Chapter 118: Worth
The next day, the New Year's holiday arrived.
An Tong slept in late, and when she slowly woke up, it was nearly ten o’clock.
Rong Shen’s daily routine was always regular, and he never had the habit of lingering in bed.
Upon waking, An Tong reached under her pillow for her phone, intending to ask Su Ji about her exact arrival time.
However, two messages were already waiting on the screen—sent by Su Ji shortly after eight, saying she wouldn't arrive in Zhanzhou until tomorrow.
An Tong immediately called her. “I thought you’d be coming today.”
Su Ji curled her lips. “It’s the holidays, do you think I want to bother anyone? It’s the first day of New Year’s; it wouldn’t be right to drag my mom around.”
“Is your aunt coming too?”
“That was the plan at first. The chemo’s been working well, so she was temporarily discharged and is waiting for the third phase. But I checked with the doctor—they don’t recommend her moving around much because her immune system’s weak, which raises the risk of catching a cold or infection. So, I’ll drive there alone tomorrow.”
An Tong furrowed her brow, probing without showing it, “No suitable match yet for the hematopoietic stem cell transplant?”
“It’s not that quick.” Su Ji sounded resigned, as if accepting fate. “The donation center said there’s a fifty-fifty chance of a match. You never know until it happens. Anyway, the chemo’s not done yet, so there’s no rush.”
An Tong wanted to offer some comfort, but someone suddenly called out to Su Ji on the other end. She hurriedly said goodbye and ended the call.
“What are you spacing out for?”
Suddenly, a steady, magnetic voice came from the left. An Tong turned to see Rong Shen had quietly entered.
Still a bit dazed from the call, she swung her legs off the bed and opened her arms toward him like a child just waking up, silently asking to be held.
The man paused at the foot of the bed, then gently wrapped his arms around her waist. “What’s wrong?”
An Tong hugged his neck, burying her face and shaking her head.
She said nothing, quietly holding him for a moment until her emotions settled, then tried to pull away.
But before she could, Rong Shen pressed her arms back onto his shoulders. “Don’t want to talk?”
She leaned up slightly, looking at him close enough to see the faint curve of his lips. “I just called Su Ji. She’s coming tomorrow.”
Upon hearing this, Rong Shen’s lips curled knowingly. “Worried about her mother again?”
“How do you know everything...” An Tong muttered half in a teasing tone, then gently tugged at his shirt collar, eyes hopeful. “Aunt Ji will find a match, right?”
“Yeah, she will.”
His casual reply wasn’t so much a promise, but An Tong inexplicably trusted him.
...
A little later, dressed in casual clothes, An Tong followed Rong Shen downstairs.
She had woken late, so breakfast was still warm under the cover.
They sat facing each other at the table. An Tong quietly ate while Rong Shen sipped black coffee, eyes fixed on her.
About twenty minutes later, an unexpected chime echoed—the doorbell.
An Tong jumped up eagerly. “I’ll get it.”
Rong Shen watched her hurried figure but didn’t stop her. He finished his coffee and leisurely left the dining room.
Outside the door stood two delivery men in business attire.
Rong Shen paced to the sofa and sat down, faintly catching the word “customized.”
He hadn’t forgotten what An Tong said on Christmas Day—
That her Christmas gift would only arrive by New Year’s.
He shook his head with a smile—she was truly a little girl, favoring some unique, customized presents.
Before long, An Tong returned to the living room.
Hands behind her back, she carried the gift box forward step by step, then turned to stand beside Rong Shen, averting her gaze and pushing forward a sleek, pure black gift bag. “Here, your belated present.”
Her childish gesture and a slight smile tugged at the corner of her lips, though she looked away.
Rong Shen accepted the box, and the next moment, with a firm grip on her wrist, pulled her down to sit beside him on the sofa.
“Why two?” he raised an eyebrow as he opened the bag to reveal two black boxes.
“The other one’s for New Year’s.”
He ruffled her hair, his low voice chuckling. “So I guess I need to get you something back.”
An Tong caught the hidden meaning and shook her head gently. “No, I just happened to think these two gifts suit you perfectly, so I ordered them together.”
Rong Shen sighed and pressed a kiss to her temple. “Go change. We’re heading back to the garden later.”
“Okay,” she said, pretending to get up. Before leaving, she reminded him, “You should open the gifts first and see if you like them.”
He nodded in agreement. Once she left, he began to examine the elegant gift bag.
It seemed different from the small custom gift he expected.
Because Rong Shen recognized the embossed logo in the corner—it was Stephen Law, the “King of Ties” in menswear.
He rarely wore ties, only for important business or formal occasions.
Inside the boxes were a top-tier handcrafted tie and an alligator leather belt.
Born into wealth, Rong Shen knew the brand’s prestige and standards well.
According to what he knew, this brand rarely stocked standard belts in stores; most were custom orders sent to workshops in Italy for production.
Prices ranged from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands.
He ran his fingers over the belt—the texture, the luster, and even the onyx and diamond buckle—all bespoke.
Yet none of that was the main point.
What truly surprised him was how his little girl managed to get such a custom item in so short a time.
Just then, An Tong came downstairs, fully dressed.
Catching sight of him holding the belt, lost in thought, she stepped forward hesitantly. “Don’t like it?”
“No,” Rong Shen said, pulling her hand and drawing her into his embrace. “I like it a lot.”
An Tong’s worry eased. She held one end of the belt and admitted, “This brand isn’t very popular here. Maybe not as famous as some top brands, but the quality is excellent, and the craftsmanship is exquisite.”
“Were you worried I didn’t know Stephen Law’s value?”
Her gaze paused. “You know this brand?”
As sunlight slowly poured into the living room, blurring the smile in Rong Shen’s eyes, he said, “I’ve heard of it.”
...
Near noon, An Tong and Rong Shen returned to the garden to celebrate, and even eldest sister Rong Xian had come back.
The happiest of all was Ruan Danling.
She grabbed An Tong’s left hand and Rong Xian’s right, dragging them off without a second thought to have a nourishing bird’s nest meal first.
In the bright, clean dining room, Rong Xian rested her forehead on one hand, listening to their mother’s marriage nagging.
“Xian, I’m not nagging, but look at An’an—she’s almost a generation younger than you, and she’s almost having a baby. Now look at you…”
An Tong immediately choked, coughing sharply.
“Cough, cough, cough...”