“I know, but it’s a special day today. I wanted to wait for you to have dinner together.” Lu Liangwei smiled sweetly at him.
Warmth bloomed in Long Yang’s heart, and he wrapped his arms around her middle. “No more next time. If you catch a cold, you’ll be the one to suffer.”
“And you’ll be the one to worry about me.” Lu Liangwei added on smoothly, then flashed him a cheeky grin.
“I’m glad you’re aware. Don’t you ever risk your health anymore.” Long Yang took the opportunity to lecture her.
Lu Liangwei felt like rolling her eyes. Was she that fragile to the Emperor? However, she did not retort, because she loved the feeling of being treasured by the Emperor. Even if he saw her as fragile, it did not matter.
As Long Yang led her indoors, his eyes brimming with joy, he lowered his head to glance at her and suddenly said teasingly, “Actually, I’m happy to be treated this way by you.”
Lu Liangwei broke into a smile. “Is that enough to make you touched?”
“Why not?” Long Yang gazed at her tenderly.
Unable to counter him, Lu Liangwei pushed him down onto a chair and said mysteriously, “Close your eyes, Your Majesty.”
“Why?” Long Yang sat down and looked at her curiously.
“Just do as I say,” whined Lu Liangwei.
Smiling, Long Yang glanced at her before closing his eyes obediently.
The palace servants were already used to seeing the Emperor indulge the Empress so unconditionally.
Long Yang’s eyes remained closed, but he could hear the sound of footsteps in the room and Lu Liangwei’s voice as she ordered the servants.
“Put it there… Yes, just like that. Light the candles and blow out all the other lights in the room. All of you may leave now.”
Long Yang listened with a raised eyebrow. Although he had no idea what Weiwei was doing, it sounded nonetheless interesting, and he could not help feeling a little excited.
When all was silent once again in the room, Lu Liangwei walked over to him, took his hand, and said gently, “Come with me, Your Majesty. But you still can’t open your eyes.”
Long Yang smiled and answered softly, “All right.”
After following her lead and taking a few steps, he heard Lu Liangwei say, “You can open your eyes now, Your Majesty.”
Long Yang opened his eyes at her command, only to find that all the lights in the palace had gone out, except for a few flickering candles.
In the midst of his puzzlement, he felt the girl’s soft body lean into him. With her hand on his arm, she stood up on her tiptoes, only managing to kiss him on the chin due to her short stature, then moved away and said softly, “Happy birthday, Your Majesty!”
Dazed, Long Yang caught sight of a round, intricate object on the table; on it were a few candles and several different-colored petals that spelled out the words – ‘Happy Birthday, Your Majesty!’
The sight before him filled Long Yang’s heart with an indescribable emotion.
Gazing at the girl’s smiling face, he opened his mouth, but all that came out was, “You did this?”
Lu Liangwei nodded and replied earnestly, “It’s your birthday today. I don’t have anything to give you, so I made a birthday cake. I hope you like it, Your Majesty.”
Long Yang felt his heart swell with happiness. Even an unfeeling person like him had to admit that, right now, he was deeply touched.
He had heard her speak of this so-called cake before, but he had never seen it. He had never expected that she would make one for him today.
It would not have been a big deal if this had been any other day, but she was pregnant, yet she had put so much work into celebrating his birthday. How could he not be touched by her effort?
Just spelling out the words with the petals required meticulous care, not to mention the process of making the cake.