You are the best gift

  Ye Shanshan was also embarrassed, if Xu Ting called her Auntie, she really felt a bit awkward, "Let's not call each other Uncle and Auntie, just call him Director Gu, and call me by my name."

  "Alright, that's more like it." Xuting finally let out a sigh of relief. However, from then on, she didn't dare to speak carelessly again and obediently went over to play games with Xiaoxiao.

  Xu Ting and Xiao Xiao got along well, their relationship was very harmonious, Ye Shan didn't need to worry about them, before long it was almost four o'clock, it was also time to start preparing for dinner.

  "Should we invite Xu Ting to stay for dinner?" Xu Ting and Xiao Xiao were stuck together like conjoined twins, and this question couldn't be avoided either.

  "It's not a question of whether she wants to stay or leave, if no one drives her away, she will definitely not take the initiative to leave." Gu Bei Chen replied with a subtle and not very enthusiastic tone, but his intention was revealed without a trace.

  "Well... I'll just prepare a few more dishes then." Ye Shanshan was thinking the same thing, and she asked him because she thought he would be a bit colder. But unexpectedly, he also couldn't bear to lose face.

  "I knew bringing her back would be trouble, now I can only hope that Master Xu will come back soon and take her away." Although she also had good intentions, Gu Bei Chen couldn't help but complain a few sentences.

  "Hmm, if Director Xu comes to our home to pick us up, shouldn't we invite him in for a meal?" Well, after all, he is a big leader, and since there's no woman at home who can take care of household chores, it's only polite that we should entertain him.

  Indeed, if Mr. Xu happens to arrive just before dinner starts, a courteous greeting is necessary.

  He didn't say a word, but Ye Shanshan keenly guessed his thoughts, "Hehe, since it's already like this, I'll prepare for five people. Anyway, it's still early, let's do it slowly. Come on, let's list the menu first."

  "As long as you're cooking, I'll like whatever it is." Gu Bei Chen rarely let his guard down and didn't see through her true intentions in hastily deciding on the menu.

  "It's not just our family eating, we also need to consider Master Xu's preferences." Ye Shanshan thought so, after all, Master Xu was the leader, and since they invited him to dinner, it would be better to make some preparations.

  Gu Beichen smiled appreciatively, "My wife is really virtuous, meticulous and considerate." Ah, this was something that even he, who was usually meticulous, hadn't thought of.

  "Aren't you trying to show Master Xu how good I am? That dinner tonight is the best opportunity." Ye Shanshan, however, was rarely self-satisfied and couldn't help but feel a little smug.

  "Go, Master Hsu loves eating fish, you make a dish that's your specialty and let him have a taste."

  Ye Shanshan carefully wrote it down and thought for a moment, still feeling that it was not enough. "Where is Master Xu from?"

  "The province that likes to eat vinegar."

  "I know what to do now." Hehe, sweet and sour fish is her specialty, guaranteed to make Master Xu want more after eating it.

  After deciding on the menu, Ye Shanshan started preparing in the kitchen. Since it was her birthday, Gu Beichen was ordered not to approach the kitchen, so he could only dryly admire her busy figure from a distance.

  "Dad, why don't you go help?" Having stared at the screen for a long time, her eyes needed a rest. Laughing couldn't bear the loneliness and also came over to join in the fun.

  Gu Beichen was about to speak, but Xu Ting beat him to it, "Director Gu's birthday today, how can the old master of longevity go into the kitchen?" She and Xiao Xiao were inseparable, definitely not staying alone in the living room.

  "Wow, Mom is so hardworking. She also personally cooked for me on my birthday." Seeing her mom busy in the kitchen alone, Xiao Ya's heart ached and she quickly ran over, "Mom, let me help you!"

  "Leaf was holding a knife in his hand, the fire was also lit, but he didn't dare to let Xiao Xiao stay here. 'No need, I've already prepared almost everything. You go out and play with Tingting sister, don't disturb me.'"

  Laughing, I had to slip away with a sullen face, tugging at Dad's hand and saying, "Mommy won't let me help."

  Gu Beichen smiled and patted his obedient daughter's head, "You being obedient and listening to her is the best help you can give her."

  Looking at Xiao's helpless expression, who was eager to help but couldn't exert himself, Xu Ting suddenly had an idea, "Xiao, come here, sister will take you to watch a cartoon."

  Gu Bei Chen also didn't want Xiao Xiao to get too close to the kitchen, "Go."

  The boss spoke up, and Xiao Xiao could only reluctantly follow Xu Ting back to the living room.

  However, Xu Ting didn't show her the cartoon and instead pulled her aside to whisper in her ear, "Do you really want to help Daddy and Mommy?"

  Xu Ting's sister had a mysterious look on her face, and Xiao Xiao was also unusually cautious, nodding carefully.

  "Why don't you come home with me tonight and sleep together?" If she really wanted to spend a sweet and passionate birthday night, having a child at home seemed inconvenient, so Xu Ting suddenly had this bold idea.

  "I have my own room, why do I need to go home with you? What does going home with you and helping Daddy and Mommy have to do with anything?" This is something that little kids like Xiaoxiao definitely can't think of.

  "Your parents just got married recently, right?"

  "Uh, less than half a year."

  "They rarely get together alone, right?"

  "Uh-huh." Of course, Dad and Mom didn't have much time living together to begin with, so it's even more rare for them to be alone together.

  "Today is your father's birthday, shouldn't they be allowed to enjoy their rare time together?"

  The little demon was fooled and didn't have a bit of temper, stupidly continuing to nod.

  "Come home with me quietly and I'll give them a chance to be alone together. Want to or not?"

  I smiled and hesitated, although Sister Xu Ting is very playful, but after all, I just met her, and there's also a serious-looking big boss at her house. If I go to their home, I probably won't be able to sleep, and besides, Dad and Mom wouldn't agree either.

  "I've brought a lot of chocolate beans, and if you want, I can even go out and buy ice cream for you to eat." Little girl remained silent, so Xu Ting had to use her killer move, food temptation, which was most effective on such a big kid.

  Xiao Xiao has already started to waver, but when it comes to their family's affairs, she says what she thinks doesn't count. "Dad and Mom won't agree."

  "Your mom might not agree, but... your dad will definitely be very happy." Xuting said while pulling Xiaoxiao towards the kitchen direction, "Look, just standing far away and looking, your dad is already so happy. If he were alone with your mom, do you think he would be even happier?"

  "Alright then, wait a minute while I ask them. As long as they agree, I'll go back with you." The temptation was too great, and the little girl finally couldn't resist.

  The development of things was completely within Gu Beichen and Ye Shanshan's expectations. As the sun set in the west and the sky gradually darkened, Xu Shilong arrived on schedule.

  As the hostess, Ye Shanshan eagerly invited Mr. Xu to come in and sit down, but was politely declined, "No need, you have a good celebration with your family, just help me call Tingting out."

  Xu Ting envied Shanshan's delicious dishes and also wanted to bring Xiaoxiao back, so she naturally wouldn't obediently do as her father wished. "If you want to go back, you go back yourself, I want to stay here and eat."

  "Why don't you stay and have dinner with us too? I've made a lot of dishes." Ye Shanshan extended the invitation, coincidentally following Xu Ting's words.

  "How can this be? Today is no ordinary day, you and your family..."

  Ye Shanshan somewhat rudely interrupted Master Xu's polite decline, "It doesn't matter, it's a birthday celebration, the more people the merrier."

  "How can you refuse when others are so enthusiastic?" Still, Xu Ting was overbearing and didn't say another word as she pulled her own father in and quickly closed the door.

  Gu Beichen and Ye Shanshan exchanged a tacit smile, both thinking the same thing in their hearts. This girl is really too careless about her own affairs, fortunately I was prepared early on.

  After entering the house, Xu Jinchuan's attention was quickly drawn to the several meat dishes already on the table. "These... were all made by your little girl at home?"

  Gu Beichen smiled and nodded, "They're all just home-cooked dishes."

  "Not bad, just the appearance and fragrance can score 90 points." Master Xu was notoriously picky, and it wasn't easy to hear him praise something.

  "The taste can score a hundred points!" Xiaoxiao has the most say in this, almost every dish here is made for him to eat, and there are several that she likes, which they have to eat several times a week.

  Ye Shanshan smiled awkwardly and brought out the tea she had brewed earlier.

  Xu Jinchuan, a long-time tea drinker, knew just by smelling the aroma that this tea wasn't something you could just infuse with boiling water and serve, "Can't tell from your young age, but you actually have skills like this."

  "It's all learned from my grandfather, he likes to drink tea and pays special attention to the etiquette of brewing tea." Ye Shanshan replied with a humble face.

  Xu Jinchuan stopped talking and focused on tasting the tea. After Ye Shanshan walked away, he turned to Gu Beichen and sighed, "I finally understand why you were in such a hurry to bring this little girl home."

  Gu Bei Chen smiled but didn't speak, his eyes were filled with pride and satisfaction.

  Xu Jinchuan was in a great mood and rarely made jokes, "Leaving her alone at home must be very worrying?"

  "Indeed." Gu Bei Chen acknowledged frankly and openly.

  He answered concisely. Xu Jinchuan naturally thought of the transfer, "I heard from Fang Wei that you visited Deputy General Jiang's home before the New Year?"

  Xu Shizhang asked this question with a purpose that Gu Beichen understood clearly in his heart. "You're worrying too much, it's not about the job transfer."

  "Since you're here, why not ask?" All along, Xu Jinchuan had been trying to persuade Gu Beichen to stay in the army, and for this reason, he even deliberately delayed submitting his application. But after seeing that legendary little girl with his own eyes today, he finally understood Gu Beichen's eagerness to return to G City as soon as possible. Leaving such a beautiful wife at home was one thing, but more importantly, it was also not reassuring to leave the young woman alone at home taking care of the child.

  "He Tuanzhang's leg injury is quite pessimistic, his transfer order may be approved first." The other party was after all a direct leader, so Gu Beichen's response was still relatively cautious and reserved.

  "His application was submitted a month later than yours, but if you want, it's still possible to catch up."

  Xuan Xin's mentor, Xu Shi Chang, is now completely on Gu Bei Chen's side.

  Unfortunately, he was not lucky enough to accept this kindness. "I've thought about it too, but... Commander He needs to go home earlier than me. Besides, the position in G City hasn't been vacated yet."

  "Does your little girl at home know about this too?"

  "She knew it and also agreed with my decision."

  Xu Jinchuan was taken aback at first, then paused for a moment and suddenly realized, "You two are really not from the same family if you don't enter the same door."

  Gu Xibei completely agreed with this point. "Sometimes I really wish she could be a bit more selfish and think about herself more, but every time she surprises me."

  "No wonder our family's Tingting clung to her as soon as she saw her." Not far away, Xu Ting was preparing tableware with Xiao Xiao, a scene that had never appeared in the Xu family before. Although he didn't know what happened in the afternoon, Xu Jinchuan still truly felt his daughter's change.

  At this moment, Gu Bei Chen couldn't laugh anymore. She had messed up their carefully laid plans with her actions.

  However, it's hard to predict what will happen in life. Until the very last moment, no one knows whether the ending will be happy or sad. Unexpected surprises always appear suddenly when you're least prepared.

  A sumptuous birthday dinner was served at 6 o'clock sharp. There were two big men present, and the red wine that Zou Jing had brought last time was finally used.

  After pouring half a cup for Master Xu, Gu Bei Chen held up the wine bottle in front of Ye Shanshan and asked, "Want to drink some?"

  The "tragedy" that happened after getting drunk last time is still vivid in her mind, Ye Shanshan dare not try it again, "I'll just drink with Xiaoxiao and the others."

  She didn't want to drink, and Gu Bei Chen didn't force her either. But someone insisted, "You're already an adult, why do you have to compete with us? Director Gu's birthday only comes once a year, just accompany him for one cup."

  "Red wine is an appetizer, it's okay to drink a little less." Xu Jinchuan surprisingly also chose to stand on the side of his crazy daughter.

  The boss spoke up, and Ye Shanshan couldn't refuse anymore, so she obediently pushed out the wine cup.

  The red wine tastes sweet and mellow, with a low alcohol content that can open up the appetite quite well. However, even if the concentration is lower, it's still wine that can get people drunk. Especially for someone like Ye Shanshan who lacks a certain enzyme to break down alcohol, just half a cup of red wine can make her pale face flush slightly red.

  Xu Ting wanted to continue causing trouble, but was abruptly stopped by Gu Beichen, "She can't drink, half a cup is enough." On such a special day, he didn't want to spend it with a little drunk cat.

  During the meal, Gu's elderly parents in G City called and delayed things for nearly twenty minutes. This birthday dinner didn't end until 8 o'clock.

  As the clock struck closer to midnight, Ye Shanshan still hadn't found an opportunity to give her birthday gift.

  But it won't be long before an opportunity arises.

  Ye Shanshan was dazedly cleaning the table when her daughter suddenly ran over and announced an unexpected message, "Daddy, Mommy, I want to go to Auntie Xuting's house and sleep with her."

  Because her head was a bit dizzy, Ye Shanshan thought she had misheard, "You want her to sleep with you in our house?"

  "No, I'm going to my sister's house." She corrected hastily with a smile.

  "Why?" Ye Shanshan couldn't guess Xiao Xiao's mind at all, she wasn't a sleepover person, how did she suddenly think of going to someone else's house for the night, and they just met today.

  Gu Beichen had a number in his heart, deliberately pretending to be silly, not asking or saying anything; Xu Ting was the mastermind of the whole thing and it wasn't convenient for her to speak up. In the end, only Master Xu could come out and say, "Tingting brought many delicious things from home, this little girl must have been craving something." After all, as a father-daughter pair with blood ties, how could Xu Ting's small thoughts escape her old dad's sharp eyes?

  "No matter how eager you are, you can't go to her home and disturb her. Tomorrow, let Tingting bring some over for her." This reason sounds very reasonable, but Ye Shanshan still feels that it's not good to let Xiaoxiao disturb the headmaster at home.

  "Actually, this was my idea. I wanted to have Xiaoxiao accompany me in the past. You also know that as soon as my dad gets home, he'll hide in his study, and there won't even be anyone for me to talk to. If Xiaoxiao is with me, then we won't have to worry about this problem." Xiaoxiao's little mom had a resolute attitude, so the planner of this matter, Miss Xu Ting, could only take matters into her own hands.

  "That... you can also continue to play with her at our house." Although slightly drunk, this time's situation was much lighter than the one last year. Ye Shanshan knew that saying this would make Old Master Shou extremely unhappy, and her voice had almost reached its lowest point.

  There is a big boss at home, and Gu Bei Chen doesn't dare to say anything openly. However, if you observe carefully, it's not hard to discover that he has started to frown habitually. Those who know him understand that this is a sign of his discontent.

  "How can that be, you and Director Gu haven't even had a chance to celebrate properly yet, how can I stay behind and disturb you." If it wasn't for bringing Xiaoxiao back home, Xu Ting hadn't planned on staying behind to freeload, she hadn't thought of continuing to stay, "Forget it, since you're so worried, I'll just head back home alone, at worst I'll take a bath and go straight to sleep when I get back."

  It's really worthy of being the master's favorite disciple, this move uses retreat as advance at just the right moment.

  Huh, why does it sound like you're pretending to be pitiful?

  Whether it's pretending or really pitiful, as long as it can make the soft-hearted Ye Shanshan waver, it's a good trick. After hesitating for a moment, she decided to ask Xiao Xiao's dad for his opinion, "What do you think, letting Xiao Xiao go to Master Xu's house for a night... is that okay?"

  Gu Bei Chen chuckled softly and half-jokingly said, "She's so big now, are you still afraid she'll wake up in the middle of the night looking for her mom?"

  Finally seeing a glimmer of hope, Xiao Xiao's face lit up with excitement as she eagerly grabbed her mom's hand and promised, "Don't worry, Mommy, I'll be good."

  "Alright... I'll go help you pick up your pajamas and stuff." The chief had already made his attitude clear, and Ye Shanshan couldn't insist anymore. The red wine's effects hadn't worn off yet, and she was still a bit dizzy; she could barely take care of herself, let alone laugh at Xiao Jie, so it would be better to have Xu Ting help take care of her for the night.

  With a smile, Ye Shanshan returned to her room, tidying up while reminding her of many things to pay attention to, as if sending her daughter on a long journey. After dawdling for half a day, the mess on the dinner table had been cleaned up.

  He didn't let him do anything all day, but in the end, he lost his temper and made him wash dishes.

  "Why didn't you wait for me to come out and collect it?" Although it was already irreversible, Ye Shanshan couldn't help but complain a couple of sentences.

  "It's okay, you're just idle anyway. Go wash your face and wake up first, I'll take Xiaoxiao downstairs." The red glow on her face didn't fade for a long time, Gu Beichen was worried, afraid that she would get drunk like last time and do something crazy again.

  Ye Shanshan nodded slightly and then turned to Master Xu with a polite bow, "Tonight... our Xiaoxiao will be in your care, along with Tingting."

  Xu Ting smiled and took over the conversation, "Don't think that way, it's actually me who wants to pull Laughter along as a companion."

  "She's still a child, only bringing trouble to you all, how can you expect her to be your companion." Ye Shanshan replied politely.

  "Don't worry too much, I think this little girl has been taught well by you and she's already so big, nothing will happen to her." The young lady from the Gu family was really polite, and Xu Jinchuan found it hard to respond, so he just said a few words and then took his daughter out of the door.

  "Goodbye, Mommy. If you don't feel well, rest early." Xixi, who had just been praised by the big captain, immediately proved herself with practical actions that she indeed deserved such praise.

  "Got it, you have to behave and can't be reckless, understand?" This sentence had already been said by Ye Shanshan at least three times, yet she still didn't tire of saying it.

  Although his ears were about to grow calluses from listening, Xiao Xiao still obediently responded with a "yes" before following his dad out the door.

  Xu Shizhang's home was just downstairs, and it wouldn't take a minute to go back and forth. Thinking of Xu Ting's thoughtful wishes before leaving, Gu Beichen's mood was inexpressibly good, and after returning home, his face still had an infinitely satisfied and expectant smile.

  But when he saw the drunken color on Shanshan's face, he still felt a little worried. If she wasn't feeling well, how could he dare to imagine having an unforgettable birthday night?

  After a brief daze, Gu Beichen quickly adjusted his mood and walked in front of her, carefully touching her forehead with the back of his hand. "How is it? Do you still feel dizzy after washing your face?"

  "It's nothing, today's condition is much lighter than that time last year." After all, it was red wine and only half a cup was drunk. Even someone with a poor capacity for liquor wouldn't be knocked down by this amount of alcohol. "It's already past 8 o'clock, I haven't given you the gift yet."

  Rarely smiling, not at home, Ye Shanshan can unscrupulously hold his hand, three points of drunken color plus seven points of shyness, making that face with a few points of childishness appear exceptionally charming.

  "I told you, didn't I? You being here with me is the best gift. Men usually don't care about birthdays, and Gu Bei Chen is no exception. Just as he said before, every day with her is like a holiday."

  "The gift is still wanted, I've put a lot of thought into making it." Ye Shanshan, who was giving the gift, looked even more excited than the birthday boy and almost dragged him all the way back to the room.

  To increase the sense of mystery and romance, she specially turned off the ceiling light in the room, leaving only a dim orange wall lamp.

  "Should I close my eyes first?" She was in the mood for romance, and Gu Bei Chen was too tired to accompany her.

  "Okay." Little silly didn't seem to hear the playful tone in his voice, and sweetly responded with a "yes", confirming he had closed his eyes before squatting down to pull out the box beside the wardrobe.

  After putting in a lot of effort, killing countless brain cells, and spending several zeros on her bank card, the treasure she had finally created was about to be presented to him. Ye Shanshan's mood suddenly became somewhat tense, please God, he must like it.