Pei Jiangmu felt the lingering warmth on the back of his hand. Hearing this, he couldn't help but be stunned.
This was something he had once taught her. He never thought she would return it to him now.
Did this mean that even if she couldn't remember, the bond between them was still deep?
He wanted to smile but forcefully held it back.
All these experiences were real.
It was also true that some people said he was a jinx.
The difference was that his family had never disliked him for being a jinx.
On the contrary, since his mother couldn't have any more children after that, she doted on him like the apple of her eye.
It was true that his father had almost been arrested, but this had led to the discovery of the mole in the company and thus prevented greater losses.
It was also true that Uncle Butler had died accidentally while trying to save him, but it was later found out that the accident was actually orchestrated by him in collusion with outsiders.
...
He did have psychological traumas, but not because of these.
However, these were enough to make Meng Ruozhao let down all her guards.
This carefully choreographed scheme of feigning vulnerability, every detail pointed to the same goal - to make Meng Ruozhao the only cure for his pain.
"Before I met Sister, I actually hadn't had a good night's sleep for a long time."
"But Sister accompanied me in the hospital last night. I had a rare peaceful sleep."
This was a lie.
He had stared at her all night and simply couldn't bear to sleep.
However, to further achieve his goal, such a little lie didn't matter.
Sure enough, seeing him like this, Meng Ruozhao said without any guard, "It's okay. We'll have a lot of time to meet in the future."
At this moment, Pei Jiangmu knew that he had achieved his goal.
But he still didn't dare to slack off even a bit.
After all, he knew very well that it was by no means easy to completely win Meng Ruozhao's heart.
Although she seemed to have let down all her guards at this moment, the road ahead was still long.
If he was a little careless, all his previous efforts might come to nothing.
"Thank you, Sister. I won't cause any trouble for you."
"And I will never... make Sister an unlucky person."
His voice was so soft as if he was afraid of disturbing something, but his tone was very solemn, as if he was swearing with his life.
"After all, for someone like me, Sister is already being so kind as to give me a chance."
Meng Ruozhao was puzzled for a moment. What chance?
But she didn't have time to think too much. The vibration of her phone attracted all her attention.
Pei Jiangmu's chopsticks trembled slightly above the seasoning bowl.
The churning foam of the red oil in the copper pot was reflected in his suddenly constricted pupils. The sesame oil dripping from the tip of the chopsticks splashed tiny oil droplets on the seasoning plate. He saw the side profile of Meng Ruozhao glancing at the screen, her eyelashes fluttering slightly in the steamy air.
Especially the faint smile on her lips, which was like an icicle stabbing into his temple.
Almost instinctively, he thought: Was it Yan Qiubai calling?
And the next second when the name "Yan Qiubai" took shape in his mind.
His knuckles turned white from the force, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged into a sharp arc.
The dark clouds surging in his eyes almost crushed the entire hot pot restaurant.
Until Meng Ruozhao reported the table number. Soon, a deliveryman came over carrying a cake.
"Hello, here's your cake. Happy birthday to you."
After seeing the cake, Pei Jiangmu was like a person who had been rebooted.
The tense muscles in the back of his neck suddenly relaxed, and the previously stiff corners of his mouth suddenly curved into a crescent.
The hand holding the chopsticks trembled so much that he could hardly hold them. The end of the chopsticks knocked on the porcelain bowl, making a crisp sound like a wind chime.
He swallowed hard several times before finding his voice.
"When did Sister buy the cake?"
Meng Ruozhao gave him a sly smile. "Just think of it as me having magic, haha."
Actually, on the way here, while they were talking, she had ordered the cake online.
"But it's a last - minute purchase, so it's just the most ordinary one. Don't dislike it."
As she said this, she opened the cake box and the candle package.
Since she didn't know Pei Jiangmu's exact age, she had chosen the most ordinary candles.
After the candles were inserted, the staff of the hot pot restaurant also showed up very considerately, holding a sign.
"Today is your birthday. Let me send you my blessings..."
A catchy and cheerful birthday song rang out.
Meng Ruozhao didn't know how to sing, but she still clapped her hands in time with the rhythm across the table.
When the song ended, the shop assistants said in unison, "Happy birthday!"
And Meng Ruozhao also said, "Make a wish, birthday boy."
In the candlelight, Pei Jiangmu's red - rimmed eyes made him look like a wolf cub who had stolen some candy, with the lower eyelids glistening with moisture.
He clasped his hands together in a praying gesture and then closed his eyes.
If making a wish really worked, then he wanted Ruozhao, and only Ruozhao.
Meng Ruozhao across the table had been looking at him.
When she saw the candle flame dancing on the man's eyelashes, she was suddenly hit by a sense of déjà vu.
In the steaming hot air of the hot pot, his side profile as he lowered his head to make a wish overlapped with a vague memory.
The same candlelight, the same gesture, and even the shadows leaking through his fingers were exactly the same.
This scene was so familiar.
Even, it seemed as if she wasn't celebrating his birthday for the first time.
But it was only the second day since they had met.
Those intricate memory fragments deep in her memory were like broken jigsaw pieces, uncontrollably rising high in her mind and then scattering like flower petals from a celestial maiden.
She wanted to catch some of them. But when she tried to take a closer look, they quickly dissipated like smoke.
Meng Ruozhao frowned slightly, her eyes full of confusion and bewilderment.
Her lips trembled slightly. She wanted to say something but didn't know where to start.
And Pei Jiangmu, although he had his eyes tightly closed while making a wish, he keenly noticed Meng Ruozhao's abnormality.
His heart tightened suddenly, and his even breathing became a bit rapid.
He really wanted to open his eyes immediately to see what was wrong with Meng Ruozhao, but he was afraid that his action would stimulate her memory.
So, he could only silently pray in his heart, praying that Meng Ruozhao wouldn't remember now.
His hands trembled slightly as they were clasped together. On the surface, he seemed calm, but inside, his heart was in turmoil.
Finally, Pei Jiangmu slowly opened his eyes, and his gaze immediately fell on Meng Ruozhao.
Seeing her confused and pained expression, his heart seemed to be tightly grasped by an invisible hand.
A look of panic flashed across his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it and replaced it with a concerned look.
"Sister, what's wrong? Are you not feeling well?"
Pei Jiangmu asked softly, his voice with a hint of barely perceptible tension.
He reached out his hand, wanting to touch Meng Ruozhao's hand on the table.
But he stopped in mid - air, afraid that his action would make her feel even worse.
Meng Ruozhao looked at Pei Jiangmu. Her lips moved, and she said weakly, "It's... it's nothing."
Her voice trembled imperceptibly, as if those fleeting memories made her both expectant and afraid.
A complex look flashed across Pei Jiangmu's eyes, but he tried his best to control his emotions.
He tried to make his tone sound normal.
"But Sister, you look really pale."
He only dared to look at her and didn't dare to touch her at all.
He was as cautious as a large dog when confirming safety, and as self - restrained as a drug addict facing the life - saving medicine.