The system was rendered speechless.

The Host was right. If he invited He Wenyan and Lin Ruyan at this time, they would definitely come bearing work reports. But… but the Host’s current demeanor didn’t look like he was in any mood to review work reports!

The system fell into a bewildered silence.

Fortunately, the Host didn’t mock it as he usually did.

The Host moved past the topic. When the driver arrived, he shielded his head with one hand and scurried into the car.

Nestled in the Host’s mind, the system suddenly felt a small pang of disappointment. It felt that the Host’s state today was somehow different from usual.

It felt like there was something it should be doing, but it couldn’t analyze the Host’s needs based on their past interactions.

However, just when the system thought its suggestions had been completely rejected by the Host and that the day would pass just like that, at four-thirty in the afternoon, the Host suddenly contacted He Wenyan, sent him a location, and invited him to bring Lin Ruyan along for dinner.

System: “?!”

The system was shocked. “Host, you’re not actually going to listen to their work reports, are you!”

Lin Chen couldn’t be bothered to answer it.

He Wenyan and Lin Ruyan were indeed thrown for a loop by the sudden emergency invitation and had to scramble to accept.

The invitation was originally for six in the evening, but they couldn’t possibly make it by then, so they negotiated to postpone it by an hour.

Thus, at seven o’clock, He Wenyan and Lin Ruyan arrived, along with a special “takeout” that Lin Chen had pre-ordered from a well-known hotel.

He Wenyan was wearing a suit today, looking as though he had rushed over from some formal occasion.

He strode into the guesthouse, his suit rustling in the wind, carrying two gift bags in his hands, and raised his eyebrows high. “Long time no see, Mr. Lin. It’s truly not easy for you to remember to make time for me amidst your busy schedule.”

Lin Chen replied smoothly, “Time is money. It’s indeed not easy.”

Inside the gift bags were two tins of tea leaves and a box of premium fruit, classic gifts for a visit. Lin Chen accepted them.

Lin Ruyan was also dressed in a sharp suit today. He looked much more mature than the 100% student he had been a couple of years ago, and his demeanor was much more composed.

But that composure wavered the moment he stepped into the guesthouse and saw Lin Chen.

—Facing this person who was 95% identical to his older brother, he always felt an intense sense of nervousness.

Lin Ruyan’s voice was slightly tight as he greeted Lin Chen earnestly, “Good evening, Mr. Lin. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. We had a packed schedule this afternoon and couldn’t make it by six.”

Lin Chen smiled. “My invitation was the one that was too hasty. It’s good enough that you could come at all.”

He stopped He Wenyan’s attempt to inquire about business matters, saying, “Let’s talk about whatever it is after we eat.”

He treated the two to a meal.

At the dinner table, Lin Chen solemnly congratulated Lin Ruyan on winning a gold medal in an international competition last year. He asked about his recent studies and, upon discovering that he was as excellent as ever and had even won a national scholarship, was very pleased and personally placed a large chicken leg in his bowl.

Lin Chen asked, “You’re graduating this year, right? What are your plans after graduation?”

Lin Ruyan smiled shyly and said, “I’ve already signed the tripartite agreement with Mr. He.”

Lin Chen nodded and said to He Wenyan, “Congratulations on securing a talent.”

The three of them chatted lightly at the table for a while.

After the meal, when He Wenyan proposed to give his work report, Lin Chen finally nodded—after all, he couldn’t have them come all this way just for a meal and some small talk.

The system once again saw He Wenyan’s ever-ready work report and exclaimed, “As expected of the cash cow designated by the original novel!”

Lin Chen was also very satisfied with this. Unfortunately, the meal was already over, so he could only wait for the next time they had a chance to eat together to make up for this chicken leg for He Wenyan.

He saw that He Wenyan didn’t press further on the matter of his family background and asked the system, “Regarding the story we told him before, has he privately investigated it himself?”

The system reported happily, “Yes, Host! News about ‘a couple who owed billions in debt over twenty years ago’ and ‘a mysterious and powerful debt-collecting force that sends debtors and their children to work in mines’ has all been disseminated. Ninety percent of the links have been clicked by He Wenyan’s IP address! He has already verified your story himself!”

Lin Chen nodded with satisfaction. “No wonder this year’s report is so substantial. He even dares to go against the You family and force a project now. Not bad.”

The system, however, looked at the project name with some confusion. “Host, this is clearly a super-large project that only appeared in the fifth year of the original novel. Why… why has it appeared so early?”

Lin Chen wasn’t surprised. “Too many butterfly wings have been flapped. The original timeline can no longer be used as a reference.”

The absent-minded conversation with the system did not affect Lin Chen’s work.

He listened carefully to He Wenyan’s work report, invited him to sit next to him, and offered his own ideas and suggestions on a few points.

He Wenyan had grown rapidly in the past two years, and his decision-making had matured. He no longer needed much of Lin Chen’s concern.

After discussing business, it was almost midnight.

Lin Chen didn’t keep the two any longer, nor did he discuss anything with them beyond their studies and work, and quickly saw them off.

The room soon returned to its silent state.

The leftovers had been taken away by people from the hotel he had contacted.

Lin Chen sighed softly, feeling a slight melancholy.

The system peeked out weakly and asked, “Host?”

Lin Chen: “It’s nothing. I’m going to bed. You can work or rest, as you wish. We’re reopening in two days, remember to come back on time.”

…

At eleven o’clock at night, the Cheng family home was still brightly lit.

Cheng Zhaorui had been staying at home during this period, planning to accompany his good son through this most difficult time.

However, while he was staying at home, Cheng Huanzhen had started leaving early and returning late every day. Most of the time, he was nowhere to be seen!

What could he do? Wait for him, of course!

So, he waited from nine to ten, and from ten to eleven. He had finished memorizing his new script, completed his workout, and done his actor’s training maintenance work. Finally, bored out of his mind, he simply grabbed the butler and started playing Gomoku.

Finally!

With a click of the front door, Cheng Huanzhen returned.

Cheng Zhaorui put down his game piece and looked up with concern. “Zhen’er, you’re back? So late today, did you go scouting for Yiming again? How was it, any clues?”

Cheng Huanzhen was travel-worn, carrying a bag in his hand.

He closed the door, shook his head silently, greeted Cheng Zhaorui politely, and then placed the bag in his hand on the living room coffee table.

The butler was with Cheng Zhaorui at the time. Seeing what his young master was carrying, his expression changed. “Good evening, Young Master. Don’t tell me you bought another…”

Cheng Huanzhen: “Yes. Want some cake?”

Cheng Zhaorui: “…”

Cheng Zhaorui’s eye twitched violently. “You bought a birthday cake again? Strawberry flavor again??”

The butler gave a bitter smile. “Young Master, I really can’t eat anymore. Eating this cake is fine for one day, but eating it every day is so cloying… In the last ten days, I feel like I’ve gained a whole layer of fat!”

Cheng Huanzhen lowered his eyes and asked, “Then what should we do with this cake?”

Cheng Zhaorui held his forehead. “You could just not buy it!”

Cheng Huanzhen said slowly, “But… March is Little Uncle’s birthday.”

Cheng Zhaorui’s face was wooden. “Who celebrates their birthday for a whole month! I understand you want to celebrate his birthday for him… but can’t you just celebrate it on his actual birthday??”

Cheng Zhaorui pressed his throbbing temples. “If I remember correctly, Yiming’s birthday on his ID card is March 27th, right? But it’s only the 10th now. There’s still more than half a month until his birthday!”

Cheng Huanzhen remained unmoved. He opened the bag on his own, took out the birthday cake, and stuck a candle in it. He said, “Little Uncle told me, it’s March.”

Cheng Zhaorui: “March 27th, isn’t that in March?”

Cheng Huanzhen lit the candle, closed his eyes to make a wish on his behalf, blew out the candle, and cut the cake into three equal shares. He repeated, “Little Uncle told me, it’s March.”

Cheng Zhaorui looked at the large piece of cake he had been allocated and held his forehead in despair. “For heaven’s sake, do you have an uncle for a brain??”

…

23:55:55.

Lin Chen finished washing up and lay in bed, ready to end this ordinary and unmemorable day, when his phone suddenly buzzed.

Lin Chen picked up his phone and saw it was a message from Cheng Zhaorui.

Cheng Zhaorui: [Do you know what kind of suffering I’ve been through this month?]

Cheng Zhaorui furiously sent a photo of a strawberry cake with one bite taken out of it.

Cheng Zhaorui: [Helping you eat straw! berry! cake! …My god, back then when he asked for your birthday, why couldn’t you just tell him an exact date? Now he’s buying you a cake to celebrate your birthday every! single! day! for the entire month of March!!]

The system hadn’t left yet.

It saw the message and scoffed, “Celebrating your birthday for the whole of March, is this Cheng Huanzhen a bit stupid? What normal person would…”

“Would…”

The system’s voice suddenly caught.

It realized with stunned shock, “W-w-w-wait, wait, wait! H-h-h-host, don’t tell me today is… is actually your birthday?!”

The answer to this question didn’t need a direct reply from the Host.

The system watched with its own eyes as the Host, upon seeing Cheng Zhaorui’s words, finally showed a ripple in his emotions, which had been as still as stagnant water all day. The corners of his mouth curved into a faint but genuinely pleased smile.

The Host typed back: [Thanks for your stomach’s hard work. Thank Huanzhen for me.]

The system… the system had a meltdown. “Ahhh, Happy Birthday Host, Happy Birthday! Damn it, I’m the system closest to you, Host, and I was beaten to it by Cheng Huanzhen!!”

The Host finally acknowledged it. “Quiet, what are you shouting for? Didn’t I treat you to cake today?”

System: “D-d-does that count as telling me??”

Host: “Does it not?”

System’s second meltdown: “But… but how can your birthday, Host, just pass by so plainly!”

The Host found this amusing and let out a laugh. “What then? Am I supposed to go play at Disneyland with gongs and drums, and then throw a crazy amount of money to host a birthday party for everyone?”

The Host, pleased and relaxed, crossed his legs, leaned back against the headboard, and tilted his head in thought for a moment before suddenly saying, “It’s already this late. Why don’t we work some overtime and do a little follow-up visit.”

System: ?

The Host opened WeChat and sequentially poked Qi Jingming and Fang Chengyu’s parents, brother, and sister.

Lin Chen: [^ ^Dear valued customer, hello. To effectively optimize and improve our studio’s work methods and after-sales service, we sincerely invite you to fill out the ‘Online Follow-up Form’. Customers who fill it out carefully will have a chance to receive a 40% discount voucher for paid after-sales service*1~ This opportunity is not to be missed. We welcome all customers to actively participate!]