1.15

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The two of them didn't realize it then, but because of their firm denial that night, it wasn't until the day Yin Yin and Su Mo made their relationship public that they discovered they had indeed missed a crucial detail that evening.

"Mom, Dad, let's go back," Su Yuanjin urged after walking for about half an hour. His mind was preoccupied with thoughts of the birthday present his parents had prepared for him.

He touched his belly and looked up at Yin Yin, saying, "Mom, look, I'm not that full anymore."

Yin Yin chuckled softly, playfully ruffling his curly hair. How could she not know what he was thinking? "Alright, let's head back then."

Once they returned to the villa, Su Mo took the cake out of the refrigerator.

Su Yuanjin eagerly put on his birthday hat and raised his little face, asking, "Mom, Dad, do I look good?"

"You look great," Yin Yin replied, pinching his chubby little cheeks.

The lights in the living room were switched off, and three candles were lit on the cake. The fact that the birthday had passed meant that Su Yuanjin was officially three years old.

The cake had been specially made in Su Yuanjin's favorite shape. The candles flickered slightly, casting a warm glow over the family of three and highlighting the words "Happy third birthday, Dudu" on the cake.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you..."

Yin Yin and Su Mo sang the birthday song together for Su Yuanjin. The cheerful tune echoed through the living room, and Su Yuanjin's little face flushed with happiness and excitement.

After the song, Su Yuanjin prepared to make his wish.

He glanced at Yin Yin and Su Mo, then closed his eyes.

In his heart, he silently wished: "Everyone says you can make three wishes on your birthday, but I'm not greedy, so I'm making just one wish: I hope that every year, my parents can celebrate my birthday with me, and that our family of three can always be happy together."

After making his wish, Su Yuanjin opened his eyes. The candlelight reflected in his bright eyes.

"Dudu, hurry up and blow out the candles," Yin Yin urged gently.

As the birthday song ended, Su Yuanjin pursed his lips and blew out the candles, silently hoping that his wish would come true.

At that moment, Su Mo brought out the birthday present—a large gift box. Inside were various challenging toys, like Sudoku, an unsolved chessboard, nine-ring puzzles, and other items designed to test intelligence.

Su Mo knew that his son was a little genius who didn't enjoy childish toys very much.

Sure enough, when Su Yuanjin saw the big gift box, he was thrilled.

"Thank you, Dad," Su Yuanjin said gratefully before turning his sparkling eyes toward Yin Yin. Eagerly, he asked, "Mom, where's the birthday present you got for Dudu?"

"Here," Yin Yin replied with a smile, knowing how much he had been looking forward to it all day. She handed him a small gift box.

The exquisite little gift box, no larger than a palm, was tied with a beautiful bow.

Su Yuanjin carefully untied the bow and opened the box to reveal the gift inside.

It was a wooden carving depicting three people—two adults and one child. The carving was so detailed and lifelike that Su Yuanjin instantly recognized them.

He held the small wooden sculpture in his hand and exclaimed excitedly, "Mom, are these the three of us?"

In the wood carving, the man wore a suit, and the woman donned a long skirt. The two adults were holding the hand of a little boy in overalls, all three of them smiling.

"Of course," Yin Yin replied with a smile. "This is for our family of three. Mom had it specially carved as a birthday present for you. So, do you like it?"

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That day, Yin Yin recalled how Su Yuanjin had mentioned his birthday, but the original owner had forgotten all about it and hadn't prepared a gift. After thinking it over, Yin Yin decided to send a rare family photo of the three of them to a good friend. This friend had a relative skilled in wood carving, so she asked for a wooden sculpture of their family.

The man agreed, and by the next morning, Yin Yin received the wooden carving.

Yin Yin knew that what Su Yuanjin desired most was for the three of them to always be together.

As expected, the little fellow held the wooden sculpture tenderly, caressing it with care. His eyes reddened slightly, and his childish voice quivered with a hint of tears: "Mom, I really like it. This is the best gift I've ever received."

Seeing him like this, Yin Yin's heart ached.

Su Yuanjin asked, "Mom, can I take it to kindergarten?"

"Of course," Yin Yin replied.

Hearing her agreement, Su Yuanjin immediately broke into a wide smile.

That's wonderful! He could take the little wooden sculpture to kindergarten. If anyone asked him where his mother was or what she looked like, he could show them the little sculpture.

He wanted to tell them that he had a mother, and this was a birthday gift from her. His mother was wonderful and loved him very much.

Su Mo glanced at the small wooden sculpture, momentarily stunned.

It turns out she has always cared about them, father and son. That's wonderful.

That night, Su Yuanjin fell asleep clutching the little wooden sculpture. He had a sweet dream in which an old immortal said, "Little Dudu, I heard your wish, and I will help you realize it."

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The next morning, while Yin Yin was still asleep, the doorbell rang. Su Mo, who was busy making breakfast, quickly went to answer the door.

Standing there was a bald, strong man in his forties, with an ordinary appearance. He even looked a bit sleazy when he smiled at Su Mo.

"Brother Shen, Ayin is still sleeping. Please, come in."

"Alright," Brother Shen replied.

Knowing that Yin Yin and Brother Shen were acquaintances, Su Mo exchanged a few pleasantries before returning to the kitchen, planning to invite Brother Shen to join them for breakfast later.

"It's okay, go ahead and finish up," Brother Shen said, watching Su Mo, who was tall, with long legs, broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and a handsome face. The more he looked, the more satisfied he became.

When Yin Yin emerged from the bedroom, she noticed Brother Shen's fiery gaze sizing up Su Mo. The corners of her lips twitched as she picked up a pillow from the sofa and threw it at him, exclaiming, "What are you staring at?"

Brother Shen quickly caught the pillow, grinning sheepishly. "It's just a professional habit."

"My husband is off-limits to your gaze," Yin Yin retorted, glaring at him.

Back when Yin Yin was in college, she had signed a contract with Shenghuang Entertainment and had been assigned to Brother Shen, a gold-medal agent.

Because of Brother Shen's appearance, and his habit of staring at people—sometimes rather vulgarly—Yin Yin initially suspected that Brother Shen might be trying to take advantage of her.

It wasn't long before she realized she had been overthinking it.

Not only was Brother Shen married, but he was also utterly devoted to his wife. However, he had a professional habit of assessing people from an agent's perspective. When he looked at someone, his gaze would sweep over them from head to toe, analyzing their features, skin, and hair, silently calculating whether they had the potential to become a star.

His attitude was purely analytical, but his expression often made him appear unattractive.

This wasn't the first time girls—and even boys—had mistaken him for a creep.

After Yin Yin became aware of this quirky habit, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. However, throughout her career, Brother Shen had always been good to her, treating her like his own sister, working diligently, and planning everything with her best interests at heart.

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