AMBTICBPIB Chapter 67

Chu Yi’s birthday fell in summer, and this year marked his twentieth.

Several days before the occasion, Jiang Xu had already started telling Chu Yi how much he wanted to celebrate his birthday. Last year, when they first met, Chu Yi’s birthday had already passed, so this year he was determined to make it special.

Many of Chu Yi’s classmates were close to him and remembered his birthday.

They approached Jiang Xu to discuss plans for a celebration, but Jiang Xu hesitated. “Let me ask Chu Yi what he wants first.”

Only Jiang Xu and Zhou Huaixiao knew about Chu Yi’s pregnancy. He wasn’t sure if Chu Yi wanted others to find out.

Jiang Xu added, “If you don’t want the other classmates to come, that’s fine too. Zhou Huaixiao and I will celebrate with you. Don’t worry, even if it’s just the three of us, we’ll make it lively.”

Chu Yi knew Jiang Xu was looking out for him.

Initially, Chu Yi had worried about facing judgmental stares from others. But when he went out, he rarely encountered any such glances, and his anxiety gradually faded.

Chu Yi replied, “It’s okay. The more people, the merrier.”

“Are you sure about this?” Jiang Xu reminded him. “If they come, your belly will be quite noticeable by now.”

The last time Zhou Huaixiao told Jiang Xu about attending the party, Jiang Xu learned that the yogurt company actually belonged to Zhou Huaixiao’s family. Zhou Huaixiao had also mentioned that Chu Yi’s pregnancy was now quite obvious.

While Chu Yi was on the phone, Shen Jin sat across from him with a notebook in hand. Though busy, he would occasionally glance at Chu Yi, and their eyes would meet briefly.

Chu Yi looked down at his belly and smiled. “It’s fine.”

He wasn’t afraid of his classmates seeing it, nor of them finding out.

Hearing this, Jiang Xu understood. “Alright, let’s celebrate together that day. Don’t worry about a thing.”

After hanging up, Chu Yi glanced at Shen Jin in the distance.

He knew that Shen Jin and Uncle Wen wouldn’t object to him spending his birthday evening with his classmates; they would both support him. What he wasn’t sure about was whether Shen Jin would approve of him going out with his classmates for his birthday.

Shen Jin was always overly protective of him, accompanying him whenever he went out. In fact, Shen Jin never allowed him to go out alone.

But inviting Jiang Xu and the others to their home would undoubtedly make them feel awkward, something Chu Yi understood all too well. Besides, they had already made plans. The real challenge was how to convince Shen Jin to let him go out and celebrate with his classmates.

Chu Yi walked over to Shen Jin and peeked over his shoulder. “What are you working on?”

“Just reviewing a document,” Shen Jin replied, ruffling Chu Yi’s hair. “Auntie just cut some fruit. Have some.”

As Chu Yi ate the fruit, he glanced at the screen, which was filled with dense lines of text that made his eyes swim. “I just wanted to keep you company. You focus on your work; I’ll just sit here quietly.”

At the same time, Chu Yi speared a piece of fruit and fed it to Shen Jin.

Sensing that Chu Yi had something on his mind, Shen Jin sped up his work and quickly finished.

Closing his laptop, Shen Jin asked, “What did you want to talk about?”

Chu Yi swallowed the grape in his mouth. “For my birthday, I’d like to celebrate with Jiang Xu and the others.”

Shen Jin smiled. “Of course you can. You can invite your classmates over.” He was determined to make Chu Yi’s birthday a joyful and memorable occasion. With their spacious home, there would be plenty of room for however many guests Chu Yi wanted to invite.

Shen Jin assured him, “I’ll have everything arranged perfectly for that day. You don’t need to worry about a thing.”

As expected, Shen Jin’s first thought was that the celebration would be at home. He hadn’t even considered the possibility of Chu Yi going out with his classmates for his birthday. Chu Yi had a feeling Shen Jin wouldn’t approve of him going out.

Chu Yi looked at him. “We’ve all decided not to celebrate at home. We’re going out instead.”

Before he could finish, Shen Jin was already looking at him. “Not celebrating at home? Why?”

Shen Jin’s gaze was intense, and Chu Yi felt his heart skip a beat.

Chu Yi explained that his classmates would feel awkward at home. Celebrating outside would allow everyone to relax, have fun, and enjoy the meal without reservation.

“We’ve already made plans,” Chu Yi said. “We’re going out. The restaurant is booked, and everyone’s been notified.”

Shen Jin frowned and remained silent. Whenever he frowned like that, it meant he was in a foul mood.

Chu Yi ventured softly, “So… we’ll be celebrating outside that day. Is that okay?”

Shen Jin didn’t reply, only stared at him. Chu Yi knew this meant he disapproved.

Of course, Chu Yi understood what Shen Jin was worried about. “Don’t worry,” he reassured him. “We’re just having dinner together. I’ll be back right after we finish eating.”

Shen Jin still refused. “No.”

With that single word, Shen Jin stood up and went upstairs. His stiff posture made it clear how displeased he was.

Chu Yi pursed his lips as Uncle Wen arrived just in time to see Shen Jin silently ascend the stairs. “What’s wrong? Did you two have a fight?”

Chu Yi gazed forlornly at Shen Jin’s retreating figure, looking utterly pitiful. Shen Jin knew Chu Yi was watching him from behind; he knew that if he turned around, his resolve would crumble.

“Uncle Wen, please help me,” Chu Yi pleaded, clutching Uncle Wen’s hand. “I think I upset Shen Jin.”

Uncle Wen was astonished. “How could that be? What happened?” *How could Shen Jin ever be angry with Chu Yi?*

Chu Yi recounted the entire incident to Uncle Wen. After listening, Uncle Wen chuckled. “Just have a proper talk with Shen Jin about it. Don’t worry, he won’t stay mad at you. Explain things calmly, and I’m sure he’ll agree.”

Concerned that Chu Yi might misunderstand Shen Jin, the butler clarified, “He’s not trying to restrict you or forbid you from doing anything. He’s just more anxious about the baby than you are. Talk to him properly, and he’ll agree.”

“I know,” Chu Yi replied. He understood everything about Shen Jin. “Before I met you all, no one had ever cared about me like this. It wasn’t until I met you that I realized how wonderful it feels to be cared for.” Whenever Chu Yi bumped or bruised himself, Shen Jin would panic even more than he did.

These words tugged at Uncle Wen’s heart.

Chu Yi decided to follow Uncle Wen’s advice and discuss the matter with Shen Jin again. Despite Shen Jin’s occasional gruffness, he was usually quite reasonable.

As soon as Chu Yi entered the room, he saw Shen Jin standing on the balcony, his back to the door. His tall, broad figure looked strangely lonely.

Chu Yi tiptoed over and wrapped his arms around Shen Jin from behind. “What are you looking at?”

In the past, when Chu Yi hugged him from behind, their bodies would press together completely. Now, Chu Yi’s cheek rested against Shen Jin’s back. He suddenly realized that Shen Jin no longer wore cologne; only the scent of laundry detergent lingered on him.

Shen Jin turned and pulled Chu Yi into his arms. “I was admiring the flowers in the garden. You were right—planting flowers and greenery makes the garden so beautiful.”

They stood embraced, gazing at the garden without speaking.

After a while, Chu Yi broke the silence, tilting his head up with a sweet smile. “Shen Jin, have you thought about what I asked you earlier? You’ll agree, right?”

If it were any other matter, Shen Jin would have eagerly agreed to Chu Yi’s coaxing. Instead, he proposed, “I agree to have your classmates over to celebrate your birthday at home. How about that?”

Shen Jin spoke in his gentlest tone, “There won’t be so many people at home then, and your classmates will feel more relaxed.”

Chu Yi looked into his eyes. “But we really want to go out.”

Shen Jin took a deep breath, his tone firm. “No.”

Chu Yi tugged at Shen Jin’s arm. “Please reconsider? It’s just dinner.”

Shen Jin’s expression turned serious. “Chu Yi, I’m not comfortable with you going out alone. This isn’t happening. I won’t agree. But I’d be very happy to have your classmates over.”

Chu Yi huffed and fell silent. Since Shen Jin remained unmoved, Chu Yi stormed out, sulking. He couldn’t understand why Shen Jin was being so stubborn. Plenty of pregnant women went shopping alone.

As he went downstairs, he ran into Uncle Wen. “Did you two reach an agreement?”

Chu Yi shook his head and went to watch TV, still in a foul mood.

*Looks like Chu Yi’s not in a good mood either. They must not have reached an agreement,* Uncle Wen thought.