139: Chapter 138 The Five Sisters' Surprise

When Su Bai pushed open the front door, the living room was dark.

He stood in the entryway to change his shoes, feeling a bit strange—

Usually, at this time, the living room lights were always on; today, it was too quiet.

He changed his shoes and walked into the living room. He had only taken two steps—

The lights came on.

Not just one, but all of them!

The living room chandelier, wall lamps, floor lamps, kitchen lights, and hallway lights—they all lit up!

Su Bai blinked, dazzled by the sudden brightness.

"Surprise!!!"

Five voices rang out simultaneously—some high, some low, some crisp, some gentle, some filled with laughter, others trembling. They blended together like an unrehearsed chorus.

Su Bai stood in the center of the living room, looking at them.

Chu Yi stood at the very front, wearing a birthday hat. She held a small party horn in her hand, blowing into it and making a "woo—woo—" sound, her face flushed red.

Chu Xiang stood beside her, holding a cake with candles inserted into it. The candlelight flickered on her face, reflecting her slightly reddened, smiling expression.

Luo Ying stood behind the cake, holding a camera pointed at Su Bai, though the lens cap hadn't been removed yet.

Song Qian stood next to Luo Ying, holding a pink balloon with the words "Happy Birthday" printed on it. The string of the balloon was wrapped around her fingers several times.

Lin Qiaoyou stood at the very back. She held nothing in her hands, her face was very red, and she kept her head down, not daring to look at him, but the corners of her mouth were upturned, unable to hide her smile.

Su Bai paused, stunned.

Birthday?

Today is his birthday?

Since his rebirth and achieving financial freedom, his birthday had just been another day to him, no different from yesterday or tomorrow.

If he wanted, every day could be his birthday.

But the fact that they remembered it still touched him.

"You guys..."

Su Bai began, his voice a bit raspy.

Chu Yi had already rushed over, grabbing his hand and pulling him toward the dining table. "Sit down, sit down! The food is getting cold!" Su Bai was pulled to the table and sat down.

Chu Xiang placed the cake in front of him. It wasn't large, and "Happy Birthday Su Bai" was written on it in icing. The characters were crooked; it was obvious it hadn't been written by a bakery.

"Chu Yi made the cake," Chu Xiang said.

Su Bai looked at those crooked characters and then looked at Chu Yi.

Chu Yi's face flushed, and her voice became much quieter.

"It's my first time making one. The icing was hard to spread. Just make do with it."

Su Bai smiled. "It's quite good."

Luo Ying raised the camera, finally removed the lens cap, and took a picture of Su Bai.

The flash went off, and Su Bai squinted.

Song Qian handed him the pink balloon. Su Bai took it, and the balloon string wrapped around his finger once.

Lin Qiaoyou stood nearby. At some point, a small white box tied with a red ribbon had appeared in her hands.

She walked over and placed the box in front of Su Bai, her head bowed, her voice as soft as a mosquito's hum.

"Happy Birthday."

Su Bai looked at the box, then at her. Lin Qiaoyou's face was completely red; she retreated and stood next to Song Qian, twisting the corner of her shirt with her fingers.

Chu Yi chimed in, "Open it, open it! Open mine first!"

She pulled an envelope from her pocket and stuffed it into Su Bai's hand. Su Bai opened it to find a hand-drawn greeting card. It depicted a stick figure, with "Happy Birthday Su Bai" written next to it, signed "Chu Yi," and a smiley face drawn at the end.

Su Bai smiled. "You draw really well."

Chu Yi puffed out her chest proudly. "Of course."

Chu Xiang's gift was a notebook with a deep blue cover and high-quality paper. Opening the first page, it read, "Study hard and make progress every day," signed "Chu Xiang."

Su Bai looked at the line of text, then at Chu Xiang.

Chu Xiang's expression was calm, but her ears were red.

Luo Ying's gift was a thermos—black, very light, and with a good feel in the hand.

"You go running in the morning. Drink some hot water before you leave."

Her tone was very casual, as if she were talking about something very ordinary.

Su Bai took it and said thank you.

Luo Ying nodded and raised the camera to take another picture.

Song Qian's gift was a book, "The Little Prince." It was an old edition with a slightly worn cover, but the pages inside were brand new.

Su Bai opened to the title page and saw a line of text: "For Su Bai, may you always be you."

The handwriting was small and neat, as if it had taken a long time to write.

Su Bai looked at the line of text for a few seconds, then closed the book.

"Thank you."

Song Qian shook her head and didn't speak.

Lin Qiaoyou's gift was that small white box.

Su Bai untied the ribbon and opened the box. Inside was a scarf, dark gray and made of wool; it felt very soft and thick.

On one end of the scarf, a small "Su" character was embroidered with fine, dense stitches, clearly done by hand.

Su Bai picked up the scarf and looked at the "Su" character.

"You knitted this?" he asked.

Lin Qiaoyou nodded, her face still red.

"It's my first time knitting, it's a bit ugly."

Su Bai wrapped the scarf around his neck; it was very warm.

"It's perfect."

Lin Qiaoyou looked up, glanced at him, then lowered her head again, the corners of her mouth upturned, unable to hide her smile.

Chu Yi called out from the side that she was hungry, saying they hadn't eaten the cake yet and the dishes were getting cold.

Chu Xiang glared at her but still picked up the knife and began to cut the cake.

The cake wasn't big; it was cut into several pieces, one for each person.

Su Bai's piece was the largest. On top was a little figure made of icing—crooked, but clearly modeled after Su Bai: black hair, white clothes, and "Su Bai" written in chocolate next to it.

Su Bai looked at the little icing figure, smiled, and took a bite.

The cake was very sweet, cloyingly so. The icing was unevenly spread—thick in some places, thin in others—and the sponge was a bit dry, as if it had been overbaked.

But he finished the whole piece.

Chu Yi watched him finish, her eyes bright.

"Is it good?" Su Bai said it was good.

Chu Yi smiled, looking very happy, like an elementary school student who had been praised by a teacher.

Several of them sat around the dining table and began to eat.

The dishes had cooled down a bit, but the flavor was still there. Chu Yi picked up a piece of spare rib for Su Bai, saying it was his favorite.

Chu Xiang ladled a bowl of soup for Su Bai, saying drinking more soup was good for his health. Luo Ying peeled a shrimp for Su Bai and placed it in his bowl.

Song Qian picked up some greens for Su Bai, saying he shouldn't just eat meat.

Lin Qiaoyou didn't pick up anything, but she spun the lazy Susan, moving the plate of braised spare ribs in front of Su Bai.

Su Bai ate the food in his bowl while looking at the women at the table. They were all looking at him—some openly, some sneakily.

Chu Yi looked at him openly, her eyes sparkling. Chu Xiang watched him stealthily, but when her gaze met his, she quickly looked away.

Luo Ying watched him through the camera's viewfinder, the corners of her mouth upturned.

Song Qian kept her head down, occasionally looking up at him before lowering it again. Lin Qiaoyou looked at the rice in her bowl, but she hadn't touched a single bite.

After the meal, Chu Yi said it was time to light the candles and make a wish.

Chu Xiang inserted the remaining candles onto the cake and lit them one by one. The candlelight flickered in the dimly lit living room, reflecting on everyone's faces.

Chu Yi turned off the lights. Only the candlelight remained in the living room—orange and warm, shining on everyone's faces as if casting a soft glow over them.

Chu Xiang brought the cake to Su Bai.

Chu Yi told him to make a wish quickly.

Su Bai looked at the candles, then at the faces of the women in the candlelight, and closed his eyes.

He made a wish and then blew out the candles.

Chu Yi clapped, and Chu Xiang clapped too. Luo Ying took a photo, the flash went off, Song Qian smiled, and Lin Qiaoyou smiled as well.

Chu Yi said to eat the cake.

Chu Xiang cut the cake into several pieces, one for each person.

Su Bai's piece was the largest. He took a bite; it was still just as sweet, still just as cloying.

But he finished it.

After finishing the cake, Chu Yi suggested playing cards.

Chu Xiang said she didn't want to play, to which Chu Yi replied, "You always say that, and yet you always end up playing."

The six of them sat around the dining table. Chu Yi shuffled the cards, dealt them, and explained the rules.

The rules were simple: compare the values, and the loser drinks.