Chapter 162: His Surprises Are Still Worth Believing In
As the evening approached, guests began arriving in steady streams.
Sophia moved through the crowd with a champagne flute in hand, exchanging toasts and pleasantries with practiced ease.
"Poppy Games' new mobile game hit over a hundred million downloads right after launch—such a promising future!"
"Ms. Johnson, you're a rising star! Building Vertex Innovations Group from a small company into a corporate empire in just five years—we all have so much to learn from you."
Sophia's smile remained polite as she responded smoothly, "I don't have any special insights to share. I've just been lucky, and I know how to recognize talent. The group's success today is entirely thanks to our employees' tireless dedication and all of your support."
"Ms. Johnson is too modest. If anything, we're the ones riding your coattails to success!"
Everyone chimed in with agreement. Sophia smiled without comment. These were small business owners, and she was the majority shareholder in their companies.
"Sophia!"
At the familiar voice, Sophia looked up to see her high school classmates arriving.
"Excuse me, my friends are here," she said with a smile to the small business owners before turning toward her long-unseen former classmates.
The soft fabric of her gown wrapped around her graceful figure, flowing naturally from the waist in gentle volume that swayed with each step like a lotus blooming with every stride.
Her gold stilettos complemented the dress's tone perfectly, making her already tall frame appear even more statuesque, her presence so commanding that eyes couldn't help but follow.
Sean's teasing gaze swept over Sophia, his lips curved in a lazy smile. "Look at you in this elaborate design tonight. If you're this stunning for a birthday party, you're really going to give designers a headache when it comes to your wedding dress."
Sophia stopped a step away from him, her eyes softening with amusement as her red lips curved upward. "That's Michael's problem to solve. After all, he's the one who had this dress custom-made."
Suddenly hit with Sophia's display of happiness, Sean's smile vanished. "Right, right, Sophia and her perfect life strikes again!"
Jade Marie joined in the teasing. "Sophia, you've known Michael for over twenty years. Aren't you bored yet? How are you two still so sweet together?"
"In our circle, besides Michael, who else could possibly match Sophia?" Sean shot her an exasperated look.
Sophia shook her head meaningfully. "We've only been dating for five years. Before I turned eighteen, we were just friends. So I think being in the honeymoon phase after five years is pretty normal."
Amelia couldn't help but laugh. "If Michael heard you say that, he'd probably have a crisis."
Of course, besides Michael, there probably wasn't anyone else in the world who could catch Sophia's eye.
"By the way, where's Michael? Why isn't he here yet?" Wayne scanned the surroundings. It was Sophia's birthday—shouldn't Michael have arrived early?
Sophia chuckled softly. "No need to look. He said he had to pick someone up and would be here later."
"Pick someone up? Who?" Amelia asked curiously, her mind racing. "Is Ella back?"
"Ella's rushing to finish her thesis. She couldn't make it." Sophia paused, then added, "I don't know who Michael's picking up either. He's being all mysterious about it."
While she was getting her makeup done at home, Michael had suddenly called to say he needed to pick up someone very important and would arrive late.
When she asked who, he said it was a temporary secret—he'd give her a surprise.
If those words had come from Andrew or John's mouth, it would likely be an unpleasant surprise.
Meanwhile, James's livestream had begun.
This was his first private livestream, and fans swarmed in, causing the stream to lag and drop frames. Even X nearly crashed.
James wore a pure white, intricately designed suit with gold chain detailing on the collar. Combined with his already refined features, he looked like a prince from a fairy tale.
The moment he appeared on camera, comments erupted like a volcanic explosion.
Fans never imagined that their idol being forced to pause work would result in a livestream where they could see his daily life!
"Good evening, everyone."
"Surprised about why I'm livestreaming tonight?" He turned slightly, letting the camera capture the scene behind him. "Thank you all for your support and encouragement over the years. Today is my sister's 23rd birthday, and I'd like to take this opportunity to formally introduce you to my family."
The screen shook as a dark figure strode over and slung an arm around James's shoulders, appearing in frame.
It was Ethan in a black shirt, also featuring chain detailing in silver-black that added an edgy coolness.
If James was the white prince from a fairy tale, then Ethan was more like the dark knight.
"James, you already started the stream?" Ethan glanced at the camera light, his arm still casually draped over James's shoulder as he waved. "Hey everyone, I'm Ethan, James's good friend."
The two—one in black, one in white, one gold, one silver, clearly close friends for years—now appearing together in a private livestream sent fans into tears of excitement.
What began as a lively event within James's fanbase became exponentially bigger with Ethan's surprise appearance—not via video call, but in person. Ethan's fans flooded in as well.
Before they'd even achieved their main purpose, the livestream completely crashed.
Staff scrambled to troubleshoot while X's backend team worked on emergency maintenance.
James and Ethan weren't in a hurry. They chatted casually while waiting for the stream to stabilize.
Just then, a commotion arose nearby.
"Why is Andrew here?"
"Smith Group issued a blacklist order against the Johnson family. As Smith Group's CEO, Andrew can't possibly be here to celebrate Ms. Johnson's birthday, right?"
"Are you kidding? Everyone knows Ms. Johnson and Andrew and John are like oil and water—they clash every time they meet. My bet? Andrew's here to cause trouble!"
James and Ethan turned to look. A man in a severe black suit, exuding cold authority, strode toward Sophia with long, purposeful steps.
Sophia stood her ground, staring directly at Andrew as he approached, her red lips curved in a slight smile even as her eyes radiated danger.