Shen Zhen directly blocked Zhou Ye's mouth with a fish ball that had just been taken out of the pot.

"Eat more and talk less."

Zhou Ye chewed the fish ball with a grin, "Brother Zhen, this fish ball is really good, smooth and chewy, and there is no fishy smell."

After saying that, Zhou Ye used a colander to scoop several fish balls into the bowl and ate them slowly.

After eating the mutton hotpot, everyone helped to clean up the table, and Shao Mo took out the double-layer fruit cake she had made in the afternoon.

As the candles on the cake were lit, all the lights in the courtyard went out. In the orange candlelight, Shao Mo took the lead in singing the birthday song.

"Happy birthday to you..."

After the birthday song was sung, amid everyone's cheers, Zeng Fang clasped her hands together, closed her eyes and made a wish with full of longing.

Not far away, Shen Zhen watched quietly, a hint of envy barely noticeable in his narrow eyes.

He couldn't remember how many years it had been since he last celebrated his birthday.

"Leave."

After putting out the cigarette in his hand, Shen Zhen turned and left.

"Brother Zhen, we haven't eaten the cake yet..."

The only response he got was Shen Zhen's cold back disappearing into the darkness.

Zhou Ye found Ling Chuan and said something, then hurriedly chased after him.

After making the wish, Zeng Fang cut the cake into small pieces, and Shao Mo, Zhong Xiaochen and others helped to serve the cake to everyone.

Zeng Fang brought two pieces of cake to give to Shen Zhen and Zhou Ye, but she couldn't find anyone after walking around for a long time. When she learned from Ling Chuan that the two had left, she looked at the sweet cakes in her hands and felt inexplicably lost.

Lingchuan and Wen Qingsheng moved the family karaoke borrowed from the Shao family to the yard, and everyone ate cake and sang.

Shao Mo couldn't sing, so she and Sister Luo built a barbecue in the corner of the yard, which could be used for both heating and baking.

The party lasted until about 10:30, when everyone left and went home reluctantly.

After seeing off all the guests, Ling Chuan and Sister Luo were busy cleaning up the house, while Shao Mo and Zeng Fang were talking in the room while opening presents.

This time, Shao Mo did not intend to turn a blind eye, but asked directly about the relationship between Zeng Fang and Shen Zhen.

Zeng Fang couldn't hide it anymore, so she had to tell everyone everything about the medical expenses.

"He said if I walked his dog, I could offset the $10 debt a day."

After hearing this, Shao Mo didn't know whether to call Shen Zhen a scoundrel or Zeng Fang an idiot.

A basic eye cleansing treatment, plus a day in the hospital, would cost a hundred yuan at most, how could it possibly cost two thousand?

However, she did not directly tell Zeng Fang that there must be something wrong with the bill. Instead, she planned to confront Shen Zhen first to see what the other party was trying to do.

Shao Mo was thinking about something and didn't say anything for a while. Zeng Fang thought she was angry, so she didn't even open the gift and held her hand and apologized repeatedly.

"Momo, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hide it from you. I just didn't want you to worry about me. I always cause trouble for you and let you clean up the mess for me. I feel really bad."

Shao Mo suppressed her worries, chuckled and scratched the tip of the other person's nose, "I'm not angry, I'm just thinking about the store. Okay, continue opening the gifts."

Zeng Fang breathed a sigh of relief, "Momo, don't worry, I can handle my own affairs. In fact, it's good to walk the dog every day, just as it's exercise. Besides, he also asked the nanny to make lunch for me at noon, so I saved money on food."

Looking at her friend's silly face, a strange thought suddenly arose in Shao Mo's mind.

Could it be that Shen Zhen has any thoughts about Zeng Fang?

Otherwise, with Shen Zhen's temper, Zeng Fang almost blinded his eyes, but he not only did not pursue the matter, he also asked the nanny to cook for Zeng Fang every day. Unless he has a hole in his brain.

It just so happened that the two boxes of chocolates brought by Shen Zhen and Zhou Ye were right next to Shao Mo. She picked up one of the boxes and opened it. There were 24 small grids inside. Each grid was filled with chocolates of different colors and shapes. Each one was small and exquisite. Even Shao Mo, who was used to seeing good things, liked it.

It was obvious that Shen Zhen put a lot of thought into this gift.

As the rich aroma of chocolate wafted in the air, Zeng Fang was immediately attracted.

"Momo, can I have one?"

Seeing her friend drooling with desire, Shao Mo took a semicircular piece of dark chocolate and fed it into her mouth.

"You can only eat one piece. You already had a large piece of cream cake last night. If you eat more chocolate, you will gain at least three pounds tomorrow."

Zeng Fang sipped the chocolate, smiling so much that her eyes narrowed into slits, "This chocolate is so mellow, Momo, you should try it too."

Shao Mo chose a piece of red wine-filled cake and ate it slowly, while casually asking Zeng Fang what she thought of Shen Zhen.

"Fangfang, what do you think of Shen Zhen?"

"Not very good, very annoying, with too many faults to count with two hands."

Shao Mo smiled without comment.

Liking or hating a person can be based on subjective judgment, but knowing how many shortcomings a person has requires that you have a considerable understanding and concern for that person.

"Since you hate him so much, I'll help you pay the debt you owe him. You don't have to walk his dog for him anymore."

Zeng Fang was stunned, then quickly shook her head, "No, it's more than a thousand yuan, I can't bear to give it to him even if I have money."

Shao Mo added: "If you are worried about lack of money, you can go there to work part-time on weekends after the Lingchuan store opens. The monthly salary is 5 yuan, and you will be given commission. If you are lucky, you can earn back the 2,000 yuan in a few months."

Zeng Fang hesitated for a moment and continued to shake her head, "No need, Momo, I'm already living and eating for free at your house. If I go to work in Brother Ling's store and get such a high salary, wouldn't I become a leech sucking on your house? That's not good."

"Although Shen Zhen is annoying, I hardly ever see him, and he's rarely at home."

I hardly see you, but I still see you. I say I hate you, but I don’t want to stay away from you. This just means that you are not that annoying.

A woman who says one thing and means another.

In order to prevent the two boxes of chocolates sent by Shen Zhen and Zhou Ye from becoming a stumbling block on Zeng Fang's road to weight loss, Shao Mo "kindly" took them to school and distributed them to classmates.

As for why Zeng Fang was not allowed to take the food to school to share with her classmates, it was of course because they were afraid that she would eat some on the way.

For foodies, chocolate has a fatal attraction.

After Zeng Fang's birthday, it was December and the temperature dropped by ten degrees like a Waterloo. Everyone wrapped themselves in thick cotton clothes and pants, and Shao Mo was no exception.

“Ah, it’s snowing!”

When Zeng Fang saw snow in Beijing for the first time, she shouted and yelled excitedly in the yard and even pulled Shao Mo out of bed to take pictures.

It actually snows in Jiang City, but not every year, and the snow is very light, just a few spots. When it falls to the ground, it melts into water or forms thin ice. It is nothing like the heavy snow in the capital, which covers the roofs, tree branches, and yards, making them all look as fluffy as cotton wool.

Although it is beautiful when it snows, it is extremely inconvenient for traveling. The roads are slippery due to the cold weather, so you can't ride a bicycle. Fortunately, Shao Mo lives close to the school and can get there on foot. Zeng Fang can only squeeze into the bus every day.

The bus route is not as convenient as a bicycle route. Not only does it take a long detour, it also runs slowly and has many stops. As a result, Zeng Fang has to leave home 20 minutes earlier than usual every day to avoid being late.

Fortunately, the snow only lasted for two or three days. As the snow on the road melted and the sky cleared up, Zeng Fang could happily ride her bicycle to and from school again.

(End of this chapter)