Birthday Surprise in Progress (7): Lynae

To be honest, when Xiao Ling received a barrage of messages from Lynae, she genuinely felt that Lin Nai had something troublesome to deal with and was already on high alert, ready to respond.

When they arrived at their destination, Lynae pushed him onto the back seat without saying a word and took him for a drive.

Ah, of course, Lynae dutifully followed the traffic regulations here.

"Where are we going?" Xiao Ling asked Lynae from the back seat.

"Does a drive even need a destination?" Lynae asked cheerfully, her long golden hair fluttering in the wind.

Xiao Ling remained noncommittal in response to Lynae's answer.

Come to think of it, Lynae is a free-spirited girl, and impulsive actions like this are typical of her.

The two rode their motorcycle through the bustling city, the scenery rushing past them and disappearing into the distance.

Occasionally, when Lynae comes across a beautiful view, she will stop and ask Xiao Ling to take a picture with her, saving these views in her photo album.

They continued their journey, stopping and starting along the way, until their final stop was the seaside.

It was dusk, and the sun was preparing to sneak away unnoticed, but people weren't giving it that chance, constantly snapping photos of the fleeing sun.

The seawater shimmered and sparkled even more under the golden sunlight.

After snapping a quick photo of the beautiful sunset, Lynae and Xiao Ling sat on the shore, quietly enjoying the sea breeze.

"By the way, Xiao Ling, have you decided what to give Sister Nia?" Lynae asked softly, resting her chin on her hand.

"Actually, I'm already prepared," Xiao Ling replied.

"You're as quick as ever," Lynae remarked. "I don't even have a thought."

"Back when I was a mercenary in the New Federation, I treated my birthday as proof that I had survived another year. For me at that time, celebrating my birthday was insignificant compared to survival."

Even after I went to the Star Torch Academy, I rarely celebrated my birthday. The few times I did, my friends secretly prepared for me behind my back, which touched me deeply.

"I never imagined that one day I would be struggling with what to do when preparing a birthday gift for someone else."

Lynae stretched her body in the sea breeze, her lavender eyes reflecting the boundless ocean.

"You're usually full of ideas, aren't you?" Xiao Ling teased, "How come you stumbled when it came to preparing a birthday present?"

"How can that be the same!" Lynae pouted. "A birthday present! A birthday present! For the person celebrating their birthday, a birthday present is a token of the giver's goodwill!"

"That's true," Xiao Ling agreed. "So you're undecided?"

"That's right..." Lynae lowered her head, looking very distressed.

"Then let's not think about it for now." Xiao Ling patted her shoulder. "Take off your shoes, let's go for a walk on the beach."

Seawater washed over Lynae's ankles, the cool sensation spreading from her feet throughout her body, causing her to let out a comfortable groan. A few grains of sand also settled on her crystal-clear feet.

"When I was little, I often went to the beach with my family." Xiao Ling walked side by side with Lynae, softly recounting his stories about the beach. "We would go every holiday, and then we would take off our shoes and stroll along the beach, like this. If we were lucky, we could even collect some seashells and small crabs along the way."

"And then what happened?" Lynae asked naturally.

"That didn't happen again. Something happened in my family, and I rarely came to the beach after that. When I did come, I would just sit here alone, enjoy the breeze, and then rush home. Those days of taking walks on the beach like this are gone forever."

"This is the first time I've heard about your past from you, Xiao Ling," Lynae said with a smirk.

"These are all old stories, nothing worth hiding."

Just as Lynae was about to say something, she suddenly caught sight of something that interested her out of the corner of her eye.

Her pace quickened, her jade-like feet splashing up small and medium-sized droplets of water as she stepped on the seawater.

Xiao Ling ran alongside her, and stopped just as quickly.

Then he saw Lynae pick up a scallop and examine it in the sunlight, where it shimmered with iridescent colors.

"A very beautiful seashell," Xiao Ling praised.

"You can't find such beautiful seashells in Lahai-Roi..." Lynae exclaimed, resting her chin on her hand. Suddenly, a bright idea struck her, and she smiled radiantly, "Why don't we find a few more seashells? I want to string them together and give them to Sister Nia as a gift!"

"Good idea."

Without further ado, the two walked along the coastline, collecting all the pretty seashells they found along the way.

Of course, the process wasn't always smooth sailing. Occasionally, when Lynae found a seashell and was about to pick it up, a mischievous wave would crash in and sweep it away, leaving Lynae, who was late, feeling quite annoyed.

At this point, Xiao Ling would pat her little head and point to another seashell in the distance, giving Lynae had been somewhat dejected, a new target.

Finally, after the sun had completely disappeared, the two returned home with a full load of beautiful seashells.

"These seashells are so pretty! They would look perfect strung together as a necklace for Sister Nia!" Lynae said with a smile, her eyes narrowed.

"She'll like it," Xiao Ling nodded. "Oh, and this is for you."

Xiao Ling pulled out a conch shell from somewhere and placed it solemnly in Lynae's palm.

"For me...?" Lynae was a little confused. So there was a share for her too?

"Yes, it's for you." Xiao Ling shrugged. "How can you come to the beach and not bring back some souvenirs?"

Listen carefully; you might even hear an echo from the sea.

Lynae was eager to try it out. She carefully held the conch shell to her ear, closed her eyes, and listened for a while before exclaiming excitedly, "It really does make a sound!"

Xiao Ling smiled and simply asked her to try listening again.

Lynae obediently picked up the conch shell and listened again. This time, she heard a complete sentence.

"What is Sister Lynae?"

"Ah, it's insulting me!" Lynae immediately became unhappy, puffing out her cheeks and poking the little conch.

"Really? Let me hear it?"

Xiao Ling took the conch shell from Lynae's hand and held it to his ear, also hearing a complete sentence.

"Brother Xiao Ling is a blockhead!"

"666, I got scolded too." Xiao Ling tapped the little conch shell. "This little conch shell has a dirty mouth, should we throw it away?"

"No need, no need!" Lynae quickly snatched the conch shell back. "You gave it to me, it would be such a waste to throw it away!"

"Then keep it safe."

"I'll definitely keep it safe!"

As night fell, Xiao Ling and Lynae, laden with their loot, embarked on their journey home on their motorcycle.

The tranquil sea became a witness to this shell-hunting journey, and perhaps one day in the future it will tell this story to the next person who comes here to collect shells through a conch shell?