There'll Be Me from Now On, Too.

Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you!

Happy birthday to you~...

Humming the tune she was going to perform later, Hua Xin was in a good mood as she took the key to the room from her pocket.

According to her usual off-work time, Xia Yan should not get home for another half hour or so. This time is enough for her to decorate the house and give Xia Yan a rare surprise.

It was as if no one else remembered her birthday except Xia Yan.

She also had to become someone who would make Xia Yan no longer feel lonely.

I wonder if Xia Yan will be so moved when he sees this that he'll shed little pearls...

They'll probably just start crying and hug me, wailing loudly, right?

Well...

Who can blame her for being such a perfect girlfriend? Giving her man a memorable birthday celebration would surely move him to tears, and he'd hug her and vow to never leave her and be with her forever.

Such words.

Hua Xin, filled with anticipation, opened the door and went inside, as if she could already see Xia Yan moved to tears.

However, what came into view was not a silent, dark living room, but a bright scene with lights on all sides, which made Hua Xin's eyes narrow and the tune she was just humming disappear instantly.

"Honey, you're back! You seem to be off work a little early today."

The sound of the range hood and Xia Yan's shrimp-headed voice, which came right on time, made Hua Xin cover her face and face. Her excitement just now turned into a sigh of how quickly things could change.

The current situation clearly needs no further explanation.

Her plan to prepare a surprise for Xia Yan had definitely fallen through. Although she had tried to remain calm and normal since morning and hadn't shown any strange behavior, she still hadn't anticipated that Xia Yan might leave work early today, which was an unexpected event.

She can't exactly say things like, "You absolutely must go to work today and don't leave early," or "It's okay if you have to work overtime for a little while," can she?

Isn't it obvious that she's about to do something very strange and problematic?

But how can Xia Yan be blamed for this?

The sounds coming from the kitchen were undoubtedly Xia Yan preparing dinner at her usual time after work. Even though she left work a little earlier, it was so that she could have a hot meal when she got home, and also so that they could have their usual game time tonight, which was on their day off tomorrow.

From any perspective, Xia Yan only came back so early to take care of everything because of her.

Moreover, it was his birthday.

After closing the door, Hua Xin walked into the living room and gently placed the gift she had bought on the table. For some reason, a strange emotion welled up in her heart, making it difficult for her to suppress it.

"Honey, just a moment~ The food will be ready soon. I stir-fried some spicy pork and bought a super fragrant roast chicken. Hey, how about we have some wheat juice tonight?"

Xia Yan's voice continued to come from the kitchen. The sizzling sound of oil and food being heated made it possible for Xia Yan to speak clearly only by shouting loudly.

Hua Xin didn't answer. Instead, she carefully took the custom-made birthday cake out of the bag. After gently lifting the plastic lid without damaging the lettering or the surrounding fruit and cream decorations, Hua Xin picked up the birthday cake and walked towards the kitchen.

"Are you tired from work today...?"

Xia Yan skillfully poured the brightly colored stir-fried meat from the pot into a plate in no time. Just as she was about to wash the pot and clean the stove, she heard a sound coming from the kitchen door and immediately turned around with a grin.

But the next moment, he was stunned.

A beautifully crafted birthday cake came into view, with easily legible writing on it, and even a cute little face next to it.

"Happy birthday!"

Hua Xin's face suddenly appeared from the side of the cake. Her eyes were faintly filled with tears, but her face was full of smiles. Her slightly flushed face showed the girl's mood.

It was supposed to be Xia Yan's birthday, but for some reason she suddenly felt a pang of sadness.

I bet I look terrible right now. It's both ridiculous and funny that I almost cried while celebrating someone's birthday.

There was no tears of joy as expected, nor any excited shouts of emotion. Faced with the scene before him, Xia Yan simply took a deep breath, as if he too was suppressing some emotion, and gently took the cake from Hua Xin's hands and placed it aside. Then he reached out and slowly wiped away the tears that had welled up in Hua Xin's eyes.

His voice was very soft, and his face showed a mixture of wanting to laugh and suppressing his laughter, but his tone was different from usual, now carrying a hint of firmness.

"I'm so happy just having you around."

"Although it might be a bit of a formality, I still have to say thank you to [Hua Xin]."

Looking at Xia Yan's face, Hua Xin suddenly chuckled, then said to him with some dissatisfaction, "It's been so long, and you're still calling me by my name."

She could sense that Xia Yan was actually very happy.

Words may lie, but a person's eyes do not.

In fact, Xia Yan didn't have any habit of celebrating his birthday. His initial misfortune may have happened on this day. If he hadn't been brought into this world on this day more than ten years ago, he might not have experienced warmth before experiencing coldness.

Of course, this was also Xia Yan's idea before.

His birthday was something he never wanted to bring up intentionally, so even after he got together with Hua Xin, he never mentioned it.

Rather than saying they don't want to live with it, they are actually deliberately avoiding it.

But the scene before him was also telling him in a clear way that he no longer needed to run away or hide.

Hua Xin looked at Xia Yan, but didn't say anything more. Instead, she tiptoed and gently kissed him. Then, without minding that they were in the kitchen still filled with the smell of cooking oil, and without minding that Xia Yan was wearing an apron, she hugged him.

Xia Yan also closed his eyes and hugged Hua Xin. There was a strange, comforting scent of shampoo in the girl's hair.

Hugging a cold, lifeless pillow is a completely different feeling from hugging a living, breathing person.

Lacking a sense of security, he developed a habit of needing to hug a pillow to fall asleep at night.

"I love you."

"I'm so happy."

Xia Yan said softly.

No matter how fancy or cheesy the words, they can't compare to the few simple words that can describe my state of mind at this moment.

Hua Xin gently rested her head on Xia Yan's chest, as if at that moment she had taken his place as his heart, becoming another entity that could sustain Xia Yan's life.

"I'll spend your birthday with you, we'll enjoy holidays together, we'll cook New Year's Eve dinner together and complain about the Spring Festival Gala, and when we have time, we'll take a spontaneous trip like we did recently..."

"So, when you're feeling down, you don't have to bear it all alone anymore."

"Just as you have become my support, you can rely on me."

Although Hua Xin's voice was slow, it constantly touched Xia Yan's heartstrings, and an overwhelming emotion spread through his heart, making this grown man's nose tingle.

She paused, then said softly:

"After..."

"Me too."