Chapter 358

Fragments of memories buried deep in his mind floated faintly to the surface.

Pei Ji’s gaze dimmed, and in his momentary daze, he suddenly realized the girl so close to him had lowered her head and leaned forward without warning.

Her black hair cascaded over his neck and shoulders as Ning Ning’s soft lips gently pressed against the shell of his ear.

It was as if she couldn’t help herself, lightly grazing and biting.

His earlobe, already red as if about to drip blood, was as hot as it appeared.

The warmth spread like scattered sparks, traveling from his ear to her lips and, through that touch, flowing into his bloodstream, sweeping over his entire being.

Even her soft voice carried a heat that could stir one’s heart.

He heard Ning Ning whisper by his ear:

“Happy birthday.”

She paused after speaking, then lifted her lips from his ear.

Adjusting her position, she raised her hands to cradle his face.

Her nose lightly touched the tip of his.

It was an act of pure intimacy, their distance reduced to nothing.

To make it even more ambiguous, Ning Ning was straddling his lap, her slightest movement capable of sending an indescribable, electrifying warmth through them both.

Ning Ning said softly, “Pei Ji being born into this world is the best gift for me.”

Her palms gently traced the contours of his pale face, outlining its defined features.

Pei Ji couldn’t move; his entire body seemed to have lost its strength.

He could only stare blankly at the girl before him, her smiling black eyes capturing him completely.

An endless black vortex that, in an instant, swallowed him whole.

“Meeting you, Pei Ji, makes me truly happy,” she said, shifting slightly to bring herself closer to him.

“Thank you for being here. Because of you, today, every year, has become a joyful occasion for me.”

She must have thought of his mother, using these words to comfort him.

It was unbearably tender.

Because of her, Pei Ji was no longer the so-called “isolated monster” or “a freak whose very birth was a mistake.”

Someone loved him gently, treated him so kindly.

Being so close to Pei Ji, Ning Ning could see every nuance of his expression.

A faint pink had touched his dark eyes, a blush blooming and spreading to the tear mole at the corner of his eye, making it seem as though he was on the verge of tears.

Pei Ji had never shown such an expression to anyone else.

Only before her did he put away his sharp defenses, revealing his most vulnerable side.

Ning Ning leaned closer, intending to kiss the corner of his reddened eye.

But before she could, she sensed something unusual.

A strange, different sensation.

…Beneath her.

For a moment, the cramped space was filled with silence.

Pei Ji’s entire face was no longer just flushed—it was glowing, impossibly red, like an exploding supernova.

And Ning Ning wasn’t any better.

“Pei Ji.”

Sitting on the wooden chair, his voice trembled for the first time, filled with embarrassment.

“You should… get up first.”

She wanted to stand, too!

Flustered and mortified, Ning Ning stammered, “B-but only if you let go of me first!”

It was then Pei Ji realized his hands were still around her waist.

As Ning Ning rose and stepped away, the closeness they had shared slowly dissipated, replaced by a more profound, unspoken sense of intimacy.

She was so nervous she wanted to slam her head against a wall.

In her mind, she frantically composed her words, but when they reached her lips, they spilled out as fragmented phrases:

“Well, I-I’ll go now! You can take your time, no rush. Later tonight—”

—What was she even saying?!

Ning Ning hurriedly blurted, “T-then I’ll leave first?”

Pei Ji remained seated in the chair, tightly gripping the sword scabbard she had given him.

Overwhelmed by a tidal wave of embarrassment and heat, he lowered his head, biting his lip, and managed a hoarse “Mm.”

Moments later, the sound of footsteps reached his ears, and before she left, Ning Ning planted a quick kiss on his cheek.

She said, “Happy birthday.”

Her words sent the jar of sugar in his chest tumbling over, spilling sweetness everywhere and sweeping away the sourness and shyness in an instant.

In his once desolate and barren heart, sweet sugar now lay scattered across the ground.