Chapter 57 Welcome to My World

Hearing her cheerful voice, Xiao Ziyu slowly opened his eyes in a daze. The next moment, his pupils dilated as an irrepressible wave of shock washed over him.

A pink sea? This was completely different from what appeared in his dreams.

Yet... he loved it.

The corners of Xiao Ziyu's eyes curved slightly, as if he were smiling.

Chen Xingmiao took his hands, tilted her head up to look at him, and asked, "Is it pretty? Do you like it?"

Xiao Ziyu's gaze drifted slowly from the pink ocean to Chen Xingmiao's upturned face.

Watching the sparkling light reflected in her eyes, he nodded gently, his voice carrying a soft sigh of wonder, "It's pretty. I like it very much."

The sea breeze ruffled their hair. With a smile as bright as a flower, Chen Xingmiao pulled him toward the shoreline.

She slipped off her shoes and felt the gentle caress of the rolling waves.

Fortunately, the temperature in this alien space was not cold at all.

"My husband, I... I didn't know what your dreams were like, so I wanted to bring you here to see it for yourself."

As she spoke, she raised both hands, closing her eyes to fully enjoy the breeze sweeping past.

A smile lingered on Xiao Ziyu's lips throughout, the coldness in his eyes melting away into a touch of warmth under the pink morning glow.

"You can come out now." As if sensing something, Chen Xingmiao suddenly opened her eyes, her gaze sparkling brightly, and clapped her hands.

"Happy birthday!"

In an instant, cheers erupted all around.

Curious, Xiao Ziyu turned his head to see Han Yao and Chun Tao carrying a cake in the front, Lin Yu following behind with a table, closely trailed by Chen Jinzhou and Chen Shuwan.

Birthday?

It was only then that he realized what was happening, and he looked at Chen Xingmiao with a complex expression.

Chen Xingmiao bit her lip and took a step toward him.

"My husband, I am in your world now. I may not know what you have been through in the past, but it will never happen again."

Hearing this, Xiao Ziyu was slightly startled, but he did not interrupt.

Chen Xingmiao raised her hand, her fingers tracing a gentle arc through the scenery before her, then she turned back to give everyone a quiet, serene smile.

Taking a deep breath, she continued, "You might find this strange, but I want to tell you, this is my world. This is called the ocean, what we are standing on is called a sand beach, and that... that is called a cake, a birthday cake."

"Birthday cake..." Xiao Ziyu subconsciously looked at the pastry-like object in the hands of Chun Tao and Han Yao.

"Yes. I came to your world, and I also wanted to let you see mine."

Chun Tao frowned in confusion, thinking to herself that her young miss was spouting strange nonsense again.

Chen Shuwan, Chen Jinzhou, and the well-read Lin Yu were also completely baffled, yet none of them wished to ruin the mood of the moment.

Though puzzled, Xiao Ziyu nodded.

"Thank you. I like your world, and my world welcomes you as well."

Time ticked away second by second. Chen Xingmiao felt as though her face was about to freeze from keeping her head tilted upward, yet she still had not heard the sound she longed for most.

Wait... was there still no system prompt? Where was Little Liu?

She had spent all of her points on this—did it not even increase his favorability? That would mean a massive loss...

"Miss, shall we cut the cake?" Chun Tao's voice pulled her back to reality.

Chen Xingmiao forced her stiff lips to relax and pulled Xiao Ziyu over.

"Goddess, we haven't sung the birthday song yet..." Han Yao looked at her with eager anticipation.

However...

She glanced around at everyone present. Although the crowd wasn't huge, this was essentially a public execution.

She might be an actress, but she was definitely not a singer.

Chen Xingmiao cast a look of silent appeal toward Xiao Ziyu, but the man only looked blankly back at her, completely clueless about what a "birthday song" was.

Seeing her hesitate, Han Yao shook her arm and coaxed playfully, "Goddess, just sing a little verse! Everyone is waiting."

Fine. Even if she wasn't a professional, she had picked up a thing or two.

Gritting her teeth, she cleared her throat and bravely began to sing.

Everyone listened with rapt attention. Xiao Ziyu kept his gaze fixed upon her, a faint smile curving his lips.

When the song ended, the crowd burst into applause. Blushing deeply, Chen Xingmiao gently tugged at the sleeve of the man beside her.

"My husband, make a wish. Remember to wish it silently in your heart—if you say it out loud, it won't come true."

Xiao Ziyu was slightly stunned, his gaze shifting to the flickering candlelight.

He took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.

A moment later, when he opened them again, Chen Xingmiao was tilting her head, looking at him with curiosity. "Did you finish?"

Xiao Ziyu's lips curved upward as he nodded slightly.

At that exact moment, Chen Jinzhou suddenly spoke up, "Xiaomiao, this birthday song is quite novel, but how exactly are we supposed to eat this cake?"

The remark abruptly shattered the warm atmosphere. Everyone froze in place, their movements halting instantly as they turned their collective gaze toward her.

Patiently, Chen Xingmiao explained how the cake should be eaten, then wrapped her hand around Xiao Ziyu's to cut a slice before distributing the rest.

Chen Shuwan was the first to take a bite, nodding in endless praise.

"Gosh, is this a delicacy of the heavens?"

Having never seen such food before, Xiao Ziyu hesitated for a moment, but after hearing Chen Shuwan's reaction, he parted his lips and took a small bite.

The cake melted on his tongue, and a sweet flavor instantly blossomed across his taste buds. Xiao Ziyu's eyes widened slightly as his initial hesitation was instantly replaced by pleasant surprise.

He took another small bite, savoring the unprecedented taste as the corners of his mouth curled up on their own accord.

Noticing his reaction, Chen Xingmiao beamed with amusement and asked softly, "Is it good?"

Thinking back to those charred, blackened morsels from last time, Xiao Ziyu couldn't help letting out a soft chuckle.

He raised his gaze to meet hers, teasing gently, "My wife's culinary skills... have improved quite a bit."

Feigning anger, Chen Xingmiao reached out and gave Xiao Ziyu's shoulder a light punch. "You just love making fun of me! That time was an accident—an accident, understand?"

"Brother-in-law, our young miss was super serious about it this time!" Chun Tao chimed in loyally.

Smiling without a word, Xiao Ziyu simply reached out and gently intertwined his fingers with Chen Xingmiao's.

After everyone finished tasting the cake, they began to play around on the beach. Even Chen Jinzhou, caught up in the high spirits, kicked off his shoes and ran out onto the sand.

Han Yao sat beside Chen Xingmiao, linking her arm with curious affection. "Goddess, what are your plans next?"

"Sigh, you know what? I put on such a huge production and spent all my points, but the little villain's favorability didn't budge at all!"

Han Yao's eyes widened in sheer astonishment.

"What? Points are so precious! You worked yourself to the bone completing missions just to save them up, and you just spent them all at once?"

The more she spoke, the more agitated she became, gently shaking Chen Xingmiao's arm with a look of utter heartbreak. "Goddess, you've lost your mind!"

Chen Xingmiao pulled a helpless, wry smile.

"I wanted to take a gamble and hope this birthday surprise would skyrocket his favorability rating. Who knew it wouldn't even make a single ripple?"

Just as the two of them were grumbling back and forth, a buzzing static sound suddenly echoed inside Chen Xingmiao's mind.

It's here?!

Her heart instantly leaped into her throat as she waited in breathless anticipation for Xiao Ziyu's favorability stats to climb.

[Warning, warning. The villain's darkness index has increased by five points.]

???

Wait, is there any justice left in this world?!