After finally welcoming the New Year's Eve countdown, and exchanging New Year greetings, Xia Honglang and Aunt Liu gave red envelopes to the three people in the family.
After much deliberation, Xia Honglang and Aunt Liu settled on a compromise: a card with one hundred thousand yuan for each person.
Xia Qingtian accepted it generously, while Xia Qingyu, feeling a bit embarrassed, also took it and said thank you.
Xia Shang, however, kept shaking his head.
He was a generation older than Xia Qingtian and Xia Qingyu, so how could he accept this?
But his poor speaking skills made it difficult for him. After several attempts to persuade him by the Xia family, Xia Shang had no choice but to accept it under duress.
After the lively festivities, everyone returned to their rooms to rest.
Upon returning to her room, Xia Qingtian sent a Happy New Year text message to Mobius before washing up and going to bed.
The next morning, Xia Qingtian was jolted awake by a barrage of New Year's greetings. Some were mass-produced, some showed off literary flair and wit, and some were simply good wishes.
Xia Qingtian replied to every single one throughout the morning.
Of course, there were also invitations to get together after the New Year, but Xia Qingtian politely declined them all.
According to the plan arranged by Wen Ning, she was to return to work on the eighth day of the first lunar month, and during this period, she wanted to spend quality time with her family.
Unusually, the other members of the Xia family seemed to share this sentiment. Even the workaholic Xia Honglang didn't bring his work home to the Xia residence.
The family truly enjoyed a few days of reunion.
On the morning of the seventh day of the first lunar month, the Xia family prepared longevity noodles, and Xia Qingtian's bowl had two eggs nestled in it.
Before noon, the Xia residence was decorated with streamers and flowers, and Aunt Liu personally baked a three-tiered cake. The atmosphere was festive.
This birthday gave Xia Qingtian a sense of unreality.
In her past life, after breaking her leg during the college entrance examination, she had isolated herself and never celebrated her birthday with her father again.
And on her birthday before the college entrance examination, because of Aunt Liu and Xia Qingyu's presence, she had a falling out with her father and, disregarding his feelings, followed Mo Jianing's advice and went out to celebrate with a group of bad influences.
She maxed out two credit cards, bringing ample face to Mo Jianing.
The more Xia Qingtian thought about it, the more foolish she felt, a complete fool.
"What are you thinking about? Blow out the candles," Xia Qingyu nudged Xia Qingtian with her elbow, seeing her staring strangely at the cake.
"Don't you like the chocolate red velvet cake?" Aunt Liu asked nervously, "I'm still learning. How about I order one you like?"
"No, this is perfect," Xia Qingtian finally came back to her senses and said with a dry laugh, "I was just thinking that I have to start working tomorrow, and I probably won't get to eat such delicious cake again, hehe."
Once she returned to work, her intake would definitely be controlled. In the entertainment industry, in front of the camera, if you gained even a pound more than the person next to you, it was considered your original sin.
Hearing Xia Qingtian say this, her father couldn't help but want to say something. As soon as he opened his mouth, he felt Aunt Liu step on his foot under the table, Xia Qingyu nudged his arm with her elbow, and Xia Shang, sitting opposite him, shot him a warning look: *Stare—*
Xia father immediately shut his mouth with a look of grievance.
He hadn't even said anything yet!
Meanwhile, Xia Qingtian had already clasped her hands together and made a simple wish: she hoped that everyone who loved her would be healthy and safe.
After blowing out the candles, everyone shared the cake and then presented their prepared gifts.
Just as Xia Qingtian was about to open her gifts, her phone buzzed.
When she looked at her phone screen, the smile on Xia Qingtian's face stiffened.
The person who had sent her a WeChat message was Mo Jianing...
[Qingtian, I know I was a bit willful and naive before, and I even did some wrong things under manipulation. I don't expect your forgiveness, but I still want to wish you a happy birthday today.]
Ever since the voice-doubling incident, Mo Jianing had plummeted into an abyss. She harbored dreams of becoming a new star in the entertainment industry, wanting to soar and become the brightest star.
Instead, things suddenly exposed her to the darkest side of the entertainment industry.
The contract she signed with Wanqing Entertainment became an inescapable indenture.
She had to drink with men older than her father, smile and laugh, just to exchange for one insignificant "opportunity" after another.
Those who used to call her "sister" and fawned over her had also vanished into thin air after the voice-doubling incident.
Her agent always introduced her to the most disgusting clients. Although it hadn't escalated to forcing her to sleep with them, Mo Jianing felt disgusted from the bottom of her heart every time she thought about what those men did to her at the drinking table.
She now clearly understood that it was impossible to become popular in this circle without money, influence, or a sugar daddy.
She began to regret not having utilized Xia Qingtian properly back then, not cherishing her as the most useful stepping stone.
Watching Xia Qingtian appear on one trending topic after another and secure one resource after another, Mo Jianing felt consumed by jealousy to the point of madness.
Especially when the official guest list for the new season of the veteran dating show "Heartbeat First Step" was announced, which included Xia Qingtian, along with Ling Feng Han from Gu's Entertainment. Mo Jianing could sense that Gu's Entertainment was deliberately promoting Xia Qingtian.
Although there were constant online speculations that Xia Qingtian had a sugar daddy backing her, Mo Jianing knew the truth best.
As the eldest daughter of the Xia family, Xia Qingtian was the sugar daddy herself.
The CEO of Xia Corporation must have invested heavily in Xia Qingtian, so it was natural for Gu's Entertainment to support her!
If she hadn't fallen out with Xia Qingtian over the virtual idol incident, and if she had been able to realize how beneficial Xia Qingtian's backing was, she wouldn't have ended up in this situation.
Therefore, Mo Jianing decided that she had to make an effort for herself, no matter what.
Even if it meant humbling her proud head at this moment, she absolutely could not give up any opportunity to climb higher.
She no longer wanted to be taken advantage of by those greasy, disgusting men at the drinking table!
Mo Jianing knew that Xia Qingtian had a strained relationship with her stepmother and stepsister. Today was Xia Qingtian's birthday, and she expected plenty of drama within the Xia family.
Last year, on Xia Qingtian's birthday, it was she who had invited her own friends to celebrate with Xia Qingtian. This year, Xia Qingtian was probably still miserable and alone.
She figured that by sending birthday wishes at this crucial moment and making a slight gesture, she didn't believe she couldn't coax Xia Qingtian with her long-honed skills!
Timing it right, Mo Jianing transferred another 888 yuan.
Even so, Mo Jianing still felt a pang of reluctance.
But thinking of the resources Xia Qingtian had behind her, Mo Jianing felt this small amount of money was worth it, especially since Xia Qingtian always gifted her tens of thousands of yuan in the past.
She considered it an investment.
Who would have thought that at this moment, a pop-up notification suddenly appeared from the system: You are not friends with the recipient.
"Damn it!" Mo Jianing couldn't help but curse. Xia Qingtian, that bitch, had deleted her!
On the other side, putting down her phone, Xia Qingtian took a deep breath: "Hoo... I actually forgot to delete her."
It wasn't too late to delete her now.
"Come, come, come~ I'm going to start opening presents~" Xia Qingtian picked up a gift with a smile and continued to exclaim, "Whose gift is this? I love it, thank you~"