When Chu Ge reached the next intersection, the flock of pigeons had long disappeared into the sky. However, a LED display screen on the roadside suddenly lit up, showing a prominent arrow, colorful and once again guiding him in the direction he needed to go.

Without a doubt, Chu Ge continued in the direction indicated by the arrow!

At the next intersection, Chu Ge was guided by a glowing soccer ball kicked by a young boy. The ball streaked across the night sky like a shooting star chasing the moon, and of course, a sparkling arrow on the ball sent Chu Ge into further delight.

At yet another intersection, Chu Ge saw a lady walking her dog. This time, the clue lay in the mouth of a chubby Chow Chow, which was holding a sign with a glowing arrow on it.

Chu Ge drove for more than half an hour through the streets, passing intersection after intersection, always guided by arrows that appeared in unexpected ways.

Finally, under the guidance of these arrows, he steered his Maserati onto a familiar street and into a familiar neighborhood, Huafu Garden.

Here, the arrows ceased to appear. Although the truth seemed to be gradually revealed, he, having just gotten used to following the arrows, suddenly felt a bit at a loss. He wanted to continue pursuing their direction, but there were no more arrows.

Even more peculiarly, in this vast neighborhood, everything around him was enveloped in darkness.

It was still not yet seven o'clock, but every household seemed to have made a pact: nobody had turned on their lights, not even the street lamps within the community emitted their expected glow.

Suddenly, in the midst of the darkness, a window lit up first—it was Qin Ruojing's home.

Soon after, a second window lit up, then a third, a fourth...

Within a minute, the neighborhood that had been pitch black was now illuminated by more and more windows, forming six big characters!

"Happy Birthday Chu Ge"

As these six characters were formed, soothing and gentle music began playing from somewhere, along with a song that accompanied the music.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you..."

The voice was extremely familiar to Chu Ge, but he couldn't quite distinguish whether it was Qin Ruojing or Qin Ruoying singing.

Seeing those brightly lit six characters and hearing the continuous echo of the "Happy Birthday" song, Chu Ge blinked blankly.

The word "birthday" was something exceptionally distant and unfamiliar to him.

Birthday? Today... is it my birthday?

How many years has it been since I last celebrated a birthday? Ten years? Or eleven years?

Chu Ge's nose suddenly felt a little sore, and his eyes slightly wet. He pinched his nose, pressed his lips together, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.

Soon, the pair of street lamps closest to him lit up, followed by the second pair, the third pair... one by one, they illuminated the familiar road in soft light.

As the pair of street lamps at the end of the road lit up, a graceful silhouette appeared clearly and distantly.

It was a woman holding a microphone, her face glowing with a gentle smile, still singing the "Happy Birthday" song. Chu Ge couldn't tell who it was, maybe Qin Ruojing, maybe Qin Ruoying.

Chu Ge pinched his nose again, took a quick breath, stepped out of the Maserati, and walked step by step toward that silhouette.

"Bang!" A resounding pop echoed through the night sky.

Chu Ge's body jolted, his brow furrowing tightly. Although such thoughts seemed like a spoil of the moment, he couldn't help thinking of the roar of gunfire.

He looked toward the source of the sound, only to see fireworks splendidly blooming beneath the twinkling stars, followed by a second, a third, shining with mesmerizing beauty.

Chu Ge laughed, shaking his head, wondering what was wrong with him—wasn't he back in the serene and peaceful city?

Coming back, it truly feels good.

Finally, filled with mixed emotions, Chu Ge reached the side of the silhouette, whose smile was as radiant and vibrant as blooming fireworks.

"Happy Birthday, brother-in-law!"

"Xiao Ying, thank you."

With their eyes meeting, Qin Ruoying smiled and shook her head.

"Brother-in-law, you don't have to thank me; if you're going to thank someone, thank my sister. Everything up till now was prepared by her. I haven't even shown you my surprise yet. Shall we head upstairs?"

Chu Ge couldn't believe it, not even in a million years, he didn't even remember his own birthday, yet Qin Ruojing actually did.

Moreover, regardless of his reasons, their last meeting ended on such a harsh note, yet Qin Ruojing still prepared such a surprise for him. Besides being moved, he was incredibly touched, a feeling truly difficult to express in words.

What else could Chu Ge say? He nodded and walked alongside Qin Ruoying.

When they reached Qin Ruojing's door, Chu Ge felt a bit panicked. Qin Ruojing was too good to him, and just thinking about his resolute stance in their last interaction made him feel quite awkward.

However, having come this far, there was no turning back. If he ran away now, they really wouldn't even be able to be friends in the future, and besides, there seemed to be other reasons why he didn't want to see Qin Ruojing upset anymore.

"Um... Xiaoying, did your sister prepare all of this?"

Just as Qin Ruoying was about to open the door, Chu Ge suddenly grabbed her wrist, asking with a voice full of uncertainty.

"Yeah, why? How about we talk inside?" Qin Ruoying raised her hand again, but Chu Ge quickly pressed it down.

"Um... the handwriting on the letter is hers too? And the drawings are hers?"

"Letter? My sister wrote you a letter? Huh? How come I didn't know?"

Qin Ruoying blinked, looking puzzled, then she revealed a very gossipy smile and asked with a grin, "Brother-in-law, what did the letter say, and what did she draw?"

"Uh, nothing much."

Chu Ge coughed twice, a bit guilty, and shifted his gaze before Qin Ruoying could ask more questions, opening a door he had opened countless times before.

With a "click," the door opened, and within Chu Ge's line of sight, Qin Ruojing was gazing at the handbag on the sofa, seemingly lost in thought.

It wasn't until Qin Ruoying casually closed the door, making another sound, that Qin Ruojing's body trembled slightly. Only then did she snap back to reality, as if caught in the act of doing something wrong, hastily standing up from the sofa, her face flushed, and turned to look over.

"Chu Ge, happy birthday."

Qin Ruojing's expression was a bit awkward. She wanted to give Chu Ge a smile without holding grudges but felt that it was too undignified and too lenient towards him, so she opted for a more formal smile, which ended up looking somewhat awkward and stiff.

Although the smile was a bit odd, with Qin Ruojing's looks, even frowning had a certain charm, not to mention smiling.

Moreover, noticing her little bit of fluster and contradiction, Chu Ge also felt a bit awkward, and after saying "Thank you," he was unusually at a loss for words.

Noticing the awkwardness between Qin Ruojing and Chu Ge, Qin Ruoying giggled and patted Chu Ge on the back.

"Brother-in-law, you're home now, shouldn't you change your shoes and come in? How long are you and my sister going to keep staring at each other?"

Chu Ge changed his shoes and entered the house. Qin Ruoying then led him to the dining table, which was filled with dishes that Chu Ge usually liked, and a three-tiered cake with twenty-five candles in the middle.

"Brother-in-law, come and taste my sister's cooking. Today's meal was all made by her. You wouldn't believe how earnestly my sister's been practicing her cooking these past few days."

"Xiaoying! What nonsense are you talking about? Who's been practicing cooking?" Qin Ruojing's face reddened a bit more, "I've known how to make these dishes for a long time."

Qin Ruoying giggled, smacked her lips, and shook her head, "Ha... Sis, are you embarrassed? You originally just..."

"Alright, you're too chatty," Qin Ruojing gave her sister a gentle tap on the head, interrupting her unfinished words, and turned to Chu Ge, "Let's... let's blow out the candles and have some cake, okay?"

"Okay, okay, let's have cake. Here, let me put the birthday hat on our birthday star!"

Qin Ruoying clapped her hands joyfully, picked up the birthday hat, and placed it on Chu Ge's head, then sat next to him, clapped her hands, and started singing the "Happy Birthday" song.

Qin Ruojing helped adjust the hat on Chu Ge's head, sat on his other side, and joined in with her sister, singing in a voice just as melodious.

Smelling the cake, the food, and the distinctly different yet equally warm scents from the two sisters as they sang the long-lost "Happy Birthday" song, while gazing at the flickering twenty-five candles on the cake, Chu Ge felt an immense sense of happiness.

Even without mentioning the surprises Qin Ruojing had prepared for him, the happiness he felt at this moment was incredibly precious, allowing him to once again genuinely experience the feeling of "home."

After the two sisters finished singing the birthday song, Qin Ruoying clapped her hands and laughed, "Brother-in-law, make a wish and then blow out the candles."

Chu Ge nodded with a smile, closed his eyes, crossed his fingers, and made a long-overdue birthday wish in front of the flickering candlelight of twenty-five candles.

Meanwhile, Qin Ruojing also silently made a wish with a blush on her face, "May there be years to look back on, and may we grow old with deep affection."

When Chu Ge opened his eyes, Qin Ruoying grinned and asked, "Brother-in-law, what wish did you make? Care to share?"

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