Sheng Yan has had one major flaw since childhood: he is protective of his own.

The second biggest flaw is that he holds grudges.

His third major flaw is that he thinks he's the only one in the world who can bully Qin Zigui.

So the morning after the graduation party, as soon as he woke up, Sheng Yan sneaked into the kitchen and then secretly lifted the hem of Qin Zigui's T-shirt to peek inside.

Qin Zigui was making breakfast peacefully, unaware of where Sheng Yan's mind had suddenly wandered off to. He could no longer bear the sight of a pair of restless hands groping him, even starting to undo his belt. He put down the milk, turned around, looked at Sheng Yan, and said calmly, "If you weren't tired enough last night, we could do some morning exercise."

"..." Thinking of the fierce battle on the sofa last night, Sheng Yan released his hands and took a step back. "You can continue."

Then he immediately ran back to his room, locked the door, lay down on the bed, took out his phone, and continued searching: [How long does it take to recover after donating bone marrow?]

Upon seeing that he could recover within one or two weeks, Sheng Yan hung his head dejectedly.

He still remembered what Chen Yubai had said about donating bone marrow.

Although Chen Yubai said that the matching was probably unsuccessful, so there was no further news, and Qin Zigui went to Beijing for training and even won the gold medal, Sheng Yan was still worried.

After spending the whole morning researching where bone marrow is extracted, the aftereffects of bone marrow donation, and whether bone marrow donation is painful, Sheng Yan became increasingly unhappy.

He wasn't upset because Qin Zigui donated bone marrow; after all, the child was innocent, and saving a life was definitely a good thing.

He was unhappy because Qin Zigui's father used this matter to threaten Qin Zigui.

When Sheng Yan first learned that Qin Zigui's father wanted to take Qin Zigui away, he thought that Qin Zigui's father was old and still had some conscience, and was just afraid that Qin Zigui would leave.

Unexpectedly, it turned out that after abandoning Qin Zigui for so long, his father came back to him only to exploit him, and he used such dirty and despicable means.

He abandoned his father, but came back to her for the sake of his youngest son, coercing and enticed her to donate a part of her body.

How heartbroken Qin Zigui must be.

And that old lady Jiang is the same. All day long, she takes advantage of Uncle Jiang's filial piety to act arrogantly and domineeringly, always saying that Qin Zigui is an outsider.

As a result, his beloved grandson Jiang Fei, after repeating a year of high school, only scored a little over 400 points. He lived and ate at Qin Ru and Jiang Ping's house like a vampire.

Sheng Yan didn't cause trouble before because Qin Ru was pregnant and he and Qin Zigui had to prepare for the college entrance examination, so he tolerated it for the time being. But he had kept these grudges in his little notebook for a thousand years. Now that everything has settled down, if he doesn't stand up for Qin Zigui, he is not Sheng Xiaoyan.

Thinking it over, Sheng Yan dialed Xu Qingrong's number: "Hello, Mom."

Xu Qingrong said succinctly, "Just say what you have to say."

Sheng Yan tugged at the corner of the blanket and asked, "That, the thing about Qin Zigui's father coming to see him before... what happened in the end?"

Xu Qingrong was silent for a moment, then asked, "You know everything?"

"Yes, I know everything." Sheng Yan did not deny it.

Xu Qingrong sighed: "Well, it's nothing really. Shiyao is just worried that Zigui will be unhappy if you find out. He did go for a tissue matching test, but maybe his father did too many bad things, so the match wasn't successful. The child probably found another donor later. I heard he just had the surgery, and then the child's mother found out that his father had abandoned another child before, and it seems she's planning to make his father leave with nothing."

"Oh." Sheng Yan breathed a slight sigh of relief.

This scumbag finally got his comeuppance.

He had heard some things about Qin Zigui's father from his maternal grandparents since he was a child.

He's a young master from a once-wealthy family who, for the sake of profit, obeyed his family's arrangements and married someone he didn't like, only to fall in love with Qin Zigui's mother.

The young and handsome man was gentle, considerate, and witty. He claimed to be single, and the girl, who had grown up in a simple environment, believed him and fell head over heels in love with him despite the objections of the Qin family elders.

It wasn't until she gave birth to Qin Zigui out of wedlock that she learned he already had a family.

So Qin Zigui's mother lived alone with Qin Zigui until she passed away, after which Qin Zigui was taken to live with his father.

However, at the time, if he took Qin Zigui with him, his wife would divorce him, and their family's interests would be lost. That's why he insisted on leaving Qin Zigui and going abroad with his wife.

Later, his career still didn't take off, so he divorced his original wife and married a girl from a family background that was more advantageous to him. Only then did his career begin to improve.

He's the worst of the worst, the most shameless gigolo.

Now it's his turn to be kicked out; it's karma.

But that wasn't enough. Sheng Yan believed that to kill someone, one must first destroy their spirit.

Then Sheng Yan remembered what Qin Zigui had said before and asked, "Mom, do you and Qin Zigui's father have any business dealings?"

Xu Qingrong: "It's not exactly direct business; one of my clients is his client."

Oh, so that means Xu Qingrong is Qin Zigui's father, his father's father.

Sheng Yan felt reassured, and a sly smile appeared in his eyes: "Mom, it's my birthday next month, how about we pull off something big?"

Ms. Xu smiled knowingly on the other end of the phone: "Alright, as expected of my son, you've finally learned to be naughty. Come on, tell your mother what you need me to do."

All Sheng Yan needed his mother to do was throw money at an extremely extravagant birthday banquet and celebration party, and invite Qin Zigui's father and a whole host of uncles and elders with vested interests in the business world to attend, all under the name of the client's client.

On her birthday, Sheng Yan cornered Qin Zigui in the fitting room and asked, "Qin Zigui, have you fulfilled all my birthday wishes since I was a child?"

Qin Zigui looked down and adjusted the straps of the shirt clip on Sheng Yan's thigh, replying, "Mm."

Sheng Yan, completely oblivious to Qin Zigui taking advantage of him again, asked, "So, will you grant my birthday wishes every year from now on?"

Qin Zigui looked at the black straps that were slightly embedded in Sheng Yan's long, fair thighs, and replied again, "Mm."

Sheng Yan extended his little finger: "Pinky promise."

Qin Zigui hooked his little finger with one hand: "Pinky promise."

Then she put her arm around his waist, ready to take the opportunity to ask for some reward.

As a result, Sheng Yan simply pushed him aside, then picked up his suit trousers, tucked in his shirt haphazardly, and happily made a phone call as he went out: "Hey, Zhu Peng, Gou You, bring out all the stuff I prepared."

Qin Zigui, now suddenly empty in her arms, stood there watching her clueless boyfriend skip and hop away. She smiled helplessly and then slowly followed him out.

When they followed them all the way to the banquet hall and saw Sheng Yan directing Zhu Peng and Gou You to hang a banner at the entrance of the hall, they realized that something seemed amiss.

The first banner read, "Warmest congratulations to Sheng Yan for achieving a score of 627 in the college entrance examination."

The second banner, in larger characters, read: "Warmest congratulations to Qin Zigui for achieving a score of 726 in the college entrance examination, winning the top score in the city!"

Then the third banner read in small print: "Warmest congratulations to Jiang Fei for achieving a score of 415 in the college entrance examination."

All the other characters are small, but "415" is very large, even larger than 726 and 627, making it look extremely sarcastic.

Even after Zhu Peng and Gou You finished hanging up, they couldn't help but exclaim, "Brother Yan, you're too mean! Will the giant pandas even have food this year?"

Sheng Yan snorted: "What do you know? I call this having a broad perspective. Under one roof, three people took the college entrance exam. If you only congratulate me and Qin Zigui, isn't that excluding them? But I feel that Qin Zigui's banner is still a bit small. Is it too late to make a bigger one now?"

"Oh my god, if it gets any bigger, you can just use it as a blanket." Zhu Peng and Gou You were almost driven crazy by Sheng Yanxiu.

Sheng Yan could only nod reluctantly: "Alright, let's bring out Qin Zigui's life-size cardboard cutout first."

After saying that, Zhu Peng and Gou You pulled out two life-size cardboard cutouts from somewhere.

One was Sheng Yan's photo, and the other was Qin Zigui's. The photos were taken last month by Qin Ru as part of a family portrait. The two of them were wearing white suits and standing there. There was a registration table next to them, with a tray for gifts on the table.

After Zhu Peng and Gou You finished setting things up, they stood at a distance. The more they looked at it, the more something seemed off. Finally, Gou You hissed and touched his chin: "This scene looks so familiar to me."

Zhu Peng stroked his chin and nodded: "Indeed, I also feel it's very familiar."

A waiter from the next room happened to pass by and said, "Hey, isn't your hall supposed to be a birthday and graduation banquet hall? How come it's turned into a wedding hall?"

Zhu Peng: "..."

Gou You: "..."

Sheng Yan: "..."

After a brief silence, a low laugh came from behind them.

The three turned around, and Qin Zigui slowly walked towards them, stopped in front of Sheng Yan, lowered his eyes and smiled, "What, are you planning to get engaged to me today?"

"You wish!" Sheng Yan, his ears red, gritted his teeth and glared at Qin Zigui amidst Zhu Peng's lewd smile.

Qin Zigui reached out and straightened his bow tie: "It's your birthday, why bother with all this?"

"Don't worry about it." Sheng Yan raised his chin with the air of a patriarch. "Just watch my performance later."

Just as he finished speaking, all three elevators on the banquet hall floor dinged.

Xu Qingrong came out with a bunch of business partners, Qin Ru and Jiang Ping's grandparents carrying Xiao Zijin, followed by the arrogant old lady Jiang and the carefree Jiang Fei, while Chen Yubai and Lin Qian came out with Huang Shuliang, Coach Li and several other teachers and classmates.

As soon as the group stepped out of the elevator, they saw the unique decorations at the entrance of the banquet hall and their expressions changed.

Xu Qingrong's business partners were the most naive and innocent, and upon seeing the three banners, they sincerely praised her, saying, "President Xu, you're amazing! You have such an outstanding son at home, and you still complain to us every day about how he's a good-for-nothing."

"Yeah, 627 points, that's an amazing score! And I heard he even won a shooting competition? Isn't it easy to get into a top university like that?"

"Yes, and the young man is really handsome, even more handsome than his father was back then. I don't know how many girls like him."

Xu Qingrong also thought her son was really handsome, but she didn't forget the task her son had assigned her. She laughed and said, "Oh, you're joking. The one who's really amazing is President Jiang's nephew. He's the top scorer in Nanwu City this year's college entrance examination. Come on, Zigui, Ayan, come over and say hello to your uncles and aunts."

Sheng Yan had always been liked by his elders since he was a child. He walked over and addressed them as "Uncle" and "Auntie" with grace and charm, making them both well-behaved and endearing.

However, Qin Zigui's gaze fell on the man at the back of the crowd, whose expression was slightly embarrassed.

Everyone followed his gaze, and when they saw the man whose eyebrows and eyes resembled Qin Zigui's by a third, one of the bosses who had the most business dealings with him suddenly chuckled and said, "Is it just my imagination? I feel like President Jiang's nephew looks a bit like President Xie."

Xie Ji is the name of Qin Zigui's father.

His eyebrows and bone structure resembled Qin Zigui's somewhat, but the constant struggle for profit, scheming and toil of the year had made his eyes cloudy, and he looked much more haggard than a year ago, with a kind of desolate, worldly air about him.

Qin Zigui, standing tall and aloof in the crowd, appeared even more refined and composed, like a green bamboo in the snow, a beautiful orchid and a jade tree.

One glance was enough to tell that this handsome young man with a great figure had a limitless future ahead of him.

At that moment, Jiang Ping suddenly felt a surge of pride welling up in his chest.

Although Jiang Ping was too busy to supervise Qin Zigui much when he was a child, it was Jiang Ping's repeated heart-to-heart talks that taught him what it means to be a man, what responsibility is, and what protection is when he grew from a child into a teenager.

And that little kid who silently followed him to learn how to be a proper man has really grown up.

She's taller and more handsome than him, and she even knows how to put on a grumpy face better.

Jiang Ping then walked up with a smile, put his arm around Qin Zigui's shoulder, and said with a smile, "Of course the father and son look alike, but back then President Xie had no choice but to take Zigui abroad, so Zigui was raised by my side. Look at him, doesn't he have some of my style back then?"

In his words, he casually mentioned the relationship between Xie Ji and Qin Zigui, but what he expressed even more was his irrepressible affection and pride.

Having navigated the business world for so many years, everyone present was shrewd and had heard countless rumors and gossip. Upon hearing this, they instantly understood everything.

The gazes directed at Xie Ji became more deliberate, and some even began to consider whether they should completely sever ties with Xie Ji in order to maintain business relations with the Xu and Jiang families.

After experiencing a series of changes, Xie Ji aged considerably. Thinking about his wife wanting to divorce him with their sickly young son and forbidding him from seeing her again, and looking at the outstanding and dazzling Qin Zigui in front of him, he suddenly felt that it wouldn't be bad if he could have a child by his side in the end.

He smiled gently: "Cuckoo..."

However, before he could finish speaking, a baby suddenly burst into tears. Qin Zigui immediately ignored him and quickly walked to Qin Ru, skillfully taking the baby and patting her back.

Xiao Zijin immediately started giggling again.

Qin Ru was both amused and helpless: "Just now, Xiao Zi Jin wanted his brother to hold him, but I wouldn't let him, so he started making a fuss."

With just a few words and a few exchanges, it becomes crystal clear who is family and who is not.

Xie Ji stood there awkwardly, frozen in place.

Everyone understood that there was no need to continue cooperating with Xie Ji.

Some of the more observant among them had already started to change the subject, but one sharp-eyed person spotted the number "415" and couldn't help but hiss: "President Jiang, who is this Jiang Fei?"

As soon as Jiang Ping saw the banner, he knew whose intention it was. Behind Old Madam Jiang's back, he glared at Sheng Yan, and then continued to laugh, "Oh, my brother's son, who is repeating his senior year of high school, is staying at my house."

"oh……"

A very, very long "oh".

Because besides "oh," no one knew what else to say.

But it's hard to praise this achievement.

But if I don't praise him, I'm afraid I'll offend Jiang Ping.

The scene became extremely awkward.

Old Mrs. Jiang, whose face was already looking haggard, looked even more haggard. She could only glare fiercely at the good-for-nothing Jiang Fei before storming into the banquet hall.

On this occasion, Jiang Fei was still wearing his skull T-shirt and flip-flops, casually following behind Old Madam Jiang.

A friend who was close to Jiang Ping as his personal trainer saw this and couldn't help but pat Jiang Ping on the shoulder: "They're both nephews, but this one is quite different from that one."

Jiang Ping didn't deny it: "Yes, there's a big difference. Fortunately, this one is just a nephew, while I raised the other one like a son. So when he graduates in a few years and comes to the company, all of you uncles and elders will take good care of him."

As luck would have it, Old Mrs. Jiang, who was walking ahead, overheard this and turned around angrily to retort. But one of Qin Ru's friends just happened to laugh and said, "You're really dreaming. Qin Ru worked so hard to start your business with you, and now that she's finally retired, you've brought her nephew over to manage the company for you. Our President Jiang is really lucky."

With just one sentence, Qin Ru's position in the company was made clear. No matter how much the old lady Jiang relied on her age to act arrogantly, she was too embarrassed to act recklessly in front of so many outsiders. She could only grit her teeth and sit down in her seat with a huff.

Seeing that this part was about enough, Xu Qingrong took the opportunity to smooth things over, saying, "Alright, everyone, don't stand at the door anymore, otherwise they'll say that we scholars haven't been hospitable enough. Ayan, get ready, we'll thank your uncles and aunts properly later."

"Okay, Mom."

A huge group of people finally entered the venue.

Sheng Yan secretly gave Qin Zigui a V sign.

Qin Zigui finally understood that Sheng Yan was holding a grudge and wanted to avenge him.

He ruffled Sheng Yan's hair and said, "Actually, I don't care."

"But I do care." Only then did Sheng Yan reveal some of his spoiled and willful nature as a young master. "We agreed that only I can bully you, so as your boyfriend, I have to stand up for you today. Otherwise, what kind of man am I?"

“That’s right!” Zhu Peng and Gou You chimed in from either side, “What kind of man is he! What kind of man is he! He just watched her leave and didn’t even ask about it…”

Zhu Peng and Gou You's expressive singing successfully made Qin Zigui lower his head and chuckle.

His smile put Sheng Yan in a good mood, and he said to him with a smile, "Alright, go in quickly, find the best seat, and wait to see what I'll do for you."

Qin Zigui was an indifferent person by nature. As long as it wasn't someone or something he cared about, it wouldn't affect him in the slightest.

But since Sheng Yan said he cared, then he cared too.

Anyway, it feels pretty good to be protected by my boyfriend.

So he ruffled Sheng Yan's hair again, his eyebrows curving slightly: "Okay, then I'll wait for our Brother Yan to do something big for me."

The moment everyone was seated, all the lights in the banquet hall suddenly went out.

Before anyone could even gasp in surprise, a light suddenly appeared in front of them.

It was a huge projector playing a beautifully edited video.

Like many birthday parties, they played videos of the birthday person at age one, two, three, and every year up to now.

However, what's different is that from the age of three, every shot features two children.

Three-year-old Sheng Yan, wearing overalls and a small birthday crown on his head, stood on tiptoe, wanting to kiss Qin Zigui.

Four-year-old Sheng Yan lay on the ground, holding a pen, scribbling on paper, while Qin Zigui wiped the watercolor marks off his face.

Five-year-old Sheng Yan seemed to have suffered some injustice. He hugged Qin Zigui and cried, his face covered in tears.

Six-year-old Sheng Yan was also a little crybaby. He kept looking for his brother Zigui while holding the doll that Qin Zigui had bought for him.

Seven-year-old Sheng Yan couldn't tie his red scarf properly no matter what he tried, so Qin Zigui patiently tied it for him again and again.

It wasn't until Sheng Yan was thirteen that he stood on the champion's podium in a shooting competition for the first time, and Qin Zigui also won a medal in the Hua Luogeng Competition.

Fourteen-year-old Sheng Yan was caught climbing over the wall and made to stand in the corner as punishment. Next to him was a photo of Qin Zigui being commended for being the best in the city.

Fifteen-year-old Sheng Yan won first place in the sports meet, and Qin Zigui rushed back and won another championship in a competition.

Sixteen-year-old Sheng Yan was punished by being made to stand, and coincidentally, next to him was a photo of Qin Zigui being commended for being the best in the city.

Even at seventeen, it was exactly the same.

When Sheng Yan turned eighteen, he once again stood on his own podium, while on the other side of the screen, Qin Zigui also stood on his own podium.

Then, at the age of nineteen, they delivered their best performance since the end of high school.

The image freezes on the day of the graduation ceremony.

Sheng Yan and Qin Zigui stood in the middle, holding sunflowers. In front of them, Zhu Peng, Gou You, Chen Yu, and Bai Linqian sat on the ground, playing and laughing heartily. To their left were their grandparents, Xu Qingrong, and to their right were Jiang Ping and Qin Ru, who were holding Qin Zigui. They stood together with their best smiles.

The sun was shining brightly that day, and the roses and people were all very nice.

It's a smile of happiness that you can feel even if you've never been a part of it.

The moment the image froze, the lights came on.

Sheng Yan held the microphone, standing in everyone's sight, with a flamboyant smile, so confident and so spirited.

It was as if whatever he did was perfectly natural and inevitable.

After a brief opening speech and thanks, he looked at the audience and went straight to the topic: "Actually, this birthday banquet today is not only mine, but also Qin Zigui's. Because I'm not afraid of being laughed at, I have believed in Guanyin Goddess since I was three years old."

The audience responded with good-natured laughter.

Sheng Yan smiled gently: "Because since I was three years old, my birthday wishes have come true every year, every year. I always thought there was a Guanyin Goddess, but later I found out that this Guanyin Goddess was actually Qin Zigui."

"My relationship with Qin Zigui is not a secret. We have been tested and even hurt by some ill-intentioned people. But Qin Zigui told me that I only need to do my own thing and trust him because he is omnipotent. Later, he proved that he was indeed omnipotent. But for this omnipotence, to protect me, to protect our family, and to consider the overall situation, he suffered a lot of grievances, which you may find hard to imagine."

"So for my birthday this year, I have some things I want to say."

"First of all, I want to thank my mother for bringing me into this world with strength and courage during the most helpless, painful, and difficult times. She gave me the best of everything and told me that all I need to do in this life is to be kind, strong, brave, and happy. I also want to thank my maternal grandparents and Uncle Jiang and Aunt Qin for taking care of me, being tolerant of me, and spoiling me, so that I can do whatever I want without any worries."

"Then I want to thank my classmates. It was really amazing to have you all in high school. And Huang Shiren, although you always scolded me quite harshly, I am very grateful that you did not give up on me in the end. Of course, I also want to thank my most respected Coach Li. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to return to the field."

"Finally, I want to thank Qin Zigui."

"Thank you, Qin Zigui, for coming into my life sixteen years ago. Thank you, Qin Zigui, for accompanying me through countless nights when I missed my parents. Thank you, Qin Zigui, for taking care of me every time I was sick. Thank you, Qin Zigui, for not disliking my willfulness, arrogance, and bad temper, and for being willing to manage and care for me. It was through this that I was able to transform from that good-for-nothing rich kid into the most outstanding public servant of the future. And what I am most grateful for is that even after suffering so many grievances, going through so many hardships, and facing so much injustice, you still became the most outstanding, the most dazzling, and the most proud young man."

Qin Zigui's outstanding resume, with its numerous achievements, also came to light.

Only then did everyone realize that this aloof and indifferent young man was far more outstanding than they had thought.

"Any family that has a son like this would be laughing in their dreams."

"Yes, he has good grades, good character, good looks, and is sensible. If my child were half as good as him, I wouldn't have aged so quickly."

"It's a pity that the Sheng family's son beat me to it, otherwise I would have taken my daughter to arrange a marriage between our families."

"And look at how that child is holding Xiao Zijin. He looks like a grateful, sensible, and caring person. So, Jiang Ping is blessed."

"Absolutely. I thought we'd never have children, but now I've been blessed with a daughter late in life. And the nephew I raised is such an outstanding person. I'm going to enjoy the rest of my life."

"So one should be honest and kind. Look at that guy, he did everything for fame and fortune, and what happened? Now his wife wants a divorce, his son is seriously ill, his career is on the verge of collapse, and when he looks at the child he abandoned back then, who is so outstanding, he must be regretting it to the core."

"Do you think he might want the child back now?"

"He's dreaming. Other people's children are all adults and don't need guardians anymore. Besides, to be more realistic, the young master of the Sheng family has become a policeman, and the daughter of the Jiang family is still a baby. The Jiang and Xu families have such a large business, in the end, they still have to rely on him to support it."

“You’re right. Anyway, I believe in karma. There’s no need to cooperate with that kind of person anymore.”

"Indeed, it's unlucky to even talk about."

Every word they uttered in hushed whispers reached Xie Ji's ears, each one piercing his heart.

He once loved Qin Zigui's mother deeply, but in the end, he couldn't overcome his love for himself. For the sake of profit, he gave up love and his son with the woman he loved, but in the end, he had nothing.

His youngest son doesn't look like him at all.

On the contrary, Qin Zigui has the same eyebrows and eyes as him, and the same nose and mouth as his mother. He has the best features of both of them and is just as smart as his mother.

In that instant, he couldn't tell if it was driven by self-interest, or because he only remembered the good things he had given up after losing everything, or perhaps because he was just too exhausted from the past year, and an unprecedented sense of regret welled up in his heart.

He downed a large glass of baijiu in silence, then walked up to Qin Zigui and whispered, "Zigui..."

However, before he could finish speaking, Huang Shuliang at the next table rolled up his sleeves and jumped up, shouting, "What are you going to do now! Didn't I tell you last time that you're not allowed to harass Qin Zigui anymore? He's my student! Every time you come here, I'll beat you up!"

Huang Shuliang had been teaching for so many years and had never seen a truly shameless father. So much so that after a couple of glasses of baijiu, the sight of that face made him so angry that he wanted to punch someone.

Xie Ji, who had also been drinking, was provoked by his words and immediately shouted, "He is my son!"

Huang Shuliang was really indignant: "Your surname is Xie, and his surname is Qin. What makes you think he's your son!"

"As a teacher, can't you be reasonable?"

"You parents are worse than pigs and dogs!"

"You..." Xie Ji couldn't argue with Huang Shuliang, so he turned around and said, "Zigui, come out here, I have something to say to you."

Qin Zigui looked at him indifferently: "The matching has already been done, what else is there to say? Or is there something else I need to donate this time? A liver or a kidney?"

Qin Zigui spoke with extreme indifference and calmness, his expression just as it had been when his mother broke ties with him years ago.

Xie Ji felt a sharp pain in his heart: "Zigui, I had no choice at the time, I was too anxious. I never really wanted to hurt you. I don't want anything from you today, I just want to apologize to you."

Just as Qin Zigui was about to refuse, Qin Ru pressed his hand down and said gently, "Zigui, he is, after all, your father. Let him apologize to you."

Qin Zigui rarely disobeyed Qin Ru, so he remained silent and said nothing more.

Xie Ji finally saw an opportunity and immediately whispered, "Zigui, I'm sorry to you and your mother. I shouldn't have abandoned you for my own sake, and I shouldn't have stayed away from you for so many years. Back then, I did say some hurtful things and do some bad things in order to donate bone marrow to your brother, but I truly regret it now. I sincerely apologize to you. I'm sorry, I love you, and I just hope to see you often for the rest of my life."

After saying that, Xie Ji tilted his head back and drank a glass of baijiu in one gulp. His already wrinkled eyes were even a little moist.

The scene fell into complete silence. No one expected that Xie Jizhen would swallow his pride and apologize to his own son in front of everyone.

Perhaps it was out of guilt, perhaps out of regret, or perhaps because Qin Zigui was his last and best principle.

But none of that matters anymore.

Because after his heartfelt, tearful apology, all he received were the silent stares of Qin Ru and Qin Zigui, whose expressions remained unchanged.

Xie Ji held up his wine glass, momentarily at a loss for what to do.

Qin Ru asked first, "Is that all?"

"..."

Xie Ji felt that he seemed to have only moved himself.

Sure enough, the next second Qin Ru simply nodded: "Go back and eat after you're done talking, don't waste the gift you gave."

His tone was arrogant and dismissive.

Xie Ji then realized that Qin Ru's initial intention was not to get Qin Zigui to listen to her apology, but simply to make him apologize in public so that she could vent her anger for her sister and nephew.

Realizing he had been played, Xie Ji gritted his teeth and cried out, "Qin Ru!"

Before anything could happen, Jiang Ping suddenly stood up, shielding Qin Zigui and Qin Ru, pressing against his shoulder and shoving him: "Who are you yelling at?"

"I wasn't being mean!"

"You haven't even been stern yet? My daughter is about to cry from fright."

As soon as she finished speaking, little Jiang Zijin burst into a thunderous cry, drawing condemning and disgusted looks from everyone present.

Xie Ji felt like he was swallowing a bitter pill, unable to express his grievances: "Jiang Ping, you take care of your daughter, and I'll take care of my son. What's the problem?"

"Of course! Qin Zigui is like half a son to me!" Jiang Ping, having been a CEO for so many years, spoke with conviction.

Even Old Mrs. Jiang opened her eyes wide in horror.

Seeing that Qin Zigui had no intention of denying it, Xie Ji could only use his only advantage: "Even if you have a good relationship, if the law and blood ties don't recognize it, then he can only be your half-son. What makes you think you can be his taxi driver!"

"Oh, I still have half here. Let's put them together and make a son-in-law." Xu Qingrong slowly ate a shrimp, then wiped her fingers and gestured with her chin towards Sheng Yan on the stage. "Haven't you heard the saying that a son-in-law is like half a son?"

Upon hearing this, the family members at the table and Sheng Yan on the stage couldn't help but lower their heads and laugh.

Your mom will always be your mom.

Ms. Xu Qingrong will always be on the front line of protecting her children.

Xie Ji never expected that these two families could be so unreasonable. Just as he was about to make an issue of the relationship between Qin Zigui and Sheng Yan, Ms. Xu suddenly exclaimed "Ah!" as if she had remembered something.

Then he turned to a man at the next table who looked very elite: "Old Zhang, I remember the contract we're using is about to expire, right? Our company recently had a meeting and we think we should support domestic products, so we want all the raw materials to be sourced domestically. Do you think we can adjust the supply of goods to us?"

The original source of the goods was Xie Ji Company, and the place of origin was naturally overseas.

Old Zhang immediately understood and nodded, saying, "Mr. Xu is right. I'll think about it and then go back and select a few more suppliers."

Upon hearing this, Xie Ji's face immediately darkened.

Once the divorce proceedings are over, this company will be his only asset, and this Mr. Zhang is his biggest client, someone he can't afford to offend.

So all his frustration and anger had to be bottled up inside him. He clenched his fists so tightly that the veins on his neck were bulging.

Then Xu Qingrong casually added, "So, does President Xie have anything else? If not, please move aside and don't block my view of my son. I'm a son-obsessed person, it's a family trait, I can't help it."

After saying that, he ignored Xie Ji and just smiled at Sheng Yan on the stage, saying, "Son, well said, continue!"

The others understood immediately and ignored Xie Ji, simply watching the stage and clapping with smiles. Even Qin Zigui didn't glance at him again.

Amidst all this joy, happiness, and mutual protection, Xie Ji felt utterly out of place and extremely embarrassed. In the end, he grabbed his belongings and stormed off.

After watching all of this, Sheng Yan looked into Qin Zigui's eyes and smiled, "As you all just heard, the person I need to thank the most for my achievements today is Qin Zigui. Therefore, I have decided to make my birthday wish for him this year. I hope Qin Zigui can know that so many relatives, friends, elders, and I love you. So I hope that every day in the future you can live for yourself and always be the best for yourself."

That was Sheng Yan's wish.

He hoped that the most dazzling and brightest boy in his heart could live proudly for himself.

No more humility, no more compromise, no more self-inflicted suffering.

Therefore, he asked Qin Zigui to promise that he would fulfill every one of his birthday wishes.

He wanted Qin Zigui to keep his word.

Amidst the throng of distinguished guests and cheers, Qin Zigui heard only his youthful voice, and then he smiled and said, "Okay, I will definitely treat myself the best from now on."

But only he and Sheng Yan knew that when a wish was granted, there would always be a small task involved.

The task Sheng Yan received that day was: [But you are a part of me]

That wasn't a love confession.

Those were sixteen years of their lives that forged a fact that belonged only to them.