Yuan family's second son dating a TV host from the capital, and being removed from the management of Changfeng because his elders disapproved, caused quite a stir. Although the public opinion was later suppressed, many netizens still remembered this incident.
People would sometimes indulge in celebrity and rich-family gossip during breaks from work or study. Although the topic was squashed, netizens continued to discuss it covertly, using substitute words for the people involved. Some sentimental netizens even felt sorry for the couple, thinking they might be forced apart due to family disapproval. But now, Yuan Er Shao's (Yuan family's second son's) Weibo verification had changed from "Changfeng Department Manager" to "Hengtai Corporation Chairman," and there was no news of a breakup.
At this point, people realized that the rising Hengtai Corporation of recent years was actually run by Yuan Er Shao. Many even had Hengtai's mobile games installed on their phones. Some joked that they'd played Hengtai's mobile games six years ago, which meant that Yuan Yi was just in his early twenties at the timeâproof that a genius will always be remarkable.
Yuan Yi rarely posted on Weibo, and the number of people he followed could be counted on both hands, but this didn't diminish netizens' curiosity about the wealthy elite.
So, when Yuan Yi unexpectedly posted a sweet love declaration just after midnight, it triggered countless responses from single netizens.
Intertwined hands, the cake in the background, warm candlelightâit all seemed to announce one thing: Yuan Er Shao was serious about this relationship. He was willing to be kicked out of Changfeng, to forego the Yuan family's fortune, just to be with the woman he chose.
This was a high-calorie, sugary "golden dog food" (a slang term for public displays of affection that single people endure). Countless sleepless single netizens, envious to the core, shared the post to their own pages.
They couldn't suffer alone.
Soon enough, this sweet Weibo post shot to the trending list.
All Yuan Yi wanted was to share a loving moment, completely unconcerned about the netizens' reactions. After splitting the birthday cake with Yan Xi, Yuan Yiâwhose stomach wasn't the bestâwas forced by Yan Xi to stay up and walk around for half an hour to help digest the high-calorie treat.
After midnight, the TV programs weren't very engaging. Yan Xi hugged a pillow, yawning while leaning against Yuan Yi.
She had taken off her down jacket, leaving only a thin sweater, pressed against Yuan Yi's pajamas. Yuan Yi could even feel her body warmth through her clothes.
"Are you sleepy?" Yuan Yi reached out to steady her shoulder.
"No..." Yan Xi shook her head, then yawned twice. "Just talk with me a bit, that'll be enough."
Yuan Yi: ...
Yan Xi slid down and rested her head on Yuan Yi's lap, her long hair spilling over his legs, and the strands brushing his skin made his heart flutter.
"What should we talk about?" Yuan Yi held her by the waist and tucked her hair back.
"How about telling me about your high school days," Yan Xi said, resting her hand on his thigh. "Do you think there's a chance we passed by each other at school without realizing it?"
Yuan Yi paused slightly, then nonchalantly said, "I don't know. I didn't really pay attention to underclassmen back then."
"That makes sense. Since you started running your own company during college, you must've been a top student in high school." Yan Xi sighed wistfully, "If I hadn't transferred schools, maybe we could have met earlier."
Yuan Yi thought about it and figured that Yan Xi being able to transfer back then was actually a good thing.
"When I first transferred to Haishi, I could understand the local dialect but couldn't speak it. Fortunately, everyone spoke Mandarin, or else I wouldn't have been able to communicate with my classmates." Yan Xi shared small stories from her time in Haishi, and Yuan Yi could sense the warmth between Yan Xi and her mother.
"My biggest regret is that I couldn't spend more time with my mom once I started university." Yan Xi smiled, not wanting to bring up sad memories on Yuan Yi's birthday. "Forget about my plain old past. Tell me, what gave you the courage to start a company while still in school?"
"Because I had money," Yuan Yi said. "My grandfather left me a large sum of money, and he worried I wouldn't know how to manage it. So before he passed away, he set up a trust fund to ensure I'd never be broke."
Yan Xi: That reason was surprisingly convincing.
"I was interested in games for a while, but..." Yuan Yi paused slightly. "Later, when I was bored in college, I developed a small game by myself. I thought the licensing price others offered was too low, so I started my own little company. I got lucky; the download numbers for the game were unexpectedly high, and the company gained recognition."
"At that time, I just wanted to join in on something fun, find something to pass the time, but I didn't expect to make money from it." Yuan Yi spoke casually, as if picking up a pile of money was effortless. "Using the fame from that little game, my company grew bigger. Later, I invested in a few other projects and made some money here and there."
Yan Xi thought it was probably best not to ask how much "some" money actually was. It would surely bruise her pride.
As Yuan Yi continued sharing small stories about the business world, Yan Xi gradually drifted off to sleep. His voice had become her lullaby.
Seeing that Yan Xi had fallen asleep leaning against him, Yuan Yi sighed with a smile. "And you said you weren't sleepy."
She was sleeping like a log. Even if he carried her away, she probably wouldn't wake up.
Resigned, he bent down and picked her up, taking a deep breath. He hadn't noticed earlier, but now he realized that even though Yan Xiaoxi looked slim, she had some weight to her when held.
After carrying her to the guest room, Yuan Yi looked at her face, feeling a bit unsure. He'd heard that not removing makeup was bad for a woman's skin. Should he wake her up to wash her face, or just let her sleep?
After thinking for a while, he finally went to the bathroom, dampened a towel, and gently wiped her face. Then he was horrified to discover that the area around Yan Xi's eyes was becoming darker the more he wiped. She was starting to resemble a panda.
He heard Yan Xi murmur a couple of sounds but didn't wake up. Yuan Yi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If Yan Xiaoxi found out he'd made her face look like this, he'd probably... get scolded.
Feeling inexplicably guilty, Yuan Yi glanced down and saw that there was a small black patch on the towel too. He quietly slipped out of the room, only to turn around and see Auntie Li standing in the hallway, smiling at him.
"Auntie Li, why are you up so late?" He hid the towel behind his back, determined not to let anyone know he'd been wiping a sleeping woman's face.
"At my age, I'm a light sleeper. I heard noises outside and came out to take a look," Auntie Li said with a smile. "I think I heard Miss Yan's voice earlier."
"Yes, she knew today was my birthday, so she came over to celebrate," Yuan Yi relaxed, seeing that Auntie Li hadn't noticed him cleaning her face. "I told her not to come, told her not to, but she wouldn't listen. She insisted on driving over, braving the cold weather."
"Miss Yan really cares about you, coming all this way to celebrate your birthday," Auntie Li's smile grew kinder. "Such a wonderful girl, Second Young Masterâyou have to treat her well."
"Don't worry. She likes me so muchâif I don't treat her well, she'll probably hide somewhere and cry secretly." Yuan Yi's smile couldn't be contained. "A man shouldn't make his woman cry. I understand that."
"It's good that you understand, Second Young Master," Auntie Li nodded with a smile. "I'll go to bed now. You should rest soon, too."
Back in his room with the towel, Yuan Yi searched on his phone and discovered that after makeup, just washing with water doesn't clean the face properlyâmakeup remover is also needed.
Putting on makeup takes time, and removing it is a hassle, too. Being a woman... isn't easy.
Using a shopping app, he searched for nearby stores and bought the most expensive makeup remover, along with a facial cleanser and some lotions and toners. For the first time, he realized how many brands of makeup remover there were, all for different needs.
How do women even remember all these brands and know which products to use for each area?
In her half-asleep state, Yan Xi felt a warm towel gently wiping her face. She was so tired that, despite struggling to open her eyes a crack, her blurry mind registered it was Yuan Yi beside her, so she closed her eyes at ease.
"I'm just wiping your face. Keep sleeping."
Wiping... my face?
Yan Xi turned over, positioning her face toward the edge of the bed. The warmth of the towel was just right, and the movement was so gentle that it felt less like face-washing and more like a facial massage. She soon drifted back into a deep sleep, completely at peace.
The next morning, Yan Xi got up and suddenly remembered she'd forgotten to remove her makeup before falling asleep. She quickly jumped out of bed, ran to the bathroom, and saw that most of her makeup had been removed. While it wasn't as thorough as she'd do it herself, it was definitely better than nothing.
Didn't Yuan Yi mention something about washing her face last night?
Then she spotted the makeup remover and facial cleanser on the bathroom counterâones she didn't usually use.
Lowering her head, she pulled out her regular cleanser from the drawer she'd last used here, carefully washed her face again, then changed into her clothes and headed downstairs, straight to the kitchen.
"Miss Yan, you're up so early?" Auntie Li was a little surprised to see Yan Xi in the kitchen. It seemed like the couple had gone to bed rather late last night.
"Good morning, Auntie Li," Yan Xi rolled up her sleeves. "I wanted to make a bowl of noodles for Yuan Yi. Will that bother you?"
"No, no, not at all. The kitchen is yours!" Auntie Li said cheerfully, stepping aside to let her use it.
When Yuan Yi hasn't had a good night's sleep, he hates being disturbed, but as soon as he saw that it was Yan Xi knocking on his door, all his irritation disappeared instantly. "Give me a second; I'll go change."
"No need to change," Yan Xi grabbed him. "The noodles won't taste as good if they sit too long."
Wearing slippers and pajamas, Yuan Yi was dragged downstairs by Yan Xi and sat at the dining table. In front of him was a steaming bowl of noodles.
"I'm not very good at making handmade noodles," Yan Xi's face flushed slightly. "I usually just cook pre-made noodles, but since you didn't have any long noodles here, I made one long noodle by hand." She patted his head, smiling. "Happy birthday! Wishing you a long life and good health."
To Yuan Yi, the bowl of noodles looked a bit funny. It was indeed one long noodle, but it was uneven in thickness and only covered about a quarter of the bowl. The rest of the bowl was filled with two peeled, hard-boiled eggs.
"Hurry up and eat. Don't just stare at it," Yan Xi sat across from him, propping her chin in her hands. "It might not look the best, but it should taste pretty good."
Yuan Yi picked up his chopsticks and slurped down the long, lopsided noodle, filled with her heartfelt blessings. He also ate the two eggs, alternating between sips of soup and bites of egg.
Watching him finish, Yan Xi smiled and said, "You can go back to sleep for a bit; I'm heading to work..."
Suddenly, Yuan Yi, who had been quietly eating, got up, walked around the table to her, and pulled her into his arms.
"Yan Xiaoxi," Yuan Yi's voice was a bit hoarse. "The noodles were delicious."
It seemed that the good fortune he'd accumulated over the past twenty-plus years was just so he could meet her.
"If you liked it, I'll make it for you again on your birthday next year," Yan Xi added with a smile. "I'll try to make it prettier next time."
Yuan Yi released her, gazing into her bright eyes, then gently kissed her forehead.
"Thank you."
Thank you for filling this birthday with such wonderful surprises.
"You're silly. What's with the thank you?" Yan Xi put her arms around his neck and stood on tiptoe to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Get some rest at home, and I'll be back to be with you after the midday news is over."
Yuan Yi said, "I'll come to pick you up from work then."
"Okay," Yan Xi glanced at the time. "I'm about to be lateâI need to head to the station."
After sending Yan Xi off to work with the driver, Yuan Yi took out his phone and snapped a picture of the empty bowl.
In his friends' group chat:
Yuan Yi: Xiao Xi made me a bowl of heartfelt birthday noodles. Tasted great, but I forgot to take a picture before I ate it.
Yuan Yi: [Photo of empty bowl]
Zhang Wang: ......
Qiao Sheng: ......
Qiao Sheng: Yi-ge, looks like we don't need to celebrate your birthday with you today. [Goodbye]
Yuan Yi: I'm treating tonight.
Just as Yuan Yi put down his phone, he heard Auntie Li's voice from outside the door.
"Sir, Ma'am?"