"What, what is this?" Xu Nianhua stared blankly at the red little square box, her first reaction was that it was a ring.
But, she was only a freshman...
"A gift," Pei Yicheng raised an eyebrow, looking at her expression, his smile deepened as he said, "Aren’t you going to open it?"
"Today isn’t any special holiday." Xu Nianhua hesitated to accept it, not wanting to touch it. What if it was a ring? Should she accept? Or should she decline?
"To celebrate your first place in the competition."
Pei Yicheng pushed the little square box toward her, and seeing her reluctance to take it, his expression dimmed, saying, "Nianhua, don’t you like my gift?"
Xu Nianhua immediately shook her head. His dark eyes instantly dimmed, stirring a sense of heartache within her. She felt as though she’d committed an unspeakable crime, like she’d bullied him. She took the little square box, looked down at the exquisitely made box and said, "Yicheng, you don’t have to buy me gifts. The competition was just a written test, it’s only the beginning."
Stalling no further, Xu Nianhua opened the little square box, revealing a small and delicate Little Jade Buddha.
"Eh?" Xu Nianhua quietly breathed a sigh of relief in her heart when she saw that it wasn’t a ring.
Pei Yicheng teased her with a look, deliberately saying, "I’ll go buy a ring tomorrow, and the day after that we’ll go get our marriage license."
"No, we can’t." Xu Nianhua reflexively rejected it, but looking up to see him teasing, where could she not know that Pei Yicheng was just playing around?
Pei Yicheng sighed, saying, "The road to wooing a wife is long, I still need to work hard."
Xu Nianhua was instantly stunned. She looked at Pei Yicheng, thinking back to the first time she saw him, that cold demeanor, those eyes indifferent to everything, and she couldn’t help but be dazed.
This was completely different from the lofty male god she had first seen!
"If I had given a ring, would you have accepted me then?" Pei Yicheng leaned forward, his eyes full of anticipation.
Should she answer yes or no?
"This Little Jade Buddha is so beautiful, where did you buy it? The color and texture are very good." Xu Nianhua decisively changed the subject.
Pei Yicheng didn’t press for an answer and went along with her change of topic, saying, "Haizi went to Yun City a while ago, where jade is produced. He brought back a piece, and I had someone make it into this Little Jade Buddha."
"Do you like it?" Pei Yicheng didn’t mention that to make this jade Buddha, he had sought out a master craftsman. The craftsman was very skilled but old in age and didn’t usually work with his hands anymore, only offering guidance to his apprentices.
But Pei Yicheng wanted the Little Jade Buddha to be well-crafted. It took several visits to convince the master craftsman to do the work.
Indeed, when the finished product was ready, Pei Yicheng felt his efforts hadn’t been in vain, as the Little Jade Buddha was indeed very beautiful and exquisite, it even dazzled him at first glance, looking far better than those available in the market.
Xu Nianhua held the Little Jade Buddha, feeling its cool touch. She didn’t understand jade, but even from the feel and appearance, she could sense this piece of jade was extraordinary.
"Let me put it on for you." Pei Yicheng didn’t give Xu Nianhua any chance to refuse. He took the Little Jade Buddha and began to drape it around her pure white neck.
His unique scent hit her, as he carefully and seriously put the Little Jade Buddha on her. He was focused and exuded an indescribable charm.