“N-No, there isn’t, little An Yu!”
Huai Xiang waved her hands frantically, then shot winks at Cheng Shimumeng and Ning Wanciu, clearly signaling them to drop it.
She absolutely didn’t want to give An Yu that hideous doll.
If it made An Yu dislike her, what then!
“Is that so?”
An Yu blinked expressionlessly. But Cheng Shimumeng had said there was one, and it was in the room.
Then why would Huai Xiang say there wasn’t?
She didn’t understand.
“Y-Yeah, anyway, forget about that. Little An Yu, hurry and open this gift!”
Huai Xiang shook her head quickly and pointed at the box now in An Yu’s hands.
It was the new gift she had prepared for An Yu.
Though, since she had spent almost all her money, she hadn’t been able to buy anything particularly fancy.
“Oh.”
An Yu’s attention shifted instantly. She nodded and looked down at the gift box.
This was her very first birthday present.
Using both hands, An Yu slowly unwrapped the outer packaging, revealing what was inside.
This is… a box of chocolates?
“Ahem. Little An Yu, d-do you like it?”
Huai Xiang watched her nervously.
The gift was ordinary, but she had spent a long time choosing it.
Since An Yu loved sweets, she had specially bought a box from a brand that was currently super popular.
True, giving something consumable as a birthday gift lacked lasting sentimental value.
But this was the best backup plan Huai Xiang could come up with.
And truthfully, this box of chocolates was pretty expensive…
Thinking of that, Huai Xiang swallowed unconsciously. She really hoped An Yu would like it.
An Yu looked at the chocolates in her hands and nodded slowly.
“Thank you. I like Xiangxiang’s gift.”
The packaging on this box was exquisite—it looked expensive.
In her previous life, An Yu had never had the money to try things like this.
But no matter what it was, she would thank Huai Xiang anyway.
After all, this was the first birthday gift she had ever received.
Phew. That’s good!
Huai Xiang let out a sigh of relief. Since An Yu liked it, her emergency fix had worked!
Win, win, win!
Watching the scene, Ning Wanciu unconsciously curved her lips into a gentle smile.
She spoke softly and brought out the gift she had prepared.
“Then, An Yu, this is from me.”
An Yu turned instinctively. Seeing the nine figurines in Ning Wanciu’s arms, she blinked blankly.
She recognized these.
They were the characters from that band anime last time.
She even had the little cucumber one at home.
Come to think of it, that one had kind of been from Ning Wanciu too.
“I completed the set for you. Do you like it?”
An Yu nodded without hesitation. “Mhm.”
“That’s good~” Ning Wanciu smiled gently. “I’ll put them aside for now. Let’s eat first.”
An Yu nodded expressionlessly.
“Thank you, Ning Wanciu.”
“Mhm~”
Ning Wanciu had given her an entire set of figurines.
Including the cucumber, she now had all the main characters.
Happy.
Cheng Shimumeng didn’t ruin the atmosphere either.
Instead, she smoothly brought out her own prepared gift.
Teasing Huai Xiang could wait until later~
“Little An Yu, here—this is my gift~” Cheng Shimumeng smiled and handed An Yu a box.
An Yu silently opened it. Inside was a pink-and-white smartwatch.
“Try it on, little An Yu~”
An Yu looked up expressionlessly, then nodded lightly.
“Okay.”
She took the watch out and slowly fastened it around her wrist.
The watch was pretty, and the colors suited An Yu’s vibe perfectly.
“Mhm, it looks great~” Cheng Shimumeng nodded in satisfaction.
“Little An Yu, if you ever run into danger, this watch can send an emergency signal. Remember to use it, okay~”
That was the most important reason Cheng Shimumeng had chosen a watch.
Because An Yu seemed a little airheaded, and there appeared to be some ill-intentioned people around her.
As a “friend,” she had to protect An Yu’s safety.
An Yu blinked. “Mhm, I understand. Thank you, Cheng Shimumeng.”
Unconsciously glancing down at the watch on her wrist, An Yu felt a spark of happiness.
Originally, she had only wanted the three of them to spend her birthday with her, just to get away from the An family’s sights.
Now she had received three gifts.
She truly hadn’t expected it.
An Yu slowly raised her head. The corners of her lips curved into an almost imperceptible arc.
“Thank you… for your gifts.”
“I like them all.”
The three froze at once, clearly not expecting An Yu to be so formal.
Huai Xiang blinked blankly.
“D-Did I just see little An Yu… smile?”
The smile had been so faint that Huai Xiang even wondered if she had imagined it.
And unlike Ning Wanciu, she had never seen An Yu smile before.
That only deepened her shock.
“Little An Yu, you wouldn’t have forgotten, right? Xiangxiang prepared another gift—it’s in my room~” Cheng Shimumeng chuckled lightly. “Want to go see it before we eat~”
“Ah, wait, Cheng Shimumeng!”
Huai Xiang’s thoughts were interrupted before she could process her surprise.
She turned in shock and immediately spotted Cheng Shimumeng’s mischievous grin.
No way—this was supposed to be over! Why bring it up again?!
“Mhm, I want to see it!”
An Yu nodded. Since it was a gift for her, of course she wanted to see it.
“W-Wait a second, little An Yu. Actually, there isn’t…”
“Hm?” Halfway through her words, Huai Xiang saw An Yu tilt her head in confusion and look at her.
Those amber eyes still held lingering anticipation.
In that instant, Huai Xiang felt the words stick in her throat.
Everything she wanted to say got swallowed back down.
Faced with those eyes, there was no way she could say it.
“I…”
But she also didn’t want An Yu to see that thing. Mainly because… she was sure An Yu wouldn’t like it…
“Alright, then let’s head to my room. Off we go!” For once, Cheng Shimumeng’s tone rose with excitement.
It didn’t matter if Huai Xiang hesitated—she would make the choice for her.
Whether An Yu wanted it or not didn’t matter. The important thing was that this item couldn’t go to waste~
While Huai Xiang wasn’t paying attention, Cheng Shimumeng slipped over to An Yu’s side, took her hand, and led the way.
An Yu didn’t refuse.
She obediently followed, genuinely curious about what else Huai Xiang had gotten her.
Ning Wanciu followed as well, though before leaving, she cast a pitying glance at the stunned Huai Xiang.
Sigh… what an idiot.
“Hey, hey, hey, hey!”
Seeing the three leave one after another, heading straight for Cheng Shimumeng’s room, Huai Xiang felt her whole world collapse.
She wanted to stop them, but it was already too late.
With no other choice, Huai Xiang could only trail behind. Whatever happened—kill or flay her—it would happen face-to-face!
She could endure it… waaah!
Huai Xiang jogged to catch up.
The moment she arrived, she saw An Yu standing there, staring blankly at the enormous doll.