CHAPTER 172: CHAPTER 172: MAY YOU GET WHAT YOU WISH FOR

Blake Sinclair returned after paying the bill, handed a grilled sausage to Holly, then walked over to the two girls, giving them the remaining bag: "Thank you for liking Holly so much. I don’t know if you’ll like these snacks."

The two girls were stunned.

They were university students who had come hiking over the weekend. Knowing that prices in the scenic area were high, they had brought several packs of instant noodles and bread.

"Thank you, President Sinclair. We university students aren’t picky eaters. We’ve brought some food of our own too."

Blake Sinclair handed out a business card: "This is my assistant’s contact information. Next weekend, you can meet him downstairs at the Sinclair Group building. I have prepared a gift for you."

The girls were so surprised their mouths hung open, hesitant to take it.

Holly watched from the side, understanding perfectly.

Someone is feeling praised for being "young," and his tail is practically wagging to the sky.

Seeing that the two girls were still hesitant, Holly stepped forward, took the business card, and whispered something in their ears.

The three shared a knowing smile, and at last, the girls accepted the card and the snacks in the bag.

"Sister Holly, can we take a picture together? We promise not to post it anywhere!" one of the girls asked quietly.

Holly nodded: "Of course."

The four of them moved to a nearby clearing to take a photo, and as the girls looked at the pictures on their phones, they couldn’t help but marvel:

"President Sinclair and Holly really make a perfect pair, handsome man and beautiful woman!"

"Especially with President Sinclair’s outfit today, just from the back, they look like a university couple."

"Yeah, exactly, President Sinclair’s style today is completely on point."

Listening to them getting more carried away with their compliments, Holly glanced at someone whose smile was becoming harder to suppress, and quickly gave a knowing look.

The two girls picked up on her cue, playfully winked, and promptly stopped.

"By the way, Sister Holly, we’re also students from Beldon University. We’re vlogging this hike. Are you okay with appearing in it? If not, we can delete this segment."

Holly didn’t mind. She looked at Blake Sinclair, seeking his opinion with her eyes.

After a moment’s thought, Blake Sinclair replied, "You can include us, but can you wait until tomorrow after you’ve gone down the mountain to post anything?"

The girls understood that they didn’t want their plans disrupted and quickly reassured them, "No problem, absolutely not a problem!"

After the photo session, as it was getting late, the four happily parted ways.

Holly watched their departing figures and couldn’t help but nudge Blake Sinclair’s shoulder: "President Sinclair, happy now? Being called young, isn’t it delightful?"

Blake Sinclair adjusted the brim of his cap, pretended not to hear, and held her hand as he continued up the path: "Hurry up, or we’ll miss the sunset."

Such a show-off!

They reached the mountaintop hotel with an hour to spare before sunset.

After checking in, Holly led Blake Sinclair to an ancient tree nearby.

The ancient tree was lush, with a thick trunk needing multiple people to encircle it.

Its trunk and surrounding railings were adorned with countless red wishing ribbons and blessing plaques, swaying in the wind, as if countless wishes were whispering in its breeze.

The staff at the scenic spot regularly replaced the red ribbons every year, carefully preserving the old ones.

They received two red ribbons and two blessing plaques.

While searching for a suitable spot, Holly recalled: "I remember last time I was here, the ribbon was tied around here, somewhere like there."

She pointed to a spot at the back of the tree trunk by the railing.

Before she finished speaking, she noticed Blake Sinclair had already walked to that spot and started tying their ribbons and blessing plaques.

Surprised, Holly approached and watched him find the spot, a wave of emotion rising in her heart: "How did you know it was here?"

Blake Sinclair’s hand paused in the act of tying the ribbon, though his face remained composed: "Nothing, just thought this spot seemed emptier, easier to tie things."

"Really?" Holly was half-convinced but wanted to probe further, yet they were interrupted by a distant clamor.

"Hurry, hurry! The sun’s about to set!"

"Quick, grab a spot to watch the sunset!"

Upon hearing this, Holly put her suspicions aside and quickly pulled Blake Sinclair back to the hotel.

Their reserved room had a small balcony, perfect for viewing the sunset and starlit sky.

Excitedly, Holly leaned against the balcony railing, leaning out slightly.

She watched as the sun in the western sky slowly dipped towards the horizon.

The evening glow was breathtakingly beautiful.

The exhaustion from the hike melted away with this sunset.

She lifted her phone to take pictures.

Blake Sinclair stood behind her, also raising his phone.

But his gaze wasn’t directed at the horizon.

In his frame, there was only her.

Holly’s shutter clicked incessantly.

After finishing, she flipped through the beautiful sunset photos on her phone, contemplating which ones to post, and was suddenly embraced gently from behind.

Before she could react, Blake Sinclair’s hand softly turned her, and he lowered his head, kissing her tenderly.

The kiss came suddenly, carrying the crispness of the mountain breeze.

Holly was momentarily stunned, her cheeks warming.

Blake Sinclair released her, gently touching her ear, redder than the sunset.

In this moment, with her in his arms, feeling her warmth and breath, he felt everything was real.

Unlike eight years ago, under the same sunset glow, when he could only stand by the ancient tree, lightly touching the blessing plaque she left behind.

"I wish for my parents’ health and hope my university years will be without regrets."

Back then, all he could do was silently wish in his heart: "May your wishes come true."

Once more, Blake Sinclair lowered his head, this time kissing more deeply.

This kiss carried a devotion bordering on fervor, as if trying to make up for the lost time overshadowed by the years.

The sky, the evening glow reached its magnificent extremity.

Clouds, gilded at the edges, floated leisurely.

The deep blue of the night stretched to the mountain’s peak, already claiming half the sky, striving to cover the last vestiges of brilliance.

Yet the final strands of orange-red afterglow clung stubbornly.

It lingered, lovingly tracing the contours of the mountains.

But the night was relentless, and after a moment of resplendent persistence, the final glory eventually exhausted itself.

Bit by bit, it dimmed, receded, finally yielding a sigh of contentment, sinking beneath the horizon.

Leaving the world to the deep blue of starlight.

After showering, Blake Sinclair held Holly in his arms as they lay on the lounge chair on the balcony.

As night deepened, the sky was strewn with stars, bright and gentle like scattered diamonds.

Weary, Holly leaned against him, her eyelids heavy, on the brink of sleep.

Blake Sinclair gazed down at her, softly brushing aside her hair, resting his forehead against hers.

"Holly, shall we go see the Mid-Autumn fireworks show at Orbital Park together?"

Holly mumbled assent, snuggling closer into his arms.

She had agreed.

Watching her sleep, tenderness filled Blake Sinclair’s gaze, yet beneath that lay an indescribable bitterness.

The past few days felt like borrowed sweetness, an elusive dream.

But eventually, dreams must end.

He looked up at the stars.

Holly, that day, I will reveal every secret between us in its entirety to you.

Then, will you still be willing to stay by my side?