“Her birthday?”
Qu Tantan didn’t react right away. After a moment, she realized he must be referring to Lin Wan’s birthday, and couldn’t help showing a surprised expression.
It turned out that ever since Lin Zhenmo could remember, he and his Mom had never celebrated a birthday. He had only learned her birthday by secretly noting the date when he happened to see her ID.
When he realized her birthday was coming up, he wanted to give her a gift. So recently, he had been secretly delivering milk and handing out flyers to earn money. Though it wasn’t much, he managed to save up enough to buy a present.
The last time Qu Tantan saw him in the bookstore and ended up being resented—it was actually because he didn’t know how to pick a gift and didn’t know who to ask, so he went to the bookstore to look through magazines. Unfortunately, he was spotted and surrounded by upperclassmen he’d had a conflict with.
He thought Qu Tantan had seen him looking at jewelry magazines and got flustered. He was also secretly worried that she might accidentally tell Lin Wan about it, which would ruin the surprise. That’s why he had been so guarded.
Yesterday, after finally saving enough money, he managed to buy the gift—but those same students saw him. Thinking he had money, they came to extort him. When he refused, they got angry, and that led to the brawl Qu Tantan and Lou Xiangwen witnessed yesterday.
Even after being chased off yesterday, those students still came back today, shouting insults at Lin Zhenmo, calling him a bastard, and even mocking that Lin Wan had a man outside and would eventually abandon him, leaving him an orphan.
Lin Zhenmo fought with them again.
When he got home, gift in hand, planning to give it to Lin Wan, he didn’t expect that she wouldn’t be there. He waited a long time, even rehearsing how to wish her a happy birthday. But then she came back, with another man.
The two of them talked outside the door for quite a while. When they came in, Lin Wan immediately questioned if he’d been fighting again, complaining and asking if he could stop making her worry all the time.
All the anticipation and excitement he had instantly vanished, like a bucket of cold water dumped over his head. Remembering what those boys had said during the fight, he coldly demanded to know who the man was. But Lin Wan avoided the topic and didn’t answer. Instead, she begged him not to fight anymore and tearfully apologized, saying it was her fault, that she had failed to give him a good life.
Lin Zhenmo didn’t understand why she would say that. If she kept apologizing, why couldn’t she be stronger for his sake? But whenever he questioned her, she wouldn’t say anything.
Old memories surged up, and on top of that, he had long noticed from her attitude that she avoided talking about his father. That made him pessimistically wonder if she even cared about him at all, if she had regretted giving birth to him in the first place.
Thinking she might abandon him and go off with another man, his emotions spiraled, and he finally couldn’t hold back anymore. He ended up yelling at her.
In his anger, he even hurled the gift he’d bought out the window and stormed out.
Lin Zhenmo finished his explanation in a flat voice, then lowered his head, his expression stubborn, as if saying, “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Qu Tantan was silent for a while. She didn’t try to comfort him directly but gently nudged him. “So… did you go and get the gift back?”
The little hedgehog frowned, clearly not understanding why she asked, but he still shook his head. “I already threw it. No idea where it went.”
He added in a dull, unhappy tone, “It’s something I don’t need anymore. Why would I go get it back?”
“But that was a meaningful gift,” Qu Tantan said matter-of-factly. “Even if you weren’t going to give it to your Mom, you could’ve given it to me.”
Lin Zhenmo looked surprised, and she beamed. “That was your first hard-earned money, right? Isn’t that worth remembering? Just tossing it away is such a waste. Better to let me keep it for you.
“I’ve never gotten a gift from a friend before, come to think of it… I’d actually really like that.”
Did she just say… friend?
Lin Zhenmo turned to look at her. She really meant it. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at him, even tugging his arm back and forth. For the first time, someone was looking forward to something he had done. He suddenly felt like his efforts were being cherished, like that bitter cold had finally been warmed. He pursed his lips and seriously nodded.
So the two kids, without asking Father Qu’s for help, began searching near the window in the dark. The gift box lay quietly in the grass. It was clear from the wrapping that the giver had put real care into it. Unfortunately, someone had stepped on it. One side was crushed, and it was covered in dirt.
Qu Tan-tan carefully opened it. Inside was a beautiful pearl hairclip, though now it was broken.
Lin Zhenmo’s dark eyes dimmed. He regretted his impulsiveness. Now he couldn’t even give it to Qu Tantan, especially after she’d been so excited.
But Qu Tantan didn’t seem upset at all. Instead, she carefully picked up the clip and studied it under the dim hallway light. Then she turned to him, eyes sparkling, and said, “Lin Zhenmo, you have such great taste! This clip is so pretty!”
Lin Zhenmo froze, caught off guard by her genuine praise. His ears turned red.
Then she grabbed his hand and pulled him upstairs. “It’s okay. Mom can definitely fix it. We agreed, remember? This one’s mine.”
Lin Zhenmo hesitated, embarrassed. “But what if she can’t fix it?”
“It’s fine! Even if I can’t wear it, I’ll still treasure it. What matters is the thought behind it.” She turned back and smiled at him, showing her small tiger teeth. “When we grow up and have jobs, we can look back on it. This was your first paycheck, you know. That’s amazing!”
When Lin Zhenmo was told this, he couldn’t help but fall silent. He was then pulled along back to the Qu household, only to find that Mother Qu wasn’t home.
Father Qu has been watching as his precious daughter coaxed the little boy, following behind them slowly, a strange feeling surfacing in his heart.
Was this… what they called natural talent?
And when did they start holding hands? It felt way too natural!
Feeling a bit jealous, Father Qu kept glancing at their joined hands, but since it wasn’t a good time to interrupt, he could only suppress his discomfort. Still, he reminded them that Mother Qu was probably next door right now.
Upon hearing that, Lin Zhenmo frowned, clearly unwilling to go home.
But Qu Tantan’s eyes lit up. Ignoring his reluctance, she eagerly dragged him toward the next house, stepping openly into a space that had once been off-limits.
At that moment, Mother Qu was comforting Lin Wan, who was sitting on the sofa crying, her face full of anxiety and worry. Suddenly, her precious little girl bounced in cheerfully and asked, “Mom, do you know how to fix a hair clip?”
Qu Tantan held up a pretty pearl hair clip, her expectant expression irresistibly cute. Mother Qu couldn’t help but pinch her cheek and asked, “Where did this come from?”
Lin Zhenmo tensed up, glancing nervously at Qu Tantan. She quickly turned her eyes and snuggled into her Mom’s arms, acting coy. “Ah, it’s a secret~ I can’t tell you yet! But Mom, please tell me, can this hair clip still be fixed?”
Mother Qu examined it. Some of the pearls were already worn down. “It can be fixed, but probably not restored to how it originally looked.”
Just as the two kids were looking a bit disappointed, Lin Wan spoke softly, “Can I take a look?”
She was clearly a bit afraid of the cold gaze from her son and didn’t dare to meet his eyes. Instead, she gently looked at Qu Tantan. “I know a bit about accessories, maybe I can help fix it.”
Without hesitation, Qu Tantan handed her the clip, full of trust, seemingly unaware that the little hedgehog beside her had raised his hand to stop her but withdrew it in the end.
Lin Wan studied the clip carefully, then smiled with pressed lips. “It can be fixed. Don’t worry, Tantan, it’ll be ready soon.”
She got up to retrieve her tools and returned, showing a hesitant expression when she looked at Lin Zhenmo, as if wanting to speak to him. But he abruptly turned his head toward Qu Tantan, refusing any interaction.
Her expression dimmed for a moment, but she sat down and focused intently on repairing the clip.
Just as she said, it didn’t take long. She replaced the damaged pearls with other beads, making it look even more delicate and beautiful than before.
Qu Tantan took it, admired it, and exclaimed in awe, “Aunt Wan, you’re amazing! It really looks like it just came from the store!”
Lin Wan shyly tucked her hair behind her ear and gave a bashful smile.
Lin Zhenmo looked slightly affected but forced himself not to glance over, keeping a stiff face and staying silent.
“Aunt Wan, do you think this hair clip is pretty?” Qu Tantan suddenly asked. “Be honest, if someone gave it to you as a gift, would you like it?”
Lin Wan was a little surprised, but still nodded gently. “It’s beautiful. Of course I’d like it.”
Qu Tantan beamed and turned to poke Lin Zhenmo.
He flinched slightly, as if realizing something. His fists clenched as he muttered in a dry voice, “I already promised to give it to you. You don’t have to—”
Even though he tried to lower his voice, everyone still heard him clearly. Lin Wan couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise, “This is a gift from Xiao Mo to Tantan?”
Lin Zhenmo immediately went silent, turning away with a cold face.
Not knowing what kind of silent communication was going on between the two, Lin Wan simply felt happy. “That’s wonderful. Xiao Mo has great taste, the clip is very pretty.”
She assumed that her son had given the gift out of genuine care for the little girl, considering her a close friend. Touched by the thought, Lin Wan gently wiped the corners of her eyes, grateful she had taken care in repairing the clip to thank the Qu family.
Being able to help her son, even a little, and seeing him finally make a good friend after all these years, Lin Wan couldn’t help but feel truly happy.
However, Qu Tantan only gave Lin Wan a faint smile and didn’t respond. She carefully placed the hair clip into a gift box she had brought from home and expertly tied a beautiful bow with a pink-blue ribbon.
Lin Zhenmo already knew what she was trying to do. Watching her movements, he looked aside with a complicated expression. His hand twitched, but in the end, he didn’t stop her.
So when Lin Wan praised Qu Tantan’s nimble hands, the girl suddenly pushed the box in front of her and looked up with a sweet smile.
Her voice was soft and sweet with a hint of childlike innocence, but to Lin Wan, it exploded in her ears like thunder:
“This is actually a birthday gift from Lin Zhenmo especially for you.
“Happy birthday, Aunt Wan.”