Chapter 252: Extra: His Birthday Wish
Weaving through the garden and courtyard, Lian Li couldn’t help but raise her wrist to show Jin Shi Yue before even exiting the main gate.
“Your family is so generous, giving away valuable items so casually.”
Jin Shi Yue’s casually raised brow lifted: “Not heavy?”
Her slender, fair wrist was adorned with a red jade pendant bracelet and an imperial green jade bangle, both made of pure jade without any impurities, and they were not light.
“Not heavy,” Lian Li said, her eyes curving into smiles. “No one dislikes having too much money. I can wear them all the way up my arm, like a pirated version of Astro Boy’s jade arms.”
“Ah, Lian Li,” Jin Shi Yue’s lips curved into a lazy smile as he took her hand and walked towards the Cullinan.
He drove himself, not calling for the driver or assistant.
Lian Li got into the car and, looking at the man who personally fastened her seatbelt, commented, “You’re so fickle.”
With a soft ‘click,’ the seatbelt was fastened. Jin Shi Yue looked up, gazing into her clear, bright almond eyes.
Lian Li said, “You change cars so often, you’re not loyal at all.”
Jin Shi Yue looked at her lazily, his deep voice teasing, “Am I fickle when you’re my only girlfriend?”
“Don’t get so close to me,” Lian Li pushed his shoulder. “Hurry up and drive home.”
Jin Shi Yue smiled, straightened up, closed the front passenger door, walked around the front of the car, got into the driver’s seat, and glanced at her before starting the engine.
Lian Li took off the bangle, opened the center console’s storage box, took out a pocket square, unfolded it to wrap the bangle, and temporarily put it in her bag.
Wearing too many expensive pieces of jewelry was too cumbersome; it was better to be simpler.
The fingertip of her right hand brushed against the ring on her left middle finger, then slowly moved to her wrist bone, her nail lightly scraping the cherry-red jade.
After a moment of contemplation, Lian Li turned her head to look at Jin Shi Yue. “Before we go back to school, I want to go to Shanghai.”
Ji Tan’s health had deteriorated significantly over the years due to heart problems. She had felt unwell yesterday and was hospitalized. Ji Tan would not have allowed Lu Hansheng and the others to send her to the hospital unless it was absolutely necessary.
Jin Shi Yue understood. He rested one hand on the steering wheel and took her hand with the other. “If you want to go, we’ll go.”
After meeting Ji Tan, people from the Lu family often contacted Lian Li. Apart from responding with a few polite words out of basic courtesy, Lian Li gave no further replies.
At that time, upon learning the truth, her heart was in turmoil, and she didn’t want to see anyone from the Lu family. Now, she could calm down and face it properly.
Lian Li’s pupils unfocused as she quietly gazed at the receding greenery outside the car window. After a moment, her eyeballs moved slightly, her gaze distant, and her eyes suddenly lit up.
“There’s a convenience store up ahead,” she said, pointing forward. “Stop there for a moment, I’m going to buy some milk.”
A short while later, the matte black Cullinan pulled over to the side of the road in front of the convenience store.
Lian Li unbuckled her seatbelt, intending to get out and buy it herself. Jin Shi Yue grabbed her hand, stopping her. “Stay put.”
He was going to buy it for her. Lian Li accepted this calmly, smiling. “I want fresh milk.”
Autumn rain fell incessantly, and the temperature dropped to below freezing at night.
Jin Shi Yue pushed open the car door, unfurled a black-ribbed umbrella, stepped out with his long legs, and calmly walked towards the store.
While waiting, Lian Li had nothing to do. She rolled down the car window, leaned on the windowsill, and stared at him intently.
Jin Shi Yue was wearing a well-tailored white shirt and black trousers, holding a black umbrella. His tall, upright figure exuded an aura of cold nobility, making him seem unattainable.
With a ‘ding,’ the convenience store’s automatic glass doors slid open.
Cold raindrops drifted into the car. Her curled eyelashes were misted with rain. The store’s white lights and Jin Shi Yue’s figure became blurred by the mist. Lian Li blinked, and her vision cleared.
After paying, Jin Shi Yue walked back with steady, leisurely steps. He saw Lian Li leaning against the car window at a glance. Under the streetlights, her hair was fluffy, reflecting a faint glow, and her bright eyes were fixed on him.
Jin Shi Yue didn’t get directly into the driver’s seat. His tall figure stopped in front of the passenger door.
The black umbrella shielded them from the rain and the hazy moonlight that fell on Lian Li’s cheeks. Both were under the umbrella. Jin Shi Yue lowered his eyes to look at her. “Aren’t you cold?”
“I’m not cold,” Lian Li tilted her face up, her eyes dewy and rippling with light.
Jin Shi Yue handed her a bottle of fresh milk. Lian Li took it, her skin touching the glass bottle, feeling its warmth.
Just as Jin Shi Yue was about to withdraw his hand, Lian Li suddenly tilted her head. Her delicate, cool face pressed against his broad palm, and she said with a smile, “Thank you, Brother.”
Her voice was very soft and quiet, like an invisible thread, lightly wrapping around Jin Shi Yue’s hearing and silently spreading to his heart.
In the past, when he asked her to call him brother, she always argued, saying it was like incest.
Jin Shi Yue paused slightly, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Little Sister,” he said, rubbing her face, a playful smile in the corner of his eyes. “You’re not holding a grudge anymore?”
Lian Li smiled at him, her expression full of playful mischief.
The rain intensified, pattering loudly on the umbrella.
The dim streetlights cast a glow on Jin Shi Yue’s broad shoulders, melting into his deep black eyes, making them appear exceptionally profound.
Lian Li took a few sips of the steaming fresh milk, screwed the cap back on, and set it aside. Then, she beckoned Jin Shi Yue closer.
Jin Shi Yue bent down, his handsome face inching closer. Due to his height, even when bent over, his gaze was still higher than hers inside the car.
Lian Li rested her hands on the windowsill, her head leaning out of the car, tilting her face up. Her soft lips met his.
“A reward.”
After a torrential downpour, a cold wind howled, sweeping up the withered yellow plane tree leaves scattered on the street.
Jin Shi Yue easily gripped the steering wheel, his shirt sleeves casually rolled up, revealing a section of his fair, slender wrist bone.
Lian Li glanced at his chiseled profile and asked, “Does your family not have a tradition of eating cake for birthdays?”
Jin Shi Yue replied, “We rarely celebrate birthdays.”
“It’s a chance to eat cake once a year, let’s celebrate,” Lian Li opened her mobile phone. “I’ll have someone prepare a cake. What flavor do you like?”
She answered her own question: “Cherry Black Forest cake, I like that one.”
Jin Shi Yue smiled faintly upon hearing this.
Her liking it was the most important thing.
The Cullinan drove into the garage of Xi Shang Yuan. Jin Shi Yue parked the car and turned off the engine.
With a ‘click,’ Lian Li unbuckled her seatbelt. Before she could open the door, the man in the driver’s seat suddenly leaned over, cupped her hips with his large hand, and lifted her onto his lap.
“What are you doing?” Lian Li was a little stunned.
She sat on Jin Shi Yue’s lap, her knees parted, kneeling beside his thighs on the seat.
In the dim car interior, Jin Shi Yue’s hand firmly held Lian Li’s slender waist.
With her on top and him below, his warm breath fanned across her collarbone, causing a slight tickle.
Lian Li’s facial features were soft and clear, her almond eyes bright and lustrous. Her appearance was completely devoid of aggressiveness, making her look like a pure and gentle girl next door.
Yet, she was cooler and more composed than the average girl next door, rarely getting angry and accepting any situation calmly, as if she had evolved beyond emotions.
Lian Li sat on Jin Shi Yue’s lap, her hands resting on his shoulders, gazing into his eyes without blinking.
Jin Shi Yue’s eyes were dark. He cupped her face with his palms and kissed her.
He gently caressed her earlobe while sucking on her soft lips, kissing her with a powerful and deep intensity.
Lian Li’s breathing quickened from the kiss, her heart pounding.
As she rested her forehead against his shoulder, breathing in short gasps, Jin Shi Yue’s hand moved from her lower back up to the zipper of her dress.
In the silent space, a ‘zipping’ sound suddenly broke the quiet.
The zipper on the side of Lian Li’s dress slid down, revealing a large expanse of fair, tender, smooth skin. Before she could react, the man’s warm palm slid in, and every inch of skin his palm touched began to heat up.
A tingling sensation, like wisps of electricity, coursed through every sensitive nerve.
Lian Li shivered in his arms, her breath unsteady. “In the car… no.”
Jin Shi Yue licked her earlobe. “Aren’t you going to help me fulfill my wish?”
