85: Chapter 85 Under the Same Roof

Chapter 85: Under the Same Roof

"A-Cheng, you're off work?"

Grandma Zhou opened the door with a kind and gentle smile on her face.

Fang Cheng tucked a packaging box under his arm and peeked into the room.

When he saw a large cream cake placed on the table, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"Brother Cheng, you're back?"

At that moment, Zhou Xiumei was standing on a stool, standing on tiptoe to hang colorful ribbons and balloons on the wall.

"Brother Fang Cheng!"

A tiny figure crouched nearby, using both hands to steady the stool with all her might.

Upon seeing Fang Cheng appear, she immediately cried out.

It was none other than Wen Xin.

Carrying the packaging box, Fang Cheng walked into the room and asked with some surprise:

"Xiumei, Wen Xin, do you two already know each other?"

After tying up a pink balloon, Zhou Xiumei jumped down from the stool.

She then explained the situation:

"Seeing that you hadn't come home so late, I went downstairs to call little Wen Xin up first."

Having said that, she looked at Fang Cheng with a hint of reproach:

"You, you didn't tell her about the birthday party earlier and left a little girl waiting alone in a dark room."

Wen Xin quickly defended Fang Cheng:

"It's fine. I rarely celebrated birthdays in the past, and it doesn't matter if we don't celebrate this one. Brother Fang Cheng's work is the most important..."

Seeing this, Zhou Xiumei helplessly stroked her head.

Fang Cheng smiled slightly and hurriedly tried to liven up the atmosphere:

"I originally wanted to give Wen Xin a surprise."

"Since the first surprise is gone, let me show you the second surprise I prepared."

As he spoke, he placed the packaging box he was holding onto the table, tore off the wrapping paper, and lifted the lid.

Inside lay a pair of pink, round-toe leather shoes with floral straps.

Wen Xin's eyes widened instantly, and her expression looked somewhat incredulous.

With a hint of pride in his tone, Fang Cheng looked at her:

"This is the birthday gift Brother bought for you. Do you like it?"

Wen Xin bit her lip tightly, her eyelashes fluttering, and in an instant, her eyes pooled with crystalline pearls.

Seeming unable to believe what was happening before her, she remained silent and motionless for a long time.

As if fearing those pearls would fall.

Seeing this, Zhou Xiumei stepped forward and took her hand:

"Let's go inside to try on the shoes first, see if they fit, and by the way, change into the dress Sister gave you earlier."

The two of them walked into the inner bedroom.

Leaving only Fang Cheng and Grandma Zhou, who wore a smiling face, looking at each other in dismay.

Before long,

Zhou Xiumei and Wen Xin walked out again, hand in hand.

At that moment, Wen Xin was seen wearing a hooded woolen princess dress, her palm-sized little face flushed red.

After dressing up a bit, she was actually a lovable, pretty girl.

The only flaw was that her cheeks were a bit thin, and her expression seemed somewhat lacking in confidence.

The two females, one older and one younger, standing together like that, formed a pleasing-to-the-eye picture.

"I saw that her clothes were rather dirty, and since there wasn't time to buy new ones, I gave Wen Xin a dress I wore when I was little."

Zhou Xiumei walked to his side and whispered an explanation.

Fang Cheng thanked her; indeed, he hadn't been thoughtful enough.

He suddenly felt that sometimes a home really needed a woman to help out.

"Alright, with new shoes and new clothes on, it's time to eat the cake."

Acting just like a housewife, Zhou Xiumei then busied herself taking charge:

"This cake was made by Sister who spent the whole morning on it, you know."

Looking at the cream cake with candles stuck into it on the table,

Wen Xin hesitated for a moment, then raised her head with a hint of hope to look at Fang Cheng and Zhou Xiumei.

"Can I call Mom up too? She went out just now, and if she comes back and doesn't see me..."

Fang Cheng froze for a moment and looked at Zhou Xiumei.

Hearing this, Zhou Xiumei immediately stood up:

"Let me go. It's easier for women to talk to each other."

A few minutes later, when she returned, she brought back an unsatisfactory piece of news.

Zhou Xiumei had knocked on Wen Xin's door for a long time without any response; Wen Xin's mother probably hadn't come home yet.

"Should we wait a bit longer?"

Fang Cheng suggested.

"No need, my mom will definitely be very late coming back."

Wen Xin shook her head, her eyes revealing a trace of disappointment.

The living room lights were turned off.

In the pitch-black room, candlelight flickered, and the birthday song sung together by several people slowly rose.

"Little birthday star, start making a wish."

Seeing Wen Xin's mouth open as if she wanted to speak, Zhou Xiumei stopped her and said:

"Remember, you can't say your wish out loud, or it won't come true."

"No errors, first release, internal content, check one by one!"

Wen Xin obediently nodded and turned her head to glance at Fang Cheng.

Clasping her hands together in front of her chest, her lips moved slightly as she silently made a wish.

Then, with the joint assistance of Fang Cheng and Zhou Xiumei, she blew out all 12 candles representing her twelfth year in one breath.

The lights were turned back on, and next came the cake-cutting segment.

All three of them appeared relatively quiet.

There were no giggling and rowdy game segments, nor any pranks of smearing cream on someone else's face.

Everyone smiled at each other, quietly savoring the slice of cake in front of them.

Grandma Zhou couldn't eat sweets, so she turned on the television to watch her favorite soap opera.

The TV show was called 《Under the Same Roof》, and it was a dubbed foreign film.

The theme song was exceptionally pleasant, its soft and melodious vocals unfolding like a heartfelt narrative, with every single note looking cheerful.

"In the winter sky are the gloves just knitted for you, and the newly washed clothes."

"Soap bubbles gently evaporate, like your breath drifting..."

Fang Cheng wore a smile, gazing at the peaceful and happy scene before him.

He felt that his previous mental exhaustion and days of toil were unconsciously washed away and vanished without a trace.

Whoosh————Bang!

The sound of fireworks exploding drifted in from outside the window.

Zhou Xiumei and Wen Xin immediately ran to the balcony, leaning over the windowsill to look out.

At Fang Cheng's suggestion, the three of them then went to the rooftop terrace to watch the fireworks more clearly.

In the winter night sky, stars twinkled brightly.

Accompanied by bursts of explosions, the fireworks shot straight into the clouds like rockets.

Then, a large mass of light and flames poured down from the sky like a waterfall, forming colorful floral shapes.

That was a New Year celebration organized by the Chamber of Commerce.

The three of them sat on the pipes of the rooftop, raising their heads to look out into the distance.

In the night sky, incomparably brilliant fireworks continuously bloomed, colorful and dazzling to the point of being overwhelming.

"Look quickly, that flower is so big and so pretty!"

Wen Xin let out an exclamation of surprise.

The brilliant fireworks reflected her smile, and the joy between her brows overflowed.

Perhaps only at this moment could one see her exhibit the innocent and carefree side of a child.

"It really is so pretty. I never realized fireworks could be this beautiful before..."

Zhou Xiumei's eyes gleamed with brilliance, and she couldn't help letting out a soft sigh.

"That's because your mood and environment are different."

With a smile at the corner of his lips, Fang Cheng gazed at the night sky and said slowly:

"Sometimes, you just need to change your perspective to discover a brand new side of this world."

Having said that, Fang Cheng suddenly experienced a realization.

His persistence in exercising every day and constantly improving his skills was simply to see a brighter and more dazzling scenery in this world.

Understanding half-heartedly, Zhou Xiumei and Wen Xin tilted their heads to glance at him, couldn't help moving a little closer to his side.

It seemed as though they felt a warmth radiating from Fang Cheng, like a torch lit in the cold winter night.

The fireworks continued to rise and bloom.

Illuminating the three figures sitting atop the roof, gazing at the city's night view.