Chapter Ten: Surprise (End of Volume One)

The shifting winds of officialdom had little effect on Chen Hongxu, who was still muddling through his days in high school. His entire routine revolved around cultivation and attending classes. Time flew by, and judging by the shorts and T-shirts people now wore on the streets, summer had already arrived.

And for students, the most anticipated occasion in summer was, naturally, the summer break.

"Tomorrow’s the last day. Why don’t we go traveling together?"

"No can do. My dad signed me up for a tour group to Europe—I probably won’t have time."

"How about we throw a wild party tonight?"

...

Of course, no one paid any attention to Chen Hongxu, who had once been timid but, after connecting with Xue Xi, had undergone a phoenix-like transformation.

Watching his classmates animatedly discuss their vacation plans, Chen Hongxu picked up his final exam results from the desk and walked straight out of the classroom toward the school gate—someone was waiting for him there.

Sure enough, Xue Xi was already there, glancing around as always, having left class early just to wait for him, as she did every day.

"Have you been waiting long?" Chen Hongxu hurried out the gate.

"No," Xue Xi replied, quickly catching up. This exchange repeated itself daily, as did the scene.

The two walked home in silence, stopping to buy groceries along the way.

Glancing at the ingredients—which, in the hands of an expert, could be transformed into a sumptuous meal—Chen Hongxu pulled out his keys. As he opened the door, he asked, "Summer break starts tomorrow. Are you going back home?"

Xue Xi nodded in silence, uttering only a soft "mm."

Though their relationship had grown closer, it had not yet reached the point where, at the mention of her leaving, Chen Hongxu would ask her to stay. Besides, it wasn't a parting of life and death—it was just a summer, only two months.

"I won’t see her for two whole months," Chen Hongxu thought with a sigh as he stepped inside.

Xue Xi followed closely behind. She naturally snatched the groceries from his hands and dashed into the kitchen, announcing loudly that she was not just someone who knew how to eat but not cook. Today, she would show off her skills for Bingling, the so-called "madam ghost."

An hour passed, and there were no sounds of breaking dishes or shrieks from the kitchen. Chen Hongxu smiled to himself, thinking it was impressive that Xue Xi possessed such hidden talent.

Another half hour later, Xue Xi swung open the kitchen door, brimming with confidence. She waved him over, saying, "Classmate Xu, you can’t just be lazy. Come give me a hand and bring the dishes out, will you?"

Jolted from his thoughts, Chen Hongxu entered the kitchen. Many women’s first attempts at cooking resembled a battlefield—smoke and chaos, with bits and pieces scattered everywhere. Yet, none of this had happened with Xue Xi.

But...

Chen Hongxu pointed at the fish on the plate, a curious look on his face. "Are fish scales edible?"

Before Xue Xi could make an excuse, he turned the fish over with his chopsticks and continued, "And you didn’t remove the innards?"

Xue Xi didn’t even try to defend herself. She looked utterly bewildered, not understanding what he was talking about.

...

Staring at the dozen or so barely touched, raw dishes on the table, Chen Hongxu wanted to tell Xue Xi that cooking wasn’t simply tossing vegetables into boiling water and adding salt. But considering that a pampered young lady like her was willing to cook at all—and that nothing disastrous had occurred—he suppressed his laughter and said nothing.

Unexpectedly, Xue Xi burst into tears.

Chen Hongxu turned to look at her, just as she threw down her chopsticks, obviously having just tasted her own cooking. He tried to comfort her, saying, "Honestly, my first attempt was even worse than yours. It’s nothing to be upset about."

Xue Xi, eyes red and head bowed, choked out, "I’m sorry—I ruined it. I wanted to make you a nice meal as a surprise."

"You cooking for me is already a huge surprise," Chen Hongxu replied, puzzled by her strong reaction.

"It’s not that..." Xue Xi pursed her lips, raising her head, but was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Hold on." Chen Hongxu shot a warning look at Bingling, who seemed eager to stir up trouble, then rose to open the door.

Standing outside were three men in black suits, hands clasped behind their backs. The leader was a burly, bald man.

Chen Hongxu nodded and invited them in. "You’re here to take Xue Xi home, aren’t you?"

The three men smiled silently, but after entering, the leader beamed and produced a cake from behind his back. "Happy birthday!"

Happy birthday? Chen Hongxu was stunned, as if struck by lightning. Of course—today was June 30, his birthday. It had been so long since he celebrated that he’d forgotten, but she hadn’t.

Turning to Xue Xi, her eyes still red, he finally understood her reaction.

Following his gaze, the three men noticed Xue Xi had been crying. Their cheerful smiles froze. Hastily, they shoved the cake into Chen Hongxu’s hands and hurried to her side.

"Miss, what’s wrong?" the bald man asked, his tone icy as he glanced, half-smiling, at Bingling. In his mind, it was surely this woman competing with the young miss who’d made her cry—otherwise, with her mischievous personality, how could she possibly be in tears?

"Uncle De, it’s nothing," Xue Xi shook her head and walked to Chen Hongxu, who still stood dumbstruck. With a bitter smile, she said, "I looked up your records from childhood and knew when your birthday was. I wanted to cook you a meal myself and surprise you, but I overestimated my abilities. Still, happy birthday."

"Thank you," Chen Hongxu replied softly, gazing at her. "Happy birthday to you, too."

"Eh?" Xue Xi’s eyes widened in disbelief. "How did you know?"

"I’ve seen your residency permit and school records. Naturally, I know when your birthday is. Birthdays should be happy occasions, but look at you—your eyes are as red as a monkey’s backside. It’s not a good look," Chen Hongxu said, his tone gentle, deeply moved by this woman surrounded by affection.

"Your eyes look more like a monkey’s backside! What a terrible analogy. Bully," Xue Xi pouted, feigning indignation. Then she turned to the three men, still exchanging glares with Bingling, and said, "Uncle De, you all can go back. I want to stay here one more night."

After Uncle De led the two men away, Bingling looked at Xue Xi with a sly grin. "Since you two are birthday twins, born on the same day of the same year, I won’t bother you tonight."

"Go to hell!" Before Bingling could leave, Xue Xi whipped off a cartoon slipper and hurled it at her.

Bang—a shelf by the door rattled with the impact, and Bingling’s triumphant laughter faded into the distance. The house finally fell silent.

"Happy birthday."

"You already said that."

"Did I? Well, shall we start celebrating?" Chen Hongxu sat down at the table, picking up his chopsticks, determined to do justice to Xue Xi’s efforts.

"Don’t. I already tasted it—it’s really inedible. But we still have cake, don’t we?" Xue Xi lifted the large cake from beside him and asked him to clear away the "poison" on the table.

When they opened the cake box, both were stunned.

On the top layer were two little chocolate figures, kissing.

"Don’t look at me—I had no idea it would be like this!" Xue Xi’s cheeks turned scarlet as she waved her hands frantically, her flustered denial all too obvious.

"I didn’t say anything," Chen Hongxu replied, barely suppressing his laughter.

Annoyed, Xue Xi scooped up a bit of cream from the cake’s edge and, before he could react, smeared it across Chen Hongxu’s face—then burst into laughter, dazzling and carefree.

That day was his eighteenth birthday.

That day was her eighteenth birthday.

That year, on their eighteenth birthday...