January 23rd, Saturday.

Yu Qian woke up in a daze on her dormitory bed.

Since last night, she had been thinking about how Jiang Zheng would confess to her today, to the point that she, for the first time ever, suffered from insomnia.

It was the weekend, and she planned to go home to celebrate her birthday.

Eighteen is a special age. It’s the legal age of full civil capacity, meaning she was now a true adult.

A few days ago, her mother had called to tell her that Uncle Bai intended to arrange a banquet for her, but she had firmly refused.

Birthdays, in her opinion, were best spent sharing the moment with family and friends.

Yu Qian got up and carefully washed up. While brushing her teeth, she couldn’t help but imagine how Jiang Zheng would confess to her.

Would he do it like in TV dramas, standing below the girls’ dormitory while shouting out his confession?

Or would it be a romantic candlelit dinner confession?

Maybe, just like in those domineering CEO novels, he would book an entire venue just for the occasion?

“Pfft…… cough, cough, cough.” Yu Qian choked on her own imagination, coughing until her face turned red.

Not long after she had finished washing up, Jiang Zheng called.

Yu Qian, filled with anticipation, went downstairs, only to find……

Nothing?

She scrutinized Jiang Zheng carefully. There were no signs of him dressing up for the occasion, nor did he seem to be carrying any gifts.

“Hurry up, Ah Ming and the others are already waiting for us at the school gate.” Jiang Zheng urged her with a calm expression.

Looking at him, Yu Qian suddenly started doubting everything. Wasn’t he the one eager to confess before? How was he even calmer than she was today?

Both of them kept their thoughts to themselves and remained silent throughout the journey. Even after getting into the car, Yu Qian still felt dazed.

“Qianqian, happy birthday!” Lin Niannian was bursting with energy, looking even happier than Yu Qian herself.

Yu Qian smiled and thanked her.

On the way back, the conversation was mostly filled with Lin Niannian and Yu Qian’s chatter. Meanwhile, Jiang Zheng remained unusually silent, staring at his phone the entire time.

When they arrived at the Bai family’s house, Wang Hui and Bai Jin were both home, and the birthday cake had already been placed on the table.

Seeing the joyful smiles on her family’s faces, Yu Qian felt truly happy. Yet, deep inside, she couldn’t shake off a certain uneasiness. What exactly was Jiang Zheng planning?

For Yu Qian’s eighteenth birthday, Wang Hui took it very seriously.

She had personally cooked today, making poached eggs for Yu Qian and preparing all of Yu Qian’s favorite dishes. She had been busy in the kitchen the entire afternoon, treating the occasion even more solemnly than the Lunar New Year.

After dinner, Bai Jin, ever the extravagant one, gifted Yu Qian a property deed— an unmistakably domineering CEO-style gift.

Bai Qiming gave her a custom-made necklace.

Wang Hui gifted Yu Qian a full set of cosmetics from a high-end brand, along with a remark, “You’re eighteen now, an adult. It’s time to start learning how to dress up properly. Stop making yourself look like a child all the time.”

Well, that was definitely something only a mother would say.

Yu Qian placed all her gifts back in her room, then— yet again— took out her phone, only to find…… still no messages.

Feeling a little frustrated, she made a secret vow. If he didn’t confess before midnight tonight, then she would just choose to stay single!

At eight in the evening, Lin Niannian arrived, followed shortly by Jiang Zheng, his parents, and his younger brother.

Seeing Jiang Zheng’s father and mother, Yu Qian felt a bit unsettled. Why were the elders there too?

“Sister Qianqian, this is my gift for you. Happy birthday!” Jiang Zheng’s younger brother, Jiang Yi, handed her an Ultraman figurine and said, “If you ever feel scared, just take out this Ultraman. It will protect you.”

“Thank you, Xiao Yi.” Yu Qian, touched, patted his small shoulder, then discreetly glanced at Jiang Zheng.

Even a little kid knew how to be charming. How could Jiang Zheng be this clueless?

Lin Niannian’s gift was a haute couture dress. Yu Qian stared at the shimmering fabric, struggling to think of an occasion where she could actually wear it.

Everyone present, except Jiang Zheng, had given her a gift— even Jiang Zheng’s parents, whom she rarely saw, had gifted her a bracelet.

Only Jiang Zheng……

Not only did he not give her anything, but he also hadn’t said a single word!

The lights in the living room dimmed. The only source of light came from the flickering candles on the two-tiered blueberry cake, casting a warm yellow glow in the darkness.

Yu Qian instinctively searched for Jiang Zheng in the dimness.

Their eyes met, and Jiang Zheng flashed a big, bright smile. Yu Qian, still sulking, closed her eyes and made a wish.

May the ones I love be safe and well.

She puffed up her cheeks and gently blew out the candles.

Everyone applauded and wished her a happy birthday.

Wang Hui handed her the cake knife, and just as Yu Qian was about to cut into the cake, she heard—

“Wait a moment.” Jiang Zheng’s voice was unusually clear in that instant.

He stepped forward, standing across from Yu Qian with the cake between them. Smiling radiantly, he turned slightly to address Wang Hui and Bai Jin, “Uncle, Aunt, I would like to ask for your permission to pursue Yu Qian with marriage as the end goal.”

As soon as those words were spoken, the entire room fell into silence.

Father Jiang remained calm, but he quietly took a few steps back, distancing himself from Jiang Zheng to avoid becoming the center of attention along with his foolish son.

Mother Jiang, on the other hand, was utterly stunned. She knew it. When her eldest son had kept calling her a week ago, urging her to come back, something big must have happened.

Although she had some guesses about her son’s feelings before, she had never expected him to be so bold as to bring it up directly in front of the girl’s parents at this moment.

Bai Jin frowned, glancing at Jiang Zheng before shifting his gaze to Yu Qian, and finally settling his eyes on Wang Hui.

Although Jiang Zheng had directed his question at both him and Wang Hui, as a stepfather, it wasn’t his place to interfere in Yu Qian’s affairs.

Wang Hui took a long moment to process Jiang Zheng’s words. She abruptly turned to look at Yu Qian, only to see that while Yu Qian appeared surprised, she showed no signs of rejection. Instead, her face was slowly turning red. Seeing this, how could Wang Hui not understand what was going on?

“What do you mean by marriage? You’re both still young, this……” Wang Hui forced a smile, trying to brush past the topic, but Jiang Zheng wasn’t having it.

“Aunt, I’m serious.” Jiang Zheng’s usual carefree smile disappeared, replaced by a solemn expression. “I specifically invited my parents here today so that, under the witness of our elders, Yu Qian and I can begin a proper relationship.”

After speaking, Jiang Zheng turned to face his parents. “Dad, Mom, I like Yu Qian. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. You don’t have any objections, do you?”

Father and Mother Jiang: “……” This brat was throwing the responsibility onto them.

Father Jiang coughed lightly and smiled elegantly. “In our family, your mother has the final say.”

Mother Jiang shot her husband a resentful glare before forcing an awkward smile. “What opinions could we possibly have? This matter is entirely up to…… uh, Brother Bai and Ah Hui to decide.”

Once again, everyone’s attention shifted to Wang Hui. Her mind was in complete turmoil. She had never expected that, at just eighteen, when her daughter had only just become an adult, she would already have to consider matters of love and marriage.

She was about to refuse when she suddenly felt a tug on her clothing.

Lowering her head, she saw Yu Qian hooking her fingers around her sleeve, acting coquettishly just like she used to when she made a mistake as a child. Wang Hui’s heart sank.

Turning to meet Yu Qian’s bright, expectant gaze, she could tell the girl was waiting for her approval.

Wang Hui’s heart clenched. She glanced at the Jiang couple, who were clearly trying to smooth things over, and found herself unable to voice her refusal. It had taken so much effort to mend her relationship with Yu Qian. If she disagreed now and Yu Qian became rebellious again, what would she do?

Why did she have to be the villain in this situation?

“You’re still young. Talking about marriage is too far ahead, but I agree to you dating. However, you must be mindful of your boundaries.” Wang Hui barely managed a smile as she responded, though inwardly, she was desperate to pull Yu Qian aside and interrogate her on what was really going on.

Hearing Wang Hui’s approval, Jiang Zheng, who had been clenching his hands tightly, finally relaxed slightly. He took a deep breath and beamed brightly at Yu Qian.

“Little Fish, I’m officially asking you to be my girlfriend. Will you let me?”

Even though Jiang Zheng was confident in Yu Qian’s answer, his throat still felt dry, and his body was tense with anticipation.

Yu Qian’s heart pounded wildly at his words. Without thinking, she blurted out the word she had practiced countless times in her mind, “Yes.”

“Clap, clap, clap.” A round of applause sounded from the corner and everyone turned toward the source.

Jiang Yi was grinning excitedly as he looked at Yu Qian and Jiang Zheng. “Big Brother and Sister Qianqian are finally together! So, can we eat the cake now?”

If they didn’t hurry, Sister Qianqian was going to stab the cake into oblivion.

With Jiang Yi’s interruption, the lingering romantic atmosphere instantly dissipated. The Jiang couple resumed their expressions as if nothing had happened and began casually chatting with Bai Jin and Wang Hui about other matters.

Lin Niannian stood beside Bai Qiming, still frozen in shock. When did Yu Qian and Jiang Zheng get together? How had she never noticed?

Bai Qiming glanced at Jiang Zheng, who was practically glowing with excitement, then at Lin Niannian, who looked utterly dumbfounded. For the first time, he started to reconsider his approach.

At this rate, was he really going to end up as Jiang Zheng’s best man?

Yu Qian was brought back to reality by Jiang Yi’s reminder and suddenly remembered that she was supposed to cut the cake. She hurriedly lowered her head— only to see that the delicate cream flowers on the cake had already been scraped into a complete mess.

Yu Qian was mortified and wished she could disappear into the floor. Fortunately, everyone’s attention had shifted away from the cake. Suppressing her embarrassment, she forced her shaking hands to quickly slice the cake and distribute the pieces onto plates.

Jiang Zheng moved to stand beside her, his fingers twitching slightly. Just as he was about to reach for Yu Qian’s hand, he abruptly changed course and stuffed his hands into his pockets instead.

Since Yu Qian’s mother wasn’t entirely on board yet with their relationship, it was better to restrain himself in front of his future mother-in-law.