Chapter 20 Happy Birthday

Chapter 20: Happy Birthday

"Yong Yong, when are we gonna eat?"

Chu Yan, who was recovering in the hospital, had a great appetite and slept like a log. It was already half an hour past the usual mealtime, but Yong Yong was still playing with his phone, without looking up even once.

"Wait ten more minutes, then we'll head downstairs."

"I'm hungry."

"Hang on, there's something even better coming."

"Okay then!"

When they finally went downstairs at six, the cafeteria was nearly empty. Chu Yan found a spot and was about to sit down, but Chi Suiyong took his arm and pointed to the second floor. "Today we're eating in the private room upstairs."

Chu Yan was a bit puzzled, but he followed anyway. The second floor was even emptier—completely deserted.

Chi Suiyong led him straight to the door of the largest private room, knocked three times, then stepped aside. "You go in first."

Chu Yan had no idea there was a surprise waiting for him inside. He just pushed the door open—

With a bang, confetti rained down from above. The room was full of people, all young, smiling faces looking at him.

"Happy birthday."

"Happy birthday, Uncle Chu Yan."

"Happy birthday..."

The chorus of birthday wishes left Chu Yan—who didn't even know it was his birthday—totally frozen.

He turned to look at Chi Suiyong, his eyes wide and glistening. "My... birthday?"

Chi Suiyong pushed his shoulders and guided him inside. "Yeah, happy birthday, birthday boy."

This was the largest private room on the second floor, with a separate inner and outer section. The dining area held a big round table that could seat over twenty people, and the outer area was a lounge. Although the decoration wasn't as luxurious as an outside hotel, Chi Suiyong had decorated it himself—a birthday-themed backdrop, balloon arch, bouquets, and a cake, all perfect for a kids' birthday party.

On the counter in the outer area sat a three-tier cake, surrounded by twinkling fairy lights.

The room was filled with young patients in hospital gowns, all of whom Yong Yong had treated and Chu Yan recognized.

Chu Yan was dazzled. The vivid brilliance of a scene he'd never seen before struck him. His gaze returned to Chi Suiyong.

Did Yong Yong set all this up for him?

This birthday seemed even grander than the one he'd celebrated at Yong Yong's house for Qin Zheng's birthday.

"Do you like it, Chu Yan?"

He did.

Chu Yan nodded, his eyes sparkling. "Did Yong Yong do all this especially for me?"

"Not entirely. The cake and dinner were prepared by your big brother. The rest of the decorations... those are from me."

Then Chi Suiyong opened his phone camera and propped it up in the perfect spot. After that, he guided Chu Yan to his seat. "Didn't you say you were hungry? Look, all your favorites are here."

These dishes weren't cooked by the cafeteria chef—Chu Chenzhi had specifically hired someone to cook them in the kitchen.

Chu Yan wasn't picky about food; he ate whatever he felt like.

At the dinner table, the young patients first brought out their own gifts. The gifts from the boys and girls were different, but they all seemed to be things they really liked. A little girl removed a colorful hair tie with jingle bells from her wrist. "Uncle, this is my favorite. I want to give it to you."

Chi Suiyong watched from the side, worried it might trigger Chu Yan's aesthetic pet peeve.

But Chu Yan said nothing. He took it and examined it. "Thank you, it's very pretty."

The little girl, pleased that her sacrifice was appreciated, smiled and returned to her seat.

The little boy pulled out his treasured cards and small figurines, explaining each one and saying they were his favorites too. Chu Yan didn't know what these things were, but because he was in a good mood, he thanked them sincerely with a gentle smile.

Finally, only Yong Yong hadn't given a gift yet.

Yong Yong was busy taking care of the young patients at the table—refilling soup, turning the lazy Susan, and telling each one what foods to avoid. When it came to Chu Yan, since he wasn't picky and had no restrictions, he was kind of forgotten.

Luckily, Chu Yan didn't mind.

He was eagerly looking forward to Yong Yong's gift.

He waited through the entire meal, but Yong Yong still hadn't given him anything.

Earlier, Yong Yong had come empty-handed, and the clothes he was wearing didn't have any pockets, so Chu Yan figured the gift must be hidden in the private room. He looked around the room, wanting to open every drawer to check. Postponed anticipation just grew stronger, and once it peaked, it started feeling like a sign that his hopes would be dashed.

Chi Suiyong was perceptive, especially with Chu Yan. He could tell how Chu Yan was feeling with just a glance into his eyes.

Chi Suiyong hadn't expected all these young patients to bring gifts for Chu Yan on their own—he'd slipped up.

So before cutting the cake, he whispered in Chu Yan's ear, "The gift is in the ward. I'll give it to you when we go back."

Almost instantly, Chu Yan's eyes lit up again.

One of the kids reminded them, "We need to turn off the lights, blow out the candles, and make a wish."

"Oh, right, the candles!" Chi Suiyong found them, and when he saw the two number candles, he felt a bit stumped. Chu Yan was also confused.

Chu Yan thought he was turning four, so the 2 and 6 didn't make sense to him.

Chi Suiyong put away the 6 and stuck only the 2 into the cake. "Made a mistake, Chu Yan. Let's just make do with this, alright?"

Chu Yan, not one to sweat the small stuff, said, "Fine by me, as long as it lights up."

Some young patients volunteered to turn off the lights. When the candle was lit, all the light focused on the number 2.

"When you make a wish, you have to keep it a secret."

"You have to close your eyes and put your hands together!"

"My mom says you have to say it three times for it to come true."

"You have to blow out the candle in one breath."

The young patients at the table had done this before, and Chu Yan followed all their instructions.

The wish-making process stretched on for a long time.

Chi Suiyong watched quietly, waiting. In the faint light of the candle, the shadows of the stray hairs on Chu Yan's forehead danced across his innocent face, his expression so sincere and reverent.

What wish would he make?

Chi Suiyong wondered to himself.

Chu Yan opened his eyes. The candlelight seemed to find the most striking foothold, lighting up his gaze brilliantly, like a sudden bonfire rising in the wilderness, detached from the pounding heartbeat, awakening the giant beast sleeping beneath the hills.

His blood suddenly boiled.

Chi Suiyong tried to calm his racing heart by himself, completely separating the deep‑seated restraint in his mind from his easily swayed body.

Lust makes people foolish—it's only human nature.

Some people can come up with a perfect excuse and then walk away scot‑free.

Chu Yan was born too good-looking; anyone who spent day and night with him, sharing all his ups and downs, would probably start to hope against hope.

Chi Suiyong considered himself an ordinary person as well; his heartbeat would lose its original rhythm because of Chu Yan's face, but fortunately, he wasn't so completely blinded as to mistake the other's reliance for seduction.

The candle was blown out, and the lights in the private room came on, pulling Chi Suiyong back from the besieged fortress of his inner turmoil just in time.

It was still early. Chi Suiyong had prepared a few little games for Chu Yan, letting the young patients join in.

The first game was an indoor treasure hunt. Chi Suiyong set up a combination lock box, with the password digits broken into pieces hidden around the room.

As soon as the start signal was given, Chu Yan and the young patients moved, eager to turn the entire private room upside down.

Chu Yan was sharp and also an adult, so the young patients naturally looked to him as their leader, following his instructions and delivering the collected fragments to him.

Chu Yan quickly figured out the pattern. Once they had all six digits, he tried the password in ascending order, but it didn't open.

He looked at Chi Suiyong with unfocused eyes, as if deep in thought, but really trying to read the password order from his expression.

"So it's backwards?"

Chi Suiyong smiled without saying a word.

Chu Yan looked down at the fragments; they were colorful. "Then it's arranged by color," he said, then looked up to observe.

Sure enough, Yong Yong's expression flickered.

Chu Yan smiled and tried the password; it opened on the first try.

The private room instantly filled with the clear laughter of the children.

Inside the treasure box, Chi Suiyong had placed beautifully wrapped chocolates, enough for each child to get at least two.

After Chu Yan distributed the chocolates, he asked impatiently, "What's next?"

Chi Suiyong pulled out a cardboard box from under the table. "Next is a blind touch game. Here, take a ribbon. Before you guess, you have to cover your eyes. Those who guess correctly will also get a prize."

"Dr. Yong Yong, me first!"

"I'll go first."

"No, the birthday boy should go first. No rushing!"

In a place without bratty kids, everything was so harmonious. After the young patients discussed it, the little girl who gave the hair tie walked behind Chu Yan and covered his eyes with her hands.

"That works too, convenient." Chi Suiyong smiled, turned around, picked a small plush toy, and tossed it into the cardboard box with a round hole.

The young patients gathered around, craning their necks to see what was inside.

Chu Yan did the same.

Because the little girl behind him intended to help him cheat, her five chubby fingers weren't pressed tightly together; through the gap, he could see everything.

Chi Suiyong covered the hole with one hand, and with the other, he took Chu Yan's hand. "Chu Yan, feel it and tell me what animal it is."

Some children had already seen what was inside, but they held back and didn't break the rules. Seeing how much they were restraining themselves, Chi Suiyong said, "You can give hints, but not too obvious, or this round will be disqualified."

Chu Yan refused to cheat along. He closed his eyes and reached his hand in. He only felt a soft, fluffy texture; it was definitely a plush toy, but he had no clue what animal it was.

At that moment, a child gave a hint: "It has two big ears."

"It walks on two legs, hopping and skipping."

"It has abs..."

Chu Yan: "..."

Apart from humans, what other animal can have abs?

Finally, the little girl who had been helping him cheat gave the final hint, "It carries its babies in a pouch on its belly."

Chu Yan blurted out, "It's a kangaroo."

"Correct! Time to hand out the prize."

After several little games that lasted over an hour, the atmosphere was wonderfully harmonious, needless to say. Chu Yan had a blast. Before leaving, Chi Suiyong sent the recorded video to Chu Chenzhi.

Chu Chenzhi hadn't asked him to do that. For Chi Suiyong, this was more like washing his hands of the matter after getting the job done.

Upon receiving the video, Chu Chenzhi did not fast-forward or mute it. The nearly two-hour watch time was a luxury for someone as busy as he was.

The cake with numbered candles on it reminded him of Chu Yan's fourth birthday.

At that time, he was still in junior high school and had skipped class to buy a cake and a gift. But when he arrived, Chu Yan's father was already dead drunk, while Chu Yan, barefoot and filthy, sat in a cage, holding a can of milk powder and scooping spoonfuls into his mouth.