The table was laden with a dazzling array of dishes. It was as if Jiangg Ning had pushed her culinary skills to their absolute limit today; every single dish was one she had carefully chosen. The spread was enough to make Chen Yuan’s head spin.

After a long day, it was finally time for a feast.

Chen Yuan poured juice for the two sisters, and the three of them eagerly dug in.

Under the soft living room lights, their chatter and laughter created an exceptionally warm scene.

While they ate, Chen Yuan kept waiting in anticipation for his birthday surprise. However, the two sisters showed no sign of bringing it up, steering the conversation to other topics instead.

It put him in an awkward position, unsure if he should bring it up himself.

So, he had no choice but to keep it to himself.

Given that they had been preparing for so long—Jiangg Ning had even told him days ago that she’d already picked out a gift—the surprise should have been easy to guess. But Chen Yuan felt the sisters were hiding it too well; so far, not a single clue had slipped out.

By the time they had polished off most of the food, Chen Yuan couldn’t hold it in any longer.

"So, can you finally tell me what my birthday gift is?"

At his question, the two sisters exchanged a glance.

"It’s already in your stomach," Jiangg Ning said with a light laugh.

"You can’t be serious. This meal?"

"That’s right."

"What other gift were you expecting?" Jiangg Yao said, shrugging.

The sisters’ back-and-forth left Chen Yuan completely stumped.

He glanced at their outfits. Jiangg Yao was just in her comfy pajamas, one leg casually crossed over the other. As for Jiangg Ning, she had changed after getting home and had just taken off her apron, so her attire wasn’t formal either.

Everything in the apartment was the same as always, and the look in their eyes was no different.

"Fine. If there’s no gift, a ’Happy Birthday’ isn’t too much to ask, is it?"

"Alright. Happy birthday, little master."

Jiangg Yao stood up and patted Chen Yuan’s head, her tone incredibly doting. Then, she left her seat and skipped toward the bedroom. "I’m full. Going to go rest for a bit."

She left him with only those words.

Chen Yuan stared blankly as Yaoyao just walked away. The sound of the door slamming shut—SLAM—was painfully clear.

"BURP~" He reacted a moment later, letting out an indignant belch.

"Sweetie, happy birthday. You’re nineteen now, a little adult. Here’s to a great year together."

’Ningning is the good one, after all.’

She stood up gracefully and walked toward Chen Yuan while offering her congratulations, looking as if she was about to give him a big hug.

His awkward expression instantly gave way to a smile.

"Thank you, Ningning~"

He opened his arms, a bit shyly, anticipating the feeling of her soft, fragrant form in his embrace.

And yet...

A moment later, Jiangg Ning’s actions left him stunned once more. The hug he expected never came. Jiangg Ning simply gave his hand a light squeeze, then turned and walked toward the bedroom.

"I’m going to get some rest, too."

Leaving him with only that sentence, Jiangg Ning’s figure also vanished from the living room. As her hair swayed, the sound of the door opening and closing rang out again. With each sound, Chen Yuan’s heart sank completely.

In the silence, it felt as if he could hear his own heart breaking.

Chen Yuan looked around and slumped back into his chair. Before him was nothing but the remnants of their meal. ’What am I supposed to do now? Go back to my apartment across the hall and sleep?’

’What a birthday...’

Chen Yuan glanced resentfully toward the bedroom, sighed, and muttered to himself, "Not even a cake..."

’Whatever.’

’Can’t just leave the table a mess.’

’A birthday isn’t that big of a deal. Getting a ’happy birthday’ is enough. I’ll just do what I have to do tomorrow. Life goes on.’

’This is all just an insignificant little hiccup.’

Chen Yuan consoled himself as he started clearing the dishes and taking them to the kitchen. He even began humming to himself, continuing until the entire table was spotless.

"All done!"

Chen Yuan dusted off his hands, ready to grab his jacket and head back to his place across the hall. ’Since I’ve got nothing else to do,’ he thought, ’I might as well go back and do some homework.’

But at that exact moment, the bedroom door clicked open.

Jiangg Ning and Jiangg Yao emerged, having changed their clothes. They stood side by side, their outfits impossibly beautiful. In that short time, they had applied light makeup. From their perfectly shaped eyebrows to their exquisite, pure-as-a-lotus-on-water auras, it was impossible to look away.

Chen Yuan stood frozen, watching them in silence.

Truth be told, a part of him had still been holding out hope. In that moment, he felt as if he were being bathed in a holy light.

The sway of their clothes and the tassels on their skirts was as beautiful as a dream.

"Look at that silly expression on your face. We’re taking you to see your birthday gift now, so stop being upset."

Jiangg Yao’s lips curved into a smug smile, as if to say: ’Look how dejected you were. As the world’s most considerate and beautiful girl, who adores her little master more than anyone, how could I possibly not have a gift for you?’

She held out her hand, arching her neck like a swan, beckoning him to come and take it.

"Get your shoes on. We’re going downstairs together."

On this special day, one that comes only once a year, Jiangg Ning seemed to relent and didn’t make things difficult for Chen Yuan. Her eyes were filled with the tenderness of loving someone with all her might, a love as great and selfless as a mother’s. She also held out her hand, allowing Chen Yuan to stand between them, take both their hands, and walk out the door.

"Where’s the gift? Couldn’t I see it in the apartment...?"

「In the elevator.」

Chen Yuan couldn’t help but ask curiously.

"You can’t. You’d better brace yourself for a pretty scary gift. The only word for it is ’epic.’"

"How epic?"

"Epic enough... to make you scream, little master," Jiangg Yao whispered mysteriously.

To be honest, Chen Yuan hadn’t made any assumptions. He thought his birthday gift might be a suit, or shoes, or maybe a watch or a stuffed teddy bear like girls liked. But what the two sisters had prepared this time was far beyond his wildest imagination.

After all, they were just dating; they were still a long way from the word "forever."

However, once they reached the underground parking garage, a faint understanding began to dawn on him, and the shock in his eyes grew.

By all rights, even Ningning and Yaoyao should have been daunted by a gift like this, because it was simply too extravagant.

But no matter how extravagant it was, they still felt it was worth it. Only something like this was worthy of their love for Chen Yuan—a one-of-a-kind love in all the world.

They wanted everyone to envy Chen Yuan. They wanted him to remember the year he turned nineteen—the year he met them.

In a remote, dim corner of the garage, Chen Yuan’s eyes were covered, and his throat felt dry.

"Why... have we stopped walking? Are we there?"

"Yes, we’re here."

"So can you let go now, Yaoyao?"

"You may... Happy birthday, little master. Now, unveil your gift with your own two hands."

The moment she finished speaking, the soft hands covering his eyes were removed.

A car shrouded by a black tarp appeared before Chen Yuan’s eyes. It sat there quietly. The visible portion of its tires was lightly coated in dust, and the paint on its brand-new chassis was indistinct in the darkness.

"BEEP—"

With the chirp of a car unlocking, the headlights of Jiangg Ning’s Porsche flared to life, illuminating the "birthday gift" directly across from it.

Jiangg Yao fished the car keys out of her pocket and tossed them to Chen Yuan.

"NO WAY!?? YOU TWO BOUGHT ME A CAR???" Chen Yuan’s shocked shout echoed throughout the entire underground garage.

He was completely floored.

「A few seconds later.」

When he pulled off the tarp, his shout grew even more exaggerated.

"HOLY SHIT?! HOLY SHIT?!"