Not long after, Luo's father also returned home.
He first told Luo's mother to put down what she was holding and let him handle it, then noticed the shoes placed on the floor.
"Why didn’t you ask Xi Xi to help? Is Ye Chuan here?" Luo's father inquired.
This kid, she’s already home—why didn’t she come help her mother?
"She did help earlier. I told them to go rest in their rooms for a bit. School is exhausting these days, isn’t it? It’s no trouble for me to move around a little," Luo's mother replied with a gentle smile. Just then, Luo Xi opened the door and stepped out with Ye Chuan.
"Hello, Uncle," Ye Chuan greeted.
"Dad, you’re back," Luo Xi said, instinctively smoothing out the wrinkles in her clothes and skirt before smiling.
Luo's father nodded, his gaze lingering on Ye Chuan behind Luo Xi. With a meaningful tone, he remarked, "You’ve both grown up."
Ye Chuan simply smiled in response.
Indeed, Luo Xi had grown up—so much so that she was hard to keep track of now.
Since it was Luo Xi’s birthday, Ye Chuan had prepared a cake. After rearranging some decorations in the house, they celebrated simply.
Ye Chuan stuck candles into the cake, lit them with a lighter, and then drew the curtains.
The candlelight flickered softly as Luo Xi, now wearing a small birthday hat that came with the cake, stood ready.
The cake was decorated with a cute little bear—a custom design Ye Chuan had chosen, knowing Luo Xi had a fondness for bears.
Even her underwear had that pattern.
"Alright, blow out the candles. Another year older—may everything go smoothly and happily from now on," Luo's mother said cheerfully.
Just as Luo Xi nodded and leaned in to blow, Luo's father stopped her. "Xi Xi, your birthday is also your mother’s suffering day. First, express your gratitude to her properly, understand?"
"Yes, I know," Luo Xi replied before turning to Luo's mother to thank her for raising her.
"Come on, it’s just a birthday. No need for talk of suffering," Luo's mother chided, lightly swatting Luo's father.
He always had a way of dampening the mood—did birthdays have to be solemn affairs?
With a deep breath, Luo Xi blew out the candles. After the flames vanished, she took out her phone to snap a few photos of everyone.
"Who bought you that phone?" Luo's father noticed the new device in Luo Xi’s hand. "That’s not cheap, is it?"
"It’s a birthday gift from Chuan Chuan," Luo Xi answered with a grin.
Ye Chuan nodded in confirmation.
"You’re still young—don’t waste money recklessly, understand? If your old phone still worked, why replace it?" Luo's father shook his head disapprovingly. He knew how financially strapped Ye Chuan had been before—how could he splurge now that he had some money?
Ye Chuan shook his head. "I’m not wasting money."
He wasn’t the type to spend frivolously. Even though he now had a sizable sum, aside from buying Luo Xi a phone worth ten thousand and a bracelet, most of his expenses went toward improving his own capabilities.
That, of course, was the bulk of it.
But how could investing in self-improvement be considered wasteful?
Every penny spent now would pay off in the future—it was simply an investment.
At least, that’s how Ye Chuan saw it.
After the cake was divided, Luo Xi pulled Ye Chuan aside for a flurry of photos. Seeing their closeness, Luo's parents didn’t think much of it.
Their dynamic had always been like this, whether they were dating or not, so their parents never read too much into it.
"Editing?" Ye Chuan peeked over as Luo Xi sat down to retouch the photos on her phone.
But Luo Xi pulled her phone away, hiding the screen from him.
"Being all secretive," Ye Chuan teased, amused. What was there to hide?
"Wait till I’m done," Luo Xi said with a playful smirk.
"What’s there to edit?" Ye Chuan scoffed. Luo Xi was already beautiful—over-editing would only strip away her natural charm.
"Done!" Luo Xi announced, quickly posting the photos to her social media.
Ye Chuan pulled out his own phone and checked her update—a birthday post with a nine-photo grid.
There were shots of the cake, her parents, but the most eye-catching were the silver bracelet he’d given her and their couple photo.
In it, their cheeks were pressed together, with a pink heart drawn between them—half on each face.
"All that fuss just to doodle a heart?"
"Hmph, got a problem with that?" Luo Xi retorted.
The heart wasn’t just for show—it was a clear signal to everyone on her feed about their relationship.
"If you like it, then it’s fine," Ye Chuan said. At least this way, certain clowns would get the message.
"You have to post too," Luo Xi insisted, scooting closer and looping her arm through his.
"Why?"
"Because I’m your girlfriend—why shouldn’t you?" She narrowed her eyes playfully. "Unless… you have other girlfriends?"
"Hard to say," Ye Chuan said with an innocent shrug.
"Oh, you—!" Luo Xi unleashed a flurry of light slaps on his arm—so weak they barely registered.
"Post it."
"I’ll think about it," Ye Chuan pretended to hesitate. "I need some motivation."
Luo Xi knew exactly what he meant. After a quick glance to confirm her parents weren’t watching, she pecked him on the cheek.
"Fine, post it yourself," Ye Chuan said, handing her his phone.
Grinning, Luo Xi took it and uploaded a post.
Likes poured in almost instantly—including from several of Ye Chuan’s exes, who seemed unsurprised.
Ex-girlfriend A: And another one joins the roster.
Ex-girlfriend C: Figures.
Ex-girlfriend F: Isn’t that your childhood friend?
Luo Xi glanced back at Ye Chuan after reading the comments. "You never deleted your exes?"
"If it bothers you, go ahead and delete them," Ye Chuan said casually. He hadn’t bothered after the breakups.
[Ex-girlfriend: You don’t love me—you just love my money! Always mooching off me! We’re done!
Ye Chuan: Sure.]
That pretty much summed it up.
Luo Xi shook her head and returned his phone. "I won’t end up as just another one of them, will I?"
Ye Chuan found her worry amusing.
"You’ve already had my first kiss. What do you think?"
Luo Xi eyed him skeptically. "You haven’t said that to every girl, have you?"