On his solar birthday, Bai Jinyan always celebrated it together with him. In the past, no matter how busy his older brother was, he would always come back.
After that, Qiao Huaiyao didn’t say it out loud, but Zhao Jiamo could vaguely understand what was going on from that day’s observations.
He nodded without asking too many questions, “These are the roses and petals you wanted, I got all that I could find nearby. Let’s see if it’s enough.”
There were quite a lot of roses, and he was afraid of damaging them. Zhao Jiamo pushed two large boxes over, with a small cart underneath. This way was more stable than carrying the boxes.
Qiao Huaiyao didn’t need much, “It’s enough, thank you.”
“Why did you think of using roses? I saw that there are plenty of flowers suitable for decorating the scene over there in the flower area, even flower baskets for the tables, but there are no roses inside, so I didn’t get any.”
When it came to roses, Zhao Jiamo could only think of love. This flower had become a symbol of love. He thought for a moment and suddenly widened his eyes, “You’re not thinking…”
Qiao Huaiyao’s face turned red, “No…”
Seeing the situation getting worse, he thought for a moment and said, “Roses are because before I learned how to dance on stage, my brother gave me a bouquet of roses.”
“Oh, I see,” Zhao Jiamo lost his interest; there were no melon seeds left to eat.
“That’s fine; you’re busy with your work.” As he turned around, Zhao Jiamo thought of something and raised an eyebrow, “I’ll go to the kitchen later. If my brother comes back, I’ll let you know in advance. Remember to keep an eye on your phone. If you’re not ready, let me know promptly, and I’ll delay him.”
After saying that, Zhao Jiamo left happily. Qiao Huaiyao’s cake was already in the oven, and the cream was ready as well. Cream mixed with strawberry juice was difficult to whip. After whipping it, it needed to be chilled in the fridge. The frosting process would also be straightforward. The strawberry juice was sparingly used, just enough to give it a slight pink hue. Thinly sliced strawberries would look better when placed on top.
All the ingredients were laid out on the table. Qiao Huaiyao checked them once to ensure nothing was missing before taking out the cake base. Qiao Huaiyao didn’t use fruits; Bai Jinyan didn’t like them. The horizontally sliced cake had a layer of strawberry pieces added to it.
Making a cake might seem simple, but it was actually challenging to spread the cream evenly on a soft and fluffy cake base. When it was almost done, Qiao Huaiyao delicately placed thin strawberry slices on top. Stepping back half a step, Qiao Huaiyao looked at it; it looked good.
He placed the cake in the refrigerator to set and then turned to arrange the roses. He placed roses in suitable vases, hung paintings, and trimmed them to fit. The remaining rose petals were scattered on the floor, filling the room with their fragrance.
Qiao Huaiyao looked at the roses in his hand, plucked a few petals, rinsed them, and gently decorated the cake with them. In the pitch-black live room, a flickering light suddenly appeared on the screen.
Live streaming comments immediately flooded in: [“Wife, what’s going on? Am I seeing this right? Are those roses?”]
[“This shower of roses, could it be a confession after all? Ahhh! The dog program! Why do they always start live broadcasts without warning? What have I missed?”]
[“Sob, have they declared their relationship? Tell me they did something all night.”]
[“Calm down, there are no signs of the roses being stepped on, and Bai Jinyan is not there, so it must have happened before the confession. Let me shout for my sisters to come over and celebrate.”]
…
Analyzing Bai Jinyan’s live stream ending time, Qiao Huaiyao took the cake out. Besides the dishes and small cake plates specifically for the cake, there was only the bouquet of roses standing in a flowerpot. The director had provided candles for each group of guests. Perhaps the intention was to create a warm atmosphere with the candlelit dinner.
Qiao Huaiyao arranged these on the candle holders and placed small round candles in them. He didn’t light them; they looked like exquisite decorations on their own. A phone on the table lit up, displaying a message from Zhao Jiamo: [Bai Jinyan has gone back. I just checked the other group of guests. When I wasn’t paying attention, someone disappeared. How’s it going on your end? I’m going out to look for him now.]
Qiao Huaiyao: “I’m all set here.”
Zhao Jiamo walked while reading the message, visibly relieved, and replied, [Alright.]
After a pause, he typed again: [The camera will automatically shut down one hour after dinner starts.]
This was a friendly reminder. Setting up a warm scene was important, but an hour was enough. The rest depended on the guests themselves. The spontaneous, heartfelt moments with their families were the most touching. On camera, it was hard to convey that.
Qiao Huaiyao replied with a [Got it,] put down his phone, and got up to close all the doors and windows in the room. He also drew the curtains. Only one candle on the table was lit.
The heavy curtains blocked most of the daylight, and not even a glimmer could be seen through the door crack. However, it was still daytime, so it was impossible to completely block it out. Qiao Huaiyao sat at the table, with most of his body hidden in the darkness. The prepared gift was placed on the nearby table; he could reach it at any moment. If it weren’t for this opportunity provided by the director’s team, he would still celebrate Bai Jinyan’s birthday. Maybe at that time, he would think more about how not to be discovered by Bai Jinyan.
After some time passed, the sound of keys unlocking the door came from the other side. Bai Jinyan walked in and asked, “Why are all the curtains closed?” He had noticed something was amiss when he entered from outside; even the windows were closed.
Qiao Huaiyao got up and walked over to Bai Jinyan’s side, holding something behind his back with one hand, “Brother.”
“Hmm?” Bai Jinyan didn’t turn on the lights, thinking that Qiao Huaiyao must have a reason for everything he did.
Qiao Huaiyao chuckled and reached out to swipe his cheek with cream. He had prepared a little extra cream for this purpose. Bai Jinyan hesitated for a moment, feeling something on his cheek. He raised an eyebrow, looking calmly at Qiao Huaiyao.
Qiao Huaiyao noticed Bai Jinyan’s dangerous gaze and, without further ado, turned and ran. Bai Jinyan followed him into the dining room, where he saw a cake with lit candles on the table and roses that were starting to reveal their original form.
Qiao Huaiyao lifted his hand to turn on the main light control for the room, and he held a bouquet of roses, just like the one Bai Jinyan had given him before. He presented the roses with a smile and said, “Brother, happy birthday.”
Bai Jinyan’s initial stunned look transformed into a smile. He said, “It seems like the director planned this from the beginning?”
Qiao Huaiyao cleared his throat, his gaze flickering, “It’s a surprise. If I had been discovered before everything was ready, it wouldn’t have been a surprise.”
Taking the bouquet of roses, Bai Jinyan raised his hand and rubbed Qiao Huaiyao’s hair, saying, “You’ve worked hard.”
“Wipe the cream off your face and make a wish to blow out the candles,” Qiao Huaiyao said, taking Bai Jinyan’s hand and leading him to the table.
The candles on the strawberry cake were still burning, and the wax hadn’t dripped yet.