Chapter 156: Happy Birthday

Watching Li Luo wrap a bandage around Ying Chanxi's fingers, Xu Youyu glanced curiously at the ball of yarn on the bed and the nearly finished scarf, unable to help exclaiming:

"Xixi, you're so amazing—you can knit scarves too?"

"I learned it from Lin Yi when I was little," Ying Chanxi said, lowering her head slightly in shyness. "I haven't knitted in ages, so I'm a bit rusty."

"So this is a birthday gift for Li Luo?" Xu Youyu said. "No wonder you rushed back so urgently."

Ying Chanxi felt a little embarrassed: "I thought I'd have enough time, but the competition class has been so busy—I've been staying up late to finish it, and I almost didn't make it."

Xu Youyu nodded in understanding, then walked out of the bedroom and brought back a Doraemon plush from the living room, smiling as she placed it in Ying Chanxi's hands: "I didn't even know today was Li Luo's birthday."

"But I happened to have bought gifts for both of you earlier—they arrived today."

"Just take this. I noticed you really like plush toys like this."

"Mmm…" Ying Chanxi blinked at the Doraemon plush in front of her, momentarily at a loss for words.

She glanced at Li Luo, then at the Pikachu plush Yan Zhusheng had given her, then back at the Doraemon, reached out, took it, and hugged it to her chest: "Thank you, senior—I love it."

Seeing Ying Chanxi accept the gift, Xu Youyu nodded contentedly, then stood up and patted her backside: "I'm going to take a shower now—you two chat."

Watching Xu Youyu leave the room, Li Luo turned his gaze back to Ying Chanxi: "Is your hand okay? Are you still going to finish the scarf?"

"I'm fine," Ying Chanxi picked up her knitting needles again, eager to finish the scarf.

Li Luo didn't disturb her further, simply sitting quietly beside the bed, watching her knit from the side.

Under the warm golden light, strands of hair fell from Ying Chanxi's ear, tracing the soft curve of her round face.

Her expression was focused, her hands moving swiftly; after another ten minutes or so, the scarf was nearly complete.

Ying Chanxi checked the time—it was just past nine—and let out a quiet sigh of relief.

"Done!"

Without even tidying up the yarn balls on her bed, she clutched the scarf to her chest and held it out to Li Luo: "Try it on! See if it fits."

Still, she didn't hand it to him—instead, she reached out and wrapped it around his neck herself, carefully looping it once, twice, until both ends hung down, one long, one short.

With the warm red scarf around his neck, Li Luo, who had been wearing his school jacket, suddenly looked softer, gentler.

He looked warm.

"Mmm… nice and warm," Li Luo smiled, brushing his fingers lightly over the scarf, feeling the texture beneath his skin. "I really like it."

Hearing Li Luo say that, Ying Chanxi's face lit up with a smile—every moment of effort felt worth it.

Especially seeing him wear her scarf, she felt overwhelming pride—a deep, steady joy settled in her chest, filling her with quiet contentment.

Like a puppy marking its territory.

"By the way," Ying Chanxi suddenly remembered something and asked curiously, "Senior Xu said she got you a gift too—what did she give you?"

"A keyboard," Li Luo stood up and walked out of the bedroom.

Ying Chanxi hurried after him, arriving beside the living room desk, where she immediately spotted two keyboards on the table.

One red, one blue—strikingly eye-catching.

"Why do these two keyboards look so similar?"

"She said they're custom-made," Li Luo said. "A limited edition from a specialized workshop—only three thousand made worldwide."

"I see," Ying Chanxi didn't understand keyboards, but she could tell they were valuable—she bit her lip slightly.

Then her gaze fell on the shoebox beside them: "By the way, what's this? I saw you carrying it after school, but I was in a rush to get back and didn't ask."

"Oh, this?" Li Luo opened the shoebox—inside was his old pair of shoes—and pointed to the new white sneakers by the door. "Yan Zhusheng gave me these sneakers. Also a birthday gift."

"Really?" Ying Chanxi narrowed her eyes, glancing between Xu Youyu's keyboard and Yan Zhusheng's sneakers. "Did anyone else give you a birthday gift?"

"I don't think so?" Li Luo thought for a moment—no one else had mentioned it today.

Mainly because he never celebrated his birthday; unless someone asked, no one even knew the date.

Only Yan Zhusheng, that oblivious fool, didn't even ask—he just took Li Luo's QQ birthday as real, never considering it might be fake.

Xu Youyu's gift was just luck—the delivery happened to arrive today.

Only Ying Chanxi had been preparing a gift for him long in advance—and made it by hand.

"But besides the scarf, I prepared something else," Ying Chanxi walked behind Li Luo, nudging his shoulders toward the dining table and pressing him into a chair.

She pulled out a blindfold from somewhere, helped him put it on, and warned: "No peeking, okay?"

"Got it," Li Luo chuckled. "Why so mysterious?"

"Just wait. Don't ask."

Li Luo's ears twitched—he heard Ying Chanxi's footsteps retreating, heading toward the kitchen… hmm… the fridge door opened, then closed.

What did she take?

Click.

The sound of the living room lights turning off.

Even with the blindfold on, there were still small gaps letting in light.

Now that the living room lights were out, Li Luo saw nothing at all.

But soon, the sound of a lighter flicking to life reached his ears.

Li Luo's heart stirred, and a small smile touched his lips.

"Time to take off the blindfold," Ying Chanxi stepped behind him and whispered in his ear.

Li Luo nodded.

The next second, Ying Chanxi removed the blindfold.

Before him lay the dim living room—and on the dining table, a small birthday cake, glowing with flickering candlelight.

Ying Chanxi's cake was no bigger than a palm, with two candles shaped like "1" and "6."

Marking that Li Luo had turned sixteen.

"Happy birthday~"

"Happy birthday~"

Ying Chanxi stood behind Li Luo, clapping her hands gently and humming the birthday song.

After finishing the song, she patted Li Luo on the shoulder: "Make a wish."

"Alright." Li Luo smiled, looking at the cake and candles before him, his eyes still tinged with nostalgia.

The last time he ate a birthday cake was probably back in elementary school.

It was an incredibly distant memory.

He pressed his palms together and silently made a wish in his heart.

Then he opened his eyes and blew out the candles in one breath.

Ying Chanxi clapped and cheered, turned on the living room lights, and asked curiously: "What was your wish?"

"If you say it out loud, it won't come true. Are you sure you want to hear it?"

"Then never mind, don't tell me."

Taking off the candles, Ying Chanxi picked up the plastic cake knife and divided the cake into three pieces: "Save a piece for Senior."

"By the way, why didn't you wait until Senior finished her shower?"

Ying Chanxi's gaze flickered away as she replied offhandedly: "I forgot. I was just too eager to celebrate your birthday."

A little while later.

Li Luo and Ying Chanxi had both finished eating the cake when Xu Youyu finally stepped out of the bathroom, towel drying her hair.

Seeing the slice of cake left for her, her eyes lit up: "Didn't expect to get a free slice—thanks!"

"I'm going to take a shower now." After finishing the cake, Ying Chanxi picked up her change of clothes and entered the bathroom.

Li Luo stretched out at the dining table, stood up, took the cyan-blue keyboard Xu Youyu had given him, and headed toward his bedroom: "I'll try out the keyboard you gave me."

"Go ahead, go ahead." Xu Youyu waved her hand. "Happy birthday."

…

That night, after her shower, Ying Chanxi returned to the bedroom, tidied the bed, and lay down to sleep.

But thinking of the birthday gifts Senior and Zhusheng had given Li Luo, she couldn't help but press her lips together.

In the end, she turned onto her side, pulled the Pikachu and Doraemon plushies from the nightstand into her arms.

She punched them both—thud, thud.

One punch per plushie—fair distribution, after all.

…

On the other side, Li Luo, typing furiously on the keyboard Xu Youyu had given him, suddenly received a QQ message from his editor.

【Qianzhou】: Chongran, are you there? Do you know Yuan Wanqing?!