Chapter 080

The car came to a stop in front of a restaurant.

Qiao Man was the first to unbuckle his seatbelt and hop out. He scurried around to the other side of the car and eagerly opened the door for Lu Jianxing, proudly extending a small hand. “Ta-da!”

Lu Jianxing followed the direction of the boy’s finger and saw a row of life-sized cardboard cutouts of himself lined up outside the restaurant entrance. Accompanied by various decorative text effects, they formed a path leading straight to the doors. Through the glass facade, he could see that the interior had been completely transformed, adorned with ribbons and balloons, with many guests already in attendance.

He raised an eyebrow, letting Qiao Man lead him inside. “Xiao Man, did you do all of this?” he asked in surprise.

Qiao Man replied, “I called Xiao Jing, Pei Xiwang, and Sister Xiao Xia. They helped me.”

He had only turned six after the New Year; a six-year-old child obviously couldn’t have pulled this off alone.

The idea for the birthday party came from Xiao Jing. Last year, Mr. Lin had thrown a grand banquet for Xiao Jing’s birthday. Ordering the formal attire and inviting the guests was handled by Xiao Xia. As for the restaurant and the luxury car, those were favors borrowed from Pei Xiwang.

In just one day, Qiao Man had mobilized his entire social network to put together a birthday party for his son.

When Lu Jianxing stepped through the restaurant doors, he couldn’t help but be stunned.

Qiao Man had sent invitations to every single person on his contact list.

Despite the short notice, most people who received the invitation had come, except for those who truly couldn’t get away. Figures from the business world, the entertainment industry, and the Daoist sects had all gathered to celebrate the birthday of Master Xiao Man’s son.

Inside the restaurant, the Lin mother and son had traveled all the way from City X along with President Zhang’s family. Director Jin and Film Queen Shao stood in a corner chatting happily. Pei Xiwang was introducing the contestants from Wilderness Challenge to Jiang Yucheng. Even several priests from Zhengyang Temple had made an appearance. The invited guests had brought friends of their own, but fortunately, the entire restaurant had been booked out in advance, so there was plenty of room.

The theme of the party was a costume ball. Everyone had changed their clothes; some wore elegant formal wear, while others were in cartoon costumes. Even the habitually serious Director Jin had made an effort by wearing a pair of exaggerated, goofy glasses that looked completely out of place with his temperament.

“Xiao Man!”

Xiao Jing let go of his mother’s hand and came waddling over. He was wearing a plush puppy onesie, soft and furry, with a long tail trailing behind him.

The two children greeted each other warmly before Xiao Jing turned to Lu Jianxing. “Brother Lu, happy birthday.”

“Thank you,” Lu Jianxing replied.

The other guests in the restaurant also noticed the arrival of the guest of honor.

“Lu Jianxing is here!”

“Xingxing!”

“Happy birthday!”

Lu Jianxing politely greeted everyone one by one, accepting their well-wishes. Qiao Man held his hand, leading him through the crowd so he could get a good look at the decorations.

Ribbons, balloons, and fresh flowers filled the space. His photos were plastered across a decorative wall, with balloons spelling out congratulatory messages. Extra tables and chairs had been moved to the sides to create a large open space in the middle for a buffet. The most eye-catching feature was a massive, multi-tiered cake sitting on a table.

Whether it was the standees at the door or the photo wall, it all felt a bit familiar.

After thinking for a moment, Lu Jianxing realized it looked a lot like the “support events¹” fans organized for idols.

Only this time, the “fan” organizing the support was his own little family member.

From the theme to the cake, Qiao Man had been determined to use every bit of experience he’d gathered from watching television. He had seen photos of Lin Jing’s birthday where Xiao Jing looked like a little prince. Fortunately, after a year of hard work, Master Xiao Man had a substantial little treasury, allowing his son to finally enjoy the “little prince” treatment he’d missed out on for over twenty years.

Qiao Man tilted his head back to look at him. Lu Jianxing’s formal suit shimmered brilliantly under the lights. In the boy’s dark, round eyes, the reflection of that gentle, smiling face appeared. He asked gleefully, “Xingxing, do you like it?”

“I love it.”

How could he not? Lu Jianxing’s gaze swept over everything in the restaurant before finally resting on Qiao Man. The child’s hand in his was warm, and the look in his eyes was one of pure, intimate affection. It felt as if something soft and sweet like a marshmallow had filled his chest, radiating a glowing warmth.

When had Xiao Man found out today was his birthday?

He had originally only wanted to light a single candle, yet he had received such an unexpectedly grand surprise.

Lu Jianxing leaned down and scooped up the chubby little yellow duck beside him, brushing his nose against the child’s soft cheek.

“Xiao Man, thank you.” His heart felt so full that emotions seemed ready to burst out. Lu Jianxing pressed his forehead against the child’s, gently nuzzling him. He felt like he was being a bit clingy, and though he pressed his lips together, joy spilled out from the corners of his eyes. “I’m so happy. Thank you.”

“Hehe.” Qiao Man wrapped his arms around Lu Jianxing’s neck, grinning widely. “Then I’ll celebrate your birthday next year, the year after that, and every year after!”

Lu Jianxing nodded. “Deal!”

“And, and there’s more!”

“More?”

“I also prepared a gift for you.”

“A gift?”

Qiao Man began rummaging through his onesie. After a long struggle, he painstakingly pulled out a crumpled, handmade card. When he handed it over, the card still carried the child’s warm body heat.

Lu Jianxing opened it to find a handmade card Qiao Man had crafted himself. It featured a drawing of two figures, one large and one small. Fearing he wouldn’t understand, Qiao Man explained eagerly, “That’s me and Xingxing.”

Tucked inside the card were three small slips of paper. Lu Jianxing picked them up and saw three words written in crooked handwriting: Wish Coupon.

The characters for “Wish” had too many strokes for the boy to write, so he had used pinyin instead.

Each slip was also stamped with a tiny palm print.

“What are these?” Lu Jianxing asked, not quite understanding.

Qiao Man lowered his head and twisted his fingers together, saying bashfully, “With these coupons, I can make three of your wishes come true. Any wish at all.”

Qiao Man felt a little sheepish.

He had wanted to prepare a truly impressive birthday gift for Xingxing, but… but there just wasn’t enough time!

He had only realized this morning that today was Xingxing’s birthday. He’d spent the entire day on the phone, busy preparing the birthday party with everyone’s help. By the time he snapped out of it, the day was over, leaving him no time to think of a gift that would actually surprise Xingxing.

Left with no other choice, he had to let Xingxing choose for himself.

“Anything is fine, really,” Qiao Man emphasized. “I’ll make it happen for you.”

Lu Jianxing seriously tucked the three Wish Coupons back into the greeting card and carefully put them away.

“Xingxing, aren’t you going to use them?”

“I don’t have any wishes.” Lu Jianxing looked at him and said, “Not right now. My wishes have already come true.”

“Oh.” Qiao Man wasn’t discouraged. He promised, “You can make a wish whenever you want. They’re valid for a long, long time.”

“Okay.”

Maomao leaned in and said with exaggerated drama, “Wow, baby, you prepared a surprise for Brother Lu and even kept me in the dark?”

Heaven knew, he had just dropped Lu Jianxing off at his place and was about to head home when he received Qiao Man’s call, which gave him quite a fright.

“Because you definitely wouldn’t have been able to stop yourself from telling Xingxing,” Qiao Man said righteously. “If Xingxing knew in advance, it wouldn’t be a surprise.”

Maomao: “…”

Well-reasoned and convincing.

He cheerfully grabbed a large plate of food from the side table and went off to find some acquaintances to hang out with.

Qiao Man also pulled Lu Jianxing along, stepping into the center of the clearing with a cheerful skip.

Since it was a ball, how could there be no dancing?

The background music changed to a lively dance tune. The little yellow duck in the center led the way, wobbling about. His dance moves had no rhyme or reason, just a rhythmic swinging of his limbs. Then, a child in a puppy costume pulled his mother in to join them. Gradually, the people nearby were caught up in the atmosphere and joined in.

When Pei Xiwang wandered over, Lu Jianxing was busy dodging Qiao Man’s stray footsteps. He didn’t notice the approach and accidentally bumped into him.

“Sorry.” Lu Jianxing looked up, only to be met with a giant bear head.

Lu Jianxing paused. “…Who are you?”

The person in the bear costume took off the headpiece, revealing a head of cool silver hair.

“Pei Xiwang?”

Pei Xiwang gave a couple of snorts. “What? Surprised to see me? Sorry to break it to you, but this restaurant belongs to my family.”

“No, thank you,” Lu Jianxing said sincerely. “Thank you for helping Xiao Man and for preparing all this for me.”

Pei Xiwang: “…”

Pei Xiwang put the headpiece back on. “Master Xiao Man asked me for help, and I just happened to be free. It was no trouble at all. Happy birthday.”

The big bear didn’t disturb the two of them further and soon wobbled away. He was an idol who had debuted through a survival show and had a foundation in dance; even wearing a mascot suit didn’t hinder his performance. Soon, swept up in the atmosphere, a giant bear began to dance wildly in the middle of the floor.

At first, Qiao Man held Lu Jianxing’s hand, hopping and jumping around. Then he spun himself away, pulling Xiao Jing one moment and Maomao the next. He made a full circuit of the floor, dancing with almost everyone there.

By the time Lu Jianxing managed to reclaim his family’s little yellow duck, the clock hands had spun several times. Even the high-energy Qiao Man was panting with exhaustion, his forehead slick with sweat. The little yellow duck hat that went with his costume had flown off to who-knows-where.

The two of them cut the cake together, sharing the multi-tiered masterpiece with all the guests to conclude the birthday banquet.

Qiao Man also had Maomao take a photo of him and Lu Jianxing.

In the photo, the child in the mascot suit was leaning entirely into Lu Jianxing’s arms, his chubby face full of joy. Their happiness practically overflowed from the screen.

If it weren’t for the fact that they came home exhausted only to find a ghost tied up at their front door, it really would have been a wonderful day.

Translator’s Notes