novelraw Chapter 492: Xiaobai’s Birthday! 1
Chapter 492: Xiaobai’s Birthday! 1
Ye Nianbai was thrilled. Hugging the building blocks, he sat on the ground, violently dismantled them, and began to play.
Si Lisao handed the coronation schedule to Si Mingjing. "Take a look."
Si Mingjing scanned the itinerary from start to finish. The schedule was packed from morning until night, not for just one day, but for a full three days.
She complained, "This much to do?"
Si Lisao’s eyebrows rose as he said, "I feared it would tire you, so we’ve already cut it down as much as possible. What remains are all indispensable events."
Si Mingjing resigned herself, folded the schedule, and joked, "Alright, ’No pain, no gain,’ as they say."
Mo Yinhe and Si Lisao, who usually maintained serious expressions, both felt the corners of their mouths curve slightly at her words.
Mo Yinhe reached out and rubbed her head a couple of times in a comforting gesture, saying, "Don’t worry, I’ll be with you through it all."
Si Lisao’s wary gaze fell upon Mo Yinhe’s face as he narrowed his dark eyes, asking, "In what capacity?"
Mo Yinhe lifted his wine glass, gently swirling it. His movements were refined, and his demeanor grand. "Naturally, as the Male Empress of the Mu Continent—second only to one, and above tens of thousands!"
Si Lisao’s frown deepened. Shameless!
The two said no more after that. Si Lisao couldn’t stop Mo Yinhe; he was the father of several children. Even if Si Lisao didn’t want to admit it, that was a fact.
"It’s getting late. I should head back," Si Lisao said.
Si Mingjing stood to see him off.
As they walked in the quiet courtyard of the Royal Palace, Si Lisao asked, "What are your future plans?"
Si Lisao was well aware that he had pushed his younger sister into accepting the throne. Whether Si Mingjing truly felt a sense of belonging to the Mu Continent was unknown to him.
"And you, Crown Prince Brother?" Si Mingjing responded with a question instead of an answer.
If she became the monarch, what awkward position would that place the Crown Prince in, who held de facto power over the Mu Continent?
Without a moment’s thought, Si Lisao blurted out, "To support you fully."
Si Mingjing believed he was speaking from the heart.
He was willing to surrender his power.
For a man with strong ambition, that was not an easy thing to do.
Si Mingjing looked up, earnestly examining Si Lisao.
"What, don’t you trust your Crown Prince Brother?"
"No!" Si Mingjing replied. "It’s just that I didn’t expect you to answer so straightforwardly."
As they walked and talked, Si Mingjing added, "Give me a few days to think, Crown Prince Brother. I don’t feel that I’m fit to bear the heavy burden of a monarch. Governing a country is too exhausting. When I was in Yecheng, I saw Mo Yinhe leave early and return late, dealing with endless state affairs. Although I have ambition, I don’t want to dedicate all 24 hours of my day to the nation. Honestly, my ambitions aren’t that grand."
Si Lisao matched her slower pace, walking beside her. Within the Royal Palace of the Mu Continent, a symbol of imperial power, they had a heart-to-heart talk. "What is your ideal life?" he asked.
Si Mingjing shared her vision, "To have a career that isn’t too exhausting, a husband who loves me deeply, and well-behaved, worry-free children. Everyone busy with their own things during the day, and gathering in the evening to enjoy a pleasant meal together—that would be the most ideal situation."
"That’s simple," Si Lisao said.
"Yes, it is," Si Mingjing agreed.
"Although simple, many people can’t achieve such a life. Some husbands are busy providing for their families until late at night, some wives transform from gentle women into fiery ’lionesses’ while tutoring their kids, and some couples sit at home in the evening, each playing on their phones without exchanging a single word..."
The picture Si Lisao described was harsh, yet it was the reality for many.
Her ideal life, though simple... might truly be the simple ideal that many yearn for but cannot attain.
Si Lisao said, "I understand your thoughts now. I won’t let you toil like a dog; I’ll handle the hard work."
Si Mingjing covered her mouth with her hand and smiled. "Thank you, Crown Prince Brother. You’ve worked hard. Actually, I still want to study. Although I’m well-versed in traditional Chinese medicine, I’m not very skilled in Western medicine. I’d like to systematically learn Western medicine, and I’m very interested in surgical procedures."
"Got it. I will seriously consider your interests." Si Lisao raised an eyebrow and left, his departing figure poised and steady.
Nearly at midnight, after playing with building blocks all evening and having a great time, Xiaobai was finally called to bed by Mo Yinhe.
"Daddy, the young master isn’t sleepy!"
Given the time difference between the Mu Continent and Atlantis, it wasn’t hard to explain Xiaobai’s lack of sleepiness. Moreover, the building blocks Si Lisao had bought for him were so fun that he forgot all his other concerns.
Mo Yinhe didn’t listen to Xiaobai’s ramblings; his domineering paternal authority left no room for his son to refuse.
Mo Yinhe picked up Xiaobai like a little chick and carried him upstairs.
Si Mingjing followed behind, curious about what kind of birthday surprise the children had prepared for Xiaobai.
Mo Yinhe put Xiaobai down at his bedroom door and commanded from above with a serious face, "Go back to your room and sleep."
Ye Nianbai pouted and grumbled, "I know already."
Pushing open the door with frustration, he shouted, "Xiaoji, turn on the lights!"
Xiaoji, the household’s artificial intelligence, heard Ye Nianbai’s voice and turned on the room’s lights.
The moment the lights illuminated the bedroom, Xiaobai saw it was full of colorful balloons.
The little guy was stunned for a moment. "Eh, what’s going on?"
Then, Sheng Liangliang, Yun Xiaosu, and Gu Shurong all jumped out wearing goofy glasses and yelled at him, "Surprise!"
Even Little Bingshan, Ye Jingzhe, who rarely joked or laughed, had been persuaded by Gu Shurong to put on goofy glasses and join them in surprising Xiaobai.
Xiaobai stared blankly for a while, his bright, shining eyes fixed on his bedroom.
On the walls, letters spelled "Happy Birthday."
The birthday letters were surrounded by fairy lights, twinkling like stars in the night sky.
There were also all sorts of beautiful balloons.
But these weren’t the main event.
Yun Xiaosu came skipping over, holding up a glowing birthday hat, and placed it on Ye Nianbai’s head. "Brother, happy birthday!"
Xiaobai was moved to tears!
He had been heartbroken all evening, thinking his younger brothers and sisters were all against him and would isolate him. He never expected them to throw him a surprise.
Xiaobai wiped the corners of his eyes vigorously and declared pretentiously, "This young master doesn’t care at all."
After saying that, he hugged Yun Xiaosu tightly.
Gu Shurong came over with the birthday gift he had prepared, stuffed it into Ye Nianbai’s arms, and said, "Rookie Bai, this is for you. My birthday is coming up, and you have to give me a gift too, got it?"
"When is your birthday?" Xiaobai clutched the gift.
Gu Shurong replied, "Next month, on the 3rd."
"This young master knew it; you are younger than me!"
Mo Yinhe and Si Mingjing stood aside, watching the children play and bicker, and they laughed from the heart.
Letting the kids play in the room under supervision, the two of them returned to their own room.
The following evening, they celebrated Xiaobai’s birthday in the Royal Palace. They invited Si Lisao, Sheng Liuyun, Yun Yin, Gu Changbin, and Lu Jinyi, with no other guests.
However, Qu Liushang showed up uninvited.
Qu Liushang considered himself Xiaobai’s godfather, and Xiaobai was quite fond of him, so Mo Yinhe refrained from kicking Qu Liushang out with a flying boot.