Wow, there was egg soup and her favorite Qinâs onion noodles. Qin Siting came to her house so late. This birthday was too perfect!
At this moment, her grandfather called. Shi Niange looked at him reluctantly in the kitchen and turned to answer the call.
âNian Nian, itâs your birthday today. Grandfather is still in the provincial office and didnât take the time to go back. Iâll make it up to you when Iâm free in two days.â
âIâm fine, Grandfather...â Shi Niange muttered as though she was sleepwalking.â Youâve already... put back the birthday present I wanted the most. â
âWhat?â Hearing her words, Grandfather was stunned for a few seconds. âWhat birthday present do you want the most?â
âHehe, itâs nothing. Grandfather, how old am I? Itâs just a small birthday. My classmates have already celebrated for me today. And tonight... there will be good food soon. Iâm very happy today. You donât have to worry about me.â
âThatâs good. Then be well. Grandfather will give you a birthday gift in a few days.â
âEn, en, okay!â
Shi Niange hung up the phone and ran to the kitchen to take a look.
As Qin Siting had just rushed back to see her he had yet to return to his home to change. He wore a shirt, trousers, and her slippers. He stood sideways in front of the stove on the kitchen counter, holding the freshly prepared seasoning in his hand. At the same time, he stirred the noodles in the pot with his chopsticks.
âIf youâre hungry, have some egg soup first. The noodles still have to be worn down.â Qin Siting didnât even raise his head as he said, âI didnât eat tonight. Letâs eat together.â
Shi Niange had lived for nineteen years. Although her birthdays had been very lively since she was young, her parents had always come and left in a hurry. Her grandfather could only steal some time to accompany her. Most of the time, the servants at home or occasionally some friends and sisters accompanied her.
She had never experienced the feeling of having someone by her side to accompany her. This warm feeling did not require any extravagant gifts. It was just the feeling of having someone by her side. She pinched herself, but it did not hurt much. For a few seconds, she even suspected that she had drunk too much and dreamed that Qin Siting had returned.
In the end, she stood by the dining table for a long time. The noodles on Qin Sitingâs side had already been cooked, but she had yet to sit down to eat.
âWhat are you waiting for?â Qin Siting prepared the onion oil noodles and brought the bowl over, placing it on the dining table.
Shi Niange returned to herself and looked up at him. âQin Siting, pinch me.â
Qin Siting glanced at her and smiled.
âI just want you to pinch me. Why are you laughing?â
Qin Siting handed her the chopsticks. âSilly girl, itâs not a dream. Sit down and eat.â
âHow do you know Iâm suspecting that Iâm dreaming...â
âSit down.â Qin Siting raised his brows. âAre you planning to let me feed you?â
When Shi Niange heard this, she immediately sat down. Her butt landed on the stool too quickly. Finally, she felt a little pain. She suddenly realized that it was not a dream. It was real.
âSo you really rushed back from the provincial office. Youâve always remembered my birthday?â Shi Niange held her chopsticks and stirred the noodles in the bowl as she said, âSo, Qin Siting, youâre actually not as cold and indifferent as you seem, right? You actually care a lot about me, right? Actually, you... uu.â
Qin Siting scooped a spoonful of egg soup and stuffed it into her mouth. âEat your noodles.â
A bowl of fragrant, orange egg soup and a bowl of onion oil noodles looked very tempting. Just sitting there made her feel extremely happy.
Shi Niange swallowed the egg soup. It was so fragrant and delicious. Her appetite was instantly whetted. She picked up the bowl of noodles and began eating.
âOh, Qin Siting, itâs just a bowl of noodles, but I can remember it for the rest of my life,â Shi Niange said seriously.
âA lifetime is very long. Donât jump to conclusions so easily.â Qin Siting sat opposite her and ate with her.
Shi Niange said firmly, âIâm serious.â
Qin Siting chuckled.
As she ate the noodles, she looked at him. Qin Sitingâs gaze was very dark and deep. The angle of his eye sockets and nose bridge were perfect. His entire facial features exuded an unapproachable coldness, but he was so handsome that it made people want to take another look at him. However, this person who no one dared to approach easily was sitting in front of her warmly. He was cooking noodles for her and celebrating her birthday with her. Furthermore, he was smiling.
Recently, Qin Siting seemed to be smiling more. After she went to the Qin family last time, it seemed like his motherâs matter had temporarily stopped. He should not be pestered or affected anymore.
This man who was usually so cold that he could not even be bothered to say a single word to others was actually so warm here. This huge contrast had an indescribable charm.
Shi Niange stared at Qin Siting without blinking and suddenly said, âQin Siting, you donât have any ex-girlfriend, first love, or anything like that, do you? Or a love rival who will pester you until you die and then think of ways to ruin our relationship, right?â
âNo, what are you thinking about all day?â
Shi Niange took another bite of noodles and suddenly smiled. âIâm trying to find out about the enemy. If there are other women pestering you, I have to be mentally prepared. I have to be careful not to let them snatch you away.â
Qin Siting scooped another spoonful of egg soup for her. âI donât.â
As Shi Niange knew, there were many girls who secretly liked him. Most likely, the daughters of the families who usually interacted with the Qin family would more or less like him if they knew him. However, Qin Siting was usually difficult to approach, so even if others had any thoughts, they would not have the opportunity to approach him.
If he said no, then he really didnât.
Just like how many girls liked him in school, but none of them dared to approach him.
The sky outside had long turned dark. The lights in the dining room were switched on. The two of them sat facing each other. After eating the noodles, Shi Niange was not as sleepy as before. Her stomach was comfortable, and her drunkenness had faded. The television in the living room was bustling with activity. It was unknown what variety show it was on, but it was still the Spring Festival holiday. Every television station was filled with joy. Only the dishwasher was working seriously in the kitchen.
âWhy is your food so delicious?â Shi Niange sat on the sofa and rested her head on his shoulder. As she watched the television, she yawned. âDid you learn it before? Were you planning to cook it for someone?â
Qin Siting allowed her to lean against him. âWhen I was young, I lived outside for a period of time. If I didnât learn to cook, would I eat takeaway every day? The servants didnât cook very well. When I got tired of eating, I learned to cook a few times.â
âWho else has eaten it besides me?â
âJust you.â
Shi Niange was seriously suspicious. She turned to look at him. âReally?â
âReally.â
She was satisfied and continued to lean on his shoulder with a smile. She closed her eyes and said, âWhat time is it now? Arenât you going back to live across the street tonight?â
âItâs right across the street. If you want me to go back, Iâll go back. If not, itâs fine.â Qin Sitingâs voice was very quiet. âI donât think you really want me to go back.â
Shi Niange almost laughed out loud. Since when did Almighty Qin know how to read minds?
However, it was really too late. Although she was no longer sleepy, she was still very sleepy after leaning by his side for a while.
Unknowingly, Shi Niange closed her eyes and fell asleep by his side.
...
At dawn, Shi Niange opened her eyes and found herself lying on the bed in the bedroom. She had clearly slept on the sofa with Qin Sitingâs shoulder as her pillow last night.
Was she carried up by him?
At the thought of herself sleeping in a daze and being carried back to the room by Qin Siting, Shi Niangeâs heart began to beat wildly. After tossing and turning for a long time, she quickly sat up and went to the bathroom to wash up. She then went to see if Qin Siting was still at her house or if he had already returned to the other side.
However, the moment she stood in front of the bathroom mirror, her gaze froze. After about seven to eight seconds, she reached out to pick up the necklace around her neck and looked at the little angel-shaped diamond necklace in a ballet dress with wings.
This was a new design from a certain French jewelry brand in Paris. It was limited in quantity and only ten pieces were provided to the public. It was not especially expensive, but it seemed like it could only be bought for several hundred thousand yuan. The key point was that this necklace could not be bought with money. This necklace seemed to be a charity design designed by the chief designer of that jewelry brand to commemorate his beloved wife. All the money sold would be donated to the International Charity Center.
The necklaceâs name was My Sweetheart.
It was said that this necklace was sold online at midnight on January 1st. Ten pieces were sold out in a second. After that, the price constantly rose on the market. It became more and more expensive, and it was difficult to buy.
How did Qin Siting get it?
It was already February...
Did he prepare a birthday gift for her last month?
Shi Niange gently caressed the little angelâs diamond necklace. She forgot what time she fell asleep last night and didnât know when he carried her up, but he must had put the necklace on her.
So beautiful.
She grinned at the mirror and suddenly realized that she could not escape the nature of a girl wanting a gift. Previously, she had said that she only wanted him by her side, but when she found out that he had prepared a birthday gift for her, she felt as though a firework had exploded in her heart.
Shi Niange happily washed up and went downstairs. She originally thought that Qin Siting had already returned to the other side, but the moment she went downstairs, she saw a person lying on the sofa.
When she saw that Qin Siting was sleeping on the sofa in the living room, Shi Niangeâs heart instantly filled up. She wanted to ask him why he didnât find a guest room to sleep in, but she couldnât care less. She ran down to the sofa. She didnât care if he was awake or asleep and threw herself into his arms.
Qin Siting was sleeping when he was suddenly jolted awake by her. He opened his eyes and lowered his head to see the little head that was trying to push into his embrace. His drowsy eyes were filled with amusement and helplessness. He raised his hand to caress her head. âYouâre awake so early.â
...