Chapter 142

"You said I didn't love you. I was very sad to hear that. After I came back, I started to doubt myself. I kept thinking why I made you think that way. I kept reflecting on myself and questioning myself..."

"I really thought about it for a long time, all night long. I think it makes sense for you to think that way, because I myself do have many things that are not good enough, and I don't usually find them myself. But, you believe me..." Hu Mengdie raised her head, looked directly into Li Zhuangsheng's eyes, and said loudly, "I love you, it's absolutely true! You are special and unique to me. No one can replace you. I didn't understand love in the past, and I have never loved anyone. It was only after I met you that I understood what love is!"

Li Zhuangsheng breathed softly, his tightly pursed lips seemed to curl up, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

"Many people have given me birthday presents, but they were not what I wanted. No one cared about what I really wanted, and no one listened to my heart. They just thought I wanted it, or hoped I wanted it... I knew from a young age that my opinion was not important at all. I grew up in repression, so I rarely expressed it. But I rarely said it, but in my heart... it was not like that."

"The first birthday present you gave me was the biggest surprise in my life. It let me know that there was someone who really loved me... I was really surprised when the courier knocked on my door that day and brought in all 25 presents you had sent me. I didn't expect you to give me the presents you hadn't given me before we met, just because I mentioned that I had never received a present I particularly liked."

"I started from the beginning. I took the rattle when I was 100 days old, the silver bracelet when I was one year old, the Lego when I was two years old, and the jigsaw puzzle when I was three years old... My mom laughed at me and really treated me like a child. But the silver bracelet is for adults, so I can wear it when I grow up."

Hu Mengdie leaned against Li Zhuangsheng, smiled sweetly, and whispered: "My mother couldn't understand many of the gifts later, but I knew it at a glance."

"I said that before Meng Ke was born, my parents were always away from home, so you gave me a little bear pillow to keep me company when I was four years old."

"I told you that when I was a kid I was afraid of ghosts when I slept alone, and you gave me a doggie night light when I was five."

"I told you that I once broke my neighbor's Barbie doll, and you gave me a set of Princess Elsa when I was six years old."

"I told you that when I was in elementary school and had my first art class, everyone around me had watercolor pens, but I didn't, so you gave me, at the age of seven, a complete set of 36-color watercolor pens. Haha, if only I could have taken them out at that time, I would have been the coolest kid in the class."

"I told you there used to be a roller skating rink near my house, but my dad said it was for bad people, so you gave me a pair of roller skates when I was eight years old. You were afraid I would get hurt, so you also gave me a set of protective gear... You were so thoughtful."

"I said I saved up money for a long time to buy a piggy bank, but my mother broke it on the day I bought it. So you bought me another piggy bank when I was nine years old, and you still kept half a jar of coins in it. Later, I liked to touch it when I had nothing to do, and I would put some in it myself. It was so heavy and satisfying."

"I said that when Xie Jiangqing was ten years old, her mother bought her a butterfly hairpin as a birthday present. I didn't know why I liked that hairpin so much at the time, so you gave me a pair of violet butterfly hairpins when I was ten years old. Although they are not the same as I remember, the ones you gave me are better looking." "I said that when I was in fifth grade, the school organized us to go to the Forest Park for a two-day and one-night study tour. At night, we were taken to the planetarium to watch the stars, but unfortunately the weather was bad that night and we couldn't see the starry sky. So you gave me a starry sky lamp when I was eleven years old."

"I told you that I was under a lot of academic pressure in sixth grade and became nearsighted. So you gave me an eye protection device when I was twelve years old."

"I told you that I had a dream not long after I entered junior high school. I dreamed that I opened a door and saw an elementary school classroom and classmates inside. Then I heard a tinkling sound. I liked that sound very much, but it disappeared when I woke up. You gave the thirteen-year-old me a string of wind chimes. I tied it to the balcony of my bedroom, and when the wind blew, it made that sound, which was very nice."

"I told you that I had severe stomach pain during those few days, so you bought me a uterine warming belt when I was fourteen. Hehe, I wish I had this kind of thing when I was a kid."

"I said that I first knew about hand cream in middle school. My deskmate liked to apply some whenever he had nothing to do, and his hands smelled good. I was a little envious at the time. You should give me a hand cream when I was fifteen, and it should be Chanel."

"I said that sixteen would be my last stage performance, and I never danced in public again after that. I knew it was the last time, so when the teacher finished putting makeup on me that day, I wanted to secretly keep the lipstick as a souvenir, but I didn't mean well. You gave me a very expensive lipstick when I was sixteen, but it's the only gift I'm not satisfied with. Who told you to choose the ash purple color? It's so ugly. You weren't lazy and asked Li Xiuyu directly, were you?"

Hu Mengdie recalled the gift and the intention behind it word by word. Her tone became more and more cheerful, but tears filled her eyes unknowingly.

"I mentioned before that when I was in high school, many girls had small mirrors in their desks. I thought they were useless so I never bought one, and occasionally borrowed one from my deskmate. But one time I broke her mirror and I felt really guilty because it was a gift from her boyfriend. So you gave me, a 17-year-old very beautiful folding mirror with a light ring that can be charged. Haha, other people's boyfriends gave them mirrors, so I want one too."

"I told you that I got my ears pierced when I was an adult, but my parents scolded me when I got home. You gave me a pair of silver butterfly earrings when I was 18 years old. Was it because there is a butterfly in my name? Unfortunately, the hole had grown back, and I was afraid of the pain, so I hesitated to pierce it again... I regret it so much. It's so beautiful, but I never wore it once. At that time, I always thought there would be plenty of time in the future."

"I said that when Stand By Me Doraemon was released in mainland China, I went to see it with my friends. After it came out, I felt like my childhood was over and I was a little sad. When I was a kid, I often watched Jiangsu City Channel. In the afternoon, after Jacky Cheung or Faye Wong finished singing Water Melody, they would play Doraemon. You gave the 19-year-old me a Doraemon doll with a bamboo dragonfly on its head and a lot of props that could be taken out of its belly."

"I told you that I started to learn to put on some makeup in my sophomore year, and you gave the 20-year-old me a Dior cushion and perfume. I quite like the scent and have been using it ever since. Can you smell it? You probably didn't know what the True Self you gave me smelled like before."

(End of this chapter)