When the secondhand raccoon plush toy appeared before everyone, a brief silence fell over the room.
Many people had already prepared themselves; this young man, dressed so "low-key," couldn't possibly afford an expensive gift, certainly not something as extravagant as Fan Zihong's. But they never expected Chen Yang to give such a simple secondhand plush toy.
The somewhat worn raccoon plush toy lay quietly in its cardboard box, its dark, round eyes seemingly watching everyone at the banquet. A sense of absurdity rose in everyone's hearts.
Is this kid here to cause trouble? "Pfft!"
The sudden snicker of the young star Qu Yi broke the silence. She smiled insincerely and said,
"Oh! Mr. Fang's gift is certainly special! Did you snatch it from the little beggar girl at the door?"
"Hahaha!"
"This pair deserves a spot on today's most special gift list!"
"Don't talk nonsense! This was specially customized for Mr. Fang, its value is no less than that sports car of Young Master Fan!"
Qu Yi's words immediately drew a burst of laughter. Everyone looked at Chen Yang with strange eyes. Initially, although he was dressed plainly, he always appeared calm and composed, and even confidently let Xu Qingya open the gift in front of everyone. Everyone was almost fooled by him, but unexpectedly, when the gift box was opened, there was just this piece of junk inside! Everyone looked down on Chen Yang from the bottom of their hearts. Seeing the strong reaction to what she thought was a humorous remark, Qu Yi's face lit up. She glanced sideways at Chen Yang, remembering her earlier humiliation, and felt a surge of satisfaction.
Fan Zihong couldn't help but burst into arrogant laughter, shaking with mirth before pointing at the gift box and shouting:
"We must thank Mr. Fang for successfully demonstrating what a truly lame joke looks like! Hahaha… I'm counting on this joke to get through the rest of the year!"
Faced with the jeers and taunts, Chen Yang maintained a calm, unchanging smile, his expression impassive, as if the mockery had nothing to do with him.
No one noticed that after opening the gift box, Xu Qingya was completely stunned. The seemingly unremarkable doll acted like a giant magnet, drawing her gaze to her.
Xu Qingya's eyes shone with intense excitement; even her hands, holding the gift box, trembled slightly. She seemed oblivious to everything around her, lost in her memories…
It was nineteen years ago today. Xu Qingya was only five years old when she celebrated her birthday. Xu Zhiyuan, who had just returned home from a trip to Italy, immediately put down his luggage, hugged little Qingya tightly, and gave her a big kiss. Then, as if by magic, he pulled a beautifully wrapped doll from his pocket, smiling as he said,
"My darling Qingya is five years old! This is a birthday present Daddy bought for you specially from abroad! Do you like it?"
Little Qingya snatched the raccoon doll from Xu Zhiyuan's hand. She fell in love with the adorable little creature at first sight. Its dark eyes, smug expression, and gentlemanly attire—everything about it seemed so exquisite and perfect. At that time, such finely crafted dolls had not yet appeared in China, and little Qingya was instantly captivated.
Every night after that, Xiao Qingya needed to hug the raccoon to fall asleep peacefully. Wherever she went, she had to take the raccoon with her; it was fair to say that this toy became her best companion and closest friend during her childhood.
The raccoon accompanied Xu Qingya through her innocent childhood and budding adolescence, until the year she graduated from high school. Xu Qingya was admitted to military academy, and during her graduation trip, she accidentally lost the toy. That year, Xu Qingya was eighteen years old. She frantically searched for three days in that unfamiliar city, but to no avail.
In the days that followed, Xu Qingya searched the world for this toy. It was then that she learned it was a limited edition toy produced by Yabeah, with extremely few remaining. Xu Qingya searched countless places, but she could never find an identical toy.
This almost became a source of deep anxiety for Xu Qingya.
Unexpectedly, at this birthday party, so casually, this doll appeared right in front of her. Xu Qingya could hardly believe her eyes; she felt like she was dreaming.
While the spoiled sons of wealthy families and officials were still making sarcastic remarks, Liu Xinyao had already noticed. She stepped forward, examined the doll closely, and then exclaimed with delight:
"Oh my god! Cousin, it's a Yabeah raccoon doll!"
Liu Xinyao had been inseparable from Xu Qingya since childhood, and she naturally knew how much Xu Qingya loved this doll. Liu Xinyao had seen Xu Qingya's doll countless times when she was little, and over the years, she had always kept an eye out for information about Yabeah dolls, so she recognized it immediately.
Liu Xinyao's excited voice silenced those who had been mocking Chen Yang. They then noticed the unusual expression on Xu Qingya's face and looked over in confusion, wondering: Could this unassuming little doll really be that special? What could possibly excite Xu Qingya like this?
Xu Qingya was also pulled back to reality by Liu Xinyao's voice. She excitedly hugged the doll to her arms, pressing her face tightly against it, as if trying to recapture that familiar feeling. After a long pause, Xu Qingya looked up, her eyes moist, and asked,
"Chen Yang, where...where did you buy this doll?"
Chen Yang had anticipated Xu Qingya's reaction and had already prepared an explanation. He smiled slightly and said,
"Sister Qingya, I've always loved Yabeah toys, but unfortunately, my family was too poor to afford them when I was little. I've been looking for this limited-edition raccoon doll for a long time. A few days ago, I saw someone selling it on a foreign collector's forum, and I bought it without hesitation. The day I received the package from Italy, you called to say it was your birthday. I think this must be fate! This must be a birthday gift from heaven for you, so I didn't prepare any other gifts and just wrapped it up and brought it over. I hope you like it!"
"A birthday gift from heaven..." Xu Qingya murmured, repeating Chen Yang's words. The more she thought about it, the more she felt it made sense. Fate is an elusive thing, but who can deny its existence? Otherwise, how could she explain searching for over five years to no avail, while Chen Yang happened to buy it, and even receiving the international package right when she invited him to her birthday party…
Thinking about it, Xu Qingya became lost in thought again, instinctively hugging the incredibly precious doll to her tightly.
Xu Zhiyuan, noticing Xu Qingya's unusual expression, couldn't help but gently touch her shoulder and whisper, "Qingya…"
Xu Qingya snapped out of her reverie, glancing at Xu Zhiyuan with a complex expression. From his indifferent expression towards the doll, Xu Qingya knew that her father had long forgotten the significance of a casually given birthday gift nineteen years ago in his daughter's heart.
Back then, Xu Zhiyuan was just a newly promoted deputy director in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a hardworking and diligent individual who spent half the year traveling to various countries. But at that time, his care and love for his daughter was genuine; the first thing he did upon returning from a business trip was to hug her. Xu Qingya's most vivid childhood memories are of her father's warm embrace when he came home, and his stubble that prickled her delicate face...
But she didn't know when it started, her father's interactions with her became less frequent, and his expression grew increasingly serious. As he smoothly rose through the ranks from section chief to department head, and now to ministerial level, her father became increasingly unfamiliar. The father who used to call her "my darling daughter" every time he came home was gone, replaced by a politician who constantly talked about family interests, his mind filled with struggle and compromise, even a cold-blooded animal who would sacrifice his daughter's happiness without hesitation for the sake of the family...
Xu Qingya sighed deeply, then looked at Chen Yang, her eyes filled with gratitude. At this birthday party where she felt so out of place, Chen Yang's birthday gift was undoubtedly the biggest surprise of the day, bringing her much warmth.
Xu Qingya, her eyes red-rimmed, said,
"Chen Yang, I love your gift so much! It's the best gift I've received in over a decade! Thank you!"
Xu Qingya's words caused a huge stir among the guests. They couldn't understand why Xu Qingya would love such an unremarkable little doll, especially a secondhand one. Everyone could see that Xu Qingya's expression was genuine; she truly loved the gift.
At that moment, everyone suddenly realized that Chen Yang's confident expression earlier wasn't funny at all. On the contrary, those who had been so sarcastic and cynical towards Chen Yang were the real laughingstock.
Some busybodies couldn't resist quietly asking Liu Xinyao what magical power the doll possessed that made Xu Qingya so happy. Liu Xinyao, who had felt extremely uncomfortable seeing those people mocking Chen Yang, felt a sense of satisfaction and catharsis. She looked at them with disdain and said,
"This doll was my cousin's favorite toy when she was little. She lost it five years ago, and she searched for five whole years but couldn't find an exact replacement. Today, Chen Yang gave her one. Don't you think it's valuable?"
"Huh? It's just a doll. How could money not buy it?"
"Pshaw! You try buying one for me! So what if you have money? It's a limited edition, you know? Yabeah released it in 1985, only 300 sets worldwide, and they're all carefully collected by seasoned collectors!" Liu Xinyao was even more disdainful. Although Liu Xinyao's attitude was unpleasant, this person had finally gotten the answer they wanted and eagerly returned to the crowd to spread the word. In no time, everyone knew the whole story, and they all looked at Chen Yang with envy, thinking how incredibly lucky he was—he casually picked up a secondhand toy, and it just so happened to be Xu Qingya's beloved possession…
Fan Zihong's gaze towards Chen Yang became even more hostile. Chen Yang's performance had completely overshadowed Fan Zihong's earlier act of gifting a luxury car, and his displeasure had reached its peak.
Xu Zhiyuan observed the situation and cleared his throat, preparing to speak. At this moment, a staff member rushed in from the front yard and whispered a few words in Xu Zhiyuan's ear.
Xu Zhiyuan's expression changed slightly, and he quickly ordered,
"Go to the backyard immediately and fetch the old master. I'll go to the front gate to greet him!"
With that, Xu Zhiyuan left the guests behind and hurried out the door with his wife.
As soon as Xu Zhiyuan left, the guests began to murmur amongst themselves, wondering what important person had arrived that would require Xu Zhiyuan, a high-ranking official, to personally come out to greet him and solemnly invite the old master to the central courtyard.
It was well known that the old master had lived a secluded life in recent years, and such a commotion rarely disturbed him.
Everyone craned their necks to look at the gate of the central courtyard, speculating about the identity of this person who had caused such a commotion in the Xu family.