Chapter 34 Happy Birthday to You~ Smashed
Ming Nuo received so many gifts that he couldn't handle them all, so he asked his uncles to help deliver all the gifts to his room, but he specially kept the gift that Wen Zhining gave him.
Wen Zhining gave him two gifts, one of which was very small, only the size of a palm.
When Wen Zhining presented this gift to Mingnuo, he specifically introduced it, "I've been researching ancient Earth culture lately. This gift seems to have been a must-have for birthdays back then, so I've restored one for you."
This made Mingnuo curious about the gift. He took the gift and walked towards Sedwick, subconsciously sitting next to him, "Look at mine..."
Before the word "gift" even came out of his mouth, Dillon grabbed Mingnuo by the back of his collar and pointed to the other end of the sofa. He closed his eyes and said with a heartbroken look on his face, "Sit next to Lin Yu."
Mingnuo was a little unconvinced, but he still turned around to look at his brother. Zelphis happened to be looking at him and raised his glass to him.
Ming Nuo: “…”
He sat down next to Lin Yu obediently.
Lin Yu couldn't help laughing. She pinched his cheek and said with a deliberately stern face, "So reluctant? Do you despise me?"
"No." Ming Nuo leaned on his shoulder and hummed, "I just can't understand why my brother and uncle are so wary of Sedwick."
They had agreed to spend three hours together, but as long as either Zelphis or Uncle Birdwin were present, Dillon would strictly separate them.
Those who didn't know would think that he and Sedwick were secretly doing bad things that adults didn't allow.
Lin Yu thought for a moment, "Maybe he's worried that you're dating Sedwick?"
Sedwick glanced at them and listened quietly.
Ming Nuo looked innocent, "But I didn't talk to him."
Sedwick: "..."
Field couldn't help laughing, looked at Sedwick sympathetically, and patted his shoulder comfortingly.
Lin Yu suppressed a laugh and put his arm around Ming Nuo's shoulders. "Then I don't know. By the way, didn't you say you wanted to open the presents? Let's open them and see."
Ming Nuo's attention was diverted and he looked at the gift box in his hand. He slowly untied the ribbon and opened the box, only to see a lotus bud lying inside, about to bloom.
Ming Nuo picked up the bud and looked at it. "What's the use of this?"
Luckily, Wen Zhining was right beside them. Seeing them gathered around to look at his gift, he stepped forward to explain its purpose. "This lantern is supposed to be lit, but open flames are unsafe. Lorian, place it on the table and remove the rope at the top."
Ming Nuo nodded and did as he was told. After the rope at the top of the bud was pulled off, the petals slowly unfolded. Each petal was crystal clear, shining with different colors, and then... it started to spin.
The colorful lights flashed at a rapid speed, more brilliant than those in the dance hall, instantly attracting the attention of other people at the banquet.
Before Ming Nuo could take in the shocking light, a childish voice rang out, "Happy birthday to you~Happy birthday to you~"
The whole place fell silent, with only the Happy Birthday song echoing in the royal banquet hall.
Wen Zhining was obviously very confident in his retro gift and asked Ming Nuo expectantly, "How is it? Do you like it?"
Mingnuo... Mingnuo loves it so much! He loves these fancy things, and it even glows!
"That's so cool, I love it." Ming Nuo nodded repeatedly and held the birthday lotus lantern that looked like a small lantern in his arms. "Thank you, teacher."
Wen Zhining recently cut her hair short, and she’s not used to it yet. She often touches the ends of her hair. “As long as you like it, it’s fine.”
Mingnuo couldn't let it go. He kept holding it in his arms while chatting with Sedwick, listening to it singing Happy Birthday to him over and over again. He was so happy.
Sedwick asked him, "Helios College will start school next month. Will you live on campus or back home?"
Helios Academy is not located on Ephir, but in a small satellite city surrounding Ephir. Generally, freshmen choose to live on campus.
But considering Mingnuo's status and the degree of favor His Majesty has for him, it is not a big problem for him to go back to Ephi Star to live every day. It's just that the commute time is a little longer.
Ming Nuo hadn't made up his mind yet. "What about you guys? Are you going to live on campus or go home?"
Field drank a glass of wine and sighed, "I will definitely live on campus. My parents have already discussed it and told me to go home less often after entering Helios. After all, distance makes beauty. My mom is about to kick me out."
Lin Yu: "Yes, I live on campus too."
Ming Nuo stretched his head again, looking past Field and Lin Yu at Sedwick, who was a million miles away from him, and raised his voice, "What about you?"
Sedwick: "...living on campus."
Well, all the good friends are going to live on campus. Ming Nuo frowned and pondered whether he should follow them. "If I live on campus, will I still live with you?"
He doesn't like living with people he doesn't know.
Sedwick: "The school has four-person rooms, so it should be fine."
Mingnuo was relieved and could not wait to get up and find his brother and uncle to tell them about his decision to live on campus. Uncle Bodwin and Aunt Dilina were all in the same group and heard Mingnuo's words. For a while, everyone tried to persuade him.
Aunt Dilina didn't want Mingnuo to suffer. "The school's accommodation is terrible. There aren't even any single dormitories, and you have to squeeze into a dormitory with other people. Luo Rui'an, it's better not to go. Auntie has a single-family house on campus. You can just move in."
"It's okay, I'll live with...Lin Yu and the others." Ming Nuo glanced at Zelphis and silently changed Sedwick's name to Lin Yu.
Ming Nuo hugged his aunt's arm affectionately and acted coquettishly with her, "I haven't lived in the school before, let me try it, aunt. If it doesn't work, I can move out again."
Seeing that Dilina's attitude had softened, Ming Nuo continued to push forward, his beautiful blue eyes filled with pleading, "Okay, okay, please, auntie."
Aunt Dilina was helpless: "...Okay."
Dilina gave in, and the other elders were much easier to deal with. After Mingnuo's repeated requests, they all agreed to let him live on campus.
Zelphis was not very willing at first. He knew that Mingnuo would definitely choose to live in the same dormitory with Sedwick and the others. Then, he would be far away from home and would not be able to keep Mingnuo under his watch all the time.
But Mingnuo insisted, so he had no choice but to give in.
But fortunately, Ti Lung will be by his side, so nothing serious should happen.
Zelphis pondered this and patted Mingnuo's head. Like any parent worried about their child going to school far away, he instructed, "When the time comes, send me messages frequently. If you're wronged or encounter any problems, tell me immediately."
Ming Nuo smiled and said, "Don't worry, brother. I won't be bullied."
If someone bullies him, don't blame him for bullying back. After all, Mingchuan's father has always told him this since he was a child - eating more is a blessing, but you must never suffer any loss.
If a docile and harmless lamb is bullied, it will use its sharp horns to hit people.
Zelphis was also very clear about this. After all, Lorian dared to swing his sword at him without thinking twice. With this kind of personality, it was unlikely that Lorian would be bullied outside.
The plan to live on campus was finalized. As parents who had once attended Helios Academy, Mingnuo had only one reminder: "Be careful of your classmates, seniors, and teachers."
Ming Nuo didn't understand: "...Is there no one in the whole school who can be trusted?"
Archer raised his chin towards Wen Zhining, and Mingnuo turned around to look.
Wen Zhining was looking at the drink in front of him with the same rigorous attitude as he would treat academic research. He took a sip, and perhaps because he disliked the taste, he dripped a few drops of juice into it. Then he took half a lemon and squeezed lemonade into it.
After mixing it, Wen Zhining took a sip confidently, then poured the whole glass of wine expressionlessly and hurriedly went to find something sweet to suppress the taste in his mouth.
Ming Nuo: “…”
Uncle Bodwin comforted Mingnuo, "Don't worry, no. Maybe in the eyes of those you think you can't understand, you are also a freak. After all, school is a gathering place for weirdos. If you can't beat them, then join them. It's normal."
Mingnuo wanted to refute this point of view. After all, Helios Academy was the top institution in the entire empire, and had produced countless elites.
But on second thought, the second uncle and his brother who said these words to him were former students of Helios Academy, and his brother did not even refute them, which was enough to show the seriousness of the matter.
After the birthday party, Mingnuo returned to the room with the gifts given by Sedwick and others, but the lights in the room sensed the owner's return and automatically lit up.
The gifts in the room had piled up into a small mountain. Ming Nuo was still fiddling with the lotus lantern that Wen Zhining had given him. He discovered a hidden function. By pressing the button at the bottom of the lotus, he could switch the singing voice.
Ming Nuo switched his voice to a gentle male voice and sat quietly in front of the floor-to-ceiling window. Outside the window, the night sky was dotted with stars, and occasionally a passenger starship flashed like a meteor across the night sky.
"Happy birthday to you~"
Ming Nuo lowered his eyes to look at the lotus lantern, then looked around the room at the gifts piled up. Every gift came from someone who loved him, but there were a few missing.
Without Mingchuan’s father, there would also be a lack of his biological fathers.
Ming Nuo was lying on the windowsill looking at the stars in the sky. At this time, his intelligent brain vibrated slightly. He looked down and saw that it was a birthday greeting sent to him by Uncle Ming Jue.
A smile flashed in Mingnuo's eyes. He sent his uncle a cute emoticon with a heart shape in his hands, then sat on the carpet and started to open the gifts.
What Sedwick gave him was a music box that he assembled himself. When he opened it, cute elves flew up and down in circles around the green tree in the center, and light music could be heard.
Mingnuo stared at the exquisitely shaped elves in surprise for a long time before starting to open a gift.
Every gift brought him a surprise.
It was almost one or two in the morning when Mingnuo finished opening all the gifts in the room. His back and waist ached from opening them, so he stood up and stretched his body. Looking at the gift boxes scattered on the floor, he gathered his energy and cleaned up the mess.
Ming Nuo was so sleepy that he could hardly open his eyes. He yawned continuously, took off his contact lenses, fumbled to turn off the lights, threw himself on the bed, and fell into a deep sleep.
The night was quiet, Mingnuo was sleeping soundly in a thin quilt, a melodious song kept echoing in his ears, his sleep was disturbed, he frowned, and shrank into the quilt.
But the singing still drilled into his ears. Mingnuo heard the singing in a half-asleep state and thought it was his father singing in the middle of the night.
Wait… Mingnuo opened his eyes suddenly and wrapped himself in the quilt in fear. Dad?!
Dad is coming to see him! ?
Zelphis's room was right next to Mingno's. All night long, he kept hearing faint singing coming from the next room, which made him frown. Why wasn't he asleep yet so late?
Zelphis, wearing pajamas with black hair hanging down to the side of his neck, knocked gently on Mingnuo's door and lowered his voice, "Are you asleep?"
A short scream came from the room, and Zelphis immediately opened the door. In the dim light, Mingnuo was shivering in the quilt, mumbling, "Dad, I will be obedient. Please don't take me away."
Zelphis: "...Lorien?"
Ming Nuo immediately got out of the quilt when he heard the familiar voice. His short, smooth silver hair was now messy. He fumbled to put on his glasses and exhaled when he saw his brother, "Brother, you scared me to death."
"Happy birthday to you~"
The lotus lantern was still singing, and Ming Nuo then remembered that he had forgotten to turn it off, which was why he was woken up by the singing in the middle of the night.
The three brothers, including Birdwin, all came to Mingnuo's room with tired looks. Since Mingnuo had provided them with mental comfort, they had fewer cases of insomnia at night.
But tonight it was totally noisy.
Aqir yawned and leaned against the wall, "Why are you singing so late at night?"
Ming Nuo was embarrassed and pointed at the glowing lotus lantern, "It's singing."
Zelphis picked up the lotus lantern and rummaged through it, a rare look of confusion in his eyes. "How do I turn this off?"
"Didn't you find the switch?"
Ming Nuo took the lotus lantern and looked at it. He was surprised to find that it really didn't have an on/off switch. The only button was for switching the sound line. He looked up at his brother for help, "There really is no on/off switch. What should I do now?"
Aqier was annoyed by the noise of the lamp: "If it doesn't work, just smash it. I knew it would be like this. Nothing Wen Zhining made was reliable."
Seren nodded in agreement, sleeping soundly against his shoulder.
Ti Lung didn't dare to say anything, but he felt the implication.
Ming Nuo was reluctant to destroy this beautiful lotus lantern. "I'll ask the teacher. Maybe he made a hidden switch that we didn't find."
After saying that, he sent a communication request to Wen Zhining, but Wen Zhining might have fallen asleep at this time and did not respond to him.
Ming Nuo slowly looked at the lotus lantern that was singing happily, and took a step back reluctantly, "Then let's smash it."
Archer punched the lotus lamp hard, and it deflated in an instant, with the petals flying away, but the remaining part was still working with all its might.
"Happy birthday to you!"
The singing voice mixed with the sound of electricity became more and more eerie and terrifying, making people shudder in the middle of the night. Ming Nuo rubbed his arms and said, "Why is it still singing..."
Aqir threw a few more punches, not knowing what material Wen Zhining had used, but the lotus lantern managed to withstand these heavy blows.
Finally, Birdwin took out his gun and fired several rounds at it, but it still couldn't stop it from continuing to make sounds. Everyone fell silent, standing around the lamp and examining it.
Ming Nuo: "...Maybe just wait until it runs out of power?"
As he waited, the sky outside the window gradually brightened. Ming Nuo stared blankly at the lotus lantern that was still singing tenaciously, and sent a message to Wen Zhining again.
Wen Zhining had already woken up and answered the call, then asked him with a refreshed look, "What's wrong?"
Ming Nuo said weakly, "Teacher, how do I turn off the lamp you gave me? It has been singing all night."
Wen Zhining was silent for a while, "I forgot to set the switch."
"...Then how long will it continue to sing?"
Wen Zhining was a little proud. "I use the latest micro battery developed. I conservatively estimate that it can sing for another fifty years. Don't worry, I made it myself, the quality is absolutely guaranteed, don't worry about it breaking down halfway."
Ming Nuo: “…”
The silence at this moment was deafening, and Aqir sneered directly, "Let me tell you, he is never reliable."
Wen Zhining recalled the problem of the lack of a switch and, having clearly realized something, cautiously suggested, "Why don't you just send it to the incinerator?"
Ming Nuo was tired, "Okay, thank you teacher."
After the lotus lantern was sent away, the world became completely quiet. Ming Nuo had dark circles under his eyes and fell asleep on the bed. Achir and the others had nothing to do today, so they also went back to take a nap.
Only Zelphis couldn't rest, as he had to attend the councilor's monthly report later.
Thinking of the meeting he would attend later, Zelphis rubbed his brows tiredly, hoping that this time the group of people could finish arguing sooner. After listening to the Happy Birthday song all night, his head was a little buzzing.
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