Chapter 67 A Special Birthday
The air seemed to suddenly tighten, freezing for a moment. Even the noise from the neighboring seats seemed to have been muted.
Peng Chengyi's heart skipped a beat for no reason. She gripped the glass in her hand slightly and subconsciously turned her face to look at Chen Yubai beside her.
He paused for two seconds before letting out a very soft chuckle, as if he found the conjecture itself absurd.
"Jealous?" he repeated, his voice rising slightly at the end, carrying an invisible pressure. "Why would I be jealous? Zheng Xinyue, isn't your imagination running a little too wild?"
As he spoke, his gaze swept over Peng Chengyi beside him, lingering on her face for an extremely brief moment.
His eyes were complex and difficult to decipher, seemingly mixed with a fleeting, almost elusive restlessness, and something deeper, like a hidden reef at the bottom of the water, disappearing in a mere glance, so fast that one might doubt whether it was an illusion.
Then he casually averted his gaze, as if that glance had been merely an unintentional sweep.
He picked up the braised pork from the plate again and added in a flat tone, "I just think that if we're going to catch up, we should just do it properly. Bringing in irrelevant people is pointless."
After saying that, he stopped looking at anyone and started eating by himself, as if an invisible barrier had been erected around him, shutting out all the probing and curiosity.
Zheng Xinyue was so stunned by his cold and hard appearance that she fell silent. She awkwardly touched her nose, not daring to utter another sound. She could only secretly stick out her tongue at Peng Chengyi on the other side, silently mouthing, "You scared me to death..."
Peng Chengyi's inexplicable tension suddenly eased, turning into a very soft, self-deprecating laugh: "I already told you, he's not interested in me."
She paused for a moment, then seized the opportunity to change the subject: "Hey, stop talking about me, what about you? Did you date anyone in college?"
"No!" Zheng Xinyue sighed with a bitter face, complaining exaggeratedly, "There aren't many guys in our Chinese Literature Department, let alone handsome ones!"
As she spoke, she nudged Chen Wei on the other side with her elbow, "Weiwei, what about you? Are you in a relationship yet?"
"No." Chen Wei was eating her vegetables in small bites. She didn't even look up when she heard this, and replied with a single word.
"Then... surely someone must be pursuing you, right?" Zheng Xinyue pressed on relentlessly, determined to continue the gossip.
Chen Wei paused almost imperceptibly as she picked up food, her lowered eyelashes trembled, and she whispered, "...No."
Seeing that Zheng Xinyue's attention had finally been successfully diverted and she was now pestering Chen Wei to analyze the few male creatures in the Chinese department, Peng Chengyi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
However, her gaze uncontrollably and quietly drifted back to Chen Yubai beside her.
He continued eating expressionlessly, his profile appearing somewhat distant under the restaurant's warm yellow lights, as if the minor disturbance he had just caused had nothing to do with him.
-
As soon as Peng Chengyi stepped into her home after the party ended, her phone vibrated slightly in her pocket.
She took out her phone, the screen lit up, and the name displayed was Ke Xingjian.
During the final week of the semester, he studied with her at the same table in the library almost every day, and even lent her the past exam questions he had compiled, patiently explaining them to her.
Over time, their relationship did indeed grow closer. When she faced him again, she was no longer as awkward as she had been at the beginning, and she could even crack a joke or two occasionally. They had become friends who could get along naturally.
She couldn't help but open his WeChat messages while changing into her slippers—
Ke Xingjian: "Is this Saturday your birthday?"
Peng Chengyi paused for a moment, then quickly tapped the screen and asked, "How did you know?"
Ke Xingjian replied almost instantly, his tone somewhat matter-of-fact: "Didn't we fill in our personal information on the student council registration form before?"
Unexpectedly, he remembered it silently. A subtle feeling of being cared for quietly crept into her heart. She held her phone, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously curved into a very shallow smile.
Ke Xingjian then sent another message: "What are your plans for your birthday?"
Peng Chengyi thought for a moment. Now that she was in college, she was somewhat eager to break free from the pattern of spending every year at home, sitting around a cake, and listening to her parents sing "Happy Birthday." So she hesitated and typed, "It's not decided yet... I have to ask my mom first if she'll let me go out with my friends."
The message had barely been sent when Ke Xingjian replied: "If possible, could I be invited?"
Peng Chengyi's fingertips paused, and the image of Chen Yubai's cold, resistant, and icy demeanor at the dinner table that evening almost immediately flashed before her eyes.
If she really invited Ke Xingjian, she didn't even dare to imagine how tense the scene would be, and she probably wouldn't have a pleasant birthday.
Unless... she doesn't spend this year with Chen Yubai.
But as soon as the thought popped into her head, she dismissed it.
After all, they've celebrated their birthdays together for eighteen years. If he suddenly says he wants to break up this year, given his temper, who knows what kind of sarcastic remarks he might make later, or he might just ignore her like he did in middle school.
After the long and stifling cold war during the summer vacation, she had no desire to strain her relationship with him any further.
Because that deliberate distancing and silence is like invisible needles, pricking my heart, and it's really unbearable.
After a moment's consideration, she had no choice but to politely decline Ke Xingjian's offer: "Mainly because you don't know many of my friends here, it might be awkward if you come, and I'm afraid I won't be able to entertain you properly..."
Fortunately, Ke Xingjian didn't seem to mind and didn't insist: "Oh, I understand. Could you tell me your address? I can at least send you a birthday present, right?"
Seeing this, Peng Chengyi breathed a sigh of relief: "Okay, thank you, senior."
After sending her home address, she felt it wasn't right to just accept a gift unilaterally, so she added, "What's your birthday? I'll write it down and give you a return gift later."
Ke Xingjian: "My birthday is still a while away, it's during summer vacation, so I don't need to worry about it for now."
Peng Chengyi: "Then let me know in advance."
Ke Xingjian: "Yes."
Peng Chengyi turned off her phone and walked into the living room in her fluffy slippers. Zhou Lifen was sitting on the sofa watching TV.
She moved closer to her mother and sat down next to her, her voice tinged with a pleading tone: "Mom, I want to go out and celebrate my birthday with my friends this year, is that okay?"
Zhou Lifen looked up from the TV series and sized her up: "Where have you been?"
"Just... karaoke or something." Peng Chengyi swung her legs.
"Didn't you just go to karaoke today?"
“That’s different. There were so many people today, I didn’t get to sing to my heart’s content. I just wanted to hang out with a few of my best friends by myself.” Peng Chengyi pouted and said sullenly, “Besides, everyone else has gone out to celebrate their birthdays with friends, but I’ve never experienced that.”
Seeing her pitiful look, Zhou Lifen smiled helplessly: "Alright, then you can go with your friends. I won't bother cooking for you at home." "Great!" Peng Chengyi immediately beamed, then took her mother's arm and shook it playfully, "Then... Mom, could you sponsor a little more for the activity?"
Zhou Lifen was amused by her and playfully slapped her hand, but still picked up her phone: "You always have so many tricks up your sleeve."
As he spoke, he promptly transferred a sum of money to her.
Peng Chengyi's eyes lit up when she saw the transfer amount, and she stood up happily: "Mom, you're the best!"
Then, like a happy little bird, she hopped and skipped back to her room.
She collapsed onto the bed, pulled out her phone, and tapped on Chen Yubai's profile picture: "I'm not spending my birthday at home this year. I'm planning to invite some friends out to have some fun."
Chen Yubai: "Who are you planning to call?"
Peng Chengyi: "Yueyue and Weiwei."
Chen Yubai: "Oh, just the two of them?"
Peng Chengyi replied, feeling inexplicably guilty, "Otherwise what?"
Chen Yubai: "Okay, then I'll call Zhang Yang."
Peng Chengyi paused, hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help herself and casually asked, "Aren't you going to call Ling Baizhou?"
Chen Yubai's reply came a while later, a few simple words that carried a hint of amusement: "You want me to call him?"
Fearing he might notice something, Peng Chengyi immediately typed a denial: "I was just asking casually! Weren't you two getting along quite well before?"
Chen Yubai: "He's going on vacation in a couple of days, he's too busy."
Peng Chengyi: "Oh"
It wasn't that she wanted Ling Baizhou to come; she was just a little concerned that Chen Yubai was still deliberately keeping Ling Baizhou at a distance from her.
Because during the dinner party tonight, even though there was an empty seat next to Ling Baizhou, he didn't take her to sit there.
Now it seems that perhaps she was just overthinking things.
-
On my birthday.
Since they had agreed not to spend the holiday at home this year, Peng Chengyi was restless after breakfast. She took out her phone, opened that familiar chat window, and typed quickly: "Are you up yet? Shall we exchange gifts first?"
The screen lit up shortly after the message was sent, and Chen Yubai's reply was concise: "Just woke up, come on."
Peng Chengyi picked up the small gift box she had prepared beforehand, jogged across the corridor, and knocked on the door of the room opposite.
Chen Yubai was wearing Snorlax loungewear, his hair still a little messy, clearly having just gotten up. He stepped aside to let her in, then sat back down on the edge of the bed, leaning lazily against the headboard.
"Here you go." Peng Chengyi handed over the small gift box, a hopeful smile on her face.
Chen Yubai took the box, weighed it in his hand, and raised an eyebrow at her: "So small?"
“It’s the thought that counts, okay?” Peng Chengyi pouted, unconvinced. “I spent a long time choosing this one, and it’s definitely a perfect match for you.”
As she spoke, her eyes sparkled as she looked at him, "Where's my present?"
Chen Yubai lazily pointed under the desk: "There."
Peng Chengyi bent down in the direction he pointed and saw a square gift box, quite large and exquisitely packaged.
No wonder he complained that her gift was too small.
Feeling a little uneasy, she pursed her lips and struggled to pick up the box.
Chen Yubai had already opened the small gift box she had given him—a silver bass-shaped keychain lay inside the raffia, its metal material shimmering in the sunlight.
He picked up the keychain, twirled it between his fingers, looked up at her, and a half-smile played on his lips: "A keychain again? Is this the kind of thing you've been picking out for so long?"
“I noticed the one I gave you before has faded, it’s time to get a new one… There aren’t many bass-shaped keychains to begin with, so of course it takes a long time to choose.” Peng Chengyi explained, forcing a smile. After a pause, she added, as if to emphasize, “And, this one is stainless steel!”
"What's wrong with stainless steel?" Chen Yubai raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue.
“This means our friendship will never rust!” she said confidently, her eyes shining brightly, as if it were some amazing idea.
Chen Yubai paused for a moment, then let out a low laugh, a laugh mixed with a hint of helpless indulgence, and a complex emotion that was hard to describe.
He held the small bass keychain in his hand, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the cold metal strings. In the end, he merely lifted his eyelids and casually remarked, "How did you even come up with that?"
"That's right, I'm so smart." Peng Chengyi proudly raised his chin, casually placed the heavy gift box in his arms on the desk, and eagerly began to open it.
The dark blue wrapping paper rustled under her fingertips as it gradually peeled away, revealing a smooth, transparent glass dome inside.
"What?! Why are there layers inside layers..." she muttered to herself, her fingers working faster until she finally peeled off the wrapping paper completely, revealing what was inside—
It turned out to be a little rabbit meticulously made of white preserved roses.
The petals, full and layered, are eternally frozen in their blooming state, pure white and flawless, exuding a delicate and tranquil beauty, and gleaming with a subtle and warm luster in the soft morning light.
...roses?
Chen Yubai gave her preserved roses?!
This was completely beyond her expectations.
Because in her mind, such a gift should only exist between couples.
She paused, pressing her slightly accelerated heartbeat, and slowly raised her eyes. Her gaze, filled with a mixture of confusion and inquiry, passed through the fine dust floating in the air as she looked at the boy sitting by the bed.
-----------------------
Author's Note: [Eating popcorn][Eating popcorn][Eating popcorn]
Thank you to Rain Again, Little Crab Wang, Ah Ya Ya, Sunshine, Soleil, XUANER, and Leventseleve for providing the nutrient solution!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
