"Hu Tao, slow down."
Hu Tao pulled Fang Qiu along in a trot, and Fang Qiu followed closely behind.
Although Hu Tao wasn't running particularly fast—a speed Fang Qiu could normally keep up with—her physical condition today wasn't great; she felt somewhat frail. After trotting all the way, she was panting slightly, and her pale, pretty face had turned a bit red from the exertion.
Hu Tao dragged Fang Qiu all the way to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Fang Qiu couldn't help but feel a little confused. She had been acting so mysterious, only to bring her to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor?
"Hehe, Fang Qiu, close your eyes," Hu Tao said, stopping in her tracks and turning around with a lively expression.
"Huh?" Fang Qiu was stunned, but seeing the look of anticipation on Hu Tao's face, she obediently closed her eyes.
"No peeking, okay? Otherwise, it won't be good if you see something you shouldn't," Hu Tao said with a sinister chuckle as she led her forward by the hand.
"Don't make it sound so scary," Fang Qiu scolded Hu Tao with a glare, though her eyes remained closed.
At the same time, her heart felt a little fuzzy. This was, after all, Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Even with Hu Tao present, it was inevitable that she felt a little timid inside.
"Hehe, anyway, just don't open your eyes." Hu Tao smiled playfully and pulled Fang Qiu inside.
As soon as they entered Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Fang Qiu felt a slight chill wash over her body. Only Hu Tao's hand was warm, causing her to involuntarily grip it a little tighter.
After about two or three minutes, Hu Tao stopped, and her voice rang out.
"Alright, you can open them now."
Fang Qiu gently opened her eyes. The space she was in seemed to be a pitch-black room. Just as Fang Qiu was feeling confused, a spark of fire lit up within the darkness.
As Fang Qiu watched in puzzlement, that ball of crimson fire trembled slightly. A pair of butterfly wings extended from the fireball, and it immediately flapped its wings and took flight. As the fire butterfly danced, specks of sparks scattered like unraveling red tassels.
Immediately afterward, a second fire butterfly fluttered up. Then a third... a fourth...
Fire butterflies emerged continuously until the nineteenth one fluttered into the air, and only then did they stop.
"So beautiful."
Reflected in Fang Qiu's crimson pupils were the nineteen fire butterflies before her. She subconsciously murmured aloud.
In the next moment, those fire butterflies flapped their wings in unison, flying past Fang Qiu's side and heading behind her. Fang Qiu subconsciously turned around to look back.
She saw the fire butterflies each drill into a lamp, lighting up the extinguished lanterns. In an instant, the entire room brightened.
This was precisely Hu Tao's room. However, the originally plain room had been decorated with a festive atmosphere.
"Happy Birthday."
Xiangling and Guoba were also present. They were sitting behind a table, looking at her with smiles on their faces. In front of them sat a gigantic cream cake. Hmm... it was probably about fifteen inches large! That is to say, about the size of a crate of mineral water.
Moreover, the styling of that cream cake was extremely beautiful. It depicted the scene from their fishing trip on the boat a few days ago.
On the cake, she was leaning on Hu Tao's shoulder, sleeping soundly, while Xiangling was running over to show off a fish with tiger stripes she was holding. Hu Tao, meanwhile, had her head turned to the side, placing an index finger before her lips in a shushing gesture.
Perhaps due to Guoba's strong protest, on the fishing boat, Guoba was depicted hoisting a large fish over a meter long from the water.
The craftsmanship could be called incomparably exquisite. If not for the faint fragrance of cream drifting from the cake, Fang Qiu would have thought it was a sculpture.
Fang Qiu was slightly stunned. Before she could react, Hu Tao smiled and said, "Tonight, the stars are brilliant and the moon phase is magnificent. It must be a good day. So, I made a calculation on my fingers, hehe, and it turns out it's your birthday. Aiya, what a truly good day. So, I wanted to celebrate it for you. How is it? Do you like it?"
Birthday?
Fang Qiu was stunned for a moment. Only then did she realize... her birthday in this life was on the same day as her previous self, so there was no confusion.
It was just that she had been so busy writing novels recently that she hadn't noticed her birthday was approaching. In her past life, when she wrote novels, she often forgot her birthday too. By the time she remembered and looked at the calendar, she would find that her birthday had already passed several days ago. At that time, she would think: since it's passed, let it be. And so, she wouldn't celebrate it. She was used to loneliness.
"Well? Do these fire butterflies look nice? It's a pity; I originally planned to take you to see fireworks, but when we were testing them earlier, we got caught by the Millelith. They said setting off fireworks randomly in Liyue Harbor is strictly prohibited, and if we get caught again, we'll be arrested," Hu Tao asked with a grin.
Halfway through, she spread her hands helplessly, sighed, and said, "Young people nowadays just don't know how to be flexible."
"Hu Tao, Xiangling, and Guoba... thank you for preparing all this for me."
Fang Qiu's eyes disobeyed her and became slightly moist. Just as she was feeling moved, Hu Tao's old-fashioned tone made her unable to hold back a laugh. Tears slid down her tender cheeks along with her laughter.
"Aiya, don't cry." Hu Tao hurriedly took out a handkerchief and helped Fang Qiu wipe away her tears.
"Mhm." Fang Qiu nodded gently and exhaled softly.
"Hehe, next up is gift time." Hu Tao smiled mysteriously and pointed to her side.
Fang Qiu followed her finger and saw a super-sized plush toy sitting on Hu Tao's bed. It was exactly the super-large plush toy displayed in the shop of the merchant she had roasted for having no business sense when they went shopping together half a month ago.
It sat quietly on the bed, looking exceptionally cute under the illumination of the lights.
"When we were wandering the night market before, I saw you staring at it constantly. Afterward, I went to the shop and bought it to give to you as a birthday present," Hu Tao said with a grin. "How is it? Do you like it?"
"Thank you, Hu Tao. I like it very much."
For a moment, Fang Qiu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. But now that things had come to this, she was too embarrassed to say she was just mentally roasting the merchant for lacking business sense at the time. She could only say she liked it very much.
However, in terms of appearance alone, this plush toy was indeed very good-looking. If only it weren't so big.
"By the way, when I bought it, I specifically asked the shopkeeper. He said this is a unique item. A few days before he set off, a little girl named Klee found him and asked him to help bring this to Liyue to sell. At first, he refused; after all, transporting such a large item is too troublesome. But the Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius, Kaeya, privately gave him a sum of Mora, so he brought it along. He didn't think he could sell it at first and just put it at the entrance to attract customers," Hu Tao recalled and explained.
"So that's how it is."
Fang Qiu nodded thoughtfully. She walked forward, reached out her hand toward the plush toy, and asked, "Then did the merchant say what that little girl called this plush toy?"
"She called it Jumpy Dumpty."
Fang Qiu's hand instantly stiffened.
________________________________________
🌸 Help Love Bloom!
Our girls need a little push... and you can help!
💖 Gift for Everyone: Once we hit 50 Powerstones, I'll release +1 bonus chapter to warm your hearts.
🚀 Community Reward: If we reach 10 supporting members, we'll have a +5 chapter marathon across all stories! The romance won't stop.
👻 Come to our secret corner: Search for GirlsLove on (P). You know that's where the magic happens... 😉