Buying a Birthday Gift

Remember this: I'd just gotten out of prison. If you two wanted to die, I didn't mind going back in. With Li Yang's vicious glare and the reputation of an old hand in the underworld, how could two inexperienced little punks handle it? They nearly dropped to their knees and confessed on the spot.

Apologize to my wife, and I'll let you two off today. Otherwise, when my boys get here, they'll drag you to Luo River Beach and bury you alive. Don't blame me then.

The two hurriedly got up and kept apologizing to Yang Yanping. A woman's vanity was completely satisfied in that moment.

Sister-in-law, if you ever need anything, just tell us. We'll definitely go all out. The two young men racked their brains for every impressive phrase their Chinese teachers had ever taught them.

All right, let's go, honey. Yang Yanping played along too, looking every bit like the woman of a big brother, sashaying away arm in arm with Li Yang in a seductive, charming stride.

The moment they left the corridor, Yanping grabbed Li Yang when he tried to pull away, gritted her teeth, and dragged him into her room at the far end of the third floor.

Tell me, how are you going to take responsibility? Yang Yanping put on a shameless expression, glaring daggers at Li Yang as though her eyes could kill him.

What am I taking responsibility for? I only kissed you once. If it bothers you that much, kiss me once and we'll be even. Li Yang smirked, trying to look serious, and Yang Yanping finally snapped.

She was dressed like an urban office worker: a short-sleeved white blouse on top, a dark blue fitted skirt below, flesh-colored stockings tightly wrapped around her legs, and black high heels on her feet.

Standing before Li Yang, Yang Yanping was nearly as tall as he was. They actually looked pretty well matched.

Yang Yanping gave full play to a woman's instinct for throwing a tantrum. Her hands flailed nonstop as she extended her manicured Nine Yin White Bone Claw fingers, trying to scratch Li Yang's face.

How could Li Yang let her succeed? He shielded himself with one arm while lightly gripping Yanping's neck with his other hand to keep her from getting close.

She was still a delicate woman, after all. In the end, Yang Yanping did not touch a single hair on Li Yang's head and only exhausted herself until she was panting.

After an intense struggle, the two finally released each other and called a truce.

You look pretty gentle, but I didn't expect you to be so fierce. No wonder you can't find a boyfriend and have to go on blind dates. Li Yang broke the deadlock first, every word like a knife stabbing Yanping straight in the heart.

You're the rascal! The hooligan! The thug! The bastard... Yanping spat out every insult she could think of in one breath, feeling a little smug afterward.

When she turned to look, his skin was thicker than a wall. He did not pay her any attention at all and casually put on Yanping's little headphones from beside the bed to listen to music.

Yanping glared at him murderously for a while, then let it go. After all, Li Yang had let her show off just now. No one would dare harass her again after this. She had no idea how great that would feel.

At that thought, Yanping became even more excited than Li Yang. She leaned back on the sofa, changed into pink slippers, reached under her skirt with both hands, and slowly peeled off her flesh-colored stockings. Unfortunately, Li Yang did not see the beautiful sight, and Yanping suddenly felt inexplicably disappointed. Maybe her looks had become too familiar to him and failed to catch his attention.

It was like a scantily dressed woman tightly covering her chest on the street for fear of exposing herself.

After taking off her stockings, Yanping glanced at Li Yang. This bastard really did not treat himself like an outsider. He lay on Yang Yanping's pink, princess-like little bed, wearing headphones and excitedly bobbing his head to Jay Chou songs on the portable player. Every now and then, he even hummed along. Yanping found herself watching him in fascination.

She had originally been a bit of a neat freak, yet now she was not the least bit angry about Li Yang lying on her bed.

She shook her head helplessly, casually tossed the stockings in her hand onto the sofa, put on her slippers, grabbed her pajamas and toiletries, and went to the bathroom in the corridor to shower.

A girl's love of beauty was destined to take up a lot of time. After Yanping went in, she brushed her teeth, washed her hair, and showered. By the time she finished the whole routine, who knew how long had passed? Li Yang had long since fallen asleep, snoring away where he lay.

The headphones had been tossed aside, but music still played through them.

Yang Yanping returned to the room after her comfortable shower. With a casual glance, she thought this guy really was easygoing. He did not care at all about being annoying.

Like a savage little girl, Yanping pretended to kick and hit Li Yang in front of him, but she could not bear to disturb him.

Pouting, she reluctantly cursed Li Yang from head to toe before muttering to herself and reopening the wardrobe. She took out a thin blanket and pillow, placed them on the sofa, and kept rubbing her wet hair with a towel. She was afraid the hair dryer would wake Li Yang, so she had no choice but to do it this way.

Seeing that she was still bare underneath her pajamas, Yanping shot a vicious glare at Li Yang, who was sleeping like a pig on the bed.

Unwillingly, she picked up a new set of underwear and put it on. She usually slept naked. This bastard was seriously annoying.

Her mouth kept muttering all kinds of bad things about Li Yang, but her body was honest. She still helped cover him with the thin blanket from the bed, turned the ceiling fan down a little, switched on the night-light, turned off the main light, and lay down on the sofa to slowly fall asleep. A smile unconsciously appeared at the corner of her lips as she closed her eyes...

Li Yang had a bad dream. In it, he and Xiao Dan had ultimately not gotten married. They clung to each other and wept bitterly before slowly parting ways.

No... Li Yang shouted in his dream and sat up on reflex, still covered by a blanket carrying Yang Yanping's fragrant scent.

Li Yang looked around. Yang Yanping's sleeping posture on the sofa was extremely indecent. At some point, she had kicked off the thin blanket, and the hem of her nightgown had rolled up to the roots of her fair, smooth thighs. She slept sweetly on her side with her hair in disarray, smacking her lips from time to time. Who knew what delicious food she was eating in her dream?

Li Yang sat on the bed, thinking about the lifelike scene from his dream, then shook his head, not daring to think about it further.

I should go home. What was I doing sleeping here? Li Yang said as he got out of bed and put on his shoes.

He straightened his wrinkled clothes and looked once more at the silly girl's sleeping posture, utterly speechless.

Was she not afraid Li Yang might do something worse than an animal to her? He really did not know what to say.

Thinking of how she had covered him with a blanket, Li Yang felt comforted again. This girl was actually pretty considerate.

After thinking it over, he finally decided to carry Yang Yanping to the bed. The smooth, tender feel of her skin made his thoughts wander. This woman was quite well-endowed. Looking at her full chest, Li Yang smiled but did not keep admiring her. He pulled up the thin blanket beside him and tucked her in tightly.

Yang Yanping, sleeping like a pig, was not even awakened by all that. She had been under pressure from being harassed before, but after Li Yang had resolved it in such an overbearing way last night, she had probably relaxed and was finally sleeping soundly.

Li Yang then picked up a pen from the bedside and left Yang Yanping a note: If anyone harasses you again, call me. Twenty-four-hour free doorstep service. He left his phone number below and placed it on the table.

After thinking for a moment, he added: Don't trust men so easily in the future. Good thing I'm a gentleman, or I could've dragged you out and sold you last night without you even knowing. Still, you looked pretty cute sleeping there, just like a pig. Hahahahaha...

After finishing his prankish note, Li Yang admired it to himself, then quietly left only after he was satisfied.

Yang Yanping seemed to be having some kind of wonderful dream on the bed, because she actually giggled out loud. Unfortunately, no one saw it, and the room soon returned to its original silence...

Li Yang looked at his wristwatch. Damn, it was already two-thirty. No wonder that silly woman was sleeping as soundly as a pig.

The temperature outside was still a little cold in the latter half of the night. Li Yang unconsciously wrapped his arms tighter around himself and quickened his pace toward the warm little home he shared with Xiao Dan.

Yue Xiaodan had sent Li Yang a text message at nearly eleven last night. She had probably seen that he did not reply and did not want to disturb his rest any further.

Li Yang felt guilty for missing the message while asleep. They were in the middle of a passionate romance, and even sleeping apart at night felt a little strange.

Li Yang liked having Xiao Dan sleep curled up in his arms. Holding her petite body felt as comfortable as hugging a doll.

Xiao Dan always complained that Li Yang made fun of her for being short. Every time, she would only be satisfied after planting her chest full of hickeys, then obediently sleep in his arms.

Thinking about their sweet memories, Li Yang smiled and quickened his pace. Soon, he reached the intersection of Qingdao Road and West Garden Road. By the roadside sat a man who looked like a homeless beggar, leaning against the railing of the Pedestrian Street. Li Yang felt sorry for him, so he took out his wallet, pulled out twenty yuan, and stuffed it into the homeless man's hand.

Big brother, I don't have much either. Take this and get something to eat.

The homeless man was quite surprised. He could not help raising his head to study Li Yang's face carefully, as though he wanted to carve it into his memory. His mouth opened and closed, but he still said nothing. He merely sat there dumbfounded, watching Li Yang slowly walk away with a smile on his face.

If Li Yang knew his stuff, he would have recognized the designer shoes on the homeless man's feet. Their base price alone was at least two thousand yuan. Everything was arranged by fate, and the homeless man remembered Li Yang's kindness just like that...

After returning home, Li Yang quickly took a shower. He had never been so particular before, but ever since he had moved in with his silly wife, Yue Xiaodan, the cleanliness-loving Xiao Dan had urged him every day to develop good hygiene habits. Once the weather got hot, he had to shower at least once a day. Xiao Dan had turned it into an unshakable habit.

Lying on the bed, with the ceiling fan above whirring as it sent cool air into every corner of the room, Li Yang lay naked on his stomach and breathed in the lingering scent of Xiao Dan from the sheets before slowly closing his eyes...

Early the next morning, Li Yang hurriedly returned Yue Xiaodan's call before nine. The other end picked up in less than a minute.

Honey, I miss you so much. Yue Xiaodan's clear voice came through, almost choked with tears.

All right, honey. It's not like we'll never see each other again. If you miss me that much, I'll go to Yiyang to see you after work tonight. Having only been away for two days, Xiao Dan seemed as though she had lost her soul. At night, she had actually suffered from insomnia without Li Yang.

It was no wonder. Li Yang had given her too many firsts in life. As a girl, she had loved stories about Prince Charming ever since childhood. In Xiao Dan's heart, Li Yang had undoubtedly taken that place.

Xiao Dan's first kiss, first night, first feeling of being in love, first experience of a woman's orgasmic pleasure, the romance of dates, the security of acting cute, and at night, a free giant teddy bear named Li Yang to hold while she slept—there were simply too many wonderful memories for Yue Xiaodan to ever forget in her life!

Don't waste money, honey. You still need to save up to marry me. Xiao Dan thoughtfully considered Li Yang's circumstances. Deep down, she had already planned her life around the belief that she would marry no one but Li Yang.

Hehe, my wife really cares about me the most. Li Yang smiled and comforted her. Hang in there for a few more days. When you come back, we won't go anywhere. We'll just make love at home, okay, honey? I'll make up for everything you've been missing these past few days.

Hmph, pervert. Xiao Dan pouted and muttered, though inwardly she was delighted. Ever since Li Yang had made love to her, her figure seemed to have undergone a second growth without her noticing, becoming wonderfully alluring. She could not wait to throw herself into Li Yang's arms and make love wildly. She did not want to be apart from him for even a moment.

Mm, honey, I want to make love with you too. You're the best, honey. Women being contrary was a common habit, and Li Yang was used to it.

The two exchanged more intimate words that could not be made public. It even made Xiao Dan, who was hiding in the restroom to talk to Li Yang, feel hot and weak all over. It seemed she really needed Li Yang's powerful comfort.

In the end, it was a coworker who interrupted their passionate call, urging Xiao Dan from outside to get to work. Only then did they reluctantly hang up. Xiao Dan immediately recovered from her dazed, lustful state, hurriedly used wet wipes to clean herself up, straightened her skirt, and went out.

Li Yang also went listlessly to the shop where he worked. Xiao Dan's teasing over the phone had really worked him up, and he had nearly lost control. He swore that once his silly wife came back, he would definitely satisfy his cravings properly.

After arriving at the shop, things were as usual. The moment Li Yang left the office after clocking in, Lao Zhao looked at him as happily as if he had eaten honey-covered shit.

Little brother, come to my house tonight if you're free. Didn't we agree before? My eldest daughter's birthday is today. Whenever Lao Zhao mentioned his daughters, he seemed to have endless energy. In his words, how long he lived was entirely decided by his two daughters. What he meant was that he lived for his two daughters now, and the day he had no more attachments would be the day his life ended.

Whenever Lao Zhao said something like that, Li Yang, who had never experienced marriage, would always scoff and disagree. Many years later, when Li Yang had a precious son of his own, he instantly understood the life lesson Lao Zhao had tried to teach him.

Li Yang agreed readily, said goodbye to Lao Zhao, and went to work.

At noon, Li Yang went to eat alone, feeling lonely and miserable. When Xiao Dan was not around, Xu Rui or Zhang Yujie would usually keep him company. Yet in such a short time, things had changed so completely. Everything had changed too fast for Li Yang to keep up.

He simply ate a serving of cold noodles, then went to a cosmetics shop and spent more than two hundred yuan on a women's skincare gift set for Lao Zhao's eldest daughter, Zhao Meili. Li Yang did not understand all those women's products. After asking the salesperson about them, he was persuaded into buying it. It was a name brand, anyway. Li Yang had seen it advertised on television, so he felt safe paying for it.