Auntie

After breakfast, Su Baizhou stood up, returned to her bedroom, and grabbed her bag, apparently getting ready to go shopping.

"Watch the place. I'll be back soon."

With that, Su Baizhou left.

Luo Ye had no idea what his senior was going out to do. He returned to his room and kept writing.

He was either writing or on his way to write. He really was a diligent, capable little writing machine.

In his novel, the male lead had given up on the second female lead he had secretly loved for years, and his relationship with the female lead was steadily improving.

The readers in the comments applauded, saying they couldn't get enough.

Luo Ye began planning the next part of the story. The male lead would fall for the female lead, and she would gradually fall in love with him too.

Someone who had been single for all eighteen years of his life was actually writing a romance novel. It really was a remarkable thing.

Soon, he finished his morning writing quota. Luo Ye sat in his chair, ready to scroll through some short videos.

Still, he kept feeling as though he had forgotten something important.

What was it?

Luo Ye sank into thought.

Just then, his phone suddenly rang with an incoming video call. The word "Auntie" appeared on the screen.

At the sight, Luo Ye flusteredly scrambled to answer.

An elegant woman appeared on the video. Her features were exquisite, her earrings and necklace were worth a small fortune, and even her clothes looked expensive.

Though time had left a few traces on her face, Chen Shaoman, who had skincare treatments every week, still retained her charm.

"Oh my, if it isn't our Xiao Ye!"

The moment his aunt opened her mouth, she shattered her elegant image.

Despite looking like a wealthy socialite, she spoke in a syrupy, girlish voice, her eyes brimming with affection like a girl who had just spotted a kitten.

Luo Ye's face darkened, but he couldn't bring himself to get angry.

No one in this family ever got angry with his aunt. Nor did anyone dare.

When she was young, Chen Shaoman had the temperament of a refined young heiress. That was the flattering way to put it. Less charitably, she was the sort who played innocent to get her way.

In her husband's words, she wasn't manipulative-she was his sweet little darling.

And so his uncle was utterly wrapped around her finger, hopelessly bewitched by her every day. The moment his aunt shed a tear, Luo Ye and Gu Mingxuan would get a beating from his uncle.

As a result, his aunt was the treasured darling of the entire household, even though she was no longer young.

Seeing Luo Ye's expression, Chen Shaoman put on a hurt look and muttered, "Xiao Ye hasn't seen his auntie for a whole month, and he hasn't even thought to call me back. Auntie is so sad."

"No... I've just been too busy, hahaha. Auntie, how have you been lately?"

"Terrible."

Chen Shaoman shook her head and said mournfully, "I only have one little nephew. Every single day this past month, I've been wondering whether my little nephew is living comfortably at school and eating well. That bastard Gu Mingxuan actually went abroad just as you started school. He makes me so mad."

(Gu Mingxuan: Aren't I your only son, too?)

As his aunt went on and on, Luo Ye gave a helpless smile and asked, "Auntie, what did you call about?"

"What? Xiao Ye, can I only call you when I need something now? Saying that really breaks your auntie's heart. Boo-hoo."

A bead of cold sweat trickled down Luo Ye's forehead.

He forced a smile and said gently, "That's not what I meant, Auntie. I think about you every day too. You can call me whenever you like."

This was why Gu Mingxuan said Luo Ye was so good at taking care of girls.

Because both his parents had died, Luo Ye received even more affection in the Gu family than Gu Mingxuan did, which also meant he was under far more pressure.

Pressure from Chen Shaoman.

"Now that makes Auntie happy."

Chen Shaoman immediately broke into a beaming smile, going straight from cloudy skies to sunshine, as though she hadn't been the one looking upset a moment earlier.

"Xiao Ye, it's your birthday today, and you haven't come home. Old Gu and I were wondering what present to give you."

Warmth spread through Luo Ye's heart. He smiled softly and said, "Auntie, you and Uncle raised me. That's already the best gift I could ask for."

"That won't do. How could Chen Shaoman's dear nephew have a birthday without presents? Old Gu, give Xiao Ye fifty percent of your company's shares."

Luo Ye's mouth twitched.

His uncle, Gu Rancheng, stepped into view on the video with an equally helpless smile. "Sweetheart, I may be a director, but I don't even own fifty percent of the shares myself."

"I don't care. Figure something out."

"Why haven't you gone to do it yet?"

"You don't love me anymore."

"Boo-hoo, Old Gu, you don't love me anymore. Boo-hoo."

Chen Shaoman's tears came on command, falling like tiny pearls. Gu Rancheng immediately panicked and hurriedly crouched down to soothe his wife.

They were an old married couple pushing fifty, yet they still called each other sweetheart like young lovers. Luo Ye could hardly bear to watch.

While the couple showed off their affection, Luo Ye exchanged a meaningful glance with his uncle and hung up.

Although Gu Rancheng's company in Beijing wasn't exactly a top-tier conglomerate, it ranked among the best in the country when it came to game development.

Aside from the company behind PUBG and Honor of Kings, no one could challenge the Gu company's firmly held second-place position.

Between them, Gu Rancheng and Gu Mingxuan held fifty-five percent of the company's shares, giving them the controlling say.

Luo Ye didn't own a single share.

Anyone with eyes could tell that Luo Ye's personality wasn't suited to running a company or being a leader.

If Luo Ye became a boss, he would help count the money even after someone sold the whole company out from under him.

All Luo Ye needed to do was grow up without worries. He had no ambitions in that direction himself, so Chen Shaoman had only been joking earlier.

Besides, with his personality, even being a passive shareholder-owning shares without taking part in company affairs-wouldn't suit him.

He was too easily taken advantage of.

A young man not even twenty years old simply couldn't handle that crowd of veteran shareholders in their forties and fifties.

Gu Mingxuan was different. Gu Rancheng had raised him from childhood to inherit the company, so his credentials were outstanding, as though he had been blessed with a protagonist's halo.

Luo Ye, on the other hand, had grown up carefree.

Having already lost both his parents, neither Chen Shaoman nor Gu Rancheng wanted to put any pressure on him. They only hoped he could follow his own wishes and do what he wanted.

After ending the video call, Luo Ye finally realized what he had forgotten.

Today was his birthday.

But he was in Jiangcheng, right in the middle of the seven-day holiday, and all his roommates were away.

It looked as though he would have to celebrate his nineteenth birthday alone.

Actually, that wasn't quite right...

He still had his wonderful readers.

At the end of that day's update, Luo Ye added a sentence.

"Happy birthday to me."

Soon, readers began leaving birthday wishes in the comments on that line.

Although these readers were usually harsh about the plot and sometimes even hurled abuse, every one of them was kind when it mattered.

They really were a lovely bunch of readers.