959: JIAO JIAO'S BIRTHDAY (V)

JIAO JIAO'S BIRTHDAY (V)

LUO REN watched his father and Yu Jiao walked further inside, laughing and smiling at each other, as if thoroughly forgetting his existence. He sighed and just put his coat on the rack that was near the doorway. As he did, he patted the inner pocket of his coat to make sure that the gift he brought was there.  1

When he turned, he was slightly startled when he saw that Yu Jiao actually waited for him. He subconsciously smiled and walked towards the other. 

"Happy birthday, Jiao Jiao," Luo Ren was finally able to greet the other.

Yu Jiao smiled. "Thank you, Brother Ren."

He glanced at the paper bag Yu Jiao was holding. He didn't know what was inside, but since it was open and not tied, Yu Jiao probably saw what the gift was. Considering how happy she was when she received it, it must be something special. 

"Can I ask what Dad gave you?" Luo Ren asked, curious.

Yu Jiao nodded, showing that she didn't mind. "They're college entrance exam practice books."

Luo Ren almost tripped on his feet when he heard that. Practice books? Seriously? He suddenly remembered what his father asked earlier, about him giving Yu Jiao a special gift. Was this what he meant by 'special'? But then again, since Yu Jiao seemed very happy receiving such a gift, maybe his father was onto something.

It showed that Yu Jiao liked practical gifts, and his father probably understood that in some way. Because he knew that she wouldn't accept something expensive. Now, Luo Ren started to get worried. Because his gift was far from being practical. The only upside was that it's not expensive. Well, the material was. But since he's the one who made it himself, it didn't have a price tag attached to it. 

Knowing Yu Jiao, she would probably be thankful for any gift that she would receive. But Luo Ren didn't want her to only feel thankful, she wanted her to like the gift. 

He took a deep breath. Let's not think about that for now. 

"Xiao Ren," Aunt Xiuying greeted him.

He smiled at the other. "Our family is going to bother you for the night, Aunt Xiuying."

"Oh, what bother? We're happy to have you," Ji Xiuying said with a wave of her hand.

Seeing the young man, she couldn't help but remember how much Luo Yan praised the other earlier. To the point that she was on the verge of believing that Luo Ren was actually perfect being that didn't have any faults. 

She wanted to chuckle a bit at the boy's enthusiasm at 'promoting' his older brother's good image. She knew why the other was doing that. She's not so dense that she couldn't even see what was happening. But even without Luo Yan's overenthusiastic promotion, she already had a good impression of Luo Ren.

Of course, her good impression of the other didn't really matter much. What's important here was her daughter's thoughts and feelings. After the disaster that was her second marriage, she made a vow to herself that she would never again set aside Yu Jiao's opinion. She would never again make the same mistake twice. Her daughter would be first and foremost in everything. 

So, Ji Xiuying would only be here to watch and not meddle. She would let Yu Jiao decide what she would do and if the other asked for her opinion, then she would be by her side to give it. 

Her daughter was very smart, much smarter then her. Compared to her, she would definitely make a much wiser decision.

"Shall we eat dinner?" she said, smiling at everyone.

And with that, dinner finally started.

------

The dishes Ji Xiuying prepared were very simple and yet very hearty. That's why the Luo family enjoyed dinner. Because it almost felt like they were in their own home. Of course, it also helped that all the dishes were delicious. 

After dinner, they all had tea in the living room. Luo Yan finally gave his gift to Yu Jiao. It was a box wrapped in sky blue gift wrap with a cute bow on top. 

Yu Jiao held the box. It was not heave and very light, so she wondered what could be inside.

"Why don't you open it now, Jiao Jiao?" Luo Yan suggested. 

Yu Jiao felt shy opening gifts in front of people, but she still nodded. It's because she's truly curious as to what Luo Yan's gift was. "Okay."

She carefully untied the bow and opened the box. What was inside was a cute little funko pop. And it was not just an ordinary funko pop, it looked very similar to her game avatar.

A smile quickly appeared on his lips. "Thank you, Yan Yan! I really like it."

The fact that the funko pop was modeled after his game avatar meant that the other he had it custom made. So, how could she not like it?

Luo Ren seeing Yu Jiao's happy smile after receiving that custom made funko pop, he felt a bit hopeful for his gift. 

"I sent you a game item," Luo Jin simply said.

"Hey, Ah Jin, no need to be shy. Just directly say that it's your gift," Luo Yan teased.

"I-I'm not being shy!"

Everyone chuckled at his reaction. 

"Thank you, Luo Jin," Yu Jiao said with a small smile.

After tea, the Luo family bid their goodbye. Yu Jiao followed to see them off, while her mother remained at the apartment to clean the dishes. 

As they walked, Yu Jiao kept on glancing at Luo Ren who was walking ahead of her. The other hadn't yet given her a gift. And for some reason, it made her feel uncomfortable. 

Then, she stopped. Wait- was she starting to think that Luo Ren had to give her a gift? What kind of arrogant thinking was that? Was she starting to turn into someone who thought that the world revolved around her? 

Yu Jiao shook her head, trying her best to stamp down on her disappointment. 

pqdm.com