Chapter 20: Birthday Gift
Time quietly slipped into early autumn, and Su Lingwan's birthday was approaching.
This was her first birthday since returning to Hong Kong and beginning her "contractual" relationship with Huo Linshen. She hadn't taken it too seriously. In previous years in Southeast Asia, she'd simply enjoyed a simple meal with her family and received some gifts. Now in Hong Kong, she figured she might just have dinner with Huo Linshen, or perhaps even a simple celebration with her father, Su Hongyuan.
Huo Linshen seemed to have remembered this date even earlier than she did. A few days beforehand, he casually asked, "Is there anything special you want to do on your birthday?"
Su Lingwan was sketching a new design. Without even looking up, she casually replied, "Nothing special. Just having a meal together."
Huo Linshen was silent for a moment and said nothing more.
On her birthday, Su Lingwan woke to find a small, exquisite velvet box beside her pillow. She opened it and found a diamond bracelet. Its design was simple and elegant, and the center diamond was of exceptional quality, evidently worth its weight in gold. Attached to the card was a note in Huo Linshen's sharp, powerful handwriting: "Happy birthday. I'll pick you up later."
It was a gift that suited his style perfectly; expensive, appropriate, and impeccable.
Su Lingwan smiled, put the bracelet on, and looked at herself in the mirror. It really suited her. She felt a little happy, but also a little inexplicably... well, should I say it was expected? Huo Linshen's gifts were always like this, perfectly fitting the bill of a "perfect boyfriend."
During the day, she received blessings and gifts from her father and relatives in Southeast Asia. Selina and several assistants from the studio also sent flowers and cakes, creating a warm atmosphere. She continued working as usual, handling emails and revising designs.
In the evening, Huo Linshen came to pick her up on time. He was dressed a little more casually than usual today. He still had a strong aura, but his brows seemed to have lost some of the sharpness he had at work.
He took her to a mountaintop restaurant that required reservations months in advance, boasting a breathtaking night view overlooking Victoria Harbour. He had booked the entire restaurant, their table alone. The melodious sound of violins filled the air, the waiters were attentive and considerate, and each dish was exquisitely presented, like a work of art.
Everything is as perfect as a scene from an idol drama.
Huo Linshen was very elegant and would occasionally chat with her, asking about the progress of her new series or commenting on a dish. He even prepared a birthday cake with a candle with the number "26" on it.
Su Lingwan blew out the candles and smiled as the waiter set off fireworks. She was happy. What girl wouldn't be happy to be treated so solemnly? However, amidst this ultimate romance and perfection, she felt like something was missing. Something... something clumsy, unique, and personal to Huo Linshen.
Just like the bracelet he gave her, it was beautiful, but it seemed that any female companion he recognized might receive a similar gift.
Dinner was over, and the waiter cleared away the dessert plates. Su Lingwan thought the celebration was over, and was about to say it was time to go home.
Huo Linshen looked at her and suddenly asked, "Are you full?"
Su Lingwan nodded.
"Then, I'll take you somewhere." He stood up and extended his hand to her.
Su Lingwan was a little confused, but still put her hand in his palm and let him lead her out of the restaurant.
He didn't drive down the mountain. Instead, he held her hand and walked slowly along a secluded path at the top. The cool evening breeze ruffled the hems of their clothes. Below the mountain was the dazzling Hong Kong nightscape, as bright as a starry sky. Walking in the quiet night, they felt as if they were detached from the glitz and glamour of the world.
After walking for about ten minutes, they saw an old-looking detached house nestled behind trees. Huo Linshen stopped in front of the house, pulled out an old brass key from his pocket, and opened the dark green wooden door.
"Where is this?" Su Lingwan looked curiously at the old house that seemed to be uninhabited.
"My mother... used to stay here occasionally." Huo Linshen's voice was a little low in the night, and there was a subtle hint of darkness when he mentioned his mother. He stepped aside to let her in.
The room was dark, lit only by a few warm wall and floor lamps. The furniture was covered in dust sheets, making it seem somewhat empty, but it was meticulously cleaned, with no dusty smell. Instead, the air was filled with a faint, sun-kissed scent, as if someone had recently tidied it.
Huo Linshen took her by the hand and walked straight to the open space in front of the fireplace in the living room. There was no dust sheet covering the space like other places, and the ground was clean. Only in the middle was a cardboard box that looked a bit old and about half a person's height.
There were no labels on the box, and it looked plain and unpretentious.
Huo Linshen let go of her hand, walked to the box, and gestured to her: "Open it and take a look."
Su Lingwan was even more confused. This didn't look like a box containing expensive jewelry or luxury goods. She walked forward, squatted down, and with a hint of curiosity and hesitation, reached out and opened the lid of the cardboard box.
When Su Lingwan saw clearly what was in the box, he was as if cast under a spell. He froze in place, his pupils suddenly contracted, and his breathing stopped in an instant.
Inside the box, a doll sat peacefully.
An old doll wearing a faded, yet vaguely recognizable, goose-yellow princess dress. Her golden curls were a bit frizzy, and her porcelain face wore a perpetual, sweet smile. Her blue glass eyes appeared exceptionally clear under the light.
This doll...
Su Lingwan's heart felt like it was being gripped by an invisible hand, aching and swollen, almost jumping out of her chest. She reached out with a trembling hand and carefully took the doll out of the box, her movements as gentle as if she were holding a rare treasure.
Memories rushed into my mind like a flood that broke through a dam.
She was about five or six years old when her mother was still alive. Her father, returning from a business trip to Europe, brought her this doll. She remembered it had a lovely name, "Lia," and it was a little princess from a European cartoon. She couldn't let it go, holding it while eating and sleeping. She even combed its hair, changed its clothes (even though it only had one set), and whispered to it.
Later, when she was about eight or nine, the doll was accidentally lost during a move. She cried for a long time. Her father sent people to look for it and bought her many new and more beautiful dolls, but she always felt that it was not "Lia." It was a gift from her father when her mother was still alive, a gift that carried so many warm memories.
Later, as she grew older, she gradually stopped playing with dolls and almost forgot about "Lia" in the corner of her childhood. She never even mentioned the doll to anyone, including Huo Linshen.
How...how did he find it?
This doll brand had been discontinued for years, and even similar styles were almost extinct. How had he, across a vast sea of people and over a decade, brought this "Lia" who existed only in the depths of her vague memory back to her?
Su Lingwan raised her head, her eyes completely red and filled with tears, and she vaguely looked at Huo Linshen standing in the shadow of the light. His tall figure seemed a little silent, just watching her quietly, watching her hold the old doll tightly in her arms, as if she had found a long-lost treasure.
"You...how could you..." She choked and could hardly speak a complete sentence.
Huo Linshen took a step forward and crouched down, bringing his gaze to her level. The soft light from the wall lamp illuminated his stern yet now unusually gentle profile. He reached out and, with his fingertips, gently wiped away the tears that streamed down her cheek.
"The last time I went to Su's house, I saw a photo of you holding it in the corner of your old photo album." His voice was low and steady, as if he was narrating a very simple matter. "On the back of the photo, you wrote in pencil, 'My Leah is gone.'"
Su Lingwan remembered that it was an old photo album from many years ago, and she herself hadn't flipped through it for a long time.
"I had someone look for it based on the photos," he continued, his tone flat, as if it were a trivial matter. "It took some time, and they found the same one in a collector's warehouse in Switzerland. It was also the last one."
The last one.
Same style.
What he found was not just "an old" doll, but a unique replacement that was as close as possible to the "Lia" in her memory. This replacement, because of the search across time and space and the love behind it, became more precious than the original "Lia".
Su Lingwan's tears flowed even more fiercely. She looked at the man in front of her. His eyes were deep and focused, without any boasting or expectation of praise. There was only a kind of... a sense of relief after seeing her reaction.
Compared to that expensive bracelet and that perfect romantic dinner, this doll that looked a little old and not even that rare was like a huge rock thrown into the deepest part of her heart, causing huge waves and completely drowning all her senses and emotions.
He remembers.
He saw the loss behind that inconspicuous photo.
He went to great lengths to make up for a trivial regret in her childhood.
This care and cherishment shocked and moved her more than any priceless gift.
"Huo Linshen..." She burst into tears and could only call his name over and over again, holding the doll in her arms tighter, as if she was holding his clumsy but hot heart.
Huo Linshen looked at her crying like a child, feeling a little helpless. In the end, he just reached out and gently held her and the doll in his arms.
His embrace was warm and solid, with a reassuring power.
"Happy birthday, Lingwan." He whispered in her ear, his voice filled with his unique, awkward tenderness.
Su Lingwan nodded vigorously in his arms, her tears soaking the front of his expensive shirt.
In this old house full of memories of her mother, under the warm wall lamp, she holds the lost and found childhood treasure, and is embraced by the man she loves more and more.
At this moment, she felt that she was the happiest person in the world.
The agreement, the family, and the outside disturbances all seemed unimportant.
The important thing is that this man is telling her in all his ways——
He cares about her, cherishes her, and loves her.
She will treasure this birthday gift for the rest of her life.
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