The birthday banquet soon came to an end. The two families lingered at the door for a long time, reluctant to part.
The living room was a mess, the air still filled with the sweet scent of champagne and cake. Yu Wanwan, looking exhausted, was helped to the bedroom by Zhang Jingxu.
She didn't go to bed. Instead, she picked up a cushion and threw herself onto the soft sofa, her voice a little hoarse from the alcohol: "Finally over. Acting is so tiring."
"Tired?" Hearing her say 'acting,' Zhang Jingxu's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. He sat down beside Yu Wanwan, lowered his head, and played with his own hands, complex emotions swirling in his eyes.
"Of course!" Yu Wanwan held the cushion and propped herself up slightly: "Do you know how scared I was when I heard them talk about 'wedding,' 'honeymoon,' and 'having children'? And you..."
She shot him a resentful look as she spoke: "You just sat there and said nothing."
"Then what should I have said?" Zhang Jingxu stared at her, his tone flat and emotionless: "Tell them we're just a 'contract couple,' and that you might even divorce me in the future?"
What kind of attitude is this?!
Yu Wanwan muttered inwardly. She cast a sidelong glance at him, then lay back down with a dissatisfied expression.
The atmosphere was eerily quiet for a while. Staring at the white ceiling, Yu Wanwan suddenly sat up on the sofa and demanded her birthday present: "Everyone gave me birthday gifts today. Why didn't you give me one? I want my birthday present!"
Zhang Jingxu's gaze swept over her gently. After a long pause, he slowly spoke: "My gift isn't valuable. Do you want it?"
A hint of coquettishness crept into Yu Wanwan's voice as she muttered: "What do you mean by that? Do I look like someone who cares about the value of a gift? Isn't the thought what matters? Hurry up and bring it out."
When she finished speaking, the man slowly got up, took a necklace box from the bedside table, and opened it in front of her.
It was a solid gold koi fish necklace. Heavy in the hand, it had a substantial feel. The symbolism even matched her surname.
Seeing that Yu Wanwan seemed particularly fond of the necklace he had given her, Zhang Jingxu introduced it softly: "You always say you're unlucky, right? I specially had this blessed at a temple. The design is unique too. The master at the temple said that as long as you wear this necklace, your luck will turn around and your wishes will come true."
Hearing the eight words 'luck will turn around and wishes come true,' Yu Wanwan's eyes shone. She felt this was the best and most fitting gift she had received all day. She immediately tucked her hair behind her ear, turned around, and presented her smooth neck to him: "Put it on for me."
Zhang Jingxu undid the clasp. A sweet scent of body lotion mixed with shampoo wafted into his nose. His gaze faltered for a moment, and then he gently put the necklace on her.
The koi fish lay against her collarbone, cool to the touch. Yu Wanwan stood in front of the dressing mirror, admiring it carefully. Then she turned to the man on the sofa with a bright smile, her tone as happy as if she had found a treasure: "Does it look good?"
He blinked softly, looking at the jubilant girl, and nodded slightly: "Mm."
Yu Wanwan reached out and stroked the solid koi on her chest with her thumb, genuinely saying to him: "Thank you. I really like your gift."
As she spoke, she couldn't help yawning, then contentedly flopped onto the bed to sleep.
Zhang Jingxu sat on the sofa, hesitating for a long time. Suddenly, he spoke to the woman on the bed: "Teacher Yu."
Hearing this somewhat awkward 'teacher,' Yu Wanwan propped her head up slightly from the bed and looked at him: "What's up?"
Zhang Jingxu got up from the sofa, walked over to sit by her bed, and spoke very softly: "I have a question I want to ask you."
Yu Wanwan was in a good mood, so she asked patiently: "What question?"
Zhang Jingxu looked into her eyes, as if he wanted to keep his gaze fixed on her forever: "What if... I follow the love lessons you taught me and confess to the person I like, but fail? What should I do then?"
"Impossible." She answered without thinking: "If you follow my steps and process, there's no way she won't agree."
His voice dropped a little, as if tinged with grievance: "But she just doesn't agree."
"No way?" As she said this, a thought suddenly struck her. She lifted her head slightly from the bed: "Wait... you... you have someone you like?"
"Mm."
The instant that word fell, Yu Wanwan felt a sudden chill in her heart. An inexplicable discomfort arose.
When did he start liking someone? And she didn't even know?!
She lay back down, unconsciously biting her lip, trying to adjust her emotions. But her voice involuntarily grew softer: "Then... did you confess to her?"
Zhang Jingxu softly 'mm'-ed. Recalling the night of the fireworks show at the resort, he slowly said: "But she didn't take my confession seriously."
Yu Wanwan tried to sound magnanimous: "Then you didn't confess sincerely enough."
Perhaps because of the alcohol, she reached out as she spoke, idly tugging at the hem of his shirt and playing with it without restraint.
The faint smell of alcohol on him, mixed with a perfume scent similar to her own, made her feel oddly at ease. But the words he was saying made her feel uneasy, even vaguely anxious.
She recalled bringing up the hypothetical divorce that afternoon in the car. But now it seemed... that hypothetical might soon become a reality.