Group photo

The person on the other end of the phone was silent for a moment, then readily agreed, "Of course! Ah Chou, tell your father what you want to do, and I'll arrange for someone to prepare right away."

Meng Chou remembered the worn-out doll that Yu Xi was carrying on her back and said, "Nothing else matters, just do whatever you want, but you must buy a doll, preferably the prettiest one in the toy store."

Meng Jinxian smiled and said, "Is it for your new friend? Dad will definitely buy it for you!"

"Go and make some more preparations for the birthday party that's about to start. Go buy some more toys, and remember to buy the prettiest doll that Ah Chou mentioned." He instructed the assistant who had come with him today, "Make it a birthday celebration like the ones for family members!"

Who could have imagined that the little girl at this birthday party would one day become a member of his family?

Seeing how happy he was, the dean suddenly felt that holding this birthday party today was the right thing to do. The smile on her face hadn't stopped since Meng Jinxian arrived, and she smiled even more happily when she heard him say this.

At least the children will have new toys and a very happy day.

These business people want to build a good reputation for themselves and increase their company's visibility, while the orphanage happens to need more donations so that the children can have a better life.

There is something for both sides to gain, and neither side will refuse.

Yu Xi happens to hate these things. She hates the people who come to visit them. Whenever these people come, the headmistress will wait at the door early in order to show her welcome. When they arrive, she will cheer to show her enthusiasm and anticipation for them.

Therefore, she hated this kind of birthday, and even more so, she hated this kind of fake enthusiasm.

People who already dislike celebrating their birthdays are now being dragged into being the main character at this birthday party.

Unfortunately, Meng Chou had seen the children's registration information beforehand, and fearing he might have a memory of them, the teachers couldn't change the main character of the birthday party at the last minute.

Yu Xi hid under the evergreen tree and was discovered by Chen Miao, who gave her mints and a pink silk hair tie. This was the first time she had received a gift from someone other than her teacher.

It was still a birthday present to celebrate her birthday. Yu Xi had one hand in her pocket, clutching those mints, with an indescribable feeling in her heart.

Just as she was in a daze, someone squatted down, gently patted her back, and said, "Xiao Yu, come back with your teacher!"

Upon hearing her words, Yu Xi hadn't even had time to get up and run when she was grabbed by the collar. "Trust me, teacher. You'll definitely enjoy this birthday party."

"No, I don't want to go back," Yu Xi said stubbornly.

The teacher comforted her, saying, "Look, every child looks forward to their birthday, and this time you'll receive a gift you like."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yu Xi saw someone secretly watching them from the corner. The person opened his mouth wide and silently said to Yu Xi, "What she said is true, believe me!"

One sentence: "Trust me!"

This made Yu Xi waver. She couldn't explain why she was so conflicted about trusting someone she had only met once. She couldn't explain or articulate this feeling.

"Okay, then I'll reluctantly go today, but teacher, next time you give out snacks, please give me an extra lollipop."

Yu Xi stood with her hands on her hips, speaking with an air of great authority.

Meng Chou and her teacher, who were hiding in the corner, were amused by her action. The latter agreed, "Okay, no problem."

As they talked, a huge dining table had already been set up in the open space in the front yard, with more than a dozen tables piled together to form a grand lunch.

Meng Chou instructed the nutritionist to prepare the cake according to the nutritional needs of children at this age. While the cake was being made, Meng Chou went over to the pastry chef and gave him a few instructions. He specifically told him, "The cake must have a little fish pattern on it. Just do what you think is best. But this is for a girl's birthday, so just change it according to what she likes."

The pastry chef immediately understood, patted his chest, and said, "Leave it to me, don't worry! I guarantee the little girl celebrating her birthday will love it."

"Okay, thank you." Meng Chou left the scene satisfied. He wandered around, trying to find Yu Xi again, and at the same time, he didn't want them to hold such a birthday party for her because of him.

He hoped that Yu Xi would accept this surprise, but he didn't want to know who had brought it up. If he did, it would turn into a transaction.

"Brother, where are you going?" Meng Yun followed behind him, jogging as if afraid of falling behind Meng Chou.

Meng Chou disliked him, and even more so, he disliked him calling him that, so he simply ignored him and continued walking. But Meng Yun didn't give up; the more Meng Chou ignored him, the closer he followed.

It was like a game of cat and mouse, with him running and him chasing.

Finally, when Meng Chou could no longer stand him, he turned around and roared, "What exactly do you want?"

"Mom said we shouldn't run around, and that the birthday party is about to start, so we have to go over there, so I... I came to find you." Meng Yun said, while secretly observing Meng Chou's expression. Seeing his gloomy face, Meng Yun dared not continue.

Meng Chou never minced words when speaking to him: "That's your mother, what does she have to do with me? My mother died a long time ago. If you dare to say that to me again, be careful, I won't be polite to you."

He moved closer to Meng Yun and grabbed his collar, his expression one of barely suppressed rage.

With tears in her eyes, Meng Yun said aggrievedly, "But all I wanted was to call you back, brother. If I did anything wrong, just tell me and I'll change."

“I told you, don’t call me that,” Meng Chou warned him again.

Unbeknownst to him, as Meng Yun spoke those words, Meng Jinxian and Sun Shuhan were already walking towards them, and this scene was witnessed by the two of them.

Meng Jinxian scolded, "A Chou, what are you doing? Let go of your brother!"

Sun Shuhan added fuel to the fire, quickly pulling Meng Yun from Meng Chou's arms and straightening his collar, "Oh dear, my little Yun, look how red your neck is."

"Aren't you going to do anything about it? Look at him, he dares to bully his younger brother like this. Who knows what other outrageous things he might do in the future?"

Meng Jinxian pointed at him, adopting the demeanor of a stern father, "I'm talking to you, and you adopt this attitude?"

"Yes, that's right, just like you think, I hate him." Meng Chou didn't want to explain too much to him. He understood that since his mother passed away, there was no one in this family who could support him anymore.

Meng Jinxian simply wanted an obedient eldest son and harbored some guilt over his mother's death, which is why he adopted the demeanor of a father.

"Take him over there, and don't let him out until the event is over!" Meng Jinxian waved his hand, and the bodyguards who were following him nearby came over.

This was his consistent educational method: whenever Meng Chou disobeyed, he would lock him in a room to reflect on his actions until he believed that Meng Chou had truly reflected on his actions.

Meng Chou was too lazy to explain, and didn't even want to give him a second glance.

"Look at him, he's like this. It's really unfair to our Xiaoyun." Sun Shuhan gently rubbed Mengyun's red neck, while Mengyun, nestled in her arms, watched Meng Chou being taken away with a smug look in her eyes.

He noticed Meng Jinxian and his group from the very beginning, and deliberately said those things to provoke Meng Chou.

Rather than initially wanting Meng Chou to accept him, he now wants to take away all the love Meng Chou possesses, take away everything he has, and secretly compete with him in every aspect.

But even though this method worked, he knew in his heart that Meng Jinxian respected Meng Chou more. As a result, his resentment towards Meng Chou grew day by day.

Meng Chou, who had been taken away, leaned against the window, listening to the lively atmosphere in the front yard, and idly drew circles on the windowpane.

"I want to go and see that birthday party, just for a quick look, without Dad finding out," Meng Chou said, turning to his bodyguard, who was dressed in a black suit and had a serious expression.

The bodyguards were used to Meng Chou being confined; in reality, it was never anything serious. But Meng Jinxian wanted him to reflect on his actions in this way.

"I thought this birthday party looked quite lively, and I wanted to go and take a look."

He had no reason not to grant such a request from such a young child.

He also knew Meng Chou's character well; he wasn't as wicked as Sun Shuhan described. On the contrary, he was very intelligent and calm, and had never caused him any trouble.

"Sure, but like you said, your father can't find out. Otherwise, he'll definitely scold you, and might even punish you more severely," the bodyguard added.

Everyone had gone to the front yard for the birthday party, leaving the two of them forgotten in this corner.

Therefore, Meng Chou arrived at the front yard without any problems, arriving at just the right time. Yu Xi was making a wish over a candle, and he watched her from a distance, across the crowd, as she walked away.

Meng Chou was also in the group photo taken at Yu Xi's birthday party, but he was in an inconspicuous place, and you wouldn't notice him if you weren't looking carefully.

Meng Yun didn't go into too much detail about the memory, simply stating, "That's all I remember."

"So, he went that day too, right?" Yu Xi asked.

"Yes, he was there too."

Yu Xi couldn't help but laugh. She felt that fate was like this. In fact, they had met from the very beginning, but neither of them had noticed.

They were too young then, focused only on growing up and moving forward, and many of them rushed through a part of their lives.

So many people accompany you for a while that you gradually forget their faces, until in the end you only remember the words, "I still have a vague impression of them."

However, she was also lucky, as this person later accompanied her for a third of her life and became her partner. Those who were part of her childhood also walked a long way through her youth.

"So I've met him so long ago."

Meng Yun didn't understand what she was saying. "What? Who have you seen?"

"You don't need to tell me his childhood stories anymore. I think I need to try to be alone and calm myself down." Yu Xi walked slowly forward, tears welling up in her eyes.

She remembered the last birthday photo in the album, a picture of her and Meng Chou when they first met.