After playing with the thousand yuan worth of tokens, they each bought some more. The three of them had a great time all afternoon. When they took the toys back, Xiao Wu was also very happy, circling around Song Xia and Ji Ye.

Then Song Xia went into the kitchen. The dishes had already been prepared by Aunt Wu, and she was just waiting to cook them. She was quite quick.

With several stoves and steam ovens running simultaneously, a large table of dishes was prepared in just one hour. Han Jie gave them a thumbs up repeatedly. Putting everything else aside, the sentiment of personally putting things together was admirable. In contrast, Ji Ye's biological mother, Mei Xue, hadn't even sent a single birthday greeting in all these years.

After eating cake at noon, Song Xia cooked a bowl of longevity noodles for dinner, which Shan Jiye also ate.

A mound of warm white noodles sat in the clear chicken soup, with a few blanched greens on the side of the bowl and a perfectly round fried egg in the center. Some scallions floated on the surface of the soup. It wasn't a particularly complicated dish, but it made Ji Ye feel a pang of sadness.

"Thanks!"

Song Xia's smile remained unchanged: "Today is your birthday. According to the old custom, longevity noodles are a must. You can't be picky about food; you have to eat them all up."

"Mm." Ji Ye nodded emphatically, then picked up a mouthful of noodles and slurped it down.

As the birthday celebrant began to eat, Han Jie naturally didn't hold back anymore. He started to eat the shrimp he had been eyeing for a long time, and then his eyes widened in surprise. He then started eating faster and faster.

Seeing that Han Jie was enjoying his food, Ji Ye seemed quite proud of himself, so he started to compete with Han Jie for food. This pig acted as if he had never eaten anything good before.

After dinner, night fell, and a strong wind picked up, accompanied by thunder and lightning, indicating an impending downpour. Han Jie, with a full stomach, was taken back to the Han family home by his driver, while Ji Ye began to look forward to the birthday gift that Song Xia had prepared.

"Does this mean we've avoided it?" Song Xia asked, looking at the sky. "It's good that we've avoided it."

What?

Ji Ye was stunned. He hadn't heard Xin Chang's voice for several days. When he heard it again, he felt as if he had been in another world. And what was he avoiding?

"You'll never guess what birthday present I've prepared, just wait and see."

Song Xia went upstairs, but during that brief moment, Ji Ye received a long-awaited phone call. He felt somewhat lost, but mostly filled with anticipation.

So when Song Xia came downstairs, she heard that Ji Ye had just left. Although Ji Ye had told Wu Ma that he would be back soon, she still had a bad feeling.

In his past life, on Ji Ye's birthday, because his house was empty, Ji Ye thought he should go to Mei Xue for warmth or something. In any case, he left the Mei family in dejection. It happened to be a rare downpour in City A. Feeling that he didn't deserve to be loved, Ji Ye wandered in the streets in the rain.

He was feeling frustrated and overwhelmed by the storm, so he immediately developed a high fever and became completely disoriented.

Finally, the female lead found him, lent him an umbrella, and took him to a nearby convenience store. Seeing his pitiful state, she even bought him a cup of instant noodles. From then on, the boy believed that the bowl of instant noodles was the most delicious thing in the world, and the female lead became a ray of light in his life.

"Madam, where are you going?" Wu Ma called from behind. "It's so windy and rainy, it's not safe outside."

"I'll just drive around a bit. Don't worry, I'll be careful."

With strong winds and heavy rain, going out at this time was definitely not a good idea, but Song Xia had no choice. She was afraid that if that female lead appeared, Ji Ye would be completely captivated and end up with the same fate as in his previous life.

With such a strong wind and rain, who would let Ji Ye go out alone?

It's impossible for Grandpa Ji, as he cares most about his grandson's safety. And it's even more impossible for Ji Jianfei to have recently gone on a trip abroad with his lover. So there's only one answer left: Mei Xue.

Song Xia sighed softly. After all, she was her own mother. Even though she had been disappointed countless times in the past, she still had some hope in her heart.

In the past life, Ji Ye took the initiative to go to her, but in this life, Mei Xue called herself. If she had a change of heart, there would be no way she would do that. Otherwise, why would she send Ji Ye over in such bad weather instead of coming herself? It's all for the sake of another family, and she doesn't care about her own son, Ji Ye.

Where did the female lead find Ji Ye in her previous life? And which convenience store did she take him to?

Song Xia wandered around restlessly, eventually deciding to stay near the Mei family's residence, since Ji Ye would eventually have to leave from there anyway.

Meanwhile, Ji Ye arrived at the Mei family home excitedly, feeling both nervous and thrilled. Had his mother finally shown concern for him?

However, Mei Xue's words chilled him to the bone: "That woman entered the Ji family's gates, why didn't you stop her? If you had made a scene, Old Master Ji might not have stood up for her. Do you know how much she humiliated me last time? And the old man, he gave her such valuable jewelry, not to me back then, and now he hasn't left it for you either. Why don't you go ask Old Master Ji for it back? Your sister is grown up now and needs some valuable jewelry to make a good impression. Unlike you, she doesn't have the protection of both the Ji and Mei families. As her older brother, you took so much, don't you feel guilty?"

Upon hearing this, Ji Ye's heart sank completely: "You called me here just to say this?"

He gave a wry smile to himself. How could he be so looking forward to it? Well, they'd never celebrated before, so why did he suddenly remember this year?

"Of course, it's not just that." Mei Xue, unaware of her slip of the tongue, continued to instruct in the manner of an elder, "That Song Xia is treacherous. Your grandfather is old and doesn't think things through, and your father is incompetent. Naturally, you have to be on guard. Wouldn't it be better to trip her up a bit? I heard she even attended the anniversary celebration of the Ji family's branch? This is just the beginning. Be careful that she doesn't take away all of the Ji family's wealth."

Ji Ye's eyes gradually turned cold, and he kept bringing up the Ji family again: "She won't."

Seeing that he had no reaction and was even refuting her, Mei Xue immediately became angry: "How do you know she won't? Have you been bribed by her too? Ji Ye, you need to know who your biological mother who went through the hardship of giving birth to you is."

Ji Ye looked directly into her eyes: "It's precisely because I know you're my biological mother that I came despite the storm and thunder after your phone call. I thought you would say something else to me."

Mei Xue immediately interrupted him: "What could be more important than the Ji family? These are all your things. I thought Old Master Ji was very clear-headed. He didn't allow those illegitimate children to enter the house before. Now that he's about to die, he actually made such a foolish move."

“Grandpa is in good health now,” Ji Ye retorted in a deep voice. “I will not object to any decision Grandpa makes, whether it’s about the Ji family or our own. If you have nothing else to say, I’ll be leaving now.”

He shouldn't have come; he shouldn't have had any expectations.

"Ji Ye," Mei Xue said angrily, "your sister's birthday is in two months. You either have to give her that set of jade jewelry or a property in the city center. Remember that?"

Ji Ye ignored her. She remembered the date two months later, but did she remember what day it was today?

He thought she had finally had a change of heart, how ironic!