Chapter 63 Baby
Wen Jia, being a very busy person, doesn't really remember her own birthday, nor does she particularly like celebrating it. Her usual activities are already tedious enough, and in her eyes, a birthday is nothing more than wearing different dresses to appear in public, not even as glamorous as walking the red carpet.
In previous years, the company would throw her a party on this day and take a lot of photos to post on Weibo.
However, by sheer coincidence, it was also today that she left Xing Shuo.
The birthday party was obviously canceled. But where was Yu Kaiqing, who used to chatter away in her ear days in advance? She'd vanished this year.
Wen Jia withdrew her gaze from the window and tentatively asked, "You told Kaiqing to keep it a secret, didn't you?"
"clever."
She gave a reproachful look, "So secretive..."
I wanted to surprise you.
"I don't celebrate my birthday in private; the company used to celebrate it for me."
In previous years, the birthday party had a set procedure that was tedious and unchanging. It was more like a business event than a genuine celebration.
She hadn't experienced a real surprise on her birthday for several years.
"Then shouldn't tonight be reserved for me?"
Without a word, Xu Shaoting took her hand, walked out of the company, and got into the Maybach.
Undoubtedly, the other seat in the back row was also empty.
This time, however, the two were not face to face, but chest to back.
She automatically adjusted herself into a comfortable position in his arms.
The partition screen rose silently.
The contrast between the dark suit trousers and the pair of fair and slender legs was too striking.
The hem of her dress draped over his lap, and he slowly straightened it for her. "Aren't you curious about your birthday present?"
"Out of curiosity."
Why not ask if you're curious?
"Asking that makes me seem... materialistic."
Taken aback by the unexpected answer, Xu Shaoting suddenly chuckled, "Afraid of material things in front of me?"
…That was such an inhumane statement that she didn't know how to respond.
"I don't like you because of your money," she said seriously.
"What do you mean, 'me'?" He deliberately missed the point.
“I like it,” Wen Jia said, enunciating each word clearly.
He nuzzled her cheek with his stubble. "Say it again? Like? Only like?"
"Mmm..." She couldn't stand being rubbed so much, and with a smile, she dodged away, shamelessly giving in, "I...I love you."
“I know you don’t love me for money,” Xu Shaoting gazed at the person in his arms, wishing he could give her the best of everything in the world, “so you can be a little materialistic.”
Wen Jia blinked her eyes. "A birthday present isn't money, is it? A room full of money?"
Xu Shaoting: "..."
“No,” he paused, then asked with interest, “Do you want it?”
Wen Jia naively thought about it for a moment, "There's no room at home."
Xu Shaoting seemed not to have considered this question, because it wasn't an obstacle in his eyes. "How about I buy you a house to put there? If you want it."
"..."
She hesitated over making a plate of dumplings for vinegar, but it seemed absurd to think he would put money in a house. However, she knew he was capable of doing it, so she quickly shook her head and obediently said, "I prefer something meaningful to mere money."
Xu Shaoting finally smiled, seemingly quite confident in the significance of his gift. "I'll show you the gift later. Let's go eat first."
The restaurant was booked half a month in advance and was arranged in the Langge Mansion Sky Club, on the banks of the Yunting River, with a beautiful view and elegant environment.
Because it was a private club, Wen Jia was very comfortable and didn't even need to wear a mask. She was led by the hand by Xu Shaoting and took the elevator directly to the top-floor restaurant.
It was obvious that this floor had been booked out again. It was unusually quiet, and the environment had been carefully decorated. The fragrance of roses filled the air, and soft lighting bathed the hall.
Upon the arrival of the two, the pianist, who had been hired at great expense, bowed slightly to them and then began to play. The music was melodious and not noisy at all; rather, it had a pleasant quality that complemented the meal.
The chef prepared the dishes early in the morning, and the waiters, wearing bow ties, served the dishes at just the right time.
Wen Jia glanced at it, then suddenly smiled. "I suddenly remembered that when we first met and had dinner together, the waiter asked me what I liked to eat. Now you've already decided for me and know what I like."
Xu Shaoting subtly curled the corners of his lips.
These were details he had never noticed before.
He pulled out a chair for her, and after she sat down, he took off his suit jacket, leaving only a shirt with the sleeves rolled up, revealing his well-defined muscles beneath the fabric.
The dining process itself is very pleasant, it's just a matter of mindset.
When I ate with him before, there was always a tension between us, a back-and-forth tug, a gamble on who would break first. It felt more like an unspoken test than a meal.
The laughter was softer than usual, and the pauses were longer. It was like looking at each other through a layer of bubble, both knowing it would burst at the slightest touch, and neither willing to make the first move.
But at this moment, the string loosened, the bubbles burst, and the only thing that remained unchanged was that the wine glasses were still clinked several times.
Wen Jia drank the last bit of liquid in her cup in one gulp and wanted to pour herself a sixth cup, but was stopped by a hand opposite her.
She rebelliously hummed twice, "I want to drink..."
Xu Shaoting took her cup away directly, saying, "You're hard to handle when you're drunk, so listen to me."
"Go get the cake," he instructed the waiter.
The latter stepped back and returned with a cart in his hand, on which sat a three-tiered cake, pink and white, decorated with rose petals, yet it did not appear fussy, but rather elegant.
Her lips were slightly parted as she observed, not yet having had a chance to see the details clearly.
With a 'snap'.
If someone on the ground were to look up at this moment, they would see that the light on a bright glass curtain wall on a certain floor in the sky is gradually disappearing, starting from a certain point in the center.
In the dim light, the piano music became slightly more stirring, as if to cover up the sound of footsteps. Someone came forward to light the candles on her cake, and the birthday song began softly.
But she couldn't see who those people were; she could only see the handsome face of the man opposite her through the flickering candlelight.
He rested his arms on the edge of the table, the flickering firelight dancing in his eyes, and gazed at her intently with a doting smile. "Make a wish."
Wen Jia obediently closed her eyes, interlacing her fingers, as devout as a little girl. After a few seconds, she opened them again and gently blew out the candle.
The lights came back on, and the group of people from before had vanished without a trace. She looked at Xu Shaoting, who seemed to be deliberately waiting for something.
The next second, fireworks appeared, even more dazzling than candlelight.
The windows were bright and clean, and in the distance, two clusters of fireworks burst into bloom on the horizon, even more dazzling than the ones she had seen on New Year's Day.
Wen Jia was momentarily distracted by the fireworks, staring intently at them for a second. She got up and walked to the window, her fingertips touching the cool glass.
"So beautiful..." she murmured.
The retinal capture was fleeting, and she wanted this moment to last forever. The instant the phone shutter clicked, the man, without her noticing, stood up and pulled her into his arms from behind, turning his head slightly to kiss the tip of her ear.
Fireworks burst into two clusters of light on the windowpane, reflecting the silhouettes of the two embracing. His kiss landed on her ear, just as the fireworks bloomed above them.
The camera was very sensible, freezing this perfect overlap.
"How is it?" Xu Shaoting asked casually.
"Did you arrange this?" A glint appeared in her eyes as she turned to look at him.
She seemed to be confirming his feelings, or perhaps asking if these fireworks were exclusively for her.
"Didn't you say I was like a firework? And that you'd stay with me?"
"So you put out two bunches."
"Yes, I put it here for you," he asked again, "Do you like it?"
"like."
This was by the river, in the heart of the city. She had no time to guess what it would take to put on a fireworks display at such a time, which was neither a holiday nor a festival. All she knew was that he seemed to want the whole city to see not just fireworks, but also a grand and romantic spectacle.
On the riverbank, on the ground, and inside cars, everyone was looking up.
"What did you wish for? Tell me."
She countered, "Don't you often make wishes?"
"How so?"
"You can't make a wish by saying it out loud, otherwise it won't come true."
Xu Shaoting chuckled, "I know, but I will help you achieve it, whatever it may be."
The sentence was so tempting that Wen Jia almost blurted it out, but she swallowed it back down.
Seeing that she wouldn't talk, he didn't press her, but simply asked, "What does it have to do with me?"
"Of course it concerns you."
He was satisfied, and only then did he let her go and feed her cake.
"Were the fireworks a birthday present?" She looked out the window, a hint of lingering satisfaction in her eyes.
Xu Shaoting smiled and wiped the cream from the corner of her mouth with his fingertip. "Be a little more demanding."
Wen Jia didn't care about high or low requirements; she was so curious about the gift that she couldn't sit still.
So the two of them didn't linger at the restaurant. After eating until they were about half full, they got back into the car and headed back to the villa.
The villa is unusually quiet tonight.
The lights in the small courtyard in front are usually on, but now it's completely dark.
Yu Kaiqing usually comes out to greet them when she hears the engine, but now she seems to have been sent away and can't be seen at all.
Xu Shaoting took her hand and led her across the stone path.
"The gift is at my house?" She looked up at him blankly, even though nothing seemed amiss before she left home earlier that day.
"It's in the living room."
When were you preparing for this?
He gave a brief reply, but she didn't hear him at all.
Because the villa door had already been opened, the sight before her made her gasp for breath, leaving her no time to be distracted—
The living room was dark, bathed in the soft, serene moonlight. A piano stood in the center, resting quietly on a pure white velvet carpet.
The entire body of the instrument is transparent, without any impurities. The eye can pass through the smooth curves and clearly see the intricate and precise golden movement inside.
But unlike other crystal pianos on the market, the edge of this piano's lid is inlaid with a whole row of diamonds. There may be thousands of them, and they are not densely packed in a gaudy way, but rather arranged in a sparse and orderly manner.
Wen Jia stopped in her tracks, staring at the scene in a daze.
This was the piano she wanted most when she was a child.
No, when she was little, she didn't even dare to dream of such a beautiful grand piano. Back then, owning even the most ordinary upright piano would have made her happy for a whole month.
She didn't even dare to blink. Just like when she was a child, passing by a music store and gazing at it from afar, she stared at it intently.
The only difference is that when she was ten years old, there was a glass between her and the piano she wanted, and now the glass has been made into a piano.
"Do you like it?" Xu Shaoting gazed at her and asked the question he had asked most often that evening.
Wen Jia's eyes clearly glistened with a light, perhaps from surprise, but more so from joy, and she nodded.
He took her hand, just like he had seen countless other parents lead their children to the piano when she was little, and led her to sit down on the soft stool.
Only after she was seated did she notice that on the metal plaque on the piano keycaps, besides the logo of the piano authority, there was also the pinyin of her name, with an '&' symbol connecting the two strings of characters.
And her name is also inlaid with tiny diamonds.
She seemed to wake from a dream, looked up at the man, and met his deep gaze. "Was this custom-made?"
"Hmm." Xu Shaoting's voice was casual, low and slow.
Wen Jia lowered her head again, as if she had received a treasure she couldn't bear to part with, and her fingertips caressed the piano keys.
Her dress tonight was a perfect match for the piano; the skirt spread out on the piano bench, complementing each other beautifully.
He leaned against the piano, his attention never wavering from the instrument, gazing intently at her.
For the first ten years of his life, nothing could satisfy him. Only now did he realize that it wasn't that nothing could satisfy him, but that this thing had appeared too late.
It was her joyful expression.
"So, was this birthday present prepared a long time ago?" she asked innocently.
Xu Shaoting nodded.
He had a friend in Germany customize this for him. Designers usually only serve the royal families of countries like Britain and Spain. Customizing one might take several years, but he couldn't wait, so he had to use his connections and money.
In fact, the business trip he told her about two months ago was just a trip to Germany to see the finished products.
After the piano was completed, it was airlifted to Namibia for diamond setting. The pattern maker had provided twelve designs, all of which he rejected outright. It was only the thirteenth design, which he racked his brains over, that made him feel it should meet her wishes, and he adopted it.
Diamond setting is a slow and meticulous process. The difficulty was further increased because the piano's surface was not made of traditional piano lacquer but of acrylic glass. Three craftsmen worked day and night and finally completed the work after thirty days.
The piano was then airlifted back to China without delay and finally arrived in Linzhou before her birthday.
Wen Jia smiled faintly, her fingertips pressing the piano keys. She had learned it as a child, but hadn't touched it for over ten years. It had been gathering dust for too long, and she could only play it according to the little bit of memory she still had.
She had forgotten the exact name of the piece she played; all she heard was that when the music ended, the sound faded into the air, leaving behind an endless lingering echo.
Why did you think of giving me a piano?
"You once said that when you were little, what you wanted most was a piano, and diamonds too."
He thought and thought, but he didn't know what would please her. He had originally planned to give her a piano this year and a diamond next year, but what should he give her the year after next?
It was also in this incident that he realized for the first time in his life that an urgency that was not in line with his own personality was growing and spreading uncontrollably within him.
He couldn't wait to see her joy at having both of her wishes fulfilled at the same time.
"So, is this a way of making up for my childhood self?"
"Yes, this piano will have a long lifespan. Even if it is not played for a long time, the tone will not change, so it can always make up for your childhood self."
She carefully closed the piano keycaps, gently rested her arm on them to support her head, and looked at him with a smile in her bright eyes. "Thank you, I really like it, I really, really like it."
She will always remember that her childhood wish was fulfilled on her birthday more than ten years later.
The two people, one standing and one sitting, remained silent.
He patiently played several pieces with her, then closed the piano, picked her up, and carried her to the bedroom on the second floor.
He placed her on the bed and slowly unzipped the side of her dress. The damned zipper teeth became unusually smooth at that moment, and with a flick of his wrist, it opened completely, and the dress was instantly pulled down to her waist.
But clearly, he wouldn't stop there. His hand caressed her shoulder blades, then reached for her hidden clasp. A crisp click sounded as he expertly unfastened it.
His deep eyes stared intently, admiring her gradually becoming dazed expression.
Wen Jia felt the slight coolness of his fingertips and suddenly recalled that day on the cruise ship, when they were in a similar situation. Back then, he was still dressed impeccably and asked for her opinion, but now he didn't hesitate for a moment and directly took over her territory.
Sensing his keen interest in teasing her, she reached out and beckoned him, "Want to stay at my place tonight?"
"Do you want me to stay?" Xu Shaoting pressed his forehead against hers. "The driver's off duty, and I've been drinking, so I can't drive. Do you want me to stay?"
Wen Jia: "..."
That's so unfair; he's clearly forcing her to give him a satisfactory answer.
She was tipsy and took the initiative to kiss him, saying, "I want you to stay."
After showering, he changed into his bathrobe, pulled her into bed, and said in a serious tone, "I have another gift. Do you want it?"
…She seemed to have guessed what it was.
Before she could answer, Xu Shaoting wrapped her hand around his waist and led her to the knot of his bathrobe.
"..."
With a slow and deliberate movement, he pinned her down.
His bathrobe was open, and his muscular physique was laid bare before her eyes.
Despite having seen it countless times, the tips of her earlobes still turned red, powerless to resist his advances.
He looked at the person beneath him, and began his assault with unhurried, leisurely movements, repeatedly pressing her for answers:
Which of the two gifts tonight do you like best?
...
Unsurprisingly, she woke up early the next morning with aches and pains all over her body.
Normally, he would stay with her until she woke up afterward, but today, there was no warmth from him beside her.
Before I was fully awake, a profound sense of loneliness replaced my drowsiness.
She rolled out of bed to go find him, but just as she reached the door, she heard familiar, steady footsteps outside. Then the door opened, and she was caught off guard, bumping into Xu Shaoting's clear-eyed gaze.
He had taken off his bathrobe and was wearing an American-style white shirt without a tie, so he looked very relaxed. However, the black shirt cuff strap on his left upper arm accentuated the subtle undulations of his arm muscles and lines.
Just looking at her made her feel at ease.
He smiled faintly, "Awake?"
Wen Jia clung to him, burying her face in his collarbone, her voice filled with utter grievance, "Where did you go...why weren't you with me?"
“I made a phone call, I didn’t know you’d wake up so early,” he lifted her slender body, gently placed a good morning kiss on the corner of her lips, and asked meaningfully, “How did you sleep last night?”
Last night I exhausted her before I let her go, and now I'm asking her how she slept, all serious. What a hypocrite!
Seeing her leaning on his shoulder, unwilling to answer, Xu Shaoting smiled and caught a glimpse of her snow-white chest beneath her lace nightgown. "If it weren't me coming, but someone else, you wouldn't be so open, you know?"
She was indignant. "I could hear your footsteps."
She was incredibly talented; she could always deliver a profound meaning from a perfectly objective statement, making his heart soften involuntarily. He kissed her earlobe and said, "Aren't you wearing shoes? You'll catch a cold."
Wen Jia gave a muffled "hmm," clearly not fully awake, and was put back into bed.
Xu Shaoting brushed a stray hair from her temple. "I was just thinking about something."
"What's up?"
"Can you send me the photo you took at the restaurant yesterday?"
She paused for a moment, then chuckled, "Are you going to post it on your WeChat Moments?"
Because she never imagined he would do such a thing on his own initiative, Wen Jia asked in a joking manner, but received his affirmative answer: "Post it on WeChat Moments."
For no apparent reason, her heart warmed. "Is this an official announcement?"
"Okay, let's make it official. I'm going to formally introduce you to the people around me. Are you willing?"
That's so unreasonable. It's clearly a declaration of sovereignty over her, yet they ask her if she's willing.
No woman could resist such a performance, but she feigned modesty and asked a question in return, seemingly testing him and delaying his gratification.
How many contacts do you have?
"I haven't counted them."
"A lot, right?"
"Um."
"They'll all see it, won't they?"
"Everyone will see it, just like when we hang love locks."
Wen Jia pretended to think for a moment, paused, and then smiled, "I'm willing."
The photo was sent to Xu Shaoting's phone, and he examined it carefully, a smile appearing on his lips.
Only then did he realize that everything was so perfect.
The glass window reflected the silhouettes of the two people embracing, their faces obscured, which only added to the hazy atmosphere. He was a full head taller than her, enveloping her in his arms.
The difference in body shape is both intuitive and appropriate.
There were no stars overhead, but there was a grand fireworks display.
What kind of text do you usually use to accompany your official announcements?
"us?"
“...You young people.”
"Aren't you a young person?"
"Compared to you, I am indeed not."
"He's only a few years older than me... he's still very young."
He leaned closer to her and whispered in her ear, "In which way?"
Wen Jia bit her lip and patted his chest.
She ignored him, cleared her throat, and said, "...just don't post any clichéd captions."
"What do you mean by 'cliché'?"
"Those kinds of vows like 'forever, to the ends of the earth, until the seas dry up and the rocks crumble, until death do us part' and all that..."
She blurted it all out, almost catching her breath.
Finally, Xu Shaoting calmly nodded, speaking in a grand and dignified manner, "I think it's very good, it has a lot of meaning, so let's use this one."
Then he looked down and tapped the screen a few times.
Wen Jia was startled and instantly wide awake. "No! No, no, no!"
She never said he was young again!
She tried to grab his phone, but he held it above his head so she couldn't reach it, and grabbed both of her hands with one hand. "Why not? Isn't it good to be together forever?"
"...So corny! It's so corny!! People will laugh themselves to death! You haven't already posted it, have you?!"
The official announcement from a top-tier female celebrity was a declaration of eternal love, even to the ends of the earth! She's quitting the entertainment industry!
Thinking of this, Wen Jia choked up, stood up, and snatched his phone. The man then wrapped his arms around her waist, and the two of them fell onto the bed. She knelt down, and he pressed his chin against her bony shoulder, kissing her.
"It's already been sent."
Wen Jia didn't believe it and hurriedly opened his WeChat Moments.
A picture was accompanied by just two simple words:
"baby"
-----------------------
Author's Note: Chairman Xu: Two wishes fulfilled at once
Daughter: What is it? Kinder Surprise Eggs?!
I'll be adding the next book to my pre-order list; feel free to check out my author page and add "Love Letters to Hong Kong" to your favorites.
Thank you everyone!
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