“Hello, Uncle Wu, I’m Yun Pei.” Even though Uncle Wu was just a butler, Yun Pei politely greeted him as an elder.

“Hello, Young Master Yun Pei.” Uncle Wu smiled kindly, discreetly observing Yun Pei without drawing attention to his legs, which might make the boy uncomfortable.

Uncle Wu had overheard conversations between Madam and the young master a few times, and today, Madam had specifically mentioned that a guest would be arriving. Uncle Wu knew that this quiet boy was someone the young master liked, so he couldn’t help but take a closer look.

After the introductions were made, Qin Mingyuan handed the painting to Uncle Wu to hold and then leaned into the car to gently lift Yun Pei into the wheelchair.

Uncle Wu, holding the painting, watched with a satisfied expression as the young master carefully tended to Yun Pei. That’s how one should treat someone they like—with such attentiveness.

Yun Pei was already used to being carried by Qin Mingyuan in and out of cars, but this time, with someone watching, especially someone who had worked with Qin Mingyuan for years, he felt a little embarrassed. His ears turned red under Uncle Wu’s warm gaze.

Seeing Yun Pei shrink back like a shy little mimosa, Qin Mingyuan’s lips curled into a faint smile. The smile didn’t last long on his face, though, fading into his usual calm.

As the three of them walked towards the villa, passing through the garden, Qin Mingyuan gestured towards a spot. “The picture I took for you before was right here.”

Yun Pei remembered—the one of the gardenia flowers. Unfortunately, the flowers had already fallen, so he couldn’t see them now.

But on the other side of the garden, the Endless Summer hydrangeas and hydrangea macrophylla were in full bloom, large clusters of blue, pink, and purple catching the eye.

“Want to take some photos?” Qin Mingyuan asked, noticing where Yun Pei’s gaze had fallen. As a painter, Yun Pei was often drawn to beautiful things, especially such vibrant colors.

“Won’t you feel too hot?” Yun Pei asked, looking up at him. He squinted slightly under the strong light. Although the sun was still relatively gentle, it was summer, and it was never truly cool.

Qin Mingyuan took a step forward, using his shadow to block the sun from Yun Pei. He shook his head. “Taking photos won’t take long. Uncle Wu, please take the painting inside.”

Uncle Wu, understanding, quietly left, planning to prepare some chilled fruit for them to cool off later.

“Speaking of which, in the videos you uploaded after that, I didn’t see any gardenias,” Qin Mingyuan noted. He had checked and noticed that despite many new videos, the gardenia one wasn’t among them. “Didn’t you paint it?”

“I did.” Yun Pei followed him over to the flower bushes. “I just didn’t record a video.”

He wasn’t sure why, but that time, he had simply painted without filming, and afterward, he had felt inexplicably good.

Qin Mingyuan looked down as Yun Pei reached out to touch the blue and pink flower clusters. “That’s a shame. Maybe I’ll get to see the original sometime?”

Yun Pei turned and met his gaze. The man’s face was in shadow, but Yun Pei could feel a soft expression in his eyes. He nodded lightly. “Of course.”

The bright, vivid colors of the flowers beside them, combined with the intense summer light, didn’t make Qin Mingyuan feel irritable. The serene look on Yun Pei’s face made him reach out, gently brushing his hair, as if he was smoothing something away. “I’ll take a picture for you.”

The spot where Qin Mingyuan had touched tingled, and Yun Pei resisted the urge to touch it himself. When Qin Mingyuan stepped back and took out his phone, the words “I just want to take pictures of the flowers” that Yun Pei had been about to say, were swallowed back down.

“Move back a bit,” Qin Mingyuan instructed, pointing to a spot further from the flowers. He raised his phone, framing Yun Pei in the shot.

It had been a long time since Yun Pei had taken a photo. Feeling a bit stiff, he obediently wheeled himself back until his hand brushed against a flower cluster. He instinctively looked down, and just then, click—another picture was taken.

The young man was nestled among the vibrant blossoms, with the blazing sunlight pouring over him. There was no need to worry about framing or angles—every shot was naturally perfect.

“I was wondering why you two were taking so long to come inside, and it turns out you were hiding here taking pictures.”

Zeng Lianyi appeared, wearing a white dress that draped elegantly, looking very comfortable. Her skin glowed in the sunlight, making it hard to believe she was in her fifties. She could easily pass for thirty.

Teasing them with a smile, she quickly jogged over to Yun Pei, leaned over, and grabbed his wheelchair. “Come on, let’s take a picture together, Xiao Pei!”

Yun Pei was momentarily startled by her sudden appearance. As she leaned in, the faint scent of her perfume mixed with the flowers, strangely reminding him of the scent his mother used to wear—a memory from long ago.

He spaced out for a moment but quickly composed himself, turning toward the camera and offering a rare, soft smile.

When Qin Mingyuan finally said, “All done,” and put down the phone, Zeng Lianyi immediately took it to check the photos, nodding with satisfaction. Then, with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, she elbowed her son. “Now it’s your turn. I’ll take one of you two together.”

“I think I’ll pass,” Qin Mingyuan said, not particularly fond of having his picture taken, which is why he rarely appeared in interviews.

“No way! It’s your birthday; you have to take at least one picture!” Zeng Lianyi insisted, pushing him lightly with one hand while holding the phone with the other.

Reluctantly, Qin Mingyuan walked over to stand next to Yun Pei. Wasn’t it his birthday? Shouldn’t things go according to his wishes? Why was everything being arranged from the moment he woke up?

As Qin Mingyuan slowly walked toward him in the golden sunlight, Yun Pei suddenly felt a wave of nervousness. He clenched his fingers and lowered his gaze, feeling as if the brightness of the man approaching was almost too much to bear.

Once he reached the wheelchair, Qin Mingyuan stood there, hands in his pockets, expressionless, facing the camera. Even the nearby flowers seemed to shrink under his imposing presence.

Zeng Lianyi wasn’t satisfied with this. She looked from the phone screen to her son. “Sweetheart, could you stop looking like you’re about to discuss a business deal? Get closer to Xiao Pei, like how I did.”

Hearing her words, Qin Mingyuan glanced down at Yun Pei. From this angle, all he could see was the top of his head. After a moment of thought, he didn’t bend down but crouched directly beside the wheelchair.

Yun Pei, surprised, looked over. Aside from when they were sitting, this was the first time they had been at eye level, and so close.

Zeng Lianyi, still not completely satisfied, gave them more instructions with a playful grin. “Get even closer. You two are too far apart. Maybe tilt your head a little, sweetheart, or rest your hand on Xiao Pei’s wheelchair, like I did.”

Qin Mingyuan instinctively placed his hand on the wheelchair’s armrest, but instead of cold metal or leather, he felt the smooth, cool touch of a hand. He paused.

Yun Pei froze as well. He had meant to pull his hand back after hearing Auntie Zeng’s suggestion, but before he could, it was covered by a warm, firm hand. His fingers stiffened.

“Yes, yes, just like that! Holding hands looks even better, makes you two seem closer. Don’t move,” Zeng Lianyi exclaimed as she rapidly pressed the shutter button.

What had initially been an accident could’ve been quickly resolved, but now, pulling away would seem awkward, as if they were too self-conscious.

After all, they had held hands before, so Qin Mingyuan decided to just go with it. He curled his fingers, fully grasping Yun Pei’s cool hand. The contrast of temperatures felt quite nice in his warm palm.

Even though Yun Pei had been held like this for a long time that night, he thought he had gotten used to it. But being held again made him stiffen up. He glanced at the man, who seemed calm, and pursed his lips. Maybe it was because the man was much more alert now.

Zeng Lianyi, thoroughly enjoying the sight of the two hand-in-hand amidst the flowers, couldn’t help but smile widely. She continued snapping pictures, trying out various angles until she had worked up a sweat.

“Alright, alright, these came out great! Let’s head inside now, the sun is too strong. We don’t want to get overheated.”

After playing the role of impromptu models, both Yun Pei and Qin Mingyuan were relieved.

Qin Mingyuan stood up and naturally grabbed the wheelchair’s handles, pushing Yun Pei toward the villa.

Yun Pei lowered his head slightly, pulling back his hand and curling his fingers.

Bang! Bang!

“Happy birthday!”

As soon as they stepped inside, confetti burst out from above, scattering over their heads and clothes. Even Yun Pei, who was being pushed by Qin Mingyuan, was buried under the colorful rain of confetti. Zeng Lianyi spread her arms wide, beaming. “Surprised? Wasn’t expecting that, huh?”

Qin Pei stood beside her, expressionless, holding the empty confetti popper, clearly forced to participate. Along with him, there were Uncle Wu and a few servants.

Brushing the confetti off his shoulder, Qin Mingyuan asked calmly, “Didn’t you say we’d celebrate tonight?”

“Today’s your birthday, so we’re celebrating all day long! Don’t worry, there’ll be more fun tonight!” Zeng Lianyi was clearly having the time of her life.

But Qin Mingyuan wasn’t as thrilled. He didn’t want to spend the entire day on high alert, fearing confetti would rain down every time he opened a door.

He sighed inwardly, lowering his gaze and deciding not to dampen their fun. If it meant making the villa lively for a day, then so be it.

As his eyes fell, he noticed some confetti stuck in Yun Pei’s hair. Without thinking, he reached out and carefully picked it out, his fingers brushing through the soft strands.

Feeling the touch on his head, Yun Pei stiffened, lowering his gaze, too embarrassed to look at anyone else.

Zeng Lianyi watched the scene with great satisfaction. She snuggled closer to her husband, resting her head on his shoulder, feeling utterly content.

Uncle Wu and the servants quietly left, heading to the kitchen to oversee lunch preparations, leaving the space for the family.

Yun Pei changed into a pair of slippers that had been prepared for him, following them to the sofa. On the coffee table, two fruit platters rested atop a bed of ice.

“Xiao Pei, you haven’t met your Uncle Qin yet. Come on, introduce yourselves.” Zeng Lianyi placed a hand on her husband’s arm and gave it a gentle pat.

“Hello,” Qin Pei greeted, his face as cold as ever.

With an expression almost identical to Qin Mingyuan’s, Yun Pei didn’t know what to say, so he simply greeted him as he usually would. “Hello, Uncle Qin.”

Zeng Lianyi watched the two, one with a cold expression, the other with a calm demeanor, and couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. She waved her hand. “Alright, alright, let’s eat some fruit.”

She picked up a strawberry with a fruit fork and handed it to Yun Pei. “Try this, it’s homegrown.”

Yun Pei quickly took it. The strawberry was large, too big to eat in one bite, so he took a small bite. The chilled fruit was cool and sweet, refreshing in the summer heat. “It’s delicious.”

“Good! If you like it, I’ll pack a couple of boxes for you to take home.” Zeng Lianyi happily popped a strawberry into her own mouth, nodding in approval.

Qin Mingyuan wasn’t particularly fond of strawberries, so he picked up a neatly cubed piece of watermelon instead. The moment he bit into it, sweet juice flowed into his mouth, quenching the thirst from being outside for so long.

Since the accident years ago, Yun Pei’s body had been weak, with a tendency toward coldness. Though the chilled fruit was refreshing, he couldn’t eat too much. After a few strawberries and two pieces of watermelon, he stopped.

Once the heat from outside had dissipated, the air conditioning in the villa started to feel a bit too cold for him, and he subconsciously wrapped his arms around himself for warmth.

Noticing this, Qin Mingyuan silently stood up and walked out of the room. The others assumed he was just heading to the bathroom and didn’t ask.