Song Yi: "?"
She looked at Hang Feng, then at Shen Yujing, feeling that both of them were acting rather strange.
If they didn't want to drink, that was fine, but why did they look as if drinking a sip of turtle soup would be the death of them?
In the end, Song Yi served herself a bowl of soup and sat down.
The broth was delicious and the meat tender. Song Yi thought regretfully: Shen Yujing and Hang Feng were really missing out by not drinking this soup.
Everyone felt satisfied after finishing the meal.
As darkness fell, the final event was naturally the cake.
The cake Shen Yujing ordered was even prettier than Murong Huan's, also being three-tiered.
Thinking about her tragic experience at school today, Song Yi looked at Shen Yujing and said, "Don't move around."
She then carefully walked towards the cake.
Shen Yujing: "..."
Murong Huan helped Song Yi open the cake box and lit the candles.
Song's Father had already cleared away the empty dishes from the table, making room for the enormous cake.
Murong Huan placed a birthday hat on Song Yi's head before turning to get the candles.
Unlike ordinary candles, this one was shaped like a cute little girl with black hair, wearing a Saint Slee school uniform of the same color as Song Yi's – clearly custom-made in her image.
This candle was something Murong Huan had ordered well in advance, originally planning to put it on the birthday cake she bought, but unexpectedly, Shen Yujing ended up benefiting from it.
The little girl candle wore a birthday hat with a wick protruding from the top.
When the candle was lit, the room lights were turned off.
Everyone gathered around the table, staring at the cake... or rather, at the little girl's birthday hat.
They all chose to remain quiet, as the scene somehow had an oddly eerie feel to it.
Soon, the birthday hat began to melt, and the flame reached the little girl's hair.
Shen Yujing spoke in an ominous tone: "Song Yi, your hair is about to disappear. You're going to go bald."
Song Yi: "..."
It was Jiang Yiheng who finally spoke up: "Stop watching, let's make a wish first."
"Yes, yes, yes," Quan Le nodded, "What's there to look at? It's just a very... ordinary candle, right? Let's sing the birthday song quickly!"
Right, very ordinary indeed.
Everyone began singing the birthday song for Song Yi, though some voices were rather discordant, managing to go off-key even with such a simple tune.
"Happy birthday~ to~ you! Happy~ birth~day to you~"
Song Yi stood before the cake, hands clasped together and eyes closed, trying hard to ignore the off-key singing around her.
This is so wonderful, she thought. If only it could stay like this forever.
She wished for everyone around her to be safe and sound, to continue getting along like this, staying happy and worry-free.
She hoped everyone could completely break free from the constraints of the original plot, each finding their own new life and beautiful future.
*
Meanwhile, at the Hang Family residence.
Grandmother placed the steaming dishes on the table, trying to maintain a stern expression, but her eyes betrayed undisguised affection.
It hadn't been long since their last meeting, but she thought he seemed to have grown taller.
Xu Che was used to this by now. Every time he visited Grandmother, she would say they should meet less often while continuously expressing her concern for him, her eyes never leaving him for a moment.
She clearly missed and loved him deeply, but to avoid hurting Hang Feng, she deliberately maintained her distance, always saying that keeping things as they were was for the best.
A sour feeling crept into his heart – was it envy?
Xu Che thought there must be some.
He envied Hang Feng, who at least had someone who loved him wholeheartedly, unlike himself who had to be so cautious even just being here.
Was there jealousy too?
Xu Che wasn't sure about that, but he didn't need an answer right now.
As Grandmother often said, with their complicated family situation, maintaining the status quo without causing any disturbance was good enough.
As for the future...
Well, that could wait until Xu Yuanguo's death.
Hang Feng lived so far from Xu Yuanguo that his intense hatred had been dulled by time, allowing some familial sentiment and sorrow to develop before Xu Yuanguo's death.
But for Xu Che, it was precisely their daily interaction that continuously deepened his initially vague hatred, completely erasing any hope for familial affection he once had.
Ironically, the person who most wanted Xu Yuanguo dead might not be Hang Feng, but him.
Because to Xu Che, once Xu Yuanguo died, everything would end.
When his mother learned that Xu Yuanguo had left everything to the illegitimate son she despised most, she might go mad.
But none of that mattered anymore. Years of torment and pain were finally coming to an end.
The youth thought this as a flash of cold resentment passed through his downcast eyes.
This was Xu Che's first time staying for dinner, and when Grandmother handed him the chopsticks, he was so nervous he didn't know which hand to use.
The seemingly fierce youth now sat uneasily, carefully picking up some food with his chopsticks.
It was bland, lacking flavor – she must have forgotten to add salt.
Yet to Xu Che, this was the most delicious meal he had ever eaten.
He didn't speak, just lowered his head and ate faster.
Grandmother poured him a glass of water and caringly advised: "Don't eat so quickly, it's not good for your stomach."
Xu Che remained silent, but his movements only quickened.
Like someone who had been thirsting in the desert facing clean water, Xu Che didn't know if there would be a next time, so he wanted to eat as much of Grandmother's cooking as possible, as if making up for all the familial love he had missed over the years.
Only when he felt his stomach reaching its limit did Xu Che reluctantly put down his chopsticks.
He looked up at the clock on the wall and asked Grandmother again: "Are you sure Hang Feng won't suddenly come back?"
If possible, he didn't want to leave Grandmother so early.
He wanted to stay by her side longer, rather than return to that cold, oppressive, suffocating home.
Grandmother smiled: "He's attending a friend's birthday party, he won't be back this early."
Xu Che breathed a sigh of relief, but then seemed to realize something and asked: "He has friends?"
In Xu Che's memory, his younger brother had always been introverted since childhood. He now had friends? That was a good thing.
"Yes," Grandmother nodded, smiling as she said: "They go to the same school, Saint Slee, and they were even desk mates."
Same school as Hang Feng – Xu Che had a vague idea in his mind.
But he still casually asked: "What's their name?"
Grandmother answered: "Song Yi. 'Song' as in the Song Dynasty, 'Yi' as in 'lovely person' – it's a beautiful name."
As expected.
Xu Che pressed his lips together, his hand unconsciously tightening at his side.
Same school, former desk mates, helped him a lot.
So that's why they were friends.
Grandmother, unaware of Xu Che's thoughts, continued: "The young lady is beautiful and kind-hearted, she's helped Hang Feng and me so much lately. Look, she hung the calendar and clock on the wall, and even gave us that turtle. Hang Feng takes care of it daily. Though he doesn't talk much, he's very attentive when it comes to looking after animals."
Turtle?
Xu Che's gaze followed Grandmother's pointing finger toward the balcony.
In the fish tank, a turtle lay there, only its shell visible from a distance.
For some reason, he suddenly thought of that candy – his favorite candy.
It was something he usually couldn't even bring himself to eat, yet he had given it to her.
But somehow, that piece of candy had ended up in Hang Feng's hands.
Was it because they were friends? Just because they were friends?
Xu Che had always wanted to be a good older brother, but his relationship with Hang Feng wasn't suitable, and he never had the chance to fulfill this dream.
Suddenly, he felt the urge to compete for something.
This feeling was strange and contradictory – his heart didn't hurt, but there was an odd itch that kept making him think about it.
But what exactly it was, and why, he hadn't yet figured out.
The young boy pursed his lips, and as if moved by some mysterious force, he lifted his head to look at his grandmother. In a soft voice, he asked, "Grandma, may I take that snapping turtle home with me?"
"I... I really like it."
