"You can make any wish you want," Wenmo added, staying by her side to help take photos and record the moment.

"Um."

Xia Lian nodded gently, then closed her eyes, already thinking about what wish she wanted to make.

Seemingly feeling that something was missing, Wenmo awkwardly turned his face away, but quickly looked back, coughed twice, and then helped sing the happy birthday song.

There were only the two of them there, so there was no awkwardness. It was the first time celebrating her birthday, and the ceremony had to be done properly, with no part of the ceremony missing. Wenmo sang earnestly, carrying his blessings for Xia Lian as he sang.

Not long after, she slowly opened her eyes, and a flicker of emotion appeared in them.

"Have you made a wish?"

"Yes, it's approved." Xia Lian lowered her eyebrows slightly, and her originally lifeless eyes regained their clarity under the candlelight.

Wen Mo composed himself. The atmosphere was so nice that he wasn't in a hurry to blow out the candles. After thinking for a while, he picked up his schoolbag from the sofa next to him.

Under Xia Lian's questioning gaze, he took out a small, decorated box from inside.

"Here, this is a gift for you." Wen Mo handed over the small box, which Xia Lian gently took. She glanced at the box and then at Wen Mo.

With Wen Mo as her witness, Xia Lian opened the tightly closed box, and the contents were immediately revealed to her.

"scarf……?"

In her line of sight, a red scarf lay quietly in the box, neatly folded. She took the scarf out, but for some reason, the yarn on the scarf looked a little strange.

"I'm sorry, my skills aren't very good. This is my first time knitting a scarf." Wen Mo felt a little apologetic. She had tried her best to knit, but her skills were still not as good as those beautiful scarves that she bought outside.

The girl gently stroked the bright red scarf. Although the finished product wasn't particularly exquisite, it felt strangely comfortable to the touch.

“Wenmo has been busy these days… knitting this?” She suddenly remembered something; when Wenmo locked himself in his room earlier, he said he had something important to do.

"Sorry, I wanted to surprise you." Wen Mo scratched his head awkwardly, feeling a little disappointed, especially since the other person didn't seem to have any opinion on the scarf he had given her.

Xia Lian's eyes flickered slightly as she held the scarf in her hand and placed it on her chest, as if she were feeling all of Wen Mo's efforts over the past few days.

Her nose tingled with a little soreness. She could imagine a lonely figure threading a needle endlessly in a room, the person in front of her even apologizing for his poor skills.

Yet, she was still angry because she couldn't see Wenmo...

"I'm sorry, I was very... willful..." Xia Lian apologized sadly, feeling a heavy weight in her heart as she recalled what had happened a few days ago.

"It's okay, it's okay! No need to apologize!" Wen Mo hurriedly comforted her when he saw her expression, then changed the subject, "Oh right, why don't you try it on and see if it looks good on you."

After saying that, he stepped forward and helped the girl put on the scarf. When he put it on, he saw that the length and width of the scarf were just right. After wrapping it around twice, it hung down to the girl's waist.

The girl twirled around twice, as if showing off how she looked with the scarf on. Although she looked a little dazed, she was still a very pretty girl.

The dim candlelight illuminated her face, casting a golden glow. Xia Lian stopped and reached out to touch the scarf wrapped around her body, as if trying to absorb its warmth.

"Beautiful, beautiful." Wen Mo smiled and clapped his hands in a show of support.

"Thank you, Winmer."

Xia Lian lowered her head slightly, her eyes darting around.

"Hey, hey, it's your birthday, no need for thanks. I'm just glad you like it." Wen Mo reached out and touched her face, then added, "Alright, blow out the candles! That way your wish will definitely come true."

Xia Lian nodded, and under his witness, the candle was gently blown out. The living room lights were turned back on, and Xia Lian stared at the wispy candle, lost in thought.

"Let's eat cake." Wenmo handed her a plastic knife; the birthday person had to cut the cake themselves. "You'll definitely like the taste."

Xia Lian divided the cake into two pieces, handing the larger piece to Wen Mo. Wen Mo was stunned for a moment, then took it with a smile, "Eat it quickly, it's a rare treat for us to have cake."

The girl nodded, picked up a small fork, put a piece of cake in her mouth, and immediately, the sweet taste of cream filled her entire mouth.

"tasty."

"As long as it tastes good." Wen Mo didn't particularly like cake, but he still happily ate two slices with her. "Speaking of which, this cake is quite cheap."

"Very cheap?" Xia Lian had cream on her lips.

"Well, it's considered cheap, considering that such a big cake only costs a little over a hundred."

Xia Lian listened attentively, pursed her lips, and shrank closer to Wen Mo with the large cake in her hands before taking a big bite.

When her mother was sick, she spent her last birthday in the hospital. She couldn't eat cake because of her poor health, but Xia Lian knew that her mother loved sweets.

Back then, the family didn't have much money, so the cake they bought was very small, not as big as the one in front of them. Mom didn't eat a single bite; she ate it all herself. Even though she didn't eat a single bite, her eyes were curved into crescent moons as she smiled, gently stroking Xia Lian's head.

"Mother……"

Her nose tingled, and she bit her lip, trying her best not to let the tears fall even though her eyes were already brimming with tears. She just ate the cake in front of her in big bites.

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