The young man immediately coughed and shook his head. "It's nothing. You don't need to know. So, where is my next gift?"

"Don't you want to eat the cookies first?" asked Emma.

Haoran looked at the six cookies in the box and then looked at Emma with a wistful expression. "Uhm .. the cookies are so cute. I don't have the heart to eat them."

"But if you don't eat them, the cookies will rot and go to waste ... It's a shame to waste such delicious cookies," Emma said. She then narrowed her eyes and stared at Haoran with a probing look. "Or.. are you worried that my cookies taste bad?"

"Oh ... that's not it, absolutely not," Haoran said hurriedly. He immediately took one cookie in letter A and took a bite. "See, I'm eating it, right? Mmm ... it tastes sooo good! You're a very talented baker."

Emma smiled at Haoran's behavior. "Really? You're not lying to protect my feelings?"

"What am I lying for? The cookie is really tasty," Haoran replied. "But I'll eat the rest later or tomorrow ... I still want to admire them longer."

Emma smiled broadly. Ah, she always felt touched by Haoran's treatment of her. She wasn't sure if the cookies she made were that good, but Haoran acted as if he had never eaten cookies in his whole life, and he treated cookies from Emma as if they were the most precious things in the world.

Finally, the girl nodded. "All right. Then, I'll give you the real birthday gift that I have prepared for you."

Emma smiled meaningfully and took out an envelope from her bag. She handed the blue envelope to Haoran and placed it on his palm.

"What is this?" Haoran asked in astonishment. He opened the envelope and took out the contents. Inside the envelope, there were 19 handmade cards which were beautifully decorated. He was stunned when he saw the writing on each card.

DAY 1

DAY 2

DAY 3

The nineteen cards were written with Day-1 through Day-19 on them. Haoran flipped through the cards thinking they might have other words on it but found nothing. The young man furrowed his brows and looked at Emma, ​​trying to understand what was on her mind.

Emma took a deep breath and smiled slightly. She spoke in a soft voice that sounded very earnest.

"Haoran, I was thinking for a long time about was is the best gift to give to someone like you. I know you have everything, so whatever I buy for you, surely you can buy it yourself and even better. The only thing you don't have in this world is your mother ... but unfortunately, that is not something I can give you. "

When he heard Emma's words, Haoran reached and clasped Emma's hands gently. He knew that Emma must have thought hard about the perfect gift to give him. Something special and personal. Although, for him, even if Emma only gave him her homemade cookies, Haoran would already feel happy.

He really appreciated that the girl learned to bake and made the cookies, specially for him. However, when he saw how Emma's expression look so earnest and she seemed to really give it a lot of thought for his birthday, Haoran became moved. He watched at Emma's lips and waited eagerly for every word that came out of her mouth.

"I tried to find out what should I give to someone who has everything, and finally, I realized that the best gift I can give you is my time." Emma looked at Haoran deeply. "As your 19th birthday present, I am giving you 19 days of my life that you can redeem whenever you need me. If you give me one card back, I will give you my time and undivided attention for one day. The cards are valid for one year. Next year. .. on your 20th birthday, I'll give you 20 cards. And as you grow older, I will gift you more time."

Haoran was stunned by Emma's words. He had no idea that Emma would think in such a way as to give him this personal and special gift.

He understood what she meant. Someone* said that time is the best gift one can give to someone else. When you give someone your time, you are giving them a portion of your life that you'll never get back. Your time is your life. That is why the greatest gift you can give someone is your time.

Time is our most precious gift because we only have a set amount of it. We can make more money, but we can't make more time.

"Emma ... you're very wise ..." Haoran said, his eyes barely blinking and stared at her lovingly. He squeezed Emma's hands gently and whispered. "Your gift is the best gift I have ever received in my entire life."

He was deeply moved and spontaneously pulled the girl to his embrace. Haoran hugged Emma with a chest filled with warmth. He had never been happier in his life.

"Do you like the gift?" Emma whispered in Haoran's ear.

"Love it!" replied the young man. He let go of her from his arms and examined the beautiful cards one by one with a face full of appreciation. Now the nineteen cards looked even more impressive because he already knew the meaning behind them. "Gosh... this is really cool. So, I can exchange them anytime?"

Emma nodded. "You can exchange them at any time. All these cards are valid for one year. Cards that you don't use will expire on August 1, 2057, or your next birthday."

"I understand," Haoran said. His face was beaming. "Ah ... can I excha..."

He wanted to say something to Emma but then opted against it. The girl noticed his expression and immediately asked what was bothering Haoran.

"What's the matter? What do you want to ask?" Emma asked in surprise. Haoran looked doubtful, so Emma had to push him. "What is it? Talk to me..."

Haoran scratched his head and looked at Emma, ​​grinning. "Uhm .. I was just about to ask if I can use this card now."

"Oh ..." Emma understood what Haoran was about to ask. Because he was too excited, Haoran almost exchanged his gift card right then and there. But suddenly he felt bad asking to redeem it in the last minute.

"I'm sorry I was too excited," Haoran said. "It's just ... I'm very happy to be here with you, and I don't think I want to go home tonight. I've never been happier in my life. But this is too last minute, so I will understand if you say no."

Haoran knew that Emma was very serious about her courses. Tomorrow morning she had to attend her database and programming cla.s.ses, plus she also needed to prepare lessons for him and the boys afterward. Haoran understood if Emma would refuse his request to redeem his gift card now.

"Of course, I won't say no," Emma answered with a smile. She took one card from Haoran's hand and put it in her bag. "I told you, you can exchange the cards at any time, and I will be there for you and give you my undivided attention."

"Oh .. Emma !! Thank you! Your gift is indeed the best! I've never been so happy in my life ..." Haoran said over and over again. He was ecstatic. The young man spontaneously pulled her into his lap and landed an intimate kiss on her lips.

Time is indeed the best gift, Haoran thought. He really wished they could freeze this moment forever because he felt that his time with Emma would never be enough.

Emma returned Haoran's kiss and wrapped her arms around the young man's neck. They had kissed several times since formalizing their relations.h.i.+p almost a month ago. Emma was already getting used to kissing, and now she could respond to Haoran's kiss with the same affection.

The two closed their eyes and enjoyed their sweet time together. Haoran's hands moved to Emma's waist and hugged her while his lips continued to kiss hers more intensely. His tongue excitedly explored her mouth and claimed her lips with a fiery pa.s.sion.

When Haoran finally opened his eyes, he felt there was something strange in their bodies. When he glanced sideways, the young man immediately realized that he and Emma were no longer sitting on the deck. Both of their bodies were floating high in the sky. From above, he could see their s.h.i.+p look like a small white dot with lights, floating in the sea.

Apparently, Emma had taken them flying when Haoran started kissing her. The young man did not realize it at all because his mind was filled with euphoria, and he did not pay attention to his surroundings.

When he realized they were up in the air, Haoran was very surprised and ended their kiss. His pair of brown eyes stared at Emma with a look of wonder.

"Happy birthday, Haoran ..." Emma whispered with a smile.

The view from the night sky was amazing. Haoran felt like they were standing in the empty vacuum of s.p.a.ce where borders between heaven and the earth seemed to disappear. The billions of stars in the sky made the atmosphere feel so magical, and he almost thought he was dreaming. Subconsciously, Haoran held his breath. This was too beautiful for words.

"This is the best birthday of my life." Haoran smiled back. "Thank you, Emma."

.

.

.

[1] The quote was from Rick Warren. He said "Time is your most precious gift because you only have a set amount of it. You can make more money, but you can't make more time. When you give someone your time, you are giving them a portion of your life that you'll never get back. Your time is your life. That is why the greatest gift you can give someone is your time."

I couldn't agree more.