Chapter 38

[Ding! 957 points!]
Yan Xiao blinked, staring down at the cake in her hands. “Huh?”
Wait, she’d just gotten points from celebrating his birthday?
Qiu Li had never liked birthdays, he actually hated having people celebrate for him.
Yan Xiao, however, had been throwing him a little party every single year since he was seven.
At first, it worked wonders, every birthday used to boost her score by quite a lot. But after he turned eleven, it stopped. Not a single point since.
So by now, she’d long given up expecting any “birthday points.” Especially since she only had about fifty left to reach the full thousand, she hadn’t even thought about it, celebrating his birthday was just a habit.
And yet this year, out of nowhere, she’d scored again.
She blinked at the cake, then at Qiu Li, who was standing there frozen, staring straight at her.
What’s different about today? she wondered.
Before she could figure it out, voices around them began to chant:
“Happy birthday! Make a wish! Blow out the candles!”
As Qiu Li walked toward her, the candlelight flickered across his face.
Maybe it was just the dim light, or maybe her imagination, but his expression looked brighter, happier than she’d ever seen it before.
He hesitated briefly, waited for his heartbeat to calm, then slowly stepped forward. Yet with every step closer to her, it sped up again.
When he finally reached her, he paused, then raised a hand and gently ruffled the top of her head before closing his eyes to make his wish.
Yan Xiao: “…”
Her head went blank.
He stood there in front of her, eyes closed, framed by candlelight, so still, so breathtakingly beautiful it made her chest ache.
A strange feeling rose up inside her, tight and warm and fluttery all at once.
Five seconds later, Qiu Li opened his eyes.
The candle flame reflected in his dark irises, shining like liquid gold.
Then he leaned forward and blew out the candle in her hands.
Yan Xiao blinked as the light vanished.
A second later, the room burst into brightness as the main lights flicked on.
Pop!
A shower of confetti exploded above Qiu Li’s head.
“Happy birthday!”
Amid the sparkle and laughter, the strange heaviness in Yan Xiao’s chest completely vanished. She hurried to grab the gift she’d hidden earlier and shouted, “Surprise!”
Qiu Li laughed softly, cradling the elegantly wrapped box she handed him. “Thank you.”
“Open it! Quick!”
He raised an eyebrow, amused, as she nudged him insistently with her elbow.
It was obvious she was up to something.
Smiling, he glanced from her to the enormous box. “All right.”
The box was huge, half the size of the coffee table. He untied the ribbon and lifted the lid.
Inside was…another box.
He kept going.
And another.
And another.
By the fifth box, his eyes were already curved like crescents.
Still, he continued patiently, layer after layer, until he’d opened at least twenty of them.
Finally, there was only one tiny box left in his hands, small enough to fit in a palm.
Looking down at it, laughter sparkled in his eyes.
Before opening it, he glanced at Yan Xiao, who was sitting cross-legged on the carpet, eyes shining in excitement. “This one’s the last, right?”
Yan Xiao grinned. “Guess.”
He chuckled, playing along. “I’m guessing yes.”
“Then open it,” she said, nodding at the box.
At this point, Qiu Li couldn’t even tell whether it was the endless boxes or the final gift itself that he was most eager for.
He untied the last bow and lifted the lid.
Inside lay a correction pen.
Qiu Li: “…”
He stared at it for a moment, half-convinced it must be a decoy hiding something better.
He picked it up, examined it closely, and realized it really was just a plain correction pen.
When he looked back at Yan Xiao, she was already laughing so hard she’d collapsed onto the sofa.
“It’s your birthday present!” she managed between giggles. “Whenever you get a question wrong, use this to fix it! I’m telling you, I enchanted it, it’s got a buff! Works like magic!”
Qiu Li: “………………”
After a pause, he smiled. “Mm. I like it.”
Yan Xiao was overjoyed. She deliberately teased, “Do you really?”
Qiu Li: “I do.” Whatever you give me, I’ll like it.
Yan Xiao laughed so hard she collapsed onto the couch, tears welling up in her eyes.
Chen Ziyi, who only knew her daughter had prepared a birthday gift for Qiu Li, had spent the whole day cooking a big meal. She didn’t know what the gift was, just that her daughter seemed to care about it a lot. So, she’d assumed it must be something meaningful.
She hadn’t expected…well, something this meaningful.
So meaningful she could hardly believe it.
But seeing both kids laughing so happily, she couldn’t help smiling too. Watching them grow up together, it was really something special. She shook her head with a fond smile. “Come on, dinner’s ready!”
Yan Xiao and Qiu Li answered at the same time, “Okay!”
Watching Qiu Li carefully tuck the correction pen she’d bought at the school shop into his backpack, Yan Xiao nearly fell over laughing again before heading to the bathroom to wash her hands.
When Qiu Li came over, she was still giggling uncontrollably.
“So happy over that?” he asked, tapping her forehead lightly. His voice was filled with both helplessness and affection. “You’re about to fall over.”
Yan Xiao looked up at him, and burst into another fit of laughter. “Ha… hahahaha”
Qiu Li: “…”
That only made her laugh harder.
He lifted his hand.
Thinking he was about to hit her, Yan Xiao quickly tried to dodge, only for a strong hand to land gently on her shoulder.
“Don’t move,” he said. His tone was half command, half indulgent.
Under her confused gaze, he reached up and plucked a bit of shiny confetti tangled in her hair.
“All done,” he said softly.
Yan Xiao: “...hahaha…”
Before he could say anything else, she bolted away.
When she was gone, Qiu Li chuckled under his breath. He looked down at the bit of confetti in his hand, then, instead of tossing it in the trash can at his feet, he slipped it into his pocket.
Dinner was lavish, filled with Yan Xiao’s favorite dishes, and what she thought were Qiu Li’s favorites, though in truth they were mostly still hers.
Still, Qiu Li ate with contentment, enjoying every bite.
Afterward, they worked through another practice paper together before Qiu Li headed home, carrying the gifts from both Yan Xiao and her parents.
As she walked him to the door, Yan Xiao asked again, “So? Do you really like your present?”
Qiu Li smiled. “Mm. I like it very much.”
Yan Xiao grinned mischievously. “If you like it that much, then…you don’t get this one.”
She pulled a small box from her pocket and waved it teasingly.
Qiu Li: “…”
Before she could hide it again, he caught her wrist with sharp reflexes.
Yan Xiao: “…” Seriously? Are you part hawk or something?
He slipped the box from her hand. “It’s mine now,” he said simply.
Yan Xiao pouted, she wasn’t done having fun. “Open it and see.”
Qiu Li arched a brow.
That only made her grin wider. “Come on, what are you hesitating for? Open it!”
He couldn’t help laughing a little at how excited she was.
The trauma of the twenty nested boxes was still fresh in his mind, but he humored her.
“I’ll open it at home,” he said.
“No way. If you don’t open it now, give it back!”
He raised a brow. “Fine.”
And with that, he opened it.
A men’s quartz wristwatch slid out, bright red, with his name engraved on the inside of the dial.
Qiu Li: “…”
Yan Xiao looked utterly pleased with his stunned reaction.
He wasn’t one for flashy things, he actually hated bright colors, especially red. If it weren’t for the New Year, he wouldn’t even put up red couplets.
Yan Xiao leaned over, eyes sparkling. “Do you like it?”
It was a beautiful watch, handsome, sleek, expensive. He recognized the brand; it wasn’t cheap.
And that red…it was clearly custom-made.
Qiu Li couldn’t even put his feelings into words, something between joy, warmth, and something deeper he couldn’t name.
He looked at her for a long moment. “I like it,” he said finally.
When he said it, his eyes were full of stars.
“If you like it, wear it every day,” she said proudly.
Without hesitation, Qiu Li fastened the watch onto his wrist right in front of her.
His skin was fair, and the vivid red stood out sharply against it, but instead of looking gaudy, it made him seem even more striking. The contrast gave him a bold, youthful energy, bright, confident, alive.
And given his long fingers, long legs, and unfairly good looks, there was nothing “too much” about it.
If anything, it only made him more handsome.
Yan Xiao instantly regretted it.
“I don’t want to give it to you anymore,” she said, reaching to snatch it back. She absolutely refused to admit it was because the watch looked better on him than it ever could on her. “I”
Qiu Li raised his arm, effortlessly holding it out of reach. “You already said it’s a gift. That makes it mine. And my name’s engraved on it now, if you don’t give it to me, who else would you give it to?”
Once again defeated by his height, Yan Xiao grew indignant. She jumped up, clawing at his arm. “I wouldn’t give it to anyone! I’ll wear it myself, okay?!”
Qiu Li, who had been dodging playfully, suddenly froze.
“You’ll wear it yourself?” he asked.
“Yeah!” she said, managing to grab his wrist and push it down. “Why not?”
His expression shifted, something complicated flickering across his face. She wants to wear a watch with my name on it?
[Ding! 960 points!]
Yan Xiao: “?”
Qiu Li: “…”
“Okay,” he said softly, blinking once. He unfastened the watch and held it out to her. “You wear it.”
After fighting for it for so long, she didn’t quite know what to do when he actually offered it to her.
“Just kidding,” she said quickly, pushing it back. “It’s yours. I was joking.”
(And I wasn’t trying to earn points this time.)
A gift’s a gift, how could she take it back?
Seeing that she really meant it, Qiu Li thought for a moment. “Then next time, I’ll give you something.”
Without hesitation, she replied, “No!”
“You don’t like that idea?” he asked.
She said nothing.
He tried again. “Then what do you like? I’ll get it for you.”
Points. I like points. And I like it when you get annoyed at me. But I’m almost done now, so you don’t have to worry.
She muttered silently in her head, but didn’t say it aloud. Instead, she just pushed him toward the door. “Go home already. We’ve got class tomorrow. Sleep early, and don’t you dare sneak off to do extra problems. Your number one spot’s already booked by me.”
Qiu Li mistook her brusqueness for shyness and let her push him along, amused.
After seeing him off, Yan Xiao did a few more practice questions before washing up.
When she finally lay down, she called out to the system.
007?
[Yeah?]
Yan Xiao: It’s almost full, isn’t it?
007 went quiet for a beat. [Yep! You’re at 960! Max is 999, you’re almost there! Congratulations in advance! Woohoo!]
Yan Xiao: “…”
Staring out the window at the half-moon, she blinked and murmured softly, “Almost full, huh.”
On the other side of town, Qiu Li had come home and, for once, obediently didn’t study or read.
He just sat at his desk, gazing at the red watch on his wrist, turning it this way and that, taking photo after photo.
When his eyes started to ache, he reluctantly took it off and went to wash up, then placed it carefully beside his pillow when he went to bed.
In the stillness of night, every sound became clearer. Even the faint ticking of the watch’s second hand was sharp and soft in the dark.
A faint smile curved Qiu Li’s lips as he listened to the gentle ticking, drifting into sleep.