In the blink of an eye, it was December, and the New Year was approaching. After months of busyness, Ning Zhiyuan could finally catch his breath and take a break.

The fundraising for the new fund progressed smoothly, and the first USD fund was oversubscribed by three hundred million, exceeding expectations. Now, only the subsequent registration process remained.

Although Zhiyuan had been established for less than a year and had not yet had a case of going public, the returns on several projects were impressive, proving that Ning Zhiyuan’s judgment was indeed reliable.

In the afternoon, after a trip out, Ning Zhiyuan returned to the office and received a message from Cen Zhisen asking if he had finished work and could leave now.

“Give me ten minutes.”

Ning Zhiyuan organized the documents, tidied up his desk, made sure he didn’t leave anything behind, checked the time, and decided it was time to leave work.

Cen Zhisen was waiting for him in the downstairs parking lot when he got downstairs.

However, instead of heading home, their destination was the Cen’s family villa.

Their father was celebrating his birthday today.

Cen Shengli was not fond of ostentation. In the past, they usually celebrated birthdays with just the family having a meal together. Last year, due to some unfortunate events, his birthday celebration didn’t go as planned. This year, a few uncles and aunts volunteered to celebrate more festively, and they were coming over for dinner.

“Are they bringing their families?” Ning Zhiyuan frowned when he heard this. “Since when did they become so active about celebrating Dad’s birthday? It’s unusual for them.”

“They said they want to come, and Dad can’t really stop them,” Cen Zhisen replied.

Ning Zhiyuan didn’t bother arguing. It was true that their father couldn’t stop them, but he knew those people had ulterior motives.

Regardless, it wasn’t his concern. He was willing to watch the show.

Forty minutes later, the car entered the garage, and Cen Zhisen turned off the engine, looking at the person who was unfastening his seatbelt.

Ning Zhiyuan raised his head. “Aren’t you getting out of the car?”

“The ring,” Cen Zhisen reminded him.

The identical rings on their fingers would raise questions if seen by those relatives. Ning Zhiyuan rotated the ring on his finger and sighed, taking it off.

He gestured for Cen Zhisen to extend his hand, helping him remove the ring. “I’ll put it back on for you when we get back tonight.”

Cen Zhisen chuckled. “Sure.”

They weren’t coming home too late, but except for Cen Zhe, who arrived slightly later than them, everyone else had already arrived, showing unexpected enthusiasm.

As Cen Zhe entered, the second uncle opened his mouth and said, “Why didn’t you come with your brother? We, the elders, had to wait for you alone. Is this child of yours behaving appropriately? Your brother is also strange. Both of you work at Cen An, but when he brings someone over, he doesn’t bring you along. Who knows who the real brothers are?”

A few words sowed discord among the three. Ning Zhiyuan pretended not to hear and no wonder Cen Zhisen said this person was like an actor; indeed, he was very good at stirring up trouble.

Thinking back to the time when he and Cen Zhisen were estranged as children due to these low-level provocations, it was impossible not to hold a grudge. He considered himself smart, but even if he was smart, he was just a child at that time, unable to withstand the malice of adults. Now, hearing these things again, he couldn’t be bothered to even greet them.

Cen Zhisen, on the other hand, didn’t bother to pay attention to the person and didn’t take the others’ words seriously.

It was Cen Zhe who remained silent for a moment and explained, “I was temporarily transferred to work in the industrial park this month, responsible for a project over there. I’m not at the headquarters, it’s a bit far, that’s why I came back late.”

Ning Zhiyuan looked at him slightly surprised. Cen Zhe was unexpectedly not submissive in front of these people, neither humble nor overbearing, calmly explaining himself.

Seeing that none of them bought into their elder act, the expressions of those present, playing the roles of elders, were not very pleasant.

Before they could say anything more, Cen Shengli came downstairs, and the topic came to an end.

Afterward, they all went to the dining room for dinner. With more than twenty people, young and old, only a long table could accommodate them.

At the dinner table, the uncles and aunts chatted with Cen Shengli, reminiscing about the past and recalling the days when the siblings were loving and harmonious. As for how much of it was sincere, probably only they themselves knew.

Ning Zhiyuan sat calmly next to Cen Zhisen, listening to these people engaging in sentimental conversations. However, his thoughts drifted away.

In families like the Cen family, where siblings appeared harmonious on the surface but each had their own calculations in private, it wasn’t uncommon. Their father wasn’t a fool; he probably knew what these people were up to but chose to turn a blind eye to avoid bothering with it.

Back in Hongcheng, Mr. Kuang mentioned that talking to one’s siblings at home was rarely harmonious, and even in Cen Zhisen’s old classmate’s family in Huaicheng, siblings died, and new ones were born, which wasn’t particularly surprising.

What about him and Cen Zhisen?

Ning Zhiyuan wondered. Before when he was still surnamed Cen, he did have thoughts of competing with Cen Zhisen. If his true identity was never revealed, would they eventually become true enemies?

He subconsciously looked at the person beside him, and Cen Zhisen sensed it, turning to meet his gaze. His eyes questioned Ning Zhiyuan.

No.

Ning Zhiyuan heard the voice in his heart giving the answer. He would never become enemies with Cen Zhisen.

But perhaps, one day, he might have turned into a real lunatic.

Fortunately, that wasn’t the case.

Cen Zhisen looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Ning Zhiyuan smiled, shook his head, and didn’t say anything.

After dinner, those relatives remained seated, showing no intention of leaving, and continued chatting with Cen Shengli.

Ning Zhiyuan lost interest in listening and went alone to the small garden outside, leaning against the pillar of the pavilion, absentmindedly watching the lights and flowers in the garden.

After a while, someone passed by and called out, “Hey, Cen Zhiyuan!”

Ning Zhiyuan turned his head to look. It was the second uncle’s son, their cousin. He glanced at him and withdrew his gaze, too lazy to respond.

However, the person approached, sarcastically saying, “I almost forgot, you’re not surnamed Cen now. Since you’re not family, how can you still shamelessly come here? Do you have any shame?”

Ning Zhiyuan once again glanced at him. This cousin was two years younger, around twenty-six or twenty-seven, with no other skills except for indulging in vices like eating, drinking, gambling, and whoring. This kind of person made Ning Zhiyuan feel it was a waste of breath just to talk to him.

“Oh.”

The cousin sneered, “Keep pretending. Go back to serve Uncle happily. Aren’t you just coveting Uncle’s wealth?”

Ning Zhiyuan calmly asked him, “Isn’t your whole family doing the same?”

“What are you talking about? Everyone here is surnamed Cen. You’re the only outsider. I really didn’t see it. Weren’t you the one who was most unwilling to listen to Big Brother Sen before? Now, you’re even kissing up to him. You really know how to bend and stretch.”

Ning Zhiyuan’s gaze went past him, and he saw Cen Zhisen approaching. He raised his chin, indicating, “why don’t you say to him what you said to me.”

The smug expression on the face of the cousin instantly froze. When he looked back and saw who had arrived, his eyes rolled around, looking quite guilty and ridiculous.

Cen Zhisen didn’t spare him a glance and simply said, “Get lost.”

Ning Zhiyuan suddenly chuckled.

After the cousin sneaked away, Cen Zhisen approached and asked the person leaning lazily against the pillar behind him, “Are you enjoying the show?”

“Yeah,” Ning Zhiyuan admitted cheerfully. “What you said, it made me really see them as performers. If I encounter them, I might as well ask for a performance.”

“Is it entertaining?”

“It’s mediocre, nothing special.”

Cen Zhisen nodded, “Indeed, not very interesting. When we were having dinner earlier, what were you thinking?”

“I was thinking about the saying ‘One family, one door.’ It seems not necessarily true,” Ning Zhiyuan said, laughing. “It’s quite strange. Both you and Dad are respectable people. How did we end up with such relatives? Besides, Dad and they don’t seem to have much blood relation.”

Cen Zhisen fell silent for a moment, not immediately responding.

Ning Zhiyuan realized something and felt intrigued, “Really? Did I hit the mark?”

“It’s not entirely untrue,” Cen Zhisen explained. “Actually, Grandpa and Grandma are Dad’s uncle and aunt. Our biological grandparents passed away much earlier, and after Dad was adopted by Grandpa and Grandma, he has always been grateful to them. So, after Grandpa and Grandma passed away, Dad, who had achieved something here, brought the second uncle and others here, trying to support them in various ways.”

But nurturing love and sowing discord, human hearts were always hard to satisfy.

Ning Zhiyuan listened and then asked, “Why didn’t I know about this before? Did Dad tell you and not tell me?”

“I am the eldest son; he tells me everything about the family,” Cen Zhisen replied.

Ning Zhiyuan scoffed.

“Zhiyuan, Dad is actually a very sentimental person,” Cen Zhisen said. “It’s just that when we were young, he was too busy with work, and coupled with Mom’s death at that time, he was very grief-stricken. So, he neglected us. Don’t blame him. He actually cares a lot about you. When Grandma and Grandpa didn’t like you, he stopped letting you go to their place. Those things others say, if he hears them, he will scold them. But you know the characters of those uncles; they’ve always been like that and haven’t changed.”

“Before knowing about your background, he was actually very uncomfortable. He hesitated, not knowing how to tell you. When he got the results of those tests, he even shed tears. Except for when Mom died when we were kids, I’ve never seen him cry.”

“… I know,” Ning Zhiyuan sighed.

Perhaps Cen Shengli couldn’t be considered a qualified good father. After all, during Ning Zhiyuan’s childhood when he needed parental care the most, what he received was too little. However, he couldn’t deny the good side of Cen Shengli.

Because of this, even after changing his surname, he was willing to come back to this family.

“Let’s forget about this,” Ning Zhiyuan turned his head, seeing those people in the study who were reluctant to leave, “What about them? What are they here for?”

Cen Zhisen also glanced over and sneered, “Some sons want to start a business and need startup funds, some daughters are getting married and need dowries, and there are those who claim to be so poor that they can’t make ends meet.”

“Nobodies, aren’t they?” Ning Zhiyuan joked.

“Yeah,” Cen Zhisen agreed, “they are nobodies. Dad used to talk about wanting to make a will, but now he seems to have changed his mind. It seems he wants to distribute some of the property to his children first, and they’re in a hurry.”

Ning Zhiyuan was somewhat surprised, “Distribute now?”

“Should be soon; Dad didn’t specify how much though,” Cen Zhisen replied casually, not particularly concerned about this matter.

“No wonder I wanted to return those assets to you, but you didn’t care. I’ll return them to Cen Zhe then,” Ning Zhiyuan said with a smile.

Cen Zhisen dismissed it, “He can’t afford the taxes.”

“Not necessarily,” Ning Zhiyuan said, “when Dad divides the family property, he’ll be able to afford it.”

Cen Zhisen wasn’t interested in discussing these matters further. He took a step forward, hooked his finger onto Ning Zhiyuan’s sweater collar, and asked, “You weren’t wearing this in the morning, were you? Why did you change your clothes?”

He approached Ning Zhiyuan’s neck and sniffed, “The perfume has changed too.”

“Cen Zhisen, what if Dad sees?” Ning Zhiyuan lowered his voice. He could see the people in the study with just a turn of his head. There were also children playing not far away behind the bushes. However, Cen Zhisen was reckless.

Ning Zhiyuan said it, but his expression didn’t show nervousness. He leaned slightly forward, getting closer to Cen Zhisen, “Did you smell it clearly?”

Cen Zhisen stood upright, stepping back slightly, “It’s not the one you’ve always used, and it’s not mine. Where did it come from?”

“Take a guess,” Ning Zhiyuan said intentionally.

Cen Zhisen stared at his smiling eyes, his fingers stopping at the collar, lightly touching the soft skin below: “tell me.”

Ning Zhiyuan felt itchy, laughed for a while, and finally told the truth: “No, I went out this afternoon to discuss project mergers and acquisitions with another organization. The guy there was a heavy smoker, smoked almost half a pack in the afternoon, and I ended up smelling like smoke. I changed my clothes when I returned to the office and borrowed the perfume from Liu Lu to cover the smell on my hair.”

Cen Zhisen raised an eyebrow: “So you’ve been inhaling second-hand smoke all afternoon?”

“There’s no other way. To make money, you have to pay some price.” Ning Zhiyuan said.

Cen Zhisen frowned, reminding him: “Keep a bottle of perfume in the office from now on. Don’t ask others for such personal items. Can you bear to ask for it?”

“I don’t mind.” Ning Zhiyuan said.

Cen Zhisen took a deep breath, and in Ning Zhiyuan’s laughter, his palm slid behind his neck, and his thumb kept rubbing the soft spot above the spine.

Ning Zhiyuan put his hands in his pockets, looking calm, and stared at him challengingly.

As if determined that Cen Zhisen wouldn’t dare to do anything more intimate in this place.

“Should we tell Dad about our relationship?” Cen Zhisen suddenly asked.

“What do you think?” Ning Zhiyuan raised an eyebrow, not surprised that Cen Zhisen would ask this question; he seemed to have had such a plan for a long time.

“I just asked Dad’s family doctor. His recent physical condition has improved a lot, and he should be able to withstand some potentially exciting news. We can’t keep dragging it on. It’s better to tell him earlier. I think Dad will understand. What do you think?” Cen Zhisen explained.

Ning Zhiyuan had no strong opinions, gestured towards the direction of the study, and puckered his lips: “You can tell Dad, but let’s wait until that big family leaves.”

Cen Zhisen’s hand still rested behind Ning Zhiyuan’s neck. Since the decision was made to say it, there was no need to worry: “Okay.”

With Cen Zhisen’s intense gaze, Ning Zhiyuan smiled again, leaned toward his ear, and asked, “Ge, what if we are kicked out together later?”

“No big deal,” Cen Zhisen pretended not to care, “If that happens, I’ll just go with you.”

“Okay, suit yourself.”

At around nine o’clock, the miscellaneous people finally left, and they entered the house.

The housekeeper was discussing something with Cen Shengli. They stopped outside the study and waited.

The vast living room on the first floor was already empty. Ning Zhiyuan saw some pollen sticking to Cen Zhisen’s coat shoulder, reached over to pat it off, but it didn’t work. With great patience, he used his fingernails to scrape it off bit by bit.

Cen Zhisen was amused by his actions, caught his wrist, and said softly, “Don’t move.”

Ning Zhiyuan raised his head slightly, and their lips almost brushed against each other. They breathed together, and they both burst into laughter.

It wasn’t until a particularly surprised whisper came from behind that Ning Zhiyuan looked at the staircase, and Xu Lan stood there, stunned, staring at them.

Cen Zhisen frowned slightly at the sound and looked in that direction with a warning look.

Ning Zhiyuan calmly raised his eyes, retreated from in front of him without panic, and looked at the study.

When the housekeeper came out of the study, Xu Lan was still standing there, at a loss for what to do.

“You two—”

“We’ll tell Dad ourselves. You don’t need to interfere. Mind your own business.” Cen Zhisen dropped this sentence and gestured to Ning Zhiyuan.

Ning Zhiyuan didn’t say anything, following him into the study.