Give Me a Hug

Chapter 21: Thank-You Gift

Liang Sunian seemed to always treat him like a little kid who needed protection.

Always available, tireless, never complaining, and constantly indulging him, doing whatever he wanted, which made him start to believe that he really was a delicate child needing care.

Like now, he hadn't been thinking about anything or feeling concerned, but after Liang Sunian spoke, he truly felt a twinge of sourness and grievance in his emotions.

Grievances about waiting for half an hour in the scorching evening sun at the doorstep, grievances about the plate of sweet and sour pork ribs taken away from in front of him, grievances about his watercolor brushes being messed up, grievances about never being asked if he wanted ice cream before being labeled as understanding...

Countless past grievances, thought to be sealed away by time, were now resurfacing. Trivial matters once dismissed now recalled with a bitterness in his heart.

It turns out that being comforted really makes a difference.

The sense of safety in being embraced and protected amplifies emotions infinitely.

No wonder Lu Shang always endured bullying at school, holding back until he got home, then throwing himself into Zhou Wenyue's arms and crying loudly.

He thought, this must be the same feeling he has now, sour and swollen, suddenly wanting a hug.

Not because of skin hunger, but simply, purely, very much wanting to be hugged by the person in front of him.

"Is this little guy so upset he doesn't want to talk?"

"Liang Sunian, I have something to give you."

Their voices overlapped, one joking, one serious, and naturally, the former was ignored.

"What is it?" Liang Sunian asked.

Xie Jiaran pulled one strap of his backpack, took out a blue-covered notebook, and handed it over.

"A thank-you gift."

Liang Sunian's voice lifted slightly. "Thanking for the cotton candy?"

"..."

Xie Jiaran was momentarily speechless.

But thinking it didn't matter what specifically he was thanking for, he nodded casually.

"Mm."

"So you predicted I'd buy you cotton candy today."

Liang Sunian smiled, casually flipping through the notebook. When he saw the contents, a look of surprise appeared in his eyes.

"Did you draw all of these yourself?" He opened a page, pointing at a cute, chubby strawberry illustration in the center.

Not just this page, but every page in the notebook had different sizes and shapes of strawberries, all uniformly adorable.

Xie Jiaran nodded.

Liang Sunian flipped through page by page, nearly unable to put it down. "How long did this take to draw?"

Xie Jiaran understated, "Just half a night, it's very simple to draw, doesn't take much time."

Liang Sunian looked at the notebook, then at Xie Jiaran, back at the notebook, and again at Xie Jiaran.

Xie Jiaran tilted his head, puzzled. "?"

Liang Sunian waved the notebook and asked, "Do you know what the best gift I received before today was?"

Xie Jiaran, considering his wealthy background, guessed moderately, "A villa? A sports car? A beachfront house?"

Liang Sunian said, "None of those, it was an insulated cup for the elderly with my photo on the lid."