he first time, but they had never seen such an outstanding student whose actions couldn't be measured by conventional standards.Ming Junhao is quite tall, around 1.8 meters, but his physique is a bit...Chapter 81 Happy Birthday

Su Cen felt that Tang Wu's father was very kind and genuine, unlike Mu Xuan who gave a sense of being mysterious and hard to read. However, seeing him with his large belly and stout figure, it was indeed difficult to associate him with Tang Wu’s genetic makeup.

It seemed that the genes from Mu Xuan's side were too excellent; otherwise, Tang Wu would not look nothing like her father at all.

The common perception that Mu Xuan, who Su Cen thought was extremely choosy, must have a husband with an extraordinary appearance as well, turned out to be quite off the mark.

Chatting briefly with Chu Zimiao and Han, this District Head Yang Chenggui was introduced by Tang Wu's father to meet with colleagues from the Economic Commission, Department of Justice’s Mu Xuan, as well as a few other individuals from the Foreign Affairs Office. All of them were dressed in suits or exuded an air of nobility. Among them was the General Manager of Taiwan Company's Mainland China branch who shook hands with Yang Chenggui and said, "District Head Yang, oh hello there! We need your assistance to set up a base for our company here in Rongcheng this time around; back in 1995 I had come to Rongcheng before, the city’s development has been so rapid!"

The main guests were now all present and everyone was ready to sit down and start the banquet.

From the other side of the glass room walked out a couple of people. A single-eyed girl stood in front of Su Cen, boldly looking him up and down, "I know who you are; your name is Su Cen."

The children at this event probably numbered around ten or more, with each group consisting of an average of two to three individuals. This girl was part of the group of male and female teenagers from over there in the glass room. Su Cen finally understood why since he started here earlier on, he could feel many people staring at him.

The girl spoke rather loudly; her words were enough to draw attention as people chatting idly between their seats turned to look at him.

"I guess you don't know me. During the summer vacation did you go to that cocktail party in Dynasty Hotel Heh, a friend introduced you to me back then, do you remember" The single-eyed girl seemed quite lively; she was wearing a yellow Disney jacket.

Seeing Su Cen’s blank look, the girl made an exaggerated expression, "Oh my gosh, could it be that you don't even remember!"

A boy who was standing next to her giggled, "Zhao Rui, aren’t you overthinking things He doesn’t remember anything about you at all!" This caused Yang Cheng and some others nearby to smile as well.

The girl named Zhao Rui responded without hesitation, "Alright then, I guess that means I'm the one who's making a fool of myself!" When she said this much, it was quite straightforward. However, everyone found new material for amusement; another round of laughter followed, and Zhao Rui realized her mistake. Yet, what she had just said managed to lighten the mood among everyone present.

Tang Wu couldn’t help but glance at Su Cen again, wondering when did Xiao Can go to a hotel cocktail party during his holiday And who introduced him to Zhao Rui

"Hello auntie," seeing Mu Xuan come over, Su Cen nodded and greeted her. This made all the boys around him hurry to greet her as well. From their tone of voice alone one could tell that they wanted to make a good impression on her, but unfortunately for them, Su Cen had already beaten them to it.

Mu Xuan nodded at everyone and glanced at Tang Wu before finally turning to the Su Cen standing beside her and smiling, "You’re here."

"Yeah I’m here."

Su Cun was very quick with his responses, and his tone was relaxed. Although the exchange between Mu Xuan and Su Cun was brief, some of the middle-aged women around them noticed that Mu Xuan treated Su Cun differently. Zhao Rui's mother, who had just joked with Su Cun, asked, "Oh, Ms. Mu, whose child is this He seems quite clever."

She had also heard her daughter joking with Su Cun earlier. As a mother who understands her daughter best, she could tell from Zhao Rui's tone that the latter was interested in Su Cun, although it might seem casual on the surface.

"He is Tang Wu’s good friend and classmate," Mu Xuan replied.

“Oh.” Zhao Rui's mother glanced at Su Cun but did not say anything further.

The conversation then shifted to Tang Wu. Someone who arrived later brought a two-pound golden phoenix statue with sapphire eyes, placing it on the table piled high with gifts before warmly shaking hands with Tang’s father and greeting Mu Xuan. He then turned to Tang Wu, asking, "Tang Wu, do you still remember Uncle You must not know him now. When I was in Xia Hai, you were just a little kid. Now look at you! Hug your mother; you are getting more beautiful!"

The crowd burst into laughter.

However, the parents who saw Tang Wu as their future daughter-in-law were feeling somewhat disappointed with their sons. One was Yang Cheng's mother Zhao Yuehua, and the other was Zhou Rong, whose son Lu Xianming studied at another prestigious high school, No. 4 High School. Seeing Mu Xuan’s different attitude towards Su Cun compared to other boys, including their own sons, made them feel a sense of crisis.

It was clear that today's gathering was just a small get-together within the Tang family, as neither her grandparents nor her maternal grandparents were present. Nevertheless, everyone knew the status of Tang Wu’s grandparents and understood why they did not attend this event. It was only a ceremonial banquet; later on, there would be private family gatherings.

The guests gradually took their seats. Since they were close friends with Mu Xuan and Tang's father, the atmosphere among them was relatively relaxed. As an elder, Chu Zimiao sat in the seat of honor. They seated themselves according to hierarchy, and even a military officer from Chengdu Military Region was present, wearing his uniform. He played a prominent role at the banquet due to his influence within the military logistics department, which interested several group company CEOs there.

Since it was Tang Wu's birthday today, everyone spoke about their children in a lighthearted manner. Most of what the middle-aged women discussed were issues related to their high school or junior high school students' performance and education.

Zhou Rong, who felt that her son Lu Xianming had not impressed Mu Xuan earlier, casually remarked, "Our Lu Xianming is just a little below average in his studies. Last time they called us parents to the school; the teacher said if he continues like this, he'll end up at Chengdu University instead of Tsinghua or Peking! But getting the title of provincial model student has given me some comfort."

Though her tone was proud, Chengdu University, while not one of China's top three universities, still ranked among the top ten nationwide. Such statements might be made within No. 4 High School's key classes or No. 27 High School's key classes, but coming from a middle-aged woman, it took on a different connotation.

This elicited murmurs of envy and admiration. "Your Lu Xianming is already doing well; my daughter’s teachers don't even expect her to make it into a third-tier university! Sometimes I'm ready to tear my hair out!"

At this, some parents at the other tables urged their children to learn from Lu Xianming. Some fathers, frustrated with their lackluster offspring, expressed their anger subtly.

Zhou Rong added flatteringly, "But your Tang Wu is different. She's a top student at No. 27 High School and won first place in the provincial physics competition; just that alone would qualify her for direct admission to Tsinghua or Peking."

Mu Xuan had long been accustomed to seeing Tang Wu’s excellent academic performance, so she seemed indifferent to Zhou Rong's praise. She calmly replied, "Lu Xianming being a provincial model student is pretty good."

"Compared with Tang Wu, I’m far behind; looks like I still have work to do," Lu Xianming said at the right moment.

Mu Xuan nodded, "That's the kind of drive one should have."

"Speaking of which, Yang Cheng, you and Tang Wu are also from No. 27 High School, right I've heard that many male classmates confessed to Tang Wu at your school." One of Yang Cheng’s mother’s friends, probably annoyed by Zhou Rong's self-praising nature, spoke up first.

The voices from the other two tables immediately quietened down. Today's birthday celebration protagonist was the topic of discussion. Tang Wu's outstanding growth process has been regarded as a fine example for educating their own children by these parents at this stage. Their offspring often hear phrases like "look how Tang Wu does it" and “why can't you make your parents worry less like Tang Wu’s Mu Godmother’s daughter” from them.

Thus, Tang Wu's private life at No. 27 High School immediately sparked great interest among the boys and girls seated around the table.

"We are from the same school," Yang Cheng smiled, but for some reason his gaze swept towards Su Can; it was quite complicated, "Tang Wu is indeed very popular in our school. Confessions should be a common occurrence."

This sentence brought about laughter from both boys and girls present. After being suppressed for so long earlier on, they naturally started gossiping.

"Right, I remember now! Yesterday when I accompanied Jiang Xin to the mall to buy gifts, I coincidentally bumped into Kimberly’s 'Give To The Forever Unfading' event. So what did Jiang Xin give Tang Wu as a present That platinum necklace!" Uproariously gossipy Zhao Rui hurriedly said this in retaliation for the boy who had joked about her and Su Can earlier on.

"No!" The boy wanted to cover her mouth, but it was too late. He blushed at his original seat as he saw his father's stern gaze.

Seeing that the tension ignited a firestorm of gossip among both boys and girls present.

"Don’t worry, Jiang Xin, you're not alone in this battle. I was told by Yang Guanglu yesterday that he was planning on giving Tang Wu three stones he personally picked up from the beach! The significance of these red, yellow, and green stones is beyond imagination." A somewhat envious female speaker remarked.

"I told my husband a few days ago to ask what he sent me when he was courting me. Fang Li, have you stolen your grandmother’s jade bracelet" A woman asked with a stern appearance but already laughing uncontrollably.

The crux of the matter for several boys who were trying to leave an impression on Tang Wu was having the wrong friends. Under merciless exposure, even the slightest hint of budding feelings was squashed in its infancy.

What was terrifying was that they all looked toward Tang Wu with a glimmer of hope but saw only her slightly furrowed brows.

In her indifferent gaze, this expression made them feel that no matter how sincere and unique their efforts were, even if they lost sleep over it, it seemed to stir absolutely no ripples in this girl’s heart.

The many middle-aged individuals present chuckled, each expressing varying degrees of admiration for these youngsters. Someone patted Tang Wu's father on the shoulder, praising him for having such a great daughter. In Tang Wu's father's hearty smile was an added sense of pride.

Mu Xuan watched silently as Tang Wu stood by with an unusual expression that wasn’t cold or angry in this situation but rather carried a faint smile — a satisfied smile.

She was quite pleased with Tang Wu’s demeanor and such calm composure, akin to the stillness of a lake.

Zhao Rui laughed and then felt that she had not done enough harm to Jiang Xin, so she shifted her attention to the handsome Yang Cheng. She smiled and said, "Hey, you’re in the same school as Tang Wu, aren’t you one of them Don't pretend, I know what I mean."

Yang Cheng scratched his head. "I just have a good relationship with Tang Wu." He didn't look at Su Can.

"A good relationship Just 'a good relationship' Or is there some scandal Brother Yang, you're not being very nice!"

There's no such thing as a scandal. Tang Wu is my woman!

The side of the table where Su Can was sitting frowned slightly; he was already extremely impatient inside.

Mu Xuan finally spoke up, "Alright, at this stage, everyone should focus on your future and academic pursuits. I believe that in years to come when you look back, you will think it was the wisest thing to do."

With Mu Xuan's statement, she also revealed her attitude: youth is beautiful but needs proper guidance.

The private room door suddenly knocked; a waiter entered and apologized, "Is there a Miss Tang Wu here"

All the laughter stopped abruptly; someone frowned. "What’s going on"

Su Can got up from his seat at the far end of the table. He smiled at everyone and said, "Sorry, my gift has arrived."

He then went to receive the card from the waiter and nodded, opening the door.

Outside on a trolley was an array of vibrant flowers in full bloom.

The girls at the table gasped, covering their mouths; they were amazed by the sight of red roses filling the whole trolley which even those behind couldn’t see.

Su Can picked up one large bunch and walked to Tang Wu’s side. He bent down and handed it over. "Since this is a garden restaurant, I thought about the theme and decided that these flowers would better express my feelings. Nothing lasts forever, so we should cherish days like these when everything blooms brightly. Anyway, happy birthday."

Tang Wu recovered from her surprise and took the flowers with trembling hands; red petals framed her beautiful face in a light crimson hue. The sky outside was overcast as a cold front passed through, but she gave the sunniest smile on her eighteenth birthday.

She also said something that made her feel suddenly emotional: "Thank you."

(To be continued)n on Su Licheng would cause significant obstacles for the large construction company. His father’s position within it might be affected, as well as changes in their household dynamics.Even showing som...