When they came out of the Western restaurant, it was almost ten o’clock.
They weren’t hungry to begin with and didn’t eat much. At the end of December, Ningcheng was already in the cold winter. With each breath, they exhaled white mist.
From the Western restaurant to Jiang Yumo’s house, it takes less than twenty minutes to walk.
As Jiang Yumo’s residential area drew closer, Duan Ye slowed down his pace, hoping to prolong this walk a little longer. During this time, he rarely bothered her and hardly contacted her at all. He knew she was busy, so he cherished this opportunity to have a meal together and take a walk. He also had his own selfish motive— he wanted to spend more time with her.
Duan Ye was carrying a bag, and he unzipped it to take out a box and handed it to her.
Fortunately, it was evening.
If it were daytime, his expression would be impossible to hide. Although he had given her gifts many times before, he would always feel nervous each time.
Jiang Yumo was a bit surprised as she stared at the box. It seemed like… a mobile phone?!
“What is this?” she looked up at him.
Duan Ye gazed at her and said in a gentle voice, “Mobile phone.”
Jiang Yumo : “…”
Why would he give her a mobile phone? When she snapped out of it, she quickly said, “But I already have a mobile phone.”
“I know,” Duan Ye said. “But didn’t you mention that the battery doesn’t last long? It’s time to replace it. Moreover, this new mobile phone has a higher resolution camera and all the latest features. It’s said to be the most popular model with high sales.”
Jiang Yumo still had some difficulty comprehending, “This… Isn’t it too expensive?”
She couldn’t accept it, and she didn’t dare to accept it.
Duan Ye : “No.”
He didn’t think it was expensive, he just felt that she needed a better phone right now, so he bought it.
Jiang Yumo shook her head, “No, we’re still students.” If both Duan Ye and she were already working, she would accept this gift because it wouldn’t be money from the parents, and she would have the ability to give him a gift of equal value.
Since she was young, her parents always told her that in friendships, there should be give and take. One should not only give without receiving anything in return, nor should one only receive without giving. This applied to any kind of relationship.
Duan Ye knew what she was worried about, “It’s money I earned myself, not something I asked from my Mom.”
He looked at her, her hair was disheveled by the wind, standing in the cold air, her nose slightly red. For a moment, his heart softened deeply, “And, it’s something I want to give you. That’s my motivation.”
Jiang Yumo suddenly looked up, “You earned it yourself?”
Duan Ye cleared his throat lightly.
She always seemed to miss the main point, shouldn’t the main point be ‘that’s my motivation’?
He chuckled and said, “Sometimes I sell in-game equipments, and sometimes I play basketball with people outside and win prizes.”
He only mentioned a few things like that.
“Oh!” Jiang Yumo looked at him admiringly. “You’re so amazing. You can earn your own money now.”
By comparison, she felt like a useless person.
She didn’t doubt the truth in his words at all. Duan Ye was such a person; he would never lie to her. Whenever he spoke, it must be the truth.
Duan Ye smiled and shook his head. “It’s not that amazing.”
If he were truly amazing, things wouldn’t be the way they are now, and he wouldn’t hesitate to give her a phone, causing her to be too frightened to accept it.
If he were truly amazing to a certain extent, she wouldn’t warn him not to buy flowers.
She would accept everything he wanted to give her.
Jiang Yumo : “No way, you’re clearly incredibly amazing!”
She is not a timid person. After he said that, if she still doesn’t accept it, his mood wouldn’t be very good either.
But she can’t give nothing in return.
After thinking it over, she finally came up with a good idea and accepted the phone.
Duan Ye felt relieved.
He genuinely hoped she would accept it; otherwise, he wouldn’t have bought it.
“Let’s make this clear,” Jiang Yumo said. “I can only use it secretly. If my parents find out, they will definitely scold me and make me pay you back.”
Duan Ye pressed his lips tightly and sighed. “No need for that.”
Jiang Yumo chuckled. “So, I’ll use it secretly. How about this? From now on, until after the college entrance exams, whenever we’re at school, you have to use my meal card, even if it’s just to buy a bottle of mineral water. If I catch you paying for yourself, hmph.”
She looked at him smugly. “I’ll have Zhao Zheng and Guo Shichao supervise you. Oh, I should set up a reward for them too. For example, give them some benefits if they successfully report you. I’ll think about it.”
Duan Ye laughed and looked at her, appearing very happy. He didn’t refuse her. “Alright.”
Anyway, he wouldn’t spend much money at school. Normally, it was just for meals and drinks. He wouldn’t spend much in a day.
As long as she accepts this phone, it’s fine.
Jiang Yumo began to hesitate. He gave her a phone, so can she still give her gift? She thought he would give chocolates, but who knew he suddenly made a big move, it was really an unconventional move.
But if she didn’t give it, wouldn’t her efforts go to waste, and he would also be disappointed, right?
A prepared gift should definitely be given!
After hesitating and struggling, in the end, she gritted her teeth, took her backpack from his hands, unzipped it, and took out a beautifully crafted notebook with a lock and a key.
“There are two small keys, one for me and one for you.” Jiang Yumo handed him the notebook. “You can’t read it now, read it when you go back. Let’s make it clear, it’s not a very good gift because I haven’t had time recently, you know. Just bear with it for now, and I’ll prepare a big surprise for you on the next holiday.”
Duan Ye’s gaze was gentle as he accepted the notebook. “Alright, I’ll read it when I go back.”
“Only you can read it, don’t show it to anyone else, you know?”
“Don’t worry.” She didn’t need to remind him; he wouldn’t let anyone else see it.
Jiang Yumo thought for a moment and added, “When I start earning money in the future, I will also give you very nice gifts.”
But that will have to wait until she goes to university and finds a part-time job. Ah, it feels so far away.
Duan Ye was stunned. “Okay.”
He doesn’t need very nice gifts anymore.
As long as she looks at him, it’s enough.
After seeing Jiang Yumo off downstairs and seeing the light in her room on, Duan Ye turned around and left.
On his way home, before he reached the third floor, he unexpectedly saw Zhou Ji at the staircase on the second floor.
Zhou Ji was sitting on the steps, lost in thought, with a smile that couldn’t be concealed on his face. He hadn’t even noticed Duan Ye’s arrival. His smile looked silly.
Duan Ye : “…”
He walked past Zhou Ji and went up to the third floor to get the keys. It was only when there was some noise that Zhou Ji snapped back.
Zhou Ji turned his head and said, “You’re back?”
He also stood up and patted his pants, preparing to go upstairs.
While Duan Ye was getting the keys, he also found the necklace hidden by Zhou Ji in the strawberry cake. His tone was indifferent as he said, “Catch.”
“What?”
Duan Ye threw the necklace towards Zhou Ji.
Although Zhou Ji was still wondering what he meant, his body instinctively reacted faster and caught the necklace. He looked at it closely and smiled, “You didn’t give it to her?”
This was the surprise he had carefully prepared. Which girl wouldn’t like it?
He thought that Jiang Yumo would wear this necklace.
Duan Ye glanced at him and said, “Give what you gave?”
rokumi’s note : for the last line, Duan Ye meant that why would he gave his girl an accessory that another man had bought… I hope the nuance was delivered properly.
Omigosh this is all so pleasant. I love this novel ♡♡♡