see them."
The words had barely left her lips when she heard the elevator doors open, followed by a high-pitched, shrill voice, "Lin Ting, why didn't you answer your phone? It's your birthday today, are you still working overtime?"
Before the two could react, the person who made the sound was already not far away from them.
The slap in the face came too quickly, and Lin Ting was so frightened that she stammered, "Xiao, Xiao Lei..."
When Song Xiaolei saw Lin Ting embracing the man, she felt a sense of excitement, as if she had uncovered a secret. Ever since she learned that Lin Ting was in a relationship, she had been asking to meet the man, telling Lin Ting righteously that her family was there to check him out, but Lin Ting always refused, saying it was "too early."
"Now we've been caught red-handed!" "So that's why I wasn't answering the phone; my brother-in-law's here!"
Because of the distance and darkness, Song Xiaolei couldn't see the man's face clearly. But after taking a few more steps forward, she could see him clearly now.
Like a thunderbolt from the blue, Song Xiaolei froze on the spot, her eyes wide as she stared ahead, her lips trembling slightly. The name was stuck in her throat, and she couldn't utter it, stammering, "Chen, Chen..."
Chen Zhiyi remained calm, took off his mask and hat, walked up to Song Xiaolei and extended his hand, "Hello, brother-in-law, Chen Zhiyi."
Song Xiaolei was still in shock. She reached out and shook his hand, her voice weak, "Your sister, Song Xiaolei."
"Pah, pah, pah, what nonsense are you talking about?" Coming back to her senses, she looked at the hand that Chen Zhiyi had held and thought, "Oh no, I can go a month without washing my hands."
Chen Zhiyi burst into laughter after hearing this.
He knew that Song Xiaolei and Lin Ting were very close, practically best friends. He remembered how Song Xiaolei cried her eyes out at the last order meeting, and today he saw her in such a state of shock and mental confusion, which was quite amusing.
It's great that Lin Ting has such a fun friend by her side.
"No need to wash your hands. I think we'll be seeing each other often in the future. Let me formally introduce myself. I'm your best friend, Lin Ting, whom you call 'sister,' and her boyfriend is Chen Zhiyi."
Song Xiaolei still couldn't believe it. She tiptoed closer to Lin Ting's ear and whispered, "You didn't hire a lifelike robot, did you? Is artificial intelligence this advanced now? It can even be customized to a specific image? Won't you get arrested if you walk down the street?"
The fact that he could ask such strange questions clearly showed that he was so frightened that he lost his mind.
Lin Ting felt guilty. She didn't want to hide it from Song Xiaolei, but she didn't know how to say it, so she kept putting it off until now.
She wrapped her arms around Song Xiaolei's arm. "Xiaolei, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to keep it from you until now. I just didn't know how to explain it. The relationship between Chen Zhiyi and me is too complicated. It can't be explained in a short time."
That's how people are; they selectively hear important words. The word "complex" made Song Xiaolei's mind wander. She couldn't help but widen her eyes and open her mouth, directly imagining a grand drama of rising to power through sex. She even glanced down at Lin Ting's lower abdomen, wondering if she was already secretly pregnant.
It was unbelievable that Lin Ting, whom she saw as pure and virtuous like a saint, could betray herself for personal gain.
Song Xiaolei didn't speak, but bit her lower lip, looking at her with red eyes, her gaze full of incomprehension and anger.
This series of expressive changes in her face made Lin Ting realize that she had misunderstood.
Just as he was about to explain, Chen Zhiyi spoke up.
"The story between me and Lin Ting is not that hard to explain. In short, she is the girl I have loved since I was nineteen."
Song Xiaolei was stunned. "Huh?"
"I remember you were there when we were filming the big movie. You must have heard that interview. Lin Ting was the female lead, my high school tutor, the one who encouraged me to pursue my dream of becoming an actress, and a ray of light that illuminated my life."
"I waited for her for five years, and loved her for five years."
"So she's not the person who sacrifices herself for profit in that dramatic scene you're imagining, but someone I've liked since I was young, my eternal white moonlight."
Song Xiaolei felt like a small boat being tossed about in the turbulent waves. She had just managed to recover from the giant wave a moment ago, but now she was being overturned by an even stronger wave.
This is terrifying!
The probability and the sheer shock of encountering such a deeply affectionate, devoted, and handsome man are like a comet hitting the Earth – a double whammy.
Chen Zhiyi continued, “You are Lin Ting’s best friend, and we shouldn’t hide this from you. But because of my public status, it seems that apart from the two of us, everyone else finds this unbelievable. They even think that Lin Ting seduced me under the guise of work. I don’t want her to suffer any unfounded insults, so we chose to keep it a secret for now. I just wanted to go public with our relationship at the most appropriate time to minimize the impact. You may see this as deception, but for me, it’s my way of protecting her and loving her. My love for her has never needed any public demonstration to prove it. I have already given her my whole, passionate heart.”
What kind of god-like man is this?!
Lin Ting still felt apologetic; she cherished their friendship very much. "Xiao Lei, I'm sorry."
Song Xiaolei snapped out of her shock, her eyes focused, as if she had figured something out. "It's nothing, it's just that after hearing your stories, I suddenly understood something."
Lin Ting and Chen Zhiyi looked puzzled.
Song Xiaolei replied with feigned seriousness, "It turns out that boyfriends who are nurtured are the most reliable. I've decided that starting tomorrow, I'm going to prepare for the teacher qualification exam. I have a feeling that my other half is still in high school, so I need to strike first."
At this moment, Lin Ting and Chen Zhiyi were instantly petrified.
But Lin Ting knew that Song Xiaolei wouldn't be angry anymore, so she immediately grabbed her hand and said, "Thank you!"
"Tsk, I'll keep it a secret for you guys. What's in return?" Song Xiaolei turned to Chen Zhiyi and raised an eyebrow. "The 'Three Little Ones' concert in Tianjin is opening next month. This group has recently become my new favorite. I know that the lead singer in the group once acted in a movie with you. Could you help me get a ticket? Don't worry, I don't take advantage of anyone. I'll accept half price." Sure enough, she's definitely a brother-lover.
Without saying a word, Chen Zhiyi gave an OK sign. "The best front row listening area is yours."
Song Xiaolei secretly rejoiced, thinking that being a family member of someone in the entertainment industry seemed quite glamorous.
"Looks like I don't need to worry about how you'll celebrate your birthday tonight. Let's go, there will be a lot of people and traffic jams on Christmas Eve."
"Thanks." Chen Zhiyi took Lin Ting's hand and walked out.
Song Xiaolei removed the sample cloth covering the surveillance camera and then sent a message to the building's property management office: "Are you free tomorrow? I'd like to invite you for coffee."
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