Chapter 160

Chapter 160

Yu Shang returned to the manor after a busy half-day, and the first thing he saw upon entering was a birthday tree that looked like a Christmas tree. It was decorated with familiar certificates of honor… and a sea of pink and blue balloons and flowers forming the words “Happy 18th Birthday.”

He paused at the door, a complicated feeling he couldn’t put into words stirring inside him.

It wasn’t like this was his first birthday party. Back before Tian Ruan became part of the family, Yu Jingmo had celebrated it every year.

“It’s your birthday—you decide how to celebrate,” Yu Jingmo used to say.

Yu Shang wasn’t big on flashy celebrations. Every year, he’d say just staying home was fine by him.

And he really meant it—some longevity noodles, a little cake, and good wishes from family and friends were all he needed. No need to go all out, and his father respected his choice, never turning it into a social event.

“Welcome back, young master,” the butler said with a bow.

The staff chimed in together: “Happy birthday, young master!”

“Prez! Prez!” Xie Tangyan chirped. “Whaddya think?” She pointed proudly at her masterpiece—the Christmas-tree-like birthday tree, covered in Yu Shang’s personal honors and certificates.

Yu Shang: “…Gaudy.”

Xi Qin pushed up his glasses. “Told you he wouldn’t be into it.”

Xie Tangyan: “Buzz off.”

Not wanting to hurt his classmate’s feelings, Yu Shang added, “It’s kinda cool.”

Xie Tangyan grinned. “Knew you’d love my masterpiece.”

Yu Shang smiled without replying, then glanced toward Lu Qiuyan.

Lu Qiuyan played it cool. “Happy birthday.”

“Thank you.”

Tian Ruan nudged Lu Qiuyan. “Didn’t you prepare a gift?”

Lu Qiuyan: “It’s in the living room. Go see for yourself. Just some cheap little thing—don’t judge.”

Yu Shang looked at him, his dark eyes gleaming under the lights. “I won’t. I like it.”

Tian Ruan teased, “You into the gift, or the giver?”

“…”

“Yeah, yeah—you like both.”

Yu Shang didn’t respond. He shot Lu Qiuyan a quiet look, then headed to the living room.

Lu Qiuyan deadpanned, “Aside from squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, I also really enjoy spicy rabbit heads (a dish).”

Tian Ruan bolted toward the living room, shouting, “Mr. Yu, you changed yet?”

Seeing Yu Shang unwrapping several neatly wrapped gift boxes on the coffee table—one, two, three, four—Tian Ruan pointed at the pale yellow one. “That’s from me. It matches the one Lu Qiuyan gave you.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“No prob, kiddo.”

"......"

Yu Jingmo came downstairs wearing a new set of soft, comfortable loungewear—a beige V-neck sweater, gray striped trousers, and a pair of slip-on slippers. His usual commanding presence had softened, making him seem far more approachable.

"You two really are the picture of father-son affection," Yu Jingmo said.

Tian Ruan bounced over excitedly. "Mr. Yu, you look so handsome!"

Used to the young man’s blunt compliments, Yu Jingmo gave a helpless chuckle and pointed to his cheek.

Tian Ruan, overcome with admiration, stood on tiptoe and kissed him. "Smack~"

Yu Shang: "......"

"Oh no, our son is watching!" Tian Ruan pretended to be shy and scampered off, only to come running back moments later. "Quick, see if you like the gift I got you!"

Yu Shang silently unwrapped the present, peeled away the final layer, and found himself staring at a red-and-blue striped tie. "..."

"Well?" Tian Ruan asked eagerly.

Yu Jingmo let out a quiet laugh.

Yu Shang: "It's... okay."

"'Okay'? I picked this out with great care!" Tian Ruan fibbed shamelessly—after all, he *had* browsed over a dozen stores before randomly selecting this perfect tie.

The perfect tie for the perfect son—truly a match made in heaven.

Yu Shang closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I really like it. Thank you, Papa."

Tian Ruan beamed. "Try it on! Let's go show it off outside."

"......"

Yu Jingmo hid a smile and took Tian Ruan’s hand. "Let him have some time alone. We’ll step out for a bit."

Tian Ruan let himself be led away.

As soon as they stepped outside, they saw two newcomers. One was tall, handsome, and refined, wearing wire-rim glasses. A faint, unreadable smile played on his lips, though it never reached his eyes. The other had strikingly delicate, almost feminine features—champagne-colored hair framed a pair of fox-like eyes that radiated mischievous charm from afar.

They were practically the textbook definition of a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” couple.

Tian Ruan greeted them cheerfully. "Big brother, sister-in-law, you're here!"

Xie Tangyan immediately perked up with gossipy delight. "Professor He is your *sister-in-law*??"

He Lansi smirked coldly. "Haven’t seen you in days, and you’re already itching for trouble."

Tian Ruan didn’t explain further, simply smiling as he gestured. "Come, sit here." Being family, they naturally took the seats reserved for elders.

Du Henbie handed Yu Shang two gifts with a smile. "Happy birthday."

"Thank you," Yu Shang replied.

About twenty minutes later, dinner officially began. Though there wasn’t much clinking of glasses, the good food and drinks created a comfortable and cheerful mood.

After the meal came the cake-cutting ceremony. Standing in front of the three-layer fruit cake, Yu Shang said, "Thank you all for coming to my birthday party. This has been the happiest one yet."

Tian Ruan clapped enthusiastically. "And there’ll be even better ones to come!"

"?" Yu Shang cut the cake, bewildered. The first slice was for himself, and then he passed out slices to elders and relatives in order.

When it was Lu Qiuyan's turn, the cake suddenly slumped for no apparent reason. Yu Shang instinctively reached out to catch it, ending up with a handful of frosting that smeared all over Lu Qiuyan. He reflexively tried to wipe it off, only spreading more cream around.

Lu Qiuyan recoiled, not noticing the four-inch step behind him. His body instantly lost balance.

Yu Shang instinctively grabbed him.

Coincidentally, Lu Qiuyan's slender waist fell into his arms. The side of his waist had always been sensitive, and at Yu Shang’s touch, an instinctive reaction kicked in—

Lu Qiuyan lashed out with a kick.

It struck Yu Shang's calf.

Caught completely off guard, both Yu Shang and Lu Qiuyan went sprawling onto the lawn.

Because of their clumsy embrace, their mouths met—carrying the freshness of grass, the sweetness of cream, the subtle tang of fruit. How soft their lips were was surprising.

They stared wide-eyed at each other, going completely still.

Tian Ruan: "Whoooa!"

Xie Tangyan: "Wow~"

Yu Ti: "Huh? Ahhh..."

Xi Qin pushed up his glasses. "They really are dating."

Qian Lailai: "They must’ve made it official already."

Yu Shang: "…………"

Lu Qiuyan: "…………"

Tian Ruan, forgetting about her cake, dug her nails into Yu Jingmo's arm. "Look, look!"

Yu Jingmo: "I saw. Can you stop pinching me?"

"?" Tian Ruan turned to look, then guiltily soothed the spot. "Sorry, sorry, did I hurt you?"

As if a spell had broken, Yu Shang jerked away from Lu Qiuyan. Their eyes met briefly before they hastily looked away, faces burning. "Why did you kick me?"

Lu Qiuyan's lips trembled, his rosebud mouth unable to form a word.

Yu Shang stood up and offered his hand.

Lu Qiuyan looked at him, starting to get up on his own.

"It was an accident," Yu Shang said to Lu Qiuyan, also explaining to everyone else. It really was just an accident.

Lu Qiuyan accepted the hand up—not wanting to seem too concerned. "I need to go to the bathroom."

"I'll take you."

"Okay."

Yu Shang casually said to the others, "We'll be right back."

He Lansi smiled. "No hurry."

Tian Ruan nodded like a garlic pounder, “Right, no hurry.”

Yu Shang wore a deadpan expression as he led Lu Qiuyan to the annex. Lu Qiuyan followed at a comfortable distance, seeming perfectly at ease.

Tian Ruan drunkenly murmured as he watched their figures disappear into the room, “How nice.”

Yu Jingmo muttered, "Two idiots—perfect for each other."

"Hahaha..."

Du Henbie chuckled, "I was planning to bring up something serious tonight, but I guess I’ll drop it now."

Yu Jingmo said, "Half a month later’s fine."

"Fine." Du Henbie slung an arm around He Lansi. "To avoid ruining your fun, I should bounce first."

"Uncle Wang, walk them out."

The butler responded, "Mr. Du, President He, this way please. Here’s a small gift."

Du Henbie: "Thanks."

He Lansi: "I haven’t had enough fun yet."

Du Henbie turned to him, "You sure playing with a bunch of kids is better than hanging with me?"

He Lansi thought briefly before smiling, "Of course not as fun as you."

Tian Ruan: "…" Disgusting couple.

Du Henbie gave a nod to the group and left with He Lansi.

Only after they were gone did Xie Tangyan and Yu Ti launch into heated debate.

By then, Yu Shang and Lu Qiuyan, now tidied up, came out again. Lu Qiuyan suggested, "Since we’re free anyway, why not play cards?"

Xi Qin: "Hell yeah, 10 grand per card sound good?"

Others agreed.

Tian Ruan hemmed and hawed, "You guys go ahead—I’ll sit this one out."

Yu Ti coaxed, "Uncle, it’ll be boring without you. We can rotate since there are plenty of us."

Tian Ruan quickly waved his hands, recalling the original story, "I don’t even know how to play. You go ahead."

They couldn’t persuade him, so they let it go. Lu Qiuyan, however, gave him a knowing look, half-smiling.

Tian Ruan acted oblivious.

Half an hour later—everyone else at the table was down 200 to 300 grand.

Lu Qiuyan picked up his hand and immediately tossed all the cards down, “Straight flush.”

Everyone: "..."

There’s a certain kind of person who rarely plays cards—but when they do, they’ve got freakish luck. That’s exactly what Lu Qiuyan was like. Out of ten games, he’d win nine. With this rare skill, he was a legend at the bar. Whenever someone’s luck ran cold, they’d call him in to flip the script and save face.

And every time he pulled off a clean sweep, the tips from the players were fat. Damn right.

Tian Ruan knew this all too well, which was why he firmly refused. He’d played cards with Lu Qiuyan at the hotel before—and hadn’t won even once. Those crushing losses still haunted him, and he deeply understood what it meant to face the protagonist’s golden touch.

...Though having a golden touch when it came to card luck was kind of pointless, since Lu Qiuyan wasn’t a gambler. Even if he knew his luck was unbeatable, he’d never use it for anything illegal.

Xi Qin: "It's getting late—we should head back."

Xie Tangyan scratched her ear, looking embarrassed: "Yeah."

Yu Shang asked Lu Qiuyan: "Still want to play?"

Lu Qiuyan replied coolly: "I’m tired. I think I’ll go home and sleep."

Qian Lailai let out a sigh of relief: "See you at school, Lu—day after tomorrow."

Yu Ti was about to burst into tears. She had never lost so much money before. She could’ve bought so much rice and BL manga with that money! But it was too late now.

Lu Qiuyan said, "We were just playing for fun. Don’t take it seriously—I’m not taking anyone’s money."

Everyone was stunned, and Yu Ti was so moved that tears welled up in her eyes: "Brother-in-law, you really are the best!"

[awkward silence]