"Tonight's protagonist isn't me," Susu said, looking at Hengheng and Tiantian, who were being carried out by Xiaomei and Sophie.
The two were dressed as a little prince and a little princess, respectively.
Little Star, wearing a pirate outfit, followed behind them. Seeing the underwater world-like scene, he happily interacted with the small fish in the azure seawater through the glass wall.
Tianyi and Susu, with Little Star, took the two children from Xiaomei and Sophie and welcomed the arriving guests.
Sophie looked at their happy family with envy and jealousy. In the restaurant surrounded by blue seawater, she fantasized about how wonderful it would be if she could have her own child and stand with them.
Susu was a bit surprised to see many elders from the Qin family arrive.
In recent years, Tianyi had rarely interacted with his elders from the Qin family. Even when some Qin family members sought him out, he tried his best to avoid them.
Susu was even more surprised to see Tianyi's father, Qin Zhaoye, being pushed in a wheelchair into the first birthday banquet venue.
She thought Tianyi had forgiven his father and wanted to go forward to greet him personally.
However, Tianyi stopped her and said, "You don't need to go over. I just want him to see how I treat my children equally now that I'm a father, and how biased he was."
Susu tried to persuade him, "Tianyi, this is such a happy occasion. Since you've invited Father, we shouldn't neglect him..."
"Look who's here," Tianyi interrupted her, pointing to Wei Yanan and Su Kangxi walking towards them.
Susu, holding Hengheng, hurried to greet them. Yanan took out two red envelopes and put them into Hengheng's hands, smiling and saying, "Time flies so fast; these two children are already one year old."
Su Kangxi, seeing Hengheng's robust appearance, picked him up with great fondness and said, "Wow, Susu, this little guy has gotten heavier; he's quite substantial."
Susu shook her slightly sore arm and chuckled, "Yes, I can barely hold him anymore. You've come at the perfect time; you're in charge of holding him tonight."
"No problem," Su Kangxi said, delighted. He held Hengheng and went to greet Tianyi. kanδん
Susu took the opportunity to quietly ask Yanan, "How is it? Any news?"
Yanan didn't react immediately and asked, "What news? Whose news do you want to know?"
"Oh, come on," Susu said, pointing to her belly, "I'm asking if you're pregnant."
Yanan realized with a sigh and immediately said with some disappointment, "Not yet."
Susu found it hard to believe, saying, "No way. An Jing and Lan Yu got pregnant after marrying later than you. How come you haven't conceived yet? Could it be because Kangxi is too busy, and you haven't... haven't...?"
"That's not the reason; he's quite diligent," Yanan said, sounding a bit anxious herself. "Do you think there might be something wrong with me or him? Should we get checked?"
Susu felt it was difficult to comment, "That's up to you. If you want to get checked, go together when you have time."
Yanan murmured, "Alas, I'm afraid Kangxi won't agree."
"Then perhaps you should wait a bit longer; maybe you'll have good news soon," Susu said with a smile.
Yanan grabbed her hand and became happy again, saying, "I'll take your good words."
As she spoke, she finally noticed the atmosphere of the entire restaurant. The surroundings were filled with deep, azure seawater, making it feel like being in an incomparably beautiful underwater world.
"My goodness, this restaurant is so beautiful," she said to Susu, spotting Little Star standing by the glass wall. "I'm going to accompany Little Star."
"Go ahead," Susu said, seeing that Yanan was still like a child, with her happiness and unhappiness written all over her face. She was truly a person who found joy easily.
Just as Susu was about to get a drink, she saw Chang Qingchuan and Huo Zheng arrive together.
She and Tianyi went to greet them. Chang Qingchuan brought two peace charms for the children.
Susu noticed that he now had a string of Buddhist beads on his wrist. Seeing his demeanor becoming increasingly detached and serene, she asked, "Qingchuan, thank you. Are you doing well lately?"
Before he could answer, Huo Zheng quickly replied for him, "My brother-in-law is now busy with design and meditating on Buddhist scriptures at home. His residence is quickly turning into a Buddhist hall."
Qingchuan smiled serenely and said to Susu, "My heart is much more at peace now; you don't need to worry."
"Yes, yes, please take your seats. The 'zhuazhou' ceremony will begin soon."
As Susu was about to lead him to his seat, Huo Zheng quickly said, "Sister Susu, you're only taking care of my brother-in-law and ignoring me. My red envelope is quite substantial..."
"I'll take care of you. This way, please," Tianyi said, holding Tiantian and positioning himself between Susu and Huo Zheng, preparing to personally lead Huo Zheng to his seat.
Susu playfully peeked her head from behind Tianyi and made a face at Huo Zheng, saying, "We know your red envelope is substantial, so our President Qin will personally host you."
Huo Zheng was speechless, and with Qin Tianyi present, he couldn't pester Susu too much. He could only let Qin Tianyi lead him to his seat.
Susu and Tianyi returned to the entrance. Seeing that it was almost time, they still hadn't seen An Jing and Lan Yu.
"Are their bodies completely recovered? Can they attend the first birthday banquet?" Susu asked Tianyi again.
She had asked Tianyi about this before. Tianyi had said that An Jing had been discharged from the hospital and had promised to come with Lan Yu.
Tianyi glanced at his watch and said, "I confirmed with An Jing yesterday; they said they would come. They shouldn't go back on their word."
"Then I'll ask the host to postpone it by another ten minutes..."
Before she could finish speaking, she saw Xiao An Jing and Lan Yu in the distance.
They were walking slowly, supporting each other as they approached.
Tianyi went forward and gave An Jing a big hug, patting his back and asking, "You've recovered quite quickly. Are there any lingering effects?"
"Can't you say something nicer? The doctor said I won't have any problems after recovery," An Jing said. In reality, one of his legs was still a bit unsteady and required continued rehabilitation training.
Susu and Lan Yu were also exchanging pleasantries. Although Lan Yu was wearing an evening gown, she had flat shoes on. Her pregnancy was more noticeable than last time.
"Where are the two birthday stars?" Lan Yu looked around. Being pregnant, she was now particularly attentive to children and liked them.
"They are inside preparing for the 'zhuazhou' ceremony. Please go in and take your seats."
Tianyi and Susu led them to their seats and subtly signaled the host to begin.
The lighting in the entire restaurant began to dim. Instead, the lights in the seawater within the glass walls lit up. Instantly, the rippling seawater cast shimmering reflections throughout the restaurant, making it even more magnificent.
At this moment, Tianyi and Susu came on stage from backstage, holding Hengheng and Tiantian, allowing them to receive everyone's blessings and begin the 'zhuazhou' ceremony.
On the restaurant stage, there was a large round table with two sets of 'zhuazhou' items, surrounded by a protective railing.
Tianyi and Susu placed the two children on the table, letting them crawl towards various small objects representing different meanings, to see which one they would grab first.