Chapter 85 This daddy is amazing...
Chapter 85
A family of three, all scored a perfect 450 in math, yet none of them could manage to be good at drawing.
Finally, looking at the patchwork of light and dark green on the snow-white cake, Jiang Xuli didn't know whether to breathe a sigh of relief or just two.
Luckily, it's not noticeable!
Then, at his insistence, the words "lonely and widowed" were changed to "Happy Birthday," and it finally looked like a "normal" cake.
A seven-inch cake is neither too big nor too small; it's just right for three people.
However, there is one essential step before that.
Jin Ran turned off the living room lights. In the darkness, a warm orange glow shimmered and fell on Jiang Xuli's face, dappled like stars fallen to earth: "Come on, it's the birthday boy's privilege to blow out the candles and make a wish."
Jiang Xuli felt inexplicably nervous.
This wasn't the first time he'd done something like this. In the past, when celebrating his birthday with friends, they would always tease him and make him make a wish. But the feeling this time was completely different from before.
He closed his eyes, paused for a moment, then opened them again, took a deep breath, and blew out the candle.
"Alright, let's cut the cake." His tone was a little awkward as he hurriedly reached out and switched on the living room light, urging them to continue.
Jin Ran blinked, then suddenly leaned closer: "Hey, what did you wish for?"
Jiang Xuli snorted: "I can't say it, or it won't work."
After saying that, he casually took the knife from the woman's hand, thinking it was safer for him to handle the sharp blade.
She deftly divided the cake neatly, pushing the largest piece in front of Jin Ran, giving the second largest to Jiang Mingxu, and naturally taking the smallest piece for herself.
Seeing his choice, not only Jin Ran, but even Jiang Mingxu felt a little touched by his filial piety.
Receiving a wink and a knowing look from the person next to him, Jiang Mingxu smiled and took out the gift he had prepared.
A Richard Mille watch.
Gifts from one man to another are often unremarkable, practical to the point of being rigid: watches, pens, cufflinks, custom shirts, yet they subtly convey a sense of unspoken ritual.
Jiang Mingxu looked at his son, who was almost as tall as him, and remained silent for a moment.
He wasn't good at expressing himself. Perhaps he lost both his parents at a young age, or perhaps he was influenced by the traditional Chinese parenting style. Every moment that should have been warm and affectionate ended up as stiff concern and strict discipline.
This undoubtedly pushed the father and son further apart.
"Sixteen is half an adult," Jiang Mingxu said after a moment, his voice calm and steady. "So I won't interfere with your plans for your own affairs, but I hope that before you make any decisions, you can look at this chart and not let impulses dictate your life."
These words come from the experience of a man who has been navigating the business world for twenty years. They are a father's most precious survival rule for his child: not seeking great wealth and status, but seeking that he walks each step with clarity and understanding.
Jiang Xuli paused for a moment, then nodded and took it.
Admittedly, Jiang Mingxu was not a good father, but he was not a bad father either.
Jiang Xuli didn't understand before, and only felt that he was the most pitiful person in the world. But after he interned at Mingji for a period of time during the summer vacation and met peers like Wang Pingping, his views changed.
There is never a perfect solution in this world; there are gains and losses. My father rarely spent time with his family, but he used that time to work hard in the business world, accumulating substantial capital and the capital to keep trying and making mistakes for his son.
"Thank you, Dad."
This time, the gratitude was more sincere than ever before.
Jin Ran watched the father and son's rigid and formal exchange, feeling rather speechless.
The birthday party suddenly became serious and solemn. She couldn't help but secretly twist Jiang Mingxu's arm. The latter's body tensed up abruptly, and he coughed a few times: "But you're only sixteen years old and there are still two years until you become an adult. Don't be so nervous. Just enjoy your high school life."
He was clearly not used to saying such things, his tone was stiff as if he were reading a work report, and after he finished speaking, he subconsciously straightened his shirt cuffs, which were not messy at all.
Jin Ran pursed her lips and turned her head away, afraid that she would laugh out loud.
Even the all-powerful CEO Jiang has areas where he is not good at dealing with shortages.
Perhaps because of the effort she put into making it, Jiang Xuli felt that this birthday cake tasted especially delicious.
Back in his third-floor bedroom that evening, he received congratulatory text messages from friends. Usually, he'd just glance at them and toss them aside, but today, unusually, he replied to each one. Chen Xunliang, knowing best about his brother Li's family situation and knowing Uncle Jiang was busy with work and wouldn't be celebrating his child's birthday, sent a direct invitation: "[A bar all night this weekend? I'll make it up to you]"
The message, "I'll bring a cake then," was followed by a cheeky emoji.
Jiang Xuli sent a question mark: [I'm too full from eating cake, I don't want to eat anymore]
Before the other party could ask any further questions, she added another photo: "[Can the cake you buy taste better than the one I make myself?]" The accompanying picture was of a cream cake on the dining table that had been scooped out into pieces, with crooked green frosting, clearly the work of a novice.
However, Chen Xunliang still managed to convey a rare sense of boastfulness between the lines.
He suddenly realized that, seemingly out of nowhere, the usually cold and aloof Brother Li had become lively and warm.
On the other side, Jin Ran and Jiang Mingxu did not stay in the living room for too long either.
Jin Ran went to wash up first as usual. Warm water rippled across her neck, and her fair skin was covered with soap bubbles. She gently rubbed and massaged herself, making herself smell wonderful.
Jinran felt a little bloated in her lower abdomen while taking a bath, but the pain wasn't obvious. However, she still didn't dare to soak for too long.
When I came out, Jiang Mingxu was sitting on the sofa flipping through a book. Even when he was reading, he was different from others. He sat with his back straight, his legs crossed, and the pages of the book were turning rustling. His eyes showed a focused expression.
However, if you ignore the words on the book cover: "Power Over the Court: The Regent's Beloved".
Obviously, this book didn't belong to Jin Ran, but was "lent" to her by Xu Zhen, who loves reading novels. Jin Ran didn't open it for the time being, but just casually placed it by her bedside, waiting for it to become her bedtime reading.
"I'm done washing, you can go now."
Jiang Mingxu put down the novel in his hand.
After a few times, he got used to the fragrant atmosphere in the bathroom, and the entire bedroom was filled with the same scent.
The scent changes with the date and mood, sometimes floral, sometimes fruity. Today it smells like water lily because Jinran is applying water lily essential oil to her body.
Hearing the noise, he said without turning his head, "Jiang Mingxu, I can't reach it by myself, can you help me?"
With her hair still dripping wet, Jiang Mingxu took a bunch of bottles and jars from her hands, dissolved the essential oil in her palms as instructed, and gently rubbed it onto her back.
The warmth of the fingertips touched her delicate skin, triggering a conditioned reflex of trembling. Jin Ran instinctively dodged to the side, exclaiming, "Ouch, it tickles!"
Jiang Mingxu paused, his fingertips sticky and moist, his eyes filled with a delicate, snow-white skin.
Hearing her complaints, he placed his hand on her again and applied the product in circles along the contours of her shoulder blades. A strand of wet hair clung to the inside of her wrist, seemingly wrapped around her. He tucked the strand behind her ear with one hand, his fingertips lingering on the edge of her earlobe for half a second before casually continuing to apply the product.
Jin Ran lay on the bed, unable to see what was behind her, but she could sense the unusually quiet atmosphere that had been there since earlier, and the hand behind her that was sometimes light and sometimes heavy.
She knew exactly what was going on, but remembering how this man had acted so serious and had forced her to guess instead of speaking his mind, she decided not to do as he pleased.
Pretending not to understand anything, she deliberately groaned a few times when the other person exerted force, and as she was pleased to feel the pause in her back, she secretly chuckled to herself, but outwardly remained calm and started a conversation: "When did you prepare the gift for Xiao Li?"
The two shared a bed every day. From the very beginning, Jin Ran couldn't help but tell him about the gifts she bought. But in the end, she didn't even know when he had prepared them!
Jiang Mingxu: "I had Assistant Wang buy it last month."
last month……
Jin Ran quickly located the memory. It was when school had just started. Jiang Xuli didn't become a reading machine, reminding her every day not to forget her birthday. But this man remembered his son's birthday without being reminded and even bought him a gift in private.
Why did you keep this from everyone?
Jiang Mingxu's expression revealed a hint of confusion: "I didn't hide it, I just felt there was no need to say it."
He prepared the birthday gift simply to present it to others, not to try to impress the child.
It's as commonplace and natural as eating and drinking.
It's not worth mentioning specifically.
Jin Ran understood the man's unspoken message. While feeling moved, she also felt a little envious. This level of attention and care made even her a little jealous.
She couldn't help but say, "This watch must be very expensive, right? I saw someone post about this one in the teachers' group before, and it seems to cost six or seven people."
Jiang Mingxu neither confirmed nor denied it, and instead gave an additional number.
Jin Ran: !!
Who exactly is saying bad things about Daddy?
This daddy is amazing!
Jin Ran, like a fish stranded on the shore, suddenly turned around: "Um, I have a question for you."
"What?"
"Do you need another child? How about I be your daughter? I'll be pretty, smart, and able to eat and go home by myself." Jin Ran blinked her big, bright eyes, her face full of sincerity.
Three million! A watch costs three million. If she celebrates her birthday a few more times, what's the point of her working hard?
Jiang Mingxu: "..."
The man narrowed his eyes, his gaze deep and dark, filled with an unyielding inky blackness.
Jin Ran rolled over, the essential oil on her back not yet absorbed, and rolled onto his lap, looking up at him with a smile, and pleaded, "Okay, Daddy, I'm not as greedy as Jian Er, who wants to transfer all your assets. I'll just be your daughter, and give you three million every birthday... Oh dear!"
Before the laughter had even subsided, the person had been flipped over, and those sharp-tongued red lips were being "bitten."
He sucked hard for a moment, his teeth digging into her soft flesh with a force that was both a warning and an affection, as if he wanted her to remember the lesson, but he couldn't bear to really hurt her.
Jin Ran wasn't afraid at all, and still stubbornly kept calling out that name. Hearing those few sounds lingering on the tip of her tongue, Jiang Mingxu felt his temples throbbing, and a sentence from the novel he had just read suddenly popped into his mind.
Woman, you're playing with fire.
/
The wind picked up outside the window.
A slight chill seeped in through the gap that wasn't fully closed, and the gauze curtains were lifted by the wind, swaying silently in the dimly lit room.
The atmosphere reached its peak.
Even if Jin Ran didn't do it on purpose, she did "unintentionally" stir up trouble.
As an adult, it's perfectly normal for feelings to develop into something more, and she accepted what was to come.
Then--
Jiang Mingxu's body suddenly stiffened.
Jin Ran was initially confused, but when she felt the warmth, her face turned bright red—purely embarrassed: "Uh, no wonder my stomach hurts a little."
Jiang Mingxu took a deep breath, his face tense, and got out of bed: "I'm going out for a bit."
Jin Ran hesitated, as if she wanted to say something, but then she watched the man enter the bathroom and immediately shut up.
Ahem, she'd better not stir things up.
You're already getting on in years, don't let this pent-up stress get to you.
Of course, Jin Ran would never say these things out loud. She knows what she can and cannot say, simply because she has high emotional intelligence.
Listening to the sound of running water in the bathroom, she placed her hand on her abdomen, and drowsiness gradually crept in. Since there was nothing else to do tonight, she lay down on her half of the bed and dozed off.
In a half-dreaming, half-awake state, I felt a warm breath approaching.
"Reach out." Jiang Mingxu's deep voice rang in my ears.
Jin Ran didn't want to open her eyes, letting her wrist be lifted up. A slightly cool touch slid over her, and suddenly there was something heavy on her ring finger.
"This is...?"
The coolness of the metal finally made her open her eyes, and then she saw the ring that had appeared on her left hand.
She was stunned.
After putting on the ring, Jiang Mingxu did not let go of her hand. He held her hand and gently stroked the diamond on the silver surface with his fingertips. On his ring finger was a men's ring of the same style.
"Gift."
He said calmly, "Although it's Xiao Li's birthday, I thought that when Xiao Li receives a gift, you should also receive one."
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