Chapter 25

“What?”

Xu Zhilu looked at him in disbelief. “Did you give me something?”

Shen Siyan’s eyes were deep and serious. “Didn’t Aunt Liu give it to you?”

Xu Zhilu shook her head, puzzled.

They exchanged looks as Xu Zhilu began to piece together his words.

“So, you gave me a gift and asked Aunt Liu to give it to me?” Xu Zhilu clarified.

Shen Siyan nodded.

He was awkward about giving gifts and rarely presented them sincerely. Instead, he would just leave them in her room or force them on her.

The small gifts she received before were usually fine.

Shen Siyan had worried that Xu Zhilu might not want the birthday present and thought it would be inappropriate to force it on her. He had taken great care in choosing the gift and had gone to the next room to leave it.

The Xu family held birthday parties every year for them, but Xu Zhijia was always the center of attention.

When Shen Siyan arrived, the birthday party had not started yet, and Xu Zhilu was not home. Only Aunt Liu was there, and she mentioned that Xu Zhilu had gone out.

Since Xu Zhilu was absent, Shen Siyan couldn’t place the gift in her room. Aunt Liu had offered to help, so he left the gift on the table for her to give to Xu Zhilu when she returned.

After the birthday party, Xu Zhilu ignored him for several days.

Although Shen Siyan was puzzled, he didn’t press the issue. Xu Zhilu had been moody and unpredictable, so he didn’t think much of it.

He wasn’t good with small details, which was a flaw. Since the watch wasn’t cheap, he assumed Xu Zhilu simply hadn’t worn it.

But now it seems otherwise.

Shen Siyan frowned. “Didn’t Aunt Liu give it to you?”

Xu Zhilu shook her head. “She gave me some gifts, but not yours.”

Shen Siyan was stunned.

Xu Zhilu met his gaze and said softly, “I thought at the time…”

Before she could finish, Shen Siyan interjected, “You thought I didn’t give you a gift?”

Her throat felt tight, and she struggled to speak. After several attempts, she managed a quiet “yes.”

She really had thought so.

Shen Siyan was silent for a moment and said softly, “Are you really this clueless?”

His voice was low and somewhat resigned. “From childhood to now, have I ever not given you a gift on your birthday?”

Xu Zhilu said nothing. She felt foolish, but during high school, she had been very sensitive and proud. Even though she was curious, she couldn’t bring herself to ask why he hadn’t given her a gift.

Shen Siyan looked at her with her eyes downcast and said, “Let’s go.”

“Where are we going?” Xu Zhilu asked, bewildered by the hand he was holding.

“Home,” Shen Siyan said, his expression darkening.

Xu Zhilu was taken aback and let go of his hand. “Are you going to ask Aunt Liu?”

Shen Siyan turned around and asked, “Don’t you want me to?”

Xu Zhilu thought for a moment and replied, “No.”

She continued, “Aunt Liu wouldn’t embezzle anything. You and I both know that.”

Aunt Liu had worked for the Xu family for many years and was always kind to everyone, especially to Xu Zhilu.

Shen Siyan paused. “Then let’s find out who took the gift.” 

Xu Zhilu looked up at him. “Do you think she’ll admit it?”

Shen Siyan didn’t respond.

Xu Zhilu explained softly, “If we go back now and ask Aunt Liu who took the watch you asked her to give me, if she says it was Xu Zhijia, she could lose her job. But Aunt Liu wouldn’t say you didn’t give her anything. She can’t say that.”

Having lived through this experience, Xu Zhilu knew Aunt Liu well. She was completely trustworthy, and the most likely scenario was that Xu Zhijia took the gift but never returned it.

Although Xu Zhilu wanted to find out who took the watch, she didn’t want Aunt Liu to lose her job over it.

Shen Siyan looked at her. “So that’s your plan?”

“Of course not.”

Xu Zhilu said firmly, “I won’t let this go.”

She pursed her lips and continued, “Let’s calm down first. Xu Zhijia must be wearing the watch if she took it.”

Shen Siyan looked at her intently. “Are you sure you want to wait?”

Xu Zhilu nodded. “There’s no other way but to wait.”

She was anxious, but she didn’t want Aunt Liu to lose her job just because of her suspicions.

Aunt Liu and the family’s driver were a couple. If Aunt Liu were questioned and told the truth, it was likely that Xu’s mother would fire both Aunt Liu and the driver to protect her precious daughter.

It wouldn’t be easy for Aunt Liu and Uncle Liu to find new jobs as they had a family to support.

Xu Zhilu wasn’t sure how deep her relationship with them was, but if there was a better way, she didn’t want to put Aunt Liu in a difficult position.

Shen Siyan was silent for a moment and then said softly, “You could ask Aunt Liu.”

“I know.”

Xu Zhilu looked at him. “But I won’t question you. I’ll talk to Aunt Liu.”