CSMCDB - Chapter 37
Chapter 37
What birthday wish should she give Lin Jinyu? Wen Yuncheng pondered this the entire way as she led Lin Jinyu to the dueling room. What kind of blessing would be best? As for why the dueling room? Because no one was ever there in the morning.
She had Lin Jinyu turn her back. Seeing the Little Ice Mountain's expressionless but exceptionally obedient face, not even trying to peek, Wen Yuncheng felt her heart grow soft. She took out the custom-made birthday cake, on which the words "Happy Birthday, Lin Jinyu" were written in the script of the Starry Sky Continent. Surrounding the words was a cornucopia of fruits: strawberries, pineapples, cherries, yellow peaches, dragon fruit, and more. It seemed to have nearly every fruit one might find on a fruitcake.
Wen Yuncheng carefully placed the candles on top, then used a match provided by the system to light the "17" candles. She lifted the cake with both hands and stood behind Lin Jinyu. "Okay, you can turn around now."
"This is my gift to you. It's called a cake. You can close your eyes and make three wishes, then blow out the candles in one breath, and your wishes will come true," Wen Yuncheng said softly, looking at Lin Jinyu's face.
Lin Jinyu stared intently at the cake; she had clearly never seen such a thing before. But she didn't ask any questions about it. Instead, she looked at Wen Yuncheng and asked something unexpected. "Can I wish for anything?"
Wen Yuncheng hesitated, unsure how to answer. Still, she said, "You're so lovely, go ahead and make your wishes. They'll definitely come true."
Lin Jinyu suddenly smiled. "I hope I can reach the Star Master level soon."
Just as Wen Yuncheng was about to say that wishes don't come true if you say them out loud, she heard Lin Jinyu continue, "I hope I can see you again next year." The words caught in Wen Yuncheng's throat.
"I hope… you can reach the Star Master level soon."
Then, Lin Jinyu blew out the candles.
Wen Yuncheng looked at Lin Jinyu, a tightness in her chest making it hard to breathe. How could Lin Jinyu break the rules like that? They were her birthday wishes, yet she had wished for those three things. —Wasn't it just one hundred and fifty points? Never mind next year, she'd give them to her the year after, and the year after that! And what was a Star Master? She would level up! As long as it was something she could make happen, she absolutely would.
Wen Yuncheng carefully set the cake down, then removed the candles and put them in a bag to be thrown away later. She took out the small storage pouch from her storage ring—the one Lin Jinyu had once used for pills—and handed it over. "Happy birthday. This is for you. I hope… I hope you can be happy." I hope you're happy every single day.
I don't want you to cry. I don't want you to be sad. I don't want to see that heart-wrenching expression on your face again. I don't want the light in your eyes to fade away in silence.
You are an exceptional, outstanding person. You deserve the most precious treasures on the continent; it's just that I can't afford them right now. You deserve the best. You are the best.
Looking at Lin Jinyu, Wen Yuncheng's mind flooded with a torrent of words and emotions, all bubbling up for free. It was strange; she couldn't think of a single thing to write in a letter, but now… now she wanted to say so, so, so many things, yet she still couldn't get them out.
"Thank you." Lin Jinyu accepted the storage pouch but didn't look to see what was inside. This made Wen Yuncheng breathe a sigh of relief, though she also felt a little anxious.
But Wen Yuncheng didn't dwell on it. She took out the paper plates and utensils that came with the cake and began to slice it. "Now, let's eat cake." Wen Yuncheng had wanted to give the entire "Happy Birthday" slice to Lin Jinyu, but it was too big. She carefully cut out the piece with "Happy" on it, placed it on a plate, and handed it to Lin Jinyu. Then she cut the adjacent "Birthday" slice for herself.
A cake from the system was worlds apart from those in her previous life. The sweetness of the fruit, the texture and aftertaste of the cream, the soft, melt-in-your-mouth sponge… it completely redefined Wen Yuncheng's understanding of "cake." It was as if all the cakes she'd eaten in her past life had been fakes. One hundred and fifty points was well worth it; eating delicacies from the system store was an extreme pleasure in itself.
However, Wen Yuncheng's mind wasn't on that. No matter how amazing the cake was, she only marveled for a moment. She watched Lin Jinyu fork a small piece into her mouth. Lin Jinyu's expression gave nothing away, which left Wen Yuncheng feeling a little defeated.
"It's delicious. Very sweet. Thank you," Lin Jinyu said. "I like it very much."
Wen Yuncheng beamed, finally in the mood to properly savor her own portion.
And so passed an ordinary morning.
After her classes at the academy, Lin Jinyu left. She returned to the Flowing Cloud Sect, knelt before her mother's gravestone to pay her respects, and then went to the Lin Clan's ancestral hall.
This time, it was different.
Lin Jinyu knelt in silence, her back perfectly straight, like a statue in the dim hall.
It wasn't until midnight, when someone knocked on the door, that Lin Jinyu slowly stirred her body and left the ancestral hall in silence, heading for her personal quarters in the Flowing Cloud Sect.
After a simple wash, Lin Jinyu looked at the completely dark sky. It was already past midnight. By rights, she should be cultivating.
But suddenly, she didn't want to.
Lin Jinyu entered her room and sat on her bed. The room was spotless, likely cleaned daily, and the sheets and quilt were brand new. —How long had it been since she'd slept in a bed? Lin Jinyu couldn't remember. She took the small pouch Wen Yuncheng had given her from her storage ring. She thought to herself that Wen Yuncheng probably didn't know that the storage pouches given away by the auction house had serial numbers, each one unique.
Was it… a metal sphere? Lin Jinyu felt the object, recalling that it seemed to be a Guardian that Wen Yuncheng had once used. The material was… Star Steel.
She found a button and pressed it. The sphere immediately lit up. Colorful words appeared on its smooth surface, easy to read:
"Lin Jinyu, Invincible"
It was a little amusing. Lin Jinyu touched the characters, but they didn't rub off. She didn't know what method was used to make them glow, but it was clearly related to Star Power. The little robot began to rotate, and two small Star Power swords materialized in its hands. Lin Jinyu hesitantly placed it on the floor, and the little robot immediately began to brandish the swords, swinging them rhythmically in the darkness.
"Lin Jinyu, you can do it! Lin Jinyu! The best!" A mechanical voice popped out of the Guardian's mouth, one word at a time, sounding rather comical. Then, with a "beep," Wen Yuncheng's voice played.
"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you…"
"Lin Jinyu, happy birthday."
The Guardian flickered twice and fell silent.
Lin Jinyu sat on the edge of the bed, watching the two wavering Star Power swords. The once-clear blades gradually blurred into two indistinct pools of light.
She covered her face, stifling a sob and swallowing any further sounds. In the darkness, only the Guardian glowed.
Perhaps it could no longer be called a Guardian, as it had no combat capabilities. From the moment Wen Yuncheng had the idea to its execution, she had, with 1947's help, slowly altered the Guardian's internal structure, replacing its offensive functions with its current form. She had spent points on a special potion the system mentioned to write the words and had 1947 help record her voice…
And so, it had become this kind of "Guardian"—one that could glow, sing, and say "happy birthday."
It was a one-of-a-kind gift on this continent.
"Lin Jinyu is back?" Sect Master Lin sat on the roof, absorbing the power of the Stars to strengthen himself. As if just remembering something, he asked the question aloud.
"No, the young miss has returned to her room to rest," the elder beside him replied.
"Rest? She's not cultivating?—"
"Sect Master, today is different. The young miss has already worked very hard."
Sect Master Lin's brow remained deeply furrowed, but he said nothing more.
After an unknown amount of time, the elder heard Sect Master Lin reply:
"She can be even better."
"1947, was I really not off-key?" Wen Yuncheng rolled around in bed, unable to stop herself from asking for the one hundred and first time. She whimpered, hugged her pillow, and rolled over again. "Did Lin Jinyu open the gift? I really want to know if she liked it…"
[You were not off-key,] 1947 replied. [If you want to know so badly, why didn't you put an X-6 Monitor in the gift?]
"I can't do that," Wen Yuncheng huffed. "I would never do that."
But she really, really wanted to know how Lin Jinyu was doing.
Was she happy? Did she like it? Would she think her handwriting was ugly, or that her singing was bad—after all, it wasn't a song from this world. Wen Yuncheng's mind raced with anxious thoughts. She didn't know if Lin Jinyu would like the modified Guardian. It would be great if Lin Jinyu smiled, even if she couldn't see it.
[Kid, calm down. Don't overthink it, okay? You should be sleeping.]
"But I can't sleep."
1947 had never raised a daughter before and had no idea what was wrong with Wen Yuncheng. In the past, when it guided a Long Aotian, it had never seen one lose sleep thinking about a good friend. Not even a Long Aotian thinking about his wife was like this!
It watched its kid toss and turn in bed, refusing to close her eyes. Finally, exhaustion took over, and she curled up quietly on one side of the bed and drifted off.
1947 was actually still a little angry. Although Lin Jinyu was a good person, its own kid wouldn't even spend one point on a steamed bun for herself, yet now she had spent so many points on a cake for someone else's birthday? It was simply—
Before this, the most expensive item Wen Yuncheng had ever bought was a braised bone, and that was to escape with her life.
But watching its kid prepare everything so earnestly and patiently, seeing her so full of anticipation and anxiety… watching all of that, 1947 could only allow itself to be angry for a single second while Wen Yuncheng was asleep.
It couldn't stay angry for long. Because 1947 felt that Wen Yuncheng was right; Lin Jinyu really was an exceptional person. The face-slapping script, actually… was pretty unnecessary.
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