Chapter 409: Chapter 409: Cake Chapter 409: Chapter 409: Cake At night, Qin Feng sat quietly beside Su Jiyai, his gaze constantly flickering to the clock on the wall.
The hours ticked away, and as midnight approached, his expression softened.
Su Jiyai, nestled beside him in her blue wolf cub form, had fallen into a deep sleep, her soft fur rising and falling with each peaceful breath.
Qin Feng couldn’t help but smile gently as he stroked her fur, a sense of calm washing over him.
When the clock struck midnight, Qin Feng gently nudged Su Jiyai, waking her from her slumber.
Her eyes fluttered open, groggy and confused, as she blinked up at him, trying to adjust to the sudden wake-up call.
Before she could ask what was happening, Qin Feng began to softly sing a birthday song, his voice tender and filled with warmth.
“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday Jiyai, happy birthday to you…” he sang, his voice like a soothing lullaby.
Su Jiyai’s ears perked up, and she stared at Qin Feng in utter disbelief.
The words he sang echoed in her mind, triggering a flood of emotions she hadn’t anticipated.
She was stunned.
Twenty one years of her life had passed, and never once had anyone celebrated her birthday.
In fact, she wasn’t even sure if she’d ever had a birthday celebration before being adopted by the Su family.
And as for the Su family—they had never acknowledged her birthday, not once.
The concept of her birthday was so foreign to her that she hadn’t even known the exact date.
When Qin Feng had once asked her when her birthday was, she had answered honestly: she didn’t know.
Back then, Qin Feng had suggested they celebrate her birthday on his own birthdate, a suggestion that had left her speechless.
At the ti, they had parted ways, and she hadn’t had the opportunity to celebrate, not with the new responsibility she had to shoulder and the chaos of the world.
But now, here he was, singing her a birthday song, rembering the promise they had made.
It was such a simple gesture, yet it held so much weight.
A lump ford in Su Jiyai’s throat, and her vision blurred with unshed tears.
She sniffed softly, trying to hold back the flood of emotions welling up inside her, but it was too overwhelming.
How many years had she lived without knowing what it felt like to be cherished, to have soone rember sothing as simple as a birthday?
She didn’t know how many more years she would even have the chance to celebrate like this.
Nor did she know if she could ever fully share her secrets with Qin Feng—her fears, her burdens, her struggles.
But for now, the fact that he had rembered, that he had made the effort, was enough to touch her deeply.
Qin Feng’s song trailed off as he noticed the glimr of tears in her eyes.
Concern flooded his features as he imdiately scooped her up into his arms, holding her close.
“Jiyai?
What’s wrong?
Why are you crying?” he asked, his voice laced with worry.
Su Jiyai couldn’t speak for a mont.
She buried her face into his chest, her small wolf form trembling slightly as she struggled to contain the tears.
Her heart felt full, heavy with emotion she hadn’t allowed herself to feel in so long.
“I… I don’t know,” she finally whispered, her voice muffled against him.
“I just… I never had this before.
No one’s ever celebrated my birthday, and I didn’t even know if I had one.
It just… it ans so much more than I thought it would…” Qin Feng tightened his arms around her, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head.
“You’re not alone anymore, Princess,” he murmured.
“And as long as I’m around, we’ll celebrate your birthday every year.
Whether you knew the date or not doesn’t matter—we’ll make our own.” His words broke the dam she had been holding back, and the tears spilled freely down her cheeks.
But this ti, they were not tears of sorrow, but of sothing warr—sothing she hadn’t felt in a long ti: gratitude, connection, and a fragile sense of belonging.
Qin Feng pressed a tender kiss to Su Jiyai’s forehead before gently laying her back down on the bed.
His eyes sparkled with excitent as he smiled at her.
“I have a surprise for you,” he whispered, his voice carrying a playful warmth.
Su Jiyai, still reeling from the emotions that had surged through her monts ago, could only nod in response, her heart pounding in anticipation.
Qin Feng stood up, and with a graceful wave of his hand, the air shimred for a mont before twenty-two plates appeared, floating in midair.
Su Jiyai’s eyes widened in amazent as the plates slowly descended, one by one, until they were placed neatly on the bed in front of her.
She blinked, astonished, as she realized what they were—cakes.
Each plate held a beautifully decorated cake, varying in size and design, but all carefully crafted.
Her gaze flicked up to Qin Feng, and before she could ask anything, he explained, his voice soft yet full of emotion, “Before the apocalypse, people used to celebrate birthdays by cutting cake.
Since you’ve never had the chance to celebrate any of your twenty-two birthdays, I thought we could do it now, all at once.” Su Jiyai’s breath hitched as her eyes darted between the cakes and Qin Feng.
The sheer thoughtfulness behind his actions overwheld her.
She had never expected sothing like this, never even imagined that her forgotten birthdays would be honored in such a way.
“Blow out the candles,” Qin Feng said, his smile widening as he gestured toward the cakes, each one topped with a flickering candle.
Still in her wolf cub form, Su Jiyai hesitated for a second, taking it all in, before leaning forward and blowing out the candles in a single breath.
The soft glow of the flas vanished, leaving only the warm scent of the cakes in the air.
For a few monts, Su Jiyai could do nothing but stare at the cakes, a lump forming in her throat once again.
She was deeply moved, and the care Qin Feng had put into this gesture was not lost on her.
Her voice wavered slightly as she looked up at him, her eyes gleaming with gratitude.
“Did…
did you make all of these yourself?” she asked, her heart swelling at the thought.
She rembered how he had been busy in the kitchen from seven in the evening until nearly eleven at night.
Qin Feng scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, his cheeks turning a faint shade of red.
“Yeah,” he admitted, a little embarrassed.
“I don’t know if they’ll taste good or not… I just wanted to make sothing special for you.
I’ve never baked this many cakes before.” He glanced down at the plates nervously, unsure of how his efforts would be received.
Su Jiyai’s chest tightened as she looked at him—this man who had gone out of his way to create sothing so aningful, who had spent hours in the kitchen just for her, even though the concept of birthdays was sothing foreign in this broken world.
She couldn’t help but smile, a small but genuine one.
“They’re perfect,” she whispered, her voice filled with sincerity.
“Even if they didn’t taste good, they’d still be perfect because you made them.” Qin Feng’s eyes softened, relief flooding through him as he watched her.
He took a seat next to her, leaning closer to admire the cakes.
“You really think so?” he asked quietly, still a bit unsure.
Su Jiyai nodded, her wolf form brushing against his side as she leaned into him.
“I’ve never had anything like this before…
and you did all of it for .
How could it not be perfect?” Qin Feng smiled softly, the tension in his shoulders easing as he reached out to stroke her fur.
“I’ll make sure to celebrate every year with you, Jiyai,” he promised, his voice gentle yet firm.
“From now on, every year we’ll celebrate, no matter what happens.” Su Jiyai tensed up slightly.
Will they?
She didn’t know.
The apocalyptic world had taught her two things.
It had taught her that nothing was certain and that happiness was fleeting.
As much as she wanted to believe in Qin Feng’s words, in his promises, the harsh reality of their world gnawed at the back of her mind.
People disappeared.
Lives were torn apart.
In a blink, everything could change.
But here and now, in this small bubble of warmth and kindness he had created for her, Su Jiyai allowed herself, just for a mont, to believe.
To hope.
One day, maybe the world will beco a peaceful place.
As long as they defeat the darkness and deal with the entity behind their misery, what is remaining for them is the bright years ahead.
“Happy birthday to you too, Feng’er.”
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