Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Shen Nian looked up. It was Jiang Lingling.

"Sister Nian, can I eat with you?"

Seeing the smile on her face, Shen Nian also hooked the corners of her lips: "Sure."

"Hee hee, thank you Sister Nian." Jiang Lingling happily shook her head.

Shen Nian lowered her head to eat, accidentally touching the wound on her lips. She sucked in a breath at the pain.

She covered her lips. The injury on them would probably take two or three days to heal.

"Pff—"

Hearing laughter, Shen Nian looked up to see Jiang Lingling giggling to herself.

"...What's so funny?"

Jiang Lingling looked at her, eyes curving: "Sister Nian, you have a boyfriend now."

Shen Nian was startled, denying it a second later: "I don't."

"Sister Nian, you're lying. I've been staring all morning. Your lips must have been bitten by your boyfriend."

Having said that, Jiang Lingling pointed at her mouth.

"..." Biting her lip, Shen Nian didn't know how to respond for a moment.

Just as she was about to explain that she had accidentally bitten herself, Jiang Lingling waved her hand indifferently across from her.

"But it doesn't matter. Today is Singles' Day anyway, so all the couples are out there torturing us singles. I'm already numb to it."

"Singles' Day?"

"Yeah." Jiang Lingling blinked. "Sister Nian, you don't know? Today is May 20th, 520. When I got up this morning and checked Moments, I saw so many people showing off gifts, red packets, and their lovey-dovey relationships."

Is that so? If not for Jiang Lingling's reminder, she wouldn't have noticed it was almost June.

"I didn't notice." Shen Nian took back the fleeting strangeness in her eyes and explained.

Jiang Lingling took a bite of her food. "Sister Nian, what will your boyfriend give you? Flowers or a ring? Sister Nian, you're so outstanding and hardworking that your boyfriend must want to hurry up and marry you back home, right?"

"Stop talking nonsense." Shen Nian whispered.

She lowered her head to look at the chopsticks in her hand.

A ring...she would never wear one in her life again.

Realizing Shen Nian had become unhappy, Jiang Lingling quietly closed her mouth.

[...]

It was obvious he had put thought into this.

"Thank you, I really like them."

Hearing Shen Nian say this, Xiao Mubai finally relaxed completely. "It's your birthday today. Can I take you out for a meal?"

Shen Nian burst out laughing. "Sure, since someone's treating I'll be happy to bleed them dry."

After fastening her seatbelt, Xiao Mubai started the car and drove away.

He first took her to a clothing store so she could change, then brought her to a certain place for dinner.

Knowing Shen Nian didn't like noisy environments, Xiao Mubai had booked a private room.

Since it was just the two of them, he didn't order many dishes—four simple ones along with soup, and a six-inch pink cake in the middle.

Although simple, it had a homely feel.

"This restaurant's home cooking is pretty good. Want to try it?"

Shen Nian picked up her chopsticks and took a bite.

"How is it?" Xiao Mubai watched her.

She paused, then chewed and swallowed the food in her mouth. "Not bad," she murmured.

Hearing Shen Nian's reply, Xiao Mubai revealed a smile.

Her nose felt a little sour. She tilted her head slightly, closing her eyes to compose herself before looking back at Xiao Mubai with a smile. "Thank you for the flowers, the dress, the birthday cake and the dishes you made."

Caught out, Xiao Mubai's expression grew awkward as he continued bluffing, "What dishes I made? You've got it wrong."

Shen Nian held back laughter. "Mr. Xiao, your acting skills are decent, but your cooking has given you away."

She lightly tapped the edge of that previously mentioned dish with one end of her chopsticks. "A restaurant this big would probably have gone out of business long ago if they hired a chef who doesn't even know how much salt to put in."

Hearing this, Xiao Mubai immediately picked up his chopsticks and took a bite of the dish.

It was a little salty...

He frowned slightly.

He had prepared so meticulously for so long, yet oversights still occurred.

"But I really like it. Truly." Shen Nian looked at him earnestly. "Thank you for the thought you put into this."

Thank you for cherishing me like this.

"Cough..." Caught out, Xiao Mubai grew somewhat embarrassed. His gaze landed on the cake as he hastily changed the subject, "It's my first time cooking so my skills are limited, but I bought the cake myself and guarantee it tastes fine! Shall we make a wish first?"

"Sure."

Xiao Mubai pulled the cake over, stuck a candle in it and lit it.