Zhu Yufeng Extra: Birthday

"Lilith, where exactly are you taking me?"

Holding hands with the girl walking ahead, Zhu Yufeng asked somewhat confusedly as they walked down a corridor.

His eyes were covered with a cloth, and the surrounding environment was pitch black to him, so he could only be led by Lilith to avoid bumping into a wall.

"Oh, don't rush~" Lilith's voice echoed from ahead. "We're almost there. This is a surprise I prepared for you!"

A surprise? Hopefully not a scare.

After walking a bit further, a faint light penetrated the cloth and entered his eyes, letting him know they had likely reached their destination.

"Alright, we're here. Next, I'm going to take off the blindfold for you."

"Snap!"

Zhu Yufeng instinctively tensed up. His eyes were covered, and he couldn't see what was happening in front of him. He didn't know what trick Lilith was up to.

Although Lilith had assured him she was no longer interested in killing him, and as a Fusion Warrior, he wasn't that easy to kill now, but...

He still couldn't fully trust Lilith. Their relationship was purely a partnership.

Huh? It felt like something was floating onto his face... this sensation...

Then, the cloth tied around his eyes was loosened, and the world suddenly became bright.

"Happy birthday, Feng (Boss)!"

As his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw Kevin and Elysia standing on both sides, holding party poppers and wearing formal attire. Besides them were Eden, Xila, Rovoc, Esmodius, Abaddon, and Nahamah.

In the center was an exquisite cake.

Zhu Yufeng was taken aback. He looked at the scattered confetti on the ground. So, what had floated onto his face earlier was confetti?

"Happy... birthday?" Zhu Yufeng subconsciously repeated the words, then looked back at Lilith behind him. "Lilith, what is all this..."

"This is a birthday banquet I specially prepared for you~" Lilith smiled playfully. "Consider it repayment for taking care of me while I was unconscious~"

A birthday banquet prepared for him...

"Lilith planned this entire birthday banquet by herself. Honestly, I was surprised when I came to help with the decorations. I didn't expect Lilith to be so capable~" Elysia said with a smile. "Feng, you must accept a girl's feelings properly~"

Zhu Yufeng glanced at Elysia with a strange expression. He didn't know what to say for a moment. Did Elysia think Lilith had feelings for him?

It would be best if Lilith didn't think about killing him.

Or perhaps, she was actually trying to tell him to look forward and not get stuck on one thing?

Was that it...

Zhu Yufeng smiled at everyone and said, "Thank you, everyone. And especially thanks to the organizer of this banquet, the great Miss Lilith."

"Hey, why did your tone change so much when you addressed me?" Lilith said with some displeasure. "What do you mean, 'the great Miss Lilith'? Can't you speak nicely?"

"Aren't I speaking nicely?" Zhu Yufeng said teasingly. "I'm using a respectful address and adding a positive modifier before your name."

Lilith: "..."

Why can't she refute such obvious nonsense?!

"Alright, no more joking." Zhu Yufeng looked around at the decorations and smiled faintly. "Thank you for hosting this birthday banquet for me, Lilith."

"I'll grudgingly accept that you passed," Lilith said, crossing her arms.

Kevin put down the party popper in his hand. He looked at the interaction between Zhu Yufeng and Lilith with a thoughtful expression, then looked at Zhu Yufeng and said, "This cake was also made by Lilith herself."

"You can make cakes too?" Zhu Yufeng looked at Lilith in surprise. He knew she could cook, but he hadn't dared to eat her cooking before.

Lilith narrowed her eyes at Zhu Yufeng. "What? What makes you think I can't make cakes?"

"Then I must apologize. I'm sorry, Lilith, for being so shallow." Zhu Yufeng said with a smile, then looked at the cake Lilith had made. He had to admit, it was quite exquisite.

"I originally wanted to pay someone to specially order a cake, but Lilith strongly opposed it. Only after seeing the finished product did I realize that Lilith's skills are no less than those of a top-tier chef," Nahamah said. "Although I still think your birthday cake, Boss, should be made by the best chef in the world."

"I've told you, I'm younger than you, so don't keep calling me Boss, Nahamah," Zhu Yufeng said helplessly. "Besides, something like this really isn't necessary."

"You saved my life, so what's unnecessary?" Nahamah shrugged. "I don't have much, but I have a lot of money... though not as much as Miss Eden. Moreover, you are my benefactor and my captain. What's wrong with calling you Boss?"

No, didn't you forget that you're also a noble young master?

"Oh right, we haven't given you our gifts yet!" Elysia exclaimed, taking out a meticulously wrapped pink gift box. "Ta-da! This is a gift I've been preparing for you for days. What do you think? Isn't the packaging super cute? Do you want to open it now?"

"Yes, it's definitely your signature cute packaging," Zhu Yufeng said, taking the gift box from Elysia. "Although I'd like to open it now, I want to save it for later to maintain the element of surprise. Is that okay?"

Please forgive me, but he didn't really want others to see the gift Elysia gave him. This was his only possessiveness towards Elysia.

"Of course, that's fine~ It's a gift for you after all~" Elysia said with a smile. "And it's indeed not suitable to open it right now~"

"This is a gift from Mei and me. Mei has experiments today and couldn't make it, I apologize," Kevin said apologetically, presenting his gift at the same time.

"It's okay, I understand. This is... a sapphire pendant? It looks really nice. Thank you." Zhu Yufeng said, looking at the pendant Kevin gave him.

"Because where we come from, the birthstone for September is sapphire," Kevin explained. "I'm glad you like it."

"Next is me!" Nahamah directly placed a crown on Zhu Yufeng's head. "This crown was specially custom-made for me. You can also think of it as a birthday hat. Although it might be a bit heavy since it's pure gold, for a Fusion Warrior, it's a piece of cake."

"Nihamah, you know Feng doesn't like this kind of ostentatious stuff," Abaddon said with a headache. He then walked up to Zhu Yufeng and said, "This is my gift. Like Kevin's, it's a medal made with your birthstone."

"You think I'm ostentatious, yet you still decorated it with gems," Nahamah retorted.

"At least I didn't embed a pile of gems into a pure gold crown," Abaddon retorted. "You were a noble young lord from Australia back in the day, couldn't you give a gift with a bit more taste?"

"Huh? You said 'back in the day' too. Feng is my true boss, how could I give fake things like I used to? Besides, this was crafted by a world-class master artisan. You say I have no taste?"

"Who gives a crown as a birthday gift?"

"Am I not a person?"

Ignoring their usual bickering, Xila stepped forward and said directly, "I don't know what a gift is, nor what can make you happy, so tell me what you want, and I'll get it for you right now."

"Uh... no need to go through so much trouble. I've received your kind thought, thank you, Xila." Zhu Yufeng patted Xila's head.

"Next is me. I brought a gift from Dr. Mobius when I came over," Rovoc took out his gift and Mobius's gift. "This watch was modified by Vill-V and me. It's fully functional and will be very convenient in daily life."

"My gift should already be at your dorm room door," Eden said with a smile. "It's a bit too large, so it's not suitable to give to you here."

"That's quite intriguing," Zhu Yufeng said with a smile.

"This is my gift, it's a bone carving. Please handle it with care," Esmodius smiled and placed her gift on a nearby table.

Zhu Yufeng glanced at it and then looked at Esmodius, "The original material is..."

Don't tell me it's a human bone!

"It's just some animal bones, don't worry," Esmodius said with a smile. "Abaddon watched me make it, he can vouch for me."

Zhu Yufeng looked at Abaddon, who nodded.

That's a relief...

"Alright, since the gifts have been given, it's time for wishes now~" Lilith turned off the lights. "Make a wish, Feng. Remember, you have to blow out all the candles in one go! Otherwise, your wish won't come true."

"Why are you like Elysia?" Zhu Yufeng said speechlessly. "How is that even possible..."

"How will you know if you don't try?" Lilith smiled. "You can also consider telling us your wish, and we can all think of a way to make it come true."

"I second that~" Elysia raised her hand with a smile.

"If it's your wish..." Xila also raised her hand like Elysia. "No matter what the wish is, I will definitely help you fulfill it!"

"I think it's better to respect Feng's opinion," Abaddon chimed in to smooth things over. "When it comes to wishes, shouldn't it depend on whether the person is willing to say it?"

"Go on, say it. As long as it's something money can solve, it's on me. I'll definitely get it done!" Nahamah patted his chest.

Rovoc, as usual, was rational: "From a general rational perspective, birthday wishes are inherently illusory and lack any theoretical basis. Speaking them aloud increases the possibility of them coming true."

Looking around, Zhu Yufeng smiled and said, "Then I truly must disappoint you all. I think it's better for me to fulfill my own wish." He then lowered his head to look at the cake Lilith had made, the smile on his lips gradually fading.

A wish...

What wish could he possibly have?

Wishing for Elysia to like him? Or wishing to return to his own world?

Neither held any meaning. To some extent, he had already achieved the former, though not in the way he desired. As for the latter... he saw no hope.

Wishes should be practical to have meaning.

There was only one thing that his current self could strive for with direction, and that was...

"I hope I can alter the fate of the Thirteen Heroes of Fire Moth, change their regrettable endings. Their destinies should not sink with this era... especially Elysia, she should witness the next era, to personally see the flowering of humanity from the seeds she sowed."

Making the wish he had held since before his transmigration in his heart, Zhu Yufeng blew out the candles.

Lilith turned on the lights, and Elysia had already picked up the long serrated knife for cutting the cake. "Feng, you're the star of this party. Are you going to cut the cake yourself, or should I? I'm really eager to try Lilith's cake, made by such a beautiful girl~"

"Since Lilith made it, I'll do it," Zhu Yufeng stepped forward and took the long serrated knife from Elysia. He had no other thoughts. Since Lilith was willing to organize this banquet for him, it at least signaled to him that their relationship could progress further.

No longer a mutually beneficial partnership, but the first step towards "friendship."

Therefore, he had to respond to Lilith properly as well.

After the banquet ended, Lilith proactively offered to help Zhu Yufeng carry his gifts back to his dorm. Abaddon had been drunk under the table by Nahamah, and Nahamah had to carry Abaddon back to his dorm. Kevin, still needing to carry the cake to find Mei, saw Lilith helping Zhu Yufeng with some gifts and didn't say anything, bidding farewell and leaving. Rovoc left midway as he had experiments to attend to. Xila and Elysia were also preparing to help carry some items, but Zhu Yufeng said that he and Lilith were enough, so they didn't insist.

On the way back to the dorm.

"I thought you would have accepted Elysia's offer," Lilith said, holding gifts.

"Spare me. I'm not ready to let her see my dorm yet," Zhu Yufeng said with a wry smile. "I don't want her to suspect I have mental problems."

"Why don't you just tell her directly? After all, the destruction in your dorm was caused when you couldn't stand the side effects."

"No... I... I don't want her to look at me like that... that kind of caring gaze, really..."

"Heh... as you wish."

"By the way, thank you so much for today's banquet."

"Didn't you already say thank you?"

"I think it's necessary to say it again, after all, isn't this also a step forward in our relationship?"

"...Yes. Speaking of which, didn't Elysia ever throw you a birthday party before?"

"How could that be? She and I... aren't at that stage yet... Moreover, even with Kevin, it was because he was depressed. I don't want Elysia to treat me like a patient who needs care because of mental illness."

"...What a great opportunity it was."

"I don't need an opportunity like this."

Returning to his dorm room door, Zhu Yufeng realized that the gift Eden had given her was a harp, but he knew nothing about music.

"This is for display; it's not usually used for playing," Lilith rolled her eyes, mocking his ignorance.

After putting away the gift, Lilith suddenly took out a delicately wrapped gift box herself. "Here, this is for you."

"I thought your gift was that cake..." Zhu Yufeng was a little surprised.

"What are you talking about? I never said that was my gift for you," Lilith turned to leave. "When it's my birthday, you'd better remember to give me a return gift."

Zhu Yufeng looked down at Lilith's gift, then thought about it and opened it along with Elysia's gift.

"Crystal Flower Seeds? And instructions?" Zhu Yufeng opened the handwritten instructions from Elysia. "Plant them and wait a few days for them to sprout and bloom... Wait, didn't Elysia make these Crystal Flower Seeds herself using Honkai energy? Honkai energy can be used like this?"

Lilith's gift was a ring. It looked quite exquisite, but he didn't know what the meaning behind it was...

Putting down the ring, Zhu Yufeng looked at the clock on the wall and murmured, "My birthday..."

The young man looked at the familiar packaging style before him. It was obvious who had left it at his door.

"Elysia..." The young man picked up the gift box and muttered to himself, "Right, today... is my birthday."

He walked into the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. Silver hair, silver pupils, cold, gloomy...

He put his fingers on the corners of his mouth, trying to force a smile, but as soon as he removed his fingers, his expression returned to its original state.

He sighed, took the gift box, and walked out of his dorm. He found Kevin. "Kevin, can you return this to Elysia for me?"