spring bite mark

Chapter 124 Birthday Banquet
The old man's birthday banquet was arranged on a private island.

At No. 1 Mansion, when Jiang Manman woke up in the morning, she didn't see Yan Changye. Instead, Xie Jian was sleeping soundly with his arm around her.

Jiang Manman gently pulled her arm away from Xie Jian's grasp and sent a message to Yan Changye: "Where are you?"

It took several minutes for them to reply.
Y: [Madam, please wait a moment. I'm borrowing some soy sauce from next door.]

Jiang Manman: "..."

Villa No. 2.

After sending a perfunctory message to Jiang Manman, Yan Changye casually tossed his phone aside.

He was busy comforting the child.

Still wearing the sexy nightgown she wore when she crawled out of Jiang Manman's bed, she was currently holding Yan Yu in her arms, gently coaxing him:

"Ayu, it's not that Daddy doesn't want you to go to Grandpa's birthday banquet, it's just that your face can cause a huge uproar as soon as you appear, so it's really not appropriate now. After the banquet, I'll secretly take you to see Grandpa, okay?"

Yan Yu pursed her lips and remained silent.

Yan Changye's tone became even more humble: "Daddy knows that it hurt your feelings to only bring Xie Jian and not you. I'll give you a private island later. Don't you like traditional Chinese style? I'll build you an ancient mythological world on it, okay?"

Yan Yu remained silent, her peach blossom eyes cold and indifferent, and she struggled slightly with a hint of resistance.

Yan Changye sighed softly and hugged him even tighter: "Otherwise, I'll give you the supplementary credit card in the capital. You can wander around the streets and buy whatever you like. Even if you want to buy a property or a shopping mall, I'll do whatever you want today, okay?"

Yan Yu finally spoke listlessly: "I don't like those."

Yan Changye hesitated for a moment: "As long as you're not angry, starting tonight, I'll let you and Xie Jian switch beds again in the middle of the night... We'll switch for a month, so you can sleep between me and Manman and hug Manman to your heart's content. And I promise that not only Xie Jian, but I myself won't compete with you for her."

For Yan Changye, who liked to sleep with his wife in his arms, this was a huge sacrifice.

Yan Yu's expression finally softened slightly, and his eyes quietly fell on Yan Changye: "Are you going to let me hold them all?"

"Yes, those three hours in the middle of the night are all yours," Yan Changye solemnly promised. "I'll cover for you."

Seeing the child's increasingly obvious interest, Yan Changye offered another perk: "Here's what we'll do: I'll give the villa's butler and servants a day off today. After we leave, you can take a look around the villa. The entrance hall and terrace are decorated in a traditional Chinese style by Manman Design, and the study is also filled with Manman's sketches—all in your preferred style..."

"..."

"We shouldn't be back until after 10 p.m. Until then, you're the little master of Villa No. 1, so you can do whatever you want. Isn't that much more fun than going to a boring birthday banquet, huh?"

The disappointment of not being able to attend the birthday banquet vanished instantly.

He obediently crawled out of Yan Changye's arms: "I'll make some juice for you to drink on the way."

Yan Changye kissed him, his voice soft and doting, with a hint of pleading: "Making juice is so tiring, Daddy will make it with you, baby."

Villa No. 1.

After Jiang Manman and Xie Jian changed their clothes, Yan Changye, carrying a glass of freshly squeezed juice, walked slowly back from Villa No. 2 with a faint smile on his lips.

Jiang Manman looked up and quietly watched him approach, her gaze falling on the juice in his hand, her emotions unreadable.

"Weren't you going to borrow soy sauce?"

The heir of the prestigious Yanjing Group, pampered to the extreme, would never have come into contact with mundane matters like firewood and rice. Yan Changye coughed lightly, his peach blossom eyes smiling playfully: "You really believe that, Madam? I just went next door to check on the little boy and brought back the juice he specially squeezed for you."

He spoke openly and frankly, and Jiang Manman suppressed her suspicions, glancing up and down at his neatly buttoned pajamas: "Since he's a child of the Yan family, why didn't you bring him along to the birthday banquet?" Yan Changye paused slightly: "It's already annoying enough that I bring Xie to meet him."

Jiang Manman hummed in agreement and stopped talking about the topic: "The stylist is here, go change your clothes."

Half an hour later, Yan Changye picked out a minivan from the garage and, escorted by bodyguards, drove to the birthday banquet venue.

No sooner had they left than Yan Yu, still wearing her adorable pajamas, watched the departing convoy with a detached expression on the rooftop terrace of Villa No. 2. She then turned and instructed the butler behind her, "Prepare some clothes for me; I want to take a shower."

The butler quickly agreed and added, "Where is the young master planning to go? I'll prepare matching clothes for you."

"Just bring your loungewear." Yan Yu's eyes were bright with delight, and her voice was warmer than usual. "I'll just go for a walk next door."

On the island.

The trees were lush and the flowers were in full bloom. In the warm and elegant setting, the celebrities chatted and laughed, and all the members of the Yan clan, whether direct or collateral, were present.

Old Master Yan kept a low profile, inviting only members of the Yan clan and some members of super-powerful and first-class families.

As a low-ranking family in the capital, the Ning family did not receive an invitation. However, since being blacklisted by Yan Changye because of his rebellious daughter, Ning Musheng had been restless these days. He went to great lengths to obtain an invitation to the birthday banquet, hoping to apologize to Yan Changye in person at the banquet and repair their relationship.

Ning Xinyue followed her father into the venue. She was carrying a red gift box, which Ning Musheng glanced at:
"What have you prepared?"

“A gift that will make Old Master Yan and Yan Changye grateful to me for the rest of their lives.” Ning Xinyue smiled faintly.

Ning Musheng's expression softened slightly: "That's good. I'll find an opportunity to meet Yan Changye later. You need to lower your stance and make sure to repair the relationship."

Ning Xinyue stroked the box and smiled, giving a soft "hmm".

The banquet was packed with guests, all of whom were from the most prestigious and wealthy families in the capital, and almost all of them had met Jiang Manman before.

When Yan Changye and Jiang Manman appeared in the main hall of the banquet, their stunning appearance and status as the Crown Prince of Yanjing caused a great sensation! Amidst the stares of the crowd, Yan Changye, with Jiang Manman in his arms, gracefully nodded to the heads of several powerful families, said a few polite words of 'thank you for attending my father's birthday banquet,' and then left the social obligations to the powerful members of the Yan family, while he and Jiang Manman enjoyed some peace and quiet on the side.

After meeting with Master Yan, Xie Jian was taken by Shen Zongqian to stroll around the island.

Halfway through the banquet, the heads of various families began to present generous birthday gifts on behalf of their clans.

Ning Xinyue stood in the crowd.

Given the Ning family's status, they were not entitled to receive gifts and birthday wishes in public. Ning Musheng handed his prepared gift to the island's master of ceremonies and whispered instructions to his daughter:

"Just put your gift box here too. If the gift is thoughtful enough, they'll see it later."

Ning Xinyue stroked the gift box in her hand, her gaze falling on the main seat of the birthday banquet, where Old Master Yan was chatting and laughing with a group of powerful figures in the capital with a slight smile on his face.

Not far from him, Yan Changye affectionately held Jiang Manman in his arms, lowered his gaze slightly, and looked at her with focused tenderness, chatting and laughing, creating a scene of extreme pampering.

The piercing sensation caused Ning Xinyue's heart to clench repeatedly, and jealousy and hatred instantly swallowed up all reason.

She strode to the center of the banquet, passing by the wealthy and powerful families who were presenting gifts, and went straight to the very front.

Then, a sharp sound echoed throughout the main hall where Old Master Yan was:

"Yan Changye, do you know that your wife has had a child with another man?"

(End of this chapter)