328: Chapter 328 Gift - 2

Ye Cheng smiled and picked up the deep blue box, gently opening it under the curious gazes of several nearby teenagers.

Inside the box, resting quietly on a black velvet lining, was an exquisite rose gold necklace.

The chain was slender, and the pendant was the classic Cartier Love series design, small and sparkling.

"Wow..." A little girl at the next table couldn't help but let out a low exclamation of wonder.

Ye Cheng picked up the necklace with a smile, preparing to put it around her neck to show these young spectators some "brother-in-law's affection," when her gaze inadvertently swept over the engraving area on the chain.

"...?"

The smile on her face froze. She silently put the chain back in the box, and then, expressionless, rotated the box 180 degrees to face the engraved side toward Jiang Ye.

Jiang Ye was happily waiting to see Ye Cheng wear the necklace. Seeing this, he was stunned, and his gaze instinctively followed her movement downward.

The next second—

With lightning speed, he reached into his pocket again, whipped out an identical deep blue velvet box, and swapped the one on the table in a flash.

The entire process was as smooth as flowing water. If Ye Cheng hadn't been staring, she almost would have thought her eyes were playing tricks on her.

"Cough!"

Jiang Ye gave a dry cough and explained without batting an eye, "I grabbed the wrong one. That one just now was mine, engraved with 'Handsome Man.' You know how it is! This one is the one for you!"

Ye Cheng looked at the swapped box in front of her, her eyes nearly rolling to the back of her head.

"Little Su has already gone back to Shijiazhuang. Why are you still carrying a gift for her around with you? What, are you going to find her tonight?"

"What Little Su? Where's Little Su? Who's Little Su?"

Jiang Ye immediately put on an expression of being wronged, refusing to admit it.

"Cheng Cheng, don't talk nonsense! That really was 'Handsome Man'! I went to buy your gift yesterday and picked up a men's one for myself while I was at it. I just grabbed the wrong one from my pocket! I treat Little Su like my own sister, don't misunderstand!"

"Is that so? So she's just a sister..."

Ye Cheng drawled expressionlessly, "Fine then. When I have some time later, I'll help our little sister Su find a young, handsome, and considerate brother-in-law. Don't you go getting all worked up then~"

"Feel free to introduce them!"

Jiang Ye grinned and spread his hands, acting incredibly magnanimous. "As long as Little Su agrees herself, then as her 'brother,' I'll give my full blessing and be truly happy for her!"

Ye Cheng looked at his confident expression, curled her lip, and once again picked up the "correct" box from the table, taking out the necklace inside.

She took a careful look at the "Y.C" engraved on the back of the pendant. Only then did she smile with satisfaction and put it directly around her neck.

The rose gold chain made her skin look even more delicate, and the small pendant hanging between her collarbones added a touch of refinement and softness.

After putting on the necklace, Ye Cheng pushed the box she had prepared toward Jiang Ye, a faint smile reappearing on her face.

"Jiang Ye, Happy Valentines Day. See if you like it."

Jiang Ye took the box with a smile; it felt a bit heavy in his hand.

He unwrapped it to find a dark brown wooden box. Opening the lid, he saw a circle of Origami Cranes folded from colored stationery, neatly arranged on black velvet.

These paper cranes were connected head-to-tail, delicately forming a small heart shape.

"This is..."

Jiang Ye was slightly stunned. Before he could carefully appreciate the heartfelt handmade part, a new message refreshed in the system notification bar in his mind.

[Ding! Detected that the host has received a gift from Ye Cheng: One Jade Horse Pendant. System estimated value: 26,000 Yuan. Triggered 1000% cashback, obtained 260,000 Yuan!]

Two hundred and sixty thousand!

A surge of wild joy instantly filled Jiang Ye's heart, as if he could hear the beautiful sound of gold coins falling into his pocket.

It really has to be Comrade Ye Cheng!

Not only is her ideological awareness high and her generosity great, but she even came up with such fancy tricks!

She truly knows my heart!

He suppressed the smile at the corners of his mouth. Instead of lifting the velvet layer, he closed the lid, grabbed Ye Cheng's hand which was still on the table, and looked at her with burning eyes, his voice full of "emotion."

"Cheng Cheng, I like it... I like it very, very much."

Ye Cheng blinked. "You like it? You haven't even seen the gift and you already like it?"

"I saw it, I saw it all!"

Jiang Ye held her hand tightly, his gaze so "affectionate" it could practically drip. "These paper cranes, every single one was folded by your own hands. This circle of heart-felt effort is more precious than any expensive gift. Cheng Cheng, I felt it; it's filled with your love."

Ye Cheng looked into his seemingly sincere eyes and heard this confession that "avoided the main point" but struck directly at the heart. Her heart felt as if it had been gently bumped by something, and a warm current surged through her body.

The corners of her mouth couldn't stop rising. She instinctively lowered her head, poking at the rice in her bowl with her chopsticks, and gave a light huff.

"Smooth talker! The gift is that jade plaque I bought for you; it's under the paper cranes. It's meant to symbolize safety and success."

Only then did Jiang Ye let out an "Ah?" of "sudden realization," as if he just found out there was something underneath. He reopened the wooden box, pushed aside the circle of colorful Origami Cranes, and discovered the warm, translucent Jade Horse Pendant below.

He picked up the plaque and looked at it against the light; the quality was excellent. But he quickly put it down, his gaze focusing on Ye Cheng again.

"Oh, compared to these worldly things, I still prefer the paper cranes you folded yourself, Cheng Cheng! They're full of love! I can feel it! It's overflowing!"

Ye Cheng was amused into a giggle, and the sweetness in her heart also overflowed. She said coquettishly:

"Alright, alright, that's enough mushiness! Eat quickly, the food is getting cold!"

Jiang Ye made a clicking sound with his tongue. Seeing the slightly red tips of Ye Cheng's ears and her exquisite collarbones as she ate, his heart felt as if it were being tickled by a feather.

That restlessness, which had been temporarily suppressed by his "no-hair" condition, seemed to be stirring again.

He cleared his throat and decided to test the strength of the "abstinence fortress" once more.

"Cheng Cheng, I suddenly have another idea. I don't know if I should say it..."

Ye Cheng, who was immersed in sweetness, raised an eyebrow and immediately became alert. "What crooked scheme are you cooking up now?!"

"It's not a crooked scheme, it's logical reasoning."

Jiang Ye's eyes were full of "wisdom." "Look, you gave me a gift. This fact is established, right?"

Ye Cheng nodded.

"Even though I didn't lift the velvet to see what was underneath and didn't know what you gave me, the gift itself was indeed already given to me, right?" Jiang Ye continued to lead her on.

Ye Cheng nodded again, feeling a bit puzzled.

"So, in terms of the act of 'giving' itself, it's already completed. But for me, I actually didn't receive anything at the time, right?" Jiang Ye's eyes began to shine.

Ye Cheng was getting a bit dizzy from his circular logic and said hesitantly, "Uh... that's true, but what are you trying to say?"

Jiang Ye clapped his hands together, an excited expression of "I've finally figured it out" on his face.

"Then look, by the same logic! If I break my vow, but for some reason—like, say... nobody 'sees' the process of breaking it—then theoretically, could it also be considered that my abstinence hasn't actually been broken?"

Ye Cheng's brain was nearly fried by his logic. She said, caught between laughter and tears:

"What on earth are you trying to say? Can you speak like a normal person!"

Jiang Ye gave a mischievous laugh and lowered his voice, finally revealing his true intent:

"I was thinking, on this big Valentine's Day, if I don't satisfy you a bit, it would make me seem particularly cold and heartless, which isn't right..."

"So I'm brainstorming a win-win solution... Look, how about this... tonight, you keep your back to me the whole time and never turn around. That way, you won't 'see' anything..."

"Since you didn't 'see' anything, then for you, it's as if nothing happened, right? Then if I unilaterally declare that my abstinence plan was still a complete success, wouldn't that be perfectly reasonable and logically consistent?"

Ye Cheng: "...?"