Chapter 32: Family Banquet

After the birthday song finished, the graduates spontaneously held some activities on the open ground in the camping area.

It stayed lively and bustling until late at night before gradually quieting down.

The next day, they got up very early to watch the sunrise. After eating breakfast at the club, they leisurely made their way down the mountain.

Summer vacation life officially began!

Xu Nanqiao prepared for university life by finding several different tutoring part-time jobs.

Su Mi stayed home to look after her younger brother. Sometimes she accompanied her parents to events, broadening her horizons while also fitting her persona—the original host definitely wouldn’t miss those opportunities to network with others.

On top of that, she kept up the routine of driving Xu Nanqiao to Southern Garden.

Ever since the blackening value had broken past the 80 mark last time, it fluctuated between 78% and 85%.

The drop wasn’t huge, but it still made Su Mi happy.

After all, one key sign of completing her task was the antagonist’s blackening value dropping below 50% at the potential future love confession point between the male lead and female lead.

By that calculation, it was really close!

Su Mi felt even more motivated. Fueled by that drive, she firmly turned down Su Ciyu’s suggestion to go abroad for a trip.

Time passed leisurely like that for more than half a month.

Su Mi waited and waited, but she never heard any news about Shen Han holding a birthday banquet.

She grew a bit confused, especially as Xu Nanqiao’s birthday drew near.

Finally, during one visit to Southern Garden, after they finished reading, Su Mi secretly called over Shen Han as she came down and pulled her aside.

Speaking of which, she wasn’t sure when it started, but now Shen Han always came down after reading sessions. She had the housekeeper bring desserts and fruit while listening to them chat.

Shen Han was great at steering conversations, sparking topics with just a few words. If they chatted too long, she would even keep them for dinner.

Su Mi naturally saw this as a shift in Shen Han’s attitude toward Xu Nanqiao.

And sure enough, Xu Nanqiao’s view of Shen Han had softened a lot because of it.

Su Mi had probed indirectly, and the latest feedback was that Shen Han seemed aloof and cold at first glance, but actually turned out easy to talk to—like finally having that older-sister-friend vibe.

Su Mi: Satisfied^^.

But she wasn’t happy at all about the lack of progress on the birthday banquet.

Xu Nanqiao’s birthday was next week, yet Shen Han still hadn’t brought it up.

Su Mi sneakily dragged Shen Han into the dining room under the pretense of checking the dinner menu.

After confirming Xu Nanqiao hadn’t followed, she shut the door.

She turned around to find Shen Han watching her with a half-smile.

Shen Han stood there leisurely with her arms crossed, clearly waiting to hear what she had to say.

Su Mi had already planned her opener.

She cleared her throat and asked circuitously, “Sister, have you ever… thrown a birthday banquet for anyone?”

The answer should have been no.

In the original plot, Shen Han had only planned a birthday party surprise for Xu Nanqiao and dumped everything else on the original host playing this role—Su Mi’s character—due to her lack of experience.

But that original host only showed superficial kindness toward Xu Nanqiao while harboring long-held jealousy.

On the surface, she acted like she was celebrating Xu Nanqiao’s birthday by inviting tons of classmates and dragging the totally unprepared Xu Nanqiao to the venue.

She hadn’t even done Xu Nanqiao’s makeup or given her a properly fitting dress before parading her around to meet the classmates one by one.

Those upper-class kids treated it like a spectacle, offering fake happy birthday wishes before turning around and mocking her nonstop.

Xu Nanqiao didn’t catch on at first, but after meeting more people, she realized something was off.

The original host gripped her hand the whole time, claiming it was a special birthday banquet Shen Han had thrown for her, while openly and subtly threatening her with the “part-time job” she did at Shen Han’s place.

It wasn’t a glamorous situation for Xu Nanqiao, so she gritted her teeth and endured.

Later, someone slipped her a drug—probably to watch her humiliate herself—but luckily, the male lead showed up at the chaotic birthday banquet and rushed her to the hospital before the effects kicked in.

Shen Han never appeared during the whole fiasco. The next day, she just wired Xu Nanqiao some money, claiming ignorance of the events and offering it as compensation.

To Xu Nanqiao, it felt like even more of an insult.

She immediately transferred the money back.

…

In any case, Shen Han had never hosted a birthday banquet before.

It was strange that she still hadn’t tasked this cannon fodder with handling it.

Had the original host reminded Shen Han and volunteered for it in the source material?

Su Mi wasn’t sure, so she came to test the waters.

Shen Han didn’t answer directly. Instead, she countered, “Isn’t your birthday at the end of the year?”

Su Mi: …

Why drag her into it again?

Undeterred, she hinted, “Speaking of which, Xu Nanqiao’s birthday is next week, right?”

The two remarks came close together, and Shen Han got the point. She frowned slightly. “So?”

Su Mi went straight for it. “How about throwing her a birthday banquet?”

Shen Han pulled out a dining chair and sat down leisurely. “Why should I throw Xu Nanqiao a birthday banquet?”

It was a flat statement.

Su Mi was at a loss for words.

What a straight woman!

There still wasn’t enough evidence for the body double theory, so even though Su Mi thought her hunch made sense, she wouldn’t judge someone on a mere guess.

She closed her eyes briefly and swallowed her exasperation.

Then she walked over to the dining table, slipped into teacher mode, and lectured Shen Han seriously. “A birthday marks the day you’re born. It’s super important—only once a year. Throwing a party, inviting friends to celebrate together… it’s very meaningful.”

Shen Han gave a faint smile. “Thanks. I wouldn’t have known if you hadn’t told me what a birthday is.”

Su Mi wasn’t dense; she caught the sarcasm.

“……”

She gazed at Shen Han with doubt and confusion.

Was this an act, or did Shen Han really have no plans to throw Xu Nanqiao a birthday banquet?

Had the plot’s coercive force fizzled out?

Su Mi racked her brain, then made one last push. “I think… maybe Xu Nanqiao would like someone to celebrate her birthday with her?”

Shen Han shot back, “Won’t her mom do it for her?”

Su Mi froze for a second.

She muttered under her breath, “…Yeah, her mom will celebrate her birthday.”

But overlooking that was forgivable—she didn’t have parents of her own, after all.

Her upbeat mood deflated like a punctured balloon.

Su Mi bit her lip and quickly reined in her misplaced feelings.

The silence didn’t drag on.

Shen Han lifted her gaze, taking in Su Mi’s faintly aggrieved look.

With a hint of helplessness, she reached out and gently pressed Su Mi into the chair beside her.

Her touch was light.

She extended two fingers, tilted Su Mi’s chin up, studied her for a moment with furrowed brows, and said, “Why the aggrieved face? It’s just a birthday.”

She paused, then quickly came up with a reason. “Didn’t you say last time that Xu Nanqiao’s introverted? She doesn’t like extravagance. If I threw her a birthday banquet, it’d be a huge production right here at Southern Garden. Who do I invite? What’s the plan? Would she even want something that flashy?”

Shen Han spoke in her usual unhurried tone—thoroughly convincing.

Su Mi blinked, then nodded as the logic sank in.

…She had a point.

Su Mi had fixated on the original plot unfolding no matter what, forgetting that Shen Han was far more human now—not the ice queen from before.

Thanks to all the exposure through Su Mi, Shen Han knew Xu Nanqiao’s preferences and habits well.

Of course she’d consider what Xu Nanqiao actually wanted instead of forcing a birthday banquet she’d hate.

Had Su Mi’s butterfly wings really altered this plotline?

But skipping it—would that mess with key plot points in the small world?

She hesitated, but Shen Han released her chin and added,

“Next next week is the Shen Family Banquet. Take Xu Nanqiao dress shopping this weekend, then bring her along. She can eat and drink her fill—it’ll make up for the birthday banquet, okay?”

The words hit Su Mi’s ears like this: Alternative plot, gorgeously arrived!

A birthday banquet or a family banquet—what wasn’t a banquet?

Plus, the family banquet had a private family vibe, clearly an internal Shen Family affair.

Su Mi tagging along as a sort-of sister was one thing, but bringing Xu Nanqiao? Shen Han’s favoritism was obvious!

Su Mi looked at her in surprise. “Really?”

Shen Han arched a brow. “Why would I lie? You want a birthday banquet for Xu Nanqiao, right? We can do a small one for friends in the side hall then. She won’t feel awkward.”

Su Mi’s mind raced: Shen Han even planned a private side-hall bash just for Xu Nanqiao.

Totally different vibe!

What a clever move, Shen Han.

Her mood lifted instantly, buoyed by the task progress.

Beaming, she flashed Shen Han a thumbs-up. “Sister, you’re this.”

Shen Han leaned back against the chair, bemused by the rapid mood swing. “What does that mean?”

Su Mi raised both hands beside her face, thumbs up, and gushed sincerely, “Super awesome!”

Shen Han chuckled and tilted her chin. “Go peek in the kitchen and see what you want for dinner. You handle telling Xu Nanqiao about this later—I won’t say a word.”

Su Mi nodded vigorously. “Got it! It’s gotta be a sneaky surprise!”

Her emotions shifted as quickly as they came. Su Mi turned and strolled into the kitchen.

Leaving Shen Han puzzled: What surprise?

–

Su Mi wheedled and cajoled until she finally convinced Xu Nanqiao to attend the family banquet with her and see the world.

She’d checked with Su Ciyu ahead of time. The event wasn’t strictly family-only—it also invited close business partners from Shen Corporation and friends of the Shen Family.

It was one of their regular banquets.

Su Ciyu would be there too.

Come the weekend, Su Mi dragged Xu Nanqiao to the mall and picked out a perfect dress as an early birthday gift.

On family banquet day, Su Mi fetched Xu Nanqiao bright and early and brought her home.

She first let her play with her little brother.

Su Xiaoyi wasn’t shy around strangers. When Xu Nanqiao picked him up, he giggled and planted a smacking kiss on her cheek. “Sister!”

Su Mi pretended to scowl. “Su Xiaoyi, how many sisters are you gonna claim?”

Xu Nanqiao cradled Su Xiaoyi, utterly melted by his cuteness. Curious, she asked, “How many has he got already?”

Su Mi replied, “Does Shen Han count?”

Xu Nanqiao blinked. “Eh?”

Su Mi reenacted the scene. “Xiao Yi nailed ‘sister,’ but he butchered ‘Shen Han.’ Spent half the day on the ‘Sh—’ and gave up.”

Xu Nanqiao’s eyes crinkled with laughter.

Once she recovered, she asked, “What’d Shen Han do?”

Su Mi struck a pose, head tilted with a blank expression. “This—no reaction.”

Xu Nanqiao collapsed onto Su Xiaoyi laughing, then sat up wiping her eyes. “Su Su, you’re getting scarily good at mimicking your sister.”

Su Mi pressed a finger to her lips in a shush. “Don’t go blabbing.”

They played with Su Xiaoyi all morning. In the afternoon, the stylist arrived. They changed into their outfits and sat at Su Mi’s vanity for makeup and hair.

Then they rode with Su Ciyu to the family banquet.

Su Ciyu had shared the dress code beforehand, so they weren’t overdressed—just simple, age-appropriate dress skirts.

Xu Nanqiao’s was a knee-length light blue gown with layered chiffon cascading down. She tied her long hair back with a matching ribbon, a single blue rhinestone sparkling at the corner of her eye.

She kept insisting during prep that it didn’t need to be so fancy.

Su Mi refused to skimp—today was Shen Han making up for her birthday, so she had to look stunning.

Once Xu Nanqiao was done, Su Mi gave her a thumbs-up. “Gorgeous!”

Her own turn came next, with Xu Nanqiao directing from the sidelines.

Su Mi went cute with a poofy skirt. Her light golden mid-length hair got permed into soft waves, topped with colorful, playful hairpins in a ponytail.

Styling complete, Su Mi playfully bumped Xu Nanqiao with her skirt hem.

Xu Nanqiao laughed and tugged her ponytail.

The Shen Family Banquet took place at a private woodland estate in the city, simply named Huai Garden.

They arrived right on time. The entrance wasn’t crowded. Su Mi and the others followed Su Ciyu past the entryway’s pond feature and into the antique garden.

The interior was planted with flowers and plants everywhere. Winding paths led to secluded spots amid dense woods and bamboo, dotted with street lamps. After passing through several courtyards, they reached the main banquet venue, which was also the largest garden in Huai Garden.

The garden’s various plants and flowering trees were not as densely packed as those along the path there. They were scattered throughout the garden, with a high platform for drinks every few steps. A small stream of flowing water divided the garden in the middle.

Su Ciyu had come for business discussions. When she spotted her current business partners, she gave the two of them some instructions before going over to greet them.

“The drinks here aren’t high in alcohol, but still drink sparingly. If anything comes up, contact me via light brain, or you can go find Shen Han. Can you manage?”

Su Mi obediently agreed.

It wasn’t the first time Su Ciyu had brought her to a business banquet, so she naturally knew some of the rules by now.

Thinking of the plot, once Su Ciyu walked away, she emphasized to Xu Nanqiao several times, “Don’t drink any drinks that leave your sight.”

Xu Nanqiao was puzzled but committed it to memory.

They strolled and paused around the garden, occasionally grabbing some desserts from the tables to eat.

Su Mi wanted to find Shen Han, but the garden paths twisted and turned. She already had no sense of direction, so after half a day, she still hadn’t located her.

Instead, she spotted another familiar person.

She wore a white, flowing silk long skirt and wasn’t afraid of getting it dirty as she crouched by the stream, head lowered to watch the water flow.

Before Su Mi even got close, she turned around. Upon seeing Su Mi clearly, her brows and eyes curved into a smile. “Su Mi! You’re here too.”

Their last meeting had also been by a stream.

After heading home that day, Su Mi figured that since Shen Han hadn’t made her delete Ren Yue again, she could relax and keep being online friends with her. They occasionally chatted about holiday routines.

Ren Yue loved watching the little fish in streams and often sent Su Mi photos of them.