This day was actually not Yue Qingqing’s real birthday but a date registered by the Yue Family when getting her household registration done.
She had no idea how Jiang Jingze had found out.
Yue Qingqing was lost in thought, dazing off until they got off the Ferris wheel and Jiang Jingze sent her home.
"This is your birthday gift," Jiang Jingze said in the hallway, handing a long box to Yue Qingqing, "I hope you’re happy every day."
It was only then that Yue Qingqing finally reacted, mumbling, "Thank you..."
Jiang Jingze didn’t say much else, just ruffled the girl’s hair. "Go on home, I’ll watch you go in."
Yue Qingqing’s mind was a fog, with a guess that wasn’t quite precise.
She just felt that he was putting too much thought into her.
Yue Qingqing could no longer deceive herself with the lifesaving debt as an excuse.
The Jiang Family had plenty of money; if he was merely trying to repay a favor, he could have settled many things with money or assisted her father in business.
But the kindness Jiang Jingze showed her was obviously not included in that.
Back in her bedroom, Yue Qingqing opened the gift to find a jade hairpin lying quietly in the box.
It was carved from a single piece of warm jade, not cold to the touch, and beautifully crafted; she thought it surely wasn’t cheap.
But it certainly wasn’t the kind of gift a modern person would think of first.
Yue Qingqing held the hairpin, her heart in turmoil, as if some matters were punctured, forcing her to face them.
In the following days, Yue Qingqing was very jittery.
The sound of the home phone ringing startled her, afraid it was Jiang Jingze, yet she felt an inexplicable anticipation.
But when she actually picked up the call, Yue Qingqing spoke hurriedly as if the receiver burned her hand and hung up after hardly a few words.
Jiang Jingze, listening to the monotone busy signal, raised an eyebrow.
Frightened the young girl.
However, Jiang Jingze had no regrets.
Opportunities are fleeting; some things, if not spoken at the moment, might have to be hidden in the heart forever.
Moreover, Qingqing’s flustered behavior now seemed to indicate certain things.
Otherwise, given Yue Qingqing’s personality, she could have straightforwardly returned the item to him and cleared everything up.
With this in mind, Jiang Jingze decided to give her some space, to let her mull over it on her own.
After all, she was still young, and he couldn’t pressure her too much.
Yue Qingqing didn’t know Jiang Jingze’s thoughts; she was frightened every day.
When the phone rang again, she swallowed hard and involuntarily stepped back.
Zhang Ying was busy in the kitchen, thinking Yue Qingqing hadn’t heard.
"Qingqing, answer the phone."
Yue Qingqing stiffly picked up the phone, but on the other end was Gong Qiming’s voice.
"May I speak with Yue Qingqing?"
"Little Senior Brother!" Yue Qingqing breathed a sigh of relief and her tone brightened.
"You’re home today? Why didn’t you go out? Oh, by the way, I had someone send me a newspaper from Zhuancheng. Our little sister is doing great, becoming a top scholar and bringing glory to our sect. I wanted to fly over and take you out, but I just got off work and had to join a group shot. It’s annoying to be a celebrity; too many fans. I’m mobbed wherever I go, so being on set is more convenient. It’s closed management, so they can’t come in..."
Yue Qingqing, resisting the urge to hang up, coped with Gong Qiming using monosyllables like "Mhm," "Right," and "Okay."
Finally, once the call ended and the phone rang again, Yue Qingqing was startled once more, shakily answering the phone only to find it was Yan Sinian.
Yan Sinian naturally also called to congratulate his little sister on her excellent exam results and mentioned Hua Miaofu’s matter as well.
However, since the senior brothers had resolved the issue, Yue Qingqing didn’t pay much attention to it.
She let out a breath but felt a strange emptiness in her heart.
Yet she didn’t know what she was expecting.