Lu Yan watched her leave the study with a smile in his eyes. Only after she was out of sight did he slowly turn his gaze to the computer screen.
The smile lingering on his lips gradually faded away, replaced by obvious coldness.
Song Qin had just called. Although this driver had a clean background, he had also met Lin Chuluo a week ago.
This driver used to drive for a boss. By chance, he got involved in something he shouldn't have at a drinking party and became a drug addict. The debts his family owed were beyond his ability to pay off in his lifetime.
But he still had a shred of conscience left. He wanted his wife and children to get out of the bitter sea and live a normal life.
Obviously, Lin Chuluo had the ability to make that happen.
That was exactly what led to this accident. The driver had been determined to die, which was why he had been so crazy, ramming directly into Lu Yan's car without the slightest hesitation.
Lin Chuluo was still the same, using the same tactics as before.
She was good at manipulating people's hearts, directly hitting the weakest part of human nature.
Lu Yan's eyes darkened.
He was not the type to sit back and wait for death, nor would he swallow his anger. He directly contacted several business partners that Xinghe had rejected before and re - established the cooperation.
He did it for no other reason than to marginalize Yanyun.
...
When he finished dealing with the matters and came out of the study, the little girl had already changed her clothes and put on a light makeup. She was sitting on the sofa waiting for him.
Hearing the noise at the door, she turned her head and smiled at him. "Are you done?"
Lu Yan nodded. "Yes. Are you all packed?"
Ning Anmiao nodded, her eyes full of excitement. She waved at him. "Haven't had lunch yet, right? Come and have something to eat."
Lu Yan raised his eyebrows, remembering what she had said last night.
She seemed to have made a birthday cake for him with her own hands.
Although he didn't like sweet food, since it was made by her, he couldn't help but feel a bit of anticipation.
"I originally planned to celebrate your birthday tonight, but I'm afraid it'll be very late when we get back. So let's eat the cake now," Ning Anmiao said as she stood up from the sofa and pulled his hand, walking towards the dining table. "This is my first attempt at making a cake. I failed several times before. This one is the most successful."
As she said this, there was a hint of pride on her face.
Hearing her words, the smile on Lu Yan's face deepened. "So much effort?"
"Of course," Ning Anmiao said with a grin. She pressed him into the chair and looked at him mysteriously. "I guarantee you'll like it."
Lu Yan became intrigued and pretended to be serious. "I don't like sweet food. I'm not sure I'll like it."
"It's not sweet," Ning Anmiao said, as if she had already anticipated his preference. She winked at him. "I made a chocolate mousse cake. It's a bit bitter."
Hearing this, Lu Yan became even more eager.
He sat at the table and watched as the little woman swayed her waist and walked into the kitchen with high spirits. Soon, she came out with a box in her hand.
"I've put it in the fridge for a whole night. I don't know if the taste will be affected," Ning Anmiao said as she opened the box, revealing the cake inside.
The round cake was wrapped in a layer of chocolate. There were cocoa crumbs sprinkled on it, and all kinds of fruits were arranged around it. On the top, there were four crooked words written in white cream: "Happy Birthday".
It looked cute and childish.
"Why is it round?" Lu Yan looked at the cute cake and couldn't help but laugh. "I thought it would be square."
Ning Anmiao pouted. "The round one is bigger. It's more satisfying to eat."
In fact, it was because it was difficult to spread the chocolate evenly on a square cake. She had tried several times but failed, so she had to give up in the end.
But she would never tell Lu Yan that and let him laugh at her.
"Well, square or round, it's all the same," Lu Yan said, giving her a meaningful look without exposing her. "Cut the cake."
"Wait, you haven't made a wish yet," Ning Anmiao said loudly. She quickly took out the prepared candles from the drawer and inserted them on the cake.
Finding that there was no lighter, she ran to the coat rack at the door and fished out a lighter from Lu Yan's pocket.
Sure enough, this man had secretly smoked behind her back when she was not around.
Ning Anmiao gritted her teeth. For the sake of celebrating his birthday today, she decided to forgive him for the time being.
Since it was daytime and the light outside was still very bright, Ning Anmiao went to draw the curtains tightly. Still not satisfied, she turned off the lights.
The room became much darker.
Watching the little girl bustling around, Lu Yan couldn't help but smile. He felt a strange sense of contentment.
Being cared about was such a pleasant feeling.
After getting everything ready, Ning Anmiao took the lighter and lit all the candles on the cake one by one. Suddenly, the dining table was filled with flickering candlelight.
"Make a wish quickly," Ning Anmiao blinked. The light of the candles reflected in her eyes, creating a beautiful glow.
It was as if there were stars dancing in her eyes.
The candlelight flickered gently, casting a soft and beautiful light on her face.
Lu Yan imitated her, clasped his hands together, and closed his eyes.
He hadn't made a wish for a long time.
In his view, making wishes to the heavens was unreliable.
All things could only be truly guaranteed and relied on when firmly grasped in one's own hands through one's own abilities.
He had always thought that such illusory wishes were childish.
But at this moment, he felt it was meaningful.
Maybe this was what Ning Anmiao had called the so - called "sense of ritual" before.
"You can open your eyes after you've made your wish," Ning Anmiao's soft voice rang in his ear.
Lu Yan opened his eyes and blew out the candles with her.
The room was suddenly plunged into darkness. In their eyes, they could only see each other.
He looked at her for a long time.
He never got tired of looking at this beautiful little face that had been engraved in his memory.
He remembered that afternoon when he and Lin Chuluo were walking arm in arm with a basketball in their hands. He caught a glimpse of her as they passed by a teaching building.
Her profile was so beautiful that it seemed unreal, completely captivating his calm heart.
He admitted that so - called love at first sight was indeed just lust at first sight.
But he had also come to realize that love that grew over time was more romantic and profound than love at first sight.
...
Ning Anmiao got up, turned on the lights, and drew the curtains. Then she came over to cut the cake.
While cutting the cake, she asked, "What wish did you make?"
She was a bit curious.
Lu Yan looked at her face and said slowly, "A wish won't come true if you say it out loud."
"... Stingy," Ning Anmiao paused in her cutting of the cake and pouted. "I'm not interested at all. I was just asking casually, going through the motions."
Lu Yan rubbed his temples and just smiled without saying a word.
During those dozen seconds with his eyes closed, he hadn't made any substantial wishes. He had only been thinking about how happy he was.
He hoped to be this happy for the rest of his life.