Chapter 14:
A Birthday Gift
Just as Lin Wan’er was letting her imagination run wild, Cheng Xiaoling continued whispering beside her,
“To be honest, although Ye Feng doesn’t have any money, he’s actually kind of handsome. It’s not impossible for him to attract some young girl who’s just discovering love.”
“And look, Wan’er. He even smiled at that girl. That means he has a good impression of her.”
“You’d better be careful.”
“Hmm… honestly, I think you should be the one to bring up breaking up first. Otherwise, if Ye Feng gets stolen away by her and dumps you later, it’ll be too late for regrets.”
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
Lin Wan’er glared at her, her pretty face turning cold.
“They’re probably just ordinary friends. Ye Feng isn’t the kind of person who falls for every girl he meets.”
“And another thing.”
“Don’t ever say things that try to interfere with my relationship with Ye Feng again.”
“Otherwise, I won’t talk to you anymore.”
Although she spoke with certainty, a trace of uneasiness quietly surfaced in her heart.
It felt as though someone might suddenly take away the most precious thing in her life.
She trusted Ye Feng.
But who could truly predict the future?
People weren’t gods.
Hearts could change.
“Alright, alright! I won’t say anything like that again, okay?”
Seeing that Lin Wan’er was genuinely upset, Cheng Xiaoling quickly smiled apologetically.
Only then did Lin Wan’er’s expression soften a little.
At that moment, Ye Feng walked over.
He sat down across from the two girls and looked at Lin Wan’er with a warm smile.
“Wan’er, sorry I’m late.”
Lin Wan’er nodded slightly.
After calming her turbulent emotions, she stood up and moved to sit beside Ye Feng, leaving Cheng Xiaoling sitting by herself.
Cheng Xiaoling rolled her eyes at her friend before secretly looking at Ye Feng.
Seriously, my dear best friend…
What exactly do you see in this guy? Why are you so attached to him?
He doesn’t seem particularly outstanding.
Other than being a little handsome, what else does he have?
No parents. No family background. No power or influence.
He grew up in an orphanage.
Even if he gets into Jianghai University and has good grades, once he enters society he’ll still just be another ordinary employee.
He doesn’t own a house.
He doesn’t own a car.
He even has to scrape together tuition money by working summer jobs.
Your family is so well-off. How could you possibly fall for a poor guy like him?
Is it because of that so-called love?
How ridiculous.
How much is love worth?
Once it faces the realities of daily life—rent, groceries, bills—it’ll fall apart sooner or later.
In Cheng Xiaoling’s opinion, finding a partner from a similar social background was the best choice.
Otherwise, one would only end up spending a lifetime struggling alongside a poor man.
She genuinely hoped Wan’er could find someone capable of giving her a happy life.
Not someone like Ye Feng, who seemed to have nothing.
As far as she was concerned, following Ye Feng would never lead to happiness.
At that moment, a waitress approached their table with a smile.
“Hello, Miss. May I serve the dishes now?”
Lin Wan’er nodded.
“Yes.”
“Very well. Please wait a moment. The twelve dishes you reserved will be served right away.”
Two minutes later, all twelve dishes had been brought to the table one after another.
The entire table was filled with delicious food.
A rich aroma drifted through the air, and every dish looked incredibly appetizing.
There were spicy pickled pepper bullfrogs, curried jumbo shrimp, crispy spicy ribs, extra-spicy grilled fish, and many other luxurious dishes.
Just by looking at them, one could tell they weren’t cheap.
Ye Feng looked at the feast before him and froze slightly.
The meal obviously cost well over a thousand yuan.
What special occasion is today?
Confused, he looked toward Lin Wan’er.
She smiled sweetly at him.
Then she reached behind her and brought out a delicate little gift bag, placing it in front of him.
“Happy birthday, sweetheart.”
“This is for you.”
“For… me?”
Ye Feng was stunned.
Only then did he suddenly remember.
Today was his birthday.
“Open it and take a look.”
Lin Wan’er smiled brightly.
“Alright.”
Feeling deeply touched, Ye Feng opened the white gift bag and took out an exquisitely crafted box.
“Wow!”
Cheng Xiaoling’s eyes widened instantly.
“Isn’t this a Vacheron Constantin watch?”
She swallowed hard before continuing,
“I know this luxury brand.”
“I heard even the cheapest models cost eighty or ninety thousand yuan.”
“Most of them are worth well over one or two hundred thousand!”
“Wan’er… how much did you spend on this?”
“You’re really giving this to Ye Feng?”
“Xiaoling!”
Lin Wan’er’s heart skipped a beat.
She quickly blinked at her friend, signaling her to stop talking.
Then she looked back at Ye Feng, almost pleading.
“Don’t listen to her.”
“It wasn’t that expensive.”
“I just thought it looked nice, so I bought it for you.”
“But this time…”
“You can’t refuse me again.”
Ye Feng smiled softly.
He already understood everything.
Gently stroking her silky hair, he said,
“Silly girl.”
“Since this is a gift from your heart, of course I’ll accept it.”
As he spoke, he opened the box completely and took out the magnificent gold-accented mechanical watch.
Putting it on his wrist, he admired its intricate and elegant design.
“Wan’er, thank you for your gift.”
“It’s beautiful.”
“I really like it.”
Ye Feng wasn’t naive.
He knew enough about luxury brands to understand that this watch was extremely expensive.
But since it was a gift from his girlfriend, he couldn’t bring himself to reject it.
If this had happened in the past, he probably would have refused.
Because he would never have been able to repay such a precious gift.
But things were different now.
He had money.
And more importantly, he had countless ways to earn even more.
From now on, not only would he give Wan’er a happy life, but he would also give her even more precious gifts on every special occasion.
“I’m just happy that you like it.”
Lin Wan’er let out a quiet sigh of relief.
This was the first time Ye Feng had ever accepted one of her gifts.
In the past, no matter what holiday or special day it was, he would always refuse.
He had been as stubborn as a block of wood.
She had no idea what had changed today.
But none of that mattered anymore.
As long as he accepted it, all the effort she had spent choosing the perfect birthday present had been worthwhile.
Cheng Xiaoling opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something.
But in the end, she quietly swallowed her words.
At the same time, the hand hidden behind her back silently slipped a delicate orange gift box back into her pocket.
After a moment of silence, she glanced awkwardly at Ye Feng.
Clearing her throat, she muttered,
“Um… well…”
“Happy birthday, Ye Feng.”
“Thanks.”
Ye Feng was a little surprised that she had wished him a happy birthday.
Still, he decided to temporarily put aside their past disagreements and nodded politely.
“Alright, enough talking.”
“Let’s eat!”
Lin Wan’er laughed as she picked up a huge piece of braised pork and placed it into Ye Feng’s bowl.
“The birthday boy gets the biggest piece first.”
Then she noticed Cheng Xiaoling glaring at her.
“Oh, stop rolling your eyes.”
“I’ll get one for you too.”
She smiled and put another large piece of braised pork into Cheng Xiaoling’s bowl.
“That’s more like it.”
“I thought you’d forgotten about your best friend.”
Cheng Xiaoling finally smiled and happily began eating.
However…
While the three of them were chatting and enjoying their meal,
at another table not far away,
a man wearing a baseball cap withdrew his gaze from Ye Feng’s group.
He took out his phone and made a call.
“Hello, Young Master Shen…”
