Chapter 45

The next morning, Chen Zonghao woke up and found that it was already past eight o'clock. Perhaps the antipyretic medicine he took last night took effect and made him sleep until now.

Chen Zonghao sat up, looked at the time and thought about buying breakfast. Whenever he was at home, it had become a habit for him to buy breakfast.

But before he could move, the door was pushed open with a creak.

Song Shu pushed the door open and came in, holding a small plate with a bowl of porridge on it. She looked up and saw that the person on the bed had woken up, so she walked over and asked with concern: "Awake? Still having a fever?"

Although his face wasn't as pale as last night, Song Shu was still a little worried.

Chen Zonghao saw her walk in. Before he could say anything, he heard her series of caring greetings. His heart warmed. "Yes, you're awake. You don't have a fever anymore."

Song Shu heaved a sigh of relief after hearing his words and put the porridge in her hand on the small table next to her. "Then you should get up and drink some porridge to warm your stomach."

Chen Zonghao looked at the bowl of thick white porridge and was startled. "Did you cook it?"

"Hey, what's wrong?" Song Shu nodded, feeling a little uncomfortable. "I cooked it. Although I'm not a great cook, I can still make a bowl of porridge."

Chen Zonghao raised his lip corners after hearing this, picked up the bowl of porridge, and finished it in a few mouthfuls. After he was done, he looked up at her and said, "It's delicious."

Song Shu felt a little embarrassed after hearing this. How could a bowl of porridge be delicious or not? However, she was still very happy to see him finish the porridge. "Is one bowl enough? Do you want another bowl?"

Chen Zonghao saw the satisfied look on her face, which made him unable to refuse, so he nodded, "Well, another bowl please."

In the end, Chen Zonghao ate three bowls of white porridge dryly that morning. If Song Shu hadn't stopped him at the end, he would have eaten a few more bowls without saying a word.

After watching him finish breakfast, Song Shu glanced at his bandaged arm. The wound was still bleeding after a night, and the new bandage was still stained with blood. She said worriedly, "Let's go to the hospital later and see a doctor. Otherwise, the wound will easily get inflamed and difficult to heal."

Chen Zonghao originally wanted to say that it would be fine after a few days of rest, but thinking of her frightened and anxious expression last night, he did not refute her, "Okay, you don't need to go with me, I can go to the hospital by myself."

Song Shu glared at him and said something that was not to be refused, "I'll go with you. I don't have anything else to do today anyway."

The most important thing is that according to this man's personality, he might just get a bandage at the hospital, and he will definitely not remember what the doctor told him.

Seeing that she didn't believe him, Chen Zonghao touched his nose and said nothing more, "Okay."

Seeing that he agreed, Song Shu asked him to pack up and go to the hospital immediately. Jiahui had already been sent to kindergarten.

＊

Song Shu went back to the room, packed some things, and came out with her bag. When she passed the bathroom, she saw a man brushing his teeth with his left hand in an unskilled manner.

In fact, Chen Zonghao felt that his right hand could still be used, but Song Shu warned him not to use it during this period, otherwise the wound would easily break open.

Song Shu stood at the bathroom door and watched his clumsy movements. She originally wanted to ask if he needed her help, but thinking of the man's self-esteem, she did not ask.

Chen Zonghao came out after washing up, looked down at her, and said, "Let's go."

Song Shu raised her eyes. After the man splashed water on his face to wash it, he just wiped the water off his face with a towel.

But the hair on his forehead that was wet with water was not wiped dry. He hadn't had his hair cut for more than two months, and it had grown a lot longer. He combed it back into a big backcombed style, revealing his widow's peak.

As soon as he lowered his head, Song Shu was faced with his handsome face. She couldn't help but linger on his face for a while, until she met the man's playful gaze, she withdrew her gaze, "Well, let's go."

As she spoke, Song Shu walked towards the door first, and Chen Zonghao followed behind her.

When they walked to the front room of the store, Rong Xiaohua saw two people coming out together, especially Chen Zonghao who was following behind Song Shu. She was a little surprised and asked, "Hey, is Brother Hao back?"

She noticed that Sister Song Shu seemed a little uneasy these days, so she guessed that she might be worried about Brother Hao whom she hadn't seen for a few days.

Song Shu nodded, looked at Rong Xiaohua and said, "Xiaohua, you look after the store first. Chen Zonghao and I will be out for a while."

Rong Xiaohua didn't ask any more questions and nodded, "Okay."

＊

Song Shu and Chen Zonghao did not take the bus to the hospital. Song Shu was worried that the crowded bus would hurt his wound, so she took a taxi directly.

Sitting in the taxi, Song Shu thought that nowadays if you have a wound like a knife wound and go to the hospital, the doctor will usually ask whether to call the police. She couldn't help but feel a little worried and glanced at Chen Zonghao.

Chen Zonghao was sitting nearby. He caught her hesitant gaze and looked at her sideways. "What's wrong?"

Song Shu glanced at the driver, moved closer to him, and expressed her concerns, "Do you think the doctor will..."

Chen Zonghao laughed when he heard this. Seeing her mysterious and avoiding people, he thought she was going to say something. At this time, she didn't know that her expression was so cute that Chen Zonghao couldn't help but reach out and touch her head. "No, well, you know, this kind of thing is very common nowadays. The doctor won't ask anything."

Song Shu thought about it and it made sense. Nowadays, there are so many gangsters fighting and killing each other every day, and the doctors in the hospital may have seen a lot of it.

They arrived at the hospital in a short while. Song Shu registered him, and then the two of them sat on chairs waiting for their number to be called.

Seeing him sitting on the chair with dry lips, Song Shu took out a thermos from her bag, opened it, poured some water on the lid and handed it to him, "Drink some water, I made it with red dates."

When Chen Zonghao went out, he wanted to take the cloth bag that Song Shu was carrying, but Song Shu refused, saying that he was injured and didn't need his help to carry it, and the bag was not heavy.

Chen Zonghao was a little amused and helpless after hearing this. He felt that she treated him as porcelain and it seemed that he would be easily broken.

Now seeing her take out the thermos from her bag, it turned out that the water was prepared for him. Chen Zonghao felt a warm current flowing through his heart. He took the lid she handed over and drank the water. The water had the sweetness of red dates, as if it had sweetened his heart.

Song Shu poured him a third of the bottle before stopping and was about to screw the lid back on. Chen Zonghao saw that her lips were a little dry, "Don't you want to drink it?"

Song Shu was indeed a little thirsty, and there was no vending machine nearby. However, this bottle cap was just used by Chen Zonghao. When she looked up, it seemed that the man just said this because he was looking at her dry mouth, and he did not realize that there was anything wrong with two people sharing a bottle cap.

Song Shu felt that she was being a little pretentious for a moment, but she didn't want him to notice anything, so she took a few sips from the other side of the bottle cap.

Song Shu drank water there with the bottle cap, and the two of them became quiet. For a while, the only voices were the conversations of other patients who were also waiting.

＊

Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long. After more than ten minutes, it was their turn to be seen. Song Shu walked into the doctor's office with him.

The doctor was used to these wounds, just as Chen Zonghao said. He didn't say anything and started to treat his wounds. He even had the mood to say to them, "This suturing technique is good."

Song Shu didn't know what to say for a moment. She just watched the doctor use disinfectant to wash his wound. Her movements were much more bold than she had done last night, but Chen Zonghao didn't react at all.

On the contrary, Song Shu, a bystander, felt a dull pain and really admired his endurance.

Chen Zonghao seemed to notice her expression and comforted her, "It really doesn't hurt. If you are afraid, don't watch it."

Before Song Shu could say anything, the doctor who was treating the wound looked at the two of them, "What a real man, not afraid of pain, and comforting his wife."

The nurse who was helping the doctor laughed when she heard this, and glanced at Song Shu and Chen Zonghao, jokingly saying, "Doctor, you don't understand this. They are a couple with a good relationship."

One of them worriedly watched her husband treating his wound, while the other one seemed to feel no pain and comforted his wife. It seemed that their relationship was good.

After hearing the doctor and the nurse's jokes, Song Shu blushed and looked expressionless, not knowing what to say.

Chen Zonghao glanced at her and said to the doctor, "Please be gentle. I'm not worried that anyone will be worried."

This made Song Shu's face turn even redder. She couldn't help but glare at him. Why was he saying this now?

The doctor and the nurse looked at me with more mockery. "Okay, I'll be gentler."

It didn't take long for the doctor to re-treat his wound, prescribe some medicine for him, and ask him to come back in half a month to remove the stitches.

After seeing the doctor prescribe medicine, Song Shu couldn't help but ask the doctor about some precautions and whether there were any dietary restrictions. She seemed to be more concerned than Chen Zonghao, the patient himself.

Chen Zonghao stood aside and watched her ask the doctor word by word about the precautions regarding his wound, with a very serious expression on his face.

The two walked out of the doctor's office. Song Shu was holding the medicine and repeating the doctor's instructions to him, "Remember, you can't eat spicy food now, and don't let the wound touch water..."

Chen Zonghao walked beside her, protecting her from pedestrians, nodding in agreement from time to time, "Got it."

＊

When the two of them were sitting in the car on their way back, Song Shu thought about how today was his birthday, and she had previously invited Liang Sao and the others to have dinner together to celebrate his birthday. But seeing that he was injured now, Song Shu didn't want to bother with that, so she said carefully, "You're injured, so why don't you not invite Liang Sao and the others to dinner tonight."

Chen Zonghao leaned back in his chair and shook his head. "It's okay. This injury won't cause any trouble. Besides, I've already told them about it."

Song Shu thought so too, but she was still a little worried, "Are you really okay?"

Chen Zonghao nodded affirmatively, "It's okay."

Song Shu could only nod and say, "Okay." As she spoke, she glanced at him furtively. Don't think that this man had acted as if he didn't mind not celebrating his birthday before, but she had secretly observed that he was still looking forward to it, and Song Shu didn't want to disappoint him.

Thinking of what the doctor said, that the wound was not that serious and that he just needed to take good care of himself, I did not persuade him anymore.

＊

After returning home, Song Shu asked him to go back to his room and lie down to rest.

She walked out of the house again and went to the restaurant where she had eaten before to reserve a private room for tonight. Fortunately, it was not the weekend and there were still vacant private rooms in the restaurant, so Song Shu was able to reserve one.

After booking a private room, Song Shu came out of the restaurant and stopped when she passed a cake shop. She looked at the cake shop with its warm decoration and walked in.

There were not many people in the cake shop at this time. The proprietress saw Song Shu coming in and greeted her warmly, "Beautiful girl, are you buying bread or ordering a cake?"

Song Shu glanced at the cake shop, which was filled with the aroma of bread and cakes. The bread and cakes on display were quite tempting. After hearing what the proprietress said, she said, "I plan to order a birthday cake."

The lady boss picked up a book and showed her what kinds of cakes there were. "Girl, take a look at the types of cakes here..."

Finally, Song Shu chose one and paid for it, and agreed to pick it up tonight. After ordering the cake, Song Shu bought some bread in the cake shop and walked out of the cake shop.

When I passed by Uncle Fu's shop on my way back, I remembered that I hadn't bought today's newspapers yet, so I walked over and bought a few newspapers. After that, I walked back into the store.

When they returned to the store, Song Shu divided some of the bread she bought among Rong Xiaohua.

Rong Xiaohua took it happily, "Thank you, Sister Shu."

"You're welcome." Song Shu asked if anyone came to see her at noon. After receiving a no, she saw that there was nothing to do in the store, so she walked to the back room with bread and newspapers.

After putting the things on the table in the living room, Song Shu sat on the sofa. Seeing that the door of Chen Zonghao's room was ajar, she did not disturb him.

She took a little bee bread, which was baked with a layer of honey on the surface. It was crispy and sweet in one bite. The bread was not big, and Song Shu ate several in a row.

While eating bread, Song Shu picked up a newspaper and started reading. As she turned to the first Hong Kong Daily and saw the report and content on the front page, Song Shu stopped eating bread and her eyes were firmly attracted by the report in the newspaper.

All I saw was a big, eye-catching headline on the newspaper: "The Destruction of the Three Major Social Organizations in Kowloon Walled City!"

This Hong Kong Daily reported in detail the three major social organizations in Kowloon Walled City that were wiped out in the past few days: the Wo Shing Tuan, the Yee Ching Tuan, and the Hung On Tuan.

Their boss was arrested on suspicion of smuggling, drug trafficking, money laundering, and harboring criminals. Not only was the boss arrested, but the leaders of various gangs were also arrested, and a major purge of Kowloon Walled City was immediately carried out.

Song Shu put down the newspaper and flipped through another one. This newspaper praised the perfect performance of the Hong Kong police in this operation, especially Governor Ma, who planned the operation and was promoted by Hong Kong reporters as "the nemesis of Hong Kong criminals", "the guardian of Hong Kong stability" and "the role model star of Hong Kong police".

It is simply exaggerated and no wonder the reporters are so excited. This action is the first time the police have dealt a major blow to Hong Kong gangs since they have become so arrogant.

Song Shu looked at these newspapers with a dazed expression, because the Hesheng Society reported in the newspapers was the society that the male protagonist had joined before in the novel. Although this society was also destroyed, it was not so fast. It was destroyed by the police together with the male protagonist after he had grown stronger, but now it was destroyed ahead of time.

Song Shu thought of the injuries Chen Zonghao had suffered and knew that he must have contributed to it. For a moment, she didn't know whether she was relieved or breathed a sigh of relief.

＊

Kowloon Walled City, after the police's tough crackdown in the past few days, it seems that all the gangs here have disappeared in an instant, and there are fewer gangsters.

But the order and customs here remain the same: people hurrying along the narrow corridors, women greeting customers on the street, old people picking up trash, children playing, it seems that nothing has changed, just as before.

On a certain floor, in a large room, a man was sitting at the top, and there were many other people sitting on sofas, and some were standing in the back.

At this time, a man on the sofa said, "Master, those sirs have all withdrawn."

Before the man at the top said anything, another person sitting next to the man who was speaking reached out and patted the man on the head, "Silly pig, what's hall master? Call me boss."

The man who was patted on the head quickly apologized to the man in front of him, "Boss, I'm sorry, I called you the wrong name, Boss."

The man sitting at the top took a puff of cigarette, still with that smiling expression on his face, looking extremely friendly. After hearing what the man said, he waved his hands, looking like someone who is easy to talk to, "It's okay, I know everyone is calling you by your given name, and I just became the boss, so I'm not familiar with you either."

These words made everyone in the box laugh, and the atmosphere suddenly became relaxed. "Boss, that's funny."

"Yes, Uncle Qing, you are still so good-tempered."

"Boss, you are now the new boss of Kowloon Walled City."

"That's right. I think with the new boss coming in, we need to change the name of our club as well."

…

Ah Qing sat at the top and looked at them through the smoke with a smile. He smiled as he heard the compliments from those around him. The position of the boss was in his hands. In this world, smart people go far. "We won't change the name of the club. It's fine to continue to call it the Hesheng Club."

"How can that be possible, sir? It's such an unlucky name."

"Yes, I support the boss in changing the name of the club."

"support."

Ah Qing nodded, "Then change it."

"Very good."

＊

While Song Shu was reading the newspaper, Chen Zonghao walked out of the room. Maybe he had just taken a nap, so his hair was a little messy, with a few strands of hair sticking out of his head.

It was the first time that Song Shu saw him looking so lazy and relaxed after getting up, and she couldn't help but look at him a few more times.

Chen Zonghao walked over and sat next to her. He noticed her gaze and raised his eyebrows at her. "What's wrong?"

Song Shu retracted her gaze and said, "Nothing." She continued to look at the newspaper in her hand.

Chen Zonghao followed her gaze and saw the newspaper in her hand. He paused and his eyes could not help but move between the newspaper and her.

Song Shu felt his gaze, finished the small bread in her hand, then took out two tissues to wipe her mouth and hands, threw the tissues into the trash can, and then looked up at him, calmly, "What's wrong?"

Now it was her turn to ask back, and three words came back to him.

Chen Zonghao observed her expression and felt that she looked light and carefree at this moment, as if he had returned to that night. She asked him if he was unhappy about something, and he answered no, and then he had the look of a woman walking away.

Thinking of her expression that night and now, Chen Zonghao's heart trembled, as if as long as he repeated the same thing, she would become like that again. Thinking of this, Chen Zonghao touched his nose and looked at her, "Don't you have anything to ask?"

Song Shu glanced at him lightly and said in a flat voice: "No."

Chen Zonghao's heart tightened after hearing this. He could not help but sit up straight. He did not play tricks on her at this time, but told her everything that happened in the past few days. "Just like what was reported in the newspaper, the three gangs in Kowloon Walled City were cleared out by the police. Well, I also contributed a little bit to it, causing them to fight each other... and then asked Mr. Xu to help..."

After hearing this, Song Shu thought that the situation at that time might not be as simple as he said. However, the man did not elaborate because he wanted to avoid worrying her, so she did not ask further.

It's obvious that he didn't just contribute some effort as he said, and only he knew the danger involved. But I didn't expect that Mr. Xu also helped here.

However, Song Shu thought that it might be because of these three societies that their demise was accelerated in this life. Otherwise, if Chen Zonghao relied on himself now, he would have to pay a greater price.

After Chen Zonghao finished explaining everything, he felt a little uneasy. His eyes were fixed on her face, not missing a single expression on her face.

But Song Shu's expression remained calm from the beginning until the end when she finished listening to what he said, and she showed no fear or disgust. Chen Zonghao was a little confused as to what she was thinking at the moment.

I couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking. Would she feel scared and want to stay away from him? Did she hate this kind of thing?

Song Shu didn't know what he was thinking at the moment, but turned to look at him, "So what are you going to do next?"

She didn't ask or investigate anything, but was directly concerned about his future. Chen Zonghao's heart seemed to relax all of a sudden. He leaned on the sofa, looking at her in a relaxed mood and couldn't help teasing her, "Oh, you haven't decided yet, how about you support me?"

Song Shu choked and looked at him, "Aren't you afraid that people will say you're a gigolo?"

Chen Zonghao raised his eyebrows and said lazily, "Is this a gigolo you gave me? It's not like I don't..."

"You wish." Song Shu didn't let him finish his words. She picked up a small piece of bread and stuffed it into his mouth. Then she stood up and said, "I'm going back to my room."

Chen Zonghao took the bread in his hand, looked at her running away, and curled the corners of his mouth.

＊

In the evening, as night falls, the aroma of cooking wafts from the corridor.

Chen Xinyi was telling her grandmother to go to sleep first and not to wait for her, and not to open the door if someone came to call her, so she took the key.

Grandma Chen nodded and said, "You go ahead. Otherwise, the dinner has already started and you don't have to worry about me."

Seeing that she agreed, Chen Xinyi didn't say anything more. She picked up the bag beside her and walked out.

She was invited by Sister Shu to have dinner tonight, saying that it was Brother Hao's birthday, and Rong Xiaohua would also come. Chen Xinyi thought of the help Sister Shu usually gave her and agreed.

Now that she has signed an agent's contract and taken on a lot of work, the money she earns is more than enough to pay for her grandmother's medical expenses for several years. In an instant, Chen Xinyi's usually heavy shoulders relaxed.

The more she entered this circle, the more she saw how other models were treated, and the more she understood what it was like to be in this circle without anyone to guide her, and the more grateful she became to Sister Shu.

Now, besides her grandmother, the person she values ​​most is Sister Shu.

Chen Xinyi closed the door and walked towards the corridor, but suddenly she stopped and saw a person standing near the corridor wall.

The man heard footsteps and came out from the shadows. He saw her and greeted her, "Hi, Miss Chen, long time no see."

Chen Xinyi heaved a sigh of relief when she heard the familiar voice and saw the familiar face. "Awen, why are you here?"

It was the first time that Ah Wen heard her call his name. He was stunned for a moment until he met her eyes. He shook his head, a little embarrassed, "Are you planning to go to Brother Hao's birthday party? Let's go together."

Ah Wen felt a little uncomfortable after he finished speaking. He stayed there, thinking that she would ask him something, but the person just glanced at him and said, "Let's go."

"Oh." Awen didn't expect her to agree without saying anything, and hurriedly followed her pace.

Chen Xinyi heard footsteps behind her, paused, grabbed the bag of her bag, and said nothing.

＊

After Song Shu picked up Jiahui from school, she went home and asked Xiaohua to close the store early.

Before leaving, Xiaohua rejected Song Shu's suggestion that she go to the restaurant with them, saying, "Sister Shu, I'm going home first and will go with dad later."

Song Shu didn't force herself to do so. She checked the time and saw it was still early, so she gave Jiahui a bath and then took a bath herself.

When I came out, I saw Chen Zonghao sitting on the sofa with his clothes beside him.

Song Shu walked over and raised her eyebrows, "Why are you planning to take a shower? Have you forgotten what the doctor told you not to get wet?"

Chen Zonghao saw that she looked a bit fierce, and coughed, his voice a bit weak, "I won't touch the water."

"No, it's cool now, just bear with it." Song Shu rejected him outright, stroking her chin and looking at him, "You can't take a shower, or I'll give you a hairstyle, and I guarantee you'll be the most handsome guy."

Chen Zonghao was speechless after hearing this and was about to refuse.

Without waiting for him to say anything, Song Shu ran to the bathroom to get a comb and a bottle of mousse, then ran out and looked at him with interest, "Come on, it's guaranteed to look good."

Chen Zonghao looked up at her excited eyes and silently swallowed back his words of rejection.

Seeing that he didn't refuse, Song Shu moved a little closer, with her legs against the sofa. His head was just above her belly, the perfect height so she didn't need to bend over.

Song Shu used a comb to comb his hair. She originally wanted to comb his hair straight, but she ended up combing his hair into a slicked-back style.

The hair on his forehead was a little long, and when it was combed, it reached his eyebrows. This way the whole hairstyle covered his forehead, which immediately made his usually stern features appear a lot gentler. In addition, at this moment he looked like an obedient child that she ordered around, and immediately he looked like a little puppy, which made Song Shu almost unable to resist petting him like a dog.

Chen Zonghao hadn't felt her movements for a long time, and the hair resting on his eyebrows made him feel a little uncomfortable, so he couldn't help but look up at her.

Song Shu met his eyes and almost couldn't help but reach out to smooth his hair. In the end, she tried her best to restrain this impulse and combed his hair upwards. "Let me give you a big backcombed hairstyle."

Song Shu thought of the shock his wet slicked-back hair brought to her this morning, and spoke without thinking.

Chen Zonghao had already let her work on her hair, and he would not stop her from getting any hairstyle she wanted. Thinking of her reaction when she saw him in the bathroom today, she curled her lips and said, "It's up to you."

After getting his agreement, Song Shu let go and combed his hair back, then sprayed some mousse on his hair to fix the style.

After it was done, Song Shu took two steps back and looked up and down at his hairstyle. His hair was combed upwards, revealing his entire forehead and all his facial features, including sharp eyebrows, a high nose, and a smooth jawline. When he looked up at you, he would completely attract you.

Song Shu just stared at him in a daze until Jiahui called out "Sister". Then she came to her senses and looked down to see the man's teasing gaze.

Song Shu's expression remained unchanged, as if she was praising her own skills and nodded, "Nice hairstyle."

After saying that, he walked over, took Jiahui's hand, and said, "Let's go."

Chen Zonghao stood up and followed them with his hands in his pockets.

＊

When Song Shu and the other two arrived at the restaurant, they sat in the private room. Before they had waited for a few minutes, Liang Sao and the others came over one by one.

Song Shu stood up and asked them to sit down and handed them the menu. "Just order whatever you want to eat. Don't be polite."

Mrs. Liang took the menu and laughed heartily, "We will definitely not be polite."

The uncles also nodded in agreement, "Ah Shu, you don't have to entertain us. We are all acquaintances. We can order whatever we want to eat."

Song Shu smiled and said, "Then just order whatever you want to eat." Then she sat on the chair.

Shitou made a face when Awen came in. When Awen looked at him with disdain, Shitou put his hand on his shoulder and said, "Awen, are you in trouble? Where did you go just now? When I went to your house to look for you, your younger sister said you left a long time ago. And why did you come in with that pretty girl just now? I saw you."

Ah Wen pushed his hand away, his expression unchanged, "Which pretty girl? I met her on the road."

Shitou was a little suspicious after hearing this. He looked at him for a few times and couldn't help but look at the pretty girl sitting not far away. However, the two of them had the same expression. Shitou couldn't tell anything and still didn't believe it. "Is it true?"

Awen curled the corner of his mouth and said, "Who cares whether it's true or not, let's eat." Then he ignored him.

Shi Tou looked at it, but couldn't make out anything and could only curl his lips.

＊

All the dishes came out not long after we ordered them.

Song Shu stopped Uncle Liang who wanted to pour wine for Chen Zonghao, and said a little embarrassedly: "Uncle Liang, Hao has a fever today and can't drink."

When Chen Zonghao came, he was wearing a coat, with his sleeves covering his wounds so no one could see them, mainly because he didn't want to worry others.

Uncle Liang stopped pouring the wine after hearing this and said, "So, Haozi can't drink."

Liang's wife rolled her eyes at him and said, "You only know how to drink. Haozi is sick, so drink by yourself."

Uncle Rong next to him held out a wine glass at the right time, "Come on, Aliang, let's drink together."

"Okay, come here." Uncle Liang poured him a glass.

Song Shu glanced at Chen Zonghao's cup, then looked up at him, "You can't drink alcohol, do you want me to pour you a drink?"

Chen Zonghao didn't want to drink either, so he nodded, "Thank you."

Song Shu poured him a drink and said as she handed it to him, "Actually, I think drinks taste better than wine."

Chen Zonghao found it a little funny and looked at her. Her tone was just like coaxing a child, and it was just some drunkard who got drunk twice before. However, Chen Zonghao was very pleased with her coaxing and nodded, "Yeah, I think so too."

Seeing that he looked easy to talk to, Song Shu curled the corners of her mouth.

Halfway through the meal, everyone clinked their glasses and said "Happy Birthday" to Chen Zonghao.

Chen Zonghao raised his drink and clinked glasses with them, his ears filled with noise. He looked down at the woman who was picking up food for him and taking care of his injured hand from time to time, and thought that this kind of noise was quite good.

When she was almost done eating, Song Shu stood up and said to the people around her, "I'm going to the bathroom."

Chen Zonghao nodded and watched her walk out of the box.

At this time, Shitou came over and looked at Chen Zonghao hesitantly, "Brother Hao, are you okay?"

Shitou felt a little guilty. Haoge didn't need to be injured, but he was hit just because he pushed him.

Chen Zonghao shook his head, "It's okay, just a minor injury."

Shitou sighed, "Otherwise I'll go tell my second sister-in-law that it was because of me that you got hurt..."

Chen Zonghao frowned and interrupted him, "No need, just sit back down when you're done."

Shitou saw that Hao didn't want to say more, so he could only sit back.

Awen next to him glanced at him and said, "Brother Hao said it's okay, don't think too much."

Shitou shook his head. "I didn't think much about it. I was just angry at myself for being so reckless."

Ah Wen said calmly, "Oh, let's see if you still have such an aggressive temper next time."

Shitou choked and shook his head dejectedly, "No more."

＊

Chen Zonghao sat on the chair and waited for a few minutes, but Song Shu didn't come back yet, and he couldn't help but frown.

He knocked his hands on the table and waited for a few more minutes but still saw no one coming back, so Chen Zonghao stood up and wanted to go out to look for him.

At this time, the lights in the box were turned off, the door was pushed open, and as the woman walked in, the candle flames illuminated the box.

Chen Zonghao saw the woman holding a cake and walking towards him alone through the crowd. She stood in front of him. The dim light of the candle illuminated her smiling face. She looked up at him and said in a cheerful voice, "Chen Zonghao, happy birthday."

When the others in the box saw Song Shu coming in with the cake and heard her words, they couldn't help but cheer, "Happy birthday, Hao."

"Happy birthday, Haozi."

"Sing the birthday song now."

For a moment, the box was filled with the sound of a birthday song that was not quite in unison.

Chen Zonghao just lowered his head and looked at Song Shu steadily, his eyes locked on her eyebrows, listening to the birthday song she sang for him. He felt his mind was blank at this moment and he could only see her in his eyes.

Until the woman looked at him and said coquettishly: "Why are you still in a daze? Make a wish."

Chen Zonghao closed his eyes, then opened them again after a few seconds, and then blew out the candle under her expectant gaze.

"Okay, it's time to share the cake." The others cheered, and the lights in the box came back on.

Song Shu put the cake on the table and let them cut it.

At this time, Uncle Fu came over and stood beside Chen Zonghao. He followed his gaze and looked at Song Shu, and said with relief: "Haozi, sometimes you have to hold on to happiness."

Chen Zonghao whispered, "I will."

＊

After eating the cake, everyone said goodbye and went home.

Song Shu, Chen Zonghao and Jiahui were the last to leave. When they returned home, little Jiahui was the first to climb into bed and go to sleep.

Song Shu covered her with the quilt, turned around and saw the bag she had put aside before. It contained the suit she had made for Chen Zonghao. It was his birthday gift, and she hadn't given it to him yet.

Song Shu walked over, picked up the bag, bit her lip, opened the door and walked out. She saw the man standing in the living room, drinking water from a cup. He turned around and looked at her when he heard the sound.

Song Shu walked over under his gaze, picked up the bag and handed it to him in a natural manner, "Your birthday present. I promised to make you a suit."

Chen Zonghao took it and looked at her, "Can I open it and take a look?"

Song Shu didn't think there was anything wrong with seeing it, so she nodded, "Okay, the gift I gave you now belongs to you."

Chen Zonghao opened the bag. Seeing that his hands were inconvenient, Song Shu reached out to help him hold the bag, "Let me hold the bag for you."

Chen Zonghao did not refuse, "Thank you."

Seeing her helping to hold the bag, Chen Zonghao reached out and took out the suit. Looking at the suit that perfectly matched his body shape, he knew that every stitch on it was sewed by her personally. No one had ever made clothes for him before. Holding the clothes in his hands, he felt as if they were worth a thousand pounds.

Song Shu watched him stare at the suit for a long time. His expression was as if he was looking at some rare treasure. She thought she had given him a treasure, but she was also happy to see that he valued the gift she gave him so much. "Do you like it?"

Chen Zonghao nodded, looked at her, and said sincerely, "I like it very much, thank you."

Song Shu curled her lips, "It's good that you like it. Just put it back after you've seen it."

Chen Zonghao rubbed the cloth in his hand, reluctant to take it back, "Can I try it on?"

Song Shu looked at his reluctant expression and heard his words, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "No, you forgot, your arm is still injured, you can't move casually, the clothes are here, you can try them on anytime."

Chen Zonghao could only nod, "Yeah." and then put the suit back into the bag.

Seeing him holding the bag, Song Shu took her hand back and glanced at him. It seemed like there was nothing else to do, so she said, "Good night then."

But before she could make any move, the man pulled her with his injured hand, and Song Shu stopped moving immediately.

Chen Zonghao held her wrist and looked down at her. Thinking of how she smiled and wished him a happy birthday tonight, he held her hand tighter and held her wrist completely in his palm. His Adam's apple moved, "Don't you want to know what I made for your birthday tonight?"

Song Shu was held by his hand, and the burning temperature of his palm made her shiver as if she was burned, but the man held her hand tightly and did not let her break free.

Hearing his low voice above her head, Song Shu couldn't help but look up to meet his gaze. At this moment, his previously calm eyes seemed to be rolling, holding her gaze tightly like a whirlpool.

Song Shu was stared at by him, and she suppressed her desire to avoid his gaze, and stammered, "What wish?"

After he finished speaking, it seemed as if only one second had passed, and yet it seemed as if a very long time had passed, so long that it seemed as if a roar sounded in Song Shu's ears. Then, a clear voice broke through the roar and lingered in her mind for a long time.

"You, about you."

"Song Shu, I like you, and my wish is that you can also like me."

For a moment, Song Shu suspected that she was hallucinating, but the man's lips moved, and those words were clearly transmitted from her ears to her mind and her heart.

She opened her mouth and wanted to say something, but the man reached out and gently covered her mouth. "I like you, can I pursue you?"

After Chen Zonghao finished speaking, he held her hand tightly, so tightly, as if he was afraid that she would escape, but his palms were sweaty and so slippery that he seemed unable to hold her hand.

Chen Zonghao felt her breath on his palm. He exhaled and looked at her steadily. "Can Chen Zonghao pursue Song Shu?"

She couldn't tell whose heartbeat was thumping in her ears. Chen Zonghao just stood there, looking at her, not daring to move his eyes away, waiting for her, waiting for her judgment.

Song Shu reached out, held his hand that was covering her mouth, and gently pulled it open.

Amid the thunderous heartbeat, Chen Zonghao saw the corners of her mouth curled up and she said "OK" softly, and that sound exploded in his heart with a "bang".