Meng Ting looked at Yan Sui, showing no signs of displeasure. On the contrary, he was always happy whenever Yan Sui kissed him. He scooped up another spoonful of cake and fed it to Yan Sui.
Yan Sui naturally opened his mouth to eat. He and Meng Ting were already as close as could be, sharing a piece of cake was quite ordinary. Both he and Meng Ting felt this way, but the majority of the people at the banquet were surprised, though their surprise was not as great as their astonishment at the speculation surrounding Meng Ting’s identity.
Meng Ting had transformed from an illegitimate child of the Meng family to the legitimate youngest son of the Xiao family’s main house. This change was no small matter. His father was now the patriarch of the Xiao family, and Meng Ting also had inheritance rights.
Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river—who knows how things will turn out?
Seeing how Yan Sui doted on Meng Ting, Old Master Xiao was quite satisfied. When someone came to probe for information, he directly said, “Ting Ting is the youngest son that Huimin lost outside. I came here this time to see him.”
Even though Old Master Xiao said this, Meng Ting had not yet been officially recognized by the Xiao family. He needed to be in the Xiao family’s ancestral home, summon all the main and important branch members of the Xiao family, and, under their witness, amend the part of the family tree that recorded Meng Ting as having died young. Only then would he truly be considered to have returned to his ancestral roots.
Xiao Huimin and Ning Zhou didn’t want to wrong Meng Ting in the slightest. They even planned to hold a banquet after the recognition ceremony, inviting all the major and minor families in Beicheng to publicly announce the news. However, there was no need to rush these matters; they would wait until both Meng Ting and Yan Sui felt it was the right time.
After they spoke with Old Master Xiao, he requested to come and see Meng Ting, but in reality, both Xiao Huimin and Ning Zhou knew that he wanted to see Yan Sui. However, what he truly thought in his heart, even Xiao Huimin was not entirely sure.
While Meng Ting was eating cake, Uncle Xiao came over. Yan Sui spoke with him, and they discussed the issue of accommodation arrangements for the Xu family and the Xiao family for the night.
There were rooms in the Yan residence, but it was not possible to accommodate both families at the same time. Apart from them, the other guests had their own places or arrangements in Haicheng. Xu Shumin and Old Master Xiao looked like they were having a pleasant conversation, but in reality, they were both waiting for Yan Sui’s arrangements.
They naturally could not be without a place to stay, but how Yan Sui arranged things could still distinguish closeness and distance. What he wanted was Yan Sui’s attitude—whether he was closer to the Xiao family or the Xu family.
Uncle Xiao felt troubled by this, which was why he came to consult Yan Sui.
After a moment of contemplation, Yan Sui had his answer. “Tell Granduncle that I’ve arranged a suite for him at the hotel.”
Uncle Xiao was surprised upon hearing this and quite puzzled. But when he met Yan Sui’s gaze again, he didn’t dare hesitate. He nodded and turned to carry out Yan Sui’s instructions.
In fact, Yan Sui had already reached a conclusion during his morning conversation with Xu Shumin in the study. The Yán family had been secretly targeting the Yan family for so many years; how could they easily reconcile as Xu Shumin wished? Yet, Xu Shumin still came to Haicheng as a mediator.
Between Yan Sui and his friend, Xu Shumin had chosen his friend. He had already made his choice, so Yan Sui didn’t need to hesitate either. One couldn’t have both the fish and the bear’s paw; Yan Sui wouldn’t do something that would lead to losing one while trying to gain the other.
Xu Shumin’s expression immediately turned cold, but his upbringing prevented him from showing anger outright. In fact, even the subtle shift in his demeanor was hardly noticeable. However, since he was seated directly across from Old Master Xiao, when Uncle Xiao was speaking to him, Old Master Xiao had been observing him closely and naturally noticed the change.
Seeing Xu Shumin’s displeasure, Old Master Xiao’s mood visibly improved. He stopped speaking to Xu Shumin and instead glanced around the room before finally making his way toward Yan Sui and Meng Ting.
Meng Ting had just finished his cake, and Yan Sui was still whispering something to him. It wasn’t until Old Master Xiao stood there for a while that the two finally noticed him.
“Grandpa must be tired. I’ll have someone take you to rest,” Yan Sui said, holding Meng Ting’s hand as he addressed Old Master Xiao.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, the corners of Old Master Xiao’s lips curved into a faint smile, but he quickly regained his serious expression and gave a soft ‘Mm’ in response.
Meng Ting, who was completely unfamiliar with Old Master Xiao, wasn’t sure what to say. After a moment of thought, he added, “Goodnight, Grandpa.”
“Mm,” Old Master Xiao responded again, though his tone was noticeably gentler than when he had replied to Yan Sui.
Truth be told, not only did Xiao Huimin and Ning Zhou feel a sense of guilt toward Meng Ting, but Old Master Xiao also felt somewhat the same way. After all, it was during the time he was a patriarch that Ning Zhou and Meng Ting had been kidnapped, and he bore an undeniable responsibility for it.
However, Meng Ting didn’t seem to notice the difference in tone. He simply looked at Old Master Xiao, meeting his gaze without fear, he just felt that the old man didn’t like to talk much, responding to everything with a single ‘Mm’.
***
After the cake was cut, it wasn’t early anymore, and guests began to leave one after another. Xu Shumin stayed until quite late, seemingly puzzled by Yan Sui’s intentions. However, when Yan Sui and Meng Ting saw him off to his car, he didn’t ask any further questions.
Instead, it was Yan Sui who made his stance clear to Xu Shumin: “I won’t show any mercy.”
The Xu family and the Yán family might have ties, but Yan Sui and the Yán family were only enemies. He wouldn’t give Yán Yunsheng any chance to rise from the ashes.
Once the Xu family left, the guests from Haicheng also departed, and the once lively birthday party suddenly became quiet.
As Yan Sui and Meng Ting walked back after seeing off the guests, Meng Ting tugged at Yan Sui’s hand and said earnestly, “If there’s anything I can do to help, you must tell me.”
Upon hearing this, Yan Sui pulled Meng Ting a little closer, but even that distance didn’t feel enough. He stopped walking, wrapped his arms around Meng Ting, and spoke softly yet firmly, “You’ve already helped me a great deal.”
If the Xiao family had also stood on the opposing side, Yan Sui would never have been in the mood to hold any birthday banquet. Right now should have been the most chaotic time for him. However, what the Xiao family could do to assist him remained to be seen, and Yan Sui hadn’t made any plans to rely on them.
Leaning against Yan Sui, Meng Ting added, “Then you also shouldn’t tire yourself out. I will feel distressed.”
“Mm, I know,” Yan Sui smiled. He hadn’t really been tired out by work lately. If anything could truly tire Yan Sui out, it would have to be Meng Ting himself. Though once Meng Ting got out of bed, he seemed to automatically forget just how clingy he could be.
“It’s getting late. Let me show you the birthday gift I prepared for you.”
Meng Ting leaned against Yan Sui, lazily letting out a yawn. This hour was indeed late for him.
“Alright,” Yan Sui nodded gently, then wrapped his arm around Meng Ting as they walked inside. In the living room, they found Yan Manjia and Ning Zhou still deep in conversation.
“Everyone must be tired today. You two should rest early as well.”
Yan Manjia immediately said this upon seeing Yan Sui and Meng Ting. Ning Zhou also nodded quickly, “Nuo Nuo, go to bed quickly. Tomorrow morning, Mom will make dumplings[mfn]餃子 (jiǎozi): Dumplings. 
[/mfn] for you.”
Hearing this, Meng Ting hesitated for a moment before nodding, “We probably won’t wake up early. Even if you make them, Mom, don’t get up too early.”
“Alright,” Ning Zhou responded immediately, very pleased with Meng Ting’s concern for her.
Ning Zhou and Xiao Huimin also had rooms arranged for them in the Yan residence, but Xiao Zi’ang and Xiao Zimo declined. Yan Sui didn’t insist and asked them to come over for breakfast the next morning.
Yan Sui and Meng Ting bid goodnight to Yan Manjia and Ning Zhou before heading upstairs to their room. Meng Ting’s eyes lit up slightly at the sight of the bed, but before he could lie down, Yan Sui embraced him.
“It’s too late to bathe, but we should at least change our clothes.”
Meng Ting blankly nodded. He had indeed thought about rolling around on the bed just now. He raised his hand, still feeling tired, and leaned directly into Yan Sui’s arms, letting him continue undressing him. “I’ll rest for a bit, then it’ll be my turn to undress you.”
Yan Sui smiled helplessly upon hearing this. He naturally understood Meng Ting’s intentions, but if he really let Meng Ting undress him, they would probably take quite a while before they could finally lie down and sleep. After undressing Meng Ting, he changed him into his pajamas, then swiftly undressed himself and changed as well.
Meng Ting gazed at Yan Sui, his cheeks tinged with a thoughtful blush, but he was genuinely tired today. Even if he wanted to, he didn’t act on it.
They went to the bathroom to wash their faces and brush their teeth before returning to bed. Meng Ting lay in Yan Sui’s arms, pondered for a moment, and then said, “Actually, our time this morning counted too. Let’s talk about it tomorrow.”
Yan Sui tilted his head, then raised his hand to cover Meng Ting’s eyes. He hadn’t been thinking about that, but if Meng Ting kept pondering, he might say or do something that would make it hard for them to wake up tomorrow.
“Oh right, you haven’t seen the gift I got you yet.”
Meng Ting grabbed Yan Sui’s wrist, pulling it away, then crawled over most of Yan Sui’s body to open the bedside drawer. He took out the birthday gift he had prepared for Yan Sui, wrapped in a relatively exquisite gift box.
Holding the gift, Meng Ting crawled back to his side of the bed. He sat up, holding the gift with both hands, and very solemnly handed it to Yan Sui. “Birthday present, happy birthday.”
It was past midnight, and Yan Sui’s birthday was technically over, but Meng Ting still wanted to say it again. He would say it now, next year, and every year on Yan Sui’s birthday.
Yan Sui also accepted Meng Ting’s gift with both hands. He caressed it for a moment before sitting up. He pulled Meng Ting, letting him lean against his chest, then opened the gift box. Inside was a crystal bottle of a pale purple hue, clear and translucent, with the characters ‘Yan Ting BestLove‘ engraved on it.
Yan Sui traced the characters again. He turned his head to look at Meng Ting and then softly asked, “Why do you think ‘Yan Ting’ sounds nice?”
Meng Ting naturally had nothing to hide from Yan Sui. Leaning against him, he reached out and poked Yan Sui’s chest.
“I want to take your surname.”
After Meng Ting found out he didn’t have the surname Meng, he had thought of this name for himself, but now that his family had been found, he wouldn’t need to use this name for himself. However, he could still use it for his perfume.
This bottle of perfume carries Meng Ting’s obsession and long-cherished wish across two lifetimes. Naming it with the name he desired is not an exaggeration.
“Do you think it sounds nice?” After Meng Ting finished speaking, Yan Sui was silent for a long while. He then looked up and asked again.
Yan Sui’s throat tightened slightly, and then he nodded. “It sounds nice.”
His silence wasn’t because he was speechless in a negative way, but because he was moved. The emotion he felt when he saw the press conference earlier surged back again at this moment, even more intensely now that he was alone with Meng Ting, compared to when they were downstairs in front of everyone. So much so that he couldn’t think of anything to say to Meng Ting.
“Does it smell good?” Meng Ting asked again. Once the gift box was opened, the scent of the perfume couldn’t be concealed at all. Meng Ting was ultimately more concerned about Yan Sui’s feelings, worried that he might not like it.
“It smells good,” Yan Sui replied again. This perfume was tailor-made for him by Meng Ting. It wasn’t just pleasant; it also matched Yan Sui’s preferences and aura perfectly. Without waiting for Meng Ting to ask further, he pulled Meng Ting closer into a tight embrace, giving him the answer to the unspoken question.
“I like it, I really like it.”
Upon hearing this, Meng Ting finally felt completely at ease. He took the perfume bottle, crawled over Yan Sui again, and placed it back on the bedside table.
[dropdown title=”List of Idiom in Chapter 079.1″]
三十年河東, 三十年河西 (sān shí nián hé dōng, sān shí nián hé xī): lit. thirty years on the east side of the river, thirty years on the west side of the river; for thirty years, people east of the river prosper, then for another thirty years those on the west prosper—life full of ups and downs; prosperity and decline never last; everything in life is cyclical; life has its ups and downs; chequered career; vicissitudes of life. This is a complex idiom derived from a folk story. The original meaning is that 30 years ago, the good feng shui was on the east side of the river, but 30 years later it was on the west side of the river (river: the Yellow River). Later, it was used to describe the fact that the fate of the world or people is always in a state of constant change, with no fixed number of rises and falls, honor and disgrace.死灰複燃 (sǐ huī fù rán): lit. dead embers relight; dying embers blaze up again—revive; renascent; to resurge; revival; originally referred to a person who had lost power and regained it. It is now often used to describe an evil force that had disappeared and is now active again.
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