"I just came out of the stadium. It was too noisy inside, and I didn’t hear my phone," Ye Wanwan explained to Shen Yi why she hadn’t answered his call.
"Mm," Shen Yi nodded slightly, showing that he understood. "So the concert has just ended?"
"Just over. Qiqi couldn’t hold it anymore and went looking for the restroom. I’m waiting for her here," Ye Wanwan said, barely suppressing a laugh.
Yu Qiqi had earlier refrained from missing any song, so she had been holding it in the whole time without going to the restroom.
Having emerged from the crowd, Ye Wanwan could finally see the screen properly without it shaking.
However, as soon as Ye Wanwan got a clear view of the image on the phone screen, she couldn’t help but frown. Before Shen Yi could say anything, Ye Wanwan asked, "Did I just see Taozhi a moment ago?"
Shen Yi instinctively looked back and then saw the fat cat squatting on the edge of a small sofa’s backrest, appearing on the phone screen because of the angle at which Shen Yi was holding the phone.
"You came home?" Ye Wanwan was full of disbelief. How had Shen Yi suddenly come back without even giving her a heads-up?
Shen Yi, for some reason, blinked repeatedly as he looked at Ye Wanwan on the screen, his lips pressed together in silence for a few seconds before he slowly said, "Isn’t today your birthday?"
Shen Yi paused for a few seconds and continued, "I had wanted to give you a surprise, but I ended up missing it."
Despite the semblance of a helpless smile on Shen Yi’s face, there was clearly a hint of indescribable grievance in his words.
In an instant, Ye Wanwan was filled with guilt. Shen Yi had specifically returned from abroad for her birthday, yet she was not at home.
Although Shen Yi’s failure to inform her in advance played a role, he certainly hadn’t anticipated her spending her birthday out, and he wanted to surprise her, which is why he hadn’t said anything.
"I’m sorry, I didn’t do it on purpose!" Ye Wanwan furrowed her brows, pouting, unsure of what to say.
But it was Shen Yi who comforted Ye Wanwan with a gentle smile, saying, "It’s okay, the most important thing is that you’re happy on your birthday."
"But you came back specially," Ye Wanwan still felt downhearted.
Then Ye Wanwan quickly added, "I will come back tomorrow afternoon."
Hearing Ye Wanwan’s words, Shen Yi was filled with regret, "I’m leaving early tomorrow morning."
The trip back and forth to D Country took so long. He had barely managed to squeeze out three days’ time, most of which would be wasted on the long-haul flights.
Hearing this, Ye Wanwan frowned even more, her face clearly unhappy.
She had wondered why Shen Yi had been so busy these past few days, still working in the study past one in the morning.
Wasn’t it all to come back for her birthday and surprise her?
As a result, the little time that Shen Yi had managed to carve out from his late-night overtime was all wasted on that long flight.
And he would leave without even seeing her.
Shen Yi hoped that Ye Wanwan would always be happy and carefree, without any worries.
However, he still harbored a sliver of selfishness. Seeing Ye Wanwan upset over the missed chance to see him, Shen Yi’s repressed feelings about his special trip being wasted vanished.
Wanwan did care about him after all, otherwise, why would she be unhappy about not seeing him?