Chapter 299: Birthday Surprise

“Don’t be silly.” Chen Mo reached out, gently brushing her cheek with the pad of his finger. Her skin felt cool to the touch. “You earned every single one of those points yourself. It’s only natural to want to apply for the best major and aim for the best platform. How is that greedy?”

His tone held an unquestionable certainty that dispelled Su Yuqing’s anxiety, and her tense shoulders slowly began to relax.

A phone on the desk suddenly vibrated, shattering the brief silence.

It was a reminder Su Yuqing had set in her phone’s notepad: “9:00 AM, Zhongxiang University undergraduate admissions website, cutoff scores announced.”

The time had come!

They both looked at the computer screen at almost the exact same moment. Su Yuqing’s finger immediately landed on the mouse’s scroll wheel, and she quickly scrolled down to refresh the page.

The page froze for a second—a brief delay that made Su Yuqing’s heart leap into her throat.

Then, the new page unfurled like a scroll.

Amidst the dense text, her eyes instantly caught the crucial piece of information:

[Zhongxiang University, Xiangchuan Medical College (Gaokao Admissions) Clinical Medicine (Eight-Year Bachelor’s-Doctorate Program) Minimum Admission Score: 665.]

“665!” Su Yuqing turned to Chen Mo. “Is my 675 a safe score?”

“It’s definitely safe. There aren’t many medical students to begin with, and even fewer who score this high and still want to major in clinical medicine. Don’t worry,” Chen Mo said with a smile, patting Su Yuqing on the back.

Hearing Chen Mo’s confident words, joy surged in Su Yuqing’s eyes, and an unreserved smile spread across her lips.

Overjoyed, she threw herself right into Chen Mo’s arms.

Without a word, Chen Mo extended a long arm, gently but firmly pulling her from the chair and into a tight embrace.

His strong arms wrapped tightly around her slender body, his warm chest rising and falling with her slightly excited breaths, conveying the purest joy.

Su Yuqing melted into his embrace.

His familiar warmth—a scent of sunshine and a hint of fresh body wash—enveloped her, chasing away all her anxiety.

Against her ear was the steady, powerful beat of his heart—THUMP, THUMP—thrumming against her eardrum, more powerful than any words.

Her nerves, stretched taut for so long, suddenly relaxed. The accumulated pressure, worry, and self-doubt of the past several days all vanished like smoke, leaving Su Yuqing’s heart feeling utterly light.

Outside the window, the summer cicadas, as if sensing the joy radiating within the room, suddenly chirped louder, their calls full of life.

Sunlight streamed through the window, outlining the two young figures in their tight embrace with a bright golden edge and carving a brilliant patch of light onto the polished floor beneath them.

Tiny dust motes floating in the air now seemed to dance joyfully in the golden sunbeams.

Of course, whether she was actually accepted or not would only be confirmed after she officially submitted her application.

For now, their judgment was based solely on the difference between her score and the minimum cutoff.

They still had to wait for the official acceptance letter to arrive.

In the days that followed, the wait for the acceptance letter was no longer fraught with anxiety. Instead, it was filled with shared dreams and plans for the future.

The two of them researched Xiangchuan Medical College’s curriculum and campus environment, and even began discussing small matters like whether to rent an apartment or live in a dorm.

Their ordinary daily life was filled with a sweetness so thick it couldn’t be stirred and an eager anticipation for their new life.

But beyond all this, another important matter was always on Su Yuqing’s mind—Chen Mo’s birthday in mid-July.

Chen Mo had planned an unforgettable birthday for her before.

Now, with Chen Mo’s birthday approaching, she needed to find some people to help her plan how to arrange it.

…

Time flew by, and soon it was July 10th. Chen Mo’s birthday was only a few days away.

Chen Xi and Chen Miao were too busy to get away, but not wanting to break her promise to her son, Chen Xi had to leave Chen Miao behind and buy a plane ticket back to the country to celebrate her precious son’s birthday.

At the same time, she would help Su Yuqing arrange the celebration they had planned.

Su Yuqing had contacted Chen Mo’s mother and also gotten Zhao Yuanyuan and the others to discuss it with her, all because she wanted to give Chen Mo an even more unforgettable birthday party.

For the past two days, Su Yuqing and Chen Xi had been deliberately avoiding Chen Mo, and he had clearly noticed.

On the morning of Chen Mo’s birthday.

Chen Mo woke up to a familiar, sweet fragrance and habitually reached for the person beside him—only to grasp at empty air.

He opened his eyes. The spot next to him was empty, but the pillow still held Su Yuqing’s unique scent and warmth, proof that she had only just left.

Chen Mo sat up, rubbed his eyes, and his gaze fell on the nightstand.

There, a neatly folded, light-blue card was held in place by a small, fresh white flower still glistening with dewdrops.

Curious, he picked up the card and unfolded it. Inside was Su Yuqing’s elegant yet slightly playful handwriting:

[Happy birthday! Your first surprise is waiting for you in the living room.]

Looking at the words on the card, Chen Mo’s heart couldn’t help but beat a little faster.

He couldn’t help but start looking forward to his birthday surprise.

He quickly washed up, and with a flutter of anticipation mixed with curiosity, he quietly pushed open the bedroom door and walked toward the living room.

The apartment’s living room wasn’t large, but it had been meticulously decorated, filled with a warm birthday atmosphere.

Soft morning light filled the room. The coffee table was covered with a new, cream-colored checkered tablecloth, on which a sumptuous breakfast was laid out: warm milk, toast baked to a golden crisp, a perfectly fried sunny-side-up egg, fresh fruit salad, and a small, exquisite cream cake topped with blueberries—clearly a special [Birthday Breakfast] made just for him.

A small, fresh bouquet of baby’s breath was placed on a corner of the table.

Even more eye-catching was a thin string stretched across the wall next to the sofa, covered with photos of all sizes clipped on with small, colorful clothespins.

The photos weren’t arranged in any particular order, yet they clearly outlined the moments of their life together, from the day they met until now.

On the small sofa below the photo wall rested a hardcover notebook that looked quite hefty, its cover depicting a deep-blue starry sky.

And there stood Su Yuqing, holding a pouch, quietly standing in front of that photo wall. She wore a simple, light-blue dress, her slender figure outlined by the morning light.

Hearing him, she turned around. There was a hint of imperceptible nervousness on her face, but it was overshadowed by a pure, radiant smile that was about to overflow.

“Happy birthday!” Her voice, clearer than the birdsong outside, was filled with sincerity and joy.

Chen Mo walked closer step by step, his gaze sweeping over the carefully chosen, frozen moments on the wall before finally landing on her bright, smiling face. His heart filled with an indescribable warmth and aflutter.