The sound of the stream brought delight to the courtyard.
As soon as Qi Shaobai stepped through the door, he heard a resentful voice:
"What's going on, brother-in-law? You're causing trouble again?"
After listening more closely, he determined that the voice belonged to his only uncle - Cheng Zhuo.
Qiao Li's voice followed:
"Cousin, is this really your first time playing mahjong? How come you're winning every hand?"
Accompanying the shuffling sound of the mahjong machine, Qi Shaobai curiously walked out of the foyer.
Glancing in, he was stunned.
Qi Shaobai: ???
In the spacious living room, there was inexplicably an automatic mahjong table.
Sheng Mumu, Qiao Li, and Cheng Zhuo were taking money out of the tile sets and handing it to...his dad???
Not far from the mahjong table was a pile of camping gear scattered on the ground.
Zhang Housekeeper, who was standing by watching the game, was the first to notice Qi Shaobai's arrival. His eyes lit up and he warmly came over to greet him:
"Young Master has returned."
Hearing this, the four at the mahjong table turned to look.
Sheng Mumu smiled brightly and waved her hand: "Little Qi classmate is back?"
Qi Shaobai rubbed the back of his head in confusion: "What are you guys doing...?"
"As you can see, we're playing mahjong," Qiao Li said somewhat resentfully. "My wallet is almost empty."
Cheng Zhuo spread his hands to explain things to Qi Shaobai:
"We originally planned to go camping today, but we suddenly received some good news and changed our plans, so we're not going anymore."
Sheng Mumu took some of the little money left in the tile set, stood up, and started to say:
"Little Qi classmate, you came back at just the right time—"
Before she could finish speaking, her wrist was caught in a warm, large hand, stopping her words.
Qi Mo opened his own tile set and handed Sheng Mumu his share of money. It was a thick stack - he had won quite a bit.
Sheng Mumu looked at him in confusion: "???"
"I don't need cash, you keep it," Qi Mo gently told her.
Qi Shaobai's eyes shifted slightly in shock.
He was still thinking about what his little uncle Cheng Zhuo had said - they suddenly received some good news.
Could it be...
They know about his final exam scores!
The corners of Qi Shaobai's lips slowly curled up. He was just about to open his mouth to confirm his guess, but Cheng Zhuo's arm went around his shoulder.
He held up his phone screen in front of Qi Shaobai's face.
Cheng Zhuo had a proud look on his face as he said:
"The annual list rankings from Finance Magazine came out, and Yueji has successfully made the list."
Qi Shaobai was stunned for a moment, then slowly turned his head.
His eyes instantly darkened.
He remembered hearing his stepmom and dad talking before, and them mentioning that it was very difficult to make the annual Finance Magazine list.
Cheng Zhuo bared his teeth in a wide smile and shrugged Qi Shaobai's shoulder, laughing as he asked:
"This is incredibly good news, right?"
"Ah?" Qi Shaobai then came back to his senses. "Yeah! Great news."
Compared to this good news, the thin final exam report card in his backpack suddenly became insignificant.
Cheng Zhuo said, "We're going to barbecue in the yard to celebrate later. What do you like to eat? Your little uncle will personally grill it for you."
The light in Qi Shaobai's eyes gradually returned. Not standing on ceremony, he answered:
"Chicken wings, extremely spicy."
Cheng Zhuo patted his chest: "No problem."
Qi Shaobai said, "I'll go put my backpack in my room first."
As he turned to leave, the teenager's broad shoulders sank down a little.
In a voice that only he could hear, he mumbled: "What was I expecting..."
"Wait, Little Qi classmate, I almost forgot—"
Sheng Mumu suddenly called out to stop him.
Qi Shaobai looked back, a spark of hope flashing in his eyes.
Sheng Mumu smiled, her eyes curving into crescents: "You're also the star tonight at the barbecue party."
Qi Shaobai: The little spark grows into a bigger flame
Sheng Mumu walked over and patted his back as she passed by him. Her tone was cheerful:
"You're officially starting winter break tomorrow - that's worth celebrating too!"
"Huh?" Qi Shaobai's body stiffened slightly. "Celebrating that?"
"Mm-hmm." Sheng Mumu poked her head out from behind him and blinked: "What else did you think we were celebrating?"
"......" The light in Qi Shaobai's eyes completely went out. He forced a smile. "Nothing..."
Sheng Mumu withdrew her head. "Go rest in your room first. I'll call you when the barbecue is almost ready."
"Okay."
Qi Shaobai dragged his lazy steps back to his room.
He casually threw his backpack onto the floor.
Lying on his back on the bed, he let out a long sigh.
A hint of loss floated up in his pitch-black eyes.
In the quiet room, there were only two little people talking in his heart.
One voice was indignant:
"So annoying, so annoying! They actually didn't care about my final exam scores at all, and I rushed back here expecting them to..."
The other voice was more gentle:
"Hey, it's normal. The adult world doesn't just revolve around you. They have their own careers and work..."
The angry little person stamped his foot: "I understand that, but it's still really frustrating."
The gentle little person patted the angry little person's head: "Growing up means accepting that you're not the main character of the world."
His inner turmoil tugged back and forth. He didn't know how much time had passed.
Outside the window, dusk was falling.
Suddenly, there was a knock at his door from outside.
"Little Qi classmate, come out! The extremely spicy chicken wings Cheng Zhuo grilled for you are ready. If you don't come out soon, I'll eat them myself!" Sheng Mumu called him.
"No, I'm coming right away—!" Qi Shaobai responded loudly, bouncing up from the bed.
By the time he opened the door to his room, he had adjusted his state of mind.
The two little people in his heart hadn't debated to declare one side the winner.
Instead, a third little person named "Why Think So Much" had gained the upper hand.
Restoring his usual vigor.
After changing into casual clothes, he jogged towards the front yard of the villa.
Before even getting close, the scent of barbecue drifted into his nose.
Following the smell, he turned the corner—and his eyes suddenly widened.
He saw that the area around the pool had been lavishly decorated.
Fairy lights wound through the trees.
Clusters of light decorated the scene.
The outdoor table was piled high with his favorite snacks and drinks.
"Pop!"
Cheng Zhuo tilted back as he popped open a bottle of champagne, accidentally sending the cork into the pool. "Whoops!" he said, rubbing his head.
Ripples spread across the water's surface.
Just like the current restless state of Qi Shaobai's eyes.
Sheng Mumu smiled brightly at him: "The star of tonight, Little Qi, is here!"
Qi Shaobai's gaze paused slightly: "???"
"Make way, make way—" Qiao Li jokingly said as he wheeled out a cake from behind Qi Shaobai, "Don't block the road, energetic boy."
"???" Qi Shaobai dazedly moved out of the way.
He looked at everyone in confusion.
Could someone tell him what was going on here?
Sheng Mumu used her finger to swipe some frosting and dabbed it onto Qi Shaobai's nose.
His expression changed from "utterly bewildered" to "cutely utterly bewildered."
Sheng Mumu's eyes and brows happily opened as she said her lines that she had been holding in all afternoon:
"Little Qi, are you surprised? Did you expect this?"
"We gathered here tonight to celebrate your awesome final exam scores!"
"Ever since we got the call from your teacher this afternoon, we started planning all this—"
Qi Shaobai stood frozen in place, a buzzing sound exploding in his ears. He didn't hear the following words very clearly.
His mood, which had sunk to rock bottom, was like it was suddenly grabbed and flung up into the clouds.
It took him awhile to come back to his senses, his neck craning back and the corners of his lips slowly curling up.
"So you mean just now you were...acting out my reactions?"
"That's right," Sheng Mumu instantly responded, raising her brows. "I was the director. Pretty seamless acting, wouldn't you say?"
Qi Shaobai's gaze shifted. Looking at the tall figure by the pool whose eyes and brows shone with laughter, he couldn't believe it as he asked:
"Dad, you were acting as me too?"
The smile touched the man's lips. After exchanging a glance with the proudly beaming Sheng Mumu, his gentle voice said, "Mm, supporting role."
