Happy Birthday

Dinner was uneventful, with Tang Wei mainly coaxing Gu Qingqing to eat while she half-heartedly picked at her food, loosening her belt a couple of notches in the process.

After dinner, Tang Wei took out a notebook and sat obediently on the sofa. "Qingqing, come here," she patted the spot next to her.

Gu Qingqing hesitated for a moment before sitting down beside her.

Tang Wei took out a pen, resembling a primary school student taking notes. "Qingqing, you can tell Mom about any preferences you have."

She felt it necessary to understand the girl's habits so they could get along more harmoniously in the future.

Gu Qingqing thought for a moment. "I don't like talking."

Tang Wei was momentarily stunned. "Qingqing prefers quietness. We're all quite quiet in this family!"

She glanced at Mu Yuyang, who had abandoned his bowl to play games and had even turned on the speaker, making a racket.

Tang Wei kicked her eldest son's foot.

Mu Yuyang jumped up from the sofa in pain. "Mom, what are you doing? This is the foot that will bring honor to the country in the future!"

Tang Wei said sternly, "Put on your headphones!"

Mu Yuyang glanced at her, then at Gu Qingqing. Why should he wear headphones while playing games in his own home?

But the next moment, the teenager obediently put on his headphones.

Tang Wei smiled gently, "Qingqing, what else do you like?"

In fact, Gu Qingqing wanted to say that not liking to talk meant that she would not use her mouth unless absolutely necessary. But evidently, her new mother couldn't comprehend this level of subtlety.

"I also like to hold grudges."

Tang Wei: ...

The hobby of this kid seemed... quite unique.

Mu Yuyang quietly withdrew the glare he directed at Gu Qingqing. What was said on the school forum today?

Ye Chengxuan celebrated Gu Qingqing's birthday, but Gu Qingqing poured a bucket of paint on him and pushed him down the stairs. Ye Qingcheng's appearance was also ruined by her.

The teenager glanced at the staircase at home and then touched his tender cheek. His body was delicate and precious. He might not be as resilient as the Ye family members.

Silently getting up, he silently went upstairs, trying not to disturb the little devil beside him.

After asking her questions, Tang Wei also went upstairs, and when Gu Qingqing returned to her room, she stood at the door for a moment, obviously still not accustomed to such a spacious and bright princess room.

After closing the door and checking under the bed, the man was already gone. There was a note on the bedside table with a Weixin ID written on it.

Gu Qingqing thought for a moment, took out her phone, and first saw a bank transfer message: five million transferred to Auntie Zhang's account.

Opening Weixin, the system suddenly went berserk with messages. The private chat messages on the first screen were all from the Research Institute, showing 99+.

Gu Qingqing ignored all of them.

At the top was a message from Thunder, with a picture attached showing an evaluation of her performance in the fourth family, followed by Thunder's conclusion: [Baby, you did well this time, enduring without taking action for two months. Keep it up!]

Gu Qingqing deleted it directly. She restrained herself because of blood-related affection, but now, that thing no longer existed.

These people not only restricted her actions but also took control of all her visible financial accounts. She would remember it!

Scrolling down, she saw a message from Gu Boyuan. Unlike others with 99+ messages, he had only one message, [Qingqing, come back if you can't stay outside...]

Gu Qingqing didn't tap to view the entire contents of the dialogue box. Her finger paused on it for a few seconds before continuing to scroll down and sending a photo of Pei Sichen to Black Mountain Demon: [Investigate this person.]

[Yes, boss!]

Half an hour later, the message came back, three words: [Unable to find.]

Gu Qingqing frowned and looked at the man's Weixin ID. Switching to an ordinary person's number, she typed in.

Pei's Villa.

Pei Sichen's face was full of illness, and a ferocious aura emanated from him, causing the guards outside the door to dare not even breathe loudly.

It wasn't until he swallowed two special anti-allergy pills that his complexion visibly improved.

Bai Mu wiped the sweat off quietly, but had to advise, "Master Pei, the Ji family said that this medicine shouldn't be taken too much..."

His dosage was increasing, and his allergic reactions were getting more severe each time. Pei Sichen knew that his condition might have reached a point where even the Ji family couldn't control it.

This was a genetic defect that no one could cure.

Seeing Pei Sichen's silence, Bai Mu felt uncomfortable.

"Master Pei, I will definitely find the Ghost Doctor, he can cure you!"

Pei Sichen remained noncommittal. In fact, they both knew that the likelihood of actively finding the Ghost Doctor was slim unless he himself was willing to take on the job.

At this moment, a Weixin message popped up, and a friend verification request, labeled: Your Benefactor.

This address...

Pei Sichen accepted the request, only to receive a message: "Hello, transfer three million to XXX."

Simple and straightforward.

Pei Sichen pondered for a moment, feeling that saying anything would be inappropriate. So, he simply replied with "Okay," but the result was...

"The other party has enabled friend verification. You are not yet their friend..."

Hmm, quite swift indeed.

Clutching his phone, he remembered the feeling he had when he was treated today.

He said, "Bai Mu, help me look up someone..."

Gu Qingqing fell asleep somehow, and when she woke up, it was already eleven o'clock.

The main light in the room was off, with only a small night light on. Not far away, her new mother was lighting an incense.

Gu Qingqing didn't call out to her or move, just watched quietly.

Everything in front of her felt somewhat unreal, with a gentle mom who smelled nice and adoringly smiled at her.

It seemed like something she had seen in childhood dreams, something that had long ceased to exist in her mind as she grew older.

Tang Wei seemed to feel her gaze and turned back, meeting the deep black eyes of the little girl.

"Did Mom wake you up?"

Gu Qingqing propped herself up. "No."

Tang Wei pointed to the mosquito incense. "This is a calming incense. It can repel mosquitoes and help you sleep. When your brother was sick and couldn't sleep, he would use it, and it worked very well!"

Gu Qingqing smelled the faint scent of Chinese medicine and nodded. "Okay."

Tang Wei smiled, "Since you're awake, get up. Mom has a gift for you."

Big hands once again held onto small hands, and Gu Qingqing let her lead her downstairs.

Tang Wei suddenly covered her eyes, and Gu Qingqing almost reflexively pushed the person away. But when she felt those soft hands, her restless emotions were soothed, and her heart suddenly became calm.

Then, the reluctant voice of Mu Yuyang rang out.

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you..."

Tang Wei let go of her hand and smiled gently. "Qingqing, happy birthday! Luckily, it's not yet midnight!"

A beautiful birthday cake with pink cream, fresh strawberries, mangoes, and chocolate sauce on top.

Mu Yuyang handed the birthday cake to her with some disdain. "Blow it out! Mom has never made a cake for me before!"

The teenager seemed a bit aggrieved, but he was an adult, a man, and wouldn't fight with a little girl!

Gu Qingqing had celebrated birthdays before, in the Research Institute, in the laboratory, in corners of the world, but those birthdays were meaningless. Only today's was different.

The little girl puffed out her cheeks and blew out the flickering candles, revealing shallow dimples on her cheeks.

Tang Wei watched carefully, as if seeing for the first time the genuine smile that escaped from the corners of the little girl's eyes and eyebrows, light but real.