Shirley wiped away his tears and, as she gazed at his face, she couldn't help but think, "Wow, Abner is really handsome. No wonder he has so many admirers."

She chuckled and ruffled his hair a bit.

"Alright, no more tears. You're seventeen and still crying. What's that about? I got you a birthday present."

She gently pushed him back and opened the box at her feet.

Inside was a beautifully wrapped gift box.

She placed the gift box in front of Abner, her face brimming with a smile.

"Go on, open it."

Abner, still with red eyes, sat up straight on the couch and opened the gift. "Thanks, Shirley."

Just as he said that, Shirley's phone rang-it was the delivery guy, saying the cake had arrived.

She opened the door and waited for the delivery guy to reach her floor before going out to collect the cake.

The cake was a petite 4-inch one, small but exquisitely made.

By now, Abner had unwrapped the gift box, revealing a pair of limited-edition sneakers.

Shirley explained, "I heard from Mr. James that you enjoy playing basketball in gym class and that you're pretty good at it. So, I thought a new pair of sneakers would be perfect for you to wear on the court." Abner, now somewhat familiar with the brands, realized these sneakers weren't cheap, and his voice turned hoarse.

"Yeah."

Shirley put the cake on the coffee table and lit two candles on it, with the number seventeen on top.

it's late, we still need to go

his hands together and

he still hadn't opened his

"That many

being too

it's your cake. Wish as much as

into

shared the

really tired, having pushed herself

should go to bed.

"Alright, I'm really beat."

and headed toward the

the couch, slowly enjoying

ret

he couldn't bear to throw it away and kept eating until

the sneakers Shirley

he felt too

sets of practice papers before dozing off at

the next day,

her entire

spend time

until she returned, then brought out dinner from the

"Shirley, dinner's ready."

told him countless times not to bother

low yesterday and said, "Cooking makes me feel at peace. At least I'm useful in

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