The Stars In Your Eyes

Chapter 216 - Birthday's Dinner



Jian Kang Lu and Bai Yutang\'s life after the incident appear to be the same on the surface. But it hurts both of them.

Bai Yutang aches every time he sees the purple bruises near his lover\'s temple. The bruises are gone after 1 week. But there\'s a tiny scar left there. Like a reminder for him of the incident.

Jian Kang Lu ached every time he saw his kitten\'s guilty face. He doesn\'t want to see that kind of expression painted on his kitten\'s handsome face. Even after two weeks, his kitten still gave him the same expression.

Therefore, he could only tease his kitten. "Rather than you look at me that way, why don\'t you just give a kiss to my scar? Don\'t you think that my scar is sexy? A man is sexier with scars left from the war, right?"

Bai Yutang admired this old wolf who never missed a smallest chance to take advantage of his own miserable condition..

Fine, if it makes his lover happy when he does that, he is willing to kiss the scar a hundred times a day. Wish it could fade the scar away.

One month passed, and Jian Kang Lu came up with an idea. "Baby, we visit my parents almost every week, but we rarely visit your mom. I think because I didn\'t meet her often it caused her to not see my charming side. What if we took time once a month to visit her?"

This actually includes on Jian Kang Lu 101 way to snatch your mother in law\'s heart guidebook. He already planned, but the plan was a little bit disturbed because of his kitten\'s sudden confession. He is also busy lately with his research and Prof Lin\'s plan for him.

There\'s no other way, things already happened out of his plan. He could only grit his teeth and cram everything. He delegates the Saturday round to his junior, and uses it to elaborate his research, as well as giving lectures and speech. Prof Lin also arranged both of them to elaborate and make a book.

He could spare one Saturday and Sunday each month to accompany his kitten back to W city, and slowly let his future mother in law see that their relationship is good. Slowly shows his future mother in law that he could make his kitten happy to be together with him, even though he was not a woman like Lu Hua wished for.

Bai Yutang timidly asked, "What if my mother treats you badly again, gege?"

Jian Kang Lu kissed his kitten who laid on his arms. "That\'s okay. Like I told you, if it could appease her anger, then so be it. When her anger diminished, I hoped she could slowly accept me."

Bai Yutang hugged his lover tight. He was truly afraid. What if his lover is offended, tired of being in this kind of situation. Tired to be with him. While his lover\'s family openly accepted him, he could not make his own family do the same.

His lover used to be in the position where people always treat him nice. And his lover also treats everyone nicely. What if someday his lover realised that he was not worthy of Jian Kang Lu\'s love?

Bai Yutang could only follow his lover\'s advice and tell his mother that he will visit her once a month with Jian Kang Lu.

Nowadays his mother is avoiding him. Lots of his phone calls were rejected. His messages also rarely replied. But Bai Yutang still sends messages regularly. He was in the position to plead for his mother\'s blessing. These are the things he should do.

Their visit in March still miserably failed. Jian Kang Lu stayed in the hotel near their house, while Bai Yutang stayed at home. Jian Kang Lu visits Lu Hua on Saturday and Sunday, stops at their door and never steps inside the house again.

Jian Kang Lu doesn\'t want to agitate Lu Hua again by trespassing the house without her permission.

This stressed Bai Yutang so much, especially when his mother was clearly going out on Sunday and didn\'t want to stay at home when Jian Kang Lu picked Bai Yutang up to go back to B city.

Their visit in April is still the same. This time, even Lu Hua refused to be at home when Jian Kang Lu comes on Saturday and Sunday. She only comes back home when Bai Yutang calls her, telling her that Jian Kang Lu is gone.

Lu Hua will give Bai Yutang silent treatment again every time Bai Yutang tries to make conversation including Jian Kang Lu\'s name, or his daily life in Jian Kang Lu\'s apartment. She will only react and speak if the topic didn\'t involve Jian Kang Lu at all.

Bai Yutang felt that he was so busy in March and April. Appeasing his mother, and also helping Tang Yuxuan and Yu Dong\'s wedding. April especially, since Yu Dong\'s wedding was held in S city.

His own 26th birthday celebration is very simple since both of them are really busy. It is only a dinner at a good restaurant with excellent wine. His birthday gift is a custom small leather luggage. Bai Yutang knows this because he will have a battle to W city once a month to win his mother\'s blessing.

He didn\'t even dare to speak about Yu Dong\'s marriage in April to his mother, afraid this will agitate his mother again. He didn\'t want to hear his mother saying, "Look at your friends. They married women and were happy with them. Why won\'t you try it?"

He was tired of hearing those statements over and over again when he told his mother he was coming to Tang Yuxuan\'s wedding in March.

Bai Yutang tried to explain to his mother, "Mom, what if grandma is telling you to try looking for someone else rather than married to dad? Can you even try when you are already in love with dad?"

This led to Lu Hua scolding him, crying, and becoming another episode of endless drama. Lu Hua told him that he was an ungrateful son. How could Bai Yutang make Bai Haoran an example for Jian Kang Lu?

Bai Yutang learns from the mistake, and never drag his father\'s name again.

May is Lu Hua\'s birthday. When Bai Yutang told his mother he will come visit again, Lu Hua told him that she doesn\'t want to see Jian Kang Lu on her birthday celebration. It\'s best if Bai Yutang come and go alone, without Jian Kang Lu following him to W city.

Bai Yutang was very desperate when he showed Jian Kang Lu what his mother told him. Jian Kang Lu only ruffled his kitten\'s hair. "It\'s okay, I could cram my lectures on those two days. Go have fun with your mom. Maybe you could take her on a short holiday and stay in nice places."

"But how about your ticket, gege?" Bai Yutang is very sad and disappointed.

"No worries, I could change the date to next month. Book your flight for next month also." Jian Kang Lu grabbed his tablet and opened the air flight website to change his ticket.

Bai Yutang relayed this to his mother, to have a short holiday, but his mother said she wanted to celebrate it at a restaurant at the mall. She also said that Bai Yuren will also bring her boyfriend.

This actually surprised Bai Yutang and he called his sister asking about this boyfriend who appeared out of the blue.

Bai Yuren laughed, "He\'s my friend, gege. Don\'t you dare to say that he was my boyfriend in front of him."

Bai Yutang doubts this. But he didn\'t say much, since he really thinks his sister won\'t hide her boyfriend in front of him.

The restaurant in the mall mentioned by his mother is a good family restaurant. The menu is traditional Chinese cuisine. Their dumplings are delicious, as well as their bird nest soup.

Bai Yutang wears his casual thin sweater and jeans when he is waiting for Lu Hua and Bai Yuren downstairs.

When Lu Hua came down, she was wearing a one piece dark blue dress by Bai Yutang bought for her. She also wears a thin white gold necklace with a flower diamond pendant, her birthday gift from Bai Yutang this year.

It\'s actually a real diamond, very expensive, a gift from Jian Kang Lu and Bai Yutang. But Jian Kang Lu warns his kitten not to tell his mother about this, or else Lu Hua will throw the necklace away.

Jian Kang Lu didn\'t tell Bai Yutang the real price of this diamond pendant. He only told Bai Yutang to pay him 30001 yuan for this joint birthday gift. 10% of the real price. He mailed the real authentication certificate to Bai Yuren.

Lu Hua frowned when she saw his son and said, "Why don\'t you change your clothes? Wear something nice."

Looking at his mother, Bai Yutang smiled. "Okay mom, I\'ll dress up on your birthday." He goes upstairs and changes into a long sleeved light blue shirt, rolls the sleeve to his elbow, and wears dark blue pants. This is one of his favorite shirts. His lover bought it as their couple\'s shirt.

He actually brought this shirt not because he wanted to wear it on his mother\'s birthday, but because he knew he would miss Jian Kang Lu.

Prices really don\'t lie. A 3000 yuan shirt looks very different from his 300 yuan shirt.

Bai Yuren also dressed well. She wears a light pink dress with floral embroidery on the lower side. It\'s a little bit short, but this is spring. At least it was still covering half of her thighs.

Bai Yutang drives to the mall and they go shopping for a little bit first before going to the restaurant. The reservation is at 7 o\'clock.

When Bai Yutang followed the waiter to their table, his face stiffened to see that the table is reserved for 6 people. He now knows why his mother refused his offer to call and reserve the restaurant. He has bad premonition.

He didn\'t say anything, but 15 minutes later his guess came true.

"Here, here, Yang Liu!" Lu Hua waved her hand to a pair of mother and daughter who came walking toward their table.

Bai Yutang knows Yang Liu. He often hears her name from her mother. She and her husband opened the grocery store next to the restaurant where his mother works. Yang Liu appeared at the same age as Lu Hua, a chubby middle aged woman with a smiling face.

She brought her daughter with her. Lu Hua introduced them, "This is my friend who i often told you, Yang Liu. And this is her daughter, Zheng Nian."

Zheng Nian is the one that Lu Hua mentioned on New Year\'s eve, before Bai Yutang blurted out that he was in a relationship with Jian Kang Lu. Bai Yutang recalled, it seems his mother several times mentioned this Zheng Nian before, but he never paid attention.

The mothers are smiling and laughing, both boasting their own children. Their children\'s mild temperament, their children\'s academic achievement, and so on.

The children\'s face all stiff. Even Bai Yuren hurriedly message He Zheng to arrived here sooner to save this situation. She believed she could divert these two enthusiastic matchmakers a little bit when He Zheng came.

She felt a little bit shameless, and cruel. He Zheng truly never rejected every thing she asked.

He Zheng comes to the restaurant with erratic breathing, it seems he just runs outside to reach the restaurant sooner.

He rode the bus to the mall, thus he took a longer time. He flustered and repeatedly apologised for coming late. He looks ordinary, wearing a checkered green short sleeve shirt. If his face is white, these people might see him blushing from rushing and embarrassment.

He Zheng was truly embarrassed. He already wears the best and presentable shirt he owns. But still… What can he do? The good shirt he owned was all already worn out. Since his parents passed away, he never bought new clothes anymore.

Bai Yutang was polite and still indulged in the conversation before He Zheng came. Zheng Nian is also the same. Both of them know how to place themselves in front of their enthusiastic mother.

He Zheng arrived at the same time with their main dishes. Bai Yuren hurriedly said, "Here, sit here. Don\'t block the waiter."

Bai Yutang silently pitied this young man. His sister sometimes is really…

"RenRen, why don\'t you introduce him first." Bai Yutang is actually happy to have this little distraction from his mother\'s non stop boasting his achievement in front of the pair of mother and daughter. In a short five minutes he already heard a full resume of Zhen Nian\'s life, as well as Zheng Nian got his complete resume.

At least, he was glad to see Zheng Nian\'s face and also surprised when she came. This means, she was also thrown into this pit by her mother, and not because she was willing.