August 6th was Jiang Zheng’s birthday. He was about to turn eighteen.

Yu Qian’s birthday was on January 23rd, and she had just celebrated her seventeenth birthday before the Lunar New Year.

Eighteen was a special age. It marked the transition from a minor to an adult, meaning one could finally bear criminal responsibility!

For wealthy families, their children’s coming of age was a grand event. Lin Niannian and Bai Qiming both had banquets for their eighteenth birthdays, and as the eldest son of the Jiang family, Jiang Zheng was no exception.

Yu Qian had nothing to do these days and was quite excited about Jiang Zheng’s upcoming birthday party.

To prepare for his birthday, she even spent some time thinking about the perfect gift. She had consulted Wang Jiajia and the others about it.

Their suggestions were wildly imaginative— ranging from computer keyboards to razors and even ashtrays. Fang Yan even proposed giving him a belt, which Yu Qian firmly rejected.

After much deliberation, she hesitated between shoes and a wallet. In the end, she chose shoes, since mobile payments were the norm now, and people rarely carried wallets anymore.

So…… Yu Qian spent over 30,000 yuan on a pair of shoes from Jiang Zheng’s favorite brand.

When she made the payment, her heart bled. Though she wasn’t short on money, she had never imagined herself spending over 30,000 yuan on a single pair of shoes.

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On Jiang Zheng’s birthday, Yu Qian handed him the shoes.

Jiang Zheng accepted the gift with a look of surprise and delight. He wanted to open it immediately, but since he was still greeting guests, he had no choice but to put the present away in his room first.

Yu Qian was dragged by Lin Niannian to eat some small cakes. As she looked around at the impeccably dressed elites from various industries, she couldn’t help but marvel at the sight. So this was what a capitalist gathering looked like.

After Jiang Zheng put the shoes away, he came straight downstairs and instantly spotted Yu Qian sitting at the dining table. He strode over, just about to speak to her, when a sudden female voice interrupted.

“Brother Jiang Zheng, happy birthday.” A girl in a light blue dress, looking bright and charming, spoke in a sweet voice.

Jiang Zheng turned to see who it was, his brows furrowing slightly. However, given the occasion, he couldn’t be too rude and could only respond politely, “Thank you.”

The girl didn’t seem to mind his indifference. She took two steps forward and reached out as if to pull Jiang Zheng’s arm. “Brother Jiang Zheng, I haven’t seen you in so long. Talk to me for a bit, okay?”

Jiang Zheng stepped back, avoiding her hand. “Sorry, I’m busy right now.”

Yu Qian watched the scene with curiosity. Lin Niannian leaned in and whispered, “That girl’s name is Su Qi. She’s the daughter of one of the Jiang family’s business partners. She used to cling to Jiang Zheng all the time, but her family moved to Nan City two years ago.”

Yu Qian suddenly understood. No wonder she had never seen the other party before.

Jiang Zheng was already getting annoyed with Su Qi’s persistence. Her constant ‘Brother Jiang Zheng’ was grating on his nerves. Impatiently, he said, “Su Qi, I told you before— don’t call me Brother^[1]Gege. I don’t have a younger sister. If you keep calling me that, people might think you’re about to lay eggs.”

As soon as he said that, not only did Su Qi look utterly devastated, but even Yu Qian, who had been enjoying the drama, felt personally attacked.

Which bastard was it that always insisted she call him Brother before?!

Su Qi looked on the verge of tears, appearing pitiful, but Jiang Zheng had no intention of comforting her. Seeing that she was still trying to get closer, he even twisted the knife a little deeper. “Also, could you go fix your makeup? It’s smudged. You look like a ghost.”

Su Qi’s eyes widened in horror. Upon hearing that her makeup was ruined, she finally abandoned Jiang Zheng and rushed to the restroom to fix it.

Jiang Zheng let out a sigh of relief, his usual smile returning to his face. Just as he turned to talk to Yu Qian, he noticed her staring at him with a strange expression.

“Little Fish, what’s wrong?”

Yu Qian gave him a once-over. Instinctively, Jiang Zheng straightened his posture, standing tall as her gaze swept over him.

“I didn’t realize ‘Brother’ Jiang Zheng was so popular.” Yu Qian deliberately emphasized the word Brother.

Unfortunately, Jiang Zheng completely missed the sarcasm. By the time her words reached his ears, they had already transformed into a single conclusion— she was jealous.

Thinking that, the corners of his lips curled up unconsciously, his peach blossom eyes sparkling under the lights.

“Su Qi is just the daughter of a business partner. She’s always been like that. She likes good-looking guys. She even used to pester Ah Ming before.”

In his mind, this explanation not only made it clear that he wasn’t interested in Su Qi, but also subtly highlighted his own attractiveness.

As for Bai Qiming, whom he had just thrown under the bus…… well, that wasn’t his problem.

Yu Qian, watching Jiang Zheng’s smug expression, was left speechless.

After chatting for a bit longer, Jiang Zheng was called away by his father to greet the elders.

Yu Qian and Lin Niannian, meanwhile, retreated to a corner and continued eating cake.

Lin Niannian was a picky eater who didn’t like proper meals, but she adored desserts. As the two ate, they noticed a little boy standing nearby, staring at them intently.

“Xiao Yi, do you want some cake?” Yu Qian raised her cake slightly and called out to the little boy. This was Jiang Zheng’s younger brother, and she had met him a few times before.

Jiang Yi shook his head and walked over with a very serious expression. “Sister Qianqian, Sister Niannian, you two are eating too much. I can see your little bellies.”

Yu Qian: “……”

Lin Niannian: “……”

What did a five-year-old know about bellies?!

It turned out he knew quite a bit.

Influenced by Mother Jiang’s daily beauty and fitness talk, Jiang Yi believed that all girls wanted to be slim and beautiful. So when he saw Yu Qian and Lin Niannian eating cake so unreservedly, he couldn’t help but remind them.

Under Jiang Yi’s scrutinizing gaze, both girls instinctively straightened their backs and sucked in their stomachs.

Then…… Jiang Yi’s expression became even more peculiar.

He stared at them in amazement. “Wow…… Sister Qianqian, Sister Niannian, you know magic! Your little bellies disappeared! Can you use magic on my mom too? That way, she won’t have to keep eating while complaining about dieting.”

Yu Qian and Lin Niannian: “……”

How were they supposed to respond to that?

Noticing the gap in Jiang Yi’s teeth, Yu Qian quickly changed the subject, “Xiao Yi, you lost a tooth?”

Jiang Yi nodded obediently. “Mm, I got it pulled out the day before yesterday.”

Yu Qian asked, “Did it hurt?”

Jiang Yi hesitated. “Mom threw the tooth away, so I don’t know if it hurt or not.”

Yu Qian: “……” The heck?

Lin Niannian: “Hahahaha.”

Lin Niannian was so amused that she covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking with laughter.