Xia Lu cautiously opened the box, which quietly housed a beautiful diamond necklace.
She was not unfamiliar with such large diamonds; although when she left the West Suburb Villa, she returned all the jewelry to its rightful owner and did not take a single piece with her, she had worn them to events before and could tell at a glance that this necklace was valuable.
She did not reach out to take it but instead closed the box again, the words Ye Shaotang had just said to her echoing in her mind.
"Once you accept this gift, it's yours, and you're not allowed to return it," Ye Shaotang said, "Happy birthday."
"Thank you," Xia Lu replied. She had never expected that Ye Shaotang would be the first person to remember her birthday this year.
"Once things are settled with Achen, I hope we can still be friends," Ye Shaotang continued, "You won't distance yourself from us, the people around Achen, will you?"
