Even Chelina's orange eyes showed a hint of surprise.

Lin Guang kept a straight face: "Maybe it's just the typical teenage self-awareness overload."

—He certainly didn't want to be dreaming tonight only to be interrupted suddenly by someone breaking his back at midnight.

The silver-haired girl seemed satisfied with this answer, relaxing her gaze.

"Eh~ is that so~"

Miaomiao deliberately elongated her voice, making it sound like a kitten scratching your ears.

"Let's not talk about this anymore."

She seemed particularly sensitive to the surrounding atmosphere, and didn't continue stirring things up, retracting herself and suddenly becoming nostalgic and emotional.

"Hmm... in any case."

"Lin Guang, congratulations on becoming a Junior Researcher."

Lin Guang was taken aback.

He slowly raised his hand, took out the researcher qualification certificate from his pocket, and instinctively looked up at the two photos on the wall.

In the photos, both people were smiling, as if watching him.

"..."

Even with Lin Guang's nature, he couldn't help but feel a bit emotional for a moment.

With this certificate, Lin Guang could log onto the Researcher Forum, a national site built through the "Ether Network," reportedly achieved with the help of a highly mysterious Holy Beast. Researchers from all over Great Xia could communicate in real-time, with virtually no data limits and a delay of no more than a few seconds.

Although as a Junior Researcher... the help for dealing with past events might indeed not be as efficient as casually asking Assistant Wang.

But if he were an Intermediate Researcher, it would be different.

Lin Guang's mother in this life was only an Intermediate Researcher, after all.

He took a deep breath, settled his emotions, and turned to look at the people around him.

"Congratulations, Brother Lin Guang." Lisa's little face was a bit flushed, her nine big tails swaying back and forth, and a sweet smile appeared on her face, clearly genuinely happy for Lin Guang.

"Congratulations, Master." Chelina, dressed in a maid outfit, slightly bowed.

"Is this thing worth much?" Vishdair scoffed.

Lin Guang smiled and shook his head: "For those who need it, it's incredibly valuable."

If it were given to Lisa, she would definitely immerse herself in the sea of knowledge.

"It's a rare opportunity, let's take a photo!"

Saying this, Miaomiao hopped to Lin Guang's side, held his arm, and lifted her phone with her left hand.

Click.

A moment in time was captured.

"Hmm, it turned out nice!"

Miaomiao tapped on her phone, and Lin Guang's phone buzzed slightly.

Miaomiao had sent him the photo.

The angle of the photo was well-chosen, featuring a handsome young man with a slightly helpless look, and a stylish beautiful maiden wearing a Golden Birch Hairpin, brimming with laughter.

Thinking that it was indeed a memorable day, Lin Guang posted it on his social media update.

Perhaps everyone had just finished dinner and were browsing their phones to relax, because soon people were liking and commenting on it.

[Assistant Wang: Congratulations!]

[Hu Tuzhi: Congratulations.]

[Lei Wanting: A Junior Researcher at 16, that's a bit exaggerated. I've read the paper too, could you be the rumored 'Spirit Favored One'?]

[Professor Song: (thumbs up)(thumbs up)(thumbs up)]

[Wang Dawei: Holy cow, both of you have become Junior Researchers?]

[Lin Guang: Replying to @Wang Dawei: Don't rush, I'll soon reach Intermediate, then you can be the one rushing.]

[Wang Dawei: Oh awesome, really awesome, I've never seen such skill, I'm going to report this right now.]

"Hehe."

Miaomiao suddenly laughed without any apparent reason, but she often did that, so Lin Guang didn't mind, just kept looking at his phone screen.

"..."

Lin Guang's contacts weren't many, but most had liked his post. Still, he looked at his phone and waited a little longer before finally putting it away.

"Alright, alright, time to eat cake!"

Hopping away, Miaomiao went to the kitchen and brought out the cake box from the refrigerator. Inside was a three-pound ice cream cake, topped with crushed chocolate, cookie pieces, and various fruit slices, which made it look incredibly appetizing.

Miaomiao took the small box that came with the cake, containing plates, utensils, and a small item: a plastic lotus bud. The bud was yellow, the petals white, and everyone knew what it was.

Plucking out the small plastic tab, Miaomiao inserted it into the cake, used a lighter to ignite the wick on the petals, and then turned off the living room lights.

Swish—

As some electronic music started playing, the flame suddenly burned, and the lotus gradually bloomed, illuminating the faces of the five people in the darkness.

"..."

Lin Guang couldn't shake a sense of familiarity.

Perhaps it was because, once upon a time, he too had watched this lotus bloom in this very room, celebrating birthdays with his parents.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you~"

Terra World's birthday song seemed to be a bit different, not to mention that they came from different countries, with inevitably differing birthday traditions.

But Miaomiao had apparently anticipated this, having sent the birthday song video to Lisa, who then showed it to Vishdair and Chelina.

Under Miaomiao's lead, the three began to sing as well.

"Happy birthday to you."

A soft, slightly childish voice.

"Happy birthday to you!"

A slightly off-key, yet blissfully unaware, self-satisfied voice.

"Happy birthday to you—"

A calm, tranquil voice carrying a hint of warmth.

In the end, everyone had smiles of varying degrees on their faces, gently clapping: "Happy birthday to you!"

"..."

Lin Guang raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the faces of everyone present.

"Come on, blow out the candles, make a wish!"

In the dim light, the elf-like girl had her usual smile on her lips.

"Don't say it out loud, or it won't come true!"

But Lin Guang didn't look at the cake first, instead meeting the golden eyes across from him.

Miaomiao's eyes, narrowed with laughter, reflected the candle flames, quietly gazing at Lin Guang.

Speaking of which...

Since their reunion at school, she had been smiling every time he saw her.

Sometimes Lin Guang even felt that she was trying a bit too hard, as if she was forcing herself to smile.

So Lin Guang always felt that she might not be as happy as she seemed.

His ambiguous stance towards their relationship also stemmed from this reason.

Miaomiao seemed to know Lin Guang well, yet Lin Guang somewhat struggled to understand her.

But at this moment, under her gaze, Lin Guang suddenly had a strong intuition.

At least at this moment, the smile she displayed was genuine and unburdened.

So the young man also revealed a silent smile.

"Hmm."

Lin Guang closed his eyes, silently voicing his wish in his heart.

—I hope.

—That those who are good to me, and myself... all gain the happiness they desire, and never let it go.

After that, he inhaled slightly and blew out all the candles on the lotus petals in one go.

The living room plunged into darkness, leaving only the lotus candle still singing its happy birthday tune.

Suddenly, amidst the music, a very faint voice sounded in his ear.

It was a voice that no one but him could hear, coming from Vishdair.

"You'll be an adult next year on August 15, won't you… I'll remember that."

"..."

Lin Guang's eyes widened as he inhaled sharply.

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