Chapter 441: with translation of chapter title

Mu Nian took the microphone, stood at the center of the stage, his gaze fixed on his sister in the middle seat, "Today is my younger siblings' birthday, thank you all for taking the time to come."

He didn't say much pleasantries, his voice soft: "Sixteen years old, in the Mu Family and the Song Family, it has always been an important day; Youbao and Xinbao have been our family's treasures since childhood… Watching them grow bit by bit over the years, I feel gratified yet reluctant."

Yan Yuejiu saw his expression and wanted to laugh.

Good-natured laughter rose from the audience below.

"As her brother, I hope she is happy, healthy, and safe every day from now on."

Mu Nian continued speaking, his gaze sweeping the crowd, a faint chill spreading, though lacking any killing intent, it made people feel cold from the bottom of their hearts, "It's still that saying: if any outsider makes them feel unhappy, I don't mind letting them disappear completely."

Everyone present felt the weight of those words, and quickly responded with applause.

After Mu Nian finished his speech, Mu Xi went on stage; he was much briefer than Mu Nian, saying something like "Happy birthday to my younger siblings, big brother will always be here," then stepped down.

The moment Mu Xin stepped onto the stage, the audience below became excited.

After all, the heir of the Y Guo Duke's Mansion rarely appears in public; being able to stand on stage today is already no small feat!

Mu Xin stood at the center of the stage, his whole person exuding a temperament mismatched with his age, "I am Mu Xin; today is my and my sister's sixteenth birthday, thank you all for coming."

"To me, my sister is the most important person in my life; from childhood onward, my sole wish has been to protect her for a lifetime of peace and ease."

From a young age, he knew what he wanted to do, yearning to climb higher, to wield power, status, wealth…

He voluntarily followed his grandfather to Y Guo, to strengthen himself, to be more capable than anyone, able to protect her.

……

As soon as those words fell, a more enthusiastic applause erupted.

Mu Youyu watched her brother walk back slowly, instinctively raising her hand and softly calling: "Brother!"

Mu Xin's lips curved slightly, he sat down beside her, "Here I am."

Mu Nian returned to the main table and sat down, turning his head to whisper a few words with Grandfather Mu, then gestured for the MC to continue.

The MC understood, cleared his throat, and announced loudly: "Next, please enjoy a specially prepared video for all guests."

The hall lights dimmed again, the central giant screen lit up, and the picture slowly unfolded.

When the first photo appeared on the screen, the audience below gasped.

It was an old photo of Mu Youyu's first birthday party, wearing a red little dress, her small hand clutching a bracelet brought by Jiang Liangjin.

Mu Xi held Mu Xin's hand; at that time he was about three years old, with a cute little face set in a wary stare at the camera, as if afraid someone would snatch his sister away.

Mu Nian stood on the other side, half a head taller than Mu Xi, one hand resting on his brother's shoulder; his expression was much more composed, only the slight upward turn of the corners of his mouth betraying his mood at the time.

"Hey, isn't that the bracelet that Madame Jiang used to wear back then?"

"It's said to be the Jiang Family's heirloom, passed down to males only, not females!"

"They don't want gold or admission notices; they just want the bracelet that Young Master Jiang brought?"

"They've already decided on it from the start."

……

The second photo appeared right after, showing Mu Youyu's second birthday celebration.

She wore a puffy dress, a golden birthday hat on her head, and held a piece of cake, cream smeared all over her face.

Mu Xin looked like a little adult, sitting upright with a fork in hand.

Jiang Liangjin stood beside her, holding a tissue, looking helpless yet reluctant to actually wipe her, just holding the tissue stiffly in place, his expression endearingly conflicted.

The brothers stood behind them, smiles tugging at the corners of their mouths.

The photos on the screen rolled on one after another, each of Mu Youyu's birthdays recorded in the album.

The guests below watched with great interest.

"Each one cuter than the last."

"The affection among these siblings is just too good; compared to my own kids who fight all day, I'm really envious."

"Even as a child, Mu Zong already had the bearing of an elder brother."

"Were Song Yan and Lu Yuchu that handsome in their childhood photos?"

By age four, Mu Youyu no longer had Mu Xin by her side; among Mu Xin's photos, the most numerous were those of him together with Jun Chenling.

Another photo: four-year-old Mu Youyu tiptoed to get close to Jiang Liangjin, hand in hand.

The latter's hair was tied into a messy little bun; this photo looks tied very tight, and everyone watching could tell it was pulling the scalp.

This scene is the same as the one from Jiang Liangjin's birthday party, only the shooting angle differs.

At age five, Mu Youyu sat on the ground with her back to the camera; beside her stood Jiang Liangjin in a little suit, holding a stuffed bear, wearing a pink crown on her head.

This also appeared at Jiang Liangjin's birthday party, still just a different angle.

"When you combine this angle with the one of Jiang Zong, it becomes a couple's avatar."

"Hahaha, why is this angle different?"

"I thought the bun in Jiang Zong's birthday photo looked pretty nice; turns out it's a doctored image?"

Upon hearing that, Mu Youyu snorted inwardly, "It's definitely not a doctored picture!"

"I'm afraid the little princess will pull Young Master Jiang's hair out."

"Don't worry, don't worry."

……

The video on the screen hadn't finished playing when it was paused, and the lights came back on.

"Seeing this……" the MC was about to say the transition for the next segment and continue showing pictures, when the banquet hall doors were suddenly pushed open from outside.

Everyone's gaze was drawn there.

At the doorway stood a man and a woman, dressed in casual wear, travel-worn, yet their faces bore an irrepressible smile.

Mu Youyu stood up in disbelief, "Mom?"

Mu Father and Mu Mother walked in side by side, their steps much quicker than usual, as if they feared that moving slowly would make them miss something.

Mother Mu walked up to her daughter, looked her up and down, then hugged her, "Mom's here! My precious daughter, you've grown taller and become prettier."

Father Mu walked to Mu Xin's side, expressionless, nodded.

Mu Youyu's smile was obedient, going along with her actions, "Mom, when did you guys come back?"

"Just now." Mother Mu released her, smiling, added, "The flight was delayed, almost missed it."

Father Mu added on the side, "We originally wanted to arrive earlier, but the weather there was bad, the flight was delayed several times."

Mu Xi let out an "oh", asking, "Which country did you fly in from?"

"M Guo."

Qing An raised an eyebrow and bluntly said, "I also flew in from M Guo, didn't see any bad weather."

The atmosphere momentarily stalled.

Jiang Liangjin stood up, nodded to Father Mu and Mother Mu, pondered a moment, then blurted, "Uncle, Aunt."

Father Mu patted his shoulder, "A Jin, long time no see."

Mother Mu's gaze swept between him and her daughter, she smiled meaningfully, "Still so close."

Mu Youyu felt a bit uneasy under her mother's look, changed the topic: "Dad, Mom, why didn't you give me a heads-up? I could have sent someone to pick you up."

"Want to give you a surprise." Father Mu laughed.

Mu Xin didn't waste pleasantries, "Qing An said you came to A Jin's birthday banquet last time, why didn't you come in?"