Damn it! The girl he likes insists on dragging him to a blind date.

Sheng Zongche extended his slender fingers and lightly tapped the table. The corners of his lips curved into a slight smile as he glanced at Xia You with a half-smile. His peach blossom eyes, which were filled with shimmering light, narrowed slightly.

"Little white crane, tell me, why am I angry?"

Xia You pursed her lips and thought for a moment, "Because... I let you go to the blind date alone again?"

"Anything else?"

"Also... you saw Qin Chiyu talking to me, and you were unhappy because the surname Qin is unlucky for you."

"What did Qin Chiyu say to you? Did he give you a gift?"

Xia You didn't intend to mention her birthday, and just said vaguely, "Well, he just bought it casually while shopping with his mother, but I didn't want it. I'm not suited to use such expensive things."

Sheng Zongche pursed his thin lips and remained silent, his gaze lingering on Xia You's face.

Everyone says that no one looks good in the morning, but this girl's face is exceptionally beautiful. She has round almond-shaped eyes with slightly upturned corners, and her skin is so tender it looks like you could squeeze water out of it.

Last night, when Sheng Zongche saw Qin Chiyu go to see Xia You again, he was extremely jealous, as if he had jumped into a vat of vinegar. But now, seeing Xia You, he found that he wasn't angry at all.

Looking at that face, he simply couldn't muster any anger.

Seeing that Sheng Zongche remained silent, Xia You took another step closer to him. "So, senior... are you angry?"

"I was angry, but I made myself feel better."

As Sheng Zongche spoke, he lowered his head and chuckled softly, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly. His eyes, which always carried a cool and aloof air, were filled with tiny starlight when he smiled.

It was a very clean smile, yet it was so captivating that people couldn't look away.

Xia You was stunned for a moment, her heart pounding wildly.

Just like at some point during her first year of high school, when she was running around the playground, Sheng Zongche suddenly ran up to her and casually picked up the basketball that was rolling towards her.

At that moment, Xia You felt like she was about to have a heart attack.

Just like now.

No, she needs to hurry up and wash up.

Before she could turn around, Sheng Zongche picked up a small packaging bag from beside him. "Xia You, is this the chocolate you bought?"

Xia You then remembered that she had ordered takeout before going to bed last night. "Oh right, I bought some chocolate last night, please have some."

"Oh, so you knew I was feeling down, that's why you treated me to chocolate?"

"No, it's nothing, I just wanted to treat you to a meal."

Sheng Zongche tilted his head and asked, "Why did you suddenly decide to treat me to chocolate? Is today some special day?"

Xia You quickly waved her hand, "No, no, I just suddenly wanted to buy chocolate."

"Oh—" Sheng Zongche drawled, "Are you... sure?"

Xia You, looking rather suspicious, said in a high-pitched voice, "It's really not a special day. Why are you so suspicious just because I offered you chocolate?"

Sheng Zongche stood up and took Xia You's hand.

The girl's hands were soft and yielding, like he was holding a marshmallow. He held them tightly, reluctant to let go. "You get off work at six today?"

Xia You didn't pull her hand away. "Mmm."

"Come back after work, I'll be waiting for you."

"it is good."

……

During his lunch break from work, Yu Haoqiang came to the coffee shop looking for Xia You, carrying a bag.

Xia You led him to a convenience store on the street and bought Yu Haoqiang a cup of hot milk tea.

"Uncle, why did you suddenly come to see me? You didn't even tell me beforehand."

Yu Haoqiang wiped his dry, reddened face, held the hot milk tea and said, "Youyou, I've saved up 100,000 yuan. The construction at Haijing No. 1 will be completed on Monday. I'll give the money to Young Master Sheng when I come over, and then you can move out."

After all, Yu Haoqiang had experience with high-interest loans, so Xia You was still a little worried. "Uncle, how did you manage to raise the money? You didn't borrow money again, did you?"

Yu Haoqiang waved his hand, "No, no, don't worry, I really didn't borrow any money this time. The foreman I'm working with now is a good guy. I got an advance on my wages, plus some money I secretly saved up, so I just made up 100,000."

"Oh, Auntie doesn't know?"

"How can I tell her? If I tell her I have some spare cash now, she'll go out to play mahjong again," Yu Haoqiang said, licking his chapped lips. "By the way, Youyou, Young Master Sheng... he didn't do anything to you, did he?"

Xia You shook her head. "No, he's been pretty good to me."

"That's good, that's good."

As Yu Haoqiang spoke, he handed the bag beside him to Xia You, "Youyou, today is your birthday. Your uncle bought you a small cake and a... little pendant that you girls should like. Your uncle doesn't have any extra money and can't afford anything expensive, so this is just to celebrate your birthday."

Upon hearing this, Xia You felt a lump in her throat, and a strong sense of bitterness welled up in her heart.

Her eyes reddened. "Uncle, you don't need to buy me anything. I've never celebrated my birthday before."

"No way. I didn't celebrate your birthday before because your uncle didn't have money. Your aunt kept all the money from me, and she wouldn't let me buy you a cake. But now that your uncle is working, he has some extra money, so I still have to buy you the things I need to. Otherwise, how will I face your mother in the afterlife? What do you call this... a sense of ritual? Yes, yes, a sense of ritual!"

Suddenly, Xia You felt a lump in her throat. She sniffed her reddened nose and, fighting back tears, said, "Thank you, Uncle. I will definitely finish all the cake."

"Yes, yes, this cake is small. You're too thin. You have to eat it, do you hear me?"

Yu Haoqiang stretched out his calloused hand and patted Xia You's head. "Uncle has to go to another house to paint walls this afternoon, so I'll be leaving now. See you on Monday. I'll return all the money to Young Master Sheng by then."

"Okay, sure."

After Yu Haoqiang left, Xia You could no longer hold back.

She sat alone in the convenience store, opened the small cake box, and tears splattered onto it, mixing with the cream and leaving a small milk stain.

Xia You scooped up a large spoonful of cake and stuffed it into her mouth. The sweet taste mixed with tears rushed into her throat. She pouted, and tears slid down her cheeks and into her neck. She wiped them away haphazardly, only to end up smearing cream all over her face.

She was crying so hard she could barely breathe, but she still couldn't bear to stop eating, after all, this was a birthday surprise her uncle had saved up for her.

After finishing the cake, Xia You sat there lost in thought for a while.

Now that her uncle has saved enough money to pay Sheng Zongche back, she will move out of Seaview No. 1 tomorrow.

As for her and Sheng Zongche... let's leave it at that.

……

Just after six o'clock, Xia You left work on time and returned to Seaview No. 1.

As soon as she opened the door, she was drawn in by the fragrance inside.

The table was laden with dishes, from braised beef to braised prawns, and golden chicken soup—it was practically a family feast.

Sheng Zongche, wearing an apron and carrying a plate of steamed mandarin fish, came out of the kitchen. "Xia Xiaoyou, you're right on time. Did you come following the aroma? Has the little white crane turned into a lapdog?"

Xia You swallowed hard and asked, "Senior, did you make all these dishes? Are we having guests today?"

Sheng Zongche untied his apron and pulled Xia You to sit down. "There aren't any guests yet, but today is a very important day."

"What day is it?"

"Today is my first birthday since I met Xia Xiaoyou," Sheng Zongche ruffled her hair. "Happy birthday, Xia Xiaoyou."