My girlfriend was reborn.

Chapter 174 From now on, it's your journey~

"Yay, it's a surprise!"

Cheng Shuangjiang blinked, watching curiously as Zhou Heming got up and opened the refrigerator.

Then, I carefully took a transparent plastic food storage container out of the refrigerator.

Inside the box was a crooked, square cake.

The moment Cheng Shuangjiang saw the cake, her eyes widened, her mouth opened slightly involuntarily, and her gaze remained fixed on the cake, which didn't look very appealing, without blinking.

It wasn't until Lu Qian helped tidy up the table and placed the cake in the center that Cheng Shuangjiang finally recognized it.

"This is... a lemon mousse cake?"

Cheng Shuangjiang said blankly.

Unlike the exquisitely decorated cakes sold in supermarkets, this one in front of me is a bit crooked, like the one Hagrid crushed in Harry Potter; it doesn't look very appealing.

On the cake, there were also less pretty words written in pale yellow lemon curd.

Happy birthday, Shuangbao!

"You made this yourself?"

Cheng Shuangjiang found it hard to look away from the words, and her voice trembled slightly.

"Well, this is quite difficult to do. I failed several times before, but luckily I succeeded this time. Maybe it's a kind of luck."

Zhou Heming scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.

"When did you learn it? When did you do it?"

Cheng Shuangjiang was a little incredulous, and raised her voice a little as she repeated it over and over.

It turns out that even top students who score 740 on the college entrance exam can experience a mental breakdown when they are extremely happy and excited.

"It's when you're in class, sometimes you have class and I don't, that's when I come back and learn by myself from the videos."

Zhou Heming explained earnestly.

"Because I was worried you would find out, I had to double-check every time I tidied up. Luckily, we haven't been cooking much lately."

He took the candles from the birthday set he bought from the cake shop, stuck them on the cake, and lit them with the included matches.

This is a number candle, shaped like the number "19".

"As for this cake, it was made this afternoon. Although it looks a bit ugly, it should taste pretty good."

Zhou Heming placed a paper birthday crown on Cheng Shuangjiang's head.

Then, after turning off the living room lights, Lu Qian began to sing a birthday song.

Zhou Heming sang along, and the two sat on either side of Cheng Shuangjiang.

Cheng Shuangjiang rubbed her nose and started singing along.

Happy birthday to me! Happy birthday to me!

The three of them sang it once in Chinese and then once in English.

It's as if we want to extend this period of time indefinitely.

After singing the birthday song.

The surroundings fell into silence and darkness, with only the flickering candlelight illuminating the faces of the three people, as if the world had shrunk to just the three of them.

If the end of the universe has a shape, perhaps it looks like this.

Cheng Shuangjiang looked at the candles and the cake.

At the age of eighteen, reborn, surrounded by her friends and Zhou Heming, she made a wish before the candle that she could never fulfill.

The feelings of the young girl who made that wish still lingered in Cheng Shuangjiang's heart.

She could feel that unwavering, burning emotion, like a moth drawn to a flame.

At the time, Cheng Shuangjiang didn't quite understand.

How could anyone in this world love others more than themselves?

And now.

Following this arduous journey, Cheng Shuangjiang finally found her own star.

Now, Cheng Shuangjiang finally understands why she wanted to save him even after being reborn.

If it were Cheng Shuangjiang herself, and if Zhou Heming had encountered a similar accident, she would definitely have resolutely embarked on the cycle of reincarnation, time and time again, to save the boy with unwavering determination.

and so.

Let's go back to that question.

Was Cheng Shuangjiang lucky?

She felt she was lucky.

She is lucky, or rather, happy, to be with the person she loves most at this age and to have a simple and long future with him.

Amidst the flickering firelight.

Cheng Shuangjiang felt as if she saw her figure.

The reborn girl who had come from afar turned around, looked back, tilted her head and smiled, then whispered softly.

"My story has come to an end. Now, it's your turn to start your journey."

"Ah."

Cheng Shuangjiang nodded slightly, then blew out the candles, closed her eyes, and made a wish.

The room was plunged into darkness.

It was so quiet, you could almost hear a heartbeat.

Cheng Shuangjiang's hand was quietly taken; it was Zhou Heming's hand. Their fingers intertwined, as if they wanted to convey their longing through touch.

"Would you like the lights turned on?"

Lu Qian, standing to the side, teased him leisurely.

Let's stay here for a while.

Cheng Shuangjiang responded, leaning on Zhou Heming's shoulder, feeling incredibly content.

"What wish did you make?"

Zhou Heming squeezed Cheng Shuangjiang's palm.

"I'll tell you when it's achieved."

Cheng Shuangjiang smiled slightly, raised her eyes, and looked at herself shining brightly in Zhou Heming's eyes in the darkness.

"How can I help you achieve this if you don't tell me?"

Zhou Heming looked back and met her gaze in the quiet living room.

"That will be when we are in our seventies or eighties, when we are all old."

Cheng Shuangjiang raised her other hand and gently tidied Zhou Heming's hair.

"When we can no longer walk, when all our teeth have fallen out, and when we can no longer see clearly, then I can tell you."

She paused for a moment, then raised her face.

"Let me tell you, every year when I was eighteen, nineteen, and twenty, my wish was to be with you forever and spend the rest of my life together."

"Then I'll have to work hard."

Zhou Heming said the exact same thing he had said that day.

At that time, he had not yet experienced these things.

At this moment, he has already endured many hardships.

Different states of mind, but the same answer.

The two looked at each other.

Slowly, they drew closer.

A simple, timeless kiss, like a vow, replaced all words, an eye contact, and an intertwining of thoughts.

Lu Qian stood to the side, watching the two of them, a faint smile on her face.

After a long while, Zhou Heming and Cheng Shuangjiang finally separated.

"A-Qian, could you please turn on the light?"

Cheng Shuangjiang looked at Lu Qian, who had been watching quietly from the side.

"Great."

Lu Qian turned on the light and saw that Cheng Shuangjiang's eyes were red and moist.

"Look at you, you've let Shuangjiang go hungry."

"Are you hungry?"

Zhou Heming made a comment, then gently wiped away the tears on Cheng Shuangjiang's cheeks.

"Shall we cut the cake?"

"Uh-huh."

Overjoyed and tearful, Cheng Shuangjiang nodded, picked up a plastic cake knife, and cut the square lemon mousse cake into three pieces.

"Quickly try Zhou Heming's flavor."

Lu Qian urged.

"Why are you being so ambiguous? What do you mean by 'my taste'? It should be the taste of the cakes I make."

Zhou Heming's lips twitched.

"There's not much difference."

Lu Qian smiled and handed the spoon to Cheng Shuangjiang.

Cheng Shuangjiang took the spoon, gently scooped out a small spoonful, and put it into her mouth.

She closed her eyes and savored the taste carefully, as if trying to detect some other flavor.

After a long while, until she swallowed the cake, Cheng Shuangjiang opened her eyes again.

"Is it delicious? Is it delicious?"

Lu Qian asked. "It's a taste that I want to eat for the rest of my life."

Cheng Shuangjiang looked at Zhou Heming.

"It tastes like stir-fried romaine lettuce with black bean dace."

"There's such a flavor? I definitely have to try it."

Lu Qian smiled and took a bite, savoring it carefully.

"It really is delicious. I feel like if Ahe opens a cake shop in the future, we can make a living."

“It seems like a good idea. Ah He and I will be in charge of making bread and cakes in the kitchen, and Ah Qian will be in charge of sales at the front desk.”

Cheng Shuangjiang smiled and took another small bite.

"Haha, we can wait for special occasions and let me make some special edition cakes as holiday limited editions."

Lu Qian seems to be seriously planning out the daily operations of running the shop in the future.

"Our business might get very bad during the holidays."

Zhou Heming also joined in the two girls' fantasy.

"What are you talking about? If you include a signed photo of me as a gift, those customers will probably line up to buy it."

Lu Qian stated that she has unique marketing methods.

"Then, for my next birthday, I want to eat the birthday cake that Asahi and Asahi made together."

Cheng Shuangjiang paused halfway through her sentence, skillfully avoiding the question about Lu Qian's cooking skills.

"Okay, then I want to eat the cake you two make for my birthday."

Lu Qian smiled and ate another spoonful.

"It feels like we're the ones who got the short end of the stick."

Zhou Heming muttered something.

"Then on your birthday, Shuangjiang and I will make a cake for you."

Lu Qian said with a grin.

I don't know if what she was talking about was actually a cake.

After the three of them ate the cake and washed up again, Lu Qian nudged Zhou Heming.

"Well, since it's Cheng Shuangjiang's birthday, why don't you go and keep her company tonight and tomorrow night? I'll just sleep here by myself."

Seeing this, Cheng Shuangjiang immediately took Lu Qian's hand.

"No need, I think I'll spend tonight with both of you."

Together?
Zhou Heming scratched his head.

I'm starting to feel relieved that I don't have to get up at 8 AM tomorrow.

*
early morning.

When Zhou Heming woke up, he felt a tightness in his chest.

Looking down, he saw that Cheng Shuangjiang's head was pressing against his chest.

Lu Qian lay to the side, her sleeping posture rather unseemly.

It was rare for Cheng Shuangjiang to sleep so casually before. At least when the three of them slept together, Cheng Shuangjiang was always the one who was slightly more gentle and reserved, like the second child in a wealthy family, cautious and flattered.

It seems that Lu Qian and Zhou Heming really exhausted Cheng Shuangjiang last night, so much so that she didn't even notice her sleeping posture.

We still need to let the young girl release some of her pent-up emotions.

None of the three of them had 8 AM today, but Zhou Heming and Cheng Shuangjiang had classes in the second period.

He glanced at the time and gently shook the girl in his arms.

"Frost's Descent, get up."

Awakened by Zhou Heming's actions, Cheng Shuangjiang slowly opened her sleepy eyes and looked up at the boy.

“You didn’t call me that last night.”

Seemingly not fully awake yet, Cheng Shuangjiang spoke in a coquettish tone, completely unlike her usual gentle or reserved self.

"Frost Treasure".

Zhou Heming didn't know why he had acted impulsively and wrote "Shuangbao" on the cake. Then that night, Cheng Shuangjiang insisted that he call her that.

Fortunately, Lu Qian didn't join in the commotion.

"hey-hey."

Cheng Shuangjiang smiled, her eyes narrowed, and then she lay back down.

"Get up, time to get ready for class."

Zhou Heming shook the girl again, afraid she would fall back asleep.

"Hmm, how about we skip class?"

Cheng Shuangjiang was shaken awake, frowned, and said with obvious displeasure.

Oh My God.

Love is a devil.

Cheng Shuangjiang, a top student with excellent grades and a well-behaved attitude, was turned into a lazy bum who would mutter "maybe I should skip class" in the morning.

Zhou Heming's pupils dilated.

But then again.

Today is Frost's Descent.

Cheng Shuangjiang's birthday.

The birthday boy can do whatever he wants.

"Then I'll skip class and keep you company."

Zhou Heming responded.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Shuangjiang's eyes immediately cleared.

"No, Ah He, you must study hard."

came back.

The academic genius Cheng Shuangjiang is back.

"I'm getting up now, Ah He, you shouldn't stay in bed either."

Cheng Shuangjiang quickly got up, and when she saw Lu Qian still fast asleep, she immediately lowered her voice.

"Let's not disturb A-Qian."

Zhou Heming nodded and tiptoed out of the bedroom with Cheng Shuangjiang.

In the restroom, Zhou Heming and Cheng Shuangjiang stood side by side, brushing their teeth in front of the mirror.

In a daze, he had a feeling of returning to the past.

Now, the thought that such moments could last forever filled him with emotion.

"what happened?"

Cheng Shuangjiang, who had just spit out a mouthful of water, looked up and met Zhou Heming's gaze in the mirror.

"Just thinking about how things will always be like this, and how I'll wake up and see you the first thing I see, makes me feel so happy."

Zhou Heming replied, looking at Cheng Shuangjiang staring at him in the mirror. He turned his head and saw the girl's pale cherry-colored lips as she raised her face. Then, he gently lowered his head and kissed her.

"The taste of toothpaste."

After they parted, Cheng Shuangjiang said, her cheeks flushed.

"This is a good opportunity to check if you've brushed your teeth properly."

Zhou Heming made a joke.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Shuangjiang stood on tiptoe and kissed him again.

"Let me check yours too."

After a brief but unforgettable deep kiss, she smiled.

Which cafeteria should we go to for lunch?

Zhou Heming left a message in the family group chat for Lu Qian, who was still sleeping, and then Zhou Heming and Cheng Shuangjiang walked towards the school gate.

"Second canteen, you need to go to the multimedia building for class, it's closer there, I can get there quickly."

Cheng Shuangjiang had long since memorized Zhou Heming's textbooks and classroom.

"Then I'll wait for you at the cafeteria entrance with Asahi."

Zhou Heming nodded.

"In the evening, I don't have class last period, so I can go to the supermarket with Ahe to buy ingredients for dinner."

Cheng Shuangjiang considered it again.

"I'll take care of things today, so the birthday boy/girl can just wait patiently."

Zhou Heming smiled.

"That won't do. It'll be too tiring for you to do it alone, and it'll take a long time. Then A-Qian will start complaining about her stomach rumbling again."

Cheng Shuangjiang shook her head and gently squeezed Zhou Heming's hand.

"She always learns this from the internet."

Of the three, Lu Qian was the fastest at surfing the internet, often spouting strange things that Zhou Heming and Cheng Shuangjiang couldn't understand.

"Okay, let's cook together. We'll make whatever you want to eat."

"Then I want to eat it."

Cheng Shuangjiang paused for a moment, then smiled.

"Stir-fried romaine lettuce with dace in fermented black beans".

*
Thank you everyone for your monthly tickets and recommendation votes!
(End of this chapter)