Dragon Clan: Lu Mingfei Returns from Japan

Chapter 731 Birthday in 2007
As if guided by some strange force, Su Enxi actually pictured Jiu Demai being wrapped up like a gift and delivered to Lu Mingfei's red-curtained bed. Her naked body was barely covered by red silk ribbons, her sensitive areas vaguely visible yet alluring. Then came the unbearable sight of them spending a warm night together in the boudoir.

When the time comes, the three-nothing and the long-legged woman will share a husband, which can be considered as continuing their best friend relationship in another way.

Su Enxi started banging her head against the wall. It seemed like that was just how she was; she had no inhibitions when she was randomly pairing up her best friend and Lu Mingfei, but when her best friend paired her up with Lu Mingfei, she showed a completely different face.

Seeing that Mai Shude in the video seemed genuinely angry, Su Enxi realized that her joke might have gone a bit too far. She immediately stopped there and asked, "By the way, Mai, how much do you know about the Zhou family? You're often on missions outside, so you're quite knowledgeable."

Mai Shude pursed her lips. Having known each other for so many years, she knew perfectly well that Su Enxi was trying to change the subject. It couldn't be more obvious.

However, Mai Shude replied calmly, "Not much, I only know the name of the Zhou family of Xiangyang."

Rather than discussing topics related to Lu Mingfei, Mai Shude decisively chose to accept the topic that Chip Girl had given her.

I get annoyed just thinking about that guy!

"You obviously won't get any answers from me, right? You know, mixed-race families in China always like to act mysterious and live in seclusion, like they're living in a paradise. And I'm Japanese."

Jiu De Mai shrugged habitually: "From the outside, the Zhou family is more mysterious than the Snake-Qi Eight Families. After all, the Snake-Qi Eight Families and the Secret Party still maintain some communication. And both the Secret Party and the Solomon Temple Society once tried to extend their reach into China, but their hands were cut off. If you want to ask me about the Zhou family, you might as well post a bounty on the Guantian Tea House section of Tianya Forum."

Su Enxi bit off the Pocky chocolate bar she was holding in her mouth and answered directly: "I posted it. Not only on Tianya Forum, but I also posted a question on Baidu Tieba."

Mai Shude was taken aback. She had just mentioned it casually, but she hadn't expected Chip Girl to be so proactive, already posting a bounty on Tianya Forum. But could she really get any useful information from a place like that?
"Of course."

Su Enxi said, "This is the information age! Mai, don't underestimate the power of the internet. A lot of insider trading information from Wall Street is spread through the internet, okay? I recently got some insider information online, saying that Lehman Brothers' total liabilities have exceeded $6000 billion, and its total assets include a large amount of unrealizable junk subprime loans."

"and then?"

"Then the consequence of Lehman Brothers' insolvency is likely bankruptcy. As the fourth largest investment bank in the United States, the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers will inevitably trigger a series of chain reactions, which may drag down the stock market in the United States and even the world. I have cleared out most of my blue-chip stocks, leaving only some growth stocks worth holding for the long term."

Su Enxi said, "We've gotten off topic. Anyway, I actually found out some information about the Zhou family on the forum... not on Tianya Forum, but on the Hunter Forum. I heard that the Zhou family recently acquired several wafer fabrication plants and biopharmaceutical companies, seemingly looking to do business in that area. We can start from this point to have deeper contact and cooperation with the Zhou family. Maintaining cooperation with such a mixed-race family wouldn't be a bad thing."

Mai frowned: "Further cooperation? What about now? You and Sanwu are about to accompany Lu Mingfei to the Zhou family, aren't you?"

"Relax, relax. Since Angers sent Lu Mingfei to the Zhou family to borrow Samson's dragon bones, he must have already discussed the specifics with the Zhou family. Lu Mingfei's trip to the Zhou family is probably just a formality, to boost his S-rank resume. Besides, it's perfectly legitimate for Uesugi Erii to use the dragon bones that Lu Mingfei nominally borrowed. Even Frost Gattuso probably has no reason to object."

"This mission doesn't sound too difficult?"

"Simply lending out Samson's dragon bones isn't a particularly difficult task."

"You mean, the boss arranged for you to accompany Lu Mingfei to the Zhou family, and there's some other secret mission involved?"

"Well……"

Su Enxi blinked and hesitated, not giving a direct answer to Jiu Demai's question.

However, in Jiu De Mai's view, this was already Potato Chip Girl's implicit answer to her question. Since it was a secret mission assigned by the boss, and the boss hadn't told her or Sanwu, Su Enxi naturally couldn't tell her directly either. Jiu De Mai also tacitly understood and didn't continue to ask about the question.

A secret mission...

Jiude Mai pondered in her heart.

Although she couldn't imagine what secret mission the boss would entrust to Chip Girl, she couldn't help but feel worried, and the face of a certain annoying guy subconsciously appeared in her mind.

This mission shouldn't be dangerous, right...?

……

However, this video call between Su Enxi and Jiu De Mai was just a side note to the day.

On this Tuesday, which was special but not particularly special, time neither sped up nor lingered any longer.

"The last fairy lights... done!"

Su Xiaoqiang patted the washi tape off her hands, jumped off the stool, took two steps back and stood with Liu Miaomiao, Chen Wenwen, and Ling, examining their work.

The living room walls and ceiling, which were originally plain and even a bit old-fashioned, have now been taken over by pleated ribbons, sparkling garlands and colorful balloons. Even the green plants on the windowsill have not been spared, and the flower pots have been tied with elegant bows.

The windows of the room were also decorated with colorful ribbons, making it look like a rainbow waterfall from the outside. Anyone who saw it probably couldn't help but wonder if some trendy foreign holiday had become popular among young people.

Of course, the most eye-catching thing was the "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" letter balloon on the living room background wall. After Xia Mi and Lu Mingfei went on their date at the amusement park, the task of sticking the balloons and confetti on fell to Ling.

As it turned out, assigning this task to Zero was indeed the right decision. Looking at the neat and uniform spacing between the balloons, if Su Xiaoqiang hadn't personally witnessed Zero sticking these balloons together without using any tools, she would have actually suspected that Zero used a ruler to measure the spacing between each balloon before sticking them together... otherwise, how could they be stuck together so neatly?

"Feeling...not bad?" Liu Miaomiao blinked, asking somewhat uncertainly.

Strictly speaking, this was the first time she had celebrated Lu Mingfei's birthday. Although she had bought him a birthday cake last year, it was only as a gift from a friend, not as his girlfriend. And she hadn't properly celebrated his birthday then.

She actually thought it was pretty good. But after all, it was the first time she had personally decorated the venue for a birthday party. Usually, when she had a birthday party at home, the maid would help with the decorations.

The first time I personally arranged a birthday party for someone I like, I felt a mix of joy and satisfaction with my work, but also a strange sense of nervousness and insecurity.

What if Mingfei returns home and sees the house decorated as she imagined, but doesn't show the surprised expression she expected...?

Even after dating for so long, the worries and anxieties of adolescence still linger in the heart of a young girl.

After finishing her inspection, Su Xiaoqiang commented, "Hmm... I also think it's quite good, especially the ribbon garlands that Wenwen made, they're really pretty."

Chen Wenwen was a little embarrassed: "It's not that good, it's just a very ordinary craft... I'd say it's better to say it's done without any glue. If it were me, I definitely couldn't make it as neat as a zero-glue one."

Su Xiaoqiang grinned mischievously: "Wenwen, don't be modest... Tonight, I'll let Mingfei pamper you properly."

Upon hearing this, Chen Wenwen's pretty face immediately turned red, and she bit her lip, quickly saying, "Qiangqiang, don't joke around like that...!"

As he spoke, he kept glancing furtively at Zero, signaling to Su Xiaoqiang that there were others present...

Su Xiaoqiang pursed her lips, thinking to herself, what does it matter? Ling isn't an outsider... In her opinion, it's only a matter of time before Ling joins their big family.

Just then, the phone notification sound rang, and all the phones that were on the living room sofa rang.

Su Xiaoqiang, who was closest to the sofa, picked up her phone first, opened it, and then her expression suddenly changed. She immediately called out to Chen Wenwen, "It's a message from Xiao Mi. She said that she and Mingfei are almost at the neighborhood. Wenwen, you have to hurry up and leave. You absolutely can't let Mingfei go home. Erii and Senior Sister Aki haven't arrived yet."

Chen Wenwen also saw the message in the QQ group on her phone and nodded, saying, "I'll go to my room to get the book right away." "Don't let anything happen to Mingfei."

"Yes, I'll pretend that I ran into Mingfei and Xiaomi by chance on my way to return books to the library."

Chen Wenwen quickly changed her shoes, grabbed her books, and went out. Just in case, Su Xiaoqiang temporarily turned off all the lights in the house.

After all, if Lu Mingfei saw the colorful ribbons and balloons on his windows, combined with their unusual behavior of deliberately getting him out of the house today, he might guess that they were preparing a birthday party for him. That guy is always so cunning!

Fortunately, through the window of the master bedroom, they saw Chen Wenwen carrying books as she left the house. She "bumped into" Lu Mingfei and Xia Mi at the entrance of the residential complex and successfully intercepted Lu Mingfei before he entered the complex. The two walked side by side out of the complex.

Seeing Lu Mingfei and Chen Wenwen walk away, the girls finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Su Xiaoqiang collapsed onto the bed: "Finally, I can rest for a bit. I'm exhausted after a busy afternoon."

Liu Miaomiao sat down on the edge of the bed and took out her phone: "I'll send a message to Sister Aki and Erii first to ask when they'll arrive. That way, Wenwen will have some idea of ​​what's going on."

Seeing Ling standing by the window, Su Xiaoqiang thought for a moment and understood what the blonde girl was hesitating about. She patted the edge of the bed and said with a smile, "Ling, you should sit down too. There's no need to be so reserved. Mingfei won't mind."

Rather, she felt that, given that old lecher's personality, he probably wished even more pretty girls were sitting in his bed...

Faced with Su Xiaoqiang's warm invitation, Ling hesitated for a moment before finally sitting down next to Su Xiaoqiang.

The slight creaking of the bed reminded her of the subtle sounds she heard every night.

But at that moment, Liu Miaomiao let out a surprised "Eh!"

"Aki-nee and Erii both said they're downstairs, and they even ran into Miya down there. I'll go open the door!"

Liu Miaomiao sat up from the bed and walked out of the living room. She opened the door and peeked out, just in time to see Xia Mi, Aki, and Erii in the hallway, followed by Yabuki Sakura and Charlotte. The group was chatting and laughing.

The group immediately greeted each other with smiles. The door closed. As Aki changed into the fluffy slippers that Liu Miaomiao had prepared in advance, she looked around the room and said, "Have you all finished setting everything up? I even came a little early to see if there was anything I could help with."

"Sister Yaqi, your presence is already the biggest help! Mingfei will definitely be very happy to see you here." Liu Miaomiao said with a smile as she stood to the side, welcoming them into the living room with the demeanor of a hostess.

At this moment, Su Xiaoqiang and Ling also came out of the room. When they saw Charlotte, Su Xiaoqiang blinked in slight surprise: "Charlotte, you're here too! Welcome, welcome!"

"Hmm... I heard Erii say that today is that guy's birthday..."

Charlotte handed a small bag to Su Xiaoqiang: "...This is a gift."

Su Xiaoqiang asked in confusion, "A gift? Can't you just give the gift to Mingfei when he comes back?"

“…No. This isn’t a birthday present for Lu Mingfei; it’s a gift for his first visit,” Charlotte said.

Preparing a gift when visiting a friend's home for the first time is a common practice in Europe. Su Xiaoqiang had lived in Portugal for a long time and was naturally familiar with this etiquette, so she readily accepted Charlotte's gift and said with a smile, "Then I'll thank you on behalf of Mingfei."

At this moment, Erii looked slightly stunned and took out her notebook to write: "I only prepared a birthday present for Sakura, not a gift for visiting the house. What should I do? Is it too late to go buy one with Sakura-san now?"

Su Xiaoqiang said, "...There's no need to be so particular."

The living room, which was originally spacious and somewhat empty, suddenly felt a bit crowded after Erii, Aki, Charlotte, and Yabuki Sakura arrived.

However, a close synonym for crowded is lively. So, a birthday party should be as lively as possible.

Aki said, "When will Mingfei and Wenwen be back? Should we cook the dishes now?"

"Okay, that's fine!" Liu Miaomiao said. "Qiangqiang and I are just starting to learn how to cook, and we're not as good as you and Xiaomi, Sister Yaji. We can help you out and learn from you."

And so, four more girls instantly squeezed into the not-so-spacious kitchen. Watching Aki and the others busily moving about, even Charlotte couldn't help but wonder if that guy had saved the world in his past life to be able to attract so many wonderful girls…

……

The footsteps outside the door grew closer, and the girls standing on either side of the door became increasingly nervous, instinctively tightening their grip on the ceremonial cannons.

With a click, the sound of a key being inserted into the keyhole rang out. The moment the door opened, the girls tacitly pulled the triggers on their confetti cannons in unison.

Caught off guard, Lu Mingfei shuddered. He hadn't realized what was happening and thought Freedom Day had started early. He nearly dropped the cake in his hand, then heard sweet voices ring out in unison amidst the booming cannons:

Happy birthday!

As soon as I looked up, I saw Liu Miaomiao, Xia Mi, Su Xiaoqiang, Erii, Rei Aki, and even Yabuki Sakura and Charlotte standing in the entrance hall from left to right, each holding a confetti cannon. Their beautiful eyes blinked in the flying fireworks.

Chen Wenwen, who entered later, closed the door behind him, helped him put on the paper birthday crown given by the cake shop, and whispered in Lu Mingfei's ear, "Happy birthday, Mingfei."

Lu Mingfei then realized that today was July 17th, his birthday.

Fireworks landed on his head and shoulders, and he scratched his head: "I had completely forgotten."

Rather than saying he forgot, it's more accurate to say he's long been used to birthdays without anyone wishing him a happy birthday. Last year was the same; he himself had forgotten, but to his surprise, Liu Miaomiao not only remembered but also, despite her sprained ankle, braved the rain to buy him a birthday cake.

However, I'm afraid I'll find it hard to forget my birthday from now on.

Looking at the girls in front of him, Lu Mingfei thought that in the years to come, he probably wouldn't be able to have a quiet and boring birthday like before. Every year would probably be lively and bustling.

Just like today.

However, he soon noticed the fragrant stir-fried dishes on the restaurant table, as well as the bandages wrapped around Liu Miaomiao and Su Xiaoqiang's fingers.

A thought struck him, and he walked over and took Liu Miaomiao and Xiaotiannv's hands: "Did you get hurt while chopping vegetables?"

Liu Miaomiao immediately pulled her hand back from Lu Mingfei's: "Well, it's nothing serious... Don't just stand there like an idiot at the door, sit down."

"Yes."

Su Xiaoqiang withdrew her hand and pulled Lu Mingfei to the dining table: "Quickly put the cake on first, I'll put the candles on. Mingfei, think about what you want to wish for now. After you blow out the candles, we'll start cutting the cake!"

……

(End of this chapter)