Chapter 37 — A Small Gift

　　Although he was beyond busy, Qin Jiran made time to cook dinner for Su Yanyi whenever he could, and the servants were very happy about it. w.a.n.g-jie beamed as she handed the kitchen, and then she presented the little golden tortoise to him. The tortoise blinked up at Qin Jiran.

　　"Yanyi's?" He asked with great uncertainty. He didn't think Su Yanyi was the type to raise pets.

　　"Miss said, this is a gift for Master. She said the golden tortoise is auspicious, and she hopes that Master's new film will become a great hit," w.a.n.g-jie said, twisting the instructions Su Yanyi had given her to sound more pleasant.

　　Qin Jiran looked at the little tortoise, and then he picked it up. "Does this little thing have a name?"

　　At this, w.a.n.g-jie suppressed a smile and replied with feigned calmness, "Its name is Cutie (Xiao Meng)."

　　 "Which 'meng'? Did Yanyi pick the name?" He asked as his lips drew an arch. It surprised, and at the same time, amused him that Su Yanyi would pick such a cute name for the tortoise.

　　 "Miss said it's the same 'meng' as 'chun meng' (playing dumb to seem cute). She said if Master doesn't like the name, it can be changed to Dummy (Xiao Chun)." w.a.n.g-jie was also carrying a hint of laughter in her eyes. She'd always been rather afraid of her cold Miss, so she too was surprised.

　　Qin Jiran and w.a.n.g-jie exchanged glances and shared a laugh.

　　"Let's call it Cutie then. It's better than Dummy," he chuckled. To the tortoise, he said, "From now on, your name will be Cutie. Be obedient, and don't be naughty, okay?"

　　He was especially gentle to the tortoise, owing to his love for small animals in general and the fact that this beautiful little tortoise was a gift from Su Yanyi. Of course he would like it.

　　His smile never left his face. That night, the food he made seemed to taste especially good. When Su Yanyi came home and noticed his good mood, she was infected by his smile. The corners of her lips turned up, softening her expression

　　"Thank you for the wonderful gift. I'll raise it well," Qin Jiran said seriously. He set the final dish down and swiftly laid the tortoise on the table too.

　　"Keeping it alive is good enough," was her callous response, though she was actually feeling quite happy with herself. She'd lifted a burden off her back and received Qin Jiran's grat.i.tude for it, killing two birds with one stone.

　　Ah, how clever I am.

　　Qin Jiran smiled again. He knew she was not a small animal person, and he wasn't sure why she decided to give him this tiny thing to raise. It was probably from a friend. Nonetheless, he was happy.

　　As much as he loved small animals, he kept it more or less a secret. After all, he was a full-grown man. When he started living together with Su Yanyi, it became impossible for him to express his fondness for small animals.

　　He'd never expected to get one from her.

　　The br.i.m.m.i.n.g sincerity and delight he showed towards the gift caused her pause and dwell on it. Then, she asked him, with both doubt and pleasant surprise in her voice, "You like small animals?"