Chapter: 3039

The family was eagerly waiting for noon, but Xiao Changkun couldn’t contain his feelings. He worried that Ma Lan would take away all his future earnings. While he felt heartbroken, he began to think about why he always seemed to fail in front of her.

Xiao Changkun realized that Ma Lan had a special talent. She might seem simple-minded and aggressive, but she knew exactly how to get under his skin and keep him in line. After more than 20 years of marriage, he felt a deep sense of despair. He had never been able to win against Ma Lan. She had controlled his life for half of their marriage, leaving him no space to stand up for himself.

Charlie Wade noticed Xiao Changkun’s sadness, while Ma Lan appeared smug, silently thinking that her husband was weak and ineffective. She saw him as a timid middle-aged man without much ability, who struggled to hide his feelings and often felt proud of small things. Most concerning was his lack of courage, which made him fearful of the challenges in his life, especially with Ma Lan around.

Xiao Churan saw that her father was feeling down and quickly changed the subject. She turned to Charlie Wade and said, “By the way, my husband, Mom mentioned that when her legs are better, she’d like you to take her out on a yacht. I hope that’s not a problem for you?”

“Not at all,” Charlie Wade replied casually. “Once Mom’s legs are better and the weather warms up, we’ll definitely go out to sea.”

Ma Lan’s face lit up with joy at this. She exclaimed, “Oh, that’s wonderful! I’m so old, and I…”

“I haven’t even been on a private yacht!” Ma Lan exclaimed happily. “By the way, can we sail out to sea? How about going all the way to the South Island?”

Charlie Wade nodded, “Sure! It’s not too far from the estuary to the South China Sea. It’s about two thousand kilometers at the most. If we take a yacht, we can get there in two or three days.”

Ma Lan’s eyes lit up with excitement. She clapped her hands and said, “That’s amazing! I’ve never been to the South China Sea. A few winters ago, Mrs. Xiao wanted to go there for vacation, but they always went without us. It made me so angry!”

After saying that, Ma Lan pulled out her phone and started looking up famous sights and foods in the South China Sea.

The family continued to chat, and soon it was midnight. At 11:59, Xiao Churan took out her phone and started counting down the seconds. When the clock struck twelve, she looked at Charlie Wade and said softly, “My husband, it’s twelve o’clock. Happy birthday to you!”

Charlie Wade smiled and replied, “Thank you, my wife!”

Ma Lan chimed in quickly, “Happy birthday, my dear son-in-law! I wish you great fortune and happiness in the future!”

Xiao Changkun felt a bit down but pulled himself together and said, “Charlie Wade, Dad wishes you a happy birthday! May you have this day every year and always be surrounded by gifts!”

Charlie Wade thanked everyone one by one as his phone began to buzz with dozens of text messages and WeChat notifications. He turned on his phone to see the messages.

Charlie picked up his phone and saw that many friends had sent him birthday wishes. Among them were Chen Zekai, Hong Wu, Qin Gang, Song Wanting, Qin Aoxue, Chen Xiaozhao, Dong Ruolin, Wang Dongxue, and Ito Nanako. They all shared their warm wishes for his special day.

Additionally, Gu Yanzhong and his wife, Du Haiqing, along with the mother-daughter duo of Su Zhiyu, He Yuanjiang, and He Zhiqiu also sent their messages of goodwill.

Charlie was pleasantly surprised to see that even Xiao Weiwei had sent a message, thanking him for the help he had given her during this time.