Finally, Tang Yuanyuan finished writing her wishes on the card and passed it to the saleslady for wrapping.
Since Tang Yuanyuan was the one giving the gift, Yuchi Yishu did not pay for her. After making the payment with her credit card, she turned to Yuchi Yishu.
“Yishu, I’m done. Let’s go.”
“Sure.”
The two then went to grab dinner before Yuchi Yishu sent her back to school.
Before she left, Yuchi Yishu charged her, “Do you remember everything that I told you?”
“Ah?” Tang Yuanyuan was unable to react.
Yuchi Yishu let out a sigh of relief. “It’s about you not attending the birthday party. We talked about it just this afternoon. How can you forget it already?”
“Ah, that. Of course, Yishu. Please rest assured that I won’t forget it. I wasn’t able to react all of a sudden about what you were trying to say.”
Tang Yuanyuan immediately patted her chest and vouched for it. “I’ll pass her the gift and explain to her as soon as I get back.”
“Sure”.
Yuchi Yishu gently rubbed her head and whispered, “Go in then and remember to go to bed early tonight after giving her the gift. If she asks you why you’re not attending, tell her you have something else to take care of. If she follows up, just mention the gift. Do you understand?”
Tang Yuanyuan nodded her head, unsure if she really understood.
After that, she waved Yuchi Yishu off and walked into the school campus.
Since she got back to the dormitory early, Meng Kefei was not around. Right now, Zhang Xiaolu was using her facial mask as Yuan Yuehan came out of the bathroom. The moment Yuan Yuehan saw Tang Yuanyuan she greeted her warmly, “Yuanyuan, you’re back! Where did you go today? Did you go shopping?”
She stared at the exquisite-looking bag as she spoke.
“Uh-huh.” Tang Yuanyuan nodded while biting her lower lip, contemplating how to start the conversation. After some thought, she realized that since Yuan Yuehan would have to face rejection no matter what, she might as well be upfront with her.
“Right, Yuehan, I have something to tell you.”
“Yes?”
“About your birthday party—I’m afraid I won’t be able to go anymore.”
The smile on Yuan Yuehan’s face froze as she heard these words. It took her a few seconds before she came back to her senses.
“What’s going on? Didn’t you just promise me last night that you would be going? Why the sudden change of mind?”
Biting her lower lip, Tang Yuanyuan did not respond.
“Did something happen? Yuanyuan, are you still having doubts about me?”
“No. No.” Tang Yuanyuan shook her head. “I’m not doubting you. It’s just that I have other things to take care of at that time.”
Before Yuan Yuehan could follow up, Tang Yuanyuan was reminded of what Yuchi Yishu told her. So, she showed her the gift.
“By the way, this is the gift that I picked for you today. Even though I won’t be able to make it, I prepared this gift for you.”
Yuan Yuehan was stunned. “Is this for me?”
The exquisite-looking bag stirred up Yuan Yuehan’s curiosity as to what was in it.
“Yes. This is your birthday gift from me.”
Yuan Yuehan took the bag from her, and one could tell from the wrapping that it was an expensive gift. Even though Yuan Yuehan came from a wealthy family, she could never measure up to Tang Yuanyuan’s family background. At this point, she was excited to find out what Tang Yuanyuan had got for her.
The look of the bag suggested that it was something expensive. If that was the case, Yuan Yuehan felt that whether or not Tang Yuanyuan attended her birthday party no longer mattered.
After Yuan Yuehan opened it, she found a perfume, though it was a brand that she had never seen before.
“Well, I forgot to ask you what kind of perfume you liked before I went, so I asked the saleslady to find one that’s not too bold nor too mild. I hope you’ll like it.”
At this point, Yuan Yuehan felt disappointed. She was hoping that it would be something extremely expensive. Turns out it’s just perfume.
How expensive can perfume get?
Yuan Yuehan’s expectations about Tang Yuanyuan had disappeared. However, for the sake of their long-term plan, she still managed to put on a smile.
“I like it. Thank you.”
“Really? Do you like the scent?”
Yuan Yuehan sniffed it and nodded. “Yes, I like the scent too. Thank you so much. But are you really not going to come? I’ve got many good-looking guys to introduce to you at my birthday party. As you look so different now, they will definitely like you.”
Again, Tang Yuanyuan remembered what Yuchi Yishu told her, so she quickly responded, “I’m sorry, but I have some other matters to take care of. Did you shower already? I’m going to take mine now.”
As Tang Yuanyuan finished, she quickly left.
After closing the bathroom door, she waited for a moment to listen if anything was going on out there. Then, she let out a sigh of relief and thought that Yuchi Yishu’s method worked.
At this point, Yuan Yuehan took the perfume box and walked up to Zhang Xiaolu. She puckered up her lips while pointing at the perfume in her hand, looking disgruntled.
Zhang Xiaolu glanced at the perfume and whispered, “That’s very stingy of her. Doesn’t she come from a wealthy family? Why did she pick such a cheap gift?”
Yuan Yuehan thought the same. She took the lid of the perfume and sniffed it, commenting, “But this perfume smells pretty good. It’s different from what I usually have. It’s neither bold nor mild; it’s quite pleasant.”
“Really?” Zhang Xiaolu got up. “Let me see.”
Yuan Yuehan passed it to her to let her have a smell. “It does have a nice scent. What brand is it?”
“I’ve never seen it before. It’s probably an unknown brand. Whatever. We should be happy that she doesn’t hate us after what we said to her, much less expect her to buy me something expensive.”
Yuan Yuehan exhaled. “We should’ve maintained a good relationship with her since the beginning.”
Hearing this prompted Zhang Xiaolu to chuckle, “If you’re worried about that, you should stop gossiping about her. Our dorm is so small; do you think she can’t hear you from the bathroom?”
Yuan Yuehan’s face dropped and turned to the bathroom as she lowered the volume of her voice.
“I doubt she can. Whatever. I’ll just be more careful in the future.”
Later, she put the perfume away before she remembered something.
“By the way, if she’s not coming to my birthday party, how are we supposed to get her on our side?”
Zhang Xiaolu removed the facial mask on her face, threw it into the trash can, and gently rubbed her face while commenting, “I feel like it’s normal for her to not want to go. It would take time before she can fully forgive us. If she’s not going, you can still bring Meng Kefei.”
“You’re right.”
“We have to execute our plan slowly; we still have plenty of time anyway.”
Yuan Yuehan let out a sigh of relief. It seemed like she had to accept the situation. At this point, Meng Kefei opened the door after coming back from work.
Looking exhausted, Meng Kefei ignored Yuan Yuehan as she walked into the room and headed straight to the bathroom.
“Yuanyuan is taking a shower.”
This sentence made Meng Kefei stop in her tracks.
Suddenly, Yuan Yuehan thought about something and walked to her.
“Have you told your boss that you are going to take a day off?”
