I just came back from the celebration of my colleague Julie’s birthday. She told me a month ago her birthday by accident though she even didn’t remember telling me her birthday. I never celebrated her birthday before because I didn’t know it. Now that I knew her birthday, I couldn’t pretend that I didn’t know it.

  After work, she was still working. Watching her working alone in the big office, it was her birthday, obviously, but no one had a celebration for her. Two hours later, I finished my discussion about technical details with two Canadian clients and sent them away. When I returned to the office and found Julie was still working, perhaps she forgot her birthday.

  So I invited two other colleagues for dinner, they heard there was free supper and both consented at once. I asked Julie to have supper together because it was my birthday, she wanted to say something, but hesitated.

  When the birthday cake was presented, one of my colleague Jiabo asked me in surprise, “what’s the matter?” Julie answered with a smile, “it’s ly’s birthday today.” Jiabo retorted, “impossible. He just had his birthday half a year ago.” Julie opened the cover and found the cake was printed with her name and there was also a golden dragon circled on it. When we three sang the song happy birthday to her, she was too exited to speak anything and became tearful. I had seen the scene so many times before, but it was the first time in real life.

  A young girl just graduated and had her second birthday outside, no one celebrated and she worked alone on her birthday, I felt so sad and decided to give her a little warmness and suprise as a colleague. However, Jiabo said to me, “you may kiss the baby for the nurse’s sake.” I just smiled without saying anything, but another colleague Limei was angry, “Jiabo, shut your crow mouth up.”

  After supper, we went to dance and sing happily until 11 o’clock. I never found Julie had so beautiful voice to sing because she was always tacit. When I returned home, I found making other people happy was actually making myself happy. In fact I was even happier than Julie. It was a really beautiful night full of happiness, which was even better then the romantic and poetic night of autumn rain.