Birthday Dinner
*Disclaimer: For this chapter, there are some photos included but I can't upload photos on webnovel so please check my stories in Wattpad instead*
https://www.wattpad.com/875461349-against-fate-eternal-love-of-dream-pillow-book
Feng Jiu got up early to prepare for the day. Then she wrote some words on the birthday card, and she also put Dong Hua's present into her purse.
On the other side, Dong Hua got up way too early. He couldn't sleep well since he was too excited and he was also thinking about what happened last night. He lay in bed, thinking back on the flashbacks he had last night. "That kiss felt so real. I wonder how it feels like to be kissing her for real. I'm sure her lips would be as soft as how it looks." Then he smiled to himself and got up from the bed.
The cleaning lady arrived at his place, and Dong Hua went into the shower to prepare himself to leave the house.
Although they arranged to meet up at noon, Dong Hua was already waiting downstairs for her at 11.30 AM. He patiently waited for her to come down from her apartment, and he didn't want to rush her by texting her.
Feng Jiu came down at noon sharp because she didn't want Dong Hua to wait for her. While she was leaving her house, she quickly texted Dong Hua to let him know that she was heading downstairs.
Dong Hua sat up straight, and he stared at the lobby entrance to tried to spot Feng Jiu. The moment he saw her, his heart started beating faster. "Oh my gosh, she's beautiful."
Feng Jiu chose a simple but beautiful white flowery dress for today's dinner date as she wanted to dress up specially for his birthday. She usually wasn't the type to doll up because she preferred comfy clothing.
Dong Hua couldn't keep his eyes off her at all, and he struggled to stay calm. "Breathe, Dong Hua. Breathe." He reminded himself.
Feng Jiu then opened the car door and said, "Hey! Did you wait for a long time?" Then she smiled warmly at Dong Hua. His ice-cold heart instantly melted upon seeing her smile, and he replied cheerfully, "No. I just got here. You look nice today."
"Thanks. I'm glad that you like it." She smiled even brighter, and she thought to herself, "Good start to the day. I hope Dong Hua will like the present that I had gotten for him. I'll give it to him tonight." Feng Jiu pretended that she didn't know it was his birthday as she wanted to surprise him.
Dong Hua's heart couldn't stop pounding while he was driving, and he actually felt extremely nervous for once. Feng Jiu was the only person who could stir up emotions in this Iceblock.
All of a sudden, Feng Jiu exclaimed, "I forgot that we have to go to the seafood market and I wore white shoes! Should we head back to my place and I'll get changed into more appropriate clothing and shoes?" She pouted.
Dong Hua didn't like that idea because she looked beautiful in her dress and he hardly saw her all dressed up. Then he came up with an idea, "How about we just head to the nearby mall and I'll buy you some shoes for the market. But keep the dress on, you look beautiful in that."
Feng Jiu blushed upon hearing him compliment her, and she nodded her head lightly to agree with his plan.
They arrived at the mall shortly, and they quickly went in to look for appropriate shoes. Feng Jiu then decided to buy some sneakers as she could still wear them on a daily basis. She was a realistic person, and she didn't want to buy a pair of shoes just for one-time usage. Feng Jiu also didn't pick an expensive store to get her shoes.
"Are you sure you don't want branded shoes?" Dong Hua asked curiously. Feng Jiu then smiled and replied, "It's just a pair of shoes. I don't go for branded as long as it's comfortable to wear. Besides, I don't want you to spend too much."
"Oh? Already saving money for me? You'll make a good wife in future." He teased her.
Feng Jiu immediately blushed and thought to herself, "Wife? I have never thought of myself being someone's else wife except Dong Hua. But it's just a dream." Then she replied shyly, "I'll only rip you off when it comes to food."
Dong Hua smiled and replied, "That's the greedy glutton that I know." Then the both of them headed into the shoes' store.
The lady in the front greeted them, "Welcome to our store! How may I help you?" Dong Hua then replied coldly to the salesperson, "She's here to buy a pair of comfortable sneakers." Then he looked over to Feng Jiu and smiled warmly to her.
The lady then brought Feng Jiu to look around the store, and she chose a pair of black sneakers. "This would do. I can wear it everywhere without being afraid that it would get dirty." She thought to herself. The salesperson then left to go to the storeroom to find the right size for her.
Dong Hua sat down beside Feng Jiu and asked, "Do you want to buy more shoes? Just pick any that you like and I'll buy them for you. Don't worry; I'm rich enough to afford a few pair of shoes."
Feng Jiu shook her head and said, "No. One pair is enough! Thank you!" Then she smiled brightly to Dong Hua. He thought to himself, "She's really simple and has no motives towards me at all. And this is also why I fell in love with her."
The salesperson then walked over to them to pass Feng Jiu her sneakers. She then excused herself for a while as she needed to serve other customers. Feng Jiu stood up and started jumping around in her sneakers, and she excitedly exclaimed, "I love these! It's so comfortable! I feel like I can run a mile in these."
Dong Hua then replied sarcastically, "And you can also wear them to practice your kickboxing moves." Feng Jiu then started giggling, "It's just to scare those suitors away! Anyone who tries to come near to me now would be kicked off by this pair of shoes!" Dong Hua was pleased to know that the shoes he bought for her would be a 'weapon' against those suitors.
Dong Hua then noticed that her shoelace came untied and he was worried about her falling. He stopped her from jumping, and he bent down to tie her shoelace. Feng Jiu immediately blushed and said shyly, "You don't have to do that for me."
Dong Hua then replied sarcastically. "I just don't want you to fall. Who else would make coffee for me if you got hurt? And what if you accidentally fell into someone else's arms?"
Feng Jiu pouted and replied sarcastically, "There's no one here other than you so if I did fall, it would also be in your arms!"
Dong Hua smiled widely upon hearing that, and he replied, "Oh? Guess I'll have to catch you if you fall on me. I'm only doing that because I need you to make coffee for me."
"Hmph! I knew it! You wouldn't be that kind to save me if I didn't make coffee for you."
At this point, the salesperson came back and checked on them. "So, how are the shoes?"
Feng Jiu replied excitedly, "I love it!" Dong Hua then replied coldly, "We are getting it. Where do I make the payment?"
The salesperson replied, "Follow me to the cashier counter." Then she turned over to Feng Jiu and replied cheerfully, "You're so lucky, Miss. Your boyfriend treats you really well."
"Boyfriend...?!" Feng Jiu thought to herself, and before she could reply, Dong Hua and the salesperson left to go to the cashier counter. Dong Hua also silently thought to himself, "I'm going to give this salesperson a good tip later on."
After paying, Dong Hua left a 50% tip for the salesperson, and she thanked him profusely. He picked up the shopping bag with her other pair of shoes in it and headed back to Feng Jiu.
"Let's go to the market now." He smiled warmly at her and Feng Jiu also happily followed after Dong Hua. While they were walking back to his car, Dong Hua noticed that Feng Jiu was having a hard time keeping up with his pace. Then he slowed down so he could walk side by side with her.
Then they got on to the car and headed straight for the seafood market. Feng Jiu thought to herself in the car, "It's Dong Hua's birthday, but he bought me a present instead... I need to make it up to him later on."
They arrived at the seafood market shortly, and the market was pretty much empty since it was already almost 2 PM.
"We should have met earlier, now all the fresh and good seafood would be gone." Feng Jiu pouted. Dong Hua then replied calmly, "Don't worry about that. Come with me."
They walked over to one store, and the store owner seems to recognize Dong Hua. "Oh, hey, you're here. Cooking sweet and sour fish again?" The store owner greeted Dong Hua. Then he added on, "Don't worry, I saved all the freshest and best seafood for your selection today." Then he led them into the back of his store.
Feng Jiu turned over to Dong Hua and smiled brightly. She thought to herself, "Dong Hua is really thoughtful and detailed. No wonder he's the boss of Tai Chen Group. He already thought about something like that and made preparations beforehand."
As the floor was a little slippery, Dong Hua held out his hand and told Feng Jiu to hold on to it so that she won't fall. He slowly led her to the back of the store so that she could pick whatever she wanted. At the same time, Dong Hua shielded her from getting splashed by water since he didn't want her to dirty her dress.
"Oh, wow! They have everything here. Dong Hua, what do you want to eat tonight? Come pick some too." She smiled sweetly to Dong Hua.
"I'll eat anything. You can pick." He smiled back at her.
"Hmm... I'll get some fish. Definitely King Crab! Prawns! How about some oysters and mussels too?" Feng Jiu replied excitedly, and then she turned over to Dong Hua seeking for reassurance. He nodded his head and said, "Just get all if you want to."
"But I'm also afraid we won't be able to finish it." She pouted at Dong Hua. Then he replied, "Don't worry about it. You can bring the leftovers home if you want to."
"Really?!" Her eyes lit up, and she smiled brightly. The store owner then picked up a massive king crab. He told them that it was fresh and he specially saved it for them. Dong Hua then looked over to Feng Jiu and asked, "You want them?" Feng Jiu gave him puppy eyes and nodded her head enthusiastically, "Yes. I want that." Dong Hua then told the store owner to pack it up for them.
They bought a Grouper fish, tiger prawns, Oysters, King crab and scallops. Dong Hua then asked Feng Jiu, "You sure you don't want more?" Feng Jiu nodded her head and replied, "That's more than enough." Then Dong Hua paid for it, and they went back to the car.
Feng Jiu then told Dong Hua to put the groceries in the car first and that she needed to buy one more ingredient for dinner. She ran straight back into the market and got some Chinese egg noodles and some vegetables.
Dong Hua waited in the car for Feng Jiu. Then he drove over to the entrance of the market when he noticed her walking out. Feng Jiu then left the bag of groceries at the car boot and got onto the car.
"What did you buy?" Dong Hua asked curiously. Feng Jiu giggled and replied, "Nothing much. Just some vegetables."
"Oh. So, is there anything else that you wanted to get?" Dong Hua asked before driving off. Feng Jiu shook her head and replied, "That's all. Let's head over to your place now!" Then she looked down and added on, "Oh! My seatbelt. I forgot about it again." Feng Jiu then quickly put on her seatbelt, and Dong Hua smiled as he drove off.
"So, you said that you have a conference call at 4 PM?" Feng Jiu asked.
"Yeah, it would probably take less than 2 hours. I'll be in my study room so it won't affect your cooking."
Feng Jiu had actually gone to a cake shop the other day, and she had reserved a cake for Dong Hua's birthday. She told them to deliver the cake at 4 PM sharp to his address. Feng Jiu also told them not to ring the door-bell and just to leave it outside the door. Then she would pick it up by herself as she didn't want to ruin the surprise.
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Feng Jiu excitedly looked out the car window as Dong Hua drove into the most luxurious residential district in the city. "Wow. Look at all these beautiful buildings." Feng Jiu thought to herself. She was excited to see Dong Hua's place.
Then he drove into a gated community and down to his building's underground car park. Feng Jiu thought to herself, "Oh. So this is how his neighbourhood looks like. I checked it online, but there weren't many pictures of it. Probably due to it being in a gated community. I always thought that someone like Dong Hua would stay in a mansion as he valued privacy a lot."
"You thought that I would stay in a mansion, right?"
Feng Jiu blushed because Dong Hua knew what she was thinking and she replied shyly, "I just didn't expect you to live in an apartment too." Dong Hua then smiled and replied, "I live alone, so why do I need such a big house? What's more, I'm always away for my business trips."
They alighted the car and took the elevator up to his apartment.
Feng Jiu excitedly took off her shoes and ran into the apartment, checking it out. "Wow! Your place is beautiful!"
*I can't upload photos on webnovel so please check my stories in Wattpad instead*
https://www.wattpad.com/875461349-against-fate-eternal-love-of-dream-pillow-book
Feng Jiu went to the living room and said, "Oh, this is where you drink your tea." Dong Hua then replied, "So, you like my place?" Feng Jiu nodded her head excitedly, and Dong Hua said, "Feel free to look around if you want to."
Next, she ran into the kitchen to check it out.
Feng Jiu then thought to herself, "It looks pretty empty in here. I guess Dong Hua doesn't even cook. Wait. But it's better if he doesn't cook!"
Dong Hua then followed her around like a lost puppy, and he smiled to himself when he saw how excited she was.
Feng Jiu then asked politely, "Can I view the rooms, please?" She gave puppy eyes, and Dong Hua couldn't say no. He also wanted to show her his whole place. Dong Hua then explained to her, "I have one bedroom, 1 study room and one guest room. Which one do you want to see first?"
"Hmm... I want to see your study room first! I bet you're always working in there." She replied excitedly. Dong Hua nodded and replied, "Yes. I spend most of my time there."
"Oh, wow! This looks nice too!" Feng Jiu exclaimed. Then she walked around the room, looking at his desk and shelves.
After looking around for a while, she asked shyly, "Can I look at your bedroom now...?" She was feeling a little shy because she had never gone into a guy's bedroom, but she was also curious at the same time.
"Let's go." Dong Hua gestured her to follow him.
Feng Jiu found it strange how his bedroom looked so different from the rest of the apartment. She thought to herself, "I guess you really can't judge a book by its cover. This bedroom reminds me of dong Hua, and he also seems to be hiding a lot of darkness in his heart too." Then she said to Dong Hua, "Hmm... Your bedroom is really dark as compared to the rest of the apartment."
"Oh? You don't like it?" Dong Hua asked.
"No... It's not about that. It's nice, but I think it would be better if there were more colours." Feng Jiu then told Dong Hua to bring her to the guest room.
"I love this room! It even had pink chairs! That is my favourite colour!" Feng Jiu said excitedly, and she also ran to the window to look at the view outside.
Dong Hua smiled and replied, "I'm glad that you like this room. Well, ever since I moved here a few years ago, nobody had ever stayed in this room. The cleaning lady comes three times a week to clean the place, so it remains dust-free."
"Aww. I wish I had a place like this. It's beautiful." Feng Jiu said. Dong Hua then patted her head lightly and replied, "You can stay in the guest room tonight if you want."
Feng Jiu immediately blushed and replied, "No, that would be weird!" Then she pouted because she really liked the room.
Feng Jiu then looked at the time, and it was already 3 PM. She ran to the kitchen and started unloading her groceries on the kitchen table to prepare cooking.
Dong Hua walked into the kitchen and asked, "You need my help?" Feng Jiu initially said no because she wasn't the type to ask people for help. But she changed her mind instantly as she remembered that Dong Hua was her 'servant' for today.
"Okay. Since you're 'good' at cooking fish, you could help me prepare the fish. I'm thinking of making sweet and sour fish so that you could try my version of it. I cook the best fish!"
"Oh? I guess I really have to try your fish then." Dong Hua smiled.
Feng Jiu suddenly remembered about the gossip duo, so she replied, "By the way, I heard you're cooking sweet and sour fish for Lian Song and Si Ming?"
"Yes. Why? I already said I would do it so I can't take it back." Dong Hua replied as he knew that Feng Jiu wanted to help the gossip duo out.
"Oh. I'm not asking you not to do it, but maybe I can teach you how to cook sweet and sour fish? They can be our guinea pigs after I taught you how to cook it."
Dong Hua thought to himself, "Oh? I would have another chance to cook with her, and I won't have to go back on my words about sending sweet and sour fish to them. Sounds good to me." Then he replied, "I think that's a good plan. So, when do you want to come over to my place to teach me how to cook the fish?"
"Hmm... I have plans tomorrow. And you would need to serve them sweet and sour fish on Monday, right?"
"How about you come over here on Monday morning, and we can cook it and deliver it straight to them as their 'tea break snack'? I'll grant you half-day off from work, but I won't deduct your salary."
"Oh yeah. Since you caught them slacking at work, we should be kind to them and let them have a short tea break, right?" She winked at Dong Hua. Dong Hua then smiled and thought to himself, "She's becoming more like me. But I like it."
"That's settled then. I'll pick you up in the morning, and you can teach me how to cook."
Feng Jiu smiled back brightly and replied, "Okay! Let's start preparing now. I know you have a business call conference at 4 PM."
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"I need to go to work now, and I'll come back after that to help you out. It would probably take a while since it's an important call." Dong Hua said when he noticed that it was 3.50 PM.
Feng Jiu nodded her head and replied, "Don't worry, take your time. There's not much left to do. I just have to put them into the pot and steam it." Then she pushed him out of the kitchen.
She peeped out of the kitchen and made sure Dong Hua was in the study room. After she noticed that his door was shut, she crept slowly to the main door.
Feng Jiu waited for the delivery person to arrive, and he arrived at 4 PM sharp. She quickly signed the invoice and quietly brought the cake to the kitchen. She cleared out the bottom part of the fridge and hid the cake behind some bottles.
Then she continued to prepare the ingredients for dinner. Dong Hua also started his conference call while she was cooking.
Feng Jiu placed the King crab, oysters, and scallops into the steamer pot and left it aside to boil. Then she started cooking her 'Sweet and Sour Fish'. After that, she started making 'Steamed Tiger Prawns with Shaoxing Wine'.
Feng Jiu then checked the time after she was done with cooking and it was almost 6 PM. She peeped out the kitchen again, but she noticed that Dong Hua was still in his study room. Feng Jiu then took out her egg noodles, along with some cabbage and mushrooms from the fridge.
Right at this moment, Dong Hua came into the kitchen and asked, "Do you still need help? Sorry, I took so long." Feng Jiu didn't want him to see the noodles, so he pushed him out the kitchen, "It's oily and smoky in here. Wait for me in the living room. Food will be served in 10 minutes!"
"Alright. I'll set the dining table then." Dong Hua replied calmly. Then he took the utensils and plates out to the dining table. After that, he sat in the living room and responded to some work emails.
Feng Jiu saw Dong Hua was busy with his work, and she quickly began to cook the Longevity Noodles (长寿面). After the noodles were ready, she quickly put it in a bowl and covered it. Then she put it into the microwave so that Dong Hua won't see it, and she would also heat it up in the microwave later.
Dong Hua came in to check on her after 10 minutes, so he could help her out with serving the dishes. He carried the heavy steamer pot to the dining table, and he also helped her clean some dishes first.
Finally, it was time for them to eat. Feng Jiu was famished, and she said excitedly, "I won't wait for you, and I'll start eating now!" Then she quickly opened up the steamer pot's cover, and the steam escaped, burning her hand. Dong Hua immediately dragged her to the kitchen and put her hand under running water. Fortunately, she didn't suffer from any severe burns, and it was just a red mark on her skin.
"See. This is what happens when you're a glutton." Dong Hua said while he applied some medicine on her hand. Feng Jiu pouted and replied, "I'm just too hungry! I'm usually not this clumsy."
Dong Hua then smiled and patted her head, "You're definitely clumsy. Okay, it's done now. Let's head out to the dining table and start eating. But you need to be more careful." Feng Jiu then followed Dong Hua out of the kitchen.
Dong Hua told her to sit down, and then he took the crab meat out of the shell and placed it on her plate. "Here, eat this. Your hand is injured so I'll help you with it." Feng Jiu smiled warmly at Dong Hua and replied, "Thank you! I'll start eating now!"
"Mmmmmm! This tastes so good! I loved it!" Feng Jiu exclaimed excitedly. Dong Hua smiled and thought to himself, "She looks so cute when she's eating so happily. This is my best birthday ever, and this is the first time that I'm not spending it alone. She probably doesn't even know that it was my birthday and she also wouldn't know how happy she made me today."
After they finished eating, Dong Hua told Feng Jiu to sit in the living room while he washes the dishes. "Remember, I'm your servant today? I'll do everything, and you can rest."
Feng Jiu then thought of a plan to surprise Dong Hua later. She wanted to wait for them to digest the food first before bringing out the cake. After Dong Hua was done with the dishes, he came out to the living room and sat down beside her. He felt a little awkward and nervous because he didn't know what to say. He also started feeling a little hot, and he didn't know why. It was probably due to the Steamed Tiger Prawns with Shaoxing Wine and the oysters.
After a while, he started sweating because he couldn't handle the 'heat'. Feng Jiu then told him to take a shower, and at the same time, she wanted to execute her surprise plan.
"Alright, I'll take a quick shower. I won't take long." Dong Hua said, and he quickly went into his room.
"Why am I feeling so hot?" He thought to himself during the shower, and he turned the tap to 'cold water' to cool himself down.
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Feng Jiu crept to his door to eavesdrop, and once she heard the water running, she ran into the kitchen.
She quickly heats up the noodles up in the microwave and then she took out the cake. Then she put one big candle on it.
Feng Jiu turned on the side lamp beside the dining table, and she dimmed the lights on it too. She then turned off all the lights in the living room so that she could surprise Dong Hua. But she accidentally turned off the master switch, and the lights in Dong Hua's room went off as well.
On the other side, Dong Hua just came out from the shower, and he was getting dressed. He had already put on his jogger pants and was preparing to put on his shirt when the lights went off.
"Huh? A power outage? Wait. She's afraid of the dark, and she must be terrified now." Dong Hua immediately dashed out of the room.
Feng Jiu sat at the dining table and waited for Dong Hua to come out of the room. But the topless Dong Hua sprinted out of the room and yelled, "Xiao Bai, where are you?" "Answer me, Xiao Bai."
"Xiao Bai...? What did he just call me?" She thought to herself, and she yelled back, "I'm at the dining table." Then she started walking towards Dong Hua's room. Dong Hua immediately gave her a tight hug and said, "Don't be afraid, Xiao Bai. I know you're terrified of the dark, but I'm here for you."
Feng Jiu then replied confusedly, "Huh? Wait, why are you calling me Xiao Bai?" Suddenly she noticed that Dong Hua wasn't wearing a shirt and she was lying on his bare chest. She then looked down to see his toned abs.
"Wait! Why are you not dressed?!" She blushed and pushed Dong Hua away. Dong Hua quickly put on the shirt that he was holding on to and replied, "There was a power outage, and I was worried about you because I knew that you're terrified of the dark. I just dashed out to save you without thinking."
"Oh... I actually... Come with me." She then pulled Dong Hua to the dining table, and he saw the cake. Feng Jiu immediately said in an excited tone, "Happy Birthday, Dong Hua!"
"Wait... What? You knew that it was my birthday?" Dong Hua was in shock, and he was overwhelmed with emotions. He felt like he was going to cry because he was so touched. His heart started to beat even faster, and then Dong Hua shed a tear. He wiped his tear away and thought to himself, "Am I crying? Why am I feeling this way? She knew all about it, and she even planned a surprise for me. I..I love her so much."
Feng Jiu didn't notice him shedding tears as she was busy staring at the cake. Then she turned over and smiled brightly at Dong Hua. "I planned this birthday surprise for you, but it's nothing fancy."
Dong Hua immediately pulled her into his chest and hugged her again, "I love it. I have never once celebrated my birthday, and I really appreciate it. Thank you so much for doing this for me."
"I'm glad you like it. That's what good friends do for each other." Feng Jiu smiled warmly at him.
"Friends...?" Dong Hua thought to himself. Although he wanted badly to confess to her right there, he held himself back because he thinks that it would ruin their friendship. "Although she can't be mine now, she would be mine someday." Then he let go of her from his hug.
Feng Jiu then ran to turn on all the lights and sang a Happy Birthday Song to Dong Hua. She forced Dong Hua to make a wish, but she also told him not to say out his wish. If not, it wouldn't come true. Dong Hua closed his eyes and made a wish in his heart, "I wish that she would be mine someday. And when that day comes, I won't let her go forever." Then he blew the candle.
"Wait here! I still have something for you." Feng Jiu then ran to the kitchen and brought the noodles out. "Here, eat this. It's Longevity Noodles (长寿面). You need to eat it on your birthday!"
Dong Hua quickly ate the whole bowl of noodles despite still feeling a little full from the seafood dinner. He thought to himself, "This is the first time I ate this on my birthday too. I spend so many 'first' with her." Then he smiled at Feng Jiu and replied, "This is the best noodles I've ever eaten."
Feng Jiu then cut the cake, and she gave herself a big slice. Dong Hua shook his head and replied, "Still a glutton, huh?" Feng Jiu stuck her tongue out at him and replied, "The cake is big anyway so we shouldn't waste food!"
After she ate the cake, she suddenly remembered that she still has a present for him. Then she ran to her purse, which was placed on the sofa in the living room. She hid it behind her back and walked over to Dong Hua slowly.
"What are you hiding?" Dong Hua stared at her.
"Surprise! I bought you a gift too!" She presented the gift box to Dong Hua, and he anxiously opened it.
"Oh. It's a tie. Purple too." He replied.
Feng Jiu then replied, "Yeah! All your ties are black and boring. I think purple would look nice on you. I'm sorry that it is not branded as I couldn't afford one." She frowned.
"No. I absolutely love it." Dong Hua quickly put it back in the box, as he was afraid to dirty it. Then he went to his room and left it on the table beside his bed.
When he came out, Feng Jiu held her hand out and gave the birthday card to Dong Hua. "Oh? More gifts? How many to come?" He teased her.
"This is the last one! Read it!"
Dong Hua opened the card, and it wrote "Happy Birthday, Dong Hua. I hope all your wishes come true and you'll always stay happy. Now that you have a good friend like me, I'll make sure you'll never be lonely. I promise you that our friendship would last forever. With love, Feng Jiu." Dong Hua thought to himself, "Someday I'll turn 'friend' into 'girlfriend'."
He smiled warmly at Feng Jiu and replied, "I'm not good at words, but I appreciate everything that you have done for me today. I won't ever forget this special day."
Feng Jiu then sat down and asked curiously, "By the way, why did you call me Xiao Bai just now?"
"Oh. You don't like it? I just felt like it's nice to call you that since we are close friends now."
"No. No. It's just nobody had ever called me that. Usually, they just call me Xiao Jiu or Jiu-er."
"Jiu-er...?" Dong Hua asked.
"Yes. That's what my family calls me." Feng Jiu smiled brightly.
"Did I ever called you Jiu-er?" Dong Hua asked her. In his flashback, he was calling her Jiu-er.
Feng Jiu thought to herself, "Oh no. I can't let Dong Hua know." Then she quickly changed the topic and replied casually, "No, but now you can just call me Xiao Bai. I like the name, and it's cute."
"Okay. But that would only be between us. Only I can call you Xiao Bai." Dong Hua said calmly.
"Okay. I won't let others call me Xiao Bai, just you." She smiled brightly at him.
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Feng Jiu and Dong Hua then sat on the sofa and watched TV together. Suddenly, they heard thunderstorms and saw lightning flashing. Then it started pouring rain outside.
Dong Hua then switched the channel to the weather forecast channel. The weather forecaster said that there might be flash floods all over the city tonight and everyone was advised to stay home and not drive if possible.
Feng Jiu then turned over to Dong Hua and asked, "How do I get home tonight?"
Dong Hua replied calmly, "I guess you have to stay here tonight. It would be too dangerous for us to head out. I'll send you home tomorrow morning."
"But... I don't have any clothes to change into. And what about my toothbrush... and..."
"You can wear mine. I have an extra toothbrush too."
"But...." Feng Jiu hesitated.
"Just stay in the guest room. Do you want me to risk my life out there to send you home? I won't allow you to go out in such heavy rain too."
Feng Jiu pondered for a while, "I guess it won't be an issue to stay in the guest room for one night, right?" Then she nodded her head gently and replied, "Sorry to trouble you then."
Dong Hua smiled, and then he walked into the room to get some clothes and towels for her.
"Oh my gosh! I'm staying at Dong Hua's place tonight. I'm so nervous!"
- Feng Jiu
"It's the first time someone stayed over my place, and I'm glad that it was Xiao Bai."
- Dong Hua