CA | Chapter 25

◎Be happy on your birthday.◎

Ning Jia kept this matter in mind. She checked the calendar and saw that it fell on the weekend, and he would not have time to come over the day before. Ning Jia thought about making a trip to Hangzhou to burn incense for Shen Yicheng. She had heard before that some master had read Shen Yicheng’s fortune, saying that there would be hardship around the age of thirty. Now that thirty was just around the corner, Ning Jia had to go ask how to ward off disaster.

During a boring ideological and political theory class, Ning Jia was booking tickets here, and Jiang Chao, sitting beside her, saw it and asked, “What are you going to Hangzhou for in the middle of winter?”

She told him the truth.

Jiang Chao laughed softly. “You’re so young, and you’re already this superstitious.”

“I didn’t really know what else to do either. Since I wanted to go anyway, I didn’t want to stay here.”

Jiang Chao twirled his pen. “It’s his birthday. Why isn’t he taking you with him?”

Ning Jia frowned and shook her head. “That would cause a huge scandal.”

“How so?”

“Well, I still have to call him Second Uncle. It would mess up the generations.”

Jiang Chao said, “I swear I didn’t study the wrong century. Someone who didn’t know better would think we were still in the Qing Dynasty.”

Ning Jia rested her chin in her hand. “I can’t change it. That’s just how particular they are. Besides, I don’t want to go to that kind of occasion either. When I was little, I didn’t feel anything, but now that I think about it, it’s all rules, all constraints, enough to drive a person crazy.”

“Suit yourself. If you’re going alone, be careful.”

Ning Jia said, “I’ll mostly be on the road. I’m just going to the temple and then coming back.”

Jiang Chao didn’t ask anymore. He lay there and endured it until the bell saved everyone from the sea of suffering.

Ning Jia didn’t tell Shen Yicheng about this. She carried her bag, drove to the airport, and in an hour or two she was there. After getting off the plane, she took a taxi to a guesthouse on the mountain, arriving before nightfall.

The mountain air was chilly. Ning Jia wrapped herself in a wool coat, ate a quick meal nearby, and went to bed by six or seven.

At five in the morning, Ning Jia put on a pale blue Chinese-style long dress as an inner layer and draped a loose outer coat over it, then climbed the mountain step by step.

There were not too many people yet. Ning Jia asked someone to look at Shen Yicheng’s birth chart[[1]], and the result was more or less the same. Ning Jia asked one more question, a little too casually, “What exactly is it? Will he get sick?”

The master told her that Shen Yicheng was in good health and had no ailments, he would only lose money. Ning Jia thought that Shen Yicheng was rich as hell. Even if he blew everything on buying five hundred yachts, he still wouldn’t go bankrupt. Then they said it was a romantic calamity. Ning Jia thought about it and figured it probably wasn’t her. No matter how she looked at it, she wasn’t likely to become such a disaster for him.

She had originally wanted to have the two of them’ marital fate read too, but after hearing that, Ning Jia changed her mind. She was scared.

So she bought two thousand yuan’s worth of incense, lit it, and prayed properly, hoping that the money Shen Yicheng lost would stay within a million. If he suffered heartbreak, then two or three years would be enough for him to get over it.

In the end, she wished him health, peace, and restful sleep every night.

By the time all that was done, it was around seven or eight. Jiang Chao sent her a message, and Ning Jia replied: [I’m done praying. Going to the church next.]

[My God, Ning Jia, you really are such a traditional Chinese person, anything useful to me is a good god]

[That’s right, if I’m already here, I might as well.]

Although Ning Jia said that, she only wanted to go to that church.

The place where her parents had gotten married.

There were quite a few people coming for Sunday service. Ning Jia took a small booklet and stood in the back corner.

She wasn’t praying there for anyone in particular, but reflecting on her own sins. Ning Jia watched the colors cast down by the stained-glass windows, and her thoughts drifted away in the hymn.

This was her second time here. The first had been inside He Hui’s womb. If people were born with sin, Ning Jia thought, then perhaps she should never have been born.

She stood there, then sat down. When the service ended, Ning Jia still didn’t know how to sing. She only leaned on the back of the seat in front of her and quietly looked at the crucifixion statue.

She hadn’t noticed that the priest had already sat down beside her. When Ning Jia came back to herself, she was startled.

The priest looked to be about fifty, with a very kind face and a smile full of something called forgiveness.

Ning Jia stood up. “Sorry… I forgot the time.”

“It’s all right.” The priest handed her a Bible. Ning Jia vaguely realized it was the same one as the one at home.

She wanted to say something, but her throat tightened. The other man waited patiently for her to speak. Ning Jia asked a question: “Where do people who commit suicide go?”

The priest’s smile faded slightly. He motioned for her to sit down. Ning Jia said, “My mother was a believer. She… I want to know…”

Meeting that compassionate gaze, she panicked and stood up. “I’m sorry… I…”

Ning Jia didn’t know why she had to run away. The early winter sunlight spilled across her face, but Ning Jia hid like a vampire. She ran for a long time, and up ahead was a park. Ning Jia sat down on a bench and covered her face.

How childish, how pathetic. She had actually wanted to know where they had gone. In her rootless life, she had depended on them from beginning to end just to keep living.

And loved them in a complicated way.

After catching her breath, she put the Bible in the corner of the bench, opened her phone, and prepared to call a car back to the guesthouse.

But then she received his message.

[Why aren’t you home?]

*

Shen Yicheng had arranged his birthday banquet for noon. It was for the elders to see. The evening party was mostly for fox-friends and dog-buddies, and people hoping to curry favor. He could push back the evening event, but not the noon one.

His birthdays had always been a huge production. If he were in the North City, there would be no way to refuse. The guests were all prominent names, industry benchmarks. Each one who came offered a blessing, but Shen Yicheng felt as if he were some kind of doorman, shaking hands and making small talk with each of them one by one.

His mother, Yun Wan, stood to one side. She wore a tailored gold-embroidered qipao that cinched her waist, covered with large peonies. Her black hair was pinned up high, she wore a pair of gold bracelets, and two gold hoops hung from her ears. Around her neck was a string of white pearls in evenly matched sizes, and a landscape-print jacket draped over her arms. She was already in her fifties, yet her back view looked like she was in her twenties. Unlike other wealthy Beijing madams, she didn’t overwork her face. Aging naturally instead added a few touches of composure to her bearing.

She looked at Shen Yicheng. “Tired?”

Shen Yicheng said, “This birthday feels like a tribulation.”

Yun Wan gave a light snort. “It was always going to be a tribulation, your mother’s tribulation.”

Shen Yicheng was silent for a long time, glancing toward the hall. Yun Wan said, “Go on. I’ll be at the entrance.”

Shen Yicheng walked in and greeted the two men in front of him. “Dad, Big Brother.”

Just by looking at the three of them standing together, one could see a face that had gone from youth to middle age to old age. Shen Yibei had the colder, more ruthless face, and his personality was just as decisive and merciless. If Shen Yicheng was the kind who looked easy to talk to but was actually impossible to sway, then his older brother was the kind who looked outright unapproachable.

He treated this younger brother the same way, not even bothering to put on a smile. His father only nodded at him before continuing to receive guests.

In this huge hall, the person with the least presence was none other than the birthday boy himself.

What was the point?

Shen Yicheng sat in his seat and listened to the others talk at length. No one asked whether he was married, and no one asked about his business. He only drank in silence, becoming the lowest and humblest presence at the table.

This table held the Shen family’s direct relatives, his grandfather, father, uncle, two other uncles, and their wives and children. In the middle of the quiet, several children suddenly came over and tugged at the jade stone on his hand. One of his cousins-in-law, who had chased after them, scolded them sharply. Shen Yicheng removed it in a generous mood and let the child play with it.

The child had eyes for nothing but the translucent round beads, lifting them high. The cousin-in-law looked extremely embarrassed and wanted to return the bracelet, but Shen Yicheng suddenly remembered the first time he had met Ning Jia. She had also snatched up his stone and tried to put it in her mouth to taste it.

Back then he had been the guest, and He Hui had been almost terrified into urging her to let go. Shen Yicheng rarely found children adorable, but he had given her the jade he carried close to his body to play with.

Eighteen years had flashed by.

Shen Yicheng suddenly stood up and said, “I’m leaving.”

Yun Wan, seated beside him, frowned. “Where are you going? Your uncles and aunts haven’t left yet, so why are you?”

Shen Yicheng said, “I have something to do. Excuse me.”

With that, he turned and left.

Yun Wan chased after him in high heels, scolding, “Yicheng! Stop right there!”

Shen Yicheng halted at the corner by the entrance and looked back. “This act has been performed year after year after year. I only feel tired. You enjoy the social dance, I don’t.”

“What social dance? This is your home!”

Shen Yicheng said, “There isn’t a single part of it that feels like my home. Whether I leave or stay, no one cares.”

“Where are you going? Tell me, is that thing true or not?” Yun Wan frowned. “Usually, if you’re just being playful, fine, but how could you…”

Shen Yicheng still turned and left. He went down the stairs and called Li Chen, who was eating outside, to bring the car around. Li Chen saw him coming out and, shocked, hurried after him anyway. “Mr. Shen, you’re the first one out…”

Shen Yicheng said nothing and quickly walked toward the car door. Li Chen even started running. He hurriedly opened it for him. Shen Yicheng sat in the back seat and didn’t say where he was going. Li Chen hadn’t even called the driver. He had come out with him, so he climbed into the driver’s seat himself. Fortunately, he hadn’t started drinking yet, so he could take him home.

Shen Yicheng himself had drunk a bottle of baijiu and was holding his forehead. Li Chen started the car, handed him a hangover remedy and mineral water, and only after driving out of the parking lot did he ask, “Where are you going?”

He didn’t answer. Li Chen followed his instincts and drove to the apartment building for the Academy of Fine Arts faculty. Shen Yicheng opened his eyes. Everything outside was a cold wash of color. When he turned his head and saw the scene outside, he frowned. “Why did you bring me here?”

Li Chen broke into a sweat and didn’t dare speak.

After a while, when he heard the door open, he finally breathed again.

People were all a little contradictory. No matter how their mouths said they didn’t want to come here, in their hearts they still wanted to. In the past, whenever Shen Yicheng was in a bad mood, he would return to that two-story villa of his and shut himself up in the studio without coming out. Now that studio had become a fifty-square-meter little love nest. It was no longer a matter of whether he wanted to come or not, but rather that he had already gotten used to it.

Used to her company.

Shen Yicheng carried the only key with him. No matter what he wore that day, it would always be in the right-hand pocket.

He turned the lock and opened the door. The inside was completely quiet. It had to be the light playing tricks on him.

The place was decorated with colorful streamers, and a banner hung up reading, “Happy Birthday, Uncle Shen.” There was a birthday cake on the table. When he opened the fridge, there was still a bottle of red wine and a pot of braised beef brisket. Around them were already blown-up balloons. Shen Yicheng changed his shoes and walked into the bedroom, where there was still a layer of roses spread out.

He couldn’t help but smile.

He waited for a while before sending her a message, asking where she was.

*

Ning Jia checked the time. It was only eleven.

[Don’t tell me you’re at my place]

After a while, he replied: [Then I’m not there.]

Ning Jia held her head and hurried to find a ride to the airport. There just happened to be one at twelve, so she switched to it at once. Only after boarding the plane did she remember to tell him, but by then they were preparing for takeoff and she couldn’t use her phone. She had no choice but to wait until the plane landed. All the way there, she kept thinking about why he had come back early, and about the meat and fish she had hidden in the fridge.

By the time she drove home in a rush, his car was already parked downstairs, wedged among a cluster of little bicycles, with nowhere to park. Ning Jia had no choice but to leave her car at the school and run all the way home. The moment she opened the door, a rich tomato smell hit her nose.

No need to guess. He had brought out her specialty, and it had already been reheated.

Just as Ning Jia was about to lose her temper, she stepped over a row of streamers and went into the kitchen, only to see that Li Chen was there too. He had taken off his coat and was wearing a white sweater, serving rice.

Li Chen felt his scalp tighten, because Shen Yicheng had already coerced him into eating a bowl of rice. It tasted so good that he had gone and served himself another bowl.

Ning Jia cared about face too, so she immediately changed expression and smiled. “Assistant Li is here too? You haven’t eaten yet?”

Li Chen looked at Shen Yicheng. This man had used her cooking to set up a whole table banquet and said matter-of-factly, “I got hungry halfway through. I was afraid of wasting the food, so I asked Li Chen to help with it.”

Li Chen also served Ning Jia a bowl. Shen Yicheng said, “I bought the bowls and chopsticks new. Take them with you after you’re done eating.”

Ning Jia shook her head. “No need to be so particular. Eat.”

She sat down beside Shen Yicheng. Li Chen poured a pot of hot tea. After Ning Jia drank some, she felt better and only then started eating.

“Is it good?”

She asked Li Chen.

The other man answered sincerely, “Miss Ning’s cooking is better than Xiaoxiang Pavilion.”

Xiaoxiang Pavilion was one of the best Chinese restaurants in the North City. Ning Jia said with a smile, “I only know how to make a few things. Eat more.”

Li Chen was already thirty-two this year. Serving Shen Yicheng, who was younger than him, was one thing, but now being cared for like this by Ning Jia, who was still a teenager, felt indescribably strange.

Ning Jia still couldn’t hold back. She turned and asked Shen Yicheng, “Why didn’t you call a few more friends over for dinner?”

“I don’t have any friends.”

That one sentence left Ning Jia unable to scold him any further.

She had planned their little two-person world so perfectly, and he had ruined it by coming over so early. Now the three of them sat quietly under a row of pink balloons printed with love and happy birthday, and the atmosphere was indescribably eerie.

Li Chen finished quickly, washed his bowl, and fled in a hurry, as if he had never been there at all.

After the door closed, Ning Jia sat across from him. Only then did Shen Yicheng say, “This whole table was reheated by Li Chen. He didn’t get lunch, and I called him over to drive me. It wouldn’t be right not to let him have at least one bite, so I borrowed flowers to offer to Buddha[[2]], and I’m apologizing to you.”

Ning Jia said, “I know. It’s not your fault. Why did you come over at noon? Last time you told me seven or eight, and I didn’t have any time to prepare.”

Shen Yicheng picked up food for her. “I’ll take you out tonight and make it up to you.”

Ning Jia said softly, “It’s your birthday. Why do you keep apologizing to me? Did you get wronged at home?”

Shen Yicheng quietly ate the beef. He had already finished half a bowl. Ning Jia pressed on, “Were they the ones making you feel wronged? Why don’t they even let you have a decent birthday?”

Ning Jia always protected her own. Last time at the movie theater, she had been just as fierce. Shen Yicheng smiled. “It’s nothing. I’m just running here to avoid disaster.”

Ning Jia sighed. “If you’re being wronged at home, what can you do? It’s my own lack of ability. I don’t dare talk back to Big Madam either.”

Even if she dared, what was she?

She sounded like she was about to cry. Shen Yicheng held her hand and said, “Don’t say that. I don’t dare either, do I?”

It wasn’t that he didn’t dare. It was that he had no choice. Everyone knew that Yun Wan had risked her life to give birth to him, and Shen Yicheng’s entire life had been accompanied by the line, “Do you deserve your mother?”

If he were a bastard, he could stand up and say, “Then don’t give birth to me.” But unfortunately, he had a soft heart. He did everything he could to be a good son and not make his mother sad.

By the time they finished eating, it was almost four. No one could tell whether it was lunch or dinner. Ning Jia had made too many dishes, and Shen Yicheng picked at each one in turns, so he was half full already. But when she looked at the casserole of tomato beef brisket, it was basically empty. It seemed he liked it.

Shen Yicheng was a total life idiot. He only knew how to dump things out and put dishes in the dishwasher. Ning Jia told him to go back to the bedroom first while she sealed up the leftovers. After all, they had only eaten a few bites, and it would be a pity to throw them away.

He didn’t leave. He stayed and tore open cling film with her. The first one came apart in a miserable mess, but after that he got much better.

Looking at the decorations in the room, it would be a lie to say she wasn’t annoyed. It had been arranged just to make the birthday boy happy the moment he opened the door. But the one celebrating the birthday hadn’t come, and it wasn’t even dark yet, so the colored lights hadn’t been turned on. Just thinking about it made it disappointing.

She didn’t blame Shen Yicheng. She blamed his father, and that feudal old family of the Shen household for making him so miserable.

Just as she was wondering whether to pack everything away, she realized the cake was missing. After searching everywhere, she found it on the bedroom bedside table. He had already eaten a quarter of it.

Now he really did look like he had been drugged. One arm rested above his head as he slept lightly with his eyes closed. Someone so clean and meticulous hadn’t even gone to shower before sleeping, which showed he had drunk too much and was too tired.

Ning Jia unbuttoned his shirt. If Shen Yicheng was really asleep, he wouldn’t move much. She handled him casually, and suddenly remembered the first time she had violated him. Sure enough, he had been pretending to sleep.

When she undid his belt, Ning Jia pressed a kiss to the lines of his abs, then lay against his chest. Shen Yicheng wrapped both arms around her and said hoarsely, “Sleep for a while.”

Ning Jia kissed his side profile and used her hand to smooth through his hair. Watching his breathing slow down until he was deeply asleep, she then lowered her head and kissed his lips once.

When Shen Yicheng woke up, it was exactly eight.

Ning Jia had gone back to school once in the middle to print some materials, and she had drawn for a while in the living room. Hearing sounds from the bathroom, she knew he had woken up.

When Shen Yicheng came out, he looked in a good mood and leaned against the doorframe to ask her, “What are you doing?”

“Drawing, a sketching assignment.” Ning Jia stood up and looked from a distance. “Do I really have that bad a grasp of object volume? Why can’t I see it?”

Shen Yicheng bent down and looked at it with his hand on her shoulder for a long time. Ning Jia held her breath and waited for him to speak. Shen Yicheng finally said, “How could I forget? I paint traditional Chinese brushwork.”

Ning Jia shook off his hand. “Then you were pretending to be profound.”

“I’m not even that good at traditional painting. I can only draw a rough sketch.”

If that counted as a rough sketch, then what she had on the easel was toilet paper.

“I’m not painting anymore. I’ll take you out to eat. Where do you want to go?”

“Chinese food?”

“Sure.” Ning Jia said, “I’ve got another gift for you too.”

Shen Yicheng watched her fish a box up from the floor. He looked down as Ning Jia unwrapped it. Inside was a… what was it?

Shen Yicheng looked at the shape. “A water container?”

Ning Jia rolled her eyes. “An ashtray! I specifically borrowed a piece of stone for this. The material cost me eight hundred!”

Shen Yicheng picked it up and looked. “You’re saying this ten-centimeter-long, ten-centimeter-wide, ten-centimeter-tall piece of artificial marble cost you eight hundred?”

“Artificial marble?” Ning Jia’s ears drooped. “Oh my god… I thought… it looked so nice…”

“And you thought you’d scored a bargain.” He lifted it. “I think it would make a good flowerpot. As an ashtray, you might end up scraping your hands.”

Ning Jia said, “Suit yourself. Anyway, my carving skills only go this far right now.”

“Jia Jia, if you don’t have something, how can you say what level it’s at?”

Ning Jia flopped onto the sofa and groaned. “I don’t care… It was my first time buying stone, and I still got ripped off. How could this happen? It was obviously so pretty…”

Shen Yicheng smiled. “Next time you go sourcing with me, you can learn how to tell. For something this hard, it’s already impressive that you managed to hollow out the middle.”

“Right? My hand hurts from grinding it.” Ning Jia lifted her little hand. “And I burned myself making food for you too. The person who loves you most in this world has to be me…”

Shen Yicheng took her hand and brought it to his lips. Ning Jia watched him lightly lick the tip of her finger, and it felt like an electric current had run through her whole body. She stopped talking trash and instead clung to his side, kissing the corner of his mouth.

*

Right before they left, Shen Yicheng changed into a new suit, and Ning Jia tied his tie for him. Looking up, she said, “Actually, I have another gift for you.”

She took out a small gift box. Inside was a cherry brooch. The ruby was carved smooth and neat, with every facet just right. Though it was red crystal, it looked round and adorable like a cherry. The green part was also assembled from green stones that were almost exactly the same color. She didn’t pin it through his suit fabric, but placed it in the chest pocket instead, then pointed to the larger cherry pin on her own flashy white beret. “A matching pair.”

Shen Yicheng took it out and studied it. “Nicely done.”

Ning Jia said, “I’m still better at this kind of thing. Never again am I digging out ashtrays.”

Shen Yicheng also said, “When you’re not good at a field, it’s better to try less often. It’s easy to get hurt too.”

Stone carving required hammers, drills, and the like, and the material was bigger than a diamond. Without a bit of strength, nothing could be made.

He held Ning Jia and went downstairs. She leaned against his chest and looked up to ask him, “My big birthday star, what do you want to eat today?”

Shen Yicheng named a restaurant. Ning Jia pulled out her car keys. “If you’re not full, you’re not allowed to go home. And I’m allowing you to smoke in my car, in the bedroom too. Oh, and I’m also allowing you to watch movies until twelve-thirty.”

“How nice. Thank you, Jia Jia.” His tone was flat enough to be read from a script.

Ning Jia shoved him into the car and followed the navigation there. It wasn’t far. She parked the car and looped her arm through his as they walked inside. The server at the entrance greeted them with a smile. “Mr. Shen.”

Ning Jia looked up at him and muttered quietly, “You’re a regular here?”

“A restaurant owned by an acquaintance.”

Ning Jia went, “Oh,” and found a private room on the second floor, telling him to order.

The food here had a southern flavor, from the Jiangsu and Shanghai area, and it leaned sweet. One dish came up, pork belly tied into bundles. Ning Jia took a bite and found the aftertaste endless, the meat fatty but not greasy. She quickly pushed it over to him. “This is insanely good. If I knew the recipe, that’d be great. I could make it myself next time.”

Shen Yicheng said, “I’ll take you to learn it in a bit.”

Ning Jia only took that as a joke.

He had damaged himself a little from drinking baijiu today, so he only had a cup of tea. Ning Jia didn’t dare drink either, since she still had to drive, and she finished off a bottle of cola herself. After they ate, Ning Jia was about to pay the bill when Shen Yicheng led her toward the kitchen. Ning Jia hurriedly said, “Uncle Shen, the sign at the front says no customers beyond this point.”

Shen Yicheng didn’t care. No one tried to stop him on the way either. The restaurant served a limited number of people every day, and the kitchen wasn’t busy. Even when it was, the bustle was orderly rather than chaotic.

Shen Yicheng found the head chef, who was watching the fire, and called out, “Master Zhang.”

Master Zhang turned around, a solid mass of thick flesh, and when he saw Shen Yicheng, he smiled and shook his hand. “Second Young Master Shen.”

“Ning Jia, which dish did you say you wanted to learn just now?”

Ning Jia was stunned for a moment. Then she reacted and said what she wanted to learn. The chef immediately took out a palm-sized slab of pork belly and explained to her which section was best, how to tie the meat so it wouldn’t loosen, what seasonings to use, the heat, the tools, everything one by one. Ning Jia learned seriously and even tried it out with a wok spatula. In the end, the two of them waited by the side for the meat to come out of the pan. Master Zhang had someone pack it up and prepared a takeout container for them to bring home, and Ning Jia kept thanking him.

This experience was too magical. Ning Jia pulled out her phone and looked through her notes again. “I’ll try it when I get home. If I make it well, I’ll feed it to you.”

“Okay.”

The two of them stayed quiet all the way home. Shen Yicheng cracked the window open, thinking of smoking, but then remembered the car had the heater on already, so he closed it again. Ning Jia said, “You can smoke when we get home too.”

He said, “Why not do that thing first when we get home?”

Ning Jia couldn’t stand it when he copied her way of talking. Hearing that, she murmured, “Fine… It doesn’t conflict.”

Shen Yicheng gave a light laugh. When they got home, Ning Jia took off her clothes, and Shen Yicheng steered her toward the bathroom. It turned out to be nothing more than a simple shower together. After Ning Jia washed up, Shen Yicheng first used a comb to work through her hair, then blew hot air over the top of her head, clearly having learned an entire routine by watching and doing.

Ning Jia wore a loose pale pink sweater dress with a high collar that hid half her face, like a little white rabbit.

Shen Yicheng dried her hair for her. Ning Jia took out lotion and cream to pat on her face. Watching him go to the living room and choose a movie from the cabinet, she had almost put the matter of doing that thing aside, until he patted his thigh. Ning Jia sat over, and then he suddenly pulled at her dress.

Ning Jia turned back to glance at the movie. It was another explicit one. Even though it was an art film… Ning Jia told him to turn the sound down, then went to get the tools. When she came back, for some reason, she sat on the carpet like before, with her head resting on his thigh. By now the floor heating was on, so Shen Yicheng wasn’t worried about her getting cold and reached out first. Ning Jia kissed his fingers, then quickly moved on to kissing somewhere else.

As she ate and ate, she climbed onto the sofa and lay there by his legs, watching and eating at the same time. Shen Yicheng stroked her hair, touched her chin and neck gently, and when Ning Jia got tired, she leaned against his waist. Luckily, Shen Yicheng was strong enough that he didn’t need her to bend down too much, and she could keep working even while lying against his abdomen.

The sweater dress was comfortable, but Shen Yicheng couldn’t really touch her properly in it, so Ning Jia had to take it off and cover herself with a blanket instead. She ate like that for a while before pressing on his shoulder and sitting up so as not to interfere with his movie-watching.

Shen Yicheng told her to lean back against him. The movie was doing the same thing too. Ning Jia felt shy and closed her eyes. Shen Yicheng urged her to open them and watch, and Ning Jia couldn’t help saying, “So perverted.”

“Same to you.”

Seeing that he was in a pretty good mood, Ning Jia decided that no matter how perverted he got tonight, she would forgive him, as long as she could still lie on his chest before bed and eat the things she liked.

Neither of them could be bothered to go back to the bedroom. They wrapped themselves in a wool blanket and a comforter, snuggled tightly together on the sofa. Ning Jia checked the time and saw it was almost twelve, so she asked, “Was your birthday fun?”

“Mm.”

“So cold,” Ning Jia muttered into his chest, smacking her lips. “I’m sleepy. You slept so long this afternoon, so are you not sleepy now? You can put on another movie.”

Shen Yicheng said, “The flickering light will bother your sleep. Don’t you still have class tomorrow?”

“Not a major course. I’m going to skip it.”

So matter-of-fact.

Shen Yicheng suddenly remembered something and wouldn’t let her sleep. “You didn’t take your medicine at noon.”

Ning Jia went, oh no, oh no, while Shen Yicheng went to the fridge to get her Chinese medicine, squeezed it out into a bowl, warmed it in the microwave, and brought it to her so she could sit up and drink it. Ning Jia gulped it down. The bitterness made her frown deeply. Shen Yicheng kissed her for a while, and only then did Ning Jia relax her brows and eyes and lie back down to keep eating, muttering, “What else is there?”

“Where did you go at noon?”

Ning Jia rubbed against him. “I went to Hangzhou.”

“What did you go to Hangzhou for?” Shen Yicheng even laughed. “You’re really able to run around, going there for two days?”

“I went to a temple to pray for you.”

Shen Yicheng’s breathing caught. Ning Jia’s voice grew softer. “I heard my dad mention it once before, that there’d be a calamity when you were born and again around thirty. That temple is really effective, so I asked properly. It wasn’t illness, and I won’t say the rest. Heaven’s secrets must not be revealed. I just felt like there shouldn’t be any problem, but I still burned incense. I also tossed a little bit of broken diamond into the merit box. I don’t know if Buddha likes it…”

She had fallen asleep. Shen Yicheng couldn’t fall asleep for a long time, holding her in his arms until the movie ended.