Chapter 314 - Cuddle

"He made a post a few months ago saying that he is looking forward to April 28th. That's my birthday," she murmured, confusion filling her face.

Liam brightened a little after hearing that. Maybe her parents were going to make an effort to reconnect soon. Her birthday would be a good day for that too, and it would make the day even more special for her.

"Maybe they're going to surprise you," Liam suggested, watching her face soften a little at that realization. He hoped that he was right. It was the only explanation that he could think of right now. 

"Yeah, maybe. I mean, I'm graduating in a year too. Maybe… if things go well and they apologize… I can invite them," Ying Sheng replied, shock soon overtaking her confusion.

Liam rubbed her back gently, glad to feel the tension in her body start to melt away. Maybe there was hope, and he couldn't be happier about that possible prospect for her. If she had a better relationship with her parents, he knew that she would be happier because their fallout was a large source of her sadness. It made him sad that he couldn't help much on that front, but at least things were looking up on their own.

"That sounds like a good idea," Liam encouraged her, wanting her to try to patch that relationship back up. It could possibly do some good for her, and that was all he wanted for her.

"I mean, I want you there too, of course. If you want to come," Ying Sheng murmured, seeming slightly shy as she peered at him.

Liam hadn't been officially invited yet, but he had no doubt in his mind that he would go for her. It was an unspoken thing between them, and he wouldn't miss her graduation for the world. He knew how hard she worked to get to that point, and someone needed to be there to cheer her on. He hoped that her parents showed, but if they didn't, he would be there in the stands for her.

"You know I'm already there," he pointed out.

"Good! Good… it would be nice to have you all there. I didn't think that they cared, but maybe they're starting to. That's better than nothing, right?" Ying Sheng asked him, seeming to seek some advice for her confusing thoughts.

Liam had a feeling that she was unsure of how to feel right now, which he didn't blame her for at all. It was a jarring and confusing situation, but it could also be a good one. He didn't want her to miss out on something that could potentially benefit her in the long run. 

"It is," Liam told her encouragingly. He knew that her parents had hurt her, but he also knew that she wanted their attention and care, as any child would want from their parents. He just hoped that the best possible outcome came out of all of this, especially after the severity of the fight that they had with each other.

A smile gradually crossed Ying Sheng's lips as she nodded and placed her phone down beside her. She turned back to him with a grateful look on her face.

"Thank you. Today was… not that great, but you made it better. You always make it better," she told him sincerely.

Liam patted her knee over the blanket, warmth flushing through him at her words. He was glad that he could do that for her because she did the same for him. After a long and tiring day at work, she was always able to perk him right back up, like he was full of energy again. She breathed it back into him.

"I believe that everything always works out in the end, no matter how impossible it may seem," he told her. He was an optimist. He tried to search for the good in everything because there would always be rays of sunshine through storm clouds eventually. He didn't want her to think that the darkness would always linger.

"All I see in you is good," she murmured softly.

"You're good too. It doesn't matter what anyone has ever said before," Liam pointed out to her. He knew that she had heard some awful things about herself, but people could say anything without meaning or truth. It was hard for her to differentiate at times, but Liam wanted to ensure she knew the truth.

She wasn't useless or a failure. She wasn't going to be a nobody when she left college. She was a beautiful and smart person with a bright future ahead of her. Liam could see those things so clearly, and he wished that she could too because it was in her very character to be bold and ambitious.

Ying Sheng bit her lip briefly, her mouth curling up slightly at both sides. She let go of him briefly to lay down, but she reached her hand out to him, beckoning him with her eyes.

"Are you busy right now?" Ying Sheng asked him.

Liam gave her a curious look as he took her hand, wondering what was on her mind. She was often up to something, but he didn't mind her spontaneity. In fact, he admired it and her drive to go off the destined path every once in awhile.

"No, I'm free. Why?" Liam asked her, feeling her start to pull on his hand. Before he knew it, she pulled him forward enough to make him topple down next to her.

"Good," Liam merely replied as she reached over to grab her television remote on her nightstand. She switched on the television set up on a small entertainment stand in front of her bed before inviting him under her covers. "Let's cuddle."

Liam felt his face warm up at that, but he wasn't about to tell her no. He kicked his shoes off and eased himself under her sheets, still wearing his button down and jeans from work. He watched her scoot across the mattress into his arms, prompting him to envelope her in them.