Chapter 13: Intimate Girlfriend 5:20 pm, this is the scheduled starting time for Lanlan’s birthday dinner. 5:20. From the perspective of ordinary people, this time might be considered too early to start a party - because it is summer and it gets dark later. However, since Gu Zhengyang and Lan Lan invited their friends this time, and most of them were young people, they could easily understand the special meaning of the three numbers 520. As for the older ones, they all understood the close relationship between Gu Zhengyang and Lan Lan at the moment, and they were all happy to facilitate it. Therefore, it didn't seem to matter if the time was a little earlier. In fact, most of the guests arrived quite early, around 4:30. However, the first person to come was Lan Lan's best friend Mu Fengjiao. She came in around four o'clock. Lan Lan had known Mu Fengjiao for several years since she arrived in Jinling. Zi Xuan had also had meals with her many times, so they were old acquaintances. At that time, she was carrying a handbag in her left hand and a beautiful little gift box with a bow tied with a ribbon in her right hand. When Zixuan saw her, she quickly stood up and greeted her. "Where's Lanlan?" After she came in, she looked around and seemed a little nervous. "She's not here. She went out with Gu Zhengyang." Zi Xuan explained, curious about why she had such an expression.
"Oh, that's good!" After hearing this, Mu Fengjiao let out a long sigh. Looking at Zixuan who was totally confused, she smiled evilly, raised the gift box in her hand and said, "I can't give her this gift now, I'll give her a surprise later!" "Oh?" Zi Xuan felt curious after hearing that and looked at the gift box in her hand. As if she had guessed what she was thinking, she smiled and said, "You can't watch it now. Let's watch it together later. Haha..." "Okay, I'll feast my eyes then." Zi Xuan had some understanding of Mu Fengjiao's character, so she had to suppress her curiosity and nodded helplessly. When Mu Fengjiao came in, the lighting and sound equipment in the hall had already been installed and debugged. As the guests arrived, the large electronic display screen installed on the stage began to play various photos of Lan Lan that had been selected and produced - these photos came from a wide range of sources, including photos of Lan Lan at work, in life, personal photos of Lan Lan, and group photos with friends. With visual enjoyment, other things will not lag behind. After the guests come in, they sit at their seats, eat the delicious food carefully prepared by the chef, watch videos, have a friendly conversation, or whisper to each other, all in a happy mood. The background music in the hall is cheerful and lively, relaxing and pleasant, making people unconsciously look for those pearl-like shining memories in the moment of light and shadow. Soon after, the host opened the show. Soft background music and dimmed lights created the atmosphere before the birthday banquet began. After a sensational opening speech, the host raised his voice and shouted: "... Next, please welcome the host of today's banquet, our goddess, Miss Lanlan, to make a brilliant appearance..." Amidst thunderous applause, Lan Lan, wearing a retro tight cheongsam, slowly walked onto the stage holding Gu Zhengyang's hand. This cheongsam is of ethnic style with a black and white lotus design. It has a simple and elegant beauty. The tight and fine fit makes Lan Lan******** show off her graceful figure. Gu Zhengyang, who was standing next to him, was wearing a blue modified Zhongshan suit, which was elegant, solemn and fashionable. In addition, the two of them behaved calmly and elegantly, complementing each other, just like a perfect couple. With soft background sounds, Lan Lan held flowers in her hands and addressed all the guests: "Today is my 20th birthday. Thank you to all the guests and dear friends for coming... I am an orphan. My father died before I was born, and my mother died of complications during childbirth... I grew up eating at many people's homes... Over the past 20 years, countless touching moments have lingered in my heart... I thank my parents for giving me life, and I thank you, my friends, because you are also my relatives. It is you who have given me more happiness and warmth in my life and work..." Lan Lan spoke intermittently, her voice choking. But no one made a sound. Everyone was silent after the initial surprise, and listened quietly.
The guests were all in awe. It turned out that the high-spirited, optimistic and cheerful queen had these little-known stories and many rough experiences... Gu Zhengyang stared at Xiaojing in front of him, and his heart was full of mixed feelings - she never mentioned her parents or relatives, even though he asked many times. It turned out that she had such a miserable experience... Zixuan quietly looked at Lanlan, who was crying on the stage, and patted Xiaojing's shoulder. She could feel that Xiaojing's shoulders were still shaking slightly despite her best efforts to control it. Zixuan couldn't help but feel guilty and sighed inwardly. Although the three of them grew up together and were close to each other in life, they were like sisters. But over the years, she may have looked at Lanlan and Xiaojing too much from her own perspective - she took it for granted that they had no attachment to their hometown and could stop missing their relatives, without really realizing the extreme pain buried deep in their hearts. Lanlan was right. She had been an orphan since she was a child. Not only was she, but Xiaojing was also an orphan. Lanlan's father was a hero in the tribe, and he died in a war with a neighboring country. Xiaojing's parents lived in a small tribe, and they were ordinary demons. Unfortunately, they were not spared from the disaster either - they were affected by the war, and there were less than fifty survivors in the entire tribe... Soon after Zixuan was born, she contracted a strange disease and cried day and night. The chief priest of the tribe told the Sky Fox King that Princess Yinyue was doomed to be alone. The Sky Fox Kingdom was vast, and they could choose young girls from other races in the east and west who were not foxes to live with the princess, and this disaster would naturally be solved. So the Sky Fox King immediately sent people to search for them, and at that time Xiaojing and Lanlan just met the requirements, so they were sent to the palace... Zixuan didn't know about these secrets. When she was five or six years old, she occasionally heard the queen mention them. As a little girl, she couldn't control her mouth, so she leaked them to Xiaojing and Lanlan. She was a child at the time, and even spoke in a teasing tone. However, Xiaojing and Lanlan looked calm at the time, as if they didn't care. But she didn't expect that they always remembered their life experiences and kept them very secret in their daily lives. "…Finally, I sincerely hope that while I accept your selfless blessings tonight, you can also have an unforgettable and happy time!…" While Zixuan was in a daze, Lanlan's speech ended. She was about to leave the stage amid applause when the host came over with an exquisite gift box tied with a ribbon. "... Mr. Lan's experience is sad, but more than that, it is touching. Without going through the storm, how can you see the rainbow!" Although the host is young, he seems to be very experienced. Seeing that the scene is a bit dull, he said in time, "Well, today is a good day. Let's not talk about the sad things anymore, and don't think about them anymore, okay?" "Of course." Lan Lan nodded. "Well, you are worthy of being our queen." The host said, "It's like this, Ms. Lan, your best friend gave you a gift! She hopes you can open it in front of everyone and take it out, what do you think?" Lan Lan looked at Mu Fengjiao in the audience. Mu Fengjiao nodded with a harmless expression. Are they kidding me? Lan Lan thought to herself, there are so many people here, it can't be that... "This gift won't be a snake or something..." Lan Lan asked to be on the safe side, "I'm afraid..." "Don't worry, your bestie said it's a romantic, fashionable and exquisite daily necessity..." said the host. "Okay, that's no problem." Lan Lan said with a smile. If there is no risk, it can still be done. "Come on, Mr. Gu, help me." The host said, "It's not very convenient for me to hold the microphone in my hand." So, Gu Zhengyang took the gift box from him, held it in both hands, and let Lanlan unwrap the gift box. Everyone stood up curiously and gathered around, wanting to see what the mysterious gift was inside. Zixuan noticed that a photographer was standing next to the stage holding a SLR camera and posing. She smiled in her heart, Lanlan, you're going to have fun this time! Soon, the bow was untied and a corner of the gift box was opened. It was indeed not something scary - Lan Lan saw that there seemed to be a small silk fabric inside. What is this? After she lifted it up, she was stunned. Gu Zhengyang next to him was also stunned. It’s this! The whole audience was silent for two seconds, and then burst into laughter. Xiaojing had just calmed down, but when she saw the scene on the stage, she laughed so hard that she bent over with her hands on her stomach. Only the professional photographer held his breath and captured various wonderful shots! (End of this chapter)
