At first, Su Lin was just hanging out with the girls with a casual attitude. But as time passed, he truly began to develop feelings for these two exceptional and wonderful women.
However, Su Lin didn't care much about these details. For him, what mattered most was the end result, even if the journey had its ups and downs.
"Xiaoyu, you wouldn't blame me for being greedy, right?" he asked.
"Hehe, I allow you to be greedy," she replied.
In the dining room, Su Lin and Xia Shiyu sat side by side, very close to each other. Su Lin thoughtfully served some dishes into Xia Shiyu's bowl, "Try the dishes I cooked. How do they taste?"
"Mmm~!!"
"They are delicious. Su Lin, your cooking is really good, even better than mine," Xia Shiyu commented while eating. Her cheeks puffed up adorably as she spoke.
"Hehe, if it's delicious, eat more. You're the birthday girl. And I don't cook often, so who knows when you'll get to eat my cooking again," Su Lin said, smiling.
"Hehe~!! It's okay. I'll cook for you in the future."
Su Lin stroked Xia Shiyu's hair, "Don't eat too fast. We still have the cake, and you need to make a wish and blow out the candles."
"It's because the food you cooked is so tasty. Do you cook every day at home?" she asked.
Su Lin shook his head, "Not really."
"Ah, then it's a talent. My dad used to say I have a talent for cooking, but compared to you, there's no contest."
Her mood seemed to dip as she continued, "Actually, when I was little, my dad often celebrated my birthday. But after my mom passed away, he became much quieter."
"Hmm~! My mom passed away early too. But my dad is different; he has his career. After my mom passed, he needed to find fulfillment in his work to add value to his life."
"Hmm, your dad must be a very impressive person."
"Hehe, he's not as impressive as me."
"You're the most impressive."
"Of course, I'm definitely the most impressive."
"Hehe~!!"
After dinner, Su Lin took Xia Shiyu to eat cake and blow out candles. Wearing a paper crown and half-embraced by Su Lin, she clasped her hands together, "I hope..."
"Whoosh~~~!"
"What wish did you make, Xiaoyu?"
"I can't tell you. Wishes can't be spoken aloud, or they won't come true," Xia Shiyu said seriously.
Su Lin looked frustrated, "Alright, then let's eat the cake."
"Mmm~!!" Just then, Xia Shiyu's phone rang. Her phone was an old model, only good for making calls. She had bought it for convenience when communicating with the hospital.
Xia Shiyu, who was about to cut the cake, was interrupted by the phone and seemed annoyed, "Who's calling at this time?"
"Maybe it's the hospital calling."
"You keep cutting. I'll answer it for you."
"Okay~! It's in my right pocket."
Su Lin reached into her pocket to retrieve the phone, accidentally brushing against Xia Shiyu's thigh but didn't linger.
He took out Xia Shiyu's old phone and thought about buying her a new one soon. He had to act first because she would definitely refuse.
He answered the call and heard a familiar voice, "Hello, Xiaoyu, it's Ye Feng. I don't mean anything by this call, just wanted to wish you a happy birthday, and…"
Hearing Ye Feng's voice, Su Lin's lips curled slightly, "Ye Feng, heard you were sick. Are you better?"
"You're not Xiaoyu, who are you?" After a moment, Ye Feng's voice came again, "You're Su Lin!"
"Yes, it's me. Heard you were ill?"
"Su Lin! Why do you have Xiaoyu's phone? Where is she? Let her take the call."
Xia Shiyu also heard Ye Feng's voice and said coldly, "Su Lin, I don't want to talk to him. You talk to him."
"Did you hear that, Ye Feng? Xiaoyu doesn't want to talk to you. As for why I have her phone, obviously she asked me to hold it," Su Lin said with a smile.
"You… it's so late, why are you still with Xiaoyu?" Ye Feng asked loudly.
Su Lin chuckled lightly, "What's it to you?"
"Damn it!" Ye Feng hysterically shouted over the phone, "Su Lin, why are you still with Xiaoyu so late at night? Answer me."
"Su Lin, just hang up. He's so annoying, I don't want to deal with him," Xia Shiyu said.
Su Lin chuckled and replied, "Xiaoyu, you have to let this kind of person completely give up, or he will keep bothering you. I'll help you get a new card later; let's throw this one away."
"Okay, sure~!!"
Hearing the conversation between Su Lin and Xia Shiyu over the phone, Ye Feng's heart was bleeding. "Su Lin…"
"Ye Feng, since you're so keen to know, let me tell you. Xiaoyu is at my place, and I'm celebrating her birthday. How does that sound? Surprised? Happy?"
"You… Xia Shiyu, how can you just casually go to someone else's house like that?"
Xia Shiyu, unable to keep her patience anymore, retorted, "Ye Feng, who I go to and who I spend time with is none of your business."
"Su Lin is my boyfriend, and there's nothing wrong with me celebrating my birthday at his place, is there? I'm not only here for dinner; I'll be staying here tonight. Is that any of your concern?"
"Ye Feng, don't call me again. I'm afraid Su Lin might misunderstand. I warn you, if you call again or harass me at school, I will call the police."
"…"
Su Lin gave Xia Shiyu a thumbs up, then said into the phone, "Ye Feng, I guess Xiaoyu has made it quite clear. Also, stop bothering her with your calls, especially so late at night. Luckily, tonight we're celebrating Xiaoyu's birthday. What if you disturbed something more important?"
"Su Lin~!!!"
"Judging by your loud voice, you should be able to come to school tomorrow, right? Let me say, Ye Feng, you should stop bothering Xiaoyu. There's no point in doing so, as she's already mine."
"You should pursue Yan Huan instead. Haven't you been after her for three years? Why suddenly go after Xiaoyu?"
"Stop talking to him. Come on, let's eat the cake."
Su Lin turned to Xia Shiyu with a smile, "I can't feed myself; feed me."
"Okay~! Master Su, open your mouth!!"
"Ah~!!"
Beep, beep, beep!!!
After the phone was hung up, Su Lin casually placed the phone on the table and then embraced Xia Shiyu, making her sit on his lap, "Xiaoyu, I didn't mean that kind of feeding."
"Ah! How do you want to be fed, Su Lin?"
"Simple, I'll show you." With that, Su Lin captured Xia Shiyu's lips with his.
After a long while…
"How's the cake? Tasty?" Su Lin asked Xia Shiyu with a smile.
"Delicious, sweet."
"Good! Now that I've fed you, it's your turn to feed me."
"Okay."
Meanwhile, Ye Feng was driven mad. Although he wasn't at the scene, he could imagine what it looked like. Thinking about Su Lin being fed by Xia Shiyu, he was tormented with jealousy and frustration.
"Why? Why is this happening? Oh, God, you let me start over, but why can't I make up for my past regrets? Why!!"
Ye Feng's helpless rage received no response. He looked up at the sky, remembering Xia Shiyu's earlier words. With Su Lin's character, would he really let Xia Shiyu go tonight?
He would certainly seize every opportunity to win her over. But Ye Feng was powerless to stop it, and nothing hurt more than watching the woman he loved in someone else's arms.
After a long time, Ye Feng sighed deeply, "Maybe, this is fate."
Back at Su Lin's house, he was a bit disappointed not to hear the system's voice. "Looks like Xiaoyu's importance to Ye Feng isn't that high. Even today, with everything that's happened, it didn't trigger the suppression condition."
Su Lin wasn't too bothered about not triggering the condition, just a bit surprised. After all, Ye Feng, in his current state, posed little threat to him. His memory and knowledge of his past life had been greatly reduced.
With Xia Shiyu's affection maxed out and Lin Xiaowan almost there, Ye Feng was no longer a significant threat to Su Lin.
After washing the dishes, Xia Shiyu came out of the kitchen and, seeing Su Lin, smiled like a fool and threw herself at him, "Su Lin~!"
Su Lin caught her, "Just now someone said I was her boyfriend, and now she's just calling me by name?"
"What else should I call you?"
"Of course, you should call me 'hubby'."
"Hubby~!!"
Hearing Xia Shiyu's sweet voice, Su Lin leaned in once again. After a while, he whispered in her ear, "Xiaoyu, are you going back tonight?"
Xia Shiyu's face turned red. Looking at Su Lin, she asked, "Do you want me to stay?"
"Hehe, I remember someone promised to thank me verbally," Su Lin said with a mischievous smile.
Xia Shiyu looked at him, puzzled, not understanding the implication of his words.
Seeing her innocence, Su Lin felt no guilt. For an artist, the most satisfying thing is to transform a blank canvas into a perfect masterpiece to cherish forever.
Su Lin lightly flicked Xia Shiyu's forehead, "Xiaoyu, Xiaoyu, you're too naive. I'm almost reluctant to tease you."
Xia Shiyu hugged him tightly, "It's okay. I like being teased by you."
"Hehe… Let's go upstairs!!"
Xia Shiyu, although inexperienced, sensed what was coming. Covering her face, she thought, "Xia Shiyu, Xia Shiyu, you really can't keep your mouth shut!!"