Lan Lan was already asleep, unaware of his kiss, and naturally did not hear this silent blessing. Liang Yu Feng lay down beside her.
Perhaps it was because he had spent her birthday with her tonight, recalling many past events, that in his dream, he dreamt of their breakup again. The scene of him standing downstairs at her dormitory building, trying to win her back in the rain, was so vivid in his dream.
Her heartlessness was as it was back then. Not only did she not look at him, but she even walked past him with her new boyfriend. The flames of jealousy burned, consuming his reason. Liang Yu Feng woke up at six o'clock, a fine sheen of cold sweat on his forehead, while the person beside him was still fast asleep.
The dream was too real; he couldn't ignore his emotions. For a moment, he had the impulse to drag her up and punish her, but reason ultimately triumphed over impulse. He changed his clothes and went out for a fifteen-kilometer run. When he returned, it was nearly eight o'clock, and Lan Lan still hadn't woken up.
Her lifestyle habits were very unhealthy and lacked any regularity. On weekends, she would almost always sleep until noon or afternoon before getting up, and at night, she would stay up until three or four in the morning. This habit was evident even in college.
When they were dating, he would try to adjust her schedule. Because he was always "disciplining" her like this, she often told him, "You're more like my dad than my dad." Years later, he still couldn't break this habit.
After showering, Liang Yu Feng woke Lan Lan up. She stirred, her morning grumpiness surfacing, making her lose her usual mature and capable demeanor. She was like a child who hadn't grown up, wriggling and cursing, "I want to sleep, leave me alone!"
"It's nine o'clock," Liang Yu Feng said calmly, having witnessed her morning grumpiness before. "I'm going to make breakfast. If you don't get up, there'll be no food."
"No food, no food, who are you threatening!" Lan Lan lifted her leg to kick him. She hadn't opened her eyes, and with one kick, she hit him right where it hurt. By the time she realized what she had kicked, it was too late to retract her leg.
Lan Lan immediately sobered up and opened her eyes. She indeed saw the man's face, dark as charcoal. Her gaze shifted downwards. "I didn't mean to."
Feeling guilty, her voice was considerably more timid. "Does it hurt?"
Liang Yu Feng grabbed her hand. "What, if I say it hurts, you'll rub it for me?"
After a few years, he had become even more shameless than before. In the past, she was the one who initiated physical contact, and every time she did, he would blush and stammer. Now, he was actually asking for it. This wasn't something they hadn't done before, and Lan Lan was very composed.
After a few minutes of attention, there was a sense of salute. There was no damage; in fact, he had become "more resilient the more he was challenged." Lan Lan chuckled, "Young CEO Liang is quite good. I'll continue sleeping..."
Before she could finish speaking, Liang Yu Feng pressed down on her. Lan Lan realized what it meant to "reap what you sow." Teasing him would lead to no good end.
It wasn't until noon that she finally got up. Liang Yu Feng made sweet and sour pork ribs. After Lan Lan finished lunch, she took her things and returned to her apartment. She didn't notice that she was being followed when she left.
The person following Lan Lan had been arranged by Xu Zheng Xi. It had been three or four days now. Xu Zheng Xi was determined to matchmake Liang Yu Feng and Shang Ting, so he naturally had to investigate the women around Liang Yu Feng to know his enemy before making a move.
In the evening, Lan Lan, Lin Mei, and Feng Feng went to a pub together. The three of them habitually sat at the bar. Lan Lan had brought the new bag Liang Yu Feng had given her. Lin Mei asked her, "Didn't your colleague go on a business trip on New Year's Day? Did they leave early?"
"Liang Yu Feng gave it to me," Lan Lan replied generously.
Feng Feng smiled, "Oh?"
Lan Lan told them about what had happened last night. "My first love wasn't in vain, was it? He remembered my birthday so well."
"You didn't celebrate birthdays together when you were dating, did you?" Lin Mei recalled. They weren't together when it was her birthday in their first year of college, and in their second year, Lan Lan was intensely involved with a senior.
"That's why I was quite surprised," Lan Lan said. "I guess he's trying to make up for his past regrets? I offered him money, but he refused. Next time it's his birthday, I'll give him something of similar value in return."
Although they were in a friends-with-benefits relationship, Lan Lan didn't want to take advantage of him.
Feng Feng could understand Lan Lan's actions, but she asked, "Do you remember his birthday?"
This question hit the mark. Lan Lan not only didn't remember Liang Yu Feng's birthday but also didn't remember if they had ever discussed it...
Lin Mei and Feng Feng quickly deduced the answer from her expression. Lin Mei joked, "President Lan, he's your ex, yet you're so careless."
"It's all ancient history, who remembers that?" Lan Lan said. "I have so many boyfriends, and I remember all of them. Do I still need to work?" It wasn't a difficult matter; she could just casually ask next time.
"Since you didn't celebrate birthdays together back then, we can infer that his birthday is between June and December," Feng Feng calculated.
As soon as she finished speaking, a man approached Lan Lan to strike up a conversation. He was a mixed-race individual with a handsome face and a great physique. His muscles were visible beneath his t-shirt. Lan Lan's eyes immediately lit up, and she went to the dance floor with him. Lin Mei and Feng Feng were used to this.
Lan Lan was the most adventurous among the three of them, but she had her limits and wouldn't let others take advantage of her. Screening potential partners was itself a skill.
The man dancing with Lan Lan was of Italian heritage. His Chinese wasn't very standard. As they danced, they chatted casually, and he revealed his background. His hometown was Naples, and he also worked in a securities company. He had been on business trips in Nanjiang for the past two years.
Seeing that Lan Lan wasn't repulsed, he put his arm around her waist and whispered in her ear, making an invitation, "Tonight, would you like to come to my place?"
When a man pursues a woman, it's usually with the intention of sleeping with her. Lan Lan liked his looks but didn't intend to go through with anything. However, she didn't refuse directly. Instead, she playfully scratched his chest muscles with her finger and said, "I'm not feeling well today, but I definitely will next time."
"That's a pity," the man said, assuming she was on her period when he heard she wasn't feeling well. "Can we exchange contact information?"
Lan Lan happily agreed, scanned his WeChat, added him as a friend, and then returned to drink with Lin Mei and Feng Feng.
After she returned, Feng Feng said, "I thought you weren't coming back." That mixed-race guy was clearly her type.
"He is quite to my taste," Lan Lan said, "but I haven't had a physical examination, and I don't know if he's clean. So, never mind."
She was very picky in this regard, especially after starting work. She always required a physical examination report.
Lin Mei, knowing her rules, smiled and asked, "Did Liang Yu Feng give you his physical examination report?"
Liang Yu Feng certainly hadn't. Lan Lan smiled, "What illness could he have?"
Lin Mei teased, "You seem to trust him a lot?"
"His technique is too poor," Liang Yu Feng's skills didn't seem like someone who played around a lot.
"Perhaps he hasn't been with anyone else since you broke up," Feng Feng suggested.