Chapter 37: Unexpected Birthday Paths

Lin Zheng Ran carried a large slice of strawberry cake as he walked along the road.

He used a fork to take small bites, savoring it at a leisurely pace until it was all gone.

It was delicious, just a bit too sweet.

[Today is Miss Jiang’s birthday. As a fellow wanderer in the martial world for quite some time, she specially spent a fortune to get two tickets to a theater performance and invited you to join her. After watching, your Charm will increase by two and your Stamina by one.]

[Miss Jiang also gave you her Seven-Colored Snow Oil Paste, which she can only eat once a year. This item is of excellent quality; consuming it will rapidly boost your cultivation, granting an increase in Spiritual Energy level by one, Strength by one, and Energy by one.]

After finishing the cake, his mouth felt overly sweet, so he headed to the nearby mall to buy a couple of bottles of water.

He’d only walked a few steps when he suddenly heard a commotion in the distance.

It seemed like an unmarried couple was arguing over something.

The woman said in exasperation, “I can’t believe you were secretly raising a daughter! And to keep it from me, you even sent her to school out of town. How long were you planning to hide this? How can I marry you like this?”

The man stood by an Audi car and explained, “I’ve told you so many times already—that’s not my daughter, she’s my niece. I’m her uncle.”

“Oh, so you do remember you’re that girl’s uncle?! Why does she need you to take care of her when she has a mother?”

The man looked a bit guilty and didn’t speak with his usual boldness: “You’re being unreasonable here. Why did I take her in? It’s because my sister wanted to abandon her back then, and I felt sorry for the child, so I paid for her schooling and raised her.”

The woman raised her hand, seeming like she didn’t want to argue anymore:

“You don’t need to give me all these excuses. I’m not being difficult. I can understand what you did, and even appreciate that it was out of kindness. I get why you hid raising this child from me, but Han Cheng, as long as you keep supporting her for even a day, my parents won’t agree to me marrying you.”

She advised, “Han Cheng, you’ve done enough for her. That’s just her fate. In a couple of years, she’ll finish junior high, and then I can give her some money to stand on her own.

If she’s meant to go to high school, she can work part-time and we’ll help out. If not, she can graduate and find a job. But no matter what, she absolutely can’t live with you anymore. Otherwise…”

“Otherwise, when our child is born…” She clutched her belly. “How will people see me? How do I explain it to my parents? Do you really want to take care of that girl forever?”

“I…”

“Since we’re here, let’s just tell her the truth. We’ll support her until she finishes junior high, then give her some money. After that, she can visit us on holidays, but she can’t live with us every day. She needs to live her own life. If you can’t say it, I’ll do it for you.”

This road was the main way to the supermarket, so Lin Zheng Ran passed by and caught almost the whole conversation.

He even saw the woman turn and say, “She’s coming now. I’ll go talk to her—you just stay nearby.” She was reassuring her fiancé and herself: “I think we’re not being unfair. She’s grown up now, right?”

Lin Zheng Ran had already walked on, but hearing that, he glanced back. When he saw the girl they were discussing,

he was quite surprised, and the System’s voice chimed in.

[Lately, the Demonic Cult Enchantress has been showing up around you frequently. Today, you went out for training but unexpectedly ran into her here. By chance, you overheard the Demonic Cult Enchantress’s backstory—the cult’s handlers want to kick her out. You know this isn’t something to meddle in, so whether you take action or not will lead to different opportunities.]

In the distance, the girl in school uniform approached with a slender figure and graceful demeanor—it was naturally Han Wenwen. She looked as she always did today.

A faint smile graced her face, her fox-like eyes captivating, as if nothing could bother her.

When she reached the man and woman, Han Wenwen even politely bowed slightly: “Uncle, you’re here. And you must be my aunt-to-be. Nice to meet you.”

The woman was stunned by the girl’s striking beauty, which clearly came from her mother, who was stunning but had a terrible reputation…

She glanced back at the man, stepped forward, and smiled:

“Wenwen, hello. You’re so beautiful. This is our first meeting, and I need to talk to you about something. Normally, I wouldn’t bring this up right away, but I have my reasons. If you have any thoughts after hearing it, you can tell me.”

Lin Zheng Ran didn’t catch much more of their conversation after that. By the time he came out of the supermarket with his water,

Han Wenwen’s uncle and his partner had already driven away, and Han Wenwen stood by the road with the same expression as when she arrived, as if she’d expected it all.

She walked on, passing the supermarket, and spotted Lin Zheng Ran coming out. Tilting her head with a smile, she said, “Lin Zheng Ran? What a coincidence.”

Lin Zheng Ran smiled: “It sure is.”

Han Wenwen looked a bit tired: “It’s just like last year—always running into you in the oddest places. But I’m pretty worn out today and want to head back to school to rest. Let’s catch up tonight.”

She waved goodbye, her fox-like eyes gazing into the distance as she headed toward the school, showing no sign of the big event she’d just gone through.

Lin Zheng Ran twisted open his water bottle for a sip and turned to leave, his face expressionless.

That afternoon, Lily excitedly hid in her bedroom, carefully unwrapping the gift Lin Zheng Ran had given her.

The yellow headphones had a simple, elegant design.

Lily put them on and tested the sound—it was amazing.

She lay back on the bed, happily recalling the day’s events, raising her hand and declaring, “So what if I’m tsundere? I’m Lily, and I won’t be anyone’s underdog! I’ll win for sure!” She clenched her fist tightly.

On Sunday evenings, junior high students have evening self-study, and boarders have to attend.

When Lily and Lin Zheng Ran arrived at school together, Heqing and Han Wenwen were at the school gate, each holding a gift for Lily.

“Happy birthday, Lily.”

Lily was taken aback: “How did you two know…”

Heqing said softly, looking innocent: “I went home with Lin Zheng Ran on Saturday, and he mentioned it’s your birthday today, so I got you a little gift. It’s not expensive, but it’s from the heart.”

Han Wenwen nodded with a smile: “Same here. We’re friends, so a birthday gift is only right.”

“Thank you both,” Lily said, a bit embarrassed as she took them.

Lin Zheng Ran stood nearby, observing Han Wenwen’s usual demeanor.

At twelve years old, he marveled at how this fox-like girl’s mental strength was on a whole different level from Heqing and Lily.

But a facade of strength is still just a facade—it’s as fragile as a cicada’s wing. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have had that expression when she left that afternoon.