Chapter 255: Chapter 255: Eighteenth Birthday Gift

Translator: 549690339

“It’s not like it’s a performance for you to watch, plus you, Shen Chi, certainly won’t come on the day of the performance.”

Without lifting his head, Shen Chi lowered his eyelids, “What would I come for? Just listen to you play; asking me to come would be a sheer waste of time.”

“Then you teaching me piano today is also a waste of time, wasting an hour of Shen Chi’s time is equivalent to wasting tens of millions of yuan. So, Shen Chi, you better leave, don’t waste your time on me any longer.” Xu Chaomu said angrily.

“You talk too much nonsense!”

The person in question didn’t listen to her at all and took her small hand to start playing the piano.

“Pay attention and learn from me.” Shen Chi taught her with concentrated attention.

Xu Chaomu stopped talking; she had to admit, he truly played well.

Men who can play piano are especially charming, that was him.

When he leaned close to her, she could smell that familiar woody fragrance on him, particularly long-lasting. In fact, she really wanted to burrow into his arms and act like a spoiled child with him.

Just like when she was a child, every time he came near her, she would take her chance, “Big brother, hug me!”

Every time, this man would scowl, “Get lost!”

“Big brother, if you won’t hug me, I might just hug you. I don’t usually hug people, but when I do, it’s no joke!”

Then, she would jump around and cling to him like a stubborn plaster.

Now, this man belonged to someone else.

She would never play around with him again after this.

Suddenly feeling spirited, Xu Chaomu broke free from his large hand and moved to sit on a stool to the side, “Big brother, play for me.”

“Hm? Play what?”

“‘Summer,’ I love listening to that.”

“Okay.”

So, the man’s long and attractive hands touched the piano keys.

With a slight exertion of force, the piano let out a melodious and pleasant sound that was exceptionally nice in the empty classroom.

Xu Chaomu propped her chin and watched him, silently watching.

This man’s profile was particularly good to look at—sharp lines, cold and decisive, with thin lips lightly pursed, curving into a shallow arc. When he looked down, she would tilt her head to look at his long eyelashes.

She thought to herself as a child that a man who looked like this was quite unsafe.

While she was tilting her head, Shen Chi suddenly turned around, “What are you thinking about?”

“Me? I’m thinking, big brother, you play the piano so well, you should play it often for your baby. Yu Weiwei, the expert, said that listening to music is especially good for a baby’s development.”

“Where do I have a baby? You giving birth?”

“Shameless, I’m talking seriously with you!”

“I’m also being serious.”

“Fake seriousness,” Xu Chaomu snorted coldly, thinking that men really do have thick skins.

Probably Bai Man hadn’t told him that she was pregnant yet; otherwise, there’s no way he would have no reaction at all.

Bai Man hasn’t said anything, and it wasn’t her place to do so.

She gave her promise to someone and she couldn’t go back on her word.

After the piece was finished, the reverberations lingered. Shen Chi stood up, bent down, and patted Xu Chaomu’s head.

“Tell me, how many times better was that than when you played?”

“About the same, just that much,” Xu Chaomu looked up at him.

When their eyes met, he laughed and ruffled her hair, “It’s just your stubbornness talking.”

“Alright, it’s over, you can go back now. I’m going back to the dorm to sleep too; my friends miss me.”

“I have something for you.”

“Hm? I don’t want it.”

Xu Chaomu suddenly remembered the newspapers Bai Man had shown her, of someone being hugged left and right, and quite blissfully at that.

“Refusing a gift from me, how noble,” Shen Chi said while chuckling and ruffling her hair, “It’s for your eighteenth birthday present.”

Xu Chaomu’s heart stirred; she almost forgot about it.

She was about to turn eighteen.

Eighteen…

Originally, she thought she would happily spend her birthday at the Shen Family, then grow up without a care in the world.

But in just a few short months, everything had changed.

Everyone wanted her gone—Zhou Ran, Shen Cexian, including Shen Chi.

“Eighteenth birthday… I’ve been at the Shen Family for eight years,” Xu Chaomu sighed.

“Chaomu, wait for me. After I come back from South Africa, I will take you back to the Shen Family.”

“I’m not a ball that you can just kick away when you don’t want it and then pick up when you want to play.” Xu Chaomu brushed her hair aside, annoyed.

“What ball? Let me feel, where does it resemble a ball?”

Then the shameless man proceeded to give Xu Chaomu’s waist a squeeze. And then, he looked disdainful.

“It’s all bones, where is it round and plump like a ball?” The person expressed dissatisfaction.

“What are you doing? Shameless! I’m going to report you for harassment!”

Shen Chi spread his hands, “If you can bear it, then go ahead and report.”

Xu Chaomu gritted her teeth; what did she have to be reluctant about? Pervert! Letch! Ptui, ptui, ptui!

“Come here and see the birthday present, see if you like it.”

Shen Chi opened the carrying bag, and inside was a white dress and a pair of high-heeled shoes.

Xu Chaomu was stunned, forgetting even to blink.

A white Givenchy dress and nude-red Christian Louboutin shoes, those were the ones she had set her eyes on a long ago.

She remembered sitting in his car that day, staring out the window at the electronic screen on the mall.

That white dress was really beautiful, and those red shoes were also lovely; she liked them a lot.

She even went to the mall later to look for them but couldn’t find them.

She remembered that day, she bought a tie, but he snatched it away.

It was also meant as a gift for him, but the shameless guy took it for himself first.

He told her, do you know what it means to give a man a tie?

Of course, she didn’t know, so he told her, giving a man a tie means, “I want to have you.”

Suddenly, past events flooded to her like a tide.

“What’s wrong, too excited? Look and see if you like it.” Shen Chi handed her the dress.

Xu Chaomu lowered her head to look at the dress in her hand.

The dress was of good quality, a pure white. Holding it felt different than just looking at it.

She unfolded the dress, blinked, and found it really beautiful, but what came out of her mouth was rather cheeky, “How much? I’m afraid it’s too expensive for me.”

“Talking about money hurts feelings, try it on.”

For some reason, Shen Chi didn’t know why the current Xu Chaomu always liked to keep her distance from him. In the past, buying her clothes and snacks was a very natural thing; money was never a topic between them.

“I don’t want it, take it back,” Xu Chaomu pursed her lips and pushed the dress back into his hands.

“It’s a birthday gift I got for you, remember how long ago you asked me what I was going to get you for your eighteenth?”

“Accepting favors weakens one’s position; you don’t need to give me anything. We’re neither relatives nor friends, and besides, didn’t you say before that a birthday is just a birthday, nothing so astonishing.”

Her nose felt sore as Xu Chaomu remembered last year when she asked him, “Big brother, I’ll be eighteen next year, an adult, aren’t you going to give me a big present?”

At that time, Shen Chi didn’t even look up, gazing at the newspaper in his hands, he said casually, “A birthday is just a birthday, nothing so astonishing.”

She felt quite displeased then, “Big brother, I’ve been at the Shen Family for eight years, and you’ve never given me a birthday present. Aren’t you going to give me one for my eighteenth either?”