260: Chapter 260 The Coronation Ceremony of the Lin Family's Eldest Daughter

The Outer Circle square.

A temporary banquet area was quickly set up.

The snow was swept to the walls, and anti-slip mats were laid on the ground.

Pots of meat soup were placed over the fire.

Compressed biscuits, small cakes, and purified water packets were lined up in rows.

After the notice was posted, the square fell silent for a few seconds.

Someone asked in a low voice, "Are they really giving this out?"

Zhou Heng held the registration list, his face as cold as stone.

"Line up."

"There's nothing for those who try to grab."

The line immediately straightened out.

No one dared to push.

Behind the crowd, someone lowered their voice.

"We just finished fighting in Wan City, and now there's the United States and the Capital."

"Is it too wasteful to throw a birthday party for a child at a time like this?"

"I'm not against Mr. Lin, I just think supplies should be saved for the war."

The words had just fallen when Su Xiaonuan arrived.

She wasn't tall, holding a tablet with two patrol officers behind her.

Her voice wasn't loud either.

"Lin Motong is Miss Lin."

"If Mr. Lin gives it, just take it."

"Whoever wants to question Mr. Lin..."

The expressions of those few people changed.

Su Xiaonuan looked at them.

"The door is over there."

The square was quiet.

The person who spoke just now immediately lowered their head.

"Housekeeper Su, that's not what we meant."

Su Xiaonuan withdrew her gaze.

"Then line up."

"Everyone registered tonight will get a portion."

No one in the Outer Circle spoke again.

A laborer holding an empty bowl whispered, "Happy birthday to Miss Lin."

A second one followed, "Happy birthday to Miss Lin."

The voices spread. It wasn't uniform, but it was sincere.

Tiangong No. 1 living room.

Tang Qiqi rushed out holding a pile of fabric.

"The dress team is ready!"

She spread a small black and red dress on the table.

"Empress style."

"With a teddy bear pendant."

"Low-key, luxurious, and impressive."

Xia Qingqiu held a clipboard and added seriously, "It fits Mo Tong's current status."

Tang Qiqi pulled over a set of black guard uniforms.

She stared at Anar.

"Bird-person sister."

Anar stood in place. Her four wings were folded. Her gray-white eyes had no focus.

Tang Qiqi circled around her.

"You are Miss Lin's exclusive background board."

Zhou Niannian and Lu Xixi sat nearby watching.

Xia Qingqiu gave all the children the day off today.

Lu Xixi whispered, "Her wings are so big."

Zhou Niannian nodded, "They can block the wind."

Tang Qiqi fastened an obsidian-colored restraint ring onto Anar. "Don't move."

A flash passed through Anar's eyes.

Tang Qiqi looked at her with a mischievous smile, putting on a high-pitched voice.

"If you could talk, you would definitely say."

"I didn't move either."

"Oh~ Lord, please forgive me."

"Angels cannot be so rude."

...

Gifts were placed on the table one by one.

Wang Ya took out a small box. Inside was a pair of small earrings.

Lin Motong froze.

Wang Ya crouched down and tucked her stray hair behind her ears.

"You used to secretly look at the earrings in the shop window."

"Mom didn't dare to pierce them for you."

"Afraid that beast Li Hongda would use it as an excuse to hit you."

Lin Motong lowered her head, touching the box. "Mom remembers?"

Wang Ya said softly, "Mom remembers everything."

Su Muxue gave a small first-aid kit. Inside were a tourniquet, antiseptic cotton, and a box of protective injections for children.

Her tone was steady. "Girls must learn to protect themselves."

Qin Yumo placed a short blade on the table. The scabbard was black and red. It was custom-made for Lin Motong's height.

"A ceremonial blade. It's not sharpened for killing."

She paused. "When you can control your strength, I'll teach you how to use a real one."

Xia Qingqiu gave a handwritten growth record. The first page read: [Lin Motong, height, body temperature, and mental state are stable today.] There was a lot of blank space left afterward. "We'll write it slowly in the future."

Jiang Xiaowan held her waist, complaining, "Just a little brat, making a birthday party look like a coronation."

She put down a children's gemstone hairpin. "I'm carrying a boy, I won't need this, so I'll give it to you. Don't lose it, it's quite expensive."

Lin Motong held her teddy bear. Surrounded by so many people, she lowered her head and didn't speak.

Lin Yuan sat on the sofa and glanced at her. He didn't rush her.

The living room lights suddenly flickered. The wings behind Anar trembled slightly. White-gold thin lines emerged half an inch from the base of her wings.

Wang Ya stepped in front of Lin Motong. Su Muxue formed a cold-condensed needle at her fingertip. Qin Yumo placed her hand on the hilt of her blade.

Tang Qiqi screamed, "My newly made dress can't be cut by bird feathers!"

Lin Yuan didn't move. He only looked at Lin Motong.

This time, Lin Motong did not release her Empress pressure.

She picked up her teddy bear from the sofa. She walked over to Anar and stuffed it into her arms.

Then she stood on tiptoe to straighten Anar's crooked black hair accessory. "Today is my birthday."

"You are not allowed to make trouble."

She looked at Anar. "You sit next to me. I'll reward you with cake."

Anar's movements stopped. The white-gold lines didn't continue to overflow. The black and red patterns slowly receded along the base of her wings.

She held the teddy bear. For the first time, she didn't kneel mechanically. She just lowered her head.

Liu Qing's voice came over. "Master, Anar's brain waves showed a brief autonomous fluctuation."

Su Muxue withdrew the cold-condensed needle. Qin Yumo released the hilt.

Tang Qiqi sniffled over the communication channel. "It's over. Bird-person sister is kind of cute."

...

Evening. The birthday banquet officially began.

The first batch of gifts arrived from the outside.

Jiangcheng University sent a truckload of handwritten blessing boards.

Master Jiu sent a message, "Adding a little something for Miss Lin, don't mind if it's shabby."

Shanghai sent a set of military-grade protective inner linings. Lieutenant Colonel Liu Zheng added, "Wartime protocol."

Zhe City Feng Sanhai sent fresh vegetable seeds. Feng Qingwu organized them into a children's version of a small-world planting atlas.

Finally, the Capital dropped an encrypted gift box from high altitude. It went through security checks three times. The box was opened. Inside was a star map projector.

A note was attached: [To Miss Lin.] [May you remember that humanity once saw the true starry sky.] Signed: Adam.

Tang Qiqi finished reading the note and clicked her tongue. "The old guy knows how to give gifts."

All screens lit up simultaneously. The gift list. The sources of the blessings. The Outer Circle, Middle Circle, and Inner Circle all saw it.

A laborer holding a bowl muttered, "So many people are standing behind Miss Lin?"

The person next to him took a sip of meat soup. "No kidding. That's Mr. Lin's daughter."

Soon, Tang Qiqi launched small fireworks. The fireworks rose into the sky. The star map projector lit up. The fireworks and starlight overlapped. The wasteland briefly had color.

The Outer Circle began distributing meat soup. One bowl per person. A small cake. A pack of compressed biscuits.

The children were arranged in the front row by Zhou Heng. No one grabbed. No one shouted. Only the sound of hot soup being blown cool.

In front of the long table in the Tiangong No. 1 living room, Lin Yuan pushed the cake toward Lin Motong. "Miss Lin. Make a wish."

Lin Motong looked at Wang Ya. Then at Lin Yuan. Then at Anar, who was holding the teddy bear. Finally, she said softly, "I hope Dad and Mom will always be here."

[Ding! Target Lin Motong, favorability + 3%, current favorability: 39%!]

Wang Ya's eyes turned red. Lin Yuan reached out and rubbed Lin Motong's head. "Eat."

...

Jiang Yun also received a small cake. She and a fellow worker sat by the low wall. Fireworks rose in the distance.

Someone was bragging, "I've seen celebrity birthday parties before, but they didn't have this kind of grandeur."

"You haven't seen anything, at most you've watched a livestream."

"What's wrong with livestreams? I've even sent virtual gifts."

"Sent what? Probably gifts you got for free by watching ads."

Jiang Yun originally wanted to keep a cold face. But in the end, she smiled. She broke the cake in half and handed it to the female worker next to her whom she had once saved.

The female worker quickly pushed it back. "Captain Jiang, you eat it."

Jiang Yun looked at her. She used to hate this title. When people in the Capital called her Captain Jiang, it was about status, bloodline, and the light of being Adam's daughter. When people here called her Captain Jiang, it was because she had stepped into the toxic fog and dragged people out.

She lowered her head and took a bite of the cake. The cream was thin. The cake sponge wasn't fluffy either. In the Capital, it wouldn't even count as a scrap of afternoon tea. But the laborer next to her was eating very slowly. As if afraid that if she finished it in one bite, there wouldn't be any tomorrow.

The fireworks illuminated the snow. No one knelt. No one shouted slogans. No one used the "greater good of humanity" to force anyone to die. Everyone held their hot soup, bragged, laughed, and cursed about having too much work. Then they continued to live on.

Jiang Yun suddenly understood. She didn't want to go back to the Capital. It was very clean there. But here, it felt more like a place where people lived.