Chapter 951: Came for the Cake

Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The moment the adults heard they could take as much as they wanted without worry, the atmosphere became even more animated.

The children transformed into miniature eating machines, shoveling spoonful after spoonful of the delicious food into their mouths. Gone were the days when they needed coaxing from grandparents at home to finish even a few bites.

Here, the aroma and flavor were irresistible—better than anything they’d ever tasted, even in fancy restaurants.

Even the poised socialites, ever-mindful of maintaining their trim figures, threw caution to the wind. The dishes were simply too delectable to pass up.

“If I don’t indulge in a few more bites, it’ll feel like a crime!” one whispered conspiratorially to her friend. The garden hummed with chatter, laughter, and the clinking of cutlery—a lively symphony of a perfect evening.

Once the feast concluded, it was time for the event everyone had been anticipating: the cake-cutting ceremony.

Under Gu Zi’s careful instruction, Su Shen turned off all the courtyard lights, leaving only the silvery glow of the moon to illuminate the space.

Gu Zi, assisted by Su Li and the children, set about lighting the candles on both the towering main cake and the dozens of smaller ones scattered around. These candles weren’t ordinary ones, either. Handmade by Gu Zi, they were vibrantly colored like candy sticks.

One unsuspecting child couldn’t resist the temptation. Convinced he’d discovered a sweet treat, he grabbed a candle and bit into it, only to immediately grimace in horror.

Spitting it out with an exaggerated “blech,” he exclaimed, “Su Li, your mom’s cooking is always amazing, but this candy stick is awful!”

Su Li doubled over with laughter, snatching the half-chewed candle out of the boy’s hand. “I told Mom these candles looked too much like candy! Guess it’s not just me who got fooled, huh?”

His teasing sent ripples of laughter through the crowd, although some children only managed nervous chuckles—they’d nearly made the same mistake but were too embarrassed to admit it.

In their world, candles were either red or white. Who would’ve thought someone could craft them to look so… edible? Su Li’s mom was practically a magician!

Even the glamorous mothers were rendered speechless. They stared at Gu Zi with newfound admiration, their eyes practically sparkling.

She made these by hand? Not only were they gorgeous, but they outshone anything available in high-end stores. Was there anything this woman couldn’t do? The silent consensus was unanimous: the disparity between them and Gu Zi was staggering.

After the laughter subsided, the evening progressed smoothly. Candles were lit, and the children enthusiastically sang a heartfelt birthday song for Su Li.

Always the life of the party, Su Li wasn’t about to let the energy dip. “Alright, everyone,” he declared with a mischievous grin, “let’s do the foreign version!”

Leading the group, he belted out the English rendition of “Happy Birthday,” his voice loud and confident.

Not content with just singing, Su Li began dancing around the cake, pulling everyone into a circle. Soon, they were holding hands, spinning, and hopping in rhythm. The courtyard was filled with joyous laughter, cheerful voices, and the soft glow of candles—pure magic.

When it was finally time to cut the cake, the sweet aroma filled the air, wrapping around everyone like a cozy embrace. The children eagerly bit into slices, their delighted expressions saying it all. Outside the courtyard, however, a different scene unfolded.

Wang Qiang stood by the wrought iron gate, flanked by a group of wide-eyed children from the rundown tenement building nearby. They peered longingly through the bars, their noses twitching at the tantalizing scent of cake wafting their way.

“Do you think they’ll really let us eat cake?” one of the children whispered, clutching the gate as if trying to will it open.

Wang Qiang frowned. “The gate’s locked. I’m working on it,” he muttered.

Another child, his voice tinged with confusion, asked, “But why are we here, Wang Qiang? Didn’t you say you hated Su Li and told us not to play with him? We all listened to you!”

The group nodded in agreement. In their world, Wang Qiang was the unchallenged leader, a self-appointed boss who kept them in line. To avoid his wrath, they’d followed his decree to steer clear of Su Li, even when they didn’t fully understand why.

Wang Qiang’s connections, however, had given him access to this gated community, and the allure of its pristine villas was too intoxicating to resist. On the rare occasions when his grandmother brought him along, he’d sneak his friends inside for a glimpse of this dreamlike world—a world so far removed from their crumbling tenement building that it felt like stepping into a movie set.

But tonight, standing outside Su Li’s house, they couldn’t help but wonder: Why had Wang Qiang brought them here if he didn’t even like Su Li?@@novelbin@@