Gifts, a dazzling array of gifts. They are indispensable on festive days, as if only objects carefully wrapped in colorful colored paper are enough to express the heart of the giver. And when the wrapping paper is opened, when the object really appears in front of the recipient, a heartfelt or courteous "wow" is probably inescapable.

Those red tape about holidays and gifts.

But are these really all necessary for the festival?

It is still necessary to abandon the disguise and packaging of hypocrisy and show true feelings. Even if the gift itself would be a little rough, unpolished, or even dismaying?

1/

While Ms. Huang and Miss Lin were discussing alone in the office next door, the remaining four people left in the reception room: Stella Qin, Penelope, Yang Yiming, and Yu Xiaochun, could only pass the anxiety of waiting through small talk.

"What do you think of the taste of the drink just now, will they adopt it?" Yu Xiaochun sat down with Yang Yiming and asked.

"I didn't drink it, how is it, is it good?"

"Oh yes, I forgot about it, you don't drink these things." Yu Xiaochun took the three drinks he had drunk again, put them in front of the two of them, and commented one by one, "It's actually quite delicious, and it's not too sweet, there is no added sugar, it's all the original taste of fruit." For example, the gray cup with jalapeño powder is very special, there is no spicy taste, and it tastes like a sugar water with a few flavors of Chinese medicine added to Guangdong and Hong Kong to relieve the heat. Blueberry and mint, this cup should be the most acceptable, both are very popular flavors, mixed together, how to say, very cool, if you can make chewing gum, it will definitely sell well. As for the orange juice and cinnamon powder at the end, I personally think that it may be better to drink it hot, and although I am not very used to cinnamon powder, the American people should like it. It's very festive. ”

Listening to Yu Xiaochun's introduction, Yang Yiming picked up three glasses of drinks and took a sip each. Although he didn't drink much, he could see that he was still satisfied.

"Yes, it's really special. I didn't expect that cold Penelope to have such a hand, but I don't know if Ms. Huang will approve of it..."

Yu Xiaochun said this while looking at Penelope, who was standing by the door with Stella. From where they stood, they could see the giant Christmas tree in the center of the mansion.

I don't know what the two of them were talking about. Yu Xiaochun thought silently in his heart.

2/

On the second day of this meeting, Yang Yiming gave the other party another kind of gift when he played against the Hornets, which was mentioned earlier, and the opponent was not happy to accept it and had to swallow it.

Five-meter cap!

Naked, unpacked, straight and straight on the face of the five-meter cap.

In fact, Yang Yiming's hot pot meal began in the away game with the Portland Trail Blazers, when he didn't get a block in the third quarter, but suddenly broke out at the beginning of the fourth quarter, and blocked Connaughton, Davis, and Aminu in six minutes, from guard to center, and finally gave the hot pot as a gift to the opponent's main player Damian Lillard, which completely sounded the clarion call of the Rockets' counterattack in the final quarter.

In the last game with the New Orleans Pelicans, although the focus of the whole court was given to Capela, the Swiss center who scored a career-high with 13 of 14 shots, but he didn't know that in the silence, Yang Yiming also became Capela's good partner for the second time, black and yellow scored a point, a defense, and got 9 rebounds and 4 blocks - the last time the two worked together can be traced back to the game with the Grizzlies, when Capela and Yang Yiming were like football players in the cartoon, with both palms concurrently, fanning Marc Gasol's shot!

But this gift to the Charlotte Hornets was completely prepared by Yang Yiming alone!

Five blocks from a modest 25 minutes of playing time. Although the night of the game against the Hornets, the former Houston and the league's No. 1 center Dwight Howard dominated the paint area and struggled to cut a big double-double of 26 points and 18 rebounds, Yang Yiming was the real patron saint of the basket tonight.

Today, Yang Yiming was put in the center position by coach Mike D'Antoni, but the core intention of the tactic is to let him fake Howard, actually empty the opponent, focus on helping other Hornets players who enter the interior, and at the same time liberate Capela, so that the latter can concentrate on the offense and continue to connect with the Rockets' backcourt!

Yang Yiming really lived up to the coach's arrangement, and at the end of the first quarter, he gave the Hornets' main player a block to Kemba Walker, who broke into the restricted area. But the Hornets' Marvin Williams and Jeremy Lamb are the real victims of Yang's defense. Marvin Williams, the 05 draft pick, and Jeremy Lamb, the "god" of the NBA2K game, probably watched his teammate Howard contain the defense under the basket, and the town guard is a little-known Chinese rookie of the Rockets, and has tried to break through to the basket many times. Unexpectedly, Yang Yiming had already had the blessing of Scott's "cheats", and he had already known that the two were not rich in variety layups, and one person and two big hats directly demarcated the no-fly zone!

Marvin Williams and Lamb, who were scared, only dared to trepidle and put up three-pointers from the outside for the rest of the game.

However, the team's boss Kemba Walker only shot 1 of 6 three-pointers, and another shooter, Batum, shot 1 of 5, how much can you expect the two already scared little brothers to contribute?

In the end, the rocketeers were bloodless and won the game 108-96.

Eleven wins in a row!

3/

"Your three drinks look really good." Stella Qin, leaning to the left of the door frame in the living room, said to Penelope, leaning on the right.

"You didn't drink it, so you said it was delicious." Penelope put her hands on her chest, and her face returned to a cold expression, "I'm still adjusting, do you want to pour you a drink?" ”

"No need. Thanks, Peggy. You know I only drink coffee and distilled water, but I'm sure it must be delicious. ”

"You'd still appreciate my drinks."

"yes, that's why I'm sure you're going to make it, aren't I?" Stella stepped away from the doorframe she was leaning on, and put her hand lightly on Penelope's shoulder.

"I don't know what the outcome will be." The latter did not look at her, only half turned his face sideways and looked in the direction of the private office.

"Don't worry, they'll approve of it." Stella moved a little closer, her hands removed from Penelope's shoulders, and the two arms were next to each other. Penelope still didn't look at her, but she didn't avoid physical contact, and her voice was still cold:

"Because you greeted me in advance?"

"That's just to make this meeting happen, and it's your work that convinces them in the end."

“…”

There was a long silence.

"Thank you for the Christmas tree."

"Do you like it? If you like it, it's fine. ”

"I like it, thank you, Stella."

"Peggy..."

Maybe it's sensing the overly restrained calmness of Penelope's words, maybe it's the call of "Stella" that's a little different from usual, maybe... Maybe sometimes, even someone like Stella who calls for wind and rain has emotions that can't be answered.

"So you're leaving again?"

"Hmm...", which is already a very embarrassing thing in itself, will only have more helplessness when it is broken, "After this meeting, I will go back to California." At the end of the year, you know..."

"I know." Penelope quickly interrupted her:

"So you gave me a Christmas present. A Christmas tree. ”

"I thought you liked it."

"I like it."

"But...?"

"I don't like it as a Christmas present."

…

When the two people were silent side by side, the door of the private reception room next to the Christmas tree in the foreground was pushed open, Miss Lin held the door in front, and Ms. Huang followed out, full of spring breeze:

"During the holiday season, I'll be a present-giver Santa Claus."

"What do you mean?" Penelope excitedly stepped forward to greet Ms. Huang, leaving Stella Qin in place.

"Miss Penelope, Mr. Yang—" she waved at Yang Yiming in the living room, "Congratulations." We've taken your idea. ”

"- Happy Holidays!"