My Possessive CEO: Trembling in His Arms-Chapter 191: Setting Life and Death, How Could I Be Afraid?
Renee Winslow was born on the second day after the Dragon Boat Festival, on the sixth day of the fifth lunar month, which falls on June 19th in the solar calendar.
Before she entered middle school, she almost never celebrated her birthday because each time her birthday was mixed with the Dragon Boat Festival.
The day after Dragon Boat Festival had just been celebrated, her family wouldn’t celebrate her birthday separately, so it was as if she didn’t have a birthday.
At that time, she was young and protested unhappily, wanting to celebrate her birthday separately.
However, her protest went unheard, no one cared, and they even said she was being unreasonable.
Afterwards, Renee Winslow never mentioned celebrating her birthday separately again, always being a well-behaved and sensible child.
When she started middle school, Renee Winslow would tell her friends about her birthday using the solar calendar, as that’s what was recorded on her ID card anyway.
During the six years of middle school and high school, her friends celebrated her birthday according to the solar calendar.
As time passed, Renee Winslow almost forgot her lunar birthday.
Just past midnight.
As Renee Winslow was feeling drowsy and sleepy, Jack Yates hugged her from behind, kissed her on the cheek, and said in her ear, "Happy birthday, Renee."
Then something cool touched her neck, it was a gold and jade Buddha necklace placed around her neck, the chain being a fine gold one.
Renee Winslow sat up suddenly, touching the necklace, and looked at him in surprise: "My birthday hasn’t arrived yet."
Jack Yates laughed: "Today is your lunar birthday, I’ll make it up to you on June 19th, you get to celebrate two birthdays."
Only then did Renee Winslow remember her lunar birthday, feeling warmth in her heart, followed by a pang, wanting to cry.
She pressed her lips together, her voice slightly choked: "You usually only celebrate one birthday, who celebrates two?"
Jack Yates pulled her into his arms, gently stroking her head: "Twenty years old, that deserves two celebrations."
Renee Winslow’s nose tingled, and tears rolled down.
Jack Yates hurriedly wiped her tears, softly coaxing: "Why cry? Don’t like the necklace?"
Renee Winslow quickly shook her head: "No, I really like it."
Jack Yates cupped her face with one hand, bowed his head to kiss her flushed eyelid, his thin lips moved inch by inch down her tender, moist face, finally resting on her supple, reddish lips, kissing gently and softly.
He couldn’t spend Dragon Boat Festival with her, so he chose to give her another birthday to make up for it.
Renee Winslow was dazed by the kiss, the soreness triggered by the emotion gradually faded away, turning into a tingly itch.
The next day, Renee Winslow got up late, only waking up after ten in the morning.
As she went downstairs, Jack Yates was sitting on the couch in the living room, talking on the phone, whatever the other person said made him suddenly smile.
Hearing footsteps, Jack Yates turned to look at Renee Winslow, his smile deepening.
He hung up the phone, gesturing to her: "Come here."
Renee Winslow walked down calmly, approaching him: "Who were you talking to that made you smile so happily?"
Jack Yates was taken aback, raised his eyebrow, and then laughed out loud: "Jealous?"
Renee Winslow was instantly embarrassed, her face turning red as she turned away: "No, I was just saying."
Jack Yates reached out to hold her waist, lifting her onto his lap, his index finger brushed against her lips: "I love seeing you jealous."
Renee Winslow hit him: "I’m not jealous!"
Jack Yates grabbed her hand: "Alright, alright, you’re not jealous, I’m jealous, is that okay?" he kneaded her fair and soft hand, "Did your hand hurt from hitting me?"
Renee Winslow pulled her hand away: "Aren’t you busy today?"
Jack Yates: "Sweetheart, you can’t treat your man like a workhorse."
Renee Winslow quickly retorted: "What’s the difference between you and a donkey?"
Jack Yates was once again taken aback, and then let out a deep laughter.
Renee Winslow’s face instantly felt like it was on fire, turning red from her face to her neck.
Jack Yates leaned over to her ear, nibbling her pink earlobe, his voice husky: "No need to flatter me so much."
Renee Winslow’s face turned even redder: "You’re shameless."
Jack Yates looked at her bashful demeanor, teasingly asked: "Who said I was no different from a donkey, hmm?"
Renee Winslow pouted angrily and raised her hand, giving him a flurry of punches.
However, Jack Yates was all muscle, his arms, shoulders, chest, his whole body was firm, she didn’t hurt him, instead it was her own hand that started to hurt.
Jack Yates quickly held her wrist, preventing her from hurting herself.
"Alright, stop hitting, go change your clothes, I’m taking you out later."
Renee Winslow immediately raised her head: "Where are we going?"
Jack Yates: "Taking you to eat hotpot, then ferrying at night along the Ardane."
Renee Winslow’s eyes lit up, she hopped off Jack Yates’s lap and ran upstairs.
Jack Yates lounged lazily on the sofa, his smile dotingly watching her.
He had just been arranging today’s plans during the phone call.
Shane Grant was transferred to The Western Theater, stationed in Veridia.
He told Shane Grant that he’s heading to Veridia today, taking a private jet, and asked Shane to assist him.
Shane Grant: "You’re no longer the special forces captain; you’re a businessman reeking of money. And I’m a proper soldier with two bars and a star. You want me to assist you?"
Jack Yates said calmly, "How much more funding does your fighter jet development need?"
Shane Grant: "There’s a hot pot place on Mount Cinder that’s pretty good. After eating hot pot, we can take a helicopter to enjoy the night view of the mountain city, and maybe even take a ferry to cruise along the Ardane at night."
Jack Yates chuckled, "Alright, you make the arrangements."
Renee Winslow went back upstairs, not in a rush to change clothes. Instead, she took out some paper and a pen, scribbling on a note pad for more than ten minutes, finally writing down three things she wanted to do.
First: Walk through The Pilgrim’s Ascent with Jack Yates under an umbrella together.
Second: Stroll by the riverside with Jack Yates, feeling the breeze.
Third: Visit The Ghost City of Umbraton with Jack Yates, holding hands as they cross The Bridge of Sighs.
So cheesy, so sentimental.
Yet at this moment, Renee just wanted to indulge in some cheese and sentiment.
Because she was well aware that if she missed this chance, she’d have no opportunity to indulge later.
After changing and going downstairs, Renee handed the pink note pad to Jack Yates.
Jack Yates took it in his hand, squinting like an old man on the subway: "What’s this?"
Renee blushed: "Three things I’d like to do with you."
Jack Yates smiled, "But the things I want to do with you aren’t just three."
Renee: "Oh, come on, stop changing the subject. This is about the three things I want to do on this trip to Veridia."
Jack Yates pointed to the first item: "Why walk The Pilgrim’s Ascent under an umbrella? What’s the symbolism?"
Renee pursed her lips, then spoke up.
"In middle school, I read a love story in a youth magazine." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮
Jack Yates raised an eyebrow, smiling with keen interest.
"The story’s main characters were from Veridia. In high school, the girl had a crush on the boy, but he didn’t know. Later, the boy also fell for the girl, but she unfortunately passed away due to illness."
Jack Yates frowned.
"The girl used to live at the end of an old alley in The Pilgrim’s Ascent and walked through it to school every day."
"On the day the girl died, it was pouring rain in Veridia, and the boy walked through The Pilgrim’s Ascent under an umbrella over and over again. I remember clearly, the cover of that magazine issue was a silhouette of a boy walking The Pilgrim’s Ascent under an umbrella."
That was the first youth love story Renee had ever read, with a bittersweet ending, so it left a deep impression.
She had always wanted to visit Veridia and walk The Pilgrim’s Ascent herself.
Jack Yates took her hand: "This story is sad, I don’t like it."
Renee shook off his hand: "You’re a man, of course, you don’t like these stories. Back then, this kind of emotional youth literature was all the rage."
Jack Yates held her hand again: "My Renee will definitely live a long life, we’ll still have eighty more seasons to go through together."
Renee lowered her head with a soft smile: "Even if we can truly live to a ripe old age, you’ll only accompany me for seventy seasons, not eighty. What’s more..."
In reality, they might not live to such an old age, nor might they spend so many seasons together.
Jack Yates smirked slightly: "Yeah, I’ll be missing out on ten years with you."
Renee felt a pang in her heart, quickly shifting the topic: "I’ve packed up, when do we leave?"
Jack Yates then pointed to the second item: "What’s the story behind this one?"
Renee smiled: "Oh, this one, when I was little, I watched a TV program called ’Fog City’s Night Talk’. I don’t remember the plot, but there’s one scene I recall vividly."
"The female lead, dressed in a Hong Kong fashion style, with long, curly hair, a polka-dot dress, walking side by side with the male lead by the riverside, the wind blowing her hair so that it floated to the male lead’s shoulder."
"I thought that scene was so beautiful that it’s stayed in my mind, and I always thought one day I’d walk by the river with my boyfriend too."
Jack Yates chuckling, pulled her into his lap, pinching her cute nose: "Why so cute? Are you deliberately trying to make me break the rules?"
Renee, feeling a little embarrassed: "It’s a bit sentimental; if you don’t want to do it, then forget it."
Jack Yates, half-smiling, looked at her: "Of course I want to, how could I not? I also want your hair to float to my shoulder."
Renee twisted on his lap, pointing to the note: "What about the third, going to The Ghost City of Umbraton together, are you scared?"
Jack Yates gently stroked her face: "Crossing The Bridge of Sighs with you to decide fate, how could I be scared?"
In the end, Renee couldn’t hold it back, her eyes reddened, tears welling up.
Together we’ll be, making an oath until a hundred years.
If one dies at ninety-seven, wait on The Bridge of Sighs for three years.
But there is no true Bridge of Sighs, and no life after death.
She couldn’t grow old with Jack Yates, but could only engage in such silly things to console herself, bringing a perfect end to this dreamy youth of hers.
