Chapter Eight: The Birthday Banquet

The Ling family manor was a scene of bustling activity. Over a hundred luxury cars slowly navigated the private driveway, lining up in an orderly fashion before coming to a stop in the sprawling, airfield-sized parking lot.

"Siyi, today is your tenth birthday. Do you have any wishes?" In a bedroom spanning nearly a hundred square meters on the third floor, Ling Xueqin held her son in her arms, asking with doting affection.

"Uh, I don't really want anything special," Sun Siyi replied, his thumb in his mouth, snot running from his nose.

"Xueqin, hurry up and dress our son. We need to go downstairs; the guests have almost all arrived." Sun Yi, dressed in a black suit, gently pushed the door open and asked his wife and son with a soft smile.

Regarding his son, Sun Yi truly found it difficult to offer a simple assessment. It wasn't just that he was hard to describe; the boy was like a monster—no, a genius. Aside from the moment he was born, he had never cried. By age one, he could listen to people talk and mimic them; at two, he learned to walk; by three, he could recognize characters; at four, he was writing; and by five, he was watching movies to learn foreign languages.

Siyi's early display of brilliance had delighted the elders of the Xiao and Ling families, both sides claiming it was the result of their own superior genes. Ling Xueqin and Sun Yi, however, secretly wondered if it was the magical influence of a mysterious stone they had encountered. When they took five-year-old Siyi to the temple to fulfill a vow of gratitude, they were shocked to find that the temple had vanished into thin air.

Unable to explain these supernatural phenomena and wishing to spare the elders any worry, they kept their confusion to themselves and took their son for a comprehensive medical examination. The conclusion: he was perfectly healthy with an IQ near two hundred—a true genius.

To nurture his son's talent, Sun Yi hired professional tutors. Siyi began his formal education at six, completing elementary and middle school in two years, finishing high school in another two, and was now beginning university-level coursework. Every professor who tutored him had nothing but praise.

However, Siyi had a small "problem"—perhaps all geniuses suffer from minor quirks. Despite his high IQ and incredible learning capacity, he remained like a normal child in all other respects, or perhaps even a bit more immature than his peers. He had a runny nose, sucked his thumb, loved to act spoiled around his mother, always clung to Ling Xueqin, and refused to go to sleep at night unless he was snuggled against her.

For a ten-year-old, this would be perfectly normal behavior. But Siyi was not born into an ordinary life. As a true heir to an aristocratic lineage with a genius-level intellect, high expectations were placed upon him. Therefore, behavior that would be considered normal for any other ten-year-old felt somewhat... off in his case.

Of course, this was just Sun Yi's personal view. Because his son insisted on sleeping in his mother's arms every night, and because he feared that Siyi's high intelligence might lead him to learn things he shouldn't, Sun Yi had to endure the torment of having his beautiful wife beside him while being unable to do anything about it. After a year of "itchy" frustration, he had hoped that after the child was born, he would enjoy a blissful life, but alas.

Still, he was his son, so he had to endure it. For any "adult" activities, he could only sneak them in when Siyi was taken out to play by his grandfather.

"Mom, I don't want to go down," Siyi said, hugging his mother's waist and acting spoiled.

"Be a good boy. Today you get to meet your future wife. It's her birthday too, and Grandpa specifically invited them over to host the celebration together," Ling Xueqin said, pinching her son's chubby cheeks.

"What is a 'wife'? Can you eat it?" Siyi asked innocently.

"Uh, well, a wife isn't for eating. It's your future partner, just like the relationship between your father and me. Also, stop thinking about food. Look how chubby you've gotten—pay attention to your image downstairs and make a good impression on little Yuxuan." Ling Xueqin pulled Siyi from her embrace and began to tidy him up.

***

In his tailored small suit and red bowtie, the chubby Sun Siyi looked quite the little aristocrat.

"Old Master Ling, congratulations."
"Old Master Sun, congratulations."
"Old Master Xiao, congratulations."

In the magnificent, gold-leafed hall of the Ling manor, the three elders stood in the center, receiving well-wishes from their guests. These guests included business tycoons, powerful political figures, and military generals—the pillars of the Longteng Kingdom. Every move they made drew attention. Today, they were gathered here for the birthdays of two children: Sun Siyi, the grandson of the Ling and Sun families, and Xiao Yuxuan, the granddaughter of the Xiao family.

Rumor had it that these two children, born on the same day, month, and year, were not just celebrating their birthdays; they were likely to be betrothed that very day. A union between these three giants would herald a prosperous era for the Longteng Kingdom.

Xiao Yuxuan, dressed in a princess gown and looking adorable, held the hands of Xiao Jie and Xue Yiyi as they entered the hall.

"Xuanxuan, happy birthday."
"Xuanxuan looks so beautiful today, happy birthday."

As the three elders turned their attention to the newcomers, the guests followed suit, showering the girl with blessings.

"Where is Siyi?" Xiao Yunting asked with a chuckle, holding a glass of juice.

"He should be coming down soon," Ling Feilong said, looking toward Sun Yi, who was walking down from the stairs. Sun Yi gave the elders a reassuring nod.

After Sun Yi greeted Xiao Yunting, Ling Xueqin appeared, dressed in a white evening gown, holding the hand of the elegantly dressed Siyi.

"Young Master, you look so handsome today." Butler Qin walked up with a glass of juice, kneeling to let Siyi choose his favorite.

"Thank you, Uncle Qin." Siyi chose an orange juice and, prompted by his mother's look, politely thanked him. Xiao Yunting smiled and nodded, pleased to see Siyi being so polite even to a butler.

"Yuxuan, that is Brother Siyi. Let's go say hello," Xue Yiyi said. Seeing Ling Xueqin, the two best friends exchanged smiles; they naturally knew the purpose of the banquet and were happy to see their friendship extend to the next generation.

"Okay," Xiao Yuxuan replied obediently. Since they were at the Ling house, the women handled the introductions, while Xiao Jie went off to greet the elders.

"Siyi, look who this is," Ling Xueqin said, gesturing toward Xiao Yuxuan.

"My wife," Siyi said, taking a sip of his juice, his voice still sounding like a toddler's, with juice staining his lips.

"Uh..." Ling Xueqin blushed in embarrassment.

"Giggle, Xueqin, your son is truly adorable," Xue Yiyi said with a soft laugh. She didn't take the child's words to heart, especially since both families shared the same intentions.

"Brother Siyi, hello. My name is Xiao Yuxuan." Xiao Yuxuan generously extended her small hand.

"Hi, I'm Sun Siyi." Siyi wiped his mouth with his hand, then shook Xiao Yuxuan's hand with his juice-stained palm.

"Ugh." Xiao Yuxuan wrinkled her small nose, uncomfortably pulling her hand away.

"Siyi, how could you? I'm so sorry, Xuanxuan. Come here, Auntie will wipe it for you." Ling Xueqin pinched her son's hand, took a handkerchief from Butler Qin, and began to clean the girl's hand.

"He's just a child," Xue Yiyi said, also taking a towel to carefully clean Siyi's hand.

"Siyi, why don't you take your little sister to look around? Xuanxuan, let Brother Siyi show you around, okay?" Ling Xueqin said with a smile.

"Let's go, wife." Siyi pursed his lips, set down his drink, and took Yuxuan's hand as they headed outside. Yuxuan clearly didn't like the term "wife," but seeing her mother's encouraging look, she allowed Siyi to lead her away.

In a fruit orchard behind the Ling manor, Xiao Yuxuan pulled her hand away.

"What's wrong, wife?" Siyi asked, puzzled.

"Who is your wife? Don't call me that, you little fatty," Xiao Yuxuan said, wrinkling her nose and walking to the side.

"Peaches."

Siyi ignored her attitude. He saw that the peaches were ripe and, smelling the sweet fragrance, ran to the tree and scrambled up with both hands and feet. "Delicious!" He plucked a large, red peach and took a massive bite. Since birth, Siyi had no immunity to peaches and bananas; he would eat them whenever he saw them. In fact, the orchard had switched from oranges to peaches just for this little foodie.

"Are you a monkey?" Xiao Yuxuan watched him eat with loud smacking noises. The peach looked so good that she couldn't help but lick her lips.

"Do you want one?" Siyi asked, his mouth full of fruit.

"Hmph." Xiao Yuxuan turned her head away proudly.

*Thump, thump, thump.*

Peaches began to fall to the ground.

"Ouch!" One peach hit Yuxuan square on the head, causing her to cry out in pain. She looked up at Siyi in the tree, her eyes welling up with tears.

"Hehe, sorry about that," Siyi said from the branch, scratching his head apologetically.

"Hey! What are you doing? Did you do that on purpose?" Xiao Yuxuan demanded, hands on her hips, her voice trembling.

"I—I just wanted to get some peaches down for you to eat! I didn't mean to!" Siyi waved his hands while standing on the branch.

"Be careful!" Yuxuan cried out.

With his hands waving, Siyi lost his balance, his center of gravity shifted, and he began to fall forward.