Chapter 128: An Invitation

After leaving the KTV, the group gathered at Zhao Yueyue’s house to celebrate her birthday with her grandparents.

The elderly couple wasn’t fond of noisy places.

When everyone arrived, Zhao Yueyue’s grandparents were quite delighted and warmly welcomed Chen Mo and the others into the house.

As the older sister responsible for her younger sister, Zhao Yueyue had been outgoing and even a bit assertive since she was a child.

Don’t be fooled by her soft and cute appearance; girls develop earlier than boys, and when she got into fights with boys her age, she could more than hold her own.

Because she was so assertive as a child, Zhao Yueyue didn’t have many friends.

It was only later that she gradually befriended people like Chen Mo and Huang Mao.

Her grandparents had actually been quite worried that their granddaughter didn’t have any friends.

So when they saw that people not only wanted to hang out with their granddaughter but also got along with her so well, they couldn’t have been happier.

Every time Chen Mo and the other two visited, her grandparents treated them like their own flesh and blood.

"Momo, Yuqing, Xiaomao, you’re here." Grandma stepped forward warmly to greet them, her gaze then falling on Lin Yu’an and Lin Yuxi with a hint of surprise.

"And who are these two?"

"This is Lin Yu’an, he’s a friend of ours too. And this little guy is Lin Yuxi, Lin Yu’an’s younger brother," Zhao Yueyue explained.

Realizing their granddaughter had made another friend, the grandparents were even more delighted. "Welcome, welcome! Come on in, all of you."

As she was ushering them inside, Grandma suddenly noticed that Zhao Yuanyuan—who was usually shy around people and would often keep her head down even with Chen Mo, Su Yuqing, and Huang Mao—was stealing glances at Lin Yu’an’s face.

Grandma was incredibly perceptive when it came to the hearts of young people. A knowing smile touched her lips, and she cast a meaningful glance at Zhao Yuanyuan and Lin Yu’an.

Once everyone was inside, Grandma told Zhao Yueyue to entertain her guests while she went to prepare dinner.

The dinner was actually quite simple, since it was to celebrate Zhao Yueyue’s birthday.

They were just going to have hotpot together.

Of course, Zhao Yueyue was the exception, so Grandma would be making her a special bowl of longevity noodles.

And today, because Huang Mao had ordered a cake, there would be cake for everyone as well.

Faced with eating so much good food in one day, Su Yuqing couldn’t help but subconsciously touch her tummy.

Seeing this, Chen Mo smiled from the side. "Girls are cuter with a little meat on their bones. Don’t worry about it too much."

Su Yuqing glanced at Chen Mo. "Come for a walk with me later tonight, and maybe a short jog. I used to make time to exercise on weekends at home, but I’ve been slacking lately."

Su Yuqing didn’t just exercise to lose weight; it also helped lift her spirits.

If someone with depression could stick to running 10,000 meters outdoors every day, it would only take a month to see a real improvement in their mental state.

Su Yuqing knew this from personal experience.

It was hard to do it every day during the school year, but she had stuck with it during vacations.

It really did a lot to lift her out of her funks.

Running, in particular, allowed her to clear her mind and stop thinking about negative and unpleasant things.

After a run, her body felt stretched out and her mood improved, and she was less likely to dwell on unhappy thoughts.

This was one of Su Yuqing’s coping mechanisms.

Hearing Su Yuqing’s invitation, Chen Mo didn’t refuse.

After all, he knew that going for a walk and a light jog after letting your food digest was indeed very good for you.

They stayed at Zhao Yueyue’s house until seven o’clock, when the birthday party finally came to an end.

Zhao Yueyue was clearly the happiest one of all; it was the first time she’d ever had such an eventful birthday.

She was deeply touched.

When it was time to say goodbye, she was a little reluctant to see them go.

Huang Mao wanted to stay and keep her company, but he was too shy to ask.

As Chen Mo and the others were leaving Zhao Yueyue’s house, Zhao Yuanyuan’s gaze was still fixed on Lin Yu’an, looking as if she was genuinely interested in him.

Su Yuqing happened to see this and couldn’t help but smile, amused by the unfolding drama.

As the group left Zhao Yueyue’s house, they split up and headed in different directions.

Since Su Yuqing wanted to walk and go for a run, Chen Mo naturally planned to take her to People’s Park.

This park was much grander than the old one in the older district.

It was fully equipped with all sorts of facilities, including a rubberized running track, perfectly catering to people’s exercise needs.

The only thing was, the park was a half-hour drive from Chen Mo’s house, so he rarely went there.

Su Yuqing had originally just been thinking of finding a random spot to walk around the nearby man-made lake, so she was surprised when Chen Mo chose to go to the park.

It was a great choice for her, though.

She had only been to People’s Park once and hadn’t seen all of it, but she vaguely remembered that it was beautifully built.

Tonight, the moon was bright, the light was perfect, and the temperature was quite comfortable.

It was perfect weather for a night out. Strolling through a park together on a night like this had its own special kind of romance.

Once in the car, Chen Mo rolled down the window. The cool night breeze washed over them, a refreshing change after being inside Zhao Yueyue’s house.

Watching the glittering neon nightscape rapidly recede was its own unique experience.

Su Yuqing stared at the night view outside, her eyes full of wonder.

She had rarely ever gone out at night to appreciate the cityscape like this.

Watching the scenery constantly change from inside a speeding car truly felt special.

The night view was even more beautiful with the lovely moonlight illuminating everything so clearly and brightly.

People’s Park was located near a tall mountain, which had an observation deck built for watching the sunrise and sunset.

But on a beautiful night like this, it was also perfect for moon-gazing.

"The moon is so beautiful tonight," Su Yuqing couldn’t help but exclaim, gazing at the sky.

The driver chuckled. "This weather is just perfect for a young couple like you to be out enjoying the night view together."

Hearing this, Chen Mo just smiled without saying anything, while Su Yuqing’s face flushed slightly, though she didn’t offer any explanation either.

As he spoke, the driver seemed to remember something. "Oh, right. On Juyuan Mountain, next to People’s Park, they put up some kind of Prayer Tree a few months ago. I hear it’s pretty effective for wishing for love and marriage. They say a lot of people who made wishes there saw their relationships with their sweethearts improve quickly. You two should check it out. It might just bless you with a long and happy life together."

Chen Mo smiled when he heard this. ’Pure marketing gimmick,’ he thought.