"I want to ask Grandma Sun where this cake was bought, and I want to buy one for my younger brother too. He'll definitely like it," Ye Wan said, her eyes shining as she looked at the half-eaten cake.
Gu Yunting: ...
Then she might as well forget about it; the cake master was already on his way to the airport.
After finishing the cake and a bit of dinner, Ye Wan was full. She took Gu Yunting's medicine from her bag and said, "Take your medicine first."
Gu Yunting didn't expect her to still be thinking about his injury. He extended his hand, and Ye Wan poured the pills into his palm. Gu Yunting swallowed them all.
...
After Ye Wan returned to her room, her stomach began to ache a little. She went to the bathroom, changed into clean underwear, and then, clutching her stomach and bending over, returned to bed and burrowed under the covers.
When Gu Yunting arrived, Ye Wan was curled up on the bed. The pain wasn't excruciating, but the continuous, creeping ache was quite uncomfortable.
Hearing the sound, Ye Wan turned her head and weakly said, "I'm not feeling well today."
Meaning, can I sleep alone tonight?
Gu Yunting ignored her, walked to the side of the bed, and tucked two things under her covers, one placed on her lower abdomen and the other at her feet.
Ye Wan's lower abdomen and feet began to feel warm. She reached out and hugged one of the hot water bottles, the warmth making her feel a little more comfortable.
"Where did these come from?" Ye Wan didn't expect him to know to give a girl hot water bottles.
"Bought them," Gu Yunting had specifically asked Jin Lan, who had people send them over.
"Thank you." Ye Wan was not an ungrateful person. If Gu Yunting was good to her, she would also thank him.
Gu Yunting turned off the lights and lay down on the bed. He hugged her from behind and said, "Happy birthday."
Ye Wan froze, her grip on the hot water bottle tightening. She suddenly remembered that Gu Yunting was the first person in the world to ever wish her a "Happy Birthday."
Before entering the Gu family, no one had ever celebrated her birthday. She would never forget that one birthday; she actually didn't remember her own birthday. She had just seen how other children celebrated their birthdays. That night, Gu Yunting took her to his room, covering her eyes at first, and only letting go when they were in the room.
Ye Wan opened her eyes to see a cake with a few candles on the table. Gu Yunting smiled and said, "Ye Wan, happy birthday, make a wish!"
Ye Wan thought she was dreaming at the time, that she wanted a birthday so badly that she was dreaming of a birthday cake. She pinched herself hard and realized it wasn't a dream.
She walked cautiously to the cake and, encouraged by Gu Yunting, made a wish and blew out the candles in one breath.
The young Gu Yunting removed the candles and let her cut the cake. At that moment, she didn't want to cut the beautiful cake at all; she wanted to look at it a little longer, just a little longer... Gu Yunting laughed at her silliness, saying, "I'll celebrate your birthday every year from now on, and there will be a birthday cake every year."
The memory came to an abrupt end... The more beautiful the memory, the more tragic the reality...
Ye Wan gently closed her eyes. The man behind her held her even tighter, his warm chest making her feel utterly warm.
The pain of dysmenorrhea seemed to have truly vanished.
...
Ye Wan was forcibly made to rest at home by Gu Yunting for a day. By that evening, Ye Wan's bleeding had improved, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
Tomorrow was her brother's surgery. Ye Wan made a few phone calls to confirm that the surgery would proceed as scheduled, and she was relieved.
Gu Yunting did not return that night. Ye Wan lay in bed until past ten o'clock, waiting for him, and suddenly felt a sense of emptiness. She turned off the light and went to sleep.