[Bonus Chapter] 21st Birthday

The white smoke from the candle wick had just dissipated.

Mu Jinghuan had already moved closer to the small box.

"Wow......"

On a velvet background, a necklace lay quietly. A delicate silver chain, adorned with a small moon pendant, its edges studded with tiny diamonds that twinkled in the firelight.

The other box contained the exact same design, except the pendant had been replaced with a star.

Stars and the moon.

Twins, making a pair.

"Thank you, brother!" Mu Jinghuan's eyes widened. "Can I wear it now?"

"They were originally a gift for you."

The little robot immediately turned around, tossing its long hair: "Sister, help me button this up."

Once the chain was fastened, she spun around in place, the moon swaying on her collarbone.

"Sister, sister, isn't it pretty?"

"nice."

Mu Jingyan smiled and agreed, but her gaze fell back to the box in front of her.

Why don't you be a little reserved and keep it for now, then wear it when you get back?

Huanhuan was so happy wearing it, and the bright moon swayed back and forth, clearly reminding her sister: your star is still lying in the box.

......never mind.

She took out the necklace, wrapped it around her neck, and fastened it. The stars touched her skin; they were cool, but she quickly warmed them with her body heat.

"You've put your heart into it."

She muttered something under her breath.

The person on the other end had very sharp ears: "What did you say?"

"Hey, where's the cake?"

"Okay, okay, let's eat cake."

Shen Ye picked up the knife and started cutting from the top layer.

The top floor goes to Mu Jingyan, the middle floor to Huanhuan, and he takes the bottom floor.

Each of the previous dishes was served in small portions, so the three of them saved room for the three-tiered cake, which they devoured with gusto.

The buttercream frosting was the first to fall, followed by the strawberry mousse in the middle, and finally even the bottom chocolate base was scraped off.

I ate more than half of a three-tiered cake.

We finished eating, and it was still early.

Shen Ye took the two sisters for a stroll around the city center. One by one, the lights in the shopping district came on, and people came and went on the pedestrian street. The three of them walked among the crowd, attracting an astonishing number of stares.

There's no way around it; with twin sisters who are both 1.8 meters tall and an excessively outstanding boy, it's hard to keep a low profile.

We shopped until after nine o'clock, then got on the bus and headed back.

"Take Huanhuan first, your school is closer."

The car stopped at the entrance of the East City School. The little robot unbuckled its seatbelt, opened the car door, and stepped out with one foot before turning back.

"Brother, sister, I'm going back now."

Send a message when you arrive.

Bye-bye~

She waved, closed the car door, and stood there watching them go.

The black sedan slowly started moving, its taillights leaving two red streaks in the night, growing farther and farther away, before turning a corner and disappearing at the intersection.

Mu Jinghuan withdrew her hand and hugged her bag tightly.

I don't know why.

The moment the car drove away, her heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason.

I have a feeling... something's going to happen between my brother and sister tonight.

bah bah bah.

The little robot shook its head vigorously, trying to shake off the ominous premonition, and dashed back to its dormitory.

And the truth was just as her vague intuition had suggested.

The car did not head towards Mu Jingyan's school.

After crossing an intersection, Shen Ye turned the steering wheel and drove into another road.

"Oops, wrong way?"

"I didn't go the wrong way." He looked ahead. "I'm not going back to school tonight."

Mu Jingyan's heart tightened.

The car made several turns before finally parking in the basement of an apartment building, where the elevator went straight to the 38th floor.

The distance between Shanghai and Huaihai City is several hours by car.

When the holiday is short, the hassle of traveling back and forth is too much.

Shen Ye simply bought a large apartment near the school, over 300 square meters, with floor-to-ceiling windows facing the river.

Five keys were made in total: one for him, one for Mu Jingyan, and one each for Huanhuan, Nuannuan, and Chu Cihan.

Tonight, this place belongs to just the two of us.

The elevator is going up.

The elevator car was brightly lit, and the floor numbers started from 1 and went up.

"oops."

Shen Ye suddenly let out a long sigh.

"Why send Huanhuan away? Wouldn't it be better if she came along?"

With a "buzz," Mu Jingyan's mind went blank.

"Don't even think about it!!!"

She gritted her teeth, speaking slowly and deliberately, her face flushed red enough to bleed.

That bastard!

Indeed, both she and Huanhuan had already had relationships with Shen Ye.

But those were all individual, separate!

Shen Ye had been thinking about the so-called "rice bowl" for a long time, mentioning it verbally but his eyes made it even clearer.

He wants to be the male lead in Kaede and Rin.

Mu Jingyan is very thin-skinned; that's something she absolutely, completely, and no matter what, cannot accept.

She spent the entire night mentally preparing herself just to agree to come with him tonight.

Rice bowls?

Maybe in the next life!

"Just kidding." Shen Ye raised his hands in surrender. "Look how nervous you are."

"If you mention this again, you're coming downstairs right now!"

"Okay, okay, let's not talk about it anymore."

The elevator was still climbing at a leisurely pace.

The mirrored walls of the elevator reflected Mu Jingyan's profile—her ears were bright red, the color spreading all the way to her neck.

She turned her face away, pretending to stare at the changing floor numbers.

28, 29, 30...

The closer you get to 38, the faster your heart beats.

Upon entering the house, the motion-sensor lights in the entryway turned on one after another.

Mu Jingyan put her bag on the sofa and took a deep breath.

"I'm going to take a shower first!"

Before anyone could answer, the person had already slipped into the master bathroom and locked the door with a click.

A soft laugh came from outside the door.

Shen Ye wasn't in a hurry and calmly poured himself a glass of water.

In the bathroom.

Mu Jingyan filled the bathtub with hot water, lay down in it, and the water reached above her shoulders.

Steam rose from the heat. She cupped her burning cheeks in her hands, trying to mentally prepare herself.

It's been three years.

How many times has this happened? What's the rush?

But it's impossible not to panic.

It's not her fault, it's just that Shen Ye is so inhuman in some ways!

It looks just like a wild buffalo!

Three years of practical experience couldn't calm her heartbeat even slightly; each time felt like the first time, each time felt like a life-threatening experience.

Just last time, she fainted from the sunlight, then woke up from the sunlight, and then fainted again in the sun.

When I woke up, I was devastated to find that the sun showed no sign of setting.

So much so that now whenever she sees her roommate drinking milk, she feels a little bloated in her lower abdomen.

Just as she finally relaxed her shoulders a little and her mind began to clear—

"Click".

The bathroom door opened.

In the mist, Mu Jingyan was terrified. She screamed "Ah!" and pulled herself into the water, tightly wrapping her arms around her chest.

"Shen Ye!! Get out!!"

The person who came was wearing a bathrobe, and there were still water droplets on their hair, indicating that they had just washed up at their own place.

He leaned against the doorframe, the curve of his lips looking anything but malicious.

"What are you going out for?"

"I want to take a shower too."

"You...your room clearly has a bathroom!!"

"Yes, I've already washed it." He said slowly, unbuckling his belt. "Washing it again won't break the law, will it?"

"you--"

"We'll see."

His bathrobe slipped off, and he stepped into the bathtub, causing the water level to rise sharply.

"The bathtub is so big, it saves water if two people take a bath together."

"Who wants to be with you—ugh!"

The remaining protests were all drowned out by the sound of water.

..........

The noise from the bathroom continued for an unknown period of time.

It sounds similar to the splashing sound when you go to a water park.

At first, you could hear the girl's furious protests, but then the protests gradually changed tone, and later, only intermittent, weak breathy sounds remained.

Splash...

A person's silhouette was reflected in the glass door.

At last.

Shen Ye carried the person out.

Mu Jingyan was being carried in his arms, her wet hair plastered to her back, one arm hanging limply at her sides, her fingertips just centimeters from the carpet, swaying with each step.

My whole body felt so weak that I couldn't muster any strength.

"Let...let me rest for a while..."

She buried her face in his chest, her breath coming in barely a whisper.

"it is good."

Shen Ye actually put her on the bed, pulled the blanket over her, and tucked the corner of the blanket in.

Gentle and considerate.

"Thanks......"

"You're welcome."

He glanced down at his phone.

"Ten minutes."

"what?"

"The second half will begin in ten minutes."

"you--"

Mu Jingyan tried to sit up abruptly, but a hand pressed her back into the pillow.

"rest."

Two words, beyond question.

The girl resignedly closed her eyes.

.........

Ten minutes later.

The conflict has begun again.

In front of the floor-to-ceiling window.

Mu Jingyan held onto the privacy glass with both hands, leaning forward, her long hair cascading down, obscuring half her face as she looked at the scenery.

Outside the window, the night view of Shanghai in the early morning unfolds.

Thousands of lights shone, cars streamed by, and the entire city flickered beneath her feet.

At this moment, she is like a small boat bobbing on the waves in this sea of ​​lights.

Each wave that surged in would cause the small boat to rock slightly.

"Lift your leg," Shen Ye said.

Mu Jingyan turned around and looked at him in confusion, then followed his words.

The fingers gripping the glass curled up, the pads pressing a white mark into the cool, smooth surface.

After an unknown amount of time, the waves subsided slightly.

Mu Jingyan lowered her head, her chest heaving violently, and her shoulders and back still had a lingering blush.

As she gazed at the dazzling lights outside the window, a thought involuntarily popped into her mind.

She seems to be... a little regretful.

If I had known, I wouldn't have been so stubborn.

If Huanhuan were here too—

Does that mean she won't have to bear all the firepower by herself?

"Go to the sofa," Shen Ye said as the girl trembled.

The fierce battle is not over yet.

Mu Jingyan had a premonition that she was going to get sunburned again.