"Damn! That old man is quite alluring." After rolling in bed 800 times, Nian Suian sat up and punched her pillow fiercely.
After a pause, Nian Suian stretched out her hand and touched her brow, as if the earlier sensation still lingered there.
Meanwhile, in the room across, Gu Junxing was wide awake despite it being well past his usual bedtime.
When he had bent down close to the girl, he could see her trembling eyelashes, betraying her nervousness and confusion. So in the end, he chose to place his kiss on her brow.
He was a lucky man indeed, for the rose grew right before his eyes, allowing him to kiss it.
On Wednesday, Nian Suian woke up very late. She had fallen asleep last night amid various wild thoughts, and then had many dreams. Some she remembered, some she didn't.
She dreamed of the senior she had a crush on in middle school, handsome and talented, who played the violin beautifully. In the dream, she sat in the audience watching his violin performance. As she watched, the face of the person on stage transformed from her senior's to Gu Junxing's.
Then, he walked off the stage, coming towards her. In the dream, she closed her eyes just the same.
And this time, the kiss landed on her lips.
"Ahhhhhhh! Nian Suian, you're really starving!"
Waking up from this dream, Nian Suian couldn't accept that she had such a risqué dream. It must be because she had been single for too long.
To remedy this, Nian Suian spent the entire afternoon watching the initial stages of three talent shows, thoroughly evaluating the physiques and appearances of hundreds of young men, before feeling satisfied enough to go downstairs, intending to check on her cat daughter upstairs.
However, just as she reached the staircase, she saw the very man from her dream last night walking towards her with a smile.
Nian Suian asked suspiciously, "You're off work so early today?"
"It's Christmas today, so I let the whole company leave an hour early."
On his way from home to the office this morning, Gu Junxing had seen the shops along the street decked out in festive Christmas decorations, and children hopping about wearing reindeer antler headbands. A large Christmas tree had also been placed in the center of the company's ground floor lobby.
Infected by the holiday spirit, Gu Junxing made an impromptu decision to let everyone leave an hour early.
Gu Junxing then asked, "Were you planning to go downstairs?"
"No, I was planning to check on Tang Yuan."
Gu Junxing nodded, naturally walking over to take Nian Suian's hand, intending to go upstairs.
"What are you doing?"
"Going to see Tang Yuan together, of course."
Nian Suian shook her hand, reminding him that she was asking about his hand, not what he planned to do.
"Let's go." Gu Junxing also gently shook their clasped hands.
Older man, suit, gentleness.
These combined were Nian Suian's ultimate weakness. By the time she realized it, they had already reached Tang Yuan's room.
"Can we let Tang Yuan come downstairs to play now?"
Tang Yuan had grown much bigger and become quite mischievous; this room was no longer enough for its parkour antics.
"Alright, I'll have Old Su tell everyone tomorrow to be careful when entering and leaving, so it doesn't run into the courtyard."
Nian Suian picked up Tang Yuan, squeezing all four of its little paws and scratching under its chin. "Then I can let it sleep with me."
Holding a cat in her arms – it doesn't get much happier than this.
"This is for you." Gu Junxing suddenly pulled a small box from his pocket and handed it to Nian Suian.
Nian Suian froze, blinking her eyes, the outrageous thought of "proposal" flashing through her mind.
Nian Suian put the cat on her lap and reached out to take the box.
It was a Christmas tree-shaped brooch.
"I bought it on my way back from work."
Tang Yuan, seeing something in Nian Suian's hand, curiously approached to sniff it.
Not finding it edible, Tang Yuan walked away disappointed, heading to its own bowl to eat.
Nian Suian picked up the brooch and asked Gu Junxing, "Is this a Christmas gift?"
Gu Junxing shook his head, "This is a December 25th gift."
"Meow~" Tang Yuan had somehow made its way between them again, pawing at Gu Junxing's trouser leg, diverting their attention.
Seeing this, Nian Suian laughed and said, "They say that in a cat's eyes, when their owner goes out to work every day, it's like going hunting. If you always come to see it empty-handed, it might think you've failed at hunting."
Gu Junxing was surprised; it was the first time he had heard such a saying. He started thinking about whether there were any pet stores on his way home from the office.
When going downstairs for dinner, Nian Suian didn't want to hold hands with Gu Junxing anymore, so she quickly ran down ahead of him.
She was really afraid of seeing the teasing looks from Nanny Zhang and Butler Su.
During dinner, Gu Junxing asked Nian Suian, "On the 31st evening, the company is having a New Year's Eve party. Would you like to come? There will be lots of good food and a lucky draw."
Lots of good food...
How could Nian Suian not go? She absolutely had to!
"The lucky draw... if I win something, wouldn't that be a bit inappropriate?" After all, the lucky draw was meant to give benefits to employees, and if she won, wouldn't she be taking an employee's spot?
"If you don't want the prize, you can give it up and we'll draw again."
"Is the party formal? Do I need to wear an evening gown?"
"No need, it's not a formal banquet. Regular attire is fine."
As it turned out, Nian Suian's worries were completely unnecessary because she – didn't win a single prize!
On the day of the party, Gu Junxing came to pick up Nian Suian after work to go to the hotel where the party was being held. He didn't bring Gu Zhijing, as he said he wanted to spend New Year's Eve with his friends.
Although Gu Junxing had said that the dress code wasn't too formal, Nian Suian still dressed up a bit more than usual.
She wore a white knit dress underneath, with a light purple cashmere coat on top. She curled her hair slightly and applied light makeup, going for a gentle and intellectual look today.
"You look beautiful."
Nian Suian was very satisfied with his response and proactively reached out her hand as they left.
After getting in the car and settling down, Gu Junxing pulled out another box from somewhere.
"Today's gift."
Nian Suian thought about how Gu Junxing had been bringing back something to give her every time he returned from work these past few days.
A bouquet of flowers, a piece of cake, a small accessory.
Every now and then, he would also bring something for Tang Yuan, sometimes freeze-dried treats, sometimes canned food.
Nian Suian couldn't help but ask, "Are you 'hunting' for me?" Bringing something back every day.
Gu Junxing thought the word "hunting" was quite fitting, so he nodded.
Nian Suian opened the box.
Today's "prey" was a snowflake-shaped diamond necklace.
"Let me put it on for you."
Nian Suian felt Gu Junxing's warm breath on the back of her neck.
To ease her nervousness, Nian Suian started making small talk.
"What about Zhijing? You can't forget to 'hunt' for him too."
"Mm, I transferred money to him. His favorite 'prey' is cash."
"Um... actually, so is mine."
"What the prey is, is up to the hunter to decide."