Chapter 401: Chapter 321: Lin Lu, Happy Birthday

On Christmas Eve at midnight, flurries drifted through the night sky.

For southerners, even a little bit of snow could stir up great excitement.

And with today being a holiday, friends’ social media feeds were likely to blow up with pictures of snow.

Yet at this moment, Cheng Zhu, who stood beside his car under a street lamp, suddenly felt less perceptive.

A snowflake landed on the back of his neck, melted instantly, and he felt nothing.

It was all because Lin Lu was standing in front of him, and it was Lin Lu who had just spoken.

“Fools fall in love.”

“Well, looks like I’m a fool then.”

This was Lin Lu.

“What did you say to the person you like?”

“I said it, said it.”

This was Lin Lu.

“Well then, Cheng Zhu.”

“Cheng Zhu, I’m not even a bit cool now.”

This was Lin Lu.

The spirited girl was always so quirky yet managed to catch Cheng Zhu completely off guard.

This was Lin Lu’s confession.

Cheng Zhu had heard too many “I like yous,” and even cheesier and more unrealistic “I love yous.”

Chinese people are still rather reserved, especially face-to-face.

Honestly ask yourself, could you say that to her face?

Sometimes when Cheng Zhu heard a woman say “I like you” or “I love you” to his face, his immediate thought was: Wow, she says that quite fluently.

Must say it quite often, huh?

For a guy like him, such heavy words pushed him even more to avoid them instinctively.

And that was the most crucial point.

Lin Lu had never dated anyone before, nor had she liked a boy.

She could indeed be somewhat naive, but every time they conversed, especially in the midst of a rapid exchange, she would say things that Cheng Zhu found utterly unexpected.

All night long, the mischievous man maintained a smooth composure.

He even dared to text Shen Qingning from a private booth in a situation that dared anyone to make a bold move, yet he remained cool as ever.

But now?

“Is the snow getting heavier?” Cheng Zhu wondered.

“Seems a bit heavier, huh?”

“That cold gust just now woke me up from my buzz.”

“By the way, what time is it? We’ve been standing out here for a while.”

“Exactly, the snow is definitely getting heavier!”

In fact, the snow wasn’t getting heavier.

Being naturally resilient to cold, he never much minded it.

He was just…

–panicking.

…

…

“Lin Lu counters me well”–Cheng Zhu.

This was not the first time he had expressed such sentiment.

He was naturally a bit scheming.

And as everyone knows, schemers counter the proud, and the proud naturally counter schemers.

He looked up at Lin Lu.

Under the streetlamp, her cheeks were still flushed.

It was from the alcohol, but not solely from the alcohol.

And the most fatal aspect was that although her heart was racing, very, very fast, the whole person extremely nervous, very, very nervous, her bright, lively eyes stubbornly and boldly kept gazing at Cheng Zhu.

Lin Lu’s little face was so red, obviously out of shyness.

But I won’t hide, my gaze won’t shift!

I just want to tell you, I’m expressing my liking for you!

My liking for you is this much, no, this much!

Seeing Cheng Zhu silent for a while, she even placed her hands behind her back and then bent down slightly before raising her head to look at him from that angle.

Actually, Lin Lu’s little heart was about to jump out of her throat, but her face showed nothing but arrogance and pride, accompanied by a statement: “Dumb… Are you dumbfounded?”

Humph! I’ll scare the death out of you!

Hearing this, Cheng Zhu couldn’t help but laugh as he looked down at her, who was bending and leaning forward.

“What are you laughing at!” Lin Lu became slightly angry.

Cheng Zhu inexplicably smiled at her.

She couldn’t figure out why.

But he understood.

Every time he saw Lin Lu, his mood would improve involuntarily.

It was always like this, always like this.

Cheng Zhu understood too well what that implied.

It implied…

–liking.

…

…

Under the streetlamp, just as Cheng Zhu was about to speak, Lin Lu interrupted him.

“Wait a sec, wait until my birthday is over before you respond!” The previously bold Lin Lu suddenly deflated.

Cheng Zhu was shocked.

Damn, she really counters me!

Respond? What response?

I wasn’t going to give you a response; I was planning to play dumb and gloss over it.

She has totally cornered me!

The most fatal aspect was that he knew very well Lin Lu wasn’t making predictions; it was purely based on her instinct.

“She’s tough to handle, really tough, this cheeky girl!”

He could manage Shen Qingning and Chen Jieyu with ease, but with Lin Lu, it really didn’t work.

He’d rather deal with a high-end flirt.

Seeing him fall silent, Lin Lu immediately showed a triumphant smile.

When she drank, she was even livelier than usual, as if her vitality was about to spill out.

Looking at Cheng Zhu, she suddenly said, “Cheng Zhu, you didn’t prepare a birthday gift for me.”

“Everyone else did,” she said.

“That’s because you deliberately didn’t tell me,” Cheng Zhu pointed out bluntly.

“Whatever, you make it sound like I am full of schemes. I didn’t want you to spend money,” Lin Lu started making excuses.

Cheng Zhu also deliberately kept silent, wanting to see what tricks she planned to play.

This was roughly how Cheng Zhu and Lin Lu interacted:

When Lin Lu played tricks, he could perfectly handle her.

When Lin Lu acted on instinct, she really countered Cheng Zhu.

Cheng Zhu had realized this long ago, but Lin Lu lived carelessly, always just happy-go-lucky, never paying attention to these things.

What’s more, her personality was indeed quite arrogant.

“Then how about this, on my birthday you treat me to meals, both lunch and dinner, and then you willingly plan some activities.”

Her right foot absentmindedly kicked at a small snowflake that had fallen from the sky.

“Like this?” Cheng Zhu chuckled.

So it was a date for the entire day with me.

He was slightly buzzed, so his mind was still rather active.

He quickly realized, “Don’t tell me that’s why you held the birthday dinner on the 24th, specifically leaving the 25th free?”

If it were someone else, Cheng Zhu might think he was overthinking it.

But if it’s Lin Lu, this treasure… that was really possible!

At this thought, his heart fluttered again.

Lin Lu’s affection had always been so fervent and straightforward.

“What’s wrong, you won’t treat me to meals?” Lin Lu immediately got impatient.

“How could I not?” Cheng Zhu chuckled.

Truth be told, he was quite willing to spend the whole day on a date with Lin Lu.

After his rebirth, the one he chatted with the most, interacted with most frequently, was her.

The two were actually the closest to each other.

Even just sitting together doing nothing wouldn’t feel awkward or boring.

He was even a bit puzzled: “Is this really all you want for your birthday?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s it?”

“Yeah.”

Cheng Zhu hadn’t expected such a modest request to be seen as a birthday gift.

Spending a day with her counted as a gift?

“What about tonight then?” Cheng Zhu asked.

“I’m going home tonight,” she stepped back half a step.

Cheng Zhu: “…”

–Are you serious with that half-step back?

It’s like you think I’m going to do something with you.

“Why don’t you take my car home, call a ride-sharing driver?”

“Ah? Should I leave my car here?”

“Yes, I wouldn’t feel comfortable if you called the ride-sharing service yourself. Plus, aren’t I treating you to a meal tomorrow? I’ll come pick you up at your place before noon, be your driver for the day.”

“Okay, okay!” Lin Lu perked up at the idea.

Services like ride-sharing at the KTV door were available, though slightly pricey.

Actually asking Shen Minglang to drive downstairs was also a way to call for the service, otherwise it would be drunken driving.

One must absolutely not drive after drinking, not even to move the car a bit, a lesson well learned from the experiences of certain celebrities.

After getting in the car, Cheng Zhu didn’t sit in the passenger seat but joined Lin Lu in the back.

As the car drove into her upscale residential complex, the guard, who stood tall and erect, didn’t recognize the license plate and approached to salute and inquire.

Lin Lu rolled down the window and confirmed the owner’s information.

Seeing the man sitting next to the spirited girl, the guard was momentarily stunned.

Having worked here for over half a year, he was profoundly impressed by the exceptionally beautiful girl.

In this complex, there were several wealthy beauties, but Lin Lu was definitely the most outstanding.

“Could he be her boyfriend?” he wondered.

After the car entered the underground garage and found the elevator to Lin Lu’s apartment building,

“Bye for now, Cheng Zhu,” she waved goodbye to him.

“I’m getting out too,” Cheng Zhu followed her out.

“Ah? Eh, you…” Lin Lu, who had drunk quite a bit today, was a bit bewildered.

What’s up, you aren’t planning to come up, are you?

Cheng Zhu, get a grip, this is my house, not the Xinhang Apartment I rent!

You can’t do this here!

Unexpectedly, after Cheng Zhu got out of the car, he pulled her towards the trunk.

When the trunk opened, Lin Lu saw a well-packed shopping bag.

“Here, this is for you,” Cheng Zhu picked it up and held it closer to her.

“You’re not going to tell me this is my birthday gift, are you?” Lin Lu looked up at him.

“Otherwise?”

“Tsch, I don’t believe it, you didn’t even know it was my birthday today. You must have bought something that both men and women can use, and now you’re giving it to me as a gift,” Detective Little Lu felt she had seen through everything.

“You’re half right,” Cheng Zhu was amused by her.

“Which half?” she asked.

“The item is indeed unisex.”

“I knew it, what is it?” her curiosity piqued.

“A scarf, aren’t you always the one who’s coldest? I see you wrapped in a scarf every day in winter, except today,” Cheng Zhu didn’t keep the suspense.

A scarf wasn’t a particularly special gift, but he had mentioned her everyday need, showing that he had been paying quiet attention to what she wore every day.

Yet, the warmth wasn’t just from the scarf, it was the person.

“Let’s open it upstairs,” Cheng Zhu told her.

“Okay!”

The complex was one elevator per apartment, as each building contained large horizontal properties.

Yet Cheng Zhu still entered the elevator with her, and when they reached the designated floor, he didn’t step out, but said goodbye inside the elevator.

When Lin Lu entered her home, her family had already gone to bed, so she walked straight into her room.

Once in her room, she couldn’t wait to open the box.

Inside was a black scarf, with the brand logo and white lines at both ends.

The style was very simple, indeed looking like it could be unisex.

But there was also a small card in the box.

It only had a few words written on it:

Lin Lu, Happy Birthday! — Cheng Zhu.

This kind of card service was offered at many counters.

Looking at this little card, Lin Lu felt like a popcorn machine.

All night long, it had been heating up, warming up, constantly making popping sounds.

And in this moment, it finally burst open.

“Cheng Zhu knew it was my birthday! He really prepared a birthday gift!”

Excited, Lin Lu picked up her phone intending to text him, but for some reason, she really wanted to call him right now, really wanted to call.

Cheng Zhu’s phone was connected to Bluetooth, and he smoothly switched it to earpiece mode to avoid sound coming from the car speakers.

“Hello,” he said.

“It’s me.”

“I know,” he replied with a laugh.

“You really knew it was my birthday? I saw the card!”

“I knew,” he repeated.

“So I can’t blackmail you by saying you didn’t give me a birthday gift,” playfully asked Lin Lu, her heart racing again.

“That’s okay, you can,” he responded.

….

(ps: First update, please support with a monthly pass.)