The two each held their own thoughts as they drove back to the Bieshu, but just as they were about to get out of the car, Zhao Yicheng suddenly told Xu Yinsheng to stay inside the vehicle for ten minutes, then mysteriously closed the door.
Although puzzled, Xu Yinsheng followed his instructions.
After watching the car clock finally complete its last circle, Xu Yinsheng opened the door and stepped out.
Night had already fallen.
As Xu Yinsheng used the key to open the door, suddenly a firecracker exploded inside, scattering colorful ribbons in the dim light and startling her.
“Xiao Yin, happy birthday.”
Zhao Yicheng tossed aside the firework and approached, holding a Rose Bouquet in his other hand.
His black suit emphasized his tall and upright figure, making him look even more imposing.
“My birthday?”
Xu Yinsheng looked at Zhao Yicheng, utterly confused.
She didn’t even remember it was her birthday today…
Zhao Yicheng said nothing more, only gently nudged Xu Yinsheng to sit at the dining table, then placed the birthday cake in front of her, a rare smile touching his lips.
The table was already set with a feast.
Candles were lit, red wine glasses arranged neatly, and the room’s lighting was dimmed just right.
The flickering candlelight made the atmosphere very romantic.
On the sofa lay several delicately wrapped gift boxes—birthday presents that looked like they had been prepared for a long time.
A warm hand rubbed tenderly the inconspicuous little head.
“It’s been a year.”
“We’ve been together for a whole year.”
Xu Yinsheng shook her head, brushing away the large hand.
She counted on her fingers.
Indeed, a new Baibian form every two months—this was the sixth form, making it a full year.
So this was her… 28th birthday?
Tsk!
Time really flies like an arrow, and days slip by like a shuttle!
Unnoticed, she had grown another year older.
Rounded up, she was almost hitting thirty.
Xu Yinsheng put down her hand and glanced at the exquisite cake on the table, the tall gift boxes on the sofa, the Pleasant Goat doll, and the SpongeBob and Patrick Star plush pillow.
“Is this it?”
“My birthday is this meager?”
“At least you’re a CEO. Shouldn’t you book a private room or something?”
“Hmph, no sincerity at all.”
Seeing her disdainful expression, Zhao Yicheng smiled silently, picked up the remote on the table, and drew open the curtains in the living room.
The pitch-black night sky showed only a few twinkling stars, with moonlight pouring down like water.
He pressed the remote.
Suddenly, a firework burst in the grayish sky.
With the first firework’s launch,
then the second, third, fourth—thousands upon thousands of fireworks trailed long, colorful streams into the night sky!
Boom!
The fireworks exploded in midair, lighting up the entire space with brilliant colors.
The sky was filled with a dazzling spectacle of flaming trees and silver flowers.
“Wow! So beautiful!”
“So romantic!”
“What’s going on? Why are they setting off fireworks?”
“Guess I’m just an NPC after all.”
Countless exclamations came from all directions as everyone craned their necks, gazing up at the sky.
Inside the Bieshu, Xu Yinsheng’s beautiful eyes reflected the dazzling firework display, her gaze shifting with a dreamlike haze.
“Do you like it?”
Zhao Yicheng asked softly.
Xu Yinsheng snapped back to reality, still amazed, but stubborn as ever she shot back, “Old trick. Next, are you going to do a drone formation? Do you think I haven’t watched ‘The Billionaire Tomato’?”
“After all these years, don’t you know innovation? Stop watching so many idol dramas. What I want isn’t fireworks, it’s your attitude.”
“Hmph, boring.”
Zhao Yicheng’s mouth twitched slightly.
Who was it that just complained about no sincerity and now was complaining about no attitude?
He shrugged and revealed, “Next up is drones. If you don’t like it, I’ll cancel it.”
“Cancel what! It’s my birthday, can’t I watch it?!”
Xu Yinsheng grumbled unhappily.
“If you cancel all that, that would be the biggest insult to me.”
“What would make you satisfied then?”
Zhao Yicheng asked helplessly.
Xu Yinsheng thought for a moment but didn’t really know what would satisfy her, so she snorted, “You say you love me, but you don’t even know how to make me happy, then what’s the point of saying you love me?”
“Men are all big pigs’ hooves after all.”
A vein twitched on Zhao Yicheng’s forehead, but he still pressed the remote.
Rewards before punishment, rewards before punishment.
There must be principles in what you do, and in how you live.
When the fireworks died down,
countless lights appeared in the sky again.
Could there be another act to the fireworks show?
That question flashed in many minds.
Yet the lights grew closer, bigger, but never exploded—instead, they gradually formed an image.
“Wow, it’s a drone show!”
Whoever realized it first saw hundreds of lights in the sky automatically form a picture of a young girl.
The girl’s long hair flowed in the wind, full of youthful vigor, but she wore handcuffs on her wrists…
The image shifted; the hundreds of lights reformed into another picture.
Inside a half-height iron cage, a young girl quietly sobbed, a chain fastened around her delicate neck, tears shimmering as they fell.
Xu Yinsheng watched these scenes, her lips tightening.
She looked to Zhao Yicheng for an explanation, but he remained calm and smiled.
“Just stating facts.”
Damn your “just stating facts”! Xu Yinsheng almost cursed.
The drone formation kept changing, forming realistic pictures of what had happened between the two of them in the past year.
A vampire loli pinned to the floor-to-ceiling window being punished, a Valkyrie pinned to the bed for milk extraction, a silver-haired cat-eared girl having her tail pulled while whimpering…
The more Xu Yinsheng looked, the darker her expression became.
Anyone seeing their own past scandals displayed like this wouldn’t look too pleased.
Finally, the drones lit up one character at a time.
Xiao Yin, happy birthday!
The words formed by the drones were far clearer than the bursting fireworks and easy to read.
Meanwhile, the star of the celebration leisurely cut the birthday cake.
Twenty-eight candles were stuck on the cake, representing Xu Yinsheng’s twenty-eighth year.
She took the plastic knife and cut a slice for herself, then another for Zhao Yicheng.
Only the two of them were present, so even one layer of cake was more than enough—not to mention the nine-layer cake she had boasted about.
The two silently ate their cake.
Suddenly, the man eating cake looked up, white cream still clinging to the corner of his mouth.
“Xiao Yin, would you ever lie to me?”
Xu Yinsheng, also eating cake, lifted her head and licked the cream off her lips, boldly admitting, “I would. I actually don’t have depression at all.”
“My wrist-cutting ‘suicide’ was just to get your attention, to achieve my secret goal.”
Though Xu Yinsheng appeared relaxed and candid, inwardly she was cursing the white-coated man.
Damn, that dog doctor sold me out!
After living with Zhao Yicheng for a year, there was no way she wouldn’t catch the hint—or rather, the outright sign!
That dog doctor definitely turned around and sold her out!
Now, two options lay before Xu Yinsheng:
First, stubborn denial, refusing to admit anything—99%, no, 100% would lead to Zhao Yicheng pinning her down and giving her a hard time.
Second, lower her pride, beg obediently, behave better in bed, and maybe this matter could be smoothed over.
“Darling, it’s my birthday today. A man who loves his future wife this much surely wouldn’t make a big deal out of this, right?”
Under the table, her fair calf hooked his leg, deliberately rubbing it inward a few times.
Xu Yinsheng’s eyes glimmered with cunning and seduction.
“Husband, let’s share the same bed tonight.”
“I don’t just want cake, I want you.”
Her cherry lips parted and closed, uttering words as tempting as if inviting the man to a night of passion, while she herself looked like a harmless little rabbit.
Xu Yinsheng never imagined that seducing a man could be so… effective.
“If you’re telling the truth, I’m pleased.”
Zhao Yicheng remained as steady as a rock, unmoved, taking bites of cake one by one.
After finishing his slice, the man stood and came over to Xu Yinsheng, towering above her.
“But there’s one thing that makes me unhappy.”
Suddenly, he pinned Xu Yinsheng down onto the table.
Since the table was a long rectangular one, with only a third of it occupied by food, the rest was empty.
Xu Yinsheng suddenly found herself laid flat, dizziness spinning her vision as she looked at the delicate crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, slightly dazed.
“What do you want to do? I told you the truth.”
The girl’s voice trembled slightly with nervousness.
“Today’s my birthday, can’t you give me some face?”
“I know you’ve held it in for a long time, but if you do this, I—I—I’ll get angry.”
“Face.”
Zhao Yicheng dipped his finger into some cream, smearing it on the flustered girl’s cheek beneath him, then bent down and kissed her, his tongue teasing away the cream.
“The taste is unbearable.”