"As long as you like it." Yi Zhengwei smiled calmly. Lately, he felt he owed her too much. And she was indeed as he had imagined, gentle and obedient, giving him no worries whatsoever.
He leaned forward, about to light the birthday candles, when he heard a thumping sound of people coming up the stairs. He frowned and then made a phone call.
"Mr. Yi, it's Miss Song and her friend who came upstairs. She's your most distinguished guest, and she specifically requested the room next to the Gentleman's Pavilion," Zhu Yongxin explained. He assumed Yi Zhengwei wouldn't mind. In fact, if he knew that all the secrecy Yi Zhengwei had maintained was just to protect himself from Miss Song today, he probably wouldn't have dared to answer like that, even if he were beaten to death.
"I understand." He hung up the phone, then leaned back in his chair with a serious expression.
At that moment, Bill and Song Qing's laughter paused briefly in Junzige before continuing, and the bamboo door next door creaked open and closed.
Isolated from the hustle and bustle outside, the two small rooms became eerily quiet.
"What's wrong?"
Yi Zhengwei raised his hand to stop her, hesitated for a moment, and then continued his work, lighting the small candles one by one.
"Xing'er, let's have a quiet birthday, just the two of us."
Shen Xing didn't understand, but still nodded happily, clasped his hands and leaned against the table to make a wish.
"Bill, this spot is good too. Look, the bamboo forest outside is so lush and feels so deep. The breeze coming from deep within the bamboo forest is so refreshing. Come here."
Song Qing and Bill at Zhiyuan Pavilion, on the other hand, were much more relaxed, paying no attention to the lively birthday celebrations outside.
"Oh, Little Lotus Heart, is this where you come to relax?" Bill laughed and stood side by side with Song Qing by the window.
"Yes, Bill, this is better than anywhere else. You know what? Bamboo, in the hearts of us Chinese, represents purity, uprightness, tranquility, and far-reaching vision. It is a symbol of nobility, and it can purify one's soul." Song Qing took a deep breath facing the window, closed her eyes, smiled faintly, and tilted her head back to receive the baptism.
Bill seemed to understand, but not quite. He felt a pang of regret, realizing that in these aspects, he and Song Qing had insurmountable differences.
"Oh, little Lianxin, I regret not growing up in China with you, because I really didn't feel it was as wonderful as you described." Bill frowned and shrugged.
Song Qing looked up at him, frowned seriously and thought for a moment, "Hmm, Bill, if it's early later, shall we go for a walk over there?"
"OK," Bill clapped his hands. It's better to see the real thing and experience it for yourself than to have a true understanding. Just then, his stomach rumbled inappropriately.
The two looked at each other and burst into laughter, but the knocking of the delivery door interrupted their conversation.
"Oh!" Bill yelled in a strange voice.
Yi Zhengwei frowned, sighed, patted his forehead, and apologized to Shen Xing.
"Zhengwei, I think they're a happy couple." Shen Xing nestled in Yi Zhengwei's arms, quite envious of the strange noises coming from next door.
"Bill?" Song Qing put down his chopsticks and expressed his doubt.
"Lotus Heart, I never thought I'd be the first to see its corpse!!" Bill was still yelling, pointing his chopsticks at the bamboo tube rice that had already been split open. It was obviously freshly cut bamboo, still exuding a fragrant bamboo aroma.
The waiter covered his mouth and smiled, bowed to them, and considerately closed the door quietly before leaving.
Shen Xing chuckled. Although the warm and romantic atmosphere they had worked so hard to create had been ruined by this lively and adorable couple, it wasn't so bad, was it?
She was such a simple and easily satisfied person. Yi Zhengwei looked at Shen Xing, who was smiling sweetly in his arms, with a smile on his lips. A faint sense of peace and warmth washed over him. He brushed aside the strands of hair that were hanging by her ear and placed a deep kiss on her forehead. Everything was understood without words.
"Oh, Bill, I know, I haven't had a peaceful day since you came. Now, you better eat properly." Song Qing looked at Bill's funny face and twisted expression. Although she didn't laugh so hard that she fell over backwards, she was so happy that she couldn't hold her chopsticks and her whole body trembled slightly.
Bill put down his cutlery, suppressed his laughter, and held Song Qing's hands, saying with both affection and humor, "Lianxin, now, do you think I'm actually more useful than those bamboo plants? I can make you happy."
Song Qing tried her best to suppress her laughter, but she couldn't free her hands. She looked intently into Bill's eyes, pondered for a moment, and then nodded solemnly. However, the smile in her eyes betrayed her seriousness. These two people, when they were together, their hearts would beat joyfully, and they could never be serious or cautious.
"Oh, I knew it, you'd only ever take my words as a joke." Bill dejectedly withdrew his hand and let out a long sigh.
"Bill, promise me you won't say these things today." Song Qing handed him a fork.
"Xiao Qing, my feelings for you have never changed in ten years." Bill rarely called her by her real name, only doing so when he needed her attention.
She opened her mouth but then paused, unsure what to say. Should she say that there was no room for anyone else in her heart? Should she say that he was just family and that she had no love for him whatsoever? She shook her head; given Bill's occasional stubbornness, she really couldn't handle it.
"It's a habit, Bill. We've gotten used to having each other in our lives," she said objectively, expressing deep gratitude for his quiet support over the years, his ability to make her happy and relaxed.
"Okay, I accept." Bill frowned and thought for a moment, then reluctantly accepted this explanation.
The two then ate in silence, with only the sound of their cutlery clattering against each other.
Yi Zhengwei raised an eyebrow. "Lotus heart?" This foreign lad clearly didn't understand the profoundness of Chinese characters. He probably intended to express her pure and beautiful nature, like a lotus flower, thinking that adding "heart" would elevate it even further. Little did he know, "Lotus heart" is actually the most bitter. He repeated "Lotus heart" slightly, then let out a smile. He realized that the name "Lotus heart" was indeed very fitting for her. Although she lacked Shen Xing's gentle elegance, loveliness, and sweet fragrance, no one dared to deny her value. Good medicine tastes bitter, after all. At least, her appearance wasn't far off from that of a lotus flower. It's just that she made it harder for people to fall in love easily.
Thinking of this, he looked down at Shen Xing, who was smiling brightly but still hoping for some surprise from next door.
"Xing'er, if you had two wishes, one was to have the highest and most unchanging love, and the other was to have a lifelong, respectful marriage, but God only allowed you to have one wish, what would you choose?" He pulled her up and led her to the half-burnt birthday candles.
Shen Xing opened her eyes wide, thinking carefully and weighing her options. That's what makes her so endearing—so innocent it's heartbreaking. Yi Zhengwei felt waves of regret and pity. Meanwhile, Song Qing, who was quietly present but had a strong presence next door, inexplicably made him frown, feeling a faint sense of escapism and helplessness.
"Zhengwei, both of these wishes are so cruel." Shen Xing clutched her chest, looked up at him helplessly, with a hint of pleading in her eyes.
He grasped her slender shoulders, met her eyes, and said without hesitation, "Life is just that cruel."
Shen Xing's eyes immediately filled with tears, like the clear waves under the moon, hazy and indistinct.
"I love you, I need your love, otherwise I will wither away; but I am so unwilling to leave you." She sobbed and collapsed weakly into his arms.
"Alright, Xing'er, I was just teasing you. Come on, blow out the candles, or your wish won't come true." Yi Zhengwei patted her gently, full of affection.
The candlelight, like a desolate flame in the cold wind, seemed poised to go out at any moment; its flickering light, as delicate and uncertain as willow catkins in the wind, seemed to foreshadow Shen Xing's fate. Yi Zhengwei placed his hands behind his head. By now, the large candle had gone out, and the room was even dimmer, so dark that even those sitting opposite each other could not see clearly. This decision, already made long ago, now felt contradictory and regretful when facing Shen Xing. It turned out he hadn't been thorough enough. This realization suddenly filled him with weariness, and he simply sat up straight.
"Zhengwei, if I had to choose, I want love, the highest and most unchanging love." Shen Xing suddenly opened her eyes and said seriously. Yes, whether Yi Zhengwei was joking or speaking seriously, she would consider it carefully.
"Star, you are supreme, I cannot guarantee that, but I can promise you will never change." Facing the dim light, he leaned forward, just like her, clenched his fist in silence, closed his eyes, and silently made a promise. At this moment, he had such great confidence in himself.
With their combined efforts, the candles finally went out, carrying their wishes with them as they temporarily disappeared. Zhu Yongxin breathed a sigh of relief at the control panel; this took much longer than originally planned. He pressed the next button, and the Junzi Pavilion was instantly illuminated as bright as day, casting a dazzling light on the two remaining candles on the table, one large and one small.