The Apple of My Eye

Chapter 346 A Birthday Gift

Over the weekend, a press conference was held in Zhao family's house. Coincidentally, Autumn's

birthday was also at the same day. With both these events, both the Zhao family and Lu family were

pretty busy and occupied recently.

Autumn got up quite early in the morning, got dressed and did an extensive make-up routine. She put

on the clothes bought by Chris especially for the event. In Chris' view, every lady should dress well and

enjoy fashion when she was young, otherwise it would be too late for her to spend time on her

appearance when she was old.

Autumn instantly laughed as she heard Chris say that. "You got a smart mouth."

"Isn't that true?" Chris stared at Autumn's delicate face, then said, "Autumn, you're so pretty. Why don't

you take good care of your skin?"

"I don't consider beauty as a useful and important aspect, somehow." Autumn never thought she could

get an edge or receive undue benefits owing to her beauty. When she was a child, her father Bowen

always told her that her mother was very beautiful in her early 20s.

Wendy, however, hurt Bowen badly.

Therefore, Bowen always taught her one lesson: Do not care about your appearance, but instead work

on your personality and inner beauty. This was the most valuable aspect.

"But beauty is a big advantage." Chris yet again tried to convince Autumn of her perspective, "For

example, if two young girls are seeking jobs in your company, one is good-looking and the other one is

rather ugly, who would will you select?"

Chris smiled bitterly, and then continued in a soft tone, "That's the bitter truth. In this society, everyone

will choose the former one. And the two girls will diverge to take separate paths in life."

Chris helped Autumn fix up her outfit, gently pushed her in front of the mirror, and said in a cheerful

voice, "Well, Autumn, look at yourself in the mirror. Don't you think you look elegant and so much more

refined?"

Autumn took a quick and yet casual glance at herself. However, she could not conceal her shock to see

that nice clothes had actually made such a magical and transformation effect on her rather humble

appearance.

Seeing Autumn's shy smile, Chris knew that she was satisfied with this look and approved of it. She

quickly picked up a small box from the dressing table, and then asked Autumn, "You still need some

jewel. Autumn, do you like this?"

A diamond necklace was discreetly lying in a small, velvet box. Even though the day was gloomy, this

necklace was shiny and bright. Chris wanted Autumn to wear it, but the latter refused the generous

offer.

"No, Chris. This is way too expensive. I cannot accept it." She guessed for certain that this delicate

piece of jeweler was much more expensive than the one she had given Chris earlier, unless she's a

fool. How could she accept such an extravagant offering?

"Autumn, if you don't accept this, I will be deeply hurt and unhappy. Don't you regard me as your

younger sister?" Chris pretended to be angry. "When you gave me a birthday gift, I just happily

accepted it with no questions. Now I want to give you one. Why don't you just accept it? It is just a

necklace."

"But it's too... expensive and extravagant..." Autumn could not accept it with it's high price tag. She was

afraid she could never repay her.

"What are you worried about?" Chris smiled in good humor and said, "Autumn, I have to remind you

that all the clothes I'm wearing are bought by my brother, who is your husband. All my pocket money is

also still given by him. And now I used my pocket money to buy you a gift. It's almost like he has

bought you this gift. Why won't you just accept it?"

Autumn could not find another good reason to turn her down or even reply, but she did feel

embarrassed. She then mildly said, "Okay, you are right. Please help me wear this beautiful necklace,

Chris. And...thank you for your gift."

"That's it." Chris smiled. "Happy birthday, Autumn! Please give me the greatest gift by giving me a

niece as soon as possible!"

Autumn wore a white, long dress, with pearls adorned all over it. Her long, silk-like hair was tied behind

her head with a embellished hairpin. The pair of red high-heels she wore bought out her milky and long

legs. Without the diamond necklace, her collarbone seemed empty. But now with the finishing touch of

the glimmering string of diamonds, her collarbone was partly hidden under it. She looked perfect.

""I envy you for the woman you are, Autumn." Autumn's beauty was stunning. Chris felt insecure about

herself as she stood beside her.

"Don't tease me..." Autumn's face turned red. She was not used to dressing herself in such a

glamorous manner. But once she was all decked up she did feel good about herself. Property © of NôvelDrama.Org.

"Are you ready now?" Charles had been waiting downstairs for quite a while. As the time passed and

they were no where to be seen, he grew impatient and walked upstairs to urge them.

"Charles, what do you think? Autumn looks astonishingly beautiful."

Chris complacently pushed Autumn forward as she asked him, "It was worth the wait, huh?"

"Is something wrong?" Autumn stood there feeling odd. "You don't like my dress?"

"No, it's quite good, actually." Charles knew that Autumn was beautiful. Even without any make-up, she

was still a sight. But this time, he was dumbfounded by her beauty.

Chris grinned as she got out of the room and closed the door. She then discretely shouted to Charles

through the closed door, "Charles, don't mess her hair and clothes! It took a lot of efforts to make her

look this good."

"You naughty girl." Autumn's face turned red instantly. She asked him again for assurance as his

silence was making her feel queasy. "Charles, are you sure I look good?"

"Yes, I am sure." Charles firmly nodded his head, then steadily said, "Let's go. Don't keep them waiting

any longer."

Only he knew, how badly he controlled his urge and impulse to put her on the bed and tell her how

beautiful she looked with his actions.

When they went downstairs, Sam was adjusting Chris' hair. They were a perfect match for each other.

Upon noticing Autumn going downstairs, Sam came forward and sincerely wished her, "Autumn, happy

birthday. I hope you have a good year ahead!"

"Thank you so much." Autumn smiled as she appreciated his blessing.

"I didn't know what you're interested in, so chose this for you. I hope you will like it. Here, do open it."

Sam handed her a box. After opening it, Autumn was beyond stunned. She never imaged he would

give her that.

"How did you have this?"

An electronic organ was neatly packed inside the box; Bowen used to teach her to play it years ago.

Even though the electronic organ had been used for a long time, Autumn still cherished it very much.

All the keys were preserved well. It had been lost when Autumn moved out from her original home. She

even cried several times thinking of the loss of this electronic organ. Its sudden appearance made

Autumn feet overwhelmed with emotions.