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Everyone at the dinner table paused. Those words sounded familiar. Wasn't that what Shen Luoluo had said before Shen Xiche brought his Thai ex-girlfriend home?!

That surprise had certainly turned into a fright. Not again! It was New Year's Eve, and they wanted to spend the holiday in peace.

Shen Xiche looked at their faces, baffled. "What's with those expressions? Don't tell me you're jealous because I prepared a surprise for my sister and not for you?"

Shen Jiayan said, "Then I should thank you for leaving me out."

Shen Jingyao asked, "Are you sure it's a surprise and not a scare?"

"Shen Jingyao, even you doubt me? That's too much!" Shen Xiche was so annoyed he nearly rolled his eyes. "If you're worried, you can all come along. Then you'll see what a real surprise looks like."

So after the family finished their New Year's Eve dinner, everyone except Zhao Huizhen and her husband, Shen Ting'an, followed Shen Xiche to the garage.

Shen Xiche said, "You three take one car. I'll drive another."

He was being so mysterious that no one knew what he was up to, but they played along. Shen Luoluo considered checking the Intelligence System, then decided that finding out in advance would ruin the surprise.

Shen Jingyao drove, following Shen Xiche to a bay six or seven kilometers from home. The shore was packed with people waiting to ring in the new year.

Shen Xiche parked, opened his trunk, and hauled out a huge pile of cardboard boxes.

"Don't just stand there. You two men, come help me carry these over."

Shen Luoluo stepped forward to help, but Shen Xiche stopped her with, "The women in our family don't have to do the heavy lifting." Once she got closer, she saw what was in the