Lin Xi swore she had never told anyone about this. She stared at Duan Yiheng in astonishment: "How did you know?" Duan Yiheng reeked of alcohol, yet maintained a composed posture, apologizing openly: "Sorry, I read your notes."
Lin Xi: "..." So self-righteous? "When did you see them?"
Duan Yiheng chuckled: "In the car." He must have seen them while she was asleep.
Lin Xi snorted, "Your stomach's full of alcohol, can you still eat?" Duan Yiheng took a half-step forward, "That depends on how big your cake is."
Lin Xi stepped back, her arm flailing out in a half-circle, "This big."
Duan Yiheng chuckled softly, "Sure."
Lin Xi thought he was drunk, so she deliberately asked, "If I let you wear a birthday hat, have everyone sing you 'Happy Birthday,' and let you make a wish, would that be okay?"
Duan Yiheng didn't speak for a while, and Lin Xi knew he was drunk. However, the next second—"If you sing, then it's okay."
His voice was like a gentle night breeze, brushing past her ear like a breeze through the treetops.
Lin Xi's heart trembled slightly, and she subconsciously changed the subject, "I did have the housekeeper prepare a cake. Where should we eat?"
Duan Yiheng took a step back, "Follow me." The elevator went directly to the top floor of the building complex. Duan Yiheng explained, "The top-floor rooms, connected to the rooftop garden, don't accept guests."
Lin Xi tilted her head, looking at him. "So, that's your private space?"
"Yes, I used to want to make this a paradise." Duan Yiheng confessed, for reasons unknown.
Lin Xi glanced at the seemingly endless estate and said, "This place is too big."
Duan Yiheng: "So I gave up." Night fell, and the rooftop garden appeared to float in the air. Lin Xi stepped onto the staggered steps and followed Duan Yiheng to sit on the outdoor sofa.
On the irregularly shaped wooden table sat a small blueberry cake, adorned with two orchids.
At first glance, the orchids seemed delicate and flamboyant, incongruous with Duan Yiheng's temperament. In reality, their quiet and reserved nature mirrored Duan Yiheng's. Lin Xi couldn't help but admire the pastry chef's ingenuity.
She picked up a purple, curved candle, lit it, and said to Duan Yiheng, "Shall I take a picture of you?" Duan Yiheng looked at Lin Xi's face through the flickering candlelight.
Every year, Sister Mei would light birthday candles for him, even though he had said a hundred times he didn't need them. Actually, he didn't care much about birthdays; he considered them just another ordinary day.
But this year's day would be extraordinary for him in the years to come.
Duan Yiheng didn't disappoint, looking at her phone camera and agreeing. When Lin Xi was studying abroad, she posted many photos of her life on social media.
The purpose, of course, was to show them to Duan Mingxuan. Over time, her photography skills improved.
However, since the subject in the photos was Duan Yiheng, Lin Xi found that, mixed with the flowers and night scenery behind him, every shot looked good.
"I'll send it to you later," Lin Xi said after taking the picture. "Make a wish now and blow out the candles."
Duan Yiheng had drunk quite a bit tonight and was very easy to talk to. Making a wish, blowing out candles, and cutting the cake were all done in one smooth motion.
The palm-sized cake was split in half. Lin Xi swallowed a piece of cream and said, "I'm sorry, I bought you a birthday present, but..."
"I know," Duan Yiheng said, "I asked Sister Mei to find someone to fix it. If it can be fixed, I'll put it in my office."
Lin Xi felt embarrassed: "How about I get you a new one?" Greedy and demanding people never end well, Duan Yiheng shook his head: "No need."
Lin Xi looked up: "Really not?"
"Yeah." He couldn't use up all his good luck at once.
As night deepened, Lin Xi, having spent a busy day, wished Duan Yiheng a happy birthday and returned to his room. Before going to sleep, he sent the photos while yawning repeatedly.
—Duan Mingxuan woke up with a terrible hangover. It took him a while to realize he was in a bar.
He got up and grabbed his coat, his phone buzzing.
Duan Mingxuan opened the window, glanced at it, and immediately rushed out, bumping right into Yu Lang.
"What are you doing so early in the morning?" "Going to see Zhang Mo."
Yu Lang was startled: "What do you want with her?" Could it be that he still had feelings for her? Duan Mingxuan didn't have time to answer him and dashed out of the bar. When he arrived at Zhang Mo's apartment, she was cooking.
Duan Mingxuan was taken aback; he had never seen his ex-girlfriend wearing an apron before.
"Mingxuan, you're here." Duan Mingxuan barged in without ceremony and asked her, "When did you see Lin Xi and Duan Yiheng together?"
Zhang Mo: "It was when I wanted to get back together with you, I went to Lin Xi. She told me not to tell you about this, otherwise why would she come to see me?"
Duan Mingxuan thought back carefully. Lin Xi had talked to him about Zhang Mo after returning home that night. It turned out that she had already gone to Yin Fan at that time.
It was also after that that he and Zhang Mo broke up completely and never contacted each other again.
So Lin Xi had been intentionally hiding it from him all along. Why? "I saw you last night, you were dead drunk. Considering your fight with Duan Yiheng over Lin Xi, I guessed it was related to them."
Duan Mingxuan said bitterly, "She was going to Duan Yiheng's birthday party, and I smashed the birthday present she bought."
Zhang Mo, hearing his complaint, was secretly pleased. "Come in and have some breakfast. If you don't mind, let me tell you what happened. I promise Lin Xi will listen to you from now on."
"Really?" Duan Mingxuan asked suspiciously.
"Oh, girls need to be coaxed. I know that better than you. Come and eat." Zhang Mo was indeed skilled at coaxing people, regardless of gender.
Duan Mingxuan didn't hesitate for long and followed her into the restaurant.
After finishing a bowl of noodles, filling the emptiness in his stomach after drinking, Duan Mingxuan looked at Zhang Mo with some surprise: "I didn't expect you to be such a good cook."
Zhang Mo forced a smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. After finishing their meal, Zhang Mo wasted no time and asked Duan Mingxuan, "Do you know why Lin Xi kept it from you?" Duan Mingxuan shook his head. "If I knew, would I be here?"
Zhang Mo wasn't angry. She said, "Because you wanted to control her and didn't respect her."
Duan Mingxuan was about to jump up in anger, but Zhang Mo quickly went over to calm him down. "If you listen to me, I guarantee she'll forgive you soon."
Duan Mingxuan calmed down.
Zhang Mo continued, "However, before that, you must apologize to her. Admit it was your fault, and don't say anything bad about Duan Yiheng anymore. Haven't you figured it out? She's determined to have this job. Unless you kidnap her and lock her up, which isn't realistic, your family will be the first to object."
Duan Mingxuan had always been the one being pampered, even Lin Xi, who seemed to be the one protecting him, pampered him. Apologizing to others was truly difficult for him, but apologizing to Lin Xi was something he was willing to do.
"And also, you're like this..." Zhang Mo whispered in his ear for a while, and the more Duan Mingxuan listened, the brighter his eyes became.