Inside a large, well-lit room, one could see a tall, athletic young man doing all kinds of exercises.
"One, two, three, four, five, six…," the young man counted during his workout routine.
Yan was the name of the young man exercising in the room. After finishing his physical training session, he grabbed a towel and headed to the bathroom for a shower.
"Haah, what a refreshing shower," Yan murmured as he came out of the bathroom. Heading to the kitchen in search of something to satisfy his hunger, he came across a familiar figure.
A beautiful woman with long silver hair was focused as she chopped vegetables on a cutting board by the sink.
Approaching her silently, he hugged her from behind, catching the woman by surprise.
"Yan, I've got a knife in my hand! What if something had happened?" the woman said as she returned to chopping the vegetables.
"I knew nothing would happen, Mom," Yan replied calmly, still holding her from behind.
"And what makes you so sure?" Yan's mother asked, slightly puzzled.
"I don't need guarantees, Mom. I just trust that you wouldn't get hurt by something so trivial. You're far too perfect for that," Yan said with confidence.
Helena simply chuckled softly and continued cutting.
"You're hungry, aren't you? I'm just about done with lunch. Sit at the table while I finish preparing the food."
Yan did as his mother said and sat down at the dining table. Fifteen minutes later, lunch was ready.
As the delicious smell filled the air, his stomach growled instinctively and his mouth watered.
In just a few moments, the table was filled with delicious dishes.
"Mom, you truly are incomparable," Yan said sincerely as he looked at the food on the table.
"Thank you, dear," Helena replied with a smile as she sat down to eat with her son. However, just as they were about to take their first bite, the doorbell rang.
"That must be big sister. I'll get the door," Yan said after he and his mother exchanged a glance before he stood up.
Leaving the dining room and heading to the door, he opened it. Greeting him was a very beautiful young woman with sky-blue eyes and silver hair tied in a ponytail, just like their mother's.
"Big sister, why are you late? Did something happen?" Yan asked as he opened the door wider to let his sister in.
"Nothing major, little brother, just the usual," the young woman said before giving him a long, affectionate kiss on the cheek.
Returning to the dining room with his sister, the two sat at the table. However, just as his sister was about to pick up her utensils, their mother commented:
"Wash your hands first, Aurora," Helena said in a serious tone.
"I already cleaned my hands with a cleansing spell, Mom," Aurora replied as she reached for the fork again.
"That doesn't matter. Wash your hands with water and soap," Helena said, now in an authoritative tone.
"Alright, alright, I'm going," Aurora said quickly, seeing her mother wasn't joking.
After Aurora returned, now with her hands properly washed as her mother wanted, they were finally able to eat.
"Alright, now let's eat," Helena said.
After everyone finished eating, they cleaned the table and washed the dishes and utensils they had used.
Hours later, the three of them were sitting on the living room couch watching TV, with Yan lying down with his head on his mother's lap and his legs on his sister's.
"Now tell me what really made you late for lunch, Aurora," Helena said in an inquisitive tone while gently stroking Yan's hair.
"Nothing serious, Mom. There were just a few more dimensional beasts than usual. Nothing I couldn't handle with ease," Aurora answered calmly and confidently.
Hearing that, Yan turned his attention to his sister, raising an eyebrow with a hint of concern in his eyes, worried for her safety.
"You call that nothing serious?" Yan asked his sister.
Sensing her brother's genuine concern for her safety, Aurora couldn't help but chuckle.
"Hehe, like I said, it was nothing, little bro. It was super easy to deal with those French fries," Aurora said affectionately and playfully.
However, seeing in her beloved younger brother's eyes that his concern hadn't completely vanished, she shifted the subject to something more important.
"So, tomorrow you turn 18. What do you want for your birthday, little bro? You can ask for anything," Aurora said in a curious yet mysterious tone.
Hearing this, their mother also turned her attention to Yan and asked with interest, hiding something deeper:
"You really can ask for anything, sweetheart. Mommy will give it to you," Helena said to her son in a suggestive tone.
Hearing and understanding the suggestive tone of both his mother and older sister, he chuckled mentally. However, what he answered wasn't what they expected, but what they heard made them happy.
"I just want the three of us to be together forever and happy. You two are already the best gifts I could ever ask for," Yan said genuinely.
Touched by his sincerity, Helena and Aurora hugged him and covered his face with kisses.