Yingqu Liuzi was pampered by her wealthy daddy.

Shen Yu'an's birthday is coming soon.

He didn't pay much attention to it.

In previous years, I would just video chat with my family on my birthday and then cook myself a bowl of noodles.

I didn't plan to celebrate it in any special way this year. I only knew that my birthday was on a Thursday, and I had class, so I planned to go to school as usual.

But Xize was different. Two weeks before his birthday, Xize started getting busy.

Shen Yu'an asked him what he was busy with, and he said he had work.

But Shen Yu'an noticed that Xize would sometimes make phone calls behind his back, and his expression would be different after he finished, as if he was hiding something.

One evening, Shen Yu'an was painting in his study when Xize's phone, which was on the table, lit up with a message from China.

Shen Yu'an didn't see the content clearly, only that the name in the contact was "Shen Yu'an's mother".

Shen Yu'an was taken aback. When did Xize add his mother on WeChat?

But he didn't ask. He figured Caesar might have something to say to his mother, like inviting them to London.

He didn't think much of it and continued drawing.

On the morning of her birthday, Shen Yu'an woke up to find Xize not by her side.

He rubbed his eyes and sat up, noticing a card on the bedside table that read, "No need to go to school today, I've asked for a day off for you. Come find me after breakfast."

Shen Yu'an looked at the card twice and smiled. After washing up, he went downstairs and had breakfast. The housekeeper said that the master was waiting for him in the study.

He pushed open the study door, and Xize stood by the window, dressed formally, his coat already on.

"They're gone."

Where to?

"We'll talk about it when we get there."

Shen Yu'an was led out of the car by him. The car drove for twenty minutes and stopped in front of a white building.

The building is small and has no sign at the entrance, but it looks very exquisite, like a private collection museum.

Xize led him inside. It was quiet, empty, the lights were on, and the corridor was carpeted in dark colors. A staff member stood at the door, nodded to Xize, and didn't stop them.

"Is this a museum?"

"Yes, it's not open to the public today."

Shen Yu'an followed him inside. Behind the door was a spacious exhibition hall with soft lighting and rows of photos hanging on the white walls.

Shen Yu'an stood at the door, stunned.

The walls are covered with photos.

Starting from the doorway, the first picture shows a baby lying in swaddling clothes, with a wrinkled little face and closed eyes.

Next to it is a picture of an even smaller child lying on the bed, supporting himself with his chubby arms, grinning at the camera, with no teeth yet.

Shen Yu'an took a step forward and recognized the baby as himself. He had seen that photo before; his mother said it was taken at the hospital.

The second picture shows him when he was one or two years old, sitting in a plastic bathtub, covered in foam, with a clump of foam on his hair, laughing so hard his eyes disappeared.

He never knew he was such a cheerful child.

The third picture is from when he was in kindergarten. He was wearing a blue bib and holding a drawing in his hand. He couldn't make out what the drawing was, but he remembered it.

He drew a cat, but it was crooked and messy. The teacher said it was well drawn and gave him a piece of candy.

Shen Yu'an's hands began to tremble.

He continued walking forward.

The photos on the wall are arranged chronologically, from infancy to kindergarten, elementary school, junior high school, and high school.

He recognized every single one of them; some he had seen before, and some he had forgotten.

In first grade, he stood at the school gate with his schoolbag on his back. He was thin and small, and he was missing a front tooth.

In the third grade of elementary school, he fell asleep at his desk while doing his homework, leaving a red mark on his face.

In his second year of junior high school, he participated in the school's painting competition. He stood in front of a large painting, holding a pen in his hand, with a very serious expression.

In his first year of high school, he stood on the playground in his school uniform. The sunlight was blinding, and he squinted, his hair disheveled by the wind.

Each photo captures a natural moment of his life. These aren't posed ID photos; they're authentic snapshots of him in everyday life.

He himself had forgotten when some of the photos were taken, but seeing them brought back his memories.

He walked and looked around, his eyes growing increasingly hot.

When you walk to the back of the exhibition hall, there is a recent photo of him hanging on the wall.

It was filmed in London. He was squatting on the floor of his studio, holding a paintbrush, his face turned to the side, intently painting something.

Next to him is a photo of him sitting in Caesar's car, holding a hot cocoa in his hands, huddled in the seat, his lips slightly pouting.

Shen Yu'an stood in front of the two photos for a long time. He felt his vision was a little blurry, so he raised his hand to wipe it; it was wet.

Xize stood behind him without saying a word.

"Where did these photos come from?" Shen Yu'an asked, his voice hoarse.

"I asked your mom for them. She looked through them for a long time and sent me a lot. Some were digital copies, and some were photos she sent me. I had someone print them out and frame them."

Shen Yu'an turned around and looked at Xize.

Xize stood under the warm yellow light, his expression calm.

"I have a picture of you from every year of your life," Xize said, his voice soft. "I wanted to see how you grew up before I knew you."

Shen Yu'an's tears finally fell. He wiped them with the back of his hand, but before he could wipe them all away, new tears started falling.

When did you add my mom on WeChat?

Two weeks ago.

"She gave it to her?"

"Yeah, I told her I'm your boyfriend, and since you're alone in London, I wanted to celebrate your birthday. That's how she sent it."

Shen Yu'an felt like crying and laughing at the same time. His mother had actually sent out all the photos like that, wasn't she afraid they were scammers?

Didn't she suspect you were a scammer?

"Perhaps my tone was better."

Shen Yu'an chuckled, tears still clinging to his eyes. He walked over, hugged Xize's waist, and buried his face in his chest. Xize's warmth seeped through his shirt, making him feel at ease.

"Daddy."

"Um."

"You're so kind."

Xize placed his hand on his back and patted him gently twice.

"You deserve it."

Shen Yu'an stayed in his arms for a while and sniffed.

Then he looked up and glanced at the photos on the wall. From infancy to twenty-one, all the images strung together, finally stopping at his current appearance.

Of his twenty-one years of life, Nishizawa only participated in the last small part.

But this person found all the photos from his previous years and hung them on the wall one by one, as if to say, "I missed what you were like in the past, but I want to see it. I want to know how you grew into who you are today."

Shen Yu'an released Xize and turned around to walk through the photos again. This time he walked very slowly, carefully examining each one.

He saw a picture of himself with missing teeth as a child and laughed. Seeing that thin, frail figure from junior high school, he felt so young.

Seeing himself in his high school uniform standing on the playground reminded him of that hot summer when he stood under the sun until he felt dizzy.

He walked around once and returned to Xize. His eyes were still red, but the corners of his mouth were turned up.

"You've dug up all my ugly photos from childhood to adulthood."

"Not ugly. They're all good-looking."

"Isn't that guy with the missing tooth ugly?"

"Cute."

Shen Yu'an was amused by his earnest use of the word "cute". Xize pronounced the word a little off, with a British accent, which sounded strange, but it was very sincere.

What else did my mom send you?

"I sent you a drawing you made when you were three years old."

Which one?

"That blue circle."

Shen Yu'an remembered. It was a large circle he had drawn with a blue crayon, with his name crookedly written next to it. At the time, his whole family said that he had drawn the sun.

He himself still doesn't know what it is.

"You kept that one too?"

"Keep it in the study drawer."

Shen Yu'an looked at him and felt that this person really treated everything he did as a treasure.

Everything was carefully stored away, placed where no one could touch it.

"Thank you," Shen Yu'an said earnestly. "This birthday present is wonderful."

Xize lowered his head and kissed his forehead, saying that he would set up an exhibition for him every year on his birthday.

Shen Yu'an leaned back into his arms and looked at the photos on the wall.

Shen Yu'an stayed in his arms for a while and sniffed.

Then he let go, and Caesar took out a small box from the inside pocket of his coat. It was dark blue velvet and about the size of a palm.

"There's one more gift."

Shen Yu'an took it and opened it.

Inside the box lay a thin silver chain, with a small rectangular metal pendant on a frosted surface.

He picked it up and looked at it closely. There were two lines of letters engraved on the sign. One line read "Sezer Lester," and the other line read "ian."

Their names.

Shen Yu'an stared at the two lines of letters for several seconds, his fingers gently stroking the surface of the metal plate.

The engravings are neither too deep nor too shallow; you can feel the outline of the letters when you touch them. The chain is very light and thin, and the pendant is just the right size—not too heavy.

"Help me put it on." He handed the chain to Xize and turned his back to him.

Xize took the chain, his fingers looping around his neck, his fingertips touching the cool skin on the back of his neck.

The clasp was very thin; Xize's fingers were large, and it took him two tries to fasten it. The chain dangled down, the metal tag pressed against Shen Yu'an's collarbone, feeling slightly cool.

Shen Yu'an lowered his head and touched the small plaque. He turned it over and looked at the back, and found that there was a line of very small characters engraved on it.

He leaned closer to look and saw that it read "Forever Yours".

It will always belong to you.

Shen Yu'an's tears fell again.

He turned around and looked up at Xize.

Xize was looking down at the chain on his collarbone, his expression serious, as if he was checking if it was on properly.

Shen Yu'an stood on tiptoe, cupped Xize's face in her hands, and kissed him.

It wasn't a gentle touch.

His lips pressed against hers, pressing down hard, and then his tongue brushed against Xize's lower lip.