Chapter 46: Happy Birthday

After Wang Qing left, Guan Xi and Jiang Suizhou had breakfast in the room.

“Fiancé… I haven’t even spoken yet, and you’ve already used that term again.”

Jiang Suizhou said, “So should I say I’m a male friend who appeared in your room in the middle of the night, is that appropriate?”

Guan Xi took a sip of milk. “Well, no one knows you appeared in the middle of the night.”

Jiang Suizhou asked, “Then should I say I came to your room early in the morning to brush my teeth?”

Guan Xi couldn’t hold back her proud and stubborn face, putting down the milk and standing up. “I’m done eating. I’ll go check the clothes for today’s photoshoot.”

Jiang Suizhou remarked, “How much did you even eat?”

“I ate too much yesterday.”

Jiang Suizhou said, “Finish the milk first.”

“In a moment—”

Guan Xi walked to the wardrobe, intending to choose the clothes for today’s photoshoot. She brought two special red dresses for sand dune shooting, each with its own merits. She wasn’t sure which one would look better today. Originally, she planned to ask her colleagues for their opinions, but now with Jiang Suizhou in the room, she didn’t need to bother anyone else.

Guan Xi pulled out the two dresses, one in each hand, and walked back, asking, “Which one do you think looks better?”

Jiang Suizhou leisurely wiped his mouth with a napkin, glanced up, and said, “Either is fine.”

Guan Xi sighed, “Can you not be so indifferent every time?”

Jiang Suizhou propped his chin with one hand and, upon hearing her words, carefully looked again. “Holding it like that, no one can see.”

The dress was made of chiffon, with a strong sense of drape. Indeed, holding it like that didn’t reveal much. Guan Xi thought about it. “Then let me try it on, wait a moment.”

Guan Xi immediately placed the dress on the bed, ready to change out of her pajamas. However, as soon as her hand touched the dress, she suddenly remembered something. She turned to look at Jiang Suizhou, lifted the dress, and headed to the bathroom.

Jiang Suizhou watched her seemingly unnecessary actions and chuckled lightly. After a while, Guan Xi came out. While holding the dress, it didn’t reveal much, but once she put it on, its design and style became clear.

The dress was long, but far from conservative. The sides of the skirt were split, revealing a slit that went up to the middle of her thigh. The thin chiffon material created a semi-transparent effect. Not only that, as Guan Xi happily twirled around, one could see a backless design in the shape of an inverted V.

Jiang Suizhou said, “…”

“Is it nice? This is how it looks here, isn’t it beautiful?”

It was reminiscent of a long time ago when he accompanied her to the mall. At that time, she was also full of energy when trying on clothes, spinning in front of him with each piece, asking him if it looked good or not. However, today’s outfit had a strong exotic flavor, incomparable to those earlier ones.

Jiang Suizhou squinted slightly, seemingly assessing. “Come closer.”

Guan Xi moved in front of him. “I specifically asked Lang Ningyi to help me find this dress; it’s perfect for the desert.”

Jiang Suizhou said, “Turn around.”

Guan Xi hesitated. Jiang Suizhou, seeing her not moving, reached out and held her waist, turning her around. “Are you putting on a dress or not?”

Guan Xi said, “Of course, I’m wea—uh!”

A warm sensation spread from her back – his palm was warm, dry, and seemed to carry a hint of electricity. Guan Xi immediately tried to move forward, but Jiang Suizhou was faster. He stood up and directly wrapped his arms around her waist, trapping her between himself and the table.

“Does this still count as wearing clothes?”

Guan Xi couldn’t move her back, his palm against it, causing a tingling sensation. Her ears naturally turned a slight shade of pink.

“Jiang Suizhou, are you serious? It’s not like you haven’t seen me in a backless dress before. Why didn’t you say anything when I wore this kind of gown before?”

Jiang Suizhou recalled, indeed, he had seen her wear such dresses before, but maybe today, the alluring red color made him feel it was inappropriate.

“Change into another one.”

Guan Xi asked, “Isn’t it good-looking?”

“Not good-looking.”

“You have no taste!”

Guan Xi tried to slip to the side in this narrow space, but Jiang Suizhou immediately leaned forward. He pressed her forward, and she had to reach out and support herself on the table.

The texture of her skin beneath his fingertips was like condensed cream. Jiang Suizhou moved a couple of inches, restraining himself as he said, “Change.”

Guan Xi, pinned and unable to move, turned to look at him and said irritably, “If it’s not good-looking, why are you pressing against me like this!”

In this position, everything was clear as day.

Jiang Suizhou paused for two seconds, released her, and sat back down on the chair, repeating, “Change, next one.”

His expression remained calm and composed, showing no sign of anything unusual. Guan Xi huffed, turned, and took another red dress to change into. The newly chosen dress was less seductive than the previous one but still looked beautiful.

Jiang Suizhou nodded as he watched her put it on. “This one is good.”

Guan Xi liked both dresses, so even though she didn’t agree with Jiang Suizhou saying the previous one wasn’t good-looking, she would feel more favorably toward this one since he approved.

“Are you sure this one looks good?”

“Mm.”

Guan Xi believed him, walked to the mirror, took a few glances, and then changed into the final outfit with satisfaction. After finishing breakfast and selecting the outfit, Jiang Suizhou left with Zhou Hao. Guan Xi went to Wang Qing’s room to review the retouched photos from the past few days with her colleagues.

She hadn’t posted many travel guides herself before. Sometimes it was just a silhouette, sometimes half of her face. However, she wasn’t opposed to showing her face, so this time, working with the team, she directly appeared in front of the camera. She had posted a few Weibo updates over the past few days, sharing some daily life moments, gathering tens of thousands of followers.

“Afterwards, make sure to post on Weibo frequently and attract more fans,” Wang Qing advised.

“Guan Xi, just post some selfies, and you’ll gain followers, hahaha.”

“That’s true.”

“Oh right, Guan Xi, you have a fiancé now? Really?” One of the colleagues suddenly asked while discussing work.

Wang Qing gave her a stern look. She had just mentioned not to ask about it, and how come she couldn’t hold it in for so long!

“Come on, Wang Qing, it’s just a harmless question. We’re all in the same boat.”

Wang Qing said, “This is personal matter…”

“It’s fine; it’s not something we can’t talk about.” Guan Xi glanced at the computer images casually, responding.

The colleagues immediately got excited. “Exactly! We just heard from Sister Wang Qing that your fiancé is incredibly handsome! Is it true? We want to see!”

Seeing that Guan Xi didn’t mind, Wang Qing also relaxed. “It’s true. I was just surprised; he’s exceptionally handsome.”

“Damn! I should have called Guan Xi over just now!”

“How did he end up here? He specially came to see you.” A colleague exclaimed with envy. “Oh my, Guan Xi, he’s really into you.”

Quite into her, huh? Hmm… it does seem that way a bit.

Guan Xi secretly felt a bit happy. “He’s on a business trip and came to see me. Now, help me choose between these two images. Which one is better?”

“This one, this one! Hey, how did you two meet?”

…

After the morning meeting, everyone had lunch together and then headed to the desert for sand dune activities. Sand dune bashing was a popular tourist activity in the region. It was thrilling to ride along with a convoy of off-road vehicles in the vast desert, creating a spectacular scene.

After the sand dune activities, as the sun began to set, Guan Xi and the team waited for the sunset. She took the opportunity to take some group photos in this scenic location. The sunset was a bit slow to come. After finishing the photo shoot, Guan Xi sat on a sand dune, facing the still-setting sun, and took a photo.

Her first thought was to send it to Jiang Suizhou, but she realized the signal was extremely weak here. After struggling for a while, she only managed to send about 3% of the image on the way back when the sky was already dark.

【”Back?”】 Jiang Suizhou replied.

Guan Xi:【 “Going to the original hotel to pick up my luggage, then moving to a new hotel in the evening.”】

Jiang Suizhou: 【”Alright, I’ll wait for you here. Let’s have dinner together tonight.”】

Guan Xi:【 “Where are you staying?”】

Jiang Suizhou: 【”Where else would I stay?”】

Thinking about it, Guan Xi realized that the Yangfan Hotel, where they would be staying tonight, was the best and most famous hotel in the city. Jiang Suizhou would definitely stay there.

Guan Xi: 【”It’s almost 8 o’clock. Are we still having dinner?”】

Jiang Suizhou: 【”Then let’s call it supper.”】

Guan Xi: “…”

Their group returned a bit late. When they went to the original hotel to pick up their luggage and then check into the Yangfan Hotel, it was almost 10 o’clock. However, after entering the room at Yangfan Hotel, Guan Xi felt like she had been instantly filled with excitement—it was so comfortable, incredibly comfortable!

“Guan Xi, I’ll go take a shower first.” After wandering around the room, Wang Qing enthusiastically grabbed her clothes, intending to enjoy the bathtub here.

Guan Xi: “Sure, go ahead.”

“Great.”

Their suit had two bedrooms in total, spacious enough for three people. Guan Xi had her own room, while Wang Qing and another colleague shared the other room. At this moment, Guan Xi was lounging on the sofa in the living room, responding to comments from Weibo users.

Suddenly, her phone beeped, receiving a message: “Heading out, I asked Zhou Hao to pick you up.”

Guan Xi opened WeChat to reply: “Are you really having supper? I’m not hungry.”

Jiang Suizhou: “Even if you’re not hungry, come over.”

Guan Xi: “I haven’t showered yet.”

Jiang Suizhou completely ignored all her reasons and replied with just two words: “Come over.”

Tsk, why was this guy so bossy? Guan Xi got up from the sofa and walked to the door reluctantly.

Zhou Hao was indeed standing politely outside the door. “Miss Guan.”

Seeing that everyone was here, Guan Xi changed her shoes again. “Let’s go.”

“Please follow me.”

Having experienced the contrast, Guan Xi was already quite happy when she entered her own room. However, when Zhou Hao led her to Jiang Suizhou’s room, she suddenly felt that her happiness was gone. Jiang Suizhou was staying in the hotel’s best and largest room.

Zhou Hao: “Please come in.”

Guan Xi glanced around—wow, only one person is staying in such a big room? What a waste! Not very thrifty!

Guan Xi didn’t bother to reminisce about the days when she used to indulge in such extravagance herself. She felt a mixture of envy and disdain, but still entered the room. Zhou Hao took her to the restaurant and then left by himself. Guan Xi looked at the exquisite dishes on the table and Jiang Suizhou, who was already sitting and waiting. “Haven’t you had dinner yet?”

Jiang Suizhou: “Waiting for you.”

Guan Xi exclaimed, “I told you I would be back late.”

Jiang Suizhou: “Well, then accompany me for a bit now.”

Guan Xi had eaten something in the desert earlier, so she wasn’t very hungry now. However, seeing that Jiang Suizhou really hadn’t eaten yet, she picked up a fork and took a symbolic couple of bites.

“If you had come a bit later, time would have passed,” Jiang Suizhou said.

Guan Xi looked at him, raising an eyebrow. “What time?”

Jiang Suizhou gestured for her to look behind. Puzzled, Guan Xi turned around and only then noticed that the hotel staff had brought in a cake, a very exquisite cake with the initials GX written on it. What’s Second Dog up to, being romantic?

Guan Xi was slightly stunned. “This…”

Jiang Suizhou put down his utensils, and his gaze, rare in the flickering candlelight, softened. “It’s for you.”

“Why?”

“Happy birthday.”

Guan Xi looked at him in surprise, joy still lingering in her eyes, and a hint of annoyance emerging. “Jiang Suizhou! Today is not my birthday. Why are you bringing up the past?”

“It is today,” Jiang Suizhou said calmly. “However, it’s the first time you’re celebrating your birthday today.”

Jiang Suizhou’s expression was not joking at all. Guan Xi turned her head again to look at the birthday cake, realizing belatedly. Previously, she had read the information. The day she was brought back from the orphanage by Guan Xinghao was the same day she had always celebrated her birthday. It was evident that Guan Xinghao treated that day as her birthdate.

As for her actual birthday… She didn’t know the specific date. But obviously, she had never celebrated it.

“Uncle Yang told me that your real birthday is today,” Jiang Suizhou said, glancing at his watch. “There’s still an hour left, so it’s still timely.”

This was her first, correct birthday. And the first correct birthday was celebrated by Jiang Suizhou for her. No wonder he insisted on her coming up and insisted on having this late-night snack…

Guan Xi looked at Jiang Suizhou, and for a moment, her nose felt a bit sour. It was as if all the grievances accumulated over such a long time, about her father, about her mother, about him, were suddenly overwhelmed by a genuine birthday.

“What are you staring at?” Jiang Suizhou said. “You can make a wish now.”

Guan Xi lowered her gaze. “Any wish is fine?”

Jiang Suizhou’s lips curved slightly, with a hint of indulgence in both his tone and expression. “Yes, any wish.”

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