I pinched my waist and petted him, and I was made to cry by the ruffian Third Master.

Su Mian glanced at the caller ID and found that it was a call from a lawyer.

Her heartbeat suddenly accelerated, as if she had a premonition that something important was about to happen.

She quickly picked up the phone and pressed the answer button without hesitation.

"Hello, Lawyer Zhang."

Su Mian's voice was a little nervous, and she couldn't wait to know the news the other party brought.

Sure enough, the lawyer's voice soon reached her ears, telling her the trial date of Su Hao's case.

She listened attentively to every word the lawyer said, while silently calculating the remaining preparation time in her mind.

After hanging up the phone, Su Mian decided to use the court session as an excuse to call Shen Zhou.

She dialed Shen Zhou's number with great expectations, but what awaited her was a cold, mechanical female voice: "Sorry, no one answered the call you dialed."

Su Mian's mood suddenly fell to the bottom. She couldn't understand why Shen Zhou didn't answer her call.

Her hands trembled slightly, and she reluctantly dialed the familiar number again, but the result was still disappointing.

An indescribable emotion surged up in her heart, and she felt helpless and confused.

Su Mian slowly put down the phone, as if he had lost all his strength.

Her body slid down the back of the chair and she fell into deep depression.

She stared blankly at the ceiling, her thoughts surging like the tide.

She slowly closed her eyes, but Yu Sheng's words kept echoing in her mind: "I must let Shen Zhou take the initiative to propose to you..."

Suddenly, there was a slight noise at the door. Su Mian, who was lying lazily on the sofa, seemed to be disturbed. He jumped up from the sofa and walked quickly towards the door in small steps.

As soon as Shen Zhou opened the door, he saw Su Mian's panicked look, and was slightly stunned, then he opened his arms towards her. Seeing this, Su Mian immediately threw herself into Shen Zhou's arms like a bird flying into the forest.

"You are finally back."

When Su Mian said this, there was clearly a hint of grievance and crying in her tone.

Shen Zhou reached out his hand and gently stroked her back, saying in a gentle and soothing tone: "What's wrong? Did you miss me too much?"

After Su Mian heard what he said, a hint of shyness suddenly appeared on her face. She took a small step back and said a little embarrassedly, "I called you but you didn't answer."

Shen Zhou walked into the house with a smile and replied, "I wasn't paying attention while driving."

Su Mian looked up and asked, "Have you finished your work today?"

Shen Zhou said truthfully: "Wait a moment, there are still some things that need to be dealt with. You can rest after you are done."

When Su Mian heard this, a little disappointment appeared in his eyes, and he whispered, "Oh."

Shen Zhou gently held up her pink cheek, kissed her lightly, and said softly, "So good."

Then, he held Su Mian's little hand tightly and walked towards the dining table together.

Shen Zhou took out the lunch box from the bag and said with a smile: "What? You cried when I was not around?"

Hearing this, Su Mian turned away from Shen Zhou and said stubbornly: "No, I didn't cry."

"Eat, I'll eat with you."

Su Mian sat obediently at the dining table opposite Shen Zhou.

Then he suddenly thought of something and said, "By the way, the lawyer just called me and told me the court date for my brother's case."

Shen Zhou paused for a moment and said nothing.

Su Mian looked at Shen Zhou expectantly: "Will you be willing to accompany me then?"

"Go, must go."

Su Mian grinned immediately after hearing this.

All the negative emotions disappeared immediately because of Shen Zhou's return.

After lunch, Shen Zhou left.

Su Mian began to concentrate on making a birthday cake for him.

After some hard work, the exquisite birthday cake was finally completed.

Then, she started decorating the room without stopping, with balloons, flowers and carefully designed scenes, and every detail was handled by Su Mian herself.

By the time everything was ready, time had quietly passed and it was already past six o'clock in the evening.

Su Mian admired her masterpiece with joy, then hurried to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

An hour passed, and Su Mian looked at the dining table filled with Shen Zhou's favorite dishes, feeling full of satisfaction.

She picked up her phone to check the time and found that it was already past seven o'clock and Shen Zhou still hadn't returned.

Su Mian muttered to himself: So busy?

She sent a message to Shen Zhou, asking him when he would be back, but Shen Zhou did not reply.

Su Mian waited for ten minutes but received no message from Shen Zhou. When she was about to call Shen Zhou, the phone in her hand suddenly vibrated.

It was Shen Zhou who called. Su Mian couldn't wait to pick up the phone, with a hint of expectation in her voice: "Hey, are you almost home?"

Shen Zhou paused for a moment, then said, "Mianmian, I'm sorry, I'm at the old house now."

Su Mian was stunned: "You went back to your hometown? Why did you go back suddenly?"

Shen Zhou: "Well, the old lady asked me to go home and said that I should have dinner with them first. I have no choice but to come back as soon as possible before 12 o'clock."

Su Mian's eyes were a little disappointed, but she still forced a smile and said in a relaxed manner: "It's okay. It's normal to spend your birthday with your family. After all, the elderly are old and need more company and care."

Shen Zhou listened to Su Mian's considerate words, feeling full of guilt. He wanted to say something else to comfort her, but he didn't know who was calling him, so he had to hang up the phone in a hurry.

"Beep-beep-beep-"

Hearing the busy tone coming from the phone, Su Mian's eyes gradually dimmed, and her originally happy mood was like being poured with a bucket of cold water, and instantly cooled down.

She slowly put down her phone and leaned weakly against the back of the chair. It seemed as if something important in her heart was slowly disappearing, making her feel extremely empty and lonely.

Su Mian sat alone at the dining table, looking at the table full of carefully prepared sumptuous dishes, but she could no longer muster any interest.

These dishes were specially prepared by her for Shen Zhou, and each one was filled with her love and care.

But now, the person who said he would celebrate her birthday with her is not around...

Su Mian just sat there quietly, staring at the dishes on the table with empty eyes, as if the whole world had nothing to do with her.

As time passed, her heart grew colder.

Suddenly, a shrill cell phone ringtone rang on the table, instantly breaking Su Mian's meditation. She came to her senses and looked at the phone screen. The caller ID showed that it was the number of the nursing home.

Why did the nursing home suddenly call me so late?

Could something have happened to my father Su Zhengming?

Thinking of this, Su Mian's heart tightened and he quickly pressed the answer button. "Hello."

Su Mian's voice was slightly nervous and worried.

However, to Su Mian's surprise, what came from the other end of the phone was not bad news, but the kind and gentle voice of her father Su Zhengming: "Mian Mian, how are you?"

Su Mian was stunned. For a moment, he didn't understand what his father meant. He asked in confusion, "What's going on?"

Su Zhengming continued: "Today is Xiao Shen's birthday!"

Hearing this, a trace of loneliness flashed in Su Mian's eyes. She lowered her head slightly and replied in a low voice: "Yeah, I know." Su Mian's voice revealed the disappointment that was hard to conceal.

Su Zhengming seemed to notice his daughter's change of mood and continued to ask: "Didn't he take you home to celebrate?"

Su Mian felt bitter in her heart, but still forced a smile and tried to make her tone sound more relaxed: "Why are you taking me back? People celebrate their birthdays with their families, of course. I..." Before she could finish her words, she was interrupted by Su Zhengming.

"How can you say that? You are his girlfriend, and you are also his family."

Su Zhengming's words made Su Mian even more depressed. The grievance and sadness in her heart became more intense, and her eyes suddenly turned red.

But in order not to upset Su Zhengmin, Su Mian forced himself to cheer up and said casually, "I don't want to go."

Hearing this, Su Zhengming looked puzzled: "Why don't you want to go? Aren't you both planning to get married? You should really go meet Xiao Shen's parents now."

Su Mian silently lowered his eyes and whispered in a voice that only he could hear: "Dad, I have actually seen them."

When Su Zhengming heard this, he quickly asked, "Oh, so how is the situation? Their family members like you, right?"

Su Mian still lowered his head and just said "hmm" softly.

Just as Su Mian finished speaking, Su Zhengmin's somewhat arrogant voice suddenly came from the other end of the phone: "My daughter is so beautiful, sensible and well-behaved, how could anyone not like her? Mianmian, you have to get married quickly, and then dad will personally hold your hand and send you off to marry!"

After hearing these words, Su Mian felt a sore nose. She tried hard to hold back the tears that were about to burst out and responded softly, "Okay."

Then, Su Zhengming said happily: "By the way, the doctor told me today that my physical condition is very good now, and I am even allowed to leave the hospital and walk around."

When Su Mian heard that her father's condition had improved, she finally relaxed a little.

She leaned lazily on the chair, the corners of her mouth slightly raised, revealing a faint smile, and said softly: "No problem, when you come over, I will take you around."

"If you have free time, you can accompany dad to walk around and have a look."

Su Mian responded: "Well, let's talk about it in two days. I have an important interview tomorrow."

Su Zhengmin was very pleased to hear that his daughter was going to look for a job, and nodded quickly: "Okay! Then you have to go to bed early tonight, and get enough rest so that you can go all out tomorrow. I wish you all the best!"

Su Mian murmured "hmm" in a low voice to show that he understood.

Just before hanging up the phone, Su Zhengming advised earnestly: "Mianmian, Xiao Shen is really an excellent young man. You should pay more attention to him. Happiness depends on your own efforts."

Su Mian simply replied: "Yes, I understand."

After hanging up the phone, Su Mian sat there quietly in a daze, and her mind kept echoing with what her father had just said.

These words were like countless small hammers, constantly hitting her nerves, making her thoughts gradually become confused and complicated.

Yes, Shen Zhou is so outstanding in every aspect, and I should indeed be more proactive.

Thinking of this, Su Mian suddenly stood up as if driven by an invisible force, turned around and walked into the bedroom, sat in front of the dressing table and began to dress herself up carefully.

After some effort, Su Mian looked at himself in the mirror and nodded with satisfaction.

After putting on her makeup, she went to the kitchen again, carefully packed the cake and longevity noodles that she had prepared in advance, then picked up the ring she had bought earlier and walked out of the house without hesitation.

This year is the first birthday she spends with Shen Zhou. No matter what the result is, she sincerely hopes to deliver this gift to him in person.

An hour later, a taxi slowly stopped at the gate of the Shen family.

Su Zhengmin sat in the car, looking up at the luxurious villa in front of him, and a sense of nervousness and uncertainty surged in his heart.

He hesitated for a moment, then asked the taxi driver, "Master, is this No. 29 Yulanxuan?"

The taxi driver glanced at Su Zhengmin through the rearview mirror, then nodded and said, "Yes, this is it."

After receiving a positive answer, Su Zhengmin paid the fare and walked towards the villa gate.

When he reached the door, Su Zhengmin stopped and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm his inner tension.

He could see that his daughter liked Shen Zhou very much, but he also knew that his daughter was shy and would definitely not take the initiative to propose an engagement.

So today he thought of taking advantage of Shen Zhou's birthday, when the whole family was together, to find an opportunity to talk about this matter.

He is in poor health now and cannot help Su Mian financially, but he still has to take the initiative in this regard. After all, this is a major event in his daughter's life, and he, as a father, should step in.

So no matter how late it is now, I should explain the situation to the nursing home and come here in person.

Su Zhengmin looked down at his outfit today. He had deliberately put on a shirt to look more energetic, not wanting to embarrass his daughter.

He reached out to tidy up his clothes and pressed the doorbell beside him. After a while, the door of the villa slowly opened and a middle-aged woman leaned out, looking at Su Zhengmin with some doubt in her eyes.

"Old man, who are you looking for?" asked the middle-aged woman.

Su Zhengmin smiled kindly and replied softly, "Is this Shen Zhou's house?"

The middle-aged woman nodded. "Yes, who are you looking for at this time of night?"

Seeing this, Su Zhengmin continued to smile and said, "I'm looking for Xiao Shen. Can you please talk to him?"

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged woman looked Su Zhengmin up and down and said, "What do you want from our young master? He is..." Before she could finish the rest of her words, a woman's voice suddenly interrupted her from behind.

"Aunt Zhang, who is this?"

The middle-aged woman turned her head and looked inside the villa, and said truthfully: "Miss, an old man said he was here to see the young master."

As the middle-aged woman spoke, Su Zhengmin's eyes fell on the woman who asked the question.

By observing the woman's clothing and the way the servants addressed her, Su Zhengmin secretly guessed that the person in front of him might be Shen Zhou's mother.

So, a smile appeared on his face, and he said politely: "Hello, mother-in-law!"

However, after hearing this, Shen Minzhi couldn't help but frowned, her face full of disgust. She stared at Su Zhengmin and asked, "Who are you? Who is your mother-in-law? Don't talk nonsense!"

Although he felt the disgust and contempt in Shen Minzhi's eyes, Su Zhengmin still maintained a gentle and polite attitude and patiently explained to Shen Minzhi: "My daughter is dating Xiao Shen. Today is Xiao Shen's birthday, so I came here specially to see her."

After Shen Minzhi heard this, her brows furrowed even deeper. She pressed on, "Who is your daughter?"

Su Zhengmin smiled and replied, "My daughter's name is Su Mian. I believe you have seen her, mother-in-law."

Shen Min was stunned, and the mockery in his eyes became stronger, as if he had seen something unclean.

She sneered: "Su Mian?"

Su Zhengming nodded and said with a smile: "Yes, yes, I am her father."

Shen Minzhi said with disdain: "What? The compensation money is not enough, and now you come to my door?"

Su Zhengmin was stunned for a moment when he heard this, and looked at Shen Minzhi with a puzzled look: "What is this that my mother-in-law said?"