After breakfast, Nguyen Minh Anh said, "Actually, we could take a day off to celebrate. My schedule is all set..."

Xu Shanglou, who had specially video-called early in the morning to wish his younger sister a happy birthday, was speechless.

Mingzhuo politely declined her sister's offer, saying, "Big sister, I'm still just a student."

Although taking a day off wouldn't affect her, it would clearly set a bad example for an ordinary family.

Xu Shanglou breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Ruan Mingying had given up the idea.

My wife is too lenient when it comes to our child's education; she's practically a stumbling block on our child's path to success.

Fortunately, Zhuozhuo is well-behaved, sensible, and self-disciplined, and never gives up on her own standards.

He cleared his throat and had the butler bring the phone to Mingzhuo. "Zhuozhuo, happy birthday. I'm sorry, your brother-in-law has something to do here and can't make it back to celebrate your birthday. I'll have my assistant take the earliest flight this morning to deliver the gift to you. You'll receive it this afternoon. I hope you like it."

Mingzhuo glanced at his face. Hmm, there was a slight ripple, which caused him to be tripped up, but overall everything went smoothly.

"Thank you, brother-in-law." She paused, then suddenly said, "If the assistant isn't in a hurry, let him attend the birthday party before going back."

Xu Shanglou was taken aback for a moment, but quickly realized that Ming Zhuo's arrangement must have a deeper meaning.

He nodded. "Okay, then I'll let him stay to celebrate your birthday."

"Now that we can end the video call," the housekeeper hesitated for a moment, then handed the phone to Ruan Mingying and whispered a reminder for her to speak to the side.

Ruan Mingying put down her spoon and walked to a secluded corner, looking completely bewildered. "What's wrong?"

She glanced at her husband, who was already dressed in a suit and tie, and looked like he was on his way to work.

Xu Shanglou: "It's nothing. What do you think of the seafood I had airlifted over the day before yesterday?"

After answering a few questions and chatting for a while, Ruan Mingying became increasingly confused.

"Didn't you say you had something important to tell me? Hurry up and tell me." Why all this small talk?

Xu Shanglou: "...I don't have anything important to tell you."

He realized what was happening, rubbed his temples, and said, "Aying, I just wanted to say a few words to you."

They had never been separated for this long since they got married.

Every second of his longing was brewed into the strongest wine; he wanted to hear her voice and see her face.

“When you get busy, your phone is off and you don’t reply to text messages. We haven’t been in touch for several days.”

Ruan Mingying hesitated for a moment: "But we exchanged text messages last night."

Although her husband was asking about Zhuozhuo's birthday party, he had already contacted her, and she wouldn't accept that he hadn't replied to her text messages!

Xu Shanglou: "..."

——

As soon as Mingzhuo got out of the car, he saw Pei Di, Li Wenhe, and a few punk-style buddies who were waiting for him at the school gate.

The members of the "Funeral Love Family" dyed their hair back to black and disappeared into the crowd, never to be found again.

It's rare to get this many together for the first time.

A dozen or so teenagers stood in the morning sun, full of energy. They snapped their hands behind their backs, spread their legs, and stood tall with their heads held high.

Then they all shouted in unison, "Happy birthday, Boss! May you have boundless happiness and longevity!"

Then they all bowed in unison.

The students passing by were startled by the loud birthday wishes and turned around to look.

Mingzhao: "..."

I never imagined that one day I would experience the embarrassment of my toes digging into the ground.

Standing to the side, Li Wenhe, urged by Pei Di, pulled the firework tubes with a blank expression.

With a "bang!", colorful ribbons sprayed all over Mingzhuo's head.

Pei Di ran up, clapping his hands. "Happy birthday, boss! How about that, are you surprised?"

Li Wenhe had experienced a similar process at the end of last year, and said calmly, "You said that Pei Di would arrange everyone's birthdays from now on, and I can't stop him."

Whether he couldn't stop it or didn't want to, only he knows the answer.

Mingzhao: "..."

She was just enjoying the show, never expecting to receive such karmic retribution so soon.

Okay, it was my own negligence that led me to indulge Pei Di, this overgrown child.

She and her group of younger brothers found a place to have breakfast together.

Pei Di's parents made a special call to say hello to Ming Zhuo. After all, the couple was busy running their factory, and it was only thanks to Ming Zhuo that their son didn't go astray.

Pei's mother also invited Mingzhuo to their home to play. They said there would be plenty of snacks and meals available, and it wouldn't be shameful for a girl this age to eat a lot, as she needs to grow.

Her mind was still stuck in the time when Mingzhuo was in the Cheng family. She found it unbelievable that someone would not feed their child properly and then spout a bunch of grand principles.

"Let me tell you, everyone has a lifespan of food! There's an old lady here who never had enough to eat her whole life. Even when she died, her lifespan wasn't over, so she couldn't escape it. So, while you're young, eat and drink to your heart's content..."

Pei Di snatched the phone: "Alright, stop talking. Have you forgotten that the boss is back home now?"

Once Pei's mother started nagging, she wouldn't stop, so he quickly said a few words and hung up the phone.

“Auntie is right,” Mingzhuo said. “There is another kind of person who lived a life of plenty, but when his fortune ran out and his lifespan was not yet over, he was able to live to the end by having a tube inserted.”

The group silently put down the beef patties they were holding.

They decided to eat less and cherish what they had.

One of the underlings suddenly said, "Really? If a celebrity falls into a coma for no apparent reason, and then seems to be dead but isn't, is it because they're on a diet and don't eat enough, and their 'food supply' hasn't run out yet?"

"What do you mean?" Pei Di frowned. It was too convoluted. "Speak plainly."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!