Serenade

Chapter 68

When leaving, Elder Bo still didn't forget to instruct Bo Yan not to neglect Yang Xiaoyuan.

Bo Yan didn't say anything, just nodded.

In the KTV, everyone gave Bo Yan birthday gifts one after another.

Xu Chaoyang took out a cigarette from his schoolbag to wish Bo Yan a long life of a hundred years, which almost made Jin Xi throw it out directly. Bo Yan smiled and rubbed her head, saying don't get angry first, because...there may be even more annoying things coming.

Jing Chi gave Bo Yan twelve boxes of top-grade, super thin and silky condoms, plus two cans of lubricant, saying he would be in charge of Bo Yan's sexual happiness for the year.

Jin Xi had nothing to say about these damaging friends, but fortunately there was still a considerate rich boy girlfriend who gave Bo Yan five sheets of ex-boyfriend face masks. Bo Yan handed them back into Jin Xi's schoolbag, and Jin Xi was so happy she could barely fly.

The climax was at the end. Jin Xi's gift to Bo Yan was a mechanical men's watch with a crocodile leather strap, silver grain decoration, a young and stylish style.

This was after Jin Xi had carefully selected for several days, and even called the young master at home to supervise. It was a watch she finally chose.

Jin Xi also had her own thoughts on why she bought a watch. Bo Yan's 20th birthday was the most important year, from youth to adulthood. Giving him an exquisite men's watch was just right.

Bo Yan smiled slightly and pulled up his sleeve.

"Let me help you wear it, baby." Jin Xi eagerly put the watch on Bo Yan's left wrist. His wrists were smooth and graceful, his skin fair, and faint blue veins could be vaguely seen under the skin.

With such a beautiful pair of hands, whether it’s wearing a luxurious expensive watch or sports sweatband on his cheeks, it looks good.

Bo Yan knew Jin Xi had earned a little money over the summer vacation, but didn't expect her to really buy such a valuable gift.

Even Xu Chaoyang said that with this gift, Jin Xi really outclassed everyone else's gifts. How could others compete after this!

The next person to give a gift was Yang Xiaoyuan.

Even though Yang Xiaoyuan didn't know anything about brands, she could see from the complicated luxurious packaging that this watch was expensive.

Her face showed contempt and disdain. The gift she gave Bo Yan was a cross-stitched keychain, probably the cheapest of all the gifts, but Yang Xiaoyuan felt that her gift was the most thoughtful and meaningful, because the cross stitch pattern was embroidered by herself stitch by stitch, very delicate, with distinct color layers, and her initials embroidered in the lower right corner.

The reason why Yang Xiaoyuan gave Bo Yan this keychain was also because she noticed that the faceless rabbit on Bo Yan's keychain was already unraveling, and it looked like it had been used for a long time, so it was probably time to change the keychain.

After this gift was given out, the friends looked at each other, apparently feeling some indescribable awkwardness in the air.

But Yang Xiaoyuan was completely unaware. She said to Bo Yan, "Bo Yan, happy birthday."

Bo Yan smiled politely and said, "Thanks for your kindness, I understand your intentions, but please take the gift back."

Upon hearing this, Yang Xiaoyuan's face changed: "Bo Yan, do you think my gift is too cheap?"

"No." Bo Yan took out his own keychain and twirled it on his slender fingertips. He said expressionlessly, "I already have a keychain."

"But that one is so old already."

Yang Xiaoyuan felt that Bo Yan was just making excuses and looked down on her gift. She said aggrievedly in a low voice, "E-Even if Jin Xi gave you such a valuable watch, this keychain took me several nights to embroider carefully. To me, they have no difference in value..."

Chu Zhao really couldn't stand it anymore and said, "Junior sister, what do you take Bo Yan for? If you think he refused your gift because he looks down on it for being too cheap, then what about the rest of us who didn't even prepare a cheap gift - are we not qualified to celebrate his birthday with him?"

Jing Chi took the opportunity to put his arm around his girlfriend's shoulder with a smile and explained, "Xiaoyuan, that cell phone strap was a birthday gift Jin Xi gave Bo Yan last year when he turned 19. No matter how shabby it is, Bo Yan can't bear to change it."

Yang Xiaoyuan looked at Bo Yan's keychain. That tattered faceless rabbit turned out to be a gift Jin Xi gave him last year!

Jin Xi said unhappily, "That rabbit is also a street stall product. It may be even cheaper than the keychain you gave, so don't overthink it."

Everyone carefully helped rebuild her shattered self-esteem, but Yang Xiaoyuan was extremely sensitive yet competitive. Once she decided on something, even ten oxen couldn't drag her back. She wouldn't be satisfied without smashing her head and bleeding.

Yang Xiaoyuan gritted her teeth and faltered, "Then... Bo Yan can also keep it, hang it on his schoolbag or... somewhere else."

"Since you spent your heart and effort on it, I think you should give it to someone more suitable."

Bo Yan's words were already very clear. If it was some other gift it would be fine, but he really didn't dare accept something a girl had poured her heart into making.

It could be said he had a strong survival instinct.

Yang Xiaoyuan gritted her teeth and took back the embroidered keychain.

No one paid any more attention to her. Jin Xi dimmed the lights on the wall, while Jing Chi unpacked the birthday cake and lit the candles with a lighter.

"How many candles?"

"Bo Yan is twenty years old this year, so light two."

Bo Yan chose two long candles, red and green, and planted them in the middle of the cake, close together. He smiled gently and said, "Twenty years old, and found such a good girlfriend like our Jin Xi. What does it mean to be a winner in life? This is it. The red candle represents our Jin Xi, the green one represents me. We will be happy together forever."

There were boos from the crowd: "Please sit down, you who show off your love! You're blocking other people's dignity!"

Jing Chi took the opportunity to put his arm around Chu Zhao's shoulder with a laugh, "Who doesn't have a girlfriend here!"

Chu Zhao pushed him away, and looked up to meet Xu Chaoyang's complicated gaze on her. Chu Zhao smiled candidly at him, her eyes clear.

Jin Xi put a shiny golden paper crown on Bo Yan: "Baby, make a wish."

Bo Yan put his palms together and paid homage to heaven, earth, and the eight directions. He mumbled, "I hope my girlfriend will make a new start next semester and pass the CET 6 by all means. Don't fail, or her brother will nag me to death."

Jin Xi grinned, "Well, thank you for that, sir."

When cutting the cake, the boys intentionally made trouble and smeared frosting on people's faces. None of the girls were spared and all fell for it, except for Yang Xiaoyuan, who sat alone in the corner with a stiff face, not talking or playing with everyone, looking out of place.

Later, when several girls went to the public restroom to clean the cream off their faces, Lin Luo couldn't help but complain to Jin Xi, "That young lady is really hard to please. I hope she doesn't go telling tales to her grandfather again and say we isolated her."

Jin Xi turned on the faucet and dipped a paper towel in water to wipe her forehead, casually saying, "Has she complained to Grandpa about me before? Grandpa knows everything anyway, he just doesn't expose it."

"I'm speechless," Lin Luo dried her hands with the hand dryer. "This is called preferring to offend gentlemen than villains."

"Who are you calling a villain!" The shrill female voice was accompanied by the restroom door slamming open.

Jin Xi looked back and saw Yang Xiaoyuan coming out of the cubicle, glaring at them, her cheeks flushed red.

"Oh~" Lin Luo shrugged indifferently. "Heard that."

Yang Xiaoyuan's face was full of humiliation as she said sharply, "I know you all look down on me for being from a small place."

Jin Xi said calmly, "No one looks down on you. It has always been yourself looking down on yourself."

Yang Xiaoyuan tonight was like a balloon being continuously blown up until it finally reached the breaking point. She resentfully said,

"I was not born lucky. I was born with nothing. Everything I want must be obtained through my own efforts. You city girls get everything without effort, loving parents, rich families, great boyfriends. Why! You are not worthy of everything you have!"

“So just because your circumstances are difficult, the whole world should make allowances for you?” Lin Luo said mercilessly: “Just because you make an effort, the best things should belong to you, and your classmate's boyfriend should also be yours, isn't that your obsession?”

Yang Xiaoyuan looked at Jin Xi resentfully. This expressionless girl who seemed aloof from the affairs of the world, how she hated that face of hers!

“You’re not good enough for Bo Yan at all.” She clenched her fists tightly, her voice lowered: “A girl like you doesn’t understand him at all!”

Jin Xi remained silent, not giving Yang Xiaoyuan the reaction she had hoped for. She turned on the faucet and washed her face, then dried her cheeks with a paper towel.

Behind her, Yang Xiaoyuan was a little impatient: “What do you mean, I'm talking to you, didn't you hear me!”

Only then did Jin Xi throw away the paper towel and turn to face her, saying lightly: “Yang Xiaoyuan, do you think you know me very well?”

Yang Xiaoyuan said awkwardly: “I've seen many girls like you before. In our class there was one too, a silly sweet young miss who only knew how to act cute and innocent, and had no idea of the hardship and danger in this world.”

Jin Xi suddenly asked back: “Do you think poverty is the most unfortunate thing?”

“Isn't it?”

“No, true misfortune is that no matter how much you possess or how hard you work, those loved ones who have passed away can never come back into your life.”

Yang Xiaoyuan looked at her in surprise.

“I've thought countless times that if my birth parents were by my side, no matter how poor they were, it would be a complete and happy family. I would never have any resentment.”

Yang Xiaoyuan thought of her own family, of her parents who worked hard for her. They really did care about her, but she had complained countless times about her circumstances and the poverty at home.

“You said I don't understand Bo Yan. Then let me tell you, in this world, no one understands him better than me, and no one will love him more than I do.”

Yang Xiaoyuan's breathing tightened. She felt ashamed and mortified.

“Just because of poverty, you think you have the greatest misery in the world. Yang Xiaoyuan, you are the naive one.”