reignition

"I see you're quite happy these days, always laughing and joking."

When Gong Yan saw Lu Bozhou, she couldn't help but say this, remembering what Jiang Mian had said earlier.

Lu Bozhou was taken aback. "What have I done to offend you this time?"

Gong Yan gritted her teeth, "I get angry just seeing you so happy right now."

Lu Bozhou smiled and said, "Are you angry because you see me having too much free time while you have to work every day?"

Gong Yan didn't say anything. She didn't want to tell Lu Bozhou what Jiang Mian had said earlier. If she did, wouldn't that man be overjoyed?

However, Lu Bozhou took Gong Yan's silence as tacit agreement.

Lu Bozhou smiled. "You complain about the hard work when I offer you money. Well then, why don't you go talk to Song Xun? He should be able to help. I guess I'm just trying to curry favor with you."

Gong Yan gritted her teeth, "I don't mind that making money is hard work!"

"Why is that..." A hint of confusion flashed in Lu Bozhou's eyes, but soon, a look of wild joy lit up in his eyes.

“It’s Mianmian,” Lu Bozhou said, his tone full of certainty, without any uncertainty.

Gong Yan's expression stiffened. This man was far too perceptive when faced with any question from Jiang Mian.

And he doesn't need Gong Yan's approval; he only needs to be sure in his own heart.

Gong Yan's attitude towards him was just so-so, and she even felt a little schadenfreude because Jiang Mian had never accepted him.

Lu Bozhou could often see a gloating look in Gong Yan's eyes.

But not now. Lu Bozhou quickly realized that it was most likely because Jiang Mian's opinion of him had changed, and she had softened her stance...

Before Gong Yan could say anything more, Lu Bozhou answered a phone call, “...Okay, I’ll come down and get it right away.”

He stood up, waved goodbye to Gong Yan, and went downstairs from her office.

Gong Yan could see the situation downstairs clearly from the floor-to-ceiling window of her office.

Lu Bozhou went to the door, took a bouquet of vibrant red roses from a deliveryman, and then walked to the Cullinan parked by the roadside and got into the car.

The car quickly drove away from the roadside parking space, and Gong Yan knew without even thinking where it would go—to Jiang Mian.

Evening Star Studio.

A slender figure squatted by the wall, arranging the fresh flowers in the bucket.

Several buckets were placed against the wall, filled with many red roses.

The rich fragrance of roses wafted through the air.

One student joked, "Teacher Jiang, why don't you just open a flower shop while you're at it?"

A staff member nearby laughed and said, "It can't be opened. Teacher Jiang has nothing but red roses."

Jiang Mian reached into the bucket and picked out some of the flowers that were in full bloom. She held them in her hand, intending to trim them later and put them in different vases.

The staff saw a Cullinan parked outside. "The flowers have arrived again today."

The students followed the staff's gaze and saw a very handsome man get out of a luxury car parked by the roadside, holding a bouquet of vibrant red roses, and walk into the art studio.

"Mianmian." Lu Bozhou handed the bouquet to Jiang Mian. "This is for you."

Jiang Mian took the bouquet and skillfully untied it, neatly placing the flowers into the bucket.

She was still wearing the apron she wore when painting. After arranging the flowers, she turned to the staff and instructed them, "Keep an eye on them for me these next few days."

The staff nodded.

Lu Bozhou looked puzzled. "What's wrong? Where are you going these next few days?"

Before the staff could speak, Jiang Mian had already taken Lu Bozhou's hand and led him into her studio.

Jiang Mian took off her apron and put on a light jacket.

Lu Bozhou asked from behind her, "Where are you going?"

He clearly wanted to know, which was determined by his controlling nature, but he was also afraid of upsetting her.

So it's not hard to tell that he was being a little cautious.

Jiang Mian simply couldn't remain indifferent to such caution.

She sighed softly, turned around, and looked at Lu Bozhou behind her.

"There's something else going on."

Lu Bozhou: "What's wrong? Do you need my help?"

Jiang Mian looked at him, and after a moment, smiled, "It's your birthday, isn't it coming soon?"

Upon hearing Jiang Mian's words, Lu Bozhou's expression suddenly froze, and his deep eyes overflowed with intense emotions.

He seemed unable to resist any longer, took a step forward, and gently pulled Jiang Mian into his arms, his restraint tinged with an irrepressible urge.

Jiang Mian stood motionless, letting him embrace her. Just when Lu Bozhou thought that Jiang Mian might not make any further moves...

Jiang Mian gently raised her hand and hugged his waist.

It was just a very light movement, but for Lu Bozhou, it felt like a completely different weight.

This wasn't the first time Jiang Mian had prepared a birthday celebration for Lu Bozhou.

Back then, she was still his wife, and she loved him purely. Every time, she would prepare a birthday cake, a sumptuous meal, a birthday gift, and a painting she had drawn well in advance.

But Lu Bozhou at that time never cared, or pretended not to care.

He never seemed to care about anything she prepared. Sometimes he wouldn't even come back to eat with her.

Jiang Mian could only reheat the food repeatedly until it turned an unappetizing color, and finally throw it into the trash can.

But for Lu Bozhou now, let alone her preparations for his birthday, just knowing about it was enough to make him happy.

Lu Bozhou originally thought he had only himself to blame, that he hadn't cherished her before, and now Jiang Mian wouldn't celebrate his birthday anymore.

He was surprised that Jiang Mian remembered, and even more surprised that she would still celebrate his birthday. This was already a pleasant surprise, but Lu Bozhou didn't dare to imagine that Jiang Mian would prepare a birthday celebration for him like before.

But to everyone's surprise, Jiang Mian was still well-prepared.

On his birthday, Lu Bozhou received Jiang Mian's birthday wishes immediately.

Actually, that's not quite accurate. To be precise, Jiang Mian and Lu Chaochi started a video call together just after midnight.

In the video, the child smiled and sang him a birthday song, while Jiang Mian hummed along softly.

After the child finished singing the birthday song, Jiang Mian said softly to him, "Xiao Chi is sleepy, I'm going to take him to bed first. You should also get some rest and not be busy for too long. We'll celebrate your birthday tomorrow."

Just that one sentence made Lu Bozhou feel that it had overcome a thousand words, and he couldn't sleep.

When Jiang Mian woke up in the morning, she saw her father returning from his morning exercise, his expression suggesting he wanted to say something but hesitated.

"Dad, what's wrong?" Jiang Mian asked.

Jiang Shan frowned, thought for a moment, and then said, "You should still go and check. I saw the car parked outside early this morning. I don't know how long it's been there. Maybe it slept in the car all night..."

Upon hearing her father's words, Jiang Mian quickly understood what he meant.

She hurried outside and, sure enough, saw Lu Bozhou's Cullinan parked there.

Even the car windows were covered in dew; I wonder how long it had been parked there…