Chapter 18 (1 Update + 2 Updates)

The Jiang family didn’t have the habit of eating late-night snacks, so after nine in the evening, the kitchen was usually empty.

Zhi Li stood on tiptoe, her cheeks dusted with white flour, and peered eagerly into the oven. “Ning Yi, when will it be ready?”

“It should be done in about ten minutes,” Ning Yi beckoned to Zhi Li with a warm smile. “While the cake batter is baking, I’ll teach you how to whip the cream.”

Ning Yi and her son Wei Liang shared similar single eyelids, and even their smiles radiated the same warmth.

But as she glanced at the cake batter in the oven, a trace of concern flickered in Ning Yi’s smiling eyes.

The young master didn’t seem to want cake for his birthday this year. Even though the cake had been prepared early, he kept telling them to wait and wouldn’t let them bring it out.

Distracted by the whipping cream, Zhi Li stopped staring at the cake batter and instead hurried over to Ning Yi. She adjusted her little chef’s hat and looked up. “Ning Yi, what should I do first?”

Ning Yi had initially wanted to wipe the flour off Zhi Li’s cheeks, but seeing her like this—flour-dusted and adorable as a kitten—she held back, her eyes crinkling with amusement. “First, we’ll need a bowl.”

Zhi Li nodded emphatically. “Okay!”

Though Ning Yi helped, it was Zhi Li’s first time making a cake, and she fumbled through most of the steps. Only when placing strawberries on the cake did she seem more organized.

“Making a cake is so hard,” Zhi Li murmured. She tasted the strawberry cream on her finger, her eyes lighting up. Quickly, she scooped a spoonful from the remaining cream and struggled to lift it to Ning Yi’s lips. “Ning Yi, try it too! It’s super yummy!”

Ning Yi chuckled and ate the cream Zhi Li offered. “The cream you whipped is indeed delicious.”

Zhi Li beamed. “That’s because you taught me! Wei Liang must be so happy to eat your cakes every year for his birthday!”

Ning Yi froze at Zhi Li’s words.

Wei Liang’s birthday was just one day after Jiang Yuexiao’s. Every year, when Jiang Yuexiao held his birthday party at home, Wei Liang would join in for cake. Ning Yi had always assumed that since Wei Liang often ate her pastries and had cake the day before his birthday, he might be tired of it. So on his actual birthday, she only made noodles.

Now, it suddenly struck her—she had never asked her son if he wanted cake on his birthday.

“Ning Yi, when is Wei Liang’s birthday?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?!” Zhi Li gasped. “So his birthday is right after Brother’s?”

Zhi Li pondered seriously. If Wei Liang’s birthday is tomorrow, I still have time to buy him a gift.

Wait!

She blinked in belated realization—she still hadn’t given Wei Liang the gift she bought with Mom at the mall last time!

“Ning Yi,” Zhi Li groaned, knocking her head lightly. She quickly took off her chef’s hat. “Please watch the cake for me! I’ll be right back!”

Before Ning Yi could ask what she was up to, Zhi Li had already dashed off in a whirlwind.

Ning Yi stared blankly for a few seconds before shaking her head with a laugh. “Little Zhi Li is definitely the liveliest child in this house.”

After a moment, Ning Yi’s gaze returned to the strawberry cake on the plate, her tongue recalling the sweet and sour cream she had tasted from Zhi Li. She murmured softly, “Perhaps… I should make both the cake and noodles, and let Xiao Liang choose for himself on his birthday.”

Zhi Li ran back quickly, panting heavily by the time she reached the kitchen, tiny beads of sweat glistening on the tip of her nose. Clutching a small box in both hands, she held it out, “Ning Yi, can you help me give this gift to Wei Liang?”

“A gift?” Ning Yi first wiped the sweat from Zhi Li’s nose before accepting the present, her face lighting up with surprise. “When did you buy this? Xiao Liang will be so happy when he receives it.”

Zhi Li bit her lip slightly, a little embarrassed. “I bought it last time when I went shopping with Mom, but I forgot to give it to Wei Liang.” She was aware of her own little flaw—often getting distracted by one thing after another.

That day, she had been too focused on playing with Lightning and completely forgot about Wei Liang’s gift. As for the gift for her brother, if it hadn’t been for her gratitude toward him letting Lightning play with her—and the fact that it was a Family Watch—she might have forgotten that too.

Ning Yi chuckled. “Then let me thank you on Xiao Liang’s behalf first.”

Zhi Li’s eyes curved into crescents. “Wei Liang and I are friends! No need to say thank you!”

After handing the gift to Ning Yi, Zhi Li picked up the tray with the strawberry cake and left the kitchen. Ning Yi offered to carry it for her, but Zhi Li shook her head—it wasn’t heavy, and she didn’t want to trouble anyone.

Though the villa had an elevator, Zhi Li usually preferred running up the stairs. But this time, to protect the cake on the tray, she chose to take the elevator.

A maid cleaning nearby noticed Zhi Li and pressed the elevator button for her. When Zhi Li mentioned she was bringing the cake to Jiang Yuexiao, the maid’s expression shifted slightly.

The elevator doors closed.

Out of the corner of her eye, the maid spotted a colleague about to leave and quickly called out to her, whispering, “I just saw Miss Zhi Li. She made a small cake and said she’s taking it to the young master.”

“Really?” the colleague asked in a hushed voice. “The news about the young master not inviting Miss Zhi Li to his birthday party is already spreading online. Do you think he’ll throw her and the cake out?”

The two had spent some time with Zhi Li. Honestly, their impression of her hadn’t been great at first, influenced by Xu Qingying. But hearts soften—who wouldn’t adore a child who always sweetly calls you “big sister”?

Besides, these days, Xu Qingying had been leaving early and returning late, no longer bossing them around as before. Gradually, the resentment in the maids’ hearts had faded.

“Who knows? I’m worried Miss Zhi Li might cry,” the maid said, then added, “What do you mean it’s spreading online? I was just scrolling through my phone and didn’t see anything about it.”

Her colleague shrugged. “It was on the trending list for less than half an hour. Maybe Madam saw it and had it taken down.”

The two exchanged glances and sighed.

Who knew if Madam and the young master would keep clashing? Stuck in the middle, Zhi Li was bound to suffer.

Zhi Li carefully carried the tray as she stepped out of the elevator, walking briskly toward Jiang Yuexiao’s bedroom. Before taking the elevator, she had asked the cleaning lady and learned that her brother’s birthday party had ended an hour ago. He should be resting in his room now.

When she reached the bedroom door, Zhi Li hesitated again. Tilting her head at the door, then looking down at the tray, she muttered worriedly, “What should I do? I don’t have a free hand to knock.”

Glancing around, she spotted some space on the cabinet where vases were usually placed. She decided to set the tray and cake there first before running back to knock on the door. “Brother, are you there?”

*Knock knock knock.*

“Brother?”

Jiang Yuexiao, who had been lying on his bed sulking, was surprised to hear the childish voice. He couldn’t understand why Zhi Li would come at this time.

Yet before he could process it, he had already jumped off the bed, crossed the room in two or three strides, and grabbed the doorknob.

Lightning, who also heard Zhi Li’s voice, rushed over. Seeing his little master hesitating to open the door, the dog anxiously scratched at it with his paws. “Woof! Woof!”

The first bark was a response to the little master outside, while the second urged the little master inside to hurry up.

Jiang Yuexiao gripped the doorknob tightly, his small face flashing with conflict, guilt, and frustration. Even without a mirror, he knew how awkward his expression must look right now.

The saying his teacher once told him—”One burst of energy, then decline, then exhaustion”—perfectly described his attitude toward Zhi Li.

Before returning to the country, he had been determined to drive Xu Qingying and Zhi Li out of the Jiang household. At their first meeting, he had even set Lightning loose to scare Xu Qingying.

But what happened? Lightning immediately defected, practically sticking to Zhi Li like glue, and Zhi Li even thanked him for letting Lightning play with her. When he gave her cold looks during meals, she foolishly kissed his cheek and said she’d wait with him for their dad to come back. When he called her stupid during lessons, she looked at him with wide-eyed admiration. And then there was the birthday party—

Jiang Yuexiao rubbed his nose in frustration.

The last remaining balloon of anger in his heart had been completely deflated by what Zhi Li and Wei Liang said.

How could there be a kid as naive as Zhi Li in the world? She couldn’t recognize hostility, didn’t notice cold shoulders, and even mistook exclusion for thoughtfulness.

Right now, Jiang Yuexiao wasn’t worried about how to kick Zhi Li and Xu Qingying out of the Jiang family. Instead, he was worried that if Xu Qingying divorced his dad and took Zhi Li away, how badly would others bully her out there? She’d probably help count the money after being sold.

And—

No matter how much he didn’t want to admit it, after the birthday party fiasco, he felt too ashamed to face Zhi Li. In the end, it was his fault too.

Seeing that the door still hadn’t opened and recalling Lightning’s barks earlier, Zhi Li asked softly, “Brother, are you asleep?”

The moment she finished speaking, the bedroom door was pulled open from inside.

Jiang Yuexiao stood there in sky-blue loungewear, his short hair messy, his tone still cool. “What do you want?”

“I came to give you your birthday present!” Zhi Li turned around to retrieve the tray from the cabinet, holding it out to him with both hands, beaming. “Brother, happy birthday!”

Jiang Yuexiao’s carefully maintained indifference nearly cracked.

Under the bright lights, Zhi Li smiled brilliantly. Her straight bangs framed a pair of large, dark eyes that curved like crescent moons at night. The corners of her lips lifted slightly, revealing two small dimples that looked even sweeter than the vibrant red strawberries circling the little cake. Even the smudges of flour on her cheeks didn’t seem so silly anymore.

“Woof! Woof! Woof!”

“Th-thank you,” Jiang Yuexiao muttered, his mind still in a daze. Startled by Lightning’s barking, he instinctively stepped aside, letting Zhi Li carry the tray into the room.

Last time, Zhi Li had stayed by the door, but now she got a proper look at Jiang Yuexiao’s bedroom. There was an entire shelf of Gundam models and a Transformers figure over a meter tall by the bed. “Wow!” she exclaimed. “Your room is so cool, Brother!”

Jiang Yuexiao smirked. “This is nothing. I even have a Gundam base.”

As he spoke, his gaze shifted from Zhi Li, who was petting Lightning’s head, to the strawberry cake on the tray. The initial shock of receiving a gift from her had faded, and the cake no longer seemed as dazzling as it first appeared.

“This cake—”

“I learned how to make it from Ning Yi!”

Jiang Yuexiao stopped mid-sentence and took a closer look at the strawberry cake on the tray.

Maybe it was because he had stared at it long enough, but the cake now looked rather charming.

Over the years, Jiang Yuexiao had received countless birthday gifts, but this was the first time someone had given him a homemade cake—especially someone he hadn’t even invited to his birthday party.

Jiang Yuexiao: “…”

Why hadn’t he invited Zhi Li in the first place? As long as he kept his cool, her cuteness wouldn’t be able to crack his icy demeanor.

Zhi Li, however, was eager to watch the preview of *Shining Children* with her mom later that night. After giving Lightning a few more pats, she stood up. “I’m heading back now. See you tomorrow, Brother!”

Though Jiang Yuexiao no longer wanted to kick Zhi Li out of the Jiang household, he still couldn’t think of anything to say to her. With a quiet “Mm,” he escorted her to the door.

Just as he was hesitating over whether to say goodnight, he suddenly noticed Zhi Li leaning in again.

The next second, she planted a loud kiss on his cheek.

“!!!”

Why was this little rascal kissing him again?!

Jiang Yuexiao recalled the morning kiss at the breakfast table and the one she’d given his dad. He couldn’t help but wonder—was Zhi Li trying to melt his icy facade, or was she after his bank card?

Zhi Li beamed. “I finished watching *Boonie Bears*! It was super fun! Thank you, Brother!”

“Don’t thank me. I should be the one—”

Jiang Yuexiao’s face burned. In all his years, he had never apologized to anyone. After struggling for a long moment, he finally muttered a quick, barely audible, “I’m sorry.”

The moment the words left his mouth, he turned and strode back into his room, determined not to let Zhi Li see his embarrassed expression. Over his shoulder, he tossed out, “Wait here.”

Jiang Yuexiao rummaged through his drawers with lightning speed and soon pulled out a bank card. Marching back to the door, he shoved it into Zhi Li’s hands without explanation. “Here. There’s about 200,000 in there. The password is 025631.” His cold front might be unshakable, but handing over a card was easy.

Zhi Li blinked in confusion at the card now in her grasp.

Wow!

Brother gave me money!

Zhi Li seemed to have grown little fluttering wings on her back as she gazed at Jiang Yuexiao with eyes sparkling like dazzling black gemstones. For such a brother who likes me so much, how could just one kiss on his birthday be enough?!

“Thank you, brother!” Zhi Li raised both small hands high, fingertips touching the top of her head, forming an oversized heart toward Jiang Yuexiao, her voice crisp and sweet, “Zhi Li loves you!”

Jiang Yuexiao was struck motionless by this sudden heart gesture.

How could she be this adorable.

This little brat is usually so silly, why does she always unintentionally reveal such cuteness!

He clenched his fists tightly, struggling to maintain his cold expression. After a long pause, he finally managed to squeeze out stiffly, “Don’t just kiss anyone in the future!”

When mentioning “anyone,” Jiang Yuexiao suddenly thought of Wei Liang, who had been sowing discord in front of Zhi Li, and immediately added, “Even if Wei Liang is your friend, you can’t just kiss him.”

“I know!” Zhi Li said cheerfully, “Grandma said I can only kiss family members at home!”

Jiang Yuexiao: “…”

Who—who said we’re family?!

Only after Zhi Li had been gone for a while did Jiang Yuexiao close the door and drag his heavy steps back into the room. After taking two steps, he angrily punched the table, “That little brat can kiss whoever she wants, what does it have to do with me?” That comment earlier definitely wasn’t because he was worried Zhi Li might be tricked by someone in the future!

Jiang Yuexiao had already decided that at home, he would maintain a normal relationship with Zhi Li as plastic siblings in a blended family—keeping a respectful distance. As for anything more like family affection or sibling bonds, that was absolutely impossible. Younger siblings were nothing but trouble, and he didn’t need any of that.

Thinking this, Jiang Yuexiao’s gaze returned to the strawberry cake. After staring at it for several seconds, he silently reached for the fork on the tray.

Comparatively speaking, this sister was slightly cuter than his younger brother abroad—no, much cuter.

Late that night, Jiang Yuexiao’s friends noticed he had posted a picture on his social media—a half-eaten strawberry cake with unevenly layered cake batter, sloppily spread frosting, and haphazardly placed strawberries.

The friend who wore a bow tie—who had been implicated by the blue-shirted friend and thus couldn’t stay at the Jiang family’s Transformer base—burst out laughing at the photo and casually commented: “This cake is so ugly hahahahahaha.”

After commenting, he opened the chat window to message Jiang Yuexiao privately and ask why the Jiang family’s chef would make such an ugly cake, only to receive a system notification: [You are no longer friends with this user—]

Bow Tie Friend: “???”

Bow Tie Friend: “!!!”

——

The next day, Saturday.

Wei Liang woke up and had just stepped out of his bedroom when he suddenly froze.

On the dining table, as in previous birthdays, there was a bowl of noodles with a poached egg and shrimp clams, accompanied by gifts. But there were also details different from before.

Beside the noodle bowl was an additional mango cake, and there was one more gift box than usual.

Wei Liang walked slowly to the table, staring at the cake with shimmering eyes. Next to the cake was a note in familiar handwriting.

[Son, happy birthday.]

[Mom and Dad went to work first. You can eat whichever you prefer between the cake and noodles—don’t bury yourself in studying today since it’s your birthday. The bag on the table holds the birthday gifts Mom and Dad bought for you, and the gift in the box is from Zhi Li.]

[Mom has to apologize to you. If I hadn’t taught Zhi Li how to bake a cake yesterday, I wouldn’t have thought to ask whether you’d prefer cake or noodles for your birthday. From now on, Mom will make both for you.]

Wei Liang silently reread the note several times, wiping his eyes before sitting down at the table. The first thing he did was take a fork and eat a piece of the cake.

He didn’t actually have much of a sweet tooth, but he had always wanted to eat cake on his birthday—not a slice from Jiang Yuexiao’s birthday cake, nor the usual desserts, but a cake made just for him.

Sometimes, Wei Liang thought he was being overly sentimental. He harbored these thoughts but never breathed a word to his mother, stubbornly waiting for her to make him a cake on her own.

By the time he finished the entire cake, Wei Liang felt a lump in his throat, filled with guilt toward both his mother and Zhi Li.

He had always felt somewhat inferior in the Jiang household, even believing that Jiang Yuexiao looked down on him.

Later, his unhappiness over something as trivial as a birthday cake led him to vent his emotions on everyone in the Jiang family—and then on Zhi Li.

He had even secretly hoped that Zhi Li and Jiang Yuexiao would clash, but if they did, Zhi Li would undoubtedly be the one to suffer.

Wei Liang rubbed his eyes hard, suppressing his tears, and reached for the gift box on the table.

Inside was a Lego set.

There was also a pink note in the box, written in childish handwriting: *Happy birthday, Wei Liang gege!*

Clutching the note tightly, Wei Liang remembered that today Zhi Li, Xu Qingying, and Jiang Yuexiao were leaving to film the show. He couldn’t bring himself to finish the birthday noodles and hurriedly ran outside.

If Jiang Yuexiao bullied Zhi Li on camera, netizens would surely criticize her again, just like yesterday.

——

At 7:30 a.m., the *Shining Children* livestream started half an hour earlier than scheduled. By then, the crew had already arrived at the homes of all four participating families, aiming to catch them off guard for a surprise broadcast.

The livestream was divided into four smaller feeds, allowing viewers to choose which family to watch.

Thanks to the heated online debate about the birthday party exclusion incident, the *Xu Qingying & Zhi Li & Jiang Yuexiao* livestream had far more viewers than the other three, firmly holding the top spot on the homepage. Anyone opening Qing Lemon TV at that moment would see it immediately.

[Anyone else here just to spectate? Xu Qingying’s stepson is about to appear—I just want to see how he puts her in her place, lol.]

[Maybe not “put in her place,” but he’ll definitely throw shade. This kid doesn’t even bother pretending to be polite.]

[New here—what’s the deal with the politeness act?]

[At his birthday party at home, Xu Qingying’s stepson got all his friends to exclude and isolate Zhi Li, lol. Either he really hates Xu Qingying, or he really hates Xu Qingying *and* Zhi Li is super unlikable!]

While netizens were busy discussing in the livestream, the crew assigned to the Jiang family was led inside the villa by the household staff.

As the live broadcast continued, more and more of the interior was revealed to the viewers in the stream.

The uniformly dressed servants were all highly trained, and even when they noticed the camera, they didn’t let it interfere with their work.

However, as they got closer to the reception hall, the expressions of the production crew and the live audience grew increasingly peculiar.

And for good reason.

Why on earth were they hearing such ear-piercing, screeching sounds in this understated yet luxurious, high-end villa?!

The sharp, grating sounds of strings being pulled were like nails scraping across marble—relentlessly raising goosebumps all over your body before shifting angles to scrape some more!

The most baffling part was that all the Jiang family servants they passed along the way remained completely unfazed, making their own reactions seem overly dramatic in comparison.

If the servants could hear the director’s internal wails of despair, they would surely tell him enviously, “You should be grateful—at least you don’t have to listen to Miss Zhi Li playing the suona all over the yard.”

Of course, there were benefits to Miss Zhi Li’s suona performances. All the listeners received compensation from the madam—a five-figure subsidy for every hour spent listening and sincerely praising her with rainbow farts!

Under the relentless assault of these demonic sounds, the director finally met the master of the Jiang household. However, it wasn’t Xu Qingying, Zhi Li, or Jiang Yuexiao, who were participating in the show, but rather the Jiang family matriarch, Song Yin.

Song Yin sat on the sofa in the reception room, a foreign-language book resting on her lap. Despite the sharp screeching of the violin surrounding her, she remained unfazed as she flipped through the pages. When she noticed the director and the production crew, she merely remarked coolly, “You’re early.” Her tone, devoid of emotion, was eerily reminiscent of a stern professor calling roll in a classroom.

“Uh…” The director sat down on a nearby sofa, clutching the teacup handed to him by a servant, and replied cautiously, “We arrived half an hour earlier than scheduled. Apologies for disturbing you.”

He wasn’t sure why Song Yin intimidated him so much. Perhaps it was because she reminded him of his high school disciplinary dean—a shadow that loomed over his student days.

[Damn, I switched to another livestream for a few minutes, and it’s still going?]  

[After listening for ages, I just realized that’s supposed to be a violin…]  

[I bet it’s Jiang Yuexiao playing.]  

[Same. Last time, the butler mentioned that Charlie Hoffman, the piano teacher, never scolds anyone, but he also said Jiang Yuexiao has zero musical talent. Still, I never expected his sense of rhythm to be this bad!]  

[Look at the grandma sitting there like a rock. Only a doting grandmother could tolerate this.]  

[Of course she spoils her grandson—he’s the real deal, not some tag-along.]

Just as this comment appeared in the livestream, a little boy burst into the frame.  

Around eight years old, tall and lean, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, he had short, slightly brown hair and was dressed in a sleek, all-black riding outfit. His presence alone was striking.  

Even without an introduction from the production team, viewers instantly recognized him—Xu Qingying’s stepson, Jiang Yuexiao!  

Song Yin glanced at Jiang Yuexiao’s damp hair, recalling how he had rushed in, and remarked indifferently, “So reckless. Go upstairs and clean up.”  

Jiang Yuexiao tugged off his gloves, shot a glance at the director, who kept staring at him, and asked in an even colder tone than Song Yin’s, “Do you need something?”  

“N-No, nothing!” The director hadn’t expected to be intimidated by an eight-year-old’s aura and quickly explained, “We just arrived early. No need to rush.”  

Jiang Yuexiao looked at him, then at the camera, irritably ruffled his hair, and stomped upstairs.  

Why had he been so stupid as to agree to join this parent-child variety show with Xu Qingying? What a pain.  

If he ended up targeting Xu Qingying during the show, that little fool Zhi Li would probably cry—and then the strawberry cupcake he’d eaten would churn in his stomach until it ached.  

Jiang Yuexiao lightly smacked his own lips.  

Stupid cake. Was it really worth it?  

Though Jiang Yuexiao had disappeared from the camera, the livestream viewers were still buzzing excitedly.

[“Isn’t this my future son-in-law?!”  

“Aaaaaah this little boy has the aura of a mini CEO!”  

“I never thought I’d be charmed by an eight-year-old taking off gloves so stylishly!”  

Netizens struck by the handsome child screamed in the bullet comments for ages, while the ear-piercing sound in the livestream looped endlessly as if echoing their excitement.  

Then, the viewers suddenly realized something horrifying.  

“Jiang Yuexiao has already appeared, so why am I still hearing this ear-piercing sound???”  

“Could it be… there was never any demonic sound? Look, the entire Jiang family is acting like they can’t hear it!!!”  

Other netizens: …  

Thanks, that’s straight out of a horror story.  

A few minutes later, the sound tormenting the entire livestream audience finally stopped.  

Soon, they saw a little girl in a white T-shirt and yellow overalls rushing down the stairs, her twin ponytails bouncing wildly.  

As she leaped off the last step, she dashed toward Song Yin in front of the sofa with even more recklessness than Jiang Yuexiao.  

Song Yin was about to scold Zhi Li for running down so carelessly—lest she trip and fall—but Zhi Li beat her to it.  

Cheeks flushed, Zhi Li excitedly reported her progress to Song Yin, “Grandma! The teacher just said I played two notes correctly! Am I super amazing?”  

Grandma had spent so much money on her lessons—she had to make sure Grandma knew she was improving and that the money wasn’t wasted!  

Zhi Li was also a little proud.  

The teacher had said the violin was really hard, and getting two notes right was already impressive. She’d done something so great, she had to share it with the family who loved her—so she’d already told her mom before running downstairs!  

Song Yin’s fingers, flipping through a book, paused slightly.  

Over the past week, Song Yin hadn’t paid much attention to Zhi Li’s other lessons, but after piano, suona, and saxophone, she could at least tell that Zhi Li had no talent for instruments. Getting two notes right this time must have been genuinely difficult for her.  

Their family wasn’t the type to praise children unprompted, but since Zhi Li had asked, Song Yin saw no reason to be harsh about musical skills.  

So, swallowing her initial reprimand, she replied flatly, “Amazing.”  

Zhi Li beamed at the response. “I’ll be even more amazing next time!”  

Livestream viewers: ???  

Had they misheard? Did Zhi Li say she played two notes wrong, not right? Or had their ears deteriorated to the point of misjudging music?  

After a long silence, a netizen murmured in the chat—  

“So this is what Grandma meant by ‘not treating them equally.'”]