"What?" Song Huaizhi was slightly surprised for a moment. Only then did he realize what Meng Ruyi had just said. He couldn't help but laugh and rubbed his sore eyes.
"I was careless." Song Huaizhi rarely made such a strange oversight. Thinking about it, he found it quite amusing. He explained to Meng Ruyi, "The one at noon was the pair of earrings you liked when I saw you last time. I asked the shopkeeper to look for something similar."
"Coincidentally, he found it. But since it was getting late, the shopkeeper sent it over just at dawn today." Song Huaizhi smiled and said, "I was busy at that time, so I just stuffed it in my pocket, thinking I'd find a chance to give it to you. As a result, I was busy until noon when I saw you."
As Song Huaizhi was speaking, he inexplicably felt that it was getting more and more of a coincidence. Thinking that Meng Ruyi hadn't looked up all that time, he suddenly ruffled the girl's hair in annoyance and said, "No wonder! I was wondering why you were so quiet today. At first, I thought you were just too tired, but I didn't expect you were blaming me because of the gift?"
"Cough, cough, it's not like that."
Meng Ruyi tried hard to lift her head that had been hanging low. She looked at Song Huaizhi deliberately calmly and said, "I was just too tired today, so I didn't want to talk much."
Cough, cough, cough. She still felt quite guilty.
Meng Ruyi's resolute attitude didn't last long. It quickly melted away without a trace under Song Huaizhi's half - smiling gaze.
Seeing the girl lower her head again, Song Huaizhi noticed the tassels on Meng Ruyi's slightly disheveled hairpin swaying gently with her movements. A strange feeling suddenly welled up in his heart. He teased, "It seems that Yu Yu still doesn't know me very well?"
Thinking about how Meng Ruyi had clearly seen the box on his table a few days ago but hadn't asked him about it and had tried so hard to suppress her curiosity, Song Huaizhi couldn't help but find it funny. "You clearly saw your gift sitting on my table early on, but you still couldn't bring yourself to ask?"
"Yu Yu is so heartless." Song Huaizhi said with a touch of dejection in his tone, "Yu Yu doesn't trust me so much. Are you still taking your anger out on me?"
Meng Ruyi was startled. When she looked up, she met Song Huaizhi's smiling eyes.
He was standing at the door. Half of his body was bathed in the moonlight, while the other half was hidden in the shadow of the door. This half - hidden, half - visible hazy feeling gave his whole body a faint softness outlined by the moonlight.
So Brother Song had known all along, waiting for her to ask or waiting for the day he gave it to her?
It was a very magical feeling.
Meng Ruyi's fingers trembled slightly. She almost let her hand touch her chest to feel the beating of her heart.
Song Huaizhi knew her like the back of his hand and had never hidden anything from her.
Seeing the gentle smile on his face, the dull feeling that had been lingering in Meng Ruyi's heart for several days disappeared, replaced by a faint sense of joy.
"Thank you, Brother Song."
Meng Ruyi took the familiar box from his hand. She couldn't help but raise a bright smile. Her eyes looking at him were full of happiness.
"Open it and take a look." Seeing the smile on Meng Ruyi's face, Song Huaizhi added contentedly, "How could my gift be so perfunctory? You're regressing."
"Cough, cough, cough."
Meng Ruyi coughed a few times, intending to skip this embarrassing topic. Under Song Huaizhi's gaze, she gently opened the box.
After the soft cloth on the outside was untied, there was a carved box inside. It looked extremely delicate, with a pattern of carp playing among lotuses.
Meng Ruyi's fingertips traced the undulating carp. Each carp was so lifelike. The one in the middle was chubby and spitting bubbles cutely.
The smile in her eyes deepened. She opened the wooden box. When she saw the gift inside, she couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, and then let out an exclamation.
"Amazing! Brother Song! This is just... so great!"
Looking at the gift in her hand, Meng Ruyi was almost incoherent. Her hand couldn't help but caress the round beads. Her eyes were full of love.
"What do you think?" Seeing that she liked it, Song Huaizhi also said gently, "I knew you would like this gift."
Song Huaizhi thought about how every time he carved it by the candlelight, imagining how happy Meng Ruyi would be when she received this gift, with joy in her eyes and a smile on her lips, looking like a cute little money - lover.
"Although it's not very useful, I think it's quite interesting."
Song Huaizhi looked at the gift and added casually.
"How could it be!" Meng Ruyi brought the thing a little closer to her eyes. She was overjoyed. "Sure enough, Brother Song knows me best!"
Apart from Song Huaizhi, who else would give her an abacus made of jewels and gold!
Such things were considered vulgar. It seemed that everyone was quite averse to girls being associated with money, these so - called "vulgar things". Even the daughters of merchant families were supposed to be as elegant as possible. So Meng Ruyi had received a lot of writing brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, calligraphy, paintings, and jewelry today, but her favorite was this "vulgar thing" right in front of her.
Over the years, after realizing her love for money, Meng Ruyi only showed this side of herself to her closest people. To the outside world, she was still the smart and generous Miss Meng.
Song Huaizhi's gift had hit the mark perfectly.
The live - stream comments were also densely packed.
[AAAAAAH! I can't take it anymore. It's so sweet that it's giving me a toothache! Mom, only Brother Song knows Yu Yu best. An abacus made of gold and jewels!!! It must have made Yu Yu, the little money - lover, go crazy!]
[Hehe, it's nothing special. It's vulgar. (Saliva is flowing) (Envious) (Wiping the corner of the mouth) (Shedding envious tears again)]
[Today has been quite a roller - coaster ride. I thought the two of them had grown distant, but unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better, and they've reached the peak!!!]
[Who's raising the flag for Yu Yu and Brother Song? It's me! (Shouting)]
"I really like it. I like it so much!" Meng Ruyi simply couldn't remove the word "like" from her words. Her eyes were almost closed into slits with laughter, and her heart was filled with boundless joy.
"I'm glad you like it." Seeing her smile, a faint smile also appeared on Song Huaizhi's face without him even realizing it. "I knew you would like it."
The young man's tone was confident, with a hint of youthful bravado that was quite rare in Song Huaizhi. At this moment, Song Huaizhi seemed to be that 15 - year - old young man, high - spirited and smiling brightly.
Meng Ruyi didn't even know how she got back. When she came to her senses, she was already lying on the bed, hugging the abacus.
It was so wonderful. These three words seemed to be the only thing left in Meng Ruyi's mind. She was filled with happiness.
There was the happiness of receiving a gift, but more importantly, there was the sense of fulfillment of being cherished by someone.
Meng Ruyi kept caressing this little abacus and fell asleep with a smile on her face.
Just as she was about to fall asleep in a daze, she thought that she would hug this little abacus every day from now on.