This day had been truly thrilling. Xia Lin went to bed a little after ten o'clock without even having supper.
When Xia Lin woke up the next day, as usual, he first went for a run in the garden of the manor to breathe in some fresh air. To his surprise, he ran into Xiao Jinyu.
Since he hadn't formally apologized to Xiao Jinyu for the previous incident, Xia Lin always felt a bit guilty when seeing him. He awkwardly said good morning and then continued running. However, from start to finish, Xiao Jinyu was running at a steady pace beside him.
With a poker - faced expression, Xia Lin couldn't guess his current mood. Due to this little episode, his originally planned half - hour run ended in less than twenty minutes.
The atmosphere at breakfast was also stiff. Neither of them said a word. At this moment, Xia Lin missed Jiang Minghuai very much. If he were here, it definitely wouldn't be so awkward.
Finally, around ten o'clock in the morning, as Xia Lin had been looking forward to, Jiang Minghuai and his deputy general manager came. Then several other subordinates of Xiao Jinyu whom Xia Lin had met and who were especially trusted by Xiao Jinyu also came. They didn't bring any servants but carried the gifts themselves.
The arrival of these people livened up the spacious living room. For the first time, Xia Lin liked it so much when Jiang Minghuai pestered him to talk.
At noon, the kitchen prepared dozens of dishes. Everyone cast aside their usual restraint and warmly wished Xiao Jinyu a happy birthday.
"Congratulations, big brother. You're officially twenty - eight years old. You're one step closer to being a middle - aged man," Jiang Minghuai said while raising his glass to toast Xiao Jinyu. He still found time to crack a couple of jokes.
After Jiang Minghuai, it was Xia Lin's turn. Xia Lin noticed that everyone else at the table was looking at him. He felt his hand holding the wine glass go stiff. He tried to remain calm as he stood up to toast Xiao Jinyu. "Happy birthday, Jinyu. I wish you happiness every day and good health. Thank you for taking care of me these days. To me, you're just like my own older brother! I'll toast you!"
Xiao Jinyu nodded and clinked glasses with Xia Lin. A hint of a smile appeared in his eyes, which made Xia Lin breathe a sigh of relief. He happily sat down. The interaction between Xia Lin and Xiao Jinyu made everyone, who had felt a bit awkward before, completely relax. They thought to themselves, "It seems the boss and his partner are making up."
After the meal, except for Jiang Minghuai and his "nanny - like" deputy general manager, the others said a few words and then left.
"Xia Lin, Xia Lin, did you pick out a gift for big brother? Oh right, you were kidnapped, so you didn't have time... What should we do..."
Xia Lin nodded. "Minghuai, don't worry. I bought a gift before Xiao Jinyu picked me up yesterday."
"Oh, that's great. Xia Lin, you're such a thoughtful person."
Jiang Minghuai winked at Xiao Jinyu. "Big brother, don't you want to know what gift Xia Lin gave you now?"
Xiao Jinyu raised his eyebrows. Did he want to know? Of course he did. But he wanted to act more reserved. Now that Jiang Minghuai had brought it up, he had a reason to unwrap the gift.
It had been a long time since he had unwrapped a gift as seriously as a child. Xiao Jinyu's mood was a bit strange. Of course, only the gifts from these people would be unwrapped by him personally. The gifts from a bunch of other less - close people were put away. He'd think about them some other day.
"Wow, this glass - type jadeite must cost at least seven figures. Wow, is this from the Ming Dynasty... Oh my god, can you give me one?"