Chapter 220 - 117: Li Xiu’s Birthday

Chapter 220: Chapter 117: Li Xiu’s Birthday

Her conversation with her mother before the semester started had left Zhou Lian feeling a little guilty about Li Xiu. Setting aside their past life, everything Li Xiu had done for her in this life filled her with sweetness as she recalled each detail. The look in her eyes as she gazed at him grew ever more tender, her love more openly expressed. This thrilled Li Xiu. His excitement directly propelled the company to a new level. He also bought another large, four-wing courtyard house and contracted a mountain in the suburbs, all specially for Zhou Lian—though she didn’t know it yet.

The ninth day of the eighth lunar month was Li Xiu’s birthday. Zhou Lian realized she had never celebrated it for him, not even in their past life, so she decided she had to give him a proper celebration this year. She secretly discussed it with her mother, and Mrs. Zhou was enthusiastically in favor. Her son-in-law had never had a proper birthday celebration since he was a child. It was rare for her daughter to be so thoughtful, so they absolutely had to make this one special for him. A son-in-law is half a son, and Mrs. Zhou was already fond of Li Xiu. Since coming to the Capital City, her heart ached for him even more.

She prepared Li Xiu’s birthday gift well in advance. Zhou Lian knew what he wanted most. Thinking of their entanglements across two lifetimes and of Li Xiu’s obsessive love for her in both, she smiled. ’He’ll definitely like this gift.’

On the day of Li Xiu’s birthday, Sister Fang and Mrs. Zhou worked together to prepare a grand feast. At noon, after the kids got home from school, they began celebrating. Li Xiu looked at the big table full of family, his smile exceptionally happy. At Mr. Zhou’s urging, he drank some alcohol. Perhaps his tolerance had dropped since he hadn’t drunk in a long time, or perhaps he was just too happy. It wasn’t the wine making him drunk, but his own joy.

Watching the drunken Li Xiu clinging to her and refusing to let go, Zhou Lian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She said to her father, "Dad, why did you make him drink? He’s completely drunk!"

"Let him have some. Getting drunk once in a while is a way to relax," Mr. Zhou said casually. "This son-in-law of mine is meticulous and thoughtful in everything he does, but living like that is exhausting. Especially when it comes to my daughter, he loses all sense of reason. Let him get drunk for once and unwind."

Zhou Lian looked at her father, a bit exasperated. "Relax from what? There’s nothing difficult going on right now, is there?"

Mr. Zhou glanced at his simple, naive daughter and said gently, "Just take him back to his room to rest. That’s enough. Let him get some good sleep."

Giving her father a speechless look, Zhou Lian carefully helped Li Xiu back to their room. She gently helped him lie down on the bed and said softly, "Jin Chen, lie down for a bit. I’ll go get you some water."

As she started to get up, the world spun, and Zhou Lian found herself pinned underneath Li Xiu. He leaned close and whispered in her ear, "Bao’er, I’m not drunk. I drank a little too much, but my mind is still very clear. Bao’er, it’s my birthday today. Bao’er, you haven’t given me my present yet."

Seeing Li Xiu’s deliberately pitiful expression, Zhou Lian paused. ’So he’s not that drunk... It’s just...’

"Jin Chen, you’re not drunk!"

His wife’s voice, both charming and gentle, reached his ear. He replied slowly, "Well, I am a little drunk. It’s just that my mind is especially clear right now."

Even if the man wasn’t completely drunk, he was at least seven- or eight-tenths there. Looking at his tender, adoring gaze, Zhou Lian’s heart melted completely. She said gently, "In that case, Jin Chen, you should get some sleep. When you wake up, I’ll give you a big present."

"Really? Bao’er is going to give me a big present?" Instantly excited, Li Xiu sat up, pulling Zhou Lian into a hug as he spoke.

Gently caressing his face, Zhou Lian said softly, "Yes, really. A big present. So how about you get some sleep now, okay?"

"Then will Bao’er sleep with me? I’m afraid I’ll be too excited to fall asleep," Li Xiu said, a wheedling tone in his voice.

Looking at him like this, Zhou Lian’s heart ached. In two lifetimes, she had never once given him a gift. Gazing at him with love, she said, "Okay, I’ll lie down with you."

Holding his beloved woman, Li Xiu, who hadn’t drunk in a long time, finally succumbed to the alcohol and fell asleep in moments.

Gazing at the sleeping Li Xiu, Zhou Lian gently traced the lines of his handsome, sharp features with her finger. ’How could there be a man like this in the world?’ she wondered. ’A man I once hated to the extreme, and now love to the bone. My personality has always been reserved and subtle; whether with family or friends, my feelings don’t easily show on the surface. But then I ran into this fated one of mine.’

Even Zhang Hongying teased her, saying, "Zhou Lian, anyone can see you’re deeply in love with that man of yours. Why do you think none of the male students at school have expressed any interest in you all these years? It’s not because you’re married, and not because you’re a mother of two. It’s because everyone knows you’re deeply in love with your man, and nobody wants to be shot down. There are plenty of shameless men who only care about looks, but they know you’d never be unfaithful, so they don’t waste their time on you!"

’See! Even my friends can tell how much I love Li Xiu, yet I thought I was hiding it so well. But Li Xiu has always been so insecure. It’s not that he’s too stupid to see it; I’m afraid he just never dared to believe it. No matter what he does, Li Xiu is always confident and in control, but around me, he’s always so unsure of himself, even a little self-deprecating. I don’t think there’s anything particularly outstanding about me, yet for two lifetimes, he’s fallen for me, and only for me.’

’Putting aside the grievances of our past life, what did I ever do to deserve the love of such a man of outstanding character, who loves me as much as his own life?’ She smiled self-deprecatingly. ’In our last life, I thought he had wronged me and I tormented him for most of it. But when I died, he simply followed me. In this life, after being reborn, he was still so careful, cautiously marrying me, doting on me endlessly, and cherishing me completely. What a foolish man!’

Several of the old masters in the Imperial Palace, along with Elder Ping, all admired him greatly. Part of it was because of his master, but it was also undeniable because of his own excellence. Li Xiu was unwilling to join the system, not because he disliked it, but because he didn’t want to devote his time to work, fearing they would spend more time apart than together. Just to stay by her side, Li Xiu gave up his brilliant prospects. What man doesn’t want to rise to power and hold authority? But for her, he gave it all up.

’At first, I really thought Li Xiu disliked the idea of joining the system, so I didn’t want to force him. It was only recently that I understood. It wasn’t that he disliked it; he just didn’t want to divide his time among other people or things. He needed to watch over me. He had no sense of security.’

A while ago, she heard from Wang Dongfang and the others that a few years back, when Li Xiu went south with them, he barely slept. Even when he did, he’d be jolted awake by nightmares. The guys would laugh at him, "A grown man, scared awake by a little dream?" He would just smile and say nothing. It was during their last trip south, which was a bit longer, that his body couldn’t take it anymore. He shouted in his sleep, "Don’t leave me, Bao’er, don’t!" Only then did they realize what his nightmares were about. They said Li Xiu had woken up crying.