And finally, happy birthday

Lin Chuan did not consider himself one of those protagonists whose intelligence conveniently plummeted in webnovels.

He had spent four years with his roommates, each taking turns being the others' dad. They were all living, breathing people of flesh and blood.

None of them had suddenly disappeared one day and reincarnated in another world. Little Meng's group-chat handle had not suddenly changed to Primordial Celestial Worthy, followed by him sending Lin Chuan a Myriad Worlds Communication Talisman-though, honestly, that would have been nice.

Besides, the protagonist of Throne of Magical Arcana had not been called Lucien before transmigrating. His original name had been Xia Feng.

All the signs had led Lin Chuan to a conclusion early on:

This parallel Earth was most likely a comedic Lostbelt cobbled together from stale webnovel tropes. It had all been a false alarm. Running into counterparts who shared famous protagonists' names in a world you had transmigrated to was an absurdly common webnovel setup.

But what if? The Earths his other roommates came from were normal worlds, but Zhou Mingrui had "Lord of the Mysteries" looming behind him!

So, throughout their four years at university, he had done everything he could to get close to Zhou Mingrui, asking about his interests and family and keeping a close eye on his career plans...

Until they graduated and went their separate ways. Last year, Zhou Mingrui had successfully passed the civil service exam back in his hometown and become a proud staff member at the Local Gazetteer Office.

"We saved the Earth."

That was what Lin Chuan had written in his diary.

The day he wrote those words, he had enjoyed his first peaceful night's sleep in a long time. A few days later, he packed up his things and moved to Zhou Mingrui's hometown.

After all, he was not especially fond of the bustle of big cities. He preferred smaller, second- or third-tier cities, where life was easy and moved at a slower pace, more like his hometown before he transmigrated.

Of course, none of that past history mattered now. Better to focus on the present.

Zhou Mingrui was the only person in this world whom he could call a close friend. His initial motives for finding ways to approach him during those four years had admittedly been less than pure, but they had been through so much together. Neither of them had a heart of stone, and genuine affection had naturally grown between the two friends.

It was not that the others had a poor opinion of Lin Chuan or refused to become close to him. A person's world was simply very small. Once one group of people had moved in, there was no room left for another.

And sometimes, he really was afraid.

He feared making too many new friends in this world, even more than he had before transmigrating. He feared that one day he might marry and have children here, building another happy family.

Would he then forget his past completely, forgetting where he had truly come from?

Lin Chuan asked himself:

If even I forget who I am, when I finally find my way home someday, will Mom and Dad... still recognize me?

He dared not take that gamble, much less forget.

That was why, after graduating, Lin Chuan had shut himself away at home and stopped engaging with the outside world. Even if all he did was copy a few books in some corner of this world to entertain readers, occasionally taking his memories out to air, he was... happy enough, he supposed.

Strange. Why does it feel like someone is pulling at me?

"Hey, Chuan?"

A hand waved twice in front of his eyes.

"Huh? What is it?"

The faint tugging sensation vanished. Lin Chuan snapped out of his daze and saw the anxious expression on Zhou Mingrui's face before him.

"You've been sitting there spacing out ever since you arrived. You wouldn't respond no matter how many times I called you. It was like your soul had gone missing."

Taking in his words, Lin Chuan pushed his thoughts aside and accepted the glass of water Zhou Mingrui handed him. The cold glass helped clear his head considerably.

"It's nothing. Lately, I keep getting sleepy, or else remembering things from the past. It's been going on for a month now."

He took a sip of water, then added:

"I went to the hospital. The doctor couldn't find anything wrong, either. It might be something psychological."

Zhou Mingrui looked as though he wanted to say more, but Lin Chuan cut him off:

"It really isn't a big deal. Maybe it'll get better in a little while. Let's drop it for now. What did you think of the synopsis I sent you?"

Realizing that Lin Chuan genuinely did not want to keep discussing his health, Zhou Mingrui let it go.

He rolled his eyes at his best friend in exasperation.

"I was about to ask you that. I don't mind you using my name in a novel. I'm the only one from our dorm who hasn't made a cameo yet, anyway. But what's this about the Shaolin Temple?"

"You gave Lucien a musician's opening. Why does mine start at the Shaolin Temple?"

Lin Chuan smiled faintly and pressed his palms together with an infuriatingly smug air.

"Benefactor, you cling too tightly to appearances. This mortal world is a sea of suffering. Shave away those strands of worldly attachment, enter the Buddhist fold as a humble laborer disciple, and worship devoutly morning and evening. Would that not be bliss?"

"Damn you!" Feigning fury, Zhou Mingrui lunged at him. They wrestled, and he grabbed Lin Chuan by the side of his waist.

"I thought the Shaolin Temple was some early-game dungeon. You actually want to make me a monk?"

"Stop, stop, stop! That hurts!"

Lin Chuan hastily surrendered. "It's just a transition, a transition! The protagonist will get cool, trust me. You know the Primordial Celestial Worthy, right? Would your bro ever screw you over?"

"Really?"

Zhou Mingrui was skeptical. He kept feeling that Lin Chuan was leaving something out. Who knew what other nasty surprises were waiting for him?

Lin Chuan rubbed his waist hard and sucked in a breath. "Ow... I guarantee it. Anyway, how are you so strong when you sit in an office all day?"

"What do you know? When I first started, I had to run errands and haul documents for the senior staff every day."

"Besides, aren't you just too out of shape?" Zhou Mingrui shot back. "You spend all day holed up at home and absolutely refuse to go for a walk unless someone drags you out. I honestly don't get how you haven't put on weight."

"Good constitution. Born with it. Unlike certain people. Envy won't get you one."

Lin Chuan looked pointedly from Zhou Mingrui's chin to his stomach. His meaning was obvious.

Zhou Mingrui immediately gave a cold laugh and raised a hand as if to hit him. Just then, the kitchen's tempered-glass door slid open with a clatter.

"What are you two talking about? You sound lively."

It was Zhou Mingrui's mother, who had been cooking in the kitchen. She had just finished a plate of steamed sea bass and was bringing it into the living room. His father followed behind her, carrying the chiffon cake Lin Chuan had helped make.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Zhou. Sorry for imposing today. Let me carry that." Lin Chuan activated the Book of Ages and erased their scuffle from history, acting as though he had been sitting there doing nothing all along.

"Imposing? Mingrui's older brother is working away from home and can't come back. We couldn't be happier that you came to celebrate his birthday with him." Mr. Zhou had a very distinctive voice, though his words sounded as if someone had pinched him into saying them.

Because Lin Chuan had seen it happen, but he felt that selectively forgetting certain things

was not necessarily a bad thing.

A little later, once everyone was finally seated, Lin Chuan took the initiative to insert the candles into the cake one by one, arranging them in the shape of the character "Ming."

He did not notice who got up to switch off the living-room lights. The room went dark in an instant. Only twenty-odd dancing flames remained, their warm yellow candlelight illuminating everyone's faces and casting flickering shadows, ordinary and cozy.

"Come on, make a wish. Remember not to say it out loud." Smiling, Lin Chuan began singing the birthday song.

Zhou Mingrui gazed at the flames before him, at his parents clapping on either side of the table, and at Lin Chuan singing beside him. For some reason, his eyes began to sting, as though it had been a very long time since he had last seen any of this.

Then again, that made sense. He had not returned home by his birthday last year, and the last time he had celebrated it at home had been in his final year of high school.

He closed his eyes and silently made his wishes in the faint, flickering candlelight:

I hope Mom and Dad stay healthy, and everything goes well for them.

I hope Lin Chuan stops spacing out all the time. Wait, could this be an early sign of Alzheimer's? But doesn't that usually happen to old people?

I hope... life can keep going peacefully like this.

Zhou Mingrui had no extravagant wishes. Or rather, the scene before him was already the greatest wish of his life.

"Whoosh-"

He opened his eyes and blew out half the candles, while Lin Chuan blew out the remaining half at the same time.

In the darkness, Lin Chuan said softly:

"And finally..."

"Happy birthday, Zhou Mingrui."