Chapter 122: Washing Together

After helping Gu Zehuai pack a few clothes, Wen Jiu went to take a shower.

That night, when Gu Zehuai made a move on her, Wen Jiu directly refused him, citing his business trip the next day as an excuse.

Gu Zehuai could only obediently hold Wen Jiu as they fell asleep.

The next morning, Wen Jiu was still asleep when Gu Zehuai left the house.

Two days later, Wen Jiu accompanied the company executives to Lin City.

Deep down, Wen Jiu hoped she could return home on the fifteenth day, but she wasn’t sure.

The two days passed quickly, and Wen Jiu’s exchange trip was coming to an end.

At midnight on the Lantern Festival, Wen Jiu sent Gu Zehuai a birthday greeting promptly.

“When will you be back?” she asked.

“There’s still some finishing touches needed on the project in Europe. I’ll try to get back as soon as possible,” he replied.

“No rush, come back when you’re done,” Wen Jiu said, concealing her eagerness.

When Wen Jiu received the notice from her superior that she could return early, the little joy inside her nearly burst out.

Fortunately, Lin City was just next door, not far from A City’s downtown. Wen Jiu returned to the Wen residence by 4:30 p.m.

On the Lantern Festival, the three of them had dinner together.

After greeting her parents, Wen Jiu went upstairs to her room.

Seeing the gift on the table meant for Gu Zehuai, Wen Jiu felt regretful that she couldn’t spend his first birthday with him.

Just then, the phone rang. Seeing it was Gu Zehuai, Wen Jiu answered.

“Jiu Jiu, where are you? At the Wen residence?” Gu Zehuai’s voice carried a faint hope.

Wen Jiu seemed to sense something and exclaimed excitedly, “You’re back! Where are you?”

“I won’t tell you. Wait for me downstairs; I’m coming to get you.”

After hanging up, Wen Jiu changed clothes, grabbed the gift for Gu Zehuai, and headed out.

Gu Zehuai’s car was already parked downstairs. This time Wen Jiu realized he had asked on purpose.

Her empty heart was instantly filled.

Wen Jiu took Gu Zehuai to the restaurant she had originally booked, where he cut the cake and gladly accepted the gift she had brought.

The gift was a pair of ceramic figurines bearing their initials, their expressions crafted to mimic the rabbit pendants she had bought before—so lifelike.

“Jiu Jiu, did you make these? Thank you, I really like them,” Gu Zehuai said, gently kissing Wen Jiu’s forehead.

The delicate figurines had taken Wen Jiu several afternoons to craft. She had been eager to show them to Gu Zehuai but had restrained herself.

Seeing him smile foolishly at the figurines now made the effort worthwhile.

Since Wen Jiu had already eaten dinner, she only accompanied Gu Zehuai for a little.

After dinner, they went to the amusement park to watch the fireworks show.

This year was different from previous years; fireworks were set off at a designated spot in the city, and the timing favored the two of them.

After the show ended, they returned to the apartment.

In the elevator, Wen Jiu noticed Gu Zehuai’s gaze but pretended not to see.

Once off the elevator, Gu Zehuai saw through her act and pressed her against the door. “Jiu Jiu, I’ve missed you so much...”

He kissed her directly.

Though they were the only residents on that floor, it wasn’t like no one could come up!

Wen Jiu pushed Gu Zehuai gently and found a chance to say, “Ah Huai, let’s go inside...”

Unstoppable, Gu Zehuai reached out and unlocked the fingerprint lock, then carried Wen Jiu inside.

Setting her down by the entrance, Gu Zehuai resumed kissing her.

“I missed you too...” Wen Jiu whispered softly.

Before Gu Zehuai could respond, the lights suddenly turned on.

From the living room came a chorus of “Happy Birthday!”

Startled by the voices, Wen Jiu immediately buried her face in Gu Zehuai’s chest in embarrassment.

Gu Zehuai clearly hadn’t expected Pei Yi to plan a surprise birthday celebration and was momentarily stunned.

Once everyone saw the scene at the entrance, they came to their senses. Lin Youqi and Lin Lehan pushed Pei Yi to the front, while they and Shen Mengxia retreated into the living room.

Seeing their actions, Pei Yi laughed in frustration, “Why are you all like this!”

He then braced himself and faced Gu Zehuai. “Ah Huai, happy birthday. Sorry, we didn’t know Jiu Jiu was back from her trip too, so we thought we’d come celebrate with you.”

They had quickly turned on the lights when they heard the door open, not expecting this scene.

Wen Jiu, having recovered from her embarrassment, looked up to gauge Gu Zehuai’s reaction.

Gu Zehuai looked at Pei Yi, then at the others behind him, and sincerely patted Pei Yi’s shoulder. “Thank you all for the thought.”

He was deeply touched inside but didn’t show it, generously telling Lin Youqi and Pei Yi to pick any wine they wanted from the cabinet.

No one made a big deal of it; they chatted naturally with Wen Jiu, which made her feel more at ease.

Gu Zehuai was teased into cutting the cake again, insisting on holding Wen Jiu’s hand as they cut it, prompting cheers from everyone.

After the cake, everyone presented their gifts. Shen Mengxia awkwardly said, “This was so sudden, I didn’t prepare anything.”

She had been invited last minute by Pei Yi and Lin Lehan, so she hadn’t had time to prepare.

“No worries, you already gave me a gift before,” Gu Zehuai replied with a smile.

Wen Jiu realized what he meant and blushed deeply.

Still puzzled, Shen Mengxia’s attention was diverted as Gu Zehuai changed the subject, and she quickly forgot about it, only thinking about buying a gift for Jiu Jiu later.

Which was practically a gift for Gu Zehuai himself.

“We’re giving one too,” Lin Lehan raised a hand and explained, “Pei Yi and I invited Xia Xia, so we prepared a gift on her behalf, hehe.”

Shen Mengxia was touched and threw herself into Lin Lehan’s arms. “Han Han, you’re so sweet!”

Lin Lehan was thrilled by the gesture.

She was cuddling with Xia Xia!

Pei Yi, eager for credit, shouted, “What about me? This was prepared by me and Han Han together!”

Shen Mengxia teased him as usual but ended with a sincere thank you.

Gu Zehuai also expressed his gratitude to everyone.

Lin Youqi couldn’t help but say, “We’ve nearly finished the cake and given the gifts, so we should get going. Won’t disturb the young couple anymore.”

Everyone realized that the couple, having been apart for several days, must be eager to be alone, so they decided not to be party crashers.

After tidying up the living room, Lin Youqi took out the trash to the staircase entrance while Gu Zehuai and Wen Jiu saw the others off.

After the awkward incident earlier, neither of them was in a romantic mood. They exchanged glances and read the same message in each other’s eyes: “Let’s just wash up and sleep.”

That said, once in the bedroom, Wen Jiu knocked on the bathroom door holding her pajamas.

Gu Zehuai slightly opened the door and immediately reached out to pull Wen Jiu inside.

Warm water from the shower sprayed over Wen Jiu, instantly soaking her.

“Jiu Jiu, want to shower together?” Gu Zehuai’s voice whispered seductively in her ear.