Chapter 57

Jiang Yihao cursed under his breath and kicked the coffee table. The marble surface didn't budge, but his foot hurt, and he winced as he rubbed it. "Director Du, you really are something."

His mother, Du Yue, was a forceful, decisive career woman. Before she became the Duchess of Tapei, she had been a senior designer at Mei'ang, rising to deputy director of the luggage and leather goods line while also overseeing travel retail channels. People said that if Du Yue sneezed in Talun's fashion circle, King's Street would tremble.

Although Du Yue was too busy with her career to pay much attention to Jiang Yihao's life, both mother and son had explosive tempers, and whenever they lived under the same roof, they'd fight. As a result, the Jiang household was often in an uproar over their quarrels.

His father, a mild-mannered man with a soft ear, could only try to mediate between the two.

Jiang Yihao hated that his mother made decisions without consulting him, but this time she was using a banquet he couldn't miss to force him into a blind date. He'd had enough.

Like Bai Xingmiao, Jiang Yihao had never been interested in high-society gatherings, but he always attended Aunt Bai Fuzhou's birthday banquet every year without fail.

Du Yue and Bai Fuzhou had grown up together and attended the same girls' school. In fact, Jiang Yihao's parents had been introduced by Bai Fuzhou; thanks to her matchmaking, Du Yue, the youngest daughter of a viscount, had married into a prestigious family.

Ever since Aunt Bai became involved in the leftist movement, the circle had scorned her as ungrateful and rebellious, and had struck her name from the social register entirely.

Du Yue was one of the few old friends who still kept in close contact with Bai Fuzhou in private, and because of Bai Xingmiao, Jiang Yihao accompanied his mother to the Bai residence every year, no matter how busy he was, to wish Aunt Bai a happy birthday.

"Seriously, what is my mother trying to do?"

"Does Aunt Bai know about this? Are the two of them setting up a birthday banquet just to matchmake me?"

Jiang Yihao was both angry and amused, and his mind flashed an image of his mother's stern, unsmiling face.

The electronic voice replied flatly, "Given your mother's connections, adding a few names to the guest list wouldn't be difficult."

"That's true..."

Jiang Yihao rubbed his head in frustration. Aunt Bai was free-spirited and easygoing, not the type to scheme against anyone. It was his own mother's controlling nature that was truly infuriating.

Jiang Yihao sighed. "You know, those two are as different as night and day, yet they get along so well."

Since the talk at the comic convention, Ruan Ning hadn't heard from the two young masters, and her ears had finally been spared their constant presence.

Ruan Ning thought that on the surface, it was because Jiang Yihao was tied up with the football team and Bu Chen was wary of his father's career prospects. But in truth, she had personally confirmed to them that she had been playing both sides and deceiving them. Any man with a shred of self-respect wouldn't be able to swallow that.

Her reputation and image were completely ruined in their eyes, but Ruan Ning didn't care.

She watched the countdown to the winter break escape pass day by day, living one day at a time. Before she knew it, her birthday was approaching.

These days, Ruan Ning only survived by clinging to a thread. Ruan Dahong had recently been busy with business and was at his wit's end. The happiest, most eager person in the house, joyfully anticipating her birthday, was Qiu Yan alone.

Unlike her taciturn husband, Qiu Yan was a sociable, outgoing middle-aged woman. She could chatter away with anyone anywhere, and she especially loved organizing gatherings, bringing people together with lively and thoughtful arrangements so everyone had a good time.

Qiu Yan had complained countless times that her daughter hadn't inherited her outgoing nature, but instead took after her father, who was hopeless in front of others, unable to string a sentence together.

Celebrating her daughter's birthday every year was a big family affair. Qiu Yan would usually clean the house early, order a private chef, and invite relatives from both sides over for a lively celebration.

This year was Ruan Ning's first birthday after getting into Iya University, and Qiu Yan had long planned to show off at the birthday party in front of relatives and friends. A month ago, she had been discussing with her husband and daughter how to celebrate this year's birthday.

Ruan Dahong never had any opinions, and Ruan Ning didn't care either. Qiu Yan scolded her for not taking her own birthday seriously, then threw herself into arranging all the details with gusto.

Ruan Ning wasn't careless; she was numb.

Thinking that this might be her last birthday at home, she felt like a puppet, unable to feel joy, anger, or sorrow. She also didn't want to show too much excitement or sadness, so as not to break her parents' hearts if they ever learned the truth. She buried all her emotions deep inside.

Afraid she might waver, she quietly blocked Bai Xingmiao, left the game group, and muted Jiang Yihao and Bu Chen's messages. Every day, she went to class as usual and helped out at the factory when she had free time.

Once she was free of the young masters' entanglements, the world indeed became gentler, though occasionally she'd come across bits of news that stirred bitter ripples in her heart.

Bai Fuzhou's birthday was one such thing.

Bai Fuzhou was a leading figure in the feminist movement, having done much to advance women's rights. Every year on her birthday, women from around the world spontaneously created birthday pages for her online, collecting birthday wishes.

Bai Fuzhou had repeatedly urged people not to waste time and money celebrating her. Even so, kind, selfless aunties and sisters still left messages voluntarily, thanking her for the strength and support she'd given them.

Ruan Ning had always only silently wished her well in her heart and had never looked at that page. This year, for some reason, she suddenly wanted to take a look.

The message board was filled with "Happy Birthday" in various languages, and some female netizens posted pictures of birthday cakes they'd baked and bright, cheerful bouquets. Everyone had gathered for the same purpose, sending blessings to their role model, and it was quite moving.

But as she scrolled, a few hateful, vicious comments caught Ruan Ning's eye.

Gray avatars with garbled IDs openly spewed filth amid the sea of blessings: "Women have all been corrupted by you. Society is doomed. The government should throw you in prison!"

"You little wretch who destroys other people's family happiness, why are you still alive? One day people will see your true face."

Ruan Ning frowned, anger flaring in her chest. Bai Fuzhou's women's rights organization had repeatedly provided free assistance to women suffering domestic violence, bringing their demonic husbands to justice. It was clearly a just cause, so why did it attract such baseless abuse?

Others accused her of helping Country B while being unpatriotic: "Go back to your own country and dig mines, you sanctimonious idiot! You don't deserve to be a citizen of Country A. Traitor!"

"You're a descendant of Country B's slaves, aren't you? Get out of our land. You're not welcome here."

The more Ruan Ning read, the angrier she got. She wanted to report the comments but found there was no report button. The birthday page, specially made for collecting blessings for Bai Fuzhou, didn't have a reporting feature.

She quickly found the administrator's email and reported the situation, hoping the administrator could delete these personal attacks and insults soon so they wouldn't ruin the birthday celebrant's mood.

Aside from this upsetting incident, everything else was calm and uneventful, stirring no ripple in Ruan Ning's heart.

When she opened her eyes, it was her birthday.

"Ding-dong—"

The doorbell rang early in the morning. Ruan Ning, still half-asleep, threw on a coat and went downstairs to answer the door, her mind fuzzy.

The Ruan family lived in a standalone villa community in the southern suburbs of Talun City, an hour's commute from the bustling city center. Its advantages were a quiet environment, prices less than half of the central area, and convenient amenities.

The neighbors were mostly small business owners like Qiu Yan and Ruan Dahong, who had come from elsewhere to make their fortunes. They couldn't compare to the old money families in the city, but they lived quite comfortably by out-of-town standards.

"I'm coming, stop knocking. Who's this early?"

Qiu Yan emerged from her room, covering a yawn. She hadn't slept well all night in anticipation of the party, and she happened to come downstairs to find Ruan Ning, also bleary-eyed.

Ruan Ning quickly opened the grand front door. Her cousin stood outside, holding a cardboard box, grinning widely: "Happy birthday, Ningning!"

Ruan Ning smiled and greeted her cousin, "Thanks, sister Huanhuan. Come on in."

Her cousin was standing beside her, holding two large bags of homegrown vegetables and home-raised chickens, greeting them politely: "Auntie Yan, my mom asked me to bring these."

"You really shouldn't have brought anything," Qiu Yan said with a smile, pulling her niece and nephew inside, then curiously peeking into the cardboard box. "What's this?"

The box contained four or five newborn puppies, black, yellow, and white—all sorts of colors. They were squeezed together like little sausages, their eyes not yet open.

Qiu Yan shrieked, "What is that? Take it away, take it away!"

Her cousin giggled. "Found them by the roadside this morning. They looked so pitiful, so I brought them back."

Qiu Yan was allergic to cat and dog fur, so the family had never kept pets. Ruan Ning loved all fluffy, cute little animals, but seeing her mother's allergic reaction, she could only give up and settle for petting other people's dogs when they were out on walks. The last time she'd petted a dog was...

Qiu Yan, alarmed, told her niece to take the box out to the yard.

"Hey, wait." Ruan Ning stopped her cousin, then carried the box to the garage with her. It was getting colder now; how could such tiny creatures survive?

Relatives gradually arrived, and the dining room was set with two large tables. Ruan Ning had always been the model student in the family, much loved by her elders. The Ruan family was close-knit and harmonious, regularly getting together. Today, everyone gathered for Ruan Ning's birthday, celebrating the happiest day for the most promising of the younger generation.

Ruan Ning sat awkwardly in the center of the table, toasting her relatives one by one, her expression dutiful and grateful. The elders looked at her with kind, smiling eyes full of affection.

As the birthday girl, she was naturally the center of attention. Out of nowhere, someone asked, "Ningning, have you found a boyfriend since starting college?"

Then all sorts of teasing followed: "With Ningning so pretty, she's definitely seeing someone."

Ruan Ning was stunned, "Ah?" and didn't know how to respond.

"You should find a boy to date while you're young. Once you get older, it'll be harder."

"Right, right. I heard Iya is full of rich second-generation heirs. Ningning, find one quick. You're an only child, and without someone to help you, how will you support your parents' factory in the future?"

Ruan Ning blushed and couldn't answer. But these words struck a chord with Qiu Yan. Today she was happy and had drunk a little too much, and with a tipsy face, she turned to the relatives for support: "Exactly. What's this girl thinking? I always tell her to find someone, but she doesn't listen. Ningning, your uncles and aunties are all saying it now, so shouldn't you listen to your elders?"

Ruan Ning's face burned even redder, and she quickly tugged at Qiu Yan's sleeve: "Mom, you've had too much. Stop talking nonsense. Leave my business alone."

Qiu Yan said, "If I don't manage it, who will? You're so careless. I'm thinking of you, and you think I'm nagging."

The relatives chimed in, "That's right, Ningning. A girl's youth is precious. This is the best time for you to find someone. It's now or never. You need to hurry."

Ruan Ning was anxious and helpless. How could she explain that she wasn't even sure she'd survive tomorrow, let alone worry about finding a boyfriend?

While the relatives prattled on, her cousin laughed brightly and said, "You're all worrying about nothing. Ningning already has a boyfriend."

The dining room suddenly fell silent, and everyone turned to stare at her cousin.

Her cousin turned the lazy Susan, picked up a piece of chicken, popped it into her mouth, and said casually with a smile, "I've met Ningning's boyfriend. He's quite handsome and really rich."