Chapter 1088 LUO REN''S BIRTHDAY (I)


    THERE was no special preparation for Luo Ren''s birthday, like decorating the house in a specific way. After all, he''s a grown man and didn''t really need that. Just the assurance that the food would be good was enough. And on that front, he had no problems. Because their kitchen staff could prepare one hell of a meal.


    As evening came, Luo Ren was waiting for the arrival of Yu Jiao and her mother. They were the only guests he had for this birthday dinner. Since the Bai family was in B City, it would be inconvenient for them to fly here just so they could attend his birthday dinner. Their greetings and well wishes were enough.


    "Brother, Jiao Jiao and Aunt Xiuying are near," Luo Yan, who was sitting beside him, announced.


    Upon hearing that, Luo Ren quickly got up and walked out of the house.


    "Brother, don''t forget to wear a coat!"


    He heard Luo Yan say. Although spring had officially begun, the weather was still cold outside. Even if he was wearing long sleeves, the temperature would still be too cold for him. So, he reached out for a coat on the rack and wore it.


    As he walked out, he heard chuckling from behind. The voices were mainly his father and Luo Yan. They were talking about how silly he was. He didn''t mind and just shook his head. Because he was indeed being ''silly''. Love could do that to a sane person.


    He stood just outside the house and waited. He actually wanted to personally pick up Yu Jiao and Aunt Xiuying. But he thought better of it. This was not the same as New Year, when he picked the two up to eat at their house. Today was his birthday. It would be weird if the celebrant himself was the one to pick up the guests.


    Both Yu Jiao and Aunt Xiuying would definitely think that it''s too much. So, to avoid making them feel ufortable, he just sent a driver to pick them up.


    Soon, Luo Ren saw a ck car entering their driveway. He was suddenly filled with anticipation. It had been a while since hest saw Yu Jiao in real life. He said it like that since whenever he had free time, he would enter Arcadia and drop by the other''s cksmith''s shop. Even sometimes helping here up with marketing strategies to increase her shop''s sale.


    But there were only a couple of times he could do that. Since, you know, he''s a busy working adult. Besides that, interacting with Yu Jiao face to face in reality was still better than just meeting her inside a virtual game world. Thest time they met in real life was on Valentine''s Day, which was 19 days ago.


    Although there were times that he couldn''t see her much longer than that, it still felt like he was a patient suffering from ck of Jiao Jiao'' sickness. This might seem like an exaggeration, but for a person in love, it''s justifiable. Heck, it was even worse for him since he could hardly do anything to act on these feelings. All he could do was pine like a lovesick bird.


    Once again, he cursed this damn age gap!


    Luo Ren''s wandering thoughts were cut off once the car stopped in front of the house. The first one to get off was Aunt Xiuying. He was about to go over and greet the other but unknowingly stopped in his tracks when he saw Yu Jiao getting off the car.


    The other was not wearing his usual style of clothing. Even her hairstyle was different.


    Yu Jiao''s short hair, neatly styled with a thin headband, framed her face with, appearing every bit as lovely as she should. Despite the brown wool coat she wore, the light blue dress beneath it caught his eyes, its flowing skirt adding a sense of grace as it reached below her knees.


    As she walked in his direction, stepping closer and closer, Luo Ren could feel his heart beating faster and faster. He suddenly remembered Valentine''s Day, when he first saw Yu Jiao wearing a dress. His reaction then was not so different from his reaction now. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    His heart beat at full speed as if it was on a race, and the way he couldn''t take his eyes off of her. The sensation felt both familiar and yet entirely fresh, as if he was experiencing this rush of emotions for the very first time.


    When Yu Jiao was just a few steps away, he finally noticed that she was wearing the ga earrings he gave to her as a birthday present. As soon as he saw that, his heart seemed to produce a loud ''boom'' ''boom'' sound every time it beat. It was so loud, he wondered if the surrounding people could hear it.


    But he didn''t care. He just felt so giddy seeing Yu Jiao wear his gift. The other didn''t even wear it when they went out on Valentine''s Day. Didn''t it mean that Yu Jiao was much morefortable around him now? Maybe this was a sign that they had gotten much closer than before?


    The sound of someone clearing their throat stopped Luo Ren''s ''daydreaming''. He blinked, as if justing back to his senses, and then turned to the source of the sound. Aunt Xiuying was looking at him with a raised brow and an amused expression on her face.


    He felt his face heating up. He had almost forgotten that the other was also here. He forced himself to show a normal expression and then smiled gently.


    "Aunt Xiuying, Jiao Jiao," he greeted the two.


    "Happy birthday, Xiao Ren," Aunt Xiuying said, before handing him a small square box. "Here is my gift. I hope you won''t dislike it."


    Luo Ren quickly epted the box. It was light, as if empty. With the size and its weight, he had a feeling that it must be a handkerchief. "Thank you, Aunt Xiuying."


    Then, he turned to Yu Jiao. The anticipation in his eyes must have been too burdensome, because the other almost stepped back.


    Yu Jiao fidgeted, looking as if she was trying to calm herself, before handing him a small paper bag. "H-happy birthday, Brother Ren."