Night Rose

Zhou Zheng received congratulations from several friends one after another. Even Tu Ying remembered his birthday and sent him birthday wishes.

His maternal grandfather gave him a large red envelope, which is an annual birthday tradition, essentially giving him a sum of money to save.

He doesn't really care about celebrating his birthday, but this year he got together with Su Jin, and it's not pleasant for his girlfriend to forget his birthday.

But no matter what, it's a birthday celebration. He and Wang Tianle had booked a restaurant last week and already paid the deposit, so it would be a waste not to eat there.

Zhou Zheng tidied himself up quickly and strolled out the door.

The place to eat isn't far from here; it's only a 20-minute walk.

The waiter checked the reservation information with him and then led him inside.

The restaurant's decor is rather old and retro, similar to those small restaurants in Nanyuan, but it's quite spacious, with over a dozen tables set up with rattan tables and chairs, as well as several private rooms.

The waiter led him into the reserved "Orange Garden," which was decorated in the same style as the outside, with a large table and an orange tree planted outside the window, which he could see through the bright glass.

"Handsome, how many people?" the waiter asked, calculating how many sets of bowls and chopsticks to bring.

"One," Zhou Zheng said calmly.

The two looked at each other, and the waitress's lips twitched. Even though this person was handsome, she felt that he must have something wrong with his head.

Why book a private room when you're dining alone? Isn't it better to eat in the main hall?

"Handsome, you know there's a service charge for private rooms, right?" the waiter emphasized, worried that this guy might cause trouble later.

The prices here aren't high, but the service in the private rooms is definitely better than outside. There's a dedicated waiter for this table, and the service fee is announced in advance.

"Okay, let's order." Zhou Zheng sat down in the main seat. He was sitting alone at the large round table, which looked rather lonely. He crossed his legs, pressed his fingers on a pencil, and marked three main dishes on a piece of paper.

"Is that enough?" He glanced sideways at the waiter.

She's happy to serve just one person, as long as that person doesn't cause trouble. She doesn't get a commission from ordering several dishes anyway.

"That's enough, that's enough. You have quite an appetite for eating all by yourself." The waiter meant no harm, ordered a few of the machines in his hand, and took his order.

Zhou Zheng sat for a while, while the waiter stood in the private room. He couldn't use his phone, so he just stared at the bouquet decorations on the round table.

The private room was completely silent. Zhou Zheng was even considering leaving; the atmosphere was too suffocating.

"Knock knock knock." There was a sudden knock on the door of the private room.

Zhou Zheng didn't move. He hadn't invited anyone over; they were probably just there to serve the food.

"Handsome, I'll go help serve the dishes. Have some tea first," the waiter called out to him before disappearing out the door.

The tea on the table was still 16 yuan a serving. Zhou Zheng took a few sips. The tea was a bit bitter. As for the waiter's claim of a sweet aftertaste, he couldn't taste it at all.

The waiter didn't return for a long time. He checked his phone ten times in five minutes, but still didn't see any messages.

When he took out his phone again, the power went out in the private room.

The only light in the pitch-black room was the glow of his cell phone.

"Waiter, waiter?" Zhou Zheng called out.

Even through the door, he could still hear the sounds of clinking glasses and lively conversation outside. It seemed that the power was still working elsewhere, only his private room was without power.

Today was really unlucky.

Zhou Zheng got up to leave, but suddenly the door opened and a blinding light rushed in.

"Happy birthday!"

The warm light from the cake illuminated the visitor's face. Su Jin, with a warm smile, held the cake high.

Wang Tianle excitedly placed the birthday crown on Zhou Zheng's head, "Brother Zhou, this is a surprise we prepared for you! Aren't you happy?"

"Bang!"

The waiter smiled and pulled the small firework, setting off a shower of colorful ribbons throughout the room.

A few strands of hair were also stuck in Su Jin's hair. She was protecting the cake and didn't have a free hand to pinch them off.

Zhou Zheng reached out and removed the ribbon for her. Amidst the joyful singing of "Happy Birthday," he stared straight at Su Jin, overwhelmed with emotion, and didn't know what to say.

"Hurry up and blow out the candles~ I've held back from talking to you all day for this surprise, you're not angry, are you?" Su Jin winked playfully.

Zhou Zheng said in a slightly hoarse voice, "I was angry at first, but when I saw you came, all my anger disappeared."

There were so many people here that it was embarrassing to look at her like that. Otherwise, Su Jin really wanted to kiss him. Zhou Zheng, who occasionally showed his vulnerability to her, was just too captivating.

Taking advantage of the darkness in the room, Su Jin secretly hooked his hand with her finger.

Zhou Zheng bent down and blew out the candle, and the lights in the room came back on. Only then did he get a good look at Su Jin. Today she was wearing a dark long trench coat with a soft satin dress underneath. Her hair was curled into waves and draped over her shoulders, and she had light makeup on.

"Are you seeing things?" Su Jin asked him, leaning closer.

Zhou Zheng remained silent, took the cake from her hands, and carried it himself. "Are you tired?"

"How tiring can a small cake be? It's easy," Su Jin said with a smile.

The waiter cleaned the round table, brought them three new sets of bowls and chopsticks, and served the prepared dishes one by one.

In addition to the dishes Zhou Zheng had just ordered, Su Jin and Wang Tianle added a few extra dishes, which were already being prepared in the kitchen.

"Shall we cut the cake first?" Wang Tianle stared at the cake with bright eyes. He hadn't eaten such sweet pastries in a long time, and he dared not eat more than a bite in order to control his diet.

"You little brat, you said the teacher kept you after school, were you just messing with me?" Zhou Zheng elbowed him. "Still want cake? Forget it!"

The elbow strike wasn't very heavy, but Wang Tianle pretended to be clueless and groaned for a long time. "Brother Zhou, if you don't give me cake as compensation for this, I'm going to lie on the ground and pretend to be injured."

"Okay, don't blame him. It was my idea. I wanted to come to Beijing to celebrate your birthday." Su Jin quickly pleaded for Wang Tianle. Now, he really couldn't refuse to give him a cake as compensation.

"Sister Su, I took the hit for you, can I eat cake now?" Wang Tianle looked at her pitifully.

Su Jin was both amused and exasperated. Seeing the changes in his physique, she nodded in agreement. "Eat up, have a indulgent meal."

Wang Tianle chuckled to himself, completely unsuspecting as to why Su Jin had come to Beijing to celebrate Zhou Zheng's birthday. In his view, it was only natural for him to celebrate Zhou's birthday, and Su Jin was probably there as a team engineer or a part-time investor.

The team really shows some humanistic care.

Wang Tianle thought that he must have a cake on his birthday, he couldn't miss this good opportunity!

The three of them got together and had a happy birthday. Wang Tianle buried his head in his food, while Zhou Zheng held Su Jin's hand under the table.

His eyes held a hint of resentment; their relationship was perfectly legitimate, yet it was being acted like an affair.

After finishing his meal, Zhou Zheng stood at the door hailing a taxi.

He waved, and a taxi stopped in front of the three of them.

Wang Tianle opened the passenger door and got in. But when the two of them got in the car, Zhou Zheng closed the passenger door.

"Driver, give him one." Zhou Zheng gave the address, tapped on the car window, and said, "Fatty, I have something to do, I won't be going back tonight."

"Huh?" Before Wang Tianle could react, the taxi had already driven away.

Wang Tianle sat blankly in the car for a long time before he came to his senses.

Sister Su came all the way from Nanyuan to celebrate Brother Zhou's birthday, but Brother Zhou isn't going home tonight. Could it be that the two of them... are isolating him?!