Ruan Danchen was content with celebrating her birthday with only Qi Chenglin and Qi Youxuan at home. That was what she wanted. It was the first birthday she ever had because no one had ever celebrated it with her in the past except for Liu Ronghua.

As a kid, she used to yearn for it when she saw adults carrying a birthday cake while holding their children's hands. Back then, no one celebrated with her, so she drew the cake on a piece of paper along with the appropriate number of candles for her age. She would then walk to the window, look at the moon, and make a wish.

When she got older, Liu Ronghua sometimes gave her pocket money. She could not buy anything because the money was not that big an amount, so she saved it. Once her birthday came, she bought a small cake, about the size of her palm. Owing to the small size, she could not put too many candles, so she only lit one for symbolism's sake.

Many years later, she gave birth to Youxuan and left Liu Ronghua to become her own person. She was already working by then, and although she did not earn much, cakes could still be afforded. She bought a six-inch cake and two numbered candles. The cake was much bigger and tasted even better than before, but she still spent her birthday by herself.

Ruan Danchen finally had family beside her for the first time ever that year, and they were eager to give her a birthday celebration.

She felt her eyes heat up, but she was happy and excited. She did not want a grand event with many guests as long as she could celebrate it at home with the people she cared about.

It, therefore, perplexed her that Qi Chenglin would call Ruan Zeer over.

She was not unhappy about Ruan Zeer's presence though since she really did treat him as her little brother, especially after Qi Youxuan remarked on their facial similarities. Ruan Danchen was even happy to hear that, and through more interactions with Ruan Zeer, she began treating him like a little brother more and more.

Ruan Danchen looked puzzlingly at Qi Chenglin. She treated Ruan Zeer as a little brother, but why did Qi Chenglin—someone who was not on close terms with Ruan Zeer—think of the young man so suddenly?

Qi Chenglin's eyes were languid and he said, without batting an eye, "Ruan Zeer, that kid. I like him."

Ruan Danchen, "…"

'How could he say that without blushing?'

Ruan Danchen beamed with a smile. She took her phone and looked for Ruan Zeer's number. "I'm glad. It's not too late and his rest won't be disturbed. Let's tell him earlier."

…

Guan Liya hung up the call and Qi Zhongxun could see her marked dismay. He took a piece of watermelon and gave it to her. "What happened? Who made you angry? What did Youxuan say to you?"

As she ate the watermelon, she huffed angrily and recounted the incident with Wu Qiaoyin.

The more she thought of it, the angrier she became. "Danchen was right. Wu Qiaoyin is going overboard. Who the hell is she to pick up Youxuan behind our back? Is she going to pay if something happens to my grandson!"

Guan Liya gnashed her teeth. "Who would've known that Zhao Fengchun gave birth to such an ignorant daughter."

"Drink some tea, don't get angry. It's not worth it to get so riled up over that ignorant girl," Qi Zhongxun tried consoling her.

Guan Liya rejected the teacup and said, "This is unacceptable. I'm going to see the Wu family."

She glanced at the time and said, "It's still early. I don't think they'll sleep so fast. After so many years without meeting them, I'm curious to see the Wu family's family teachings."

Afraid that Guan Liya might be at a disadvantage, Qi Zhongxun hurried over. Aunt Chen could even hear Guan Liya's voice at the door, "This is between women. Don't get yourself involved."

"I'm not getting involved. I'm just going to sit down and talk with Old Man Wu." Qi Zhongxun's voice sounded incredibly solemn.

Guan Liya knew that he followed her because he wanted to give her some support. She knew he fears that she might not have enough influence if she were to go alone, which might cause her some problems with the Wu family.

His presence would be a constant reminder of the Qi family's prowess. Guan Liya smiled and led Qi Zhongxun out.

Qi Zhongxun felt happy after seeing his wife's expression soften, but his reserved and staid temperament made Guan Liya smile even brighter.

…

Upon seeing Guan Liya and Qi Zhongxun, Zhao Fengchun warmly welcomed them in with a smile.

"What brings you here all of a sudden? Come sit, come sit." Zhao Fengchun invited the couple in. Wu Chuanshu was standing in the living room, looking on with a smile.

"Hehe, I'm not bothering you by coming at this hour, am I?" Guan Liya sat down, smiled, and asked. Beside them, the television was on a news channel, reporting various happenings and events.

"No, it's still early. We weren't doing anything at home, just drinking tea and chatting," Zhao Fengchun took the liberty of taking two ceramic tea bowls from the tray before pouring tea for the couple.

"Where's Qiaoyin? She's not in?" Guan Liya pretended to ask mindlessly and even put on a very friendly expression on her face.

"Ah, we've spoiled her since young. She went out today without doing anything, but she came back saying she was really tired because of jet lag. She went straight to her room and slept. We've been here for so long already, there's no such thing such as jet lag. She's just stubborn." Zhao Fengchun may have been saying that, but she was clearly very loving toward her daughter.

"Oh, maybe she's tired from waiting too long for Youxuan at his school. Our Youxuan is stubborn too." Guan Liya sipped some tea. "I've already lectured Youxuan when he called just now. Qiaoyin has never faced difficulty since she was young. Perhaps I can take a look at her?"

"Don't need to care about her. She'll be okay after sleeping." Zhao Fengchun stopped Guan Liya, who was just about to get up. Feeling slightly shocked, she asked, "But why…was she waiting for Youxuan at his school?"

"Sigh, it's not that big a deal." Guan Liya smiled and began telling them about everything that happened earlier that noon.

She approached it from a different angle to try and relieve Zhao Fengchun's apparent anxiety. "We've always taught Youxuan not to follow any strangers. What if it's a kidnapper? Besides, the Qi family has a public reputation. We don't mind paying money if a kidnapping happens, but we're worried that it'll negatively impact the boy. We don't have the heart to let him go through all that when he's such a young boy. We care deeply about Youxuan since he was young, and we won't let him suffer even in the slightest.

"But the little boy is stubborn, and as a kid, his memory isn't that good yet. Even though he met Qiaoyin once, he couldn't remember her after that. His mind went blank and was afraid to go with Qiaoyin. It's probably also because we've told him not to follow anyone he doesn't know unless our family explicitly agreed to let that person pick him up. We're not being prejudiced here, but we have no choice but to be on guard. Nowadays, there's no telling what a person can do. We have no idea if anyone we know is going to betray us by manipulating the child, right?"

Guan Liya sighed helplessly. "I only have one grandchild now. He was wronged many times when he was younger, so we have to care for him properly. The child remembered our words and knew that Qiaoyin didn't inform us. He was afraid that my daughter-in-law would be worried sick when they couldn't find him there. He was hell-bent on staying put and not going with Qiaoyin, even dragging his class teacher to keep watch over him. He only felt calm after my daughter-in-law came.

"And she…how could she come to the school so late? She knew there was going to be a traffic jam but didn't leave earlier. The child was really scared. After hearing Youxuan's words, I felt that it wasn't right to say anything tonight, but tomorrow I'll be sure to have a word with Danchen. She has to take care of her own child with all her heart. She can't blame anyone else for giving her own child a scare," Guan Liya said slowly.

Zhao Fengchun could clearly discern that despite Guan Liya's insistence that it was not about Wu Qiaoyin, the fact was that she went there specifically to tell them that their daughter was doing that kind of thing outside of the home.

Zhao Fengchun placed her teacup forcefully on the table and said angrily, "Qiaoyin's too ignorant!"

"No, it's not Qiaoyin's fault. Our daughter-in-law went overboard. I heard that Danchen got really angry at Qiaoyin, but Danchen didn't stop to think that you and I are such good friends. Why did she not respect that in the first place! No matter what, she has to take into account my dignity and our friendship, right? How could she make a spectacle of Qiaoyin in public?"

Zhao Fengchun was beginning to feel that something was not right. She kept feeling that Guan Liya was making indirect accusations on the pretense of criticizing her own daughter-in-law. Zhao Fengchun felt that those criticisms held water when shifted onto Wu Qiaoyin.

The nagging feeling was that Guan Liya made discreet jibes at Wu Qiaoyin under the supposed criticism of her own daughter-in-law.

Guan Liya was smart and the Qi family's daughter-in-law was no buffoon. Openly showing displeasure with Zhao Fengchun by lambasting Wu Qiaoyin was not an option, so Guan Liya decided to talk about her own daughter-in-law. After all, Qi Chenglin and Ruan Danchen were their family, and an outsider like Zhao Fengchun would have no place to interject.

The Wu family's housekeeper came over to serve some refreshments, and in her heart, she was giving Guan Liya a big fat thumbs-up. Guan Liya was an expert in covert fights—Zhao Fengchun was no match at all!

Zhao Fengchun mustered a stiff smile. "Don't blame your daughter-in-law. My daughter's the one who was in the wrong. She doesn't understand things yet. Don't take offense. Anyone would get angry if it happens to them. It's Qiaoyin's fault—she's getting out of hand."

"Don't say that." Guan Liya waved her hand as if wanting to stop Zhao Fengchun from making things difficult for Wu Qiaoyin. "This really is a lack of consideration on Ruan Danchen's part. I can understand her anger, but she shouldn't have just lashed out in the school entrance, am I right? There are so many people there, all of whom went to pick their children up. You know that the school belongs to us, right? Don't all the great families scramble to get their children into the school? They're all accomplished and respectable people, aren't they? Wouldn't this tarnish Qiaoyin's reputation? The action was just too rash."

Zhao Fengchun's expression was stinking to high heaven. She could already imagine Wu Qiaoyin's actions in front of all those people there.

Her daughter was spoiled to the point of being completely brainless, capable of hatching plans but stupid when the situation called for astuteness. With all those accomplished and respectable people around, they had the wit of mind to see through Wu Qiaoyin's intention.

Wu Qiaoyin was so dunderheaded that she did not even know how to conceal her intentions, laying it all out in the open instead. Even during the other day at Guan Liya's place, Qi Youxuan was able to see through her intentions. Surely those renowned families could read her like an open book when they saw what she did at Jixia Elementary's entrance!

No one would look kindly upon someone who seemed so eager to be a mistress!

"Don't blame Danchen. Qiaoyin's actions were simply too much. If she embarrasses herself, she has only herself to blame," Zhao Fengchun said coldly.

"Sigh, I came here not to complain to you. I just wanted to give you a heads up so you don't get surprised when you head out and socialize. My daughter-in-law…" Guan Liya smiled and sported a kind expression. "I offer an apology to you on her behalf. Don't take offense against them young folks. You know that my daughter-in-law has been separated from Youxuan for so many years. Now that she's reunited with him, she really does care for Youxuan a lot. She's worried that something might happen to him, so I don't think it's right to blame her after knowing that she acted rashly here."

"I understand." Zhao Fengchun's face had already stiffened. She no longer had the mettle to keep up her forced smile to face Guan Liya.

She felt that her close childhood friend was being self-centered. Back then things were great between the two, but once Guan Liya's daughter-in-law suffered a wrong, Guan Liya came over just to annoy her.

Zhao Fengchun said nothing further after those last two words and did not trade pleasantries with Guan Liya. A moment of chilly silence ensued.

Guan Liya's mission was fulfilled. Zhao Fengchun was made to feel guilty—she should control her daughter and stop the young woman from embarrassing not only herself but Guan Liya's son and daughter-in-law too. Wu Qiaoyin even tried to get Qi Youxuan involved, and that was what Guan Liya could not tolerate at all.

Feeling content, Guan Liya stood up. Qi Zhongxun, being the unwavering support that he was, stood up immediately too. Guan Liya smiled amicably. "In that case… we'll be going. It's getting late and I wouldn't want to disturb your rest."

Zhao Fengchun took a deep breath before standing up. She put a smile that did not extend to her eyes and sent the couple off.

The instant she closed the door, she pulled a long face and went up to look for Wu Qiaoyin.

Guan Liya led Qi Zhongxun by the arm and felt glad. Qi Zhongxun smiled too after seeing her in such a good mood, as though she had just released all her negative energy.

"Hmph, the daughter wasn't even taught well came running to destroy my son's marriage. Looks like I'd need to put an end to it." Guan Liya took a deep breath and inhaled the fresh, cool, night air. "I still showed Zhao Fengchun some respect tonight. This is just a small reminder for her to keep control of her daughter."

Before Guan Liya even finished talking, Qi Zhongxun gave her a sideways glance.

Was that really a show of respect? Guan Liya did not spare Zhao Fengchun any blushes, and with that insinuative tone she used when speaking, she had nearly infuriated the hell out of Zhao Fengchun.

"If Wu Qiaoyin wants to be shameless, I have no reservations in letting everyone know that she doesn't have a sense of shame nor any honor. Let's see if she manages to get married in the future next time," Guan Liya huffed. She seemed adamant on decimating Wu Qiaoyin should the latter decide not to repent.

"Alright, alright, don't get angry anymore. We'll see if she courts disaster again in the future. You shouldn't get angry ahead of time," Qi Zhongxun advised immediately.

Guan Liya huffed a couple more times. Letting off her steam earlier made her feel slightly better.

Back home, she gave Ruan Danchen a call at once.

Ruan Danchen saw that Guan Liya was calling and figured that the young boy had finished complaining. She surmised that Guan Liya was probably calling about what happened in the afternoon.

After picking up the call and greeting Guan Liya, she heard Guan Liya's tender and loving voice say, "Ah, Danchen. About this afternoon, I've already helped you vent your anger. Don't keep being angry and don't worry. If that Wu Qiaoyin still wants to be shameless, I won't forgive her! Tell me if anything happens again in the future, I'll vent it out for you. You're still pregnant, and getting angry is bad for your body and the baby. Don't let my granddaughter get a bad temper."

Guan Liya said a ton of things that left Ruan Danchen feeling surprised.

She understood however, that Guan Liya vented anger on behalf of her to show the Wu family how much Guan Liya valued and supported her.

Ruan Danchen felt a sudden sourness in her throat and was momentarily unable to utter a single word.

Sometime later, she gulped and said softly, "Thank you, Mom."

"You silly child," Guan Liya said. "Rest earlier."

Ruan Danchen hung up and told everything to Qi Chenglin. She was still rolling her face in his embrace. "I'm so glad I married you. I have such caring elders."

"They're incidental. I'm the best." Qi Chenglin was feeling slightly dissatisfied that she praised everyone else except for himself.

"Mm, that's right. You're the best thing to happen to me." Ruan Danchen smiled contentedly.

Delighted, Qi Chenglin's spirits soared high.

…

Ruan Zeer hung up the phone and turned to Chen Minxia, saying, "Mom, next Saturday is Big Sis Ruan's birthday. She invited me over."

Chen Minxia answered without much thought.

Back inside her room, she leisurely looked at next Saturday's date. Once her eyes caught sight of it, the calendar dropped to her feet, landing onto the floor with a loud thud.

At that time, Ruan Keshan was sitting on the bed while watching the news on the wall-mounted television. He got quite a fright when he heard the sound, and the sight of a pale-faced, shell-shocked Chen Minxia greeted him when he turned around.

"What happened?" Ruan Keshan quickly pulled Chen Minxia over to sit on the bed.

She was absent-minded for a long time before she grabbed the remote and switched off the television. Then, she picked up the calendar and handed it over to Ruan Keshan.

"The Qi family's madam, Ruan Danchen, she gave Zeer a call. She said it's her birthday next Saturday and she invited Zeer to her home," Chen Minxia said. Her voice was weak as if she had just suffered a great shock.

"It's no big deal. Are you still thinking that Ruan Danchen…"'…doesn't have any good intentions toward him? Surely not.'

"NO! Look at the date next Saturday!" Chen Minxia urged anxiously.

Ruan Keshan looked at the calendar scrutinized the date carefully. His pupils contracted and he looked up suddenly at Chen Minxia, staring at her with eyes wide open.

"Are you saying that Ruan Danchen… She… She's…" Ruan Keshan was getting tongue-tied. His eyes were red and he seemed as though he was going to cry at any time.

"Her surname is Ruan and her birthday is on that date. No matter how much of a coincidence it is, it wouldn't be that coincidental, right?" Chen Minxia stood up suddenly and headed out.

"Wait. Where are you going?" Ruan Keshan followed close behind and held her.

"I'm going to ask Zeer if this birthday is according to our lunar calendar or the solar calendar," Chen Minxia explained.

Ruan Keshan was stumped, but he quickly understood why.

Dates in the lunar and solar calendars were vastly different from one another.

Chen Minxia paid attention to detail.

"I'll follow you." Ruan Keshan tailed behind Chen Minxia.

Ruan Danchen might just be the niece that he had been searching for all those years. There was no way he was going to just sit there and wait for the answer.

Chen Minxia nodded, and together with Ruan Zeshan, they went into Ruan Zeer's room.

Ruan Zeer was reading a book while lying on his bed. He saw his parents come in so solemnly, and a second look revealed that their expression was exceedingly convoluted—there was apprehension, excitement, anticipation, and fear. Ruan Keshan's eyes were reddened, too.

From what he could remember, the one thing that could elicit such a strong reaction from his parents was the whereabouts of his missing cousin sister.

Ruan Zeer placed his book aside and looked at his parents with the same expression. "Dad, Mom, what is it?"

"Zeer, your Miss Ruan. Is the date of her birthday according to the lunar calendar or the solar calendar?" Chen Minxia asked in a faltering tone. Ruan Keshan was lost for words at that point and simply held his hands together in silence. He was afraid that he would collapse if he received anymore stress.

"This… I don't know." Ruan Zeer could already guess his parents' thoughts by their reaction.

"Mom, are you saying that… Big Sis Ruan… She… She could be…" Ruan Zeer was stuttering because he was getting emotional too.

"Her surname is Ruan, and her birthday falls on that date too. If… If it is the lunar calendar, then it's a misunderstanding on our part, but if it is according to the solar calendar, then…" Chen Minxia clasped her hands. All those years of hope were culminating right in front of her, causing her palms to sweat.

"I… I'll give Big Sis Ruan a call and ask." Ruan Zeer flipped through his phone immediately, but in his nervousness, he could not even hold his phone properly.

Chen Minxia was no better than Ruan Keshan. She was unable to pull herself together and held Ruan Keshan's arm.

"Let's… Let's sit down first." Her bottom collapsed onto the bed as soon as she finished speaking, dragging Ruan Keshan along with her.

Ruan Keshan looked at his son anxiously. Things had already reached such an advanced stage, yet he found himself feeling timid.

He had always been praying to the deities and to Buddha to let him find his niece, but he was now afraid and unsure of how he should face it all.

What if Ruan Danchen was not the niece?

'No, that's impossible. Ruan Danchen is Liu Ronghua's adopted daughter, bearing the Ruan surname and born on that very same day. It couldn't be that coincidental. If Ruan Danchen wasn't, then…'

'But if she was....' Ruan Keshan could no longer pull himself together anymore.

Ruan Zeer was feeling very tense too. His fingers were shaking and it was not easy for him to locate Ruan Danchen's number. In the end though, he tapped on the wrong contact—instead of Ruan Danchen, he tapped on the contact above her. It was already dialing, and by the time he realized the mistake, the other side had already picked it up.

He had no choice but to apologize and say that he made a mistake.

Fortunately, the receiver of the call was Ruan Zeer's classmate. Sensing that something was not right with Ruan Zeer's voice, the friend asked if something happened, but Ruan Zeer simply said that everything was fine.

Ruan Zeer's reluctance prompted the other party to hang up without pressing for further information.

"Don't be nervous. Just take it easy," Chen Minxia consoled from beside. Being jittery herself, she knew that Ruan Zeer would feel even more anxious.

It was a struggle for him to dial the right number, and when he finally heard Ruan Danchen's voice, he said emotionally, "Big Sis…Ruan."

The pause in the middle could have been on purpose or due to the influx of emotions. The words 'Big Sis' was enough to make his eyes redden.

Chen Minxia's eyes turned red too. When she turned around to look at Ruan Keshan, she noticed that Ruan Keshan was wiping his face.

He was unable to stop his tears from flowing out, so he wiped them with his palm to prevent anyone from seeing it.

"Zeer, what's wrong?" Ruan Danchen felt that Ruan Zeer's voice did not sound too reassuring.

She began worrying and subconsciously turned to Qi Chenglin. She relied on the man beside him for support, and at some point, she formed the habit of looking at him whenever something happened.

Even though she was certain that Qi Chenglin knew not of what was going on, one look at him gave her all the comfort she needed.

Qi Chenglin wrapped himself around her arm and trailed his fingers through her hair. He gave her a smile that made her feel calm after seeing how she turned to look at him.

Ruan Danchen's heart felt much better when she heard Ruan Zeer's dithering voice, "Nothing, I just wanted to ask… Your birthday, is it according to the lunar calendar or the solar calendar?"