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Shi Jin wanted to sneak out to check the textbooks?”

Lian Jun instantly came to the teenager’s defense: “Shi Jin wouldn’t cheat.”

“You don’t understand.” Mr.
Feng shook his head, looking as if he had seen it all when it came to students.
“Some poor students wouldn’t stop for anything to pass their exams.”

“……”

Lian Jun wanted to say that Shi Jin wasn’t exactly a poor student but then thought about the young man’s usual temperament and closed his mouth.

And so, Lian Jun was successfully deceived.
When it was time for the next recess, Shi Jin stopped what he was doing, took off his apron, and hurried back to the villa.
He managed to knock on the door to Lian Jun’s study right on time.

Lian Jun opened the door right away.
First, he observed the teenager’s mood—it seemed good, so he shouldn’t have failed the exam.
As he relaxed, he noticed a sweet smell coming from Shi Jin and something which looked suspiciously similar to icing on his hand.

“You were eating during the test?” This was his first reaction.

“Uh… Yeah!” Shi Jin froze for a second then nodded hurriedly.
He put a pitiful expression on his face and sighed.
“It took such a long time, my brain felt sluggish.
Eating something sweet is a good way to replenish energy.”

“It’s not a big exam, you shouldn’t worry too much,” Lian Jun reassured him.
He took his hand and wiped the icing on it then gestured to the sofa.
“Rest for a while, the kitchen just delivered a fresh fruit platter.
Mr.
Feng said the exam will take the whole day.
Are you tired?”

Shi Jin discreetly let out a sigh of relief and sat down.
He stuffed a piece of chilled fruit in his mouth to disguise his expression and replied, “No, it’s actually easier than lessons.
At least there is no homework.”

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Seeing him eating so busily, Lian Jun frowned.
He leaned over and touched his head, then turned away to take out more snacks.

Shi Jin raised a hand to his hair.
Lately, he felt that Lian Jun seemed to like to touch him.
Then, he remembered what Xiao Si said about the man’s life lacking warmth and put it out of his mind.

Once the break ended, Shi Jin entered the smaller study while Lian Jun watched.
Once the older man returned to his own study, he sneaked out again, going straight to the dining hall’s kitchen.

At lunchtime Shi Jin, afraid that Lian Jun would be able to discover some clues if they went to the dining hall, convinced him to have lunch in the villa, under the pretext he was too tired because of the exam.

And so, with such skullduggery, the day passed.
In the late afternoon, Shi Jin’s handmade cake was finally done, and Gua One and the others finished decorating the dining hall.

“All right, I’ll go get Jun-shao, you keep an eye on the rest of the dishes,” Shi Jin said to Gua Two as he took off his apron.
He wiped off the cream on his hands and headed to the villa.

Gua Two confirmed.
He watched the teenager leave, then looked at the others and heaved a deep sigh.
“With all of Shi Jin’s actions, Jun-shao would have to fall even if he was made of stone.”

Everyone present glanced at him and tacitly ignored his baiting, scattering to take care of the dishes as Shi Jin asked instead.

Afraid the smell of cream on him was too intense and would make Lian Jun suspicious, after Shi Jin returned, he came out of the smaller study immediately, as if he’d finished the exam early. He opened Lian Jun’s study’s door and blurted, “Jun-shao, I got some ink on me, I’m going to wash,” then slammed it shut and rushed to his room, leaving Mr.
Feng behind.

As expected, when Lian Jun heard Shi Jin’s voice, he immediately went out, but there was already no trace of the teenager in the corridor.
He turned his gaze to Mr.
Feng.

The old man picked up the slack, saying with a disgusted expression, “I said he was a bad student—he made so many mistakes on the test.
Then, when I was correcting his papers, he spilled my bottle of ink, getting it all over his clothes.”

After a moment of silence, Lian Jun asked, “What brand of ink is it? I’ll tell the logistics department to send you a box.”

Does he mean Shi Jin can spill ink whenever he wants to since he will help him compensate for it anyway?

Mr.
Feng glared at Lian Jun angrily and choked out, “You’re spoiling him!” Then he stomped off in a huff.

Lian Jun, like a fatuous, self-indulgent ruler who turned a deaf ear to his loyal minister’s earnest advice, replied calmly at his back, “He’s my man, of course, I have to spoil him.”

Following the plan, once Shi Jin finished his shower, he pushed Lian Jun to the dining hall for “dinner.”

Lian Jun, worried he was in a low spirit because of the exam, said, “Actually, we don’t have to go out, we can eat on the terrace.”

“No, we already had lunch in the villa.
The day is almost over, we shouldn’t spend it all inside.
Besides, the evening breeze is nice,” Shi Jin replied.
Once they arrived at the dining hall, he asked, “Jun-shao, today I want to sit at the outdoor area, close to the sea.
Can we?”

Lian Jun naturally agreed.
“Of course.”

Shi Jin thereupon moved the wheelchair in that direction, turning it so Lian Jun was facing the sea.
“Let’s sit at that table there then.”

Since the sun hadn’t set yet and it was still bright, naturally, the lights in the dining hall weren’t on.
Lian Jun didn’t doubt anything and obediently let Shi Jin push him to the edge of the outdoor area.
Once they settled down, he didn’t forget to praise the teenager’s choice of place—the view was truly splendid.

Shi Jin, pleased, sat opposite him, ordered the same dishes as him as usual, and chatted while they ate.
He waited until the sun went down and the sky darkened, then put on a confused expression.
“Why aren’t the lights coming on, is there a power failure?”

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Lian Jun was also doubtful.
He raised a hand, ready to call somebody to ask.

Shi Jin stopped him and got up.
“Don’t call anyone, I’ll go take a look.
It’s just as well, I wanted to go to the bathroom anyway.”

Lian Jun lowered his hand and nodded then watched him enter the dining hall.

The sea breeze gently blew as the dusk gave way to night.
Lian Jun waited a long time, but the teenager didn’t return.
Just as he was about to make inquiries, the lights in the dining hall suddenly turned on.
The lines of small, colorful lights winded around the outdoor area, lighting up at uniform speed, finally converging over the umbrella shading Lian Jun’s table.
There was a snap, and a large number of dim lights lit up inside and around the umbrella, making it a world of its own, small but breathtakingly beautiful.

Lian Jun stopped in mid-turn and glanced at the colorful lights surrounding him.
Faintly realizing what was happening, he looked towards the door.

Illuminated by the radiance of what resembled a galaxy of stars, a plush bear in a chef’s costume came out of the dining hall, pushing a serving trolley with a small, three-layered birthday cake.
It was surrounded by many gift boxes, big and small, in the middle of which stood a cartoon figurine singing “Happy Birthday.” It was both funny and endearing.

Lian Jun’s eyes seemed to be filled with brilliant starlight.
He turned his wheelchair toward the bear, his expression infinitely gentle.

The trolley stopped in front of him.
The bear didn’t speak, but reached out a paw and began to insert birthday candles in the cake.
While he was doing that, his other paw grabbed the gift boxes and stuffed it in Lian Jun’s arms.
It looked hilarious.

Lian Jun smiled.
He soon found all of the boxes were marked with a number, and asked, “From everyone?”

The bear nodded.
Once he finished inserting the candles, he crouched down and started to adjust the height of the trolley.
Bit by bit, the cake was lowered to the height where it would be convenient for Lian Jun to blow out the candles.

Lian Jun then discovered that the cake which looked beautiful from the distance was actually a bit crude.
What’s more, the words Happy Birthday on top were obviously written in Shi Jin’s hand, not by a professional confectioner.

Lian Jun’s heart beat faster.
He recalled Shi Jin’s “exam” today and the sweet scent he smelled from him, and looked at the bear who’d already stood up.
Reaching out to catch his paw, he asked, “Did you make it?”

“It’s-time-to-make-a-wish.
Blow-the-candles-out,” the bear answered in a mechanized-sounding voice—Shi Jin’s voice.

Hearing it, Lian Jun melted.
He didn’t make a wish but blew out the candles directly.
Abruptly, he rose from his wheelchair and threw his arms around the stunned plush bear, then closed his eyes and dropped a gentle kiss on the black nose.

Shi Jin was so shocked his eyes nearly popped out through the holes on the headgear.
He watched Lian Jun come nearer and nearer, close his eyes, and softly kiss the bear’s nose, and his heart began to thump wildly as if it was going to jump out from his chest.
Its loud beating was the only sound he could hear.

Gua Two, who held cold sparklers, ready to step through the door, quickly retracted his foot and blocked the companions waiting behind him.

Gua Nine stood the furthest away.
He asked, puzzled, “What are you doing? Didn’t you say that once Jun-shao blows out the candles, we should come out and liven up the atmosphere?”

Gua One, who also saw what happened, stepped back, replying, “If we go out now, we won’t liven up the atmosphere but kill it.
Gua Three.”

Gua Three didn’t have to ask what the other man meant.
He took out his walkie-talkie and said into it, “Start setting off the fireworks.”

A moment later, a large number of fireworks flew up from the beach and exploded with a loud bang.
Gorgeous lights covered the sky, illuminating the whole seaside.

Hearing the sound, Lian Jun straightened.
He looked at the fireworks continuing to rise from the beach, and his smile became more and more obvious.
He glanced at the plush bear, which seemed to be completely frozen, leaned over, and hugged him again.
Stroking the bear’s head, he whispered, “Thank you, I love it.”

Inside the costume, Shi Jin felt the sweat on his forehead—he didn’t know whether because of the heat or because of his pounding heart.
It took him a long moment to relax and return Lian Jun’s hug, gently patting his back.
Inwardly, he poked Xiao Si, his voice dreamlike, “Lian Jun seems to like the bear costume, good, but why didn’t he make a wish? Do you think it was because my cake was too ugly? Or maybe because it was handmade and as such not worth his wish?”

Xiao Si, who was about to squeal and gush out, was choked by these words.
It kept silent for a second, then bawled,

Shi Jin: “……”