The unattainable beauty was driven to depravity and madness by a wicked seed.

Lu Sui held Shen Qinghuai's arm, "I'm trying to make Chen Jingmo happy."

"Yes, I know, this doesn't contradict my previous question."

"...You liked me for too short a time."

"So you always say you don't like me?"

"……Um."

Shen Qinghuai hugged Lu Sui and said, "Then what should we do? The time I like you will always be shorter than the time you like me."

"It's okay, you have many people you like." Lu Sui asked, "What about Chen Jingmo?"

"If he can take what I said today to heart, he'll feel better. If he can't, we'll try to talk to him more in the future."

Lu Sui rested quietly on Shen Qinghuai's shoulder, and after a while, said, "The weather is really nice today."

Shen Qinghuai hummed in agreement, then carried Lu Sui to the sofa, picked up a blanket, and hung it out to dry on the balcony.

Lu Sui: ...

Shen Qinghuai didn't mention the matter until evening, which made Lu Sui so angry that she bit his arm several times and wouldn't let him in when she took a shower.

As if to make Shen Qinghuai realize that he had done something wrong, Lu Sui stayed in the bathroom for a long time, rolled up his towel and bath towel into a long strip, tied it in a knot, pulled it tight, hid it while panting, dressed and went out with red eyes, wanting to order him to celebrate his birthday.

But when the bedroom door was opened, it was very dark outside. The curtains were drawn, and only a little moonlight shone in. Lu Sui couldn't see clearly and couldn't find Shen Qinghuai. Standing at the door, he touched the light switch on the wall and cursed Shen Qinghuai for being a liar, having a pig brain, remembering nothing, being particularly bad, and wanting to hide all of his underwear so that he wouldn't be able to wear it.

"But honey, these pants are my safety. Without them, I can only let you be my...sex."

Shen Qinghuai's voice was slow and soft, afraid of startling Lu Sui. Lu Sui was facing the wall, and when she heard Shen Qinghuai speak, she didn't turn her head, her forehead pressed against the wall. "I don't want to be your wife anymore. I'm not your wife anymore either. You know I'm afraid of the dark, yet you still turn off the lights. I hate you."

"Turning off the lights is a ritual."

"What ceremony?"

"Birthday rituals."

Birthday……

Lu Sui turned around and saw Shen Qinghuai holding a cake with number candles on it, and something playing "Happy Birthday" music.

"Didn't you forget?"

"I haven't forgotten, I'm just not ready yet."

I'm going to cry.

Shen Qinghuai steadily carried the small cake out with one hand, while stretching out his other arm, "Don't cry, come here for a hug."

Lu Sui hugged Shen Qinghuai, looking curiously at the cake in his hand, "Do you have to eat cake on your birthday?"

"Yes, this is a birthday cake."

Shen Qinghuai led Lu Sui to the table and placed the cake on it. "Is the living room security camera on?"

"…without."

"Xiao Bao, open it up. All the wonderful things today are worth recording."

Lu Sui was still holding Shen Qinghuai. He gently rubbed the fabric of Shen Qinghuai's clothes with his fingertips, and his raven-feather eyelashes trembled slightly. "I lied to you, it was open."

"So, does that mean Xiao Bao looks at me every time?" Shen Qinghuai smiled gently.

"No, that's not true!"

"Next time, I don't need to use surveillance cameras. I can just stand right in front of Xiaobao—hmm."

"Don't tell anyone." Lu Sui turned to look at the cake. "Blow out the candles."

"Sing a birthday song." Shen Qinghuai's voice was slightly magnetic, his eyes fixed on Lu Sui every moment, and the six words "Happy Birthday to You" flowed out clearly and hoarsely from his mouth.

Lu Sui said he sang badly.

Shen Qinghuai asked, "What's wrong with it?"

"It's so sad, it made my wife want to cry."

Shen Qinghuai asked Lu Sui to make a wish and cut the cake for him. Lu Sui then said the cake wasn't very good. He lifted up Shen Qinghuai's loose short-sleeved shirt and crawled inside, pressing his face against Shen Qinghuai's chest. After a while, Shen Qinghuai felt his chest was cool.

"Don't cry, I'll make you an even better cake next time."

Don't you have a birthday?

"If Xiao Bao lives, then I live."

Lu Sui said no, and used her phone to play a birthday song for Shen Qinghuai. She also lit the candles and made him blow them out. In the end, both of their eyelashes were wet.

At exactly nine o'clock, the time Shen Qinghuai was born, the clock on the wall just pointed to "9" when the two of them received a red envelope notification on their phones.

It was sent by Liu Qiushui. She wished Shen Qinghuai happiness every day and smooth sailing in his studies and career, and also wished Lu Sui happiness and good health every day.

The living room lights were still off. Lu Sui nibbled on Shen Qinghuai's ear and said that tonight he would be happy, full of happiness.

Shen Qinghuai's throat tightened. He felt a sense of guilt for repeating his own words, as if he was corrupting the person, but he was also inexplicably relieved. "You can't eat that much cream."

"If you can eat it, then eat it."

When Lu Sui said that, Shen Qinghuai fed him cream. Not a drop of cream on the cake was wasted. The cream that got on Lu Sui's lips was rubbed off with his fingertips and put into his mouth. When he got tired of eating it himself, he smeared the cream on Lu Sui's shoulder. Lu Sui told him not to do that, saying that it would be hard to wash off later and that he would need a lot of shower gel. Shen Qinghuai disobeyed and got slapped.

There were two other flavors of cream today, but Lu Sui didn't like either of them and shook her head in refusal. Shen Qinghuai took a bite himself and said, "It's delicious. Wife, are you really not going to try some?"

"No."

"Alright then, honey, you'll have to feed yourself another one."

After a moment, Shen Qinghuai seemed to remember something, kissed Lu Sui's neck, and whispered, "Where we're from, we celebrate birthdays with cake, a birthday song, and some pocket money, but I should take you out to play."

Lu Sui shook his head, "It's hot, I don't want to go out."

"I know, but our birthday is in September, and it's always hot there. So every year on the last day of the year, I will celebrate your birthday again. Don't worry that I will forget, Xiao Bao. You just need to be happy on that day."

"Two birthdays are not necessary."

"It is very necessary for me, because your birth, your arrival, and our meeting make me feel fortunate and happy."

"Why is it the last day?"

"Because we will go into the coming year with lots of joy."

Lu Sui said that Shen Qinghuai was good to him, and Shen Qinghuai said that Lu Sui was his wife and the person he would spend his life with, and that he loved Lu Sui.

"Do I love you?" Lu Sui asked.

"like."

"Where do you love it?"

"You take care of my feelings, indulge me, depend on me, put me first in your heart, and still hold me tightly—"

With his mouth covered, Shen Qinghuai let out a muffled laugh. He took Lu Sui's wrist and kissed his fingertips. "We'll set off fireworks during the New Year."

"oh."

Do you want to watch it now?

"What color is it?"

"Of course it's... color."

-

Lu Sui, who used to be unable to express his emotions, has now become someone who can tease Shen Qinghuai, comfort Chen Jingmo, and show compassion. He no longer hides his sadness and grievances. We have all witnessed his transformation. Of course, we must mention the guiding lover Shen Qinghuai, who has changed a lot, from being aloof to being gloomy and secretly passionate, and now speaks fluently. Their scenes together have come to an end, but they should reappear in the side couple's extra episode.

At first, this book didn't do very well, and I considered hiding it (like being taken down and unavailable). But then my wife sent me gifts every day, and she posted so many lovely comments to liven up the comment section. I'm so incredibly grateful to you all. Sometimes I can't help but add my thoughts and feelings at the end of chapters, sharing both the good and the bad, but then the next day when I open it, I think, "Ugh, this is so long-winded and annoying," and I start editing and deleting it. Wait, I'm being long-winded again. What's wrong with me...?

Lu Xiaosui and Shen Qinghuai, may you always be happy. My dear readers, I wish you all happiness too! ♡