"Sweetheart, I am glad that you are here," Tang Wei Sheng whispered in Li Juan's ears, sending bolts of electric shocks all over her body,
It took her a moment to realize that she was in her man's arms.
The warmth of his muscular body shrouded over her like a warm blanket on a wintry night,
She couldn't move or reciprocate to his hug.
Stunned by his sudden actions, Li Juan stood there like a statue.
After a few moments, Tang Wei Sheng loosened his grip over Li Juan and released her from his embrace.
Placing his hands on her shoulders, he took a look at the girl whose face was now, glowing red hot.
"Hey sweetheart, what happened?" He asked out of concern.
As his voice entered into her muddled mind, Li Juan quickly came to her senses and stared at the man with her big black eyes.
"Happy birthday Wei Sheng Ge!!!" She somehow struggled to greet him.
"Only greetings? Where is my gift?" Tang Wei Sheng pouted like a child at her words.
"Oh, my heart!!! why he must act cute all of sudden? my poor eyes, my poor heart," A bunch of crazy shrieks rang in her mind and she quickly averted her gaze to her purse.
Under the watch of Tang Wei Sheng's curious almond-shaped eyes, she quickly fished out a palm-sized gift box wrapped in blue wrapping paper and handed it over to the person who is waiting impatiently for his gift.
When he saw the small gift box, Tang Wei Sheng's cheeks flushed in exhilaration and could not control himself from opening it.
"Please don't open it here!" Li Juan almost cried when she saw him unwrapping the box.
"Why?" He raised his eyes from the box and looked at her like an innocent child.
"Well, it may not be as valuable as the other gifts you received tonight," She wished to say, but for some reasons, she chose to remain silent.
Watching Li Juan's sudden ashen face, Tang Wei Sheng lost his urge to open the gift and he quickly saved the moment by wrapping her into an embrace,
"Thank you, Thank you so much, sweetheart." Tang Wei Sheng murmured in her ears and tightened his arms over her slender body as if he is holding the world in his hands.
At the same time, oblivious to the couple, people who were around them were going crazy at the events happening before their eyes.
"Young master Tang is hugging a woman?" The people immediately started murmuring.
Since Tang Wei Sheng studied abroad, hugs were considered normal friendly gesture for him.
However, in C country where people disliked public display of affection, it was considered a little bit odd to hug a woman in public.
Wang Fang and Lian Hua, the daughters-in-law of the Tang family, who were standing beside the podium were shocked to see their beloved Ah Sheng hugging some random girl, under the curious eyes of a big crowd.
"Sao Zi, Who is she?" Lian Hua asked her sister in law as her eyes were glued to the podium.
"I don't know, does he have a girlfriend?" Wang Fang was also in confusion when she saw the affectionate eyes of her son.
"He didn't say that he has invited any of his foreigner friends to the party," She said and glanced at the girl standing next to her son.
With a stunningly gorgeous face and well-balanced body proportions, she appeared like an international model with an average height of 175 cm.
Her simple makeup and not so flashy outfit made her look different from the rest of the extravagantly dressed women at the party.
However, apart from her height, the feature that made her stood out from the crowd was her skin complexion.
In a society where pale translucent skin is worshipped, Li Juan had beautifully tanned honey-coloured skin. Along with a pair of big obsidian eyes and thick wavy hair, she gave off an impression of a foreigner, more like someone born in a mixed race.
However, even though Li Juan has blessed with breathtaking looks, due to the pale skin worship in the society, she was considered nothing but ugly among her peers.
" I think she is a foreigner," Lian Hua doubted.
" It seems like that." Wang Fang replied as she watched her son holding some random girl's hand and leading her towards his sister.
"Why is he taking her to Lanlan? Does Lanlan know her?" Lian Hua wondered as she continued to observe the girl, "Saozi, I'm getting a bad feeling about this girl."
Wang Fang remained silent to her sister in-law's question when she felt a sense of familiarity towards the girl as if both of them have met before.
"Is she Ah sheng's girlfriend?" Lian Hua's sudden question almost sounded like a shrilly shriek.
Hearing her words, Wang Fang looked at her sister in law as if she has heard a joke.
"Oh, Lian Hua, you are just overthinking. You know Ah Sheng, he won't do anything that affects our family's reputation. Don't worry about him." Wang Fang consoled her with a gentle smile.
While the two ladies of the Tang household were immersed in a discussion about the Tang family's future daughter in law, the main protagonists of the story were reminiscing their good old memories
"Sweetheart, I need to go...don't leave without letting me know, okay?" Tang Wei Sheng held Li Juan's shoulders and looked at her with puppy eyes.
Looking at the people who were waiting to meet and greet him, Li Juan agreed with a nod.
"That's my girl," Tang Wei Sheng grinned and patted the top of her head. "LanLan, take care of her. I'll be right back." He instructed his sister and went back to the guests.
"Whoa, what was that?" As soon as Tang Wei Sheng left their sights, Tang Wei Lan gasped in shock,
"Don't tell me that you guys were secretly dating?"
She was left flabbergasted by her brother's interaction with Li Juan who stood there like a frozen statue.
"Miss Li Juan, are you even listening to me?" She shooked Li Juan's hands and tried to wake her friend from the dazed state. "Did something happen between you guys? I saw hearts popping out of Gege's eyes,"
"I don't know," Li Juan replied with a blanked out face. Her mind couldn't process the fact that Tang Wei Sheng hugged her, not only once but twice. His warmth and scent were still lingering on her body.
"I thought he had forgotten me. But it seems like he remembers everything," Li Juan said and looked in the direction of Tang Wei Sheng, only to realize that he was also looking at her.
The instant their gaze got locked, the corners of his thin lips perched up into a dazzling smile that made Li Juan's flutter like a butterfly.
Tang Wei Lan who was witnessing the not so obvious lovey-doveyness, almost cracked up into a peal of laughter.
"Lily or should I call you sis in law?" she gently placed her arms over Li Juan and turned her away from her brother's sight,
"You little devil," Li Juan pulled Tang Wei Lan's rosy cheeks and snapped back without any hesitation.
Well, her hesitance and shyness were reserved for a certain someone.
-----------------
It was about midnight when Tang Wei Sheng became free since most of the guests have left the party.
Even though he was tired, his eyes were searching for someone who could improve his mood tremendously.
"Where is she? Did she leave without saying goodbye?" Tang Wei Sheng's shoulders droop down in disappointment when he realised that Li Juan is not present in the garden.
Nobody knows how badly he wanted to see her in the last seven years,
All of sudden, Tang Wei Sheng recalled Li Juan's birthday gift.
"Where did you keep the gifts?" He asked one of the butlers in the mansion.
"Gifts has been moved to your closet room, young master,"
As soon as he heard the reply Tang Wei Sheng rushed into his room on the second floor of the Tang mansion.
He stepped into the big bright room that had a minimalistic interior with soothing natural tones in the walls. Since he preferred simple and modern style over loud and flashy decorations, the room was perfectly decorated with monochromatic artworks and modern furniture along with lots of plushies.
Even though, Tang Wei Sheng has moved to the condominium near his office, his bedroom in Tang mansion has kept clean always.
Tang Wei Sheng directly walked towards the closet room and slid open the door to see gifts in different shapes and sizes were perfectly organized in a corner of the closet.
He immediately bent down and started to search for a small box wrapped in blue wrapping paper.
After a while, he found the box from the pile of gifts and carefully unwrapped it.
Tang Wei Sheng's face brightened up like a sunny day when he saw what's in it,
It was a plushie toy of a schoolboy with a baby wolf.
A miniature plushie version of Tang Wei Sheng- it was the perfect gift for him.
Everyone in the Tang family knew about young master Tang's obsession, but no one knew the reason behind the huge collection of plushie toys.
For almost ten years, Tang Wei Sheng concealed the secret that Li Juan was the reason behind his oddly childish hobby.
While they were in high school, Tang Wei Sheng came to know that Li Juan was a skilled plushie toymaker. In the beginning, he thought it was her hobby however, later only he got to know that plushie toy making was one of Li Juan's part-time jobs.
It was a shocking truth for Tang Wei Sheng when he got to know that Li Juan had to take up many side jobs due to her financial struggles.
He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, so things were easy for him. he never had a moment of struggle in his life. But what about her?
Just like any other teenagers, she was also a girl who was at the peak of the colourful period of her life, however, instead of enjoying her life, she was obliged to work from a younger age to meet her family's daily needs.
After knowing the truth, Tang Wei Sheng felt extremely bad for Li Juan and wished to help her out of pity.
But how? He contemplated various ways to help Li Juan's family like giving her mother a stable job and sponsoring her studies.
However, the thought of helping Li Juan without hurting her pride has made Tang Wei Sheng hesitate to carry out his plans.
After a lot of rethinking, he decided to support her to continue what she was currently doing.
For almost two years, Tang Wei Sheng made his loyal butlers buy almost every doll that Li Juan has made and donated it to orphanages across the country, except a few.
From the wolf plushie in his Bugatti's key chain to the countless plushie dolls kept in his bedroom was made by Li Juan.
When Tang Wei Sheng saw a "look-alike doll of Tang Wei Lan," that has been made by Li Juan, he demanded one for him as well.
But even before she could make a doll for him, Tang Wei Sheng had to leave the country for his higher studies.
Tang Wei Sheng kept the plushie aside and took the card that has kept in the box.
He opened it and read the simple birthday wish written by Li Juan with a smile on his face.
The thought of Li Juan remembering his demand even after ten years was enough to flutter the butterflies in his stomach.
The sudden strong urge to see her emerged in his heart. He wished to tell her those overwhelming feelings that he had kept hidden from her, all these years.
But how? Li Juan has already left.
They met after a long time and he wasn't able to have a proper conversation with her.
"Tang Wei Lan! Maybe she knows where Li Juan lives,"
Tang Wei Sheng rose to his feet and strode to his sister's room to wake her up from sleep.
"When did she leave?" Tang Wei Sheng asked his sister as soon as Tang Wei Lan opened the door.
"You didn't see her leaving?" Tang Wei Lan rubbed her eyes and said in a sleepy voice, "Lily got work tomorrow, so she left earlier. By now, she should have reached home,"
Tang Wei Lan glanced at the disappointed face of her brother with an ultimate poker face.
"Hmm, do you know where she lives or where she works?" He inquired,
"I forgot to ask, Gege. I will call her tomorrow and ask her," Tang Wei Lan replied as if she is comforting him.
"Oh then, go back to bed," Tang Wei Sheng said and turned around to walk away.
Suddenly Tang Wei Lan laughed out loud and pulled Li Juan from the door's side.
" I told you, Lily, it is so easy to fool gege,"
Upon seeing Li Juan, Tang Wei Sheng face lit up like a sky full of fireworks.
"You little prankster, come here" Tang Wei Sheng gritted and called his sister in a scolding tone. "How can you pull a trick like this?"
He reached out to grab her ears and Tang Wei Lan who foresaw this, his behind Li Juan.
"Lily, protect me," Tang Wei Lan shrieked and used her friend as a shield. Tang Wei Lan knew very well that her brother got a soft heart when it comes to Li Juan. As long as Li Juan is on her side, Tang Wei Sheng wouldn't punish his naughty sister.
Tang Wei Sheng loved his sister a lot, he wouldn't be mad at her for pulling pranks on him. However, since it is something related to Li Juan he wouldn't let it pass.
"Since my sweetheart is here, I will let you get away this time," Tang Wei Sheng folded his arms and declared,
"Hey brother, when did she become your sweetheart? She is mine. Isn't it sweetheart?" Tang Wei Lan wrapped her arm over Li Juan's shoulder and pouted.
From the school days itself, Tang Wei Lan could easily figure out that Tang Wei Sheng and Li Juan had feelings for each other and she never misses a chance to tease them.
All of sudden, Li Juan's phone alarm silenced the bickering siblings.
.
She took out the phone, with an apologetic face and turned off the alarm. Due to her busy schedule, her sleep cycle has become a mess. To cope up with her unusual routine, Li Juan started to set alarms to fix a regular time for sleeping.
Tang Wei Sheng glanced at his wristwatch and checked the time, it was already a quarter past midnight.
"You must be getting late," Tang Wei Lan said in a worried tone. "Or will you stay with me?"
"Ah no, Lanlan," Li Juan politely refused, "I have to leave,"
"I'll drive you home," Tang Wei Sheng suggested before his sister comes up with any excuses to make Li Juan for a sleepover. He wanted to talk to her alone and it won't happen if she stays at the Tang mansion.
"Come, sweetheart, let's go," Tang Wei Sheng held Li Juan's hand and led her downstairs along with his sister.
However, as soon as they reached the living room, Wang Fang came looking for Tang Wei Sheng.
"Your grandfather wants to talk to you, "Wang Fang said to her son and noticed Li Juan beside her children.
This girl she is still here?
"Who is this pretty girl, Lanlan? Is she your colleague?" She asked her daughter.
"Mom, it is Li Juan," As soon as Tang Wei Lan reminded her mother, Wang Fang's face had a perplexed look.
"Oh my god! You have become so pretty. I couldn't even recognize you. How are you, Li Juan?"
" I'm fine Mrs Tang, I am sorry, I didn't greet you earlier," Li Juan politely bowed her head.
"Hey, that is okay. It is good to see you again," Wang Fang greeted her back and noticed that her son was still standing in the living room. "Ah Sheng, why are you still here?"
" Mom I was planning to drive her home," Tang Wei Sheng looked at Li Juan with dispirited eyes,
"Well, I can ask butler Jing to send her home," Wang Fang tried to reason with him. "It's already late,"
Unable to refuse Wang Fang's offer Li Juan had no other option but to go along with the plan.
By the time, Chauffer brought the car from the garage, Li Juan bid farewell to everyone.
"Sweetheart let's meet some other time," Tang Wei Sheng said as he sent her off,
He stood there unmoving and looked at the car that drove past him.
"Ah Sheng," Wang Fang called her son and pointed towards the first floor as she tried to remind him about his grandfather.
"Yes, yes, I'm going," Tang Wei Sheng grinned at his mother and went inside.
"Does your brother like that girl?" Wang Fang asked her daughter as soon as they were left alone.
Tang Wei Lan who got bewildered by the question, wondered whether it is too conspicuous that Tang Wei Sheng holds feelings for Li Juan.
"I thought he has changed, but it seems like he is not," Wang Fang let out a sigh and turned to walk away, leaving Tang Wei Lan in utter confusion.