Chapter 9: Celebration

The moon climbs above the willow branches; people have appointments after dusk.

A wheel of blood-red sun hangs above Xishan, casting evening glow across the sky, which is illuminated into a fiery red by the sunset's afterglow.

Invited to the Yu Family home, Shen Yan had just stepped into the living room when he saw Yu Chengdong wrapped in a grey apron, busy in the smoky kitchen; judging by the smell, he was undoubtedly stir-frying rice cakes.

Several delicacies were laid out on the dining table: cherries, stir-fried squid, three-delicacy meatball soup, braised crab, and braised prawns, with a large basin of boiled fish in the center, which looked like it had been prepared and delivered from a restaurant.

The rich aroma of the dishes permeated the air, instantly whetting everyone's appetite.

Two minutes later, the two families sat down at the dining table; there were no rules for seating, just whatever was casual and comfortable.

Yu Chengdong glanced at Shen Yan and said with a grin, "Xiaoyan is 18 this year, a grown man now. Since today is such a joyous occasion, how about having a couple of drinks with me?"

As soon as the words fell, Sun Bixia rolled her eyes at him in a charming way and said with dissatisfaction, "What are you saying? Why would a student drink alcohol?"

"Hey! Beer doesn't have much alcohol content; it doesn't matter if he has a little."

"Besides, it's inevitable to drink once you enter society; it's good to get used to it in advance." Yu Chengdong was, after all, the head of the household and showed no sign of being afraid of his wife.

"Alright then, I'll have a few drinks with Uncle Yu today." Shen Yan didn't mind; although his alcohol tolerance was truly nothing to brag about, two or three bottles of beer were no problem.

Yu Chengdong was very happy to hear this, feeling that this child had truly grown up; his personality was no longer so shy and introverted, and he was like a real man.

He took two bottles of Snow beer from the refrigerator and popped the caps open with practiced ease; one look and you could tell he was a veteran drinker.

"Come, come, come, let's clink glasses before we start eating. Congratulations to Youwei and Xiaoyan for getting into their ideal universities; may your futures be bright."

"Congratulations to Xiaoyan and Youwei!"

"Cheers!"

"Thank you, Uncle Yu, Sun Yi!"

The five of them raised their glasses to celebrate this moment; except for Shen Yan and Yu Chengdong, the other three were drinking milk.

"Come, come, eat to your heart's content and see how I performed today."

"This basin of boiled fish was ordered from the Seafood Mansion; the taste is quite good, everyone eat more."

It had to be said that Yu Chengdong's culinary skills were indeed quite impressive, and combined with the fresh, fragrant, and delicious boiled fish with its smooth texture, everyone couldn't stop praising it.

Even someone like Shen Nainai, who had a smaller appetite, had a rare pile of scraps in front of her on the table.

Three rounds of drinks had passed, and the flavors of the dishes had been savored.

Yu Chengdong was the type who flushed easily; after only two bottles of beer, his cheeks were as vibrant as if dyed in a vat, red and burning, and his breath carried a faint scent of alcohol, yet he was incomparably clear-headed.

He raised his glass and clinked it with Shen Yan's again, smiling as he said, "Xiaoyan, you and Youwei applied to the same university and the same major. Regardless of whether you are in the same class, please take care of Youwei when you get to university."

Sun Bixia also said, "Youwei has never suffered since she was a child; sometimes she is a bit willful and throws little tantrums. For Sun Yi's sake, Xiaoyan, please be patient with her."

"Oh! Mom, when have I ever been willful or thrown tantrums?" Hearing her mother talk about her like that, Yu Youwei pouted and twisted her body in protest.

"Ha! I don't know who it was last time that popped the tires on Xiaoyan's bicycle, and the time before that, framing him for being a pervert, almost getting him caught by the police—I don't even want to talk about you."

Bringing this up, Sun Bixia felt a surge of anger.

There should at least be a limit to throwing tantrums.

Uh... Yu Youwei's face showed some embarrassment.

At the time, she just wanted to vent and get back at Shen Yan; she really hadn't meant to blow things out of proportion.

When it came down to it, it was Shen Yan's fault; he had just wanted to borrow notes, but ended up taking the sanitary pad out of her schoolbag in front of all their classmates, and finally asked with an innocent face, "What is this?"

Facing the teasing voices and mocking gazes of her classmates, Yu Youwei had almost fainted from shame.

Getting his tires popped was deserved.

As for framing Shen Yan for being a pervert, that really wasn't Yu Youwei's subjective intention.

At the time, Yu Youwei was shopping, and Shen Yan had wanted to call out to her from behind. You'd think calling her name would have been enough, but he had to reach out and pull her, and as a result, he ended up snapping her bra strap—it was enough to make someone die of anger.

In her annoyance, Yu Youwei had slapped the bottom of a female office worker passing by Shen Yan and pointed at Shen Yan, saying, "That pervert is taking advantage of you."

Good heavens! The scene at the time... Shen Yan was slow of speech, and no matter how he explained, no one believed him. The onlookers pointed at Shen Yan, hurling all sorts of accusations, like how the world was going to the dogs and people weren't what they used to be, saying he looked decent enough but was actually a perverted lecher...

It had almost alerted the police; luckily, Yu Youwei realized she had caused a huge disaster and stepped forward to clarify things in time, otherwise, who knows how it would have ended.

With Sun Bixia's words, those unbearable memories surfaced in Shen Yan's mind like unraveling silk; thinking about it now, it was actually quite interesting—youth is truly wonderful!

Regarding Yu Youwei's series of "pranks," Shen Yan didn't take them to heart at all; he only remembered that whenever people called him a wild child with no father or mother when he was young, it was Yu Youwei who stood up for him.

Compared to that, what were these little pranks?

"Uncle Yu, Sun Yi, Youwei is just like a younger sister to me; I won't let anyone bully her." Shen Yan's expression was very earnest.

"Good, good, good! We, as her parents, thank you."

Yu Chengdong and Sun Bixia were very happy; Shen Yan had been sensible and well-behaved since he was a child, and he had grown up to be a big, strong young man. With him around, the couple could rest much easier.

Yu Youwei was somewhat dissatisfied that her parents treated her like a child, puffing out her cheeks and muttering, "Who needs him to take care of me?" Everyone was the same age, and Yu Youwei didn't think she was inferior to Shen Yan.

The others just laughed and didn't take it to heart; she was just a young girl, and it was perfectly normal for her to throw a little tantrum.

"By the way, Xiaoyan, have you been working out lately? You feel much sturdier." As if discovering something, Yu Chengdong grabbed Shen Yan's arm with a look of surprise.

Shen Yan smiled slightly and said that was indeed the case; he had been exercising quite a bit at home during this time—push-ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks, high knees, knee raises...

Whatever burned fat, he did it.

"It's good to exercise more; boys should be sturdy. Xiaoyan is so handsome, there will definitely be many girls who like you in the future."

As he spoke, Yu Chengdong glanced at his own daughter, and a thought suddenly welled up in his heart: actually... having Shen Yan as a son-in-law wouldn't be bad.

He knew him inside and out, he had no father or mother, and they only had this one precious daughter; if the two families joined, he and Sun Bixia would have someone to rely on in their old age.

The more he thought about it, the more Yu Chengdong felt it was a solid plan, and he intended to discuss it with his wife later.

Shen Nainai, on the other hand, was deeply comforted; it was worth all the hardship she had endured, raising Shen Yan through thick and thin. Seeing her precious grandson becoming more and more outstanding, there was nothing that could make her happier.