The rain outside was quite loud, and the joyous sounds of people celebrating An Ran's birthday in the hall not far away were also inexplicably noisy. But in this bustling and chaotic environment, Xu Enzhen still heard that soft call.

Almost instantly, her body stiffened. Her eyes widened in disbelief, tears falling onto Jian Xingsui's shoulder. Unable to control her emotions, she stepped back slightly, looked at Jian Xingsui, and stammered, "What did you say?"

Jian Xingsui was also somewhat surprised after she shouted.

What surprised him most was why he had said such a thing!

Is it really because he longs for family so much that he can't help but feel overwhelmed when treated with even a little kindness...?

Feeling truly ashamed and indignant, Jian Xingsui could only lower her head somewhat embarrassedly: "I didn't say anything, did you mishear me?"

You misheard.

Had she misheard? She missed her youngest child so much that she was hallucinating.

Xu Enzhen sighed inwardly, feeling a little disappointed and sad, when she heard Jian Xingsui say softly, "However, Auntie, thank you so much for coming to celebrate my birthday with me today."

Jian Xingsui's voice was somewhat hoarse and choked with emotion. As he spoke, a feeling of bittersweetness welled up inside him: "I... I'm very happy."

After he finished speaking, he lowered his head, not wanting Xu Enzhen to see his red eyes.

But Xu Enzhen's heart had already softened completely. She held Jian Xingsui's hand and said, "No need to thank me, no need to thank the child. If you don't mind, I will come to celebrate your birthday every year from now on. As long as you don't mind, just treat Xingchen as your own brother..."

Her voice was so gentle and kind.

Upon hearing this, Jian Xingsui felt as if his last line of defense had collapsed. He nodded gently, tears streaming down his face.

I'm so happy.

Never before had he felt so happy and joyful. He was so happy that he wondered if he was dreaming, and that it was all an illusion caused by his intense longing.

Ning Ze and Wen Shenge, who were not far away, cut the cake and brought it over: "Come on, come on, let's eat cake!"

Shen Xingchen walked over slowly and said, "Finally, we can eat! I was starving! Oh, Brother Fu, where did you buy this cake? It's so delicious! Can you buy me one for my birthday next time?"

Fu Jinxiao gave a forced smile: "Did you order your birthday present in advance?"

Shen Xingchen almost nodded, but then shook her head frantically after realizing what she had said.

Why would anyone be so cunning!

He doesn't want to just throw in a cake as a birthday present!

You have to understand that the Fu family is a real wealthy family. Every time Fu Jinxiao casually throws something at him, it's worth a fortune. Do you think he's stupid? He wouldn't trade it for a cake!

Amidst the playful banter of a group of people, this birthday celebration, though not attended by many, was the happiest Jian Xingsui had ever had. As everyone was sharing the cake, more people arrived one after another.

Tuya was the first to arrive. The blonde beauty smiled and said, "Wow, I was just wondering if you guys were having some kind of party behind my back by not recording. I made a point of asking around before coming over, and sure enough, that's what happened."

Jian Xingsui turned around in surprise: "Teacher Tuya..."

Tuya handed a package to Jian Xingsui: "I heard from the staff that today is your birthday. I hope it's not too late."

Jian Xingsui accepted the gift in disbelief, never expecting that her teacher would still remember her. She was so moved that she didn't know what to do, and could only bow and say, "Thank you, teacher!"

Tuya smiled and ruffled his hair.

She had a good impression of this polite and earnest boy, and she was quite unhappy about the show's discriminatory treatment of her, so she came over immediately after dealing with An Ran.

To Jian Xingsui's surprise, Tuya was only the first person to arrive from the backstage area. Gradually, more and more students came over. They had actually heard about what was happening during the second half of the event and had all sneaked over.

"Sui Sui, you never tell us about your birthday."

"Wow, who made this dish? It tastes awful."

"Of course we'll come to your birthday celebration."

Jian Xingsui didn't expect everyone to come. Gradually, more and more people who had sneaked over gathered in the somewhat empty hall. The reason was simply that during the first and second performances, Jian Xingsui had helped many teams with minor adjustments to the arrangement. Many people remembered this kindness, so after inquiring about the situation from the staff, they all came.

After the crew finished filming, the area was packed with people.

As for An Ran, everyone was present during the filming of the show, but after filming ended, An Ran noticed something was wrong because the space was too empty, and it seemed that everyone had gathered together somewhere.

An Ran and Jian Kuo's family stood at the corner and saw the lively atmosphere in the hall not far away, with laughter and chatter coming from all directions. Because it was dinner time, the cafeteria had reopened, and many students who hadn't had enough cake were getting their meals together in the cafeteria. Moreover, thanks to the special permission from the professors, the food was much more plentiful than usual today.

An Ran pointed to the ribbons and said, "This is..."

Xiao Mi, who had just been given a small piece of cake, came out from inside. He was a staff member, so An Ran dared to grab him and ask him questions.

Xiaomi said, "Oh, this is Sui Sui's birthday, everyone's come to celebrate with him."

An Ran had actually guessed it, but when the staff member said that, she felt a little uncomfortable. It wasn't for any other reason than that the cafeteria was really too lively, and the mentors who had just left early to say they had something to do were all gathered around the main seat eating. Even Fu Yingdi was there.

You know, at least the other mentors showed up at his birthday party, but Fu Jinxiao didn't show up at all. Everyone thought that the movie star Fu was too busy with work to come. But now Fu Jinxiao appeared next to Jian Xingsui, and all the students saw it. Isn't this a slap in the face?

Jianzhi noticed it too, and he said thoughtfully, "The production team threw two parties?"

Xiaomi quickly said, "No, no, the director didn't arrange it; it was the trainees' own initiative."

"..."

An Ran and Jian Kuo's family fell silent again.

His birthday celebration was arranged by the production team, but Jian Xingsui's birthday party was spontaneous. Doesn't that sound ironic? Doesn't it make him seem unpopular?

Seeing that An Ran was unhappy, Jian's father snorted coldly: "What do you mean by 'spontaneous'? Didn't you say you weren't feeling well? Why did you come here and make such a big fuss? You have time to celebrate here, but you didn't even go over to congratulate Ran Ran just now."

Mr. Jian has always presented himself as a mature entrepreneur to others.

Xiaomi overheard this and was stunned by the shamelessness of the statement.

If we follow this logic, then An Ran didn't go to congratulate Sui Sui either, so why did Jian Kuo act as if Sui Sui owed An Ran something? Does Sui Sui owe their family something?

...

That's really bizarre.

On the other side

After the evening's hustle and bustle subsided, most people left.

Jian Xingsui received a notification from the production team that the Zhang couple had come to visit him and were waiting in the reception room. Jian Xingsui wondered if it was just his imagination, but he felt that the couple always seemed to avoid coming during the production team's events, as if they didn't want to be on camera.

However, at least out of respect for the name, Jian Xingsui still went.

However, unlike last time, this time he no longer harbored any unrealistic fantasies, nor did he think that the couple had really come to see him. They probably only came to see him because it was An Ran's birthday today.

"Sui Sui!"

After entering the hall, I hadn't walked far when I heard a familiar call.

Jian Xingsui stopped and saw Zhang Shi running towards her. Zhang Shi rushed over to grab Jian Xingsui's hand, but Jian Xingsui gently dodged her.

Zhang stood there, somewhat surprised and stunned.

Jian Xingsui opened her mouth and asked, "Is there... something you need?"

Zhang Xiangyang, whom I haven't seen for a while, looks much older than I know. He walked up to Jian Xingsui, looked at the child, and opened his lips slightly, but then stopped himself from speaking.

Jian Xingsui patiently asked again, "What's wrong? Is there something you need?"

Zhang Xiangyang was about to speak when Zhang pushed her husband away, saying, "What else could it be? It's your birthday, so we came to see you and bought you a gift and a cake."

Jian Xingsui was somewhat surprised to see that there really was a cake on the table not far away, with a box next to it.

It seems this couple is actually celebrating their own birthday...?

Having learned his lesson from before, Jian Xingsui wouldn't be so foolish as to fall for it again. He asked, "Do you need me to call An Ran for you?"

Zhang was taken aback: "Sui Sui, what do you mean by this?"

“It doesn’t mean anything.” Jian Xingsui exposed them without any mercy: “Isn’t your main purpose to come see An Ran? Today is An Ran’s birthday.”

A hint of guilt flashed across Zhang's eyes, but she quickly smiled and said, "What nonsense are you talking about, child? How could we be here for that? An Ran naturally has his current family to accompany him. Now that he has returned to the Jian family, he is a child of the Jian family. And since you have come to our house, you are naturally a child of our family. Of course, we are here to celebrate your birthday."

Zhang Xiangyang nodded, and the man said in a low, husky voice, "Happy birthday, child."

...

The room fell silent for a moment.

Jian Xingsui was momentarily confused about whether what the two people were saying was true or false.

Seeing that he didn't move, Zhang quickly went to the sofa behind and took out a brown paper bag, placing it in front of Jian Xingsui and saying, "Child, this is a birthday present for you. Look, it's a designer brand. We went to the boutique to buy it for you, and it cost a lot of money."

Jian Xingsui saw Zhang take out a set of clothes from the paper bag. It was a tracksuit and shoes, and from a well-known sports brand.

It wasn't that he was picky. Back when he was in the Jian family, he was practically a young master and lived a relatively wealthy life, so he was quite familiar with various brands of clothing. He could tell at a glance that the clothes and shoes that the Zhang couple bought were counterfeit.

Jian Xingsui suddenly felt a little ironic.

"Really?" He still held a sliver of hope that they had been tricked: "It was sold in a specialty store?"

Thinking he believed her, Zhang said, "Of course, it's a big department store, there won't be any fakes there."

"..."

Jian Xingsui looked at what Zhang was holding and listened to her exaggerated words, and inexplicably felt that everything was meaningless. In a daze, he thought of Xu Enzhen again.

This world is really strange. Some people you've never met more than a few times can be incredibly kind to you, giving you so much that they're afraid it's not enough. Others are your own parents, yet they constantly compare you to them, as if they're afraid of missing out on a good deal.

So what exactly is love?

Jian Xingsui suddenly didn't understand.

Seeing that he was in a daze, Zhang Xiangyang tentatively asked, "Sui Sui, when it's all over here, will you go home?"

Jian Xingsui snapped out of his daze and said, "I have my own plans, so I probably won't be going back for the time being."

When he said that, Zhang became anxious.

“Sui Sui, you have to go back. Are you... are you complaining about that study? Yes, Mom knows that study is too small and hot without air conditioning. We’ve already cleaned up An Ran’s room, so you can stay there when you come home.” Zhang Shi comforted her, “And if you need anything, just tell me and your dad, and we’ll get it for you.”

So, they actually knew that they were uncomfortable living in the study at that time, right?

It was the height of summer then. An Ran's room had air conditioning, but she couldn't bear to let herself use it, so she pretended not to know?

In the past, Jian Xingsui might have been very happy to hear this, but now, he tried to force a sarcastic smile, but no smile came out at all.

Before Zhang could speak, Jian Xingsui cut her off, saying, "No need."

“Since it wasn’t originally mine, I don’t want it.” Jian Xingsui raised her head, looking at the two people in front of her, her eyes calm: “There’s no need to worry about these things. From the moment I left here to participate in the program, I never thought about going back to live here.”

Zhang's heart sank: "Sui Sui, what are you saying?"

Most of the time, Jian Xingsui is a very easy-going child, but sometimes, once he has figured things out, he can act decisively and cleanly.

Jian Xingsui looked at the gift in her hand: "Thank you for remembering me. I appreciate your kindness."

Just as Zhang was about to speak, Jian Xingsui changed the subject again.

"But it's all thanks to you guys for reminding me. I was in a rush before and didn't have time to handle some of the formalities. An Ran's surname and household registration have been transferred, but mine haven't," Jian Xingsui said. "I was thinking, if I leave the program crew by then, shouldn't we get those formalities sorted out?"

Zhang smiled and tentatively said, "Is it for transferring your household registration? No problem!"

Jian Xingsui shook her head: "We need to get a paternity test done between me and you. I've been thinking about it, and it seems like it was only An Ran's before, but we didn't do it. Since we have to go through the formalities, let's take care of this."

When he finished speaking, both Zhang Xiangyang and Zhang Shi's pupils contracted, and they both froze on the spot.

If Jian Xingsui discovers that they are not related by blood, he will inevitably have to investigate their biological parents from back then. And once the investigation begins, wouldn't what they did back then be made public?

That……

Aren't they both finished?