Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"Damn it!" Shang Xueyan kicked out. "You're not only insulting my elder brother's feelings for me, but now you're insulting my feelings for him too!"

"Then why did you write that last sentence?"

"Wouldn't you always love your parents?"

Wang Xiantao was left speechless.

"Alright, it's 11:30, I need to head back." Shang Xueyan shut down the computer and stood up abruptly.

It was ten kilometers from Wang Xiantao's place to Fengyun Bay. With midnight approaching, the roads were clear, and Shang Xueyan arrived home just before twelve.

He opened the front door, stepped into the entryway, and had just changed into his slippers when he heard approaching footsteps. Shang Xueyan looked up to see Shang Xianwang, dressed in navy blue pajamas, walking from the living room into the entryway, appearing before him.

"Big brother, you haven't gone upstairs to rest yet?" Shang Xueyan asked, surprised.

"Waiting for you," Shang Xianwang said. "A Yan, you've been coming home quite late recently. What have you been doing?"

Shang Xueyan paused as he placed his car keys on the entryway shelf. "The past few months were too busy. I haven't had time to properly explore this world since I arrived. Now that I have time and energy, I've been out and about."

"Alone?"

"Of course not. Wang Xiantao and Shen Mengkun have been quite free lately, so they've been accompanying me."

Shang Xianwang lowered his gaze and gave a noncommittal hum.

Back in his room, after washing up, Shang Xueyan lay in bed, racking his brains. The drone matter was settled for now, but what gift should he give his elder brother?

Shen Mengkun was going to the hospital to accompany his sister tomorrow, so Shang Xueyan messaged Wang Xiantao: "Come shopping with me tomorrow."

Wang Xiantao: "?"

Shang Xueyan: "I need to buy a birthday gift for my elder brother!"

Before he knew it, it was the evening of May 10th. Shang Xueyan had always remembered Shang Xianwang's birthday. He planned to wait until just past midnight to personally wish his brother a happy birthday. He quietly crept to his brother's door and, seeing no light seeping from under it, figured his brother was already asleep. Shang Xueyan tiptoed back to his room.

The next day, Shang Xueyan was up before 6 a.m. After washing up, he headed energetically to the kitchen. He put on an apron and began kneading dough for noodles.

Before Shang Xueyan came to Fengyun Bay, Shang Xianwang's villa had only housed him alone. The villa had a cleaning service, but when he was home, he was alone.

After getting up and washing, he went to the dining room.

Aunt Wang, wearing an apron, stood in the kitchen doorway. Seeing Shang Xianwang, she called out to the person inside the kitchen, "Xueyan, your brother is down."

"A Yan is in the kitchen?" Shang Xianwang paused, surprised, then quickened his pace towards the kitchen.

Before he could enter, Shang Xueyan walked out of the kitchen carrying a bowl of noodles, his face radiant. "Big brother, happy birthday! This is the longevity noodles I made for you."

Back in the Da'an Dynasty, there was no custom of eating longevity noodles on birthdays; moreover, noodles weren't even called noodles then but rather 'soup cakes.' There was no fixed food to eat either; typically, it was just a family celebration, except for elders' birthdays which would involve a banquet.

"This is the custom here. Aunt Wang and the others say that eating longevity noodles brings a long and healthy life. Brother, eat them quickly."

Shang Xueyan placed the white porcelain bowl containing the noodles on the dining table.

Aunt Wang said, "Xueyan has been learning how to make noodles with me for several days now. Xianwang, try them while they're hot."

Shang Xueyan was wearing one of Aunt Wang's aprons, a deep black one with a cartoon-style embroidered ragdoll cat in the center, its eyes wide open.

Shang Xianwang pulled out a chair with his slender fingers. After he sat down, Shang Xueyan eagerly handed him a pair of chopsticks.

Shang Xianwang took the chopsticks, lowered his head, and took a bite of the longevity noodles. He ate at a steady pace.

"How is it?" Shang Xueyan stood beside him, watching.

"It's delicious," Shang Xianwang said softly.

Shang Xianwang finished the entire bowl of noodles.

Before he left for work, Shang Xueyan followed closely beside him, his eyes bright as he asked, "Big brother, can you get off work on time this afternoon? I've made a reservation at a restaurant for tonight to celebrate your birthday."

"I'll be off on time."

"Then I'll pick you up at your company gate at six."

"Mm."

At dusk, Shang Xueyan picked Shang Xianwang up from the underground garage of the Fengyuan Group and drove him to the restaurant for dinner.

He had reserved a table at an open-air garden restaurant on the 26th floor, which offered an unobstructed view and was located next to the bustling Jia'an River, the most prosperous area of Jing City.

His brother wasn't picky and had few dislikes, but he did have his preferences when it came to food. A thousand years ago, Shang Xueyan had known his brother's favorite foods intimately. But a millennium later, with the variety of ingredients and cooking methods having changed so much, and since Shang Xueyan hadn't been with Shang Xianwang for long, he had only recently discovered that Shang Xianwang disliked lotus root, cilantro, and celery.

He ordered several dishes that Shang Xianwang would like, along with a bottle of wine. It was a fruit wine, not very strong, but a beautiful, pale green grape color, shimmering in the transparent glass.

Shang Xueyan raised his glass first. "Big brother, happy birthday."

Shang Xianwang looked up, met his sparkling eyes, and clinked his transparent wine glass against Shang Xueyan's.

Soon after, the waiter brought their dishes. As they were almost finished eating, Shang Xueyan's phone vibrated twice. He turned his head to look towards the horizon, where thousands of drones were slowly rising into the sky not far away.

"Big brother, look at the sky."

Shang Xianwang turned his head and saw countless points of light ascending into the sky. They first converged to form a young man wearing the robes of the An Dynasty. Then the drones transformed, revealing a young man in a Western suit and trousers.

Simultaneously, the words "Happy Birthday" appeared in large, striking script against the dusky night sky.

"Look, look at the sky!" a girl at the table next to Shang Xueyan's excitedly said to the girl opposite her.

The other girl looked up and exclaimed, "Holy shit, who's this romantic?"

The rooftop garden restaurant had only seven or eight tables spread across a 200-meter space, with considerable distance between them, so Shang Xianwang couldn't hear these two comments very clearly.

He tilted his head back slightly. Then, the drones in the night sky transformed again. Residents on both sides of the river opened their windows, and people strolling or shopping hurried out of the malls, all looking up at the sky.

After "Happy Birthday" and "Eternal Peace Year After Year," the drones formed more intricate patterns: a young man in the crimson robes of a Jinshi scholar from the An Dynasty, riding a horse adorned with red flowers, passing through streets surrounded by crowds. Then, a young man in the crimson official robes of a seventh-rank official, seated in a bright government office, with stacks of documents beside him. Several more scenes followed, all depicting him from a thousand years ago.

There were scenes of him driving out local tyrants, rectifying unjust cases, reclaiming wasteland, and emphasizing agriculture in Song County. There were also scenes of him suppressing pirates and setting fire to their linked ships in Laizhou. The images formed by thousands of drones weren't lifelike, but they were bright, brilliant, and full of vibrant, bursting vitality.

Shang Xianwang actually couldn't clearly remember the events of those years anymore. He had been in this new millennium for quite some time, and Shang Xueyan had said that Shang Xianwang had lived to be thirty-two, so those events were over a decade in the past for him as well.

Yet Shang Xueyan remembered everything vividly, as if Shang Xianwang was someone to cherish for a lifetime. Their intensity and vividness remained, enduring and indelible, as even death could not diminish them.

The drone display shifted again, transforming into the image of the young man in a suit, surrounded by countless flowers. A doctor in a white robe valiantly fought off all the viruses around him; a warrior in armor agilely drove away ill-intentioned people near him. When the words "A Lifetime of Health and Safety" appeared in the sky, a short-haired teenager in a hoodie and trousers appeared, hugging the suited young man. Another line of striking red text materialized.

"May you live a thousand years, meeting spring every year."

The words remained for two seconds before the drones dispersed, and the two small figures scattered into points, converging into a line of eye-catching, dazzling characters.

"Today is the birthday of my favorite person. Can everyone wish Mr. Shang safety and health, and that all his hopes are fulfilled?"

Immediately after, the pattern of that youth appeared in the sky, bowing deeply in thanks to the viewers from every angle.

"Mr. Shang, happy birthday! May you enjoy a lifetime of health and peace, may all your wishes come true, lasting longevity with your wife, and early birth of precious children!" Just then, a bright soprano voice rang out from a window below the sky restaurant. Shang Xueyan’s head went numb at the last part of the message. Coincidentally, others around began loudly offering their blessings: "Happy birthday, Mr. Shang! May all your hopes be fulfilled!"

They were in the bustling downtown of Jing City, where countless voices of well-wishing gathered. Even on the 29th-floor sky garden restaurant, there was a faint clamor.

A kind of noise that made Shang Xianwang's heart surge.

Shang Xianwang’s phone, placed on the transparent glass table, rang out several times as messages kept coming in uninterrupted.

"Big brother, check your phone." Shang Xueyan leaned slightly forward, his eyes reflecting the dazzling crystal lights of the garden restaurant, creating a breathtakingly magnificent effect.

Shang Xianwang picked up his phone and received over a dozen messages—from unfamiliar Wang Xiantao and Shen Mengkun, a dozen employees from Zaiyang Film and Television, as well as Wang Song and five people from his president's office. Everyone had sent him messages congratulating him on his birthday.

With a ding, a new message came in.

Shang Xianwang lightly moved his finger to open it.

"Big brother, happy birthday. I hope you enjoy good health and peace, that everything you think of comes true, that all matters are suitable year after year, that from now on your path is smooth, filled with splendor, no illness no disaster."

"Your brother, Shang Xueyan ❤️❤️"

Shang Xianwang’s gaze lingered intently on the message from Shang Xueyan. After a long moment, he looked up. Shang Xueyan has long thick eyelashes, his pupils dark, his eyes bright, and the corners of his mouth slightly raised as he looked at him.

"Did you arrange all of this?" Among his colleagues, Shang Xueyan only knew Wang Song and the employees from the president's office, but employees naturally wouldn't celebrate their boss’s birthday. This was the first time he had received blessings from them.

As for Wang Xiantao, Shen Mengkun, and others, they had only crossed paths a few times, with only superficial acquaintance. Among the employees at Zaiyang, he had only been involved in hiring key figures like Shen Ling and Sun Zhou; some employees he didn’t even know by name.

"Yes." Shang Xueyan looked directly into his eyes and said frankly, "I wanted to give you a grand birthday celebration."

"Big brother, do you like it?" The drone show had already ended, countless light points retreating from the dim night sky. Beneath the transparent table were pots of charming vibrant peonies, tree peonies, and azaleas. Soft orange-yellow light spilled from the white Roman column chandeliers nearby. The young man before him was sincere and full of emotion.

Shang Xianwang avoided his eyes, his voice hoarse. "I like it. I really like it."

After dinner, Shang Xueyan drove, humming a tune cheerfully all the way home. The cold-edged Rolls-Royce parked in the garage. Shang Xueyan turned his head, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Shang Xianwang: "Big brother, I have one more gift for you."

"Another gift?" Shang Xianwang was hoarse for a moment.

Opening the car door and stepping out, Shang Xueyan strode into his room, opened a drawer, and took out a light blue packaged box. The box was about the size of his palm, tied with a standard, beautifully tied bow in bright red silk ribbon.

Shang Xueyan handed him the gift and urged, "Open it and see."

The bow was undone by a slender, pale hand. The light blue wrapping was opened, and Shang Xianwang took out the "gift" inside—a palm-length thermos cup. The cup was a low saturation sky blue, but what caught the eye most were the two cartoon dogs in the center, tongues out, laughing heartily, with a line of bright, eye-catching colored text below.

"Happy every day."

"Big brother, I’m giving you 'happy every day.' From now on, you have to be happy every day." Shang Xueyan pointed at the cartoon text on the cup, his eyes curved as he smiled.

Having given this important gift and received big brother's response of liking it, Shang Xueyan returned to his room contentedly, grabbed his pajamas, and went to the bathroom to wash. After finishing, he lay down on his bed, picked up his phone, and saw a message from Wang Xiantao in the group chat.

Wang Xiantao: "Bro Yan, was your big brother satisfied with today’s birthday?"

Shang Xueyan typed lightly: "Of course he was satisfied."

Shen Mengkun: "With such a grand, thoughtful birthday, how could CEO Shang not be satisfied?"

Wang Xiantao ignored Shen Mengkun and continued asking Shang Xueyan: "What kind of satisfied? Generally, extremely, specially?"

Shang Xueyan: "Extremely."

Seeing this, Wang Xiantao paced anxiously around his rented bachelor apartment for two rounds, clenched his teeth, and said: "Yan, remember to lock your door tonight."

Shang Xueyan: "?"

Shen Mengkun: "Adding a question mark."

Wang Xiantao: "I’m afraid CEO Shang might not be able to control his feelings for you and come to your room tonight to... consume you."

A vertical crease formed between his brows. It took a few seconds for Shang Xueyan to grasp the implied meaning behind Wang Xiantao’s words: "Bloody knife jpg"

Shen Mengkun: "Horrified JPG"

Shen Mengkun: "Does CEO Shang have feelings for Yan that go beyond brotherhood?"

Shen Mengkun said in alarm: "Yan, you’re straight, right?"

Shang Xueyan rolled his eyes. "Don’t listen to his nonsense."

Shang Xueyan typed forcefully on the keyboard: "Wang Xiantao, if you keep tarnishing my big brother’s feelings for me, I’m really going to cut ties with you!!!!!!"

Shang Xueyan: "Angry soybean emoji"

Wang Xiantao sighed for a long time but still wanted to save his deluded friend: "Believe me, the way he looks at you really isn’t innocent."

Shang Xueyan grew furious: "I think the way you look at Kun'er isn’t innocent either!"

Wang Xiantao: "I admit the way I look at him isn’t innocent. So now can you admit that the way your big brother looks at you isn't innocent?"

Author's Note: