C7 Happy Birthday to Me

Immediately, the dining hall had fallen silent. Her words were like a bomb in the city, and they could only wait for the calm before the storm to wither and explode into absolute chaos. Yu Jing'an shivered at his daughter's harsh words, before calling out, "Se...if you'd just..."

Chen Meishu, however, wouldn't give. Instead, she slammed her hands onto the table like a giant ready to maim. Her face was flushed, and her eyes were bloodshot. "How dare you?" she shrieked, loud enough that the entire commotion could be heard by another household down the street. "Do you know how hard it has been for me to give birth to you? I almost lost my life! And the sacrifices I've made for you–well? Is this how you repay us? Is it?"

'As if I hadn't just sacrificed for this family this morning,' she thought sarcastically. Ignoring her mother's protests, Yu Se turned to the beautiful princess cake in the middle of the table as if she was seeing it for the first time. Its elegant fondant glistened under the dim lights, and its sugary pearls dangled around the sides. If she had just been a few years younger, she would've already been jumping for joy, but now, the sight of it made her feel a dull ache in her heart.

This was the first time she had seen a cake prepared for her birthday. After all, no one had ever paid any attention to her.

Sticking a lone candle on top, she lit it up–watching as the flames danced in front of them. A wisp of smoke floated up into the ceiling, and her eyes glistened with an untold emotion. The other family members had leaned in, and immediately, it was as if their entire argument had evaporated into thin air. Yu Yin and Yu Mo gathered at the sides, awkwardly placing their hand on the table as they waited for their sister's signal.

From the moment she was born, it was as if she was the only one who had ever celebrated her birthday. No one had ever bothered to greet her then.

Chen Meishu was about to react to the blatant disrespect that the young woman had shown to her, only to be glared down by her husband. Knowing that she shouldn't say another word, she sat down with a huff and crossed her arms over her chest. Oh well, she could have her little peace to herself for now, but it certainly wouldn't last long–that was for sure. "Well? What are you waiting for?"

Yu Yin quickly turned off the lights. Now, the candle was the only thing that was illuminating the shadowy features of their faces.

None of her family members sang her a birthday song before, nor had they done any of this nonsense.

To see them doing it right before her eyes...she just wasn't used to it.

Throughout the nineteen years she had been alive, she had sung the birthday song five times a year, and none of them had anything to do with her. In fact, whenever it was close to her birthday, it was normal for her family members to disappear and pretend as if nothing was out of the ordinary. 'It was already too expensive,' her mother would've told her repeatedly that day. 'I don't see why we have to spend yours given all the hardships you've given me!'

Out of all the members of the family, she had always felt like an outsider–a weed that they didn't pick yet they couldn't shake out. Perhaps the reason they had given her up so easily to the Mo's was because they finally had their chance of being a family of five rather than a family of six. After all, who would've wanted her as an additional burden? Her fingernails dug into her palms, but she restrained herself.

Whatever. She shouldn't care what they think of her.

"Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to you..." Their dull voices echoed across the room, sounding as if they were all held at knifepoint. Maybe they were.

Once the song had ended, Yu Se blew out a candle and sliced a piece for herself.

Yu Yin switched on the lights again, and their eyes were immediately drawn to all the good dishes. Although there were smiles plastered across their faces, their words were meek and their eyes held hesitance and uncomfortableness. The awkwardness lingered in the air for a while as everyone sat there, struggling for words. It was definitely a weird sight, and Yu Se couldn't help but be amused and annoyed by their obvious reluctance.

"Happy Birthday, Se," Yu Jing'an said with great difficulty.

"Happy Birthday, Sis," Yu Yan and Yu Mo greeted at the same time, following their father's lead.

When it was Chen Meishu's turn, she only curled her lips in response. "I still don't see the point of celebrating birthdays. It may be something to celebrate on your end, but it only seeks to remind me of all the hardships I spent just for you," she spat out. "If we're talking about celebrating, it's me that you should be celebrating for."

The older woman was about to say more, when Yu Jing'an quickly held her arm as a warning. Immediately, Chen Meishu closed her mouth and conceded, watching as Yu Se sliced the remaining cake into five pieces for everyone to enjoy. The process was slow and deliberate, and ever second felt like a month had happened. Within a few minutes, everyone had their slices, and they quickly took a bite.

Yu Se finally looked up. "Although the dishes may not be as delicious as the one in that 5-star hotel this morning, I still prefer these dishes. After all, they were made with love, were they not?" She stared at her father, watching him wince at her words. "Look, I've already said what I need to say. From the hundred million that you've collected in my honor, I only need that 10. Is that really too much to ask?"

"You're not getting a dime without that attitude!" Furious, Chen Meishu slammed her hands onto the table, almost knocking down her glass.

"Fine. Forget it." She shrugged and pushed her plate back. "I've finished eating my cake, so I'm going."

"Nonsense! Come back and sit down," Yu Jing'an commanded. The sweat beaded down her forehead, and he was so anxious to call her back. "Why don't we talk about this?"

However, Yu Se was already finished with listening to him–or everyone, for that matter. She started to pack up her things, but since that her mother didn't really give her much to pack in the first place, it had only taken her a few minutes. Once she had checked to see if everything was in order, she stomped out of her room with suitcase in hand. "If this is how I'm treated here," she said bitterly. "Then I might as well go somewhere else."

Yu Mo raced up to her. "Sis, please, why don't you think about this for a second?" She grabbed her hand. "You know that Mom and Dad were only pressured by the Mo Family–that was the only reason why they chose to give you up. Please–"

However, Yu Se walked right past her, heading down the stairs the second time around.

Every new year, Yu Jing'an would give out red packets to his family members. While others would receive a thousand yuan, she'd only get a hundred, due to his funds being 'inadequate' at that time. However, Yu Se had never been an illustrious spender. Instead, she made sure to keep all of those red packets, plus the thousand yuan Yu Jing'an had given her for her high school living expenses. With all of this money saved up, she could find somewhere else to stay for a while.

Thus, she left the Yu Family villa without turning her back. Besides, she had already said what she needed to stay.

"Come back here!" Yu Jing'an roared, but his daughter still wouldn't turn.

"Let her go," Chen Meishu pulled him back in exasperation. "Don't you ever come back to this house! If you leave, so be it! We don't need you here anyway!"