Since Yan Sui had already showered earlier, he only needed to rinse himself off while washing Meng Ting. He carried the freshly bathed and fragrant Meng Ting back to bed, dried him off, and even dressed him in thick, comfortable loungewear—Yan Sui himself wore a matching set.
“Aren’t we going to sleep?” Meng Ting tilted his head, asking Yan Sui, his eyes gradually brightening. He still didn’t know what gift Yan Sui was going to give him, but he was incredibly happy. When he was happy, he smiled more and loved kissing Yan Sui even more.
With two quick ‘mwah’ sounds, he kissed Yan Sui’s exposed stomach twice before Yan Sui could cover it with his clothes. Feeling unsatisfied, he reached out and stroked it a couple more times before letting Yan Sui finish dressing.
Meng Ting muttered, “It’s firm, but still nice to touch.”
After muttering, he laughed first, poking Yan Sui, who was suppressing a smile. “I meant the muscles on your stomach!” He definitely wasn’t thinking anything indecent.
“It only feels comfortable when Ting Ting touches it,” Yan Sui bent down and kissed Meng Ting’s eyelids, then carried him to the windowsill. It was too cold in winter, so the windows naturally couldn’t be opened, but turning off the indoor lights and opening the curtains still wouldn’t affect the view.
Held snugly in Yan Sui’s arms, Meng Ting felt warm all over. He leaned forward, peering carefully outside, but apart from the lights in the Xiao family’s courtyard, he couldn’t see anything else.
“What are we doing?”
Yan Sui turned to fetch a chair. He sat down, and Meng Ting settled onto his lap. Just as they got comfortable, a dazzling firework bloomed in the dark night sky outside the window.
Meng Ting turned to look, then couldn’t tear his eyes away as one after another, the fireworks lit up the sky, breathtakingly beautiful.
“Is this your gift to me?”
“Yes. You like flowers, and fireworks can arguably count as flowers too,” Yan Sui watched Meng Ting’s expression closely. The fireworks outside reflected on his face and in his eyes, revealing a joyful smile. Yan Sui’s anxious heart relaxed slightly.
“Come, let’s go to the attic to keep watching.”
Meng Ting’s room led directly to a small attic on the top floor, where all the gifts Ning Zhou and others had given Meng Ting over the years were stored. But when the surrounding panels were lowered, the attic offered a panoramic view of Beicheng’s nightscape.
Yan Sui had done his homework to prepare the perfect gift for Meng Ting. He pressed a switch in the room, and the entrance to the attic opened, with a small ladder descending.
Yan Sui led Meng Ting carefully up to the attic, while outside the window, the fireworks continued unabated—not just at the Xiao residence, but also in numerous squares across Beicheng and Haicheng. These fireworks were custom-ordered at a high price, featuring not only a variety of colorful blossoms but also occasional bursts of two small animal shapes.
“Are those swallows?” Meng Ting squinted for a long time before finally confirming. He remained nestled in Yan Sui’s embrace, a gentle smile never fading from his face.
“Mm,” Yan Sui nodded. He also looked around, then pointed. ” those are dragonflies. Can you tell?”
“Ah, so the swallow[mfn]燕子 (yàn zi): swallow (bird). T/N: The 燕 (yàn) in 燕子 (yàn zi) sounds similar to the Yan 晏 (Yàn) in Yan Sui’s name 晏睢 (Yàn Suī).[/mfn] is you, and the dragonfly[mfn]蜻蜓 (qīng tíng): dragonfly. T/N: The 蜻 (tíng) in 蜻蜓 (qīng tíng) sounds similar to the Ting 渟 (Tíng) in Meng Ting’s name 孟渟 (Mèng Tíng).[/mfn] is me?”
“Yes,” Yan Sui nodded, his earlobes turning slightly red. The models for the swallow and dragonfly had been hand-drawn by Yan Sui himself. He went through countless drafts before finally settling on these two.
“So cute,” Meng Ting nodded, then turned to glance at Yan Sui before adding with even more certainty, “You’re cuter.”
“Yan Sui, I love it so much.”
“Mm, that’s good,” Yan Sui replied, then lowered his head to kiss Meng Ting’s hair. After that, they fell silent, simply watching the nearly hour-long firework display together. From the closest bursts to the distant ones, as if they were adrift in a sea of sparks.
Downstairs, even Old Master Xiao had stepped out to admire the display for a good while. He pursed his lips, seemingly torn between disdain and admiration. “That kid actually had a romantic bone in him.”
Even Xiao Huimin earned a round of teasing from Ning Zhou, though after her mockery, she too couldn’t help but marvel at the bond between Yan Sui and Meng Ting.
“It really is fate.”
***
The next day, neither Meng Ting nor Yan Sui woke up early. Ning Zhou also instructed everyone not to disturb them, and they slept in until eight o’clock.
Yan Sui had woken earlier. By the time Meng Ting stirred, he had already finished washing up. As Meng Ting went to brush his teeth and wash his face, Yan Sui tidied their bed.
But before Meng Ting could even remove the towel from his face, he felt a sudden coolness around his neck. He lowered the towel and looked down to find a men’s necklace—one whose pendant he recognized instantly. It was the same swallow and dragonfly he’d seen countless times the night before.
A black swallow, a white dragonfly, swaying gently as if sharing a kiss.
Meng Ting examined it closely, then reached out to touch it. Only then did he look up at Yan Sui. He didn’t question why he hadn’t found it yesterday. He leaned against Yan Sui, tilted his chin up, and gave Yan Sui a wet kiss first.
Meng Ting examined it closely, running his fingers over it before lifting his gaze to Yan Sui. He didn’t bother asking why he hadn’t found it yesterday. Instead, he leaned into Yan Sui, tilting his chin up to press a damp kiss to his lips first.
“Yan Sui, I love it so much. And I love you—so, so much.”
After the kiss, Meng Ting alsodidn’t forget to confess his feelings to Yan Sui. If he didn’t say it, he feared Yan Sui wouldn’t understand the joy in his heart.
“Ting Ting, I love you.” Yan Sui gently kissed Meng Ting’s forehead, reassuring Meng Ting of his own feelings.
The sweet couple came downstairs for breakfast. Meng Ting kept the necklace tucked securely under his clothes, unwilling to let anyone else see the gift Yan Sui had given him. According to Meng Ting, last night’s fireworks had been shared with people in two cities, but this gift could not be. It was from Yan Sui for him, exclusively his.
“What’s that you’re hiding, treating it like such a treasure?”
Old Master Xiao was clearly no match for Meng Ting in verbal sparring, yet he insisted on seeking Meng Ting out for conversation, refusing to admit he couldn’t win against him.
“Yan Sui gave this to me. I won’t show it to anyone—not even you.”
With those words, Meng Ting cut off any room for negotiation. Of course, in his mind, Meng Ting felt he was simply stating the truth.
“Alright, stop teasing Ting Ting. Come have breakfast,” Xiao Huimin interrupted the bickering grandfather and grandson as he brought the longevity noodles to the table. Of course, Xiao Huimin’s partiality was quite obvious.
“Oh, you haven’t eaten yet? Then Grandpa, come quickly and eat. It’s not good to stay hungry.” Meng Ting had assumed Old Master Xiao and Xiao Huimin had already eaten, not realizing they had waited for him and Yan Sui.
“Hmph,” Old Master Xiao hummed, or perhaps grunted; Meng Ting couldn’t quite tell. He just took it as Old Master Xiao’s agreement, then went over to help him to the dining table. Old Master Xiao’s expression didn’t change much, but he didn’t refuse Meng Ting’s assistance.
“Nuo Nuo, happy birthday. Mommy loves you.” Ning Zhou personally placed a bowl of noodles in front of Meng Ting, then leaned down to plant a kiss on his forehead, speaking softly.
“Thank you, Mom,” Meng Ting couldn’t help but raise his hand to touch his forehead. This was the first time someone other than Yan Sui had kissed him—and that someone was his mother. The feeling was completely different, very special, but definitely not unpleasant.
Yan Sui raised his hand to ruffle Meng Ting’s hair. Meng Ting sat properly, then buried his head in his noodles.
“It’s really delicious! Thank you, Mom!”
“Your dad made it for you,” Ning Zhou chuckled, casting a glance at the slightly embarrassed Xiao Huimin.
“Thank you, Dad. It’s really good.” Meng Ting immediately turned to Xiao Huimin, offering him a bright, unreserved smile.
“As long as Nuo Nuo likes it,” Xiao Huiman replied with a smile, then looked at Yan Sui. “Yan Sui, eat more too.”
“Yes, Dad.” Yan Sui also responded. Xiao Huimin had cooked a generous amount, and everyone ate until they were full. In the end, Meng Ting finished everything, leaving nothing to waste.
Xiao Huimin’s sense of accomplishment surged. He said happily, “From now on, whenever Nuo Nuo comes back, I’ll cook for you.”
“Okay!” Meng Ting nodded in agreement. At home, Yan Sui made noodles for him, and at their Beicheng home, Xiao Huimin did the same. Just thinking about it makes him feel especially happy.
Meng Ting’s joy and happiness were simple and sincere, infectious in their purity. Since his arrival, the house had been filled with laughter—even Old Master Xiao would quietly chuckle when no one was looking.
However, from morning till night that day, Meng Ting and Yan Sui were kept busy. First, there were the ancestral rituals, followed by conversations with some of the elderly members of the clan, and then the steady stream of friends visiting to celebrate with Ning Zhou and Xiao Huimin.
Around two in the afternoon, Yan Yu and He Yue arrived, along with Yan Manjia, Zhen Han, and even Gu Li. Not only that, but Gu Lang and Zhong Ming also came as Meng Ting’s friends.
“Yan Lao Da, that’s not fair. I was almost asleep, and you made me watch fireworks with you for an hour…”
Yan Sui seemed determined to have the whole world celebrate Meng Ting’s birthday with them, and admittedly, the fireworks were indeed spectacular—especially on a winter night, evoking a festive New Year’s atmosphere.
“What nonsense are you talking about? You’d fall asleep at that time? Don’t tell me it interrupted something good…”
Teasing voices continued, and Meng Ting also received quite a few gifts—all sorts of strange and wonderful things. Gu Lang, in particular, didn’t send anything ordinary but instead gave Meng Ting some rare perfume ingredients that were hard to come by.
While others might not recognize their value, Meng Ting certainly did. His eyes instantly lit up. “Thank you, I like it.”
Among all the gifts Meng Ting had received so far, earning this ‘I like it’ was truly no easy feat.
Gu Lang had initially wanted to burst into laughter, but then he suddenly met Yan Sui’s gaze, he shuddered and timidly retreated into the crowd.
At the coming-of-age ceremonies of prominent families, elders often present special gifts to the younger generation—some offer startup funds, others give company shares or properties, and so on. But that night, the many guests in attendance were still somewhat taken aback.
Old Master Xiao personally announced that Meng Ting would receive 6% of the Xiao Enterprises’ shares, putting him on equal footing with Xiao Zimo. Beyond that, Old Lady Ning, whom Meng Ting and Yan Sui had met the previous night, added another gift: she bequeathed all of her shares in the Ning family to Meng Ting.
This was worth even more than the 6% shares given by Old Master Xiao. Whether Old Lady Ning had learned something, even Ning Zhou wasn’t sure. But seeing her hold Meng Ting’s hand with a cheerful smile, it seemed she simply genuinely liked Meng Ting.
The banquet continued until midnight before the guests gradually took their leave. Compared to Ning Zhou’s birthday banquet last time, this one finally concluded smoothly.
Yan Sui inevitably had to drink some alcohol, but at some point, Meng Ting had also secretly taken a sip. He seemed sober, but the rosy flush on his cheeks betrayed him.
“It was sweet—I just wanted to taste it,” Meng Ting whispered in defense to Yan Sui. Then, with a little boost of courage, he added, “I want another sip…”
“Dad, Mom, Ting Ting is drunk. I’ll take him upstairs.”
“Go ahead,” Ning Zhou waved her hand, and Yan Sui promptly hoisted Meng Ting onto his back.
Meng Ting would likely have made a fuss if he walked on his own, but once carried on Yan Sui’s back, he became docile and barely moved.
“Yan Sui…”
“Mm, I’m here.” Yan Sui replied to Meng Ting as he walked.
“Yan Sui, I love you.”
“I love you too.”
[dropdown title=”List of Idiom in Extra 1.2″]
由近及遠 (yóu jìn jí yuǎn): from the near to the distant; from the close-by examples to those far off; start with the near and move to the far; proceed from the immediate to the distant; begin with the familiar and extend to the unfamiliar; develop step by step; progress gradually. Its original meaning describes the extension process of “from near to far” in space, such as the shift of geographical location; its metaphorical level emphasizes the gradual expansion of the influence of things and the deepening of the level of ideological cognition, and is often used to explain the progressive relationship of thinking logic or social effects.歡聲笑語 (huān shēng xiào yǔ): happy laughters and cheerful voices; cheers and laughter; the sound and words of laughter, indicating a cheerful and warm atmosphere.
稀奇古怪 (xī qí gǔ guài): crazy; bizarre; weird; fantastic; strange; refers to things or phenomena that are rare, very strange, and different from the ordinary.
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