Chapter 75 Graduation Gift: Do you want to stick to me forever?
A year later, another sweltering summer arrived.
This summer, Li Baidong graduated from university.
He excitedly showed Xing Lan the graduation photos he had taken all day. In the photos, the boy was tall and slender, wearing a black academic gown. He had striking features, bright eyes, and a handsome appearance. His light blonde hair made him stand out in the crowd.
Li Baidong clung to Xing Lan like an octopus, trying to get him to admit that he was the most handsome boy in the class. Xing Lan nodded in agreement on the surface, but secretly thought to himself that it was clearly a smug golden retriever who had snuck into the crowd.
To celebrate his successful graduation, the two planned to go out for a meal together over the weekend.
The restaurant was still chosen by Li Baidong; it was a charming, retro-style French restaurant.
Xing Lan felt a sense of déjà vu when he first saw the restaurant's name. Then he remembered that it was the restaurant that Li Baidong had chosen when he first treated him to a meal to express his gratitude.
At that time, the two had only known each other for a short time and were still quite unfamiliar with each other. Li Baidong was very polite to him, speaking to him with courtesy and showing respect in every action, behaving like an innocent and well-behaved junior. This was completely unlike now, where he shamelessly and habitually takes advantage of Xing Lan every day, although it was Xing Lan herself who was happy to indulge him.
This time, they ordered the exact same 520 couple's set meal as before.
Xing Lan originally wanted to try other dishes, but Li Baidong refused, saying that other dishes could be ordered separately, but this set meal could not be cancelled.
The reason is that this restaurant has a special service: for every table of guests who order a couple's set meal, the waiter will place a very beautiful flower-shaped scented candle on their table.
With just a lit candle, even if they don't say anything, passersby can easily tell what their relationship is.
This way, they could subtly assert their dominance and effectively deter men and women from approaching them, especially Xing Lan. It was precisely for this reason that Li Baidong was so fond of this restaurant.
When Xing Lan first came here, she felt that the seats were very narrow, and the two people's legs would touch under the table from time to time, and then they would awkwardly move away.
But now, even if the seats are excessively cramped, it won't affect them at all.
Xing Lan was already used to Li Baidong's closeness, and their legs naturally touched under the table without feeling awkward at all. Even when Li Baidong would mischievously rub his trouser leg with the tip of his shoe from time to time, Xing Lan could still eat without changing his expression, as if nothing had happened under the tablecloth.
Halfway through the meal, just like last time, a foreigner with a big beard came and started playing the violin with great enthusiasm at their table.
After more than a year of practice, the foreigner's violin skills have improved since the first time, and he plays the pieces in his hands beautifully and melodiously.
Li Baidong was engrossed in eating and enjoying his meal when he suddenly noticed Xing Lan, who was sitting opposite him, take out a large gift box from somewhere and place it on the table. Xing Lan's cat-like eyes were quietly watching him, and she pushed the box towards him with her hand.
The melodious sound of the piano surrounded him, and Li Baidong's eyes lit up. Realizing what it was, he couldn't help but smile happily.
He looked up, feigning ignorance, and asked, "Brother, what is this?"
"This is a graduation gift for you," Xing Lan said casually. "Would you like to open it and take a look?"
"Thank you, brother!" As soon as Xing Lan finished speaking, Li Baidong quickly wiped his hands clean with a napkin and eagerly opened the gift box.
Inside the box was an adorable plush bear bag.
This is a new crossbody bag from a very famous British toy brand. The bear has a round head with two small black eyes like beans. The special craftsmanship makes it look lifelike, cute and cuddly.
Li Baidong couldn't help but exclaim "Wow!" He carefully took the bag out of the box and kept stroking the soft fur of the teddy bear, clearly loving it dearly.
He squinted and smiled at Xing Lan: "So cute."
"I'm glad you like it." Xing Lan pursed his lips and continued to eat his seafood salad with his head down.
Li Baidong is like a child; once he gets his hands on a toy, he's so engrossed in playing with it that he forgets to eat.
He put down his knife and fork, and excitedly fiddled with the small bag for a while. He soon discovered a bulge inside the bag, as if something was hidden there.
Li Baidong's fingertips paused, and his heart began to pound even harder.
He glanced up at Xing Lan, who was calmly eating, licked his lips, and slowly unzipped the teddy bear backpack, feeling a little nervous.
Sure enough, there were other things inside.
Li Baidong took out a very exquisite little gift bag from his bag. Inside the classic red box was a glittering gold bracelet.
He recognized the luxury brand; it was Cartier's Love bracelet.
A while ago, Xing Lan casually took Li Baidong's phone to look up information and inevitably saw a lot of search records that Li Baidong hadn't cleared in time, including the meaning and price of this bracelet.
He followed the record and found that the bracelet's design concept was related to love, symbolizing eternal and lasting true love, making it a perfect gift for his partner.
Xing Lan wasn't interested in jewelry, which wasn't really necessary. She just thought that Li Baidong rarely looked at luxury goods, but he had specifically looked up this bracelet online, so he must really like it. Since he had just graduated and Xing Lan had just received her salary, she casually spent tens of thousands of yuan to buy it for him.
This bracelet was actually something Li Baidong planned to buy for Xing Lan with his first paycheck after graduation. His original intention was to save up to buy a matching pair for him and Xing Lan to wear together, but Xing Lan misunderstood and bought it for him ahead of time as a graduation gift.
Xing Lan had almost finished her salad when she noticed Li Baidong was intently examining the bracelet with his eyes down. She wiped her lips with a tissue and casually asked, "Why aren't you wearing it? Don't you like it?"
Li Baidong pursed his lips, stretched out his arm on the table, tilted his head, and said in a coquettish tone, "Brother, help me put it on."
"good."
Xing Lan didn't pay much attention and picked up the bracelet that Li Baidong had placed on the table, intending to put it on him.
Li Baidong smiled and deftly pulled up the sleeve of his hoodie, revealing his wrist, which he had been hiding all the way.
Xing Lan lowered her eyes and deftly used the screwdriver provided by the brand to unscrew the two screws on the bracelet. Just as she was about to align the bracelet and put it on Li Baidong, she noticed that a small pattern had suddenly appeared on the inside of Li Baidong's wrist.
It is a simple line drawing of a black kitten with a string of delicate, fancy English words underneath.
If it weren't for the reddish tinge around the lines, he would have thought that Li Baidong had drawn them on with a black pen himself.
He frowned slightly, stopped what he was doing, and looked at Li Baidong: "...What is this? A tattoo? When did you get it?"
"This is my graduation gift to myself." Li Baidong smiled, his eyes fixed on Xing Lan, his tone cheerful. "It's tattooed with our English names. What do you think? Does it look good?"
Xing Lan didn't answer him, her gaze falling on his wrist, on the skin with the tattoo.
The skin on the inside of the wrist is very thin and has many blood vessels, so getting a tattoo there must be very painful. Moreover, this location is very close to an artery, making Li Baidong's choice to get a tattoo there extremely dangerous.
Xing Lan's eyes unconsciously darkened slightly.
This kid's got a death wish.
"Does it look good, bro?" Li Baidong persisted in asking when he saw that Li Baidong didn't answer.
"It doesn't look good." Xing Lan glanced at him coldly.
"Why doesn't it look good?" Li Baidong pouted slightly, looking a little aggrieved. "I think it looks pretty good. I designed this pattern myself; I spent a long time getting it tattooed at the shop."
Xing Lan said indifferently, gradually shifting her gaze away: "It's just not good-looking."
Xing Lan deliberately avoided the hand with the tattoo, put the Cartier bracelet on his left hand, and then slowly tightened the screws on it with a small gold screwdriver.
As he tightened the screws, he said casually, "It hurts too much. Don't get a tattoo like that again."
Li Baidong knew that Xing Lan didn't really think his tattoo was ugly; she was just worried about him. He grinned and said carelessly, "It's okay, I'm not afraid of pain."
Xing Lan paused, then quickly pulled her hand out and patted the back of his left hand.
"Smack!"
The blow was fast and powerful, leaving a faint red mark on the back of the hand.
Caught off guard, Li Baidong frowned and cried out "Ouch!" before quickly pulling his hand back from the table.
He rubbed the back of his hand: "Ouch..."
Xing Lan reprimanded him expressionlessly: "Aren't you afraid of pain? Do you really think you're made of iron?"
Li Baidong chuckled and finally admitted, "It does hurt a little, but... it's bearable."
In order to maintain his image in front of Xing Lan, he still didn't tell the whole truth.
In fact, Li Baidong has an exceptionally high pain threshold. He almost fainted from the pain when getting such a small tattoo.
He had originally planned to stop early, but upon closer inspection, he realized that while his own name was finished being tattooed, Xing Lan's name was only just beginning. That wouldn't do!
So, fighting back tears, she endured the whole ordeal with sheer willpower. Her screams were so agonizing that new customers mistook her for a dinosaur that had come back to life in the store.
"How come you didn't die from the pain?"
Xing Lan's expression was cold, and her words sounded quite sharp.
However, the next second, he carefully held Li Baidong's wrist, lowered his head, and gently blew on the tattooed area, his eyes and brows showing great tenderness.
Xing Lan didn't know how to make Li Baidong's back less painful so that his recovery period would be easier. He kept imitating what his mother would do when he was four or five years old, when he fell and scraped his knee, and she would gently blow on the wound and then put on a band-aid.
When Xing Lan was little, he thought his scarred knees were ugly and refused to go to kindergarten. So his mother bought him cute cartoon band-aids and put them on, praising him as the coolest and most unique kid in kindergarten.
It is precisely for this reason that Xing Lan keeps everything else simple, but she always likes to buy fancy Band-Aids, a habit she just can't break.
Xing Lan searched online for precautions after getting a tattoo, and then ruthlessly took away the several plates of seafood dishes in front of Li Baidong.
Li Baidong had just picked up his fork to eat the lobster when he pitifully looked up and said, "Brother..."
Xing Lan listened to his whining without even lifting her eyelids: "You're not allowed to eat that. I've checked, you have to avoid certain foods."
Li Baidong held up one index finger: "I'll just have one bite..."
After considering it for a moment, Xing Lan relented slightly and said, "Then you can eat it."
Li Baidong was excitedly about to fork the lobster meat when he turned around and heard Xing Lan say from the side, "Go sleep on the sofa after you finish eating."
Li Baidong, who had just raised his knife and fork, immediately put them down and silently pushed the plate of lobster far away on the table.
-
After finishing their meal, the two left the restaurant and, hand in hand, strolled along a flower-lined street to digest their food, enjoying the refreshing summer breeze.
Li Baidong looked at Xing Lan, his expression suddenly becoming very serious: "I tattooed our names together. No matter where we are or how much time has passed, as long as my arm hasn't been broken, our hearts will always be together."
"Forever?" Xing Lan met his burning gaze, and for some reason, she glanced at him sideways, saying insincerely, "How old are you to say that? Aren't you afraid I'll break up with you tomorrow, and you'll have to go get your tattoo removed?"
“You won’t break up with me, and I won’t get my tattoo removed.” Li Baidong said firmly, “I will only love you in my life, and there is no way I will remove it.”
Xing Lan stopped and narrowed her eyes: "So, you want to stick with me for the rest of your life?"
Li Baidong curled his lips, gripped Xing Lan's hand even tighter, pressed his whole body against him, and asked with a smile, "Are you willing to let me cling to you for the rest of my life?"
Xing Lan saw her own reflection in Li Baidong's dark, bright eyes.
He thought for a moment, turned his face, slightly tiptoed, and gently kissed Li Baidong's warm cheek, agreeing, "Okay. You can stay with me as long as you want."
Li Baidong looked at him, and suddenly became even more greedy: "Then two lifetimes. The next life too."
Xing Lan had been spending a lot of time with Li Baidong, and it seemed like she had caught his influence, so she could say silly things without any guilt.
He glanced at him, his tone casual, almost teasing, yet seemingly hiding a hint of sincerity: "Two lifetimes aren't enough? How about three?"
"Four generations."
"Five generations."
"Six generations."
"..."
Li Baidong suddenly leaned over, bent down slightly, and gently kissed Xing Lan's lips. Under the beautifully blooming flowering tree by the street, he devoutly promised, "Every lifetime."
Xing Lan's mouth was blocked, and only a few syllables could be vaguely leaked from her throat.
He grunted softly and responded in a barely audible voice, "Mmm."
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