After the fake young master left home, he discovered that it wasn't raining at all outside.

Lu Ze's mind was racing, trying to figure out how to cover his tracks.

He wanted to slap himself a few times; he'd been coding so much his brain had gone haywire that he'd run to Brother Yan the moment he saw the system acting up.

I should have checked it several more times.

What was supposed to be a carefully prepared birthday surprise for Zhu Mo and the others turned out to be something he deliberately threw in front of Yan Ge ahead of time, as if afraid that Yan Ge wouldn't know.

"Ahem... Um, Brother Yan, I suddenly realized I might have misread it. It's okay, it's okay." Lu Ze chuckled sheepishly, trying to get away with it.

"Stand there," Zhu Yan said, not giving him a chance to leave.

"What exactly are you doing behind my back?" Zhu Yan became increasingly curious.

At first, he did have some doubts about whether the Zhu family had suddenly acquired another adopted son, but now, seeing Xu Zhiyuan and Lu Ze's hesitant manner, he realized that they were quite different.

It's unlikely to be a bad thing.

Because he knew that Lu Ze and Xu Zhiyuan would not harm him.

But that's pushing the limits of his curiosity.

"I didn't do anything." Lu Ze was quite adept at playing dumb.

Lu Ze didn't admit it, and Zhu Yan didn't pressure him.

Did not say?

He can go see for himself.

Ignoring Lin Shen and the others' attempts to stop him, Zhu Yan walked to the door, pushed it open, and prepared to go downstairs.

"boom--"

He felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, followed by several loud bangs.

"Happy birthday, Ah Yan!!!"

Zhu Mo and Bai Zheng stood on either side of the door, each leading Zhu Cheng and the others, with a ceremonial cannon in hand.

The sprayed ribbons still fluttered in the air before slowly falling, and Zhu Yan's jet-black hair was adorned with colorful sequins, shimmering under the bright lights hanging in the corridor.

What the heck?

Whose birthday is it?

The banquet was caught off guard by the sudden appearance of these people and the colorful ribbons fluttering in the air.

"My...birthday?"

After Zhu Yan saw the several kind and gentle smiling faces in front of him, it took him a while to react.

"Yeah, yeah. Actually, it's for tomorrow, but you're too smart. You figured out right away that we were hiding something from you. We didn't want you to find out and ruin the surprise, so we decided to move the plan forward." Zhu Yu jumped in front of Zhu Yan, holding a cannon barrel.

A few minutes earlier, Lin Shen realized something was wrong and sent a message to Zhu Mo in advance, which led everyone to change their minds at the last minute.

"Ayan, what's wrong? Are you unhappy?" Bai Zheng noticed the blank look on Zhu Yan's face and was afraid that she had frightened him.

"No." Zhu Yan concealed her surprise, replacing it with a faint smile.

It's not that I'm unhappy.

Instead, they never imagined that the lie they repeatedly refused would be a carefully prepared birthday surprise.

Moreover, since he could remember, no one has remembered his birthday, including himself.

Back then, he eagerly anticipated what birthday surprise Wen Lin and Lan Li would give him on his birthday.

But what he received in return was a reply:

"Birthday? What birthday? We filled in all that information randomly, where did you get a birthday from?"

Since then, he has never celebrated his birthday again, nor does he expect any surprises.

But now...

It turns out that some people are willing to spend time celebrating his birthday and preparing surprises.

"Ayan, shall we go downstairs and take a look?" Zhu Qian pulled Zhu Yan out of the room and eagerly pushed him downstairs.

During the banquet, it was discovered that this magnificent but usually empty corridor was now covered with flowers.

The delicate floral fragrance is refreshing and delightful.

Bright red petals adorn the monotonous floor, adding a touch of warmth to the empty corridor.

The lobby downstairs was perfectly normal just a few hours ago.

Now it's decorated with colorful ribbons, balloons, and banners.

These somewhat childish decorations stand out starkly against the more expensive ornaments in the hall.

The most eye-catching thing was the mountain of gift boxes piled up on the open space directly in front of the sofa.

The black and gold gift boxes, of various sizes, appear haphazardly arranged at first glance, but upon closer inspection, they reveal exquisite details everywhere.

"Ayan, open them and take a look." Zhu Cheng gently patted Zhu Yan's shoulder, letting him open the gift boxes himself.

Zhu Yan walked over, reached out, picked up the smallest one, opened it, and saw a pair of gold bracelets with a small pendant hanging on them—Yan.

However, it's very small; it's clearly meant for babies.

The second item contains a photograph of a child around one year old, wearing a ring on a chain around his neck—the very same ring Zhu Yan is wearing.

And his face was beaming with a smile.

"Ayan, this photo has quite a history." Bai Zheng's memories flooded back when she saw the photo.

Zhu Yan turned around, her eyes filled with doubt.

"This photo was taken when you were a baby, during your first birthday celebration. Actually, you picked up a computer, but your shameless dad replaced it with the Zhu family's heirloom ring." Bai Zheng gave Zhu Mo an annoyed look and continued.

"Your dad also said to keep the photos, and when you grow up, he'll take them out and say they're proof that you're destined to take over the family business."

Zhu Mo smiled guiltily, signaling Bai Zheng to stop spouting nonsense.

Banquet:…

As expected, his father was more shrewd.

So cunning.

Zhu Yan put down the photo frame and continued disassembling it; he had actually guessed it.

Inside the box were his birthday gifts from his first to his eighteenth birthdays.

Sure enough, they had everything from small items like clothes to large items like luxury cars and black cards.

"We didn't have the chance to choose clothes for you before, but now that we've bought out Ethereal, he'll design clothes just for you from now on," Zhu Mo said, pointing to the contract in Zhu Yan's hand.

Ethereal, a top ten global luxury brand, was bought out by Zhu Mo and given to Zhu Yan.

He wasn't interested in the garage full of luxury cars, countless yachts, mansions, or celebratory banquets; the only thing that could attract him was a golden gun.

Zhu Yan held the banquet in his hand and weighed it in his hand.

It's a real gun.

His gaze fell on Zhu Yu.

Zhu Yu smiled; he knew that Ayan would definitely like his gift the most.

"It's called Zero Oath, and it's... kind of famous on the gun rankings. I'm giving it to you now, and I'll teach you how to play it tomorrow. I'll take you to the shooting range so you can practice."

Zhu Yan didn't say anything, but in front of Zhu Yu, he disassembled the gun in his hand and then smoothly put it back together, while also glancing at the magazine.

Zhu Yu: ? ? ?

(☉｡☉)!

"Ah...Ah Yan, you know how to use a gun?"

Not only Zhu Yu, but everyone in the hall was shocked by Zhu Yan's actions.

"I know a little."

Zhu Yu: ...

You call that a little bit of knowledge?

Zhu Yucai didn't believe it.

However, he was very curious as to how Zhu Yan, who had always lived in a safe area like the capital, could be so proficient with firearms.

"Ayan, you..."

"I went to the US two years ago and had some contact with them." Zhu Yan knew what Zhu Yu wanted to ask, but he didn't explain much, just mentioned it briefly.

Okay, it seems Ayan doesn't want to talk about it.

So Zhu Yu didn't ask any further questions.

"Thanks."

After opening the gifts at the banquet, Zhu Yan struggled with her feelings for a while, but in the end, she solemnly thanked everyone.

"Don't thank me, it's what we should do. We've owed you for so many years, and this year we finally have the chance to make up for it. As long as you don't blame us, that's fine." Bai Zheng still had that smiling look on her face.

"Ayan, there's more to it than that. It was originally scheduled for 12 o'clock, but now we have to move it up." Zhu Yu turned on the 300-inch monitor in the lobby.

In the video, a group of drones flew in unison across the pitch-black night sky, forming the words:

Happy 18th birthday, Ayan!

They then began to change formations, and Zhu Yan recognized him; they were probably photos of him from childhood to adulthood.

I have no idea how they got it.

Zhu Yan smiled helplessly.

"You guys... you didn't control all the drones in the country, did you?" He suddenly remembered what Lu Ze had told him earlier that day.

"How can you say it's manipulation? It's just buying the right to use it for one day."

Banquet:…

No wonder the national network system has started operating.

Thankfully, they didn't say his full name.

Despite her verbal complaints, Zhu Yan's eyes betrayed her, and the scene before her eyes unknowingly became blurry.

My nose tingled, and I couldn't hold back my tears.

Before he turned eighteen, he felt he was the most unfortunate person in the world.

Nobody cares; it's dispensable.

But after he turned eighteen, he found love.