After AFK for five years, I returned to be number one in the entire server.

Chapter 93 Peaceful Times

After making this gesture, he said nothing, looked away, and began to eat.

Shen Yi paused slightly, but did not touch the shrimp. She simply picked at the vegetables that were already on her plate.

Her mind is in a mess right now, especially after Lin said those words on Zongyun Mountain yesterday.

She could have made up her mind to leave, but Lin Ye's confession has thrown her off course.

She didn't know what to do with this relationship. Reason kept warning her that Lin was already taken, and it was wrong for her to stay by his side.

Amidst a jumble of chaotic thoughts, Shen Yi's consciousness went into a brief blank; she didn't even know what she was doing.

Shen Yi suddenly came back to her senses when she felt a slight warmth on her fingertips.

She realized that she had put down her chopsticks at some point, and her fingertips were still stained with a little soup.

She was holding a freshly peeled shrimp in her hand, and naturally placed it on Lin Ye's plate.

That was muscle memory she had developed from living together in the rented apartment and from every time the two of them went out to eat.

Whenever there's food on the table that requires peeling or complicated processing, she always subconsciously takes care of it first, then hands it to Lin Ye with a satisfied smile.

Zhou Ran and Zhao Jiaxin stopped what they were doing, staring blankly at Shen Yi.

After a long day, it was already past midnight.

A chill hung in the air as the office buildings in the commercial district gradually went out. Shen Yi, dragging her exhausted body, walked out of the new media operations company's door.

The intense overtime work made her legs feel as heavy as lead, and the cold wind of early spring blew in through her collar, making her involuntarily tighten her clothes.

She stood at the company entrance, her eyes somewhat blank. The dormitory door had been locked as early as 11 p.m.

Before the breakup, she would skip happily back to that rented room, no matter how cramped, it would always have a warm, dim light on, where someone would always be waiting for her.

But now, she can no longer go back and can only find a cheap little hotel to spend half the night in.

Just a few steps after she stepped out of the company gate, a figure suddenly appeared in the darkness ahead.

Shen Yi stopped involuntarily as the figure slowly walked out of the darkness, the light outlining Lin Ye's familiar face.

He was only wearing a thin coat, and it was unclear how long he had been standing on this cold street; the surface of his clothes seemed to be damp with the night dew.

Seeing Shen Yi's timid figure, Lin also stepped forward and walked up to her, his gaze falling on her tired face.

"I send you."

Shen Yi tilted her head slightly, looking at Lin Ye who was so close to her, her eyes filled with complex and unfathomable emotions.

She silently lowered her head and walked onto the sidewalk. Lin followed her, and she did not refuse, letting Lin follow beside her.

On the quiet roadside, only the sound of two people's footsteps echoed alternately.

Neither of them spoke, just as their relationship had been, walking side by side, yet always maintaining a distance of a few dozen centimeters between them.

The two walked on the empty sidewalk, their shadows stretching and shrinking under the streetlights.

Lin suddenly stopped and said, "Can you come back to my rented apartment with me? I want to show you something."

Shen Yi asked softly, "What is it?"

"You'll find out when you get there." Lin Ye looked at her, his eyes revealing a rare seriousness.

In the dead of night, alone with a woman, if another man had said this to her, Shen Yi would have definitely thought he had ulterior motives.

She finally nodded silently, and the two hailed a taxi back to that familiar street and walked up the slightly dimly lit stairs.

Standing in front of that mottled security door, Shen Yi felt a mix of emotions. After moving back to her dormitory, she thought she would never set foot here again in her life.

Lin took out the key and pushed the door open.

What greeted Shen Yi was not the darkness and coldness she had expected.

The moment the door opened, soft, warm yellow light flowed out of the room.

The once monotonous living room has now been meticulously decorated like a dream.

The edge of the ceiling was covered with a ring of twinkling fairy lights, and the walls were decorated with soft-colored gauze and balloons.

A clean velvet cloth was laid on the coffee table in the center, and a delicate cream cake was placed in the middle, with several slender candles flickering with bright yellow flames.

The candles had just been lit. At this distance, Shen Yi knew that for a monthly-level player like Lin Ye, lighting a few candles outside the door was just a trivial matter.

Today is March 13th.

Lin Ye walked into the room and closed the door behind him. He slowly came to Shen Yi's side and looked at her pale profile, which was pale with shock.

"Happy birthday," Lin said softly.

In fact, Shen Yi had almost never had the concept of "birthday" since she was a child.

Life in the countryside is always filled with the mundane details of daily life. Being able to eat your fill and stay warm is already a blessing, and there's simply no energy left to indulge in the so-called sense of ritual that city dwellers talk about.

She never expected that Lin Ye, with his carefree personality, would actually remember her birthday.

Following the flickering candlelight, Shen Yi saw a huge plush toy, as tall as a person, quietly placed in the corner next to the sofa.

Lin Ye softened his tone and explained, "Once when we went shopping, you stood outside a shop window and kept secretly looking at this doll for a long time."

Shen Yi did indeed take a liking to the doll that day. She had only seen it on TV before. Most girls like fluffy things, but the expensive price made her hesitate. After looking at it for a while, she dragged Lin Ye away and forced him to go somewhere else.

"I wanted to buy it for you right away, but I was afraid you would refuse because I thought it was too expensive. So I thought I would just give it to you on your birthday. I thought that when you opened it on that day, you would be very happy."

It turned out he remembered everything—the roads they walked together, the shop windows they looked at, even the few seconds she lingered in his gaze—all of it was carefully collected and stored in his heart.

The next second, Lin also felt a warm and soft touch on his lips.

Shen Yi tiptoed and kissed him with a slightly awkward touch, the candlelight flickering gently beside their intertwined shadows.

The next day.

Shen Yi slowly opened her eyes in the soft morning light. Her vision was momentarily blurred, and then she heard a steady, rhythmic heartbeat.

She found herself lying on Lin Ye's chest, both of them perfectly dressed.

After some time, Lin Ye's consciousness gradually returned as the sunlight brightened.

He opened his eyes and slowly sat up.

Lin turned his head slightly, and his gaze settled on a certain spot.

Shen Yi was sitting in front of a slightly old wooden dressing table, the morning light falling on her.

She was facing away from the bed, holding a comb in her hand, slowly and attentively combing her long, loose hair.

Everything seemed so natural, with the occasional clear bird song drifting in from outside the window; life was peaceful and serene.