Chapter 120: Wishing You a Hundred Years of Good Union

Ten minutes can feel long, yet it can also feel short.

It was enough time for three or four songs, but Su Yuqing felt as if Chen Mo had only hummed a single tune before the driver announced they had arrived.

As she got out of the car, Su Yuqing found herself still savoring the feeling of being pressed so close to Chen Mo.

Chen Mo, on the other hand, didn’t notice. He glanced at his phone and chuckled. "Huang Mao’s getting impatient again. Let’s hurry inside."

Only then did Su Yuqing’s expression return to normal. She smiled, nodded, and followed Chen Mo into the restaurant.

Jiangbin Cottage might have sounded plain, but it was actually quite a high-end establishment.

When Chen Mo and Su Yuqing arrived, they were stopped right at the entrance.

A staff member only swiped a keycard to open the door and let them in after they gave their name and it was confirmed.

Su Yuqing felt a little nervous entering such a fancy place. She subconsciously clutched lightly at Chen Mo’s sleeve, staying close by his side.

Chen Mo glanced over at Su Yuqing. Seeing her like this, he found it surprisingly amusing.

Soon, the two of them arrived at private room 0415, which Huang Mao had specially reserved.

This number was a perfect match for Zhao Yuanyuan’s birthday.

It showed he was quite thoughtful.

The moment Chen Mo pushed the door open, the room, which had been somewhat quiet, suddenly erupted with energy.

"Brother Mo!" Lin Yuxi called out warmly the instant she saw Chen Mo.

After all, Chen Mo always looked out for her brother, Lin Yu’an, so it was only natural that Lin Yuxi was fond of him.

"Brother Mo, what took you guys so long? I’ve been waiting to eat for so long I’m about to starve to death," Zhao Yuanyuan complained the moment she saw Chen Mo and Su Yuqing.

"Hello, Brother Mo. Hi, Sister Yuqing." At that, Zhao Yuanyuan greeted them politely.

Although Zhao Yuanyuan was rather introverted, she was more relaxed around people she knew.

Chen Mo and Su Yuqing had been to Zhao Yuanyuan’s house before, so they were all acquainted.

"We were out picking a birthday present for you. With all this whining, I’m guessing you don’t want it anymore?" Chen Mo first smiled and nodded at Lin Yuxi and Zhao Yuanyuan, then turned to Zhao Yuanyuan and teased her.

"It took you this long to pick out a pencil case?" Zhao Yuanyuan eyed them suspiciously.

"Listen to you. You really think we’d only get you a pencil case?"

Chen Mo handed the bag he was carrying to Zhao Yuanyuan. "The gifts from me and Yuqing are in here."

Zhao Yuanyuan eagerly took the bag.

"Can I open them now?"

"Go ahead. Why not?" Chen Mo smiled and sat down with Su Yuqing in the empty space between Lin Yuxi and Zhao Yuanyuan.

After sitting down, Chen Mo gave Lin Yuxi an indulgent smile and patted her on the head.

Lin Yu’an watched this, feeling quite envious.

Ever since he was a child, he had envied classmates who had an elder to dotingly pat their heads and praise them.

He was especially envious when he saw a teacher pat a classmate’s head, and the student would get a look of pure bliss, their smile filled with pride.

He had never been treated that way as a child.

In order to raise two children, his mother was always overwhelmingly busy and rarely had time to show them affection in their daily lives.

Just providing for them materially took everything she had.

How could she have any energy left to care for her children’s emotional needs?

This envy Lin Yu’an felt—this longing for the affection of a head pat—was a deep-seated desire planted in his heart since childhood.

So much so that even now, as a high school student, he still yearned for and envied that kind of touch.

He, too, desperately wanted someone he looked up to to pat his head, giving him love and encouragement.

So, this emotional projection of his wasn’t just about Chen Mo himself.

It was about the act itself, which Chen Mo was performing.

This was the reason for the fervent look Su Yuqing had seen on Lin Yu’an’s face back at the night market, when Chen Mo patted Lin Yuxi’s head.

Meanwhile, Zhao Yuanyuan had taken the gifts out of the bag.

There were three in total.

One was a pencil case, decorated with some sparkly, jewel-like stickers.

Of course, they were just plastic, but they looked as pretty as crushed diamonds.

Zhao Yuanyuan’s face lit up with joy. "Thanks, Brother Mo."

"There are two more. You can thank us after you’ve seen everything," Chen Mo said with a laugh.

When Zhao Yuanyuan took out the second gift, she saw it was a bottle of citrus-scented aromatherapy. She said cheerfully, "Yuqing must have picked this one. Thank you, Yuqing."

Su Yuqing just smiled, motioning for Zhao Yuanyuan to look at the last gift.

When the last item, a cute little pink purse, was revealed, Zhao Yuanyuan’s eyes lit up like stars as she immediately slung it on. "This purse is so pretty! Who’s it from?"

"It’s from me and Yuqing together," Chen Mo said with a smile.

"I love you guys so much! WAAAH~" Zhao Yuanyuan pretended to cry with joy. "I wish you two a hundred years of happy union, may you grow old together!"

Everyone burst out laughing at her well-wishes.

Chen Mo laughed and teased, "You little rascal, you really know how to show your thanks. We haven’t even given you the most thoughtful gift yet. What are you going to say for that?"

"There’s more?" Zhao Yuanyuan looked at Chen Mo and Su Yuqing in disbelief. "This is already more than enough! It’s just one birthday. Are you trying to give me gifts for several birthdays all at once?"

"It’s your last birthday in high school. We have to make it a big celebration."

After saying that, Chen Mo sent a photo to Zhao Yuanyuan.

Huang Mao leaned over curiously to take a look. It was a picture of a half-finished ceramic mug.

"Yuqing made that for you. The reason we were late is because we were working on it. It was a lot of hard work, so how are you going to thank her?"

"Aww, Yuqing’s Mother really is the best! I have no way to repay you... I’ll just give you a kiss."

With that, Zhao Yuanyuan ran over and planted a kiss on Su Yuqing’s cheek.

This actually made Su Yuqing a little embarrassed, since she wasn’t the one who had made it.

After kissing Su Yuqing, Zhao Yuanyuan glanced at Chen Mo, then shot a quick look at Huang Mao and Su Yuqing before scurrying back to her seat.

Although she thought of Chen Mo as a brother, she didn’t dare to be too affectionate.

It wouldn’t be good if either Su Yuqing or Huang Mao got the wrong idea.

The moment she had that thought, Zhao Yuanyuan suddenly felt that something was off.

’Wait, why am I worried about Yellow Hair getting the wrong idea? Pfft, no, no, no. I’m just worried about Yuqing misunderstanding, that’s all.’

After settling on an excuse for herself, she looked at Huang Mao and said, "Yellow Hair, Brother Mo and Yuqing are here now. Hurry up and tell them to bring the food. I’m starving!"

Hearing this, Huang Mao gave Zhao Yuanyuan an indulgent smile and immediately pressed the service bell.

Soon, the dishes they had ordered for their private room began to arrive.