MG2018 - Compilation: One Shots

Happy Birthday, Daoming Si

"Mr. Daoming Si. This is the nine heavenly eyes necklace that my mother used to pray for you in Bhutan. It symbolizes nobleness and good fortune." Shancai watched as yet another business colleague presented a rare gift to Daoming Si. Many of these businessmen had paraded in front of her all night, gifting Daoming Si with all these items that would surely fetch a high price at the auction. None of these rare gifts will go to Si. He's just putting on an act of receiving them, Meizuo's words echoed in her head. As she watched Daoming Si smile politely and take the necklace from the man, she suddenly felt bad for him. What kind of birthday party was this, where the celebrant didn't own any of the gifts given to him? She bowed her head, wondering why she felt an ache in her heart.

"What are you thinking about?" Shancai looked up, startled to see Daoming Si right in front of her. "Where's my gift?" he asked, and her eyes widened. She clutched her purse and thought to tell him that she forgot his gift, but then she caught the look in his eyes. It was so quick and disappeared in a flash, but she recognized it-- it was the look of a child hoping to get a gift on his birthday. It was then that she knew why her heart was aching: she couldn't fathom spending a birthday like this, and it hurt to think that this was how all of Daoming Si's birthdays had been like. She needed to show him that it didn't always have to be like this.

"Can we go somewhere?" she asked shyly, and Daoming Si looked at her in surprise. The rest of F4 widened their eyes at her, but before they could react, Daoming Si grabbed her by the wrist and quickly led her across the room and out into a balcony that overlooked the garden. "What is it?" he asked in concern, "Are you okay?" She nodded and took a deep breath. "I just wanted to give you this," she said softly, reaching into her purse and taking out a small box with a ribbon. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the pure joy in his eyes; he looked like a kid on Christmas morning. "Is this for me?" he said excitedly, untying the ribbon and opening the box. "These are the cookies I baked based on the way you look," she said, feeling a blush rise to her cheeks as she watched him take out a cookie. "That's you when you're smiling, that's you when you're mad, that's you when you're sleeping, that's you when you're being dumb," she said as he took out the cookies one by one. He put the cookies carefully into their box, and she couldn't help but smile when she saw how happy he looked. "This is the best gift I've ever received in my entire life," Daoming Si said softly, reaching out for her. She found herself stepping closer to him, and felt his hand press against her cheek. Slowly, he leaned in to her, and her eyes fluttered to a close, waiting for the feel of his warm lips against hers. As his lips pressed against hers gently, she kissed him back, hoping that this and her cookies would be good-enough gifts for a boy like Daoming Si. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he pulled her closer in a kiss that felt like it lasted forever, and when they finally pulled away, they were breathless.

Daoming Si took a peek inside and saw that his mother was entertaining guests. He turned to Shancai and grabbed her hand. "Let's go," he whispered, pulling her into the other room that also had access to the balcony. Before Shancai knew what was happening, she and Daoming Si had sneaked out of the house and into his car, and were now speeding down the highway. "Won't you get into trouble for leaving your own party?" she asked worriedly. He shook his head, "I don't think she'll even notice that I'm gone. Her business partners are all that matter to her, so I expect she'll be closing deals all night. My birthday is just an excuse for her to make more business." She settled back in her seat, sad that this was what his birthday had always been for him. He glanced at her quickly then said softly, "But you've changed all that tonight, Shancai. Thank you for making my birthday something special for me." Her heart thundered as he reached over to give her hand a quick squeeze.

Soon, they reached the rooftop of a building where they were greeted by a beautiful view of the skyline. Daoming Si shook open a blanket and laid it out on the floor, and as Shancai carefully sat down, Daoming Si's phone rang. "It's Lei," he said to her quickly, then answered it, putting the phone on speaker. "Lei, I'm with Shancai," Daoming Si said. "Ah Si, there's been an accident here in your house," Lei said somberly, "Your mother slipped on a puddle of champagne and hit her head. None of her business colleagues were able to help her because I think they were too scared to touch her, and the ambulance arrived too late. I'm afraid she bled out. Ah Si, she's done-- I mean, she's gone." Shancai gasped and put her hand to her mouth, but she was surprised that Daoming Si didn't seem bothered by the news. "Has anyone called Zhuang?" he asked instead. "Yes, Meizuo has called her," Lei replied. "Good. Please just get everyone out of there, and make sure Mrs. Yu is okay," Daoming Si said before hanging up and turning to Shancai. 

"Sorry, just give me one minute," he said, giving her a quick peck on the lips before dialing his phone again. "Hello, Zhuang?" he said, then listened to his sister on the phone. "Yes, yes, of course we'll do it together. Just come home to Shanghai and we'll figure it out... not tonight, I'm with Shancai-- what? Okay, hang on." To Shancai's surprise, Daoming Si held out the phone to her and said, "She wants to talk to you." Shancai took the phone and said, "Hello?" "Shancai," Zhuang's familiar voice said, "I'm glad you're with Daoming Si now. It's going to be a tough few months as we adjust to handling things without Mom, but I'm confident he can do it if he has you by his side. He loves you." Shancai felt a blush on her cheeks as she looked at him now. He was looking up at the stars in the sky, and her heart thundered at the realization that she loved him too. "There's nothing to be afraid of anymore, Shancai. You know you have my blessing," Zhuang said, as if reading her mind, "I just want my brother to be happy. And I need him to be happy if we're going to run this business together." Shancai nodded. "Yes, Zhuang, you can count on me," she said before hanging up the phone. Tonight, it finally became clear to her: she may not be rich or privileged like Daoming Si, but she had something that only she could give him. She had her time, her understanding, her effort, her love. She could love him with all her heart. "What was that about?" he asked, turning to her in amusement. She shook her head with a smile, then surprised him by pulling him to her for a kiss. She kissed him with everything she felt, her kiss a promise to love and care for him always. "I love you, Daoming Si," she whispered before pulling away. She smiled brightly when she saw the look in his eyes and said, "Happy birthday!"