I've already said this isn't a life simulator!

"Oh……"

Ling didn't suspect anything and obediently helped, while Ying fell silent again, but...

"........."

Sakura's gaze would still occasionally drift towards Xiwang and Eden.

Especially when she saw the smile on Xi Wang's face, she would always feel a strange sense of loss and a faint joy.

Am I... being jealous? Or am I... offering my blessings?

Sakura looked somewhat bewildered.

But, as expected, there's still a bit of... unwillingness...

It's strange, why would I have such a thought?

Sakura shook her head, her long pink hair, as beautiful as cherry blossoms, swaying and mingling with the falling maple leaves... In the end, she could only look away, focusing on the task at hand, no longer looking at them, or rather... no longer looking at him.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Too Late... (5673)

Eden's birthday party was a great success. You vaguely feel that you and Eden have gotten a little closer... Hmm, no, if you get any closer, you'll almost become one. You should be a little careful!

[You even showed off your skills a little by making some snacks, which drew praise from the people around you... Even Sakura, who was inexplicably a bit down, perked up and smiled.]

[Indeed, sweetness can bring joy... It would be better if Eden's father's eyes were a little kinder.]

Afterwards, you and Eden returned to your respective paths... You continued on your paths in pursuit of your "desires," and even if you paused briefly for each other, you would not linger for long, for you knew that your radiance illuminated each other, and that you would meet again at the "end."

You've started traveling the world again, playing music on the streets of various cities, attracting passersby to stop and watch, bringing them some relaxation and music, and taking away some of their worries and stories.

Of course, you'll occasionally get lucky, and the city you're heading to might just overlap with the city Eden is going to... This is the happiest time for you and Eden, because it means you'll be able to see each other again, and even... bring some "little surprises" to others.

[You remember once when Eden held a signing event, you happened to be in the same city as her. Since you agreed to go out and explore the city together afterward, you chose to stop and wait at a convenience store.]

[While you were resting, you overheard two female students whispering to each other. One was lively, and the other was composed. The lively one complained about not getting Eden's autograph, saying she was so close to getting it... while the composed one gently comforted her.]

Finding it somewhat amusing, you instinctively struck up a conversation, using your identity as an "Eden fan" to chat with them... Of course, you were slightly disguised and wearing a mask, so neither of them immediately recognized you. However, one of them seemed a little confused by your voice, feeling as if she had heard it somewhere before.

As for why you changed your clothes... isn't it obvious? You want to enjoy some quiet "alone time" with Eden in the coming days, so you can't let those nosy media outlets catch you.

Perhaps it was your personality and politeness that won them both over. The lively student didn't resist your conversation; after asking a few tentative questions, he happily chatted with you. The more reserved student, on the other hand, remained silent, seemingly unsure of what to say.

Later, the lively student got quite engrossed in the conversation, asking you for your name and introducing herself and her friends. This is how you learned their names—Carol and Hua.

However, when you told them your name, they were all stunned. Carol didn't react for a moment and joked that you shared a name with a big star... Then, seeing that you didn't react, and even though her gaze towards you held a hint of a smile, she froze again, her expression turning astonished.

[Perhaps it was just too coincidental, but Eden, who had already finished his disguise, walked in. As if by telepathy, he met your gaze, then walked to your side and whispered your name in a very soft voice.]

[Carol and Hua, who were sitting nearby, also heard Eden's whisper and recognized his voice... Luckily, you signaled to them beforehand, and Hua covered Carol's mouth in time, otherwise Carol's scream might have attracted the attention of the entire block.]

Fortunately, Carol quickly understood why you and Eden had disguised themselves. Suppressing her excitement, she calmly obtained your and Eden's autographs before quickly saying goodbye and pulling Hua away—she was afraid she would burst into cheers if she stayed any longer.

Aside from that interesting incident, you also remember that time at Eden's concert, you secretly mingled with the audience because you had discussed an interesting way to make an entrance and perform with Eden... That time, the two boys sitting next to you were...

One was a sunny and enthusiastic white-haired boy who greeted you as he sat down and chattered on and on about various things. The other was an unusually quiet gray-haired boy who nodded to you and skillfully responded to his companion's rambling.

[During Eden's performance, the white-haired boy seemed particularly excited, as he noticed Eden's gaze frequently glancing in their direction, making him want to cheer several times... Luckily, his friend restrained him, otherwise the scene would have been quite amusing.]

Of course, when you finally appeared on stage, when the spotlight shone on you standing beside them, when you removed your mask, letting your gentle, breezy voice fill the venue, they were so shocked they couldn't speak... They could only stare blankly as you slowly rose, composedly walking onto the stage to stand shoulder to shoulder with Eden.

Honestly, their expressions were quite amusing, and I'm sure they'll remember this experience forever.

[And in this process, you naturally didn't forget to continue your "duty," writing new songs while reaping stories and following your inspiration. At the same time, you didn't forget your initial promise.]

As time went by, the song you wrote for Celine was completed and mailed to Celine's father, hoping he would take it to Celine and allow the father and daughter to meet.

[It is said that when Xilin's father received the song by mail, he was somewhat flustered and unprepared. However, after a brief moment of thought, he solemnly accepted it, packed his bags with great determination, changed into clean clothes, and set off to reunite with his daughter.]

【only……】

--------

Snapped! ! !

"You still dare to come back?! You have the nerve to come back?!"

With a loud slap, the restaurant owner... or rather, Celine's aunt, glared angrily at the man in front of her, her accusations never ceasing.

"Where have you been all these years?! Do you even know who my sister is... she!! How dare you come back?!"

"……sorry."

The man neither argued nor resisted; he simply lowered his head silently, accepting the blame he deserved.

"Does an apology make a difference?! Can an apology erase all the mistakes you've made over the years?! Do you even know what that child's situation is?! She's never seen her father in the first place...never! She doesn't even have a picture of you. What are you thinking?!"

"From birth, people said he was a child without a father. Do you think that child could bear it? Could a child bear it?! Could my sister bear it?! Where were you then?! Where were you when they needed you the most?! Dead?! If you're not dead, why didn't you come back? If you're not dead, how dare you come back now?!"

"Do you know what happened to that child after my sister left? ... She's been in a daze, constantly muttering that her mother will come back, will come back... She doesn't sleep every night, just leaves the light on and waits, worried that her mother won't be able to find the house when she comes back... And where were you at that time?!"

"And even if that child doesn't remember you, he misses you all the time because of my sister's constant nagging... How can you let a child care about someone who almost only exists in their imagination?!"

"Why are you back again?! You couldn't make it out there, so you came back here?!"

"Get out! That child doesn't need a father like you!!! You dare bother her, you bastard, you dare touch a single hair on that child's head, I'll never forgive you!!!"

"Okay, okay... slow down, slow down..."

The restaurant owner quickly comforted his wife while frantically gesturing with his eyes for the man in front of him to leave immediately.

The man hesitated for a moment. The landlady's anger and scolding weighed on his heart, and the thought of escaping surged into his mind again... But in the end, he still stood there, holding the package that Xi Wang had mailed to him tightly in his arms, as if it could provide him with some support and strength.

“I… just want to see her, and then… give this to him.”

"What is this? Money? Do you think the money you've saved up this year can make up for all the mistakes you've made over the years?"

"No...just..."

"Fine, I don't care what's inside. You're giving it to that child, right? You can leave the things there, but you can get out of here."

"...I want to give it to her myself."

"you dare?!"

"Please... I beg you..."

The man pleaded.

"I just...want to hand her over to her in person, to acknowledge her as my daughter, and to tell her...that she has another father..."

"........."

Looking at his sincere expression and the tears welling up in his eyes, the proprietress remained silent for a moment before slapping him again.

"shameless."

"And what kind of man cries like that!"

Although she was still scolding, her tone softened slightly, as if she had relented.

"Okay, okay, calm down... calm down... I'll talk to him."

"...If you dare take him to see that child, I'll never forgive you!"

"Yes, yes, calm down... how about having a little cocoa?"

While comforting his wife, the boss led her to the back kitchen and poured her a cup of her favorite hot cocoa to ease her anxiety. He then gestured to the man to go to the backyard. This time, the man did not insist and simply went to the backyard to wait.

After a while, the boss slowly came out, carefully closed the door to the backyard, walked to the man's side, looked him over carefully, and then shook his head helplessly.

"You know where that child's house is, right?"

"……Um."

"That guy who's always wandering around town, that's you too, right?"

"Ah."

"...Sigh, I really don't know what to say to you."

The boss rubbed his forehead in exasperation. After receiving this answer, many questions were answered... If the homeless man in the town was the man in front of him, then it meant that he had already returned when Sirin had grown into a young woman.

However… perhaps because of guilt, or perhaps because of fear, he didn’t directly acknowledge Sirin, but only watched from afar…

What an irresponsible father—the boss frowned, but could only let out a helpless sigh.

“I understand you, but… that doesn’t mean I’ll agree with you, you know? Because of what that kid went through, I’m going to beat you up no matter what.”

"If...this makes you feel any better..."

"Forget it, that's not what we should be doing right now."

The boss waved his hand, stopping him from speaking.

"In fact, you didn't hide it from us and went directly to see that child... Hmph, at least you have some conscience."

"……sorry."

"Alright, stop nagging... Let's go see the child."

"But your wife..."

"Ha, don't be fooled by how nasty she was, it was just because she was angry... She eventually softened her stance a little, didn't she?"

"Can……"

"Alright, alright, stop talking. You know where that child lives, so you can go there yourself. I'm just going with you to make sure you don't hurt the child."

"……Thanks."

"Don't thank me, hurry up and go, otherwise you'll be in big trouble if my wife changes her mind later."

The boss quickly pulled the man away from the backyard and headed towards Xilin's house.

"……snort."

Inside, the proprietress watched the two figures leave, gave a slightly displeased snort, and then drew the curtains to block out the view, decisively choosing to avoid seeing or hearing anything... She then took a sip of the hot cocoa in her hand, relying on the sweetness to suppress her restless mood.

"That's all the conscience he has left... Humph, you stinky man."

She got up and started preparing dinner... If nothing unexpected happened, they should have a small family dinner tonight. Hmm... I'll make something nice, just for the child.

only……

"……Um?"