On TV, the bald man was still spouting nonsense, while Lily and the red-haired woman had already placed the cooked food on the table.
Although the children were still eating spicy strips and ignored the feast on the table,
the necessary procedures still had to be followed.
The birthday candles were lit one by one, the lights were turned off, and wishes were made.
Wang Jian had no choice but to walk up to the table and start singing the birthday song.
Among the two women and a group of children, he, standing at 180 cm, stood out like a crane among chickens.
This made Wang Jian, clapping and singing, feel a bit awkward for no apparent reason.
Fortunately, except for some occasional teasing from the red-haired woman, the party went smoothly.
During this time, Wang Jian let these five-year-old kids know that he was really good at gaming.
Uh…
Of course, this was only in the eyes of these five-year-old kids.
But, even so, it was enough to make the other children express their envy for Gene afterward.
Gene's gaze at Wang Jian also carried a hint of admiration.
Time passed unknowingly, and two hours had gone by.
By a little after nine at night, parents finally started to pick up their children.
Gene's birthday party officially came to an end.
Just as Wang Jian was preparing to say goodbye and leave, Lily spoke up to stop him.
"Brooklyn's nights are unsafe, and where you live in the Bronx District is even more chaotic. For safety's sake, you should stay here."
The red-haired woman also advised, "The parents of those children all live in the nearby community, it's too dangerous for you to go to the Bronx District so late, even taxi drivers wouldn't dare take you."
"I also live in Brooklyn, and I'm not planning to go back tonight either."
"Is that really okay?" Wang Jian asked, looking at the two women and a boy.
"It's fine," Lily said, pointing to a room around the corner, "You can… stay in Gene's father's former study."
Gene also pleaded, "Brother, stay over. It's my birthday today, so I can play games for an extra half hour. Play with me."
Wang Jian pondered for a moment and, although he still felt somewhat inappropriate, he stayed for safety reasons.
After playing games with Gene for a while longer, he informed Lily and went into the study.
In the study, besides a desk lamp and a few books on a desk, there was only a simple bed.
And the bookshelf was completely empty.
Wang Jian guessed that the bookshelves used to be filled with books belonging to Lily's ex-husband.
The remaining ones must be Lily's, right?
He casually flipped through the books.
"Tagore's Poetry," "Shelley's Poems," "Frost's poetry"…
Who would have thought, beneath Lily's shapely figure, there hid the heart of a literary young woman?
Wang Jian couldn't help but laugh silently.
He lay on the simple bed, listening to the voices of Lily and the red-haired woman slowly fading away outside the door, and soon he started feeling sleepy.
At this time, the red-haired woman was already lying in the master bedroom's bed, waiting for Lily to finish telling Gene a story, then the two planned to chat about personal matters.
But who knew, as Lily told "I'm a Great Mage," Gene's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
And at Gene's continuous request, Lily could only keep telling the story.
Ah, what can you do when it's the little guy's birthday?
And just like that, time reached midnight.
Lily finally walked out of Gene's room.
But she didn't head straight to her bedroom, instead, she went to the kitchen.
This book "I'm a Great Mage," although simple in plot, indeed, stirred emotions.
She needed a glass of milk to calm down.
But when she turned on the kitchen light, her pale blue eyes suddenly caught sight of a few leftover spicy strips.
So, she ended up grabbing a few and started eating them, as if possessed.
Next, like a cat that had snuck a bite of Mexican food and been overwhelmed by the chili, she was hit so hard by the spice she couldn't speak.
Lily stuck out her pink tongue as she hurriedly opened the milk and took two big gulps.
Finally, the spiciness was completely subdued.
But Lily gazed deeply at the spicy strips and then, a faint smile gradually appeared on her lips.
She first glanced at Gene's room door, then turned her head to look at the study.
Then, drawing a deep breath, she made what seemed like a major decision.
...
In the unfamiliar place, Wang Jian always had trouble sleeping.
After tossing and turning for quite a while, he finally fell into a groggy state.
But suddenly, the creaking sound of the door being pushed open startled him awake.
Who?
What for?
Pretending to turn over, Wang Jian twisted his head to look toward the door.
He saw a shadow cautiously enter the study and close the door.
A break-in?
He hadn't encountered one in the Bronx but found it happening in Brooklyn.
Wang Jian held his breath and slowly picked up a volume of poetry from beside the bed,
ready to use it as a weapon of retaliation when the other approached.
The shadow, familiar with the home's layout, quickly moved to the desk.
Just as Wang Jian was about to react, he felt something was amiss.
The shadow... it somewhat resembled Lily?
After observing carefully for a moment, he confirmed.
It was the check-in officer, Lily.
Had she lost her mind?
Gene's room was just next door!
And that red-haired woman was also at her home.
Wang Jian was about to speak when Lily suddenly whispered, "Don't make a sound."
"After the party ended, I received a phone call," Lily said in a low voice. "Tomorrow, Gene's grandparents are coming to see Gene."
"In that case, I…" Lily paused, then added, "won't be able to reward you."
Although Wang Jian was also somewhat distracted by desires, at this moment, he felt that she was being unreasonable.
He whispered, "What if we get caught?"
But it seemed Lily didn't hear him clearly.
She switched on the desk lamp and turned around, asking, "What did you say?"
It was then, under the dim light of the desk lamp, that Wang Jian clearly saw Lily's appearance at that moment.
Her golden hair loosely cascaded behind her, her pale skin reflecting the light from the lamp.
Wang Jian involuntarily swallowed, his eyes lingering downwards.
Her curvaceous figure was clad in a semi-transparent red lace nightgown; her slender legs enveloped in pure white stockings; her feet in black lace-up high heels made Lily even more enticing.
She swayed as she walked over, softly saying, "Since the divorce from his father, this is the first time Gene has been this happy."
"It's also the best he's had playing with his friends in a long time."
Lily took the poetry book from Wang Jian's hands, flipped through a couple of pages, and continued, "Those little boys who came to the party today, I personally went to their homes to invite them. Otherwise, nobody would have come to Gene's party."
"From today onwards, Gene should no longer have no friends at school."
She brushed the hair by her ear and looked down at Wang Jian.
"All this, I owe it to you."
After saying that, she bowed her head...
Wang Jian's breath hitched, and he swallowed back the words he was about to say.
Lily glanced up at Wang Jian.
Then turned around...
After a moment.
At that moment, a flash of red hair passed outside the study door.
Neither Wang Jian nor Lily noticed...
(Checking if it can be sent... If not, I'll alter it.)