Chapter 110 Don't Touch Yourself, Self-Control = 0

"Where do you plan to put your cake? On your table?" Shen Cangyu asked, standing at Pei Wenjing's door. "Isn't it too presumptuous of me to come into your room so late at night?"

"It's a bit late to ask these questions now," Pei Wenjing said. Shen Cangyu had lost count of how many times he'd entered his room, regardless of day or night. If it were anyone else coming to see Pei Wenjing, he would simply block them at the door, setting up a barrier to seal off his territory and forbid anyone from setting foot there. But it was different with Shen Cangyu. Pei Wenjing knew his bias and realized that his admiration for Shen Cangyu had been brewing for much longer than he had thought.

This hidden affection surfaced too early, and he couldn't pinpoint exactly when it began. Was it when she displayed her talent for Taoist magic? Or when they were vying for the position of chief disciple? Or perhaps it was when she dramatically rolled down the mountain, pelting him with snowballs? It was probably because he had grown accustomed to walking alone, and then one day, someone adorned in vibrant colors burst into his world. And from that moment on, his world was never the same.

"Wait, don't cut it yet!" Shen Cangyu raised her hand to stop him, and then, under Pei Wenjing's gaze, she filled the cake with thin candles. She turned off all the lights around her, plunging the scene into darkness. Suddenly, the candle dragon appeared from the darkness, and with a sweep of its tail, the candles on the cake lit up, as if a sky full of stars had fallen before her eyes, leaving only this one patch of light in the world.

"Make a wish quickly, and blow out the candles after you've made your wish," Shen Cangyu said, adding, "Don't say your wish out loud, or it won't be granted."

Pei Wenjing looked at the candlelight in front of him and closed his eyes.

He had many wishes in his life, but few of them came true. His biggest wish was that Shen Cangyu would return one day, and that wish has already been fulfilled. He doesn't know what other desires he could have.

Pei Wenjing was torn between two conflicting thoughts. One selfish part whispered in his ear, wanting Shen Cangyu to stay and stay by his side. The other, calmer part said, "This world has already owed her too much. She should have left long ago. She can't stay here."

Pei Wenjing knew that Shen Cangyu's wish had always been to go home. She didn't belong to this world; she belonged to another. Going home was her obsession. He just didn't know why she didn't go back in the end. Becoming a god would probably allow her to leave this world, but Shen Cangyu chose to give up in her final moments before becoming a god, instead igniting her divine soul.

He didn't understand why Shen Cangyu made that decision. She had clearly been within reach of victory at that time, and he wondered if there were other hidden reasons behind it.

But Shen Cangyu never told him any inside information. Pei Wenjing figured out everything about this world little by little by guessing it all on his own.

It was only after countless reincarnations that he learned the truth about this world and about the protagonist and the system. With the fall of Shen Cangyu, the world underwent earth-shattering changes, and the characters in the book gradually began to awaken. First it was him, then it was Tianxiang Niangniang, then the Sword Pavilion Master... Each person retained their memories to some extent in the reincarnation, and gradually developed their own consciousness, becoming more complete versions of themselves.

Pei Wenjing's desperate search for the Heavenly Gate, for the legendary true Kunlun, was all to force Shen Cangyu to leave. Gods who come to the mortal realm to undergo tribulation must ultimately return to heaven.

Pei Wenjing opened his eyes and met Shen Cangyu's gaze. With endless tenderness, he blew out the starlight that filled the plate.

Everything returned to darkness.

"Smack!"

Shen Cangyu turned on the lights in the room and gestured towards the cake, saying, "You should be able to divide it into eight equal parts, right?"

Pei Wenjing nodded, cut the cake, and handed it to Shen Cangyu. Shen Cangyu, however, picked up the cake from the small plate and placed it aside: "This piece is for Wan Qianzhong." Wan Qianzhong gave birth to Pei Wenjing today, a day that is important to both Pei Wenjing and Wan Qianzhong. This piece of cake should rightfully be given to Wan Qianzhong.

She picked up another piece of cake and placed it aside: "This one is for the head chef." They had taken so many ingredients from the kitchen; it would be too much of a waste to leave them with only money. After all, purchasing ingredients takes time, so she had to apologize to the head chef to show her sincerity.

Pei Wenjing's face instantly turned green: "Why give them to us?"

Shen Cangyu widened her eyes and said, "So many cakes, can you really finish them all by yourself? I'm afraid you'll get sick of them." Pei Wenjing had specifically asked for cake, so Shen Cangyu deliberately made the cakes even bigger. But she thought that even eating two slices of cake would make one feel sick of it, and even if Pei Wenjing liked it, he couldn't possibly finish it all.

Pei Wenjing said with a sour face, "Of course I can finish it." He didn't want to share his food with others.

Looking at him, Shen Cangyu couldn't help but reach out and pinch his cheek: "Birthdays are very important days. Good things should be shared. If you give the cake to someone else, today will also become a very important day for them. That way, more and more people will congratulate you in the future... I hope that more and more people will stand by your side in the future." Pei Wenjing always walked alone, as if there was an insurmountable chasm between him and everyone else. She wanted Pei Wenjing to interact with more people and feel the warmth of this world.

She couldn't explain why she wanted to do this, but perhaps it was because Pei Wenjing was deliberately keeping his distance from others and constantly pushing them away, yet his eyes seemed to be saying, "Get closer to me."

Just like in this life, when she went up Kunlun Mountain and looked at his back from the Cliff of Contemplation, she couldn't help but think that it would be too tragic for him to spend the whole winter there alone. She gathered a lot of people and rushed up the Cliff of Contemplation on New Year's Eve, saying to Pei Wenjing's terrified and helpless eyes, "Happy New Year!"

She wanted to liven up Pei Wenjing's cold and aloof world.

In that case, even if Pei Wenjing's world no longer includes her, he can still be surrounded by other people.

The thought flashed through Shen Cangyu's mind, and her eyelids twitched as she caught that unusual feeling. It was indeed her thought, but it wasn't just a thought that occurred to her at this moment; it seemed that she had thought about it a long time ago.

Pei Wenjing scooped out a piece of cake and put it in his mouth. The silky sweetness exploded on his tongue, and he was stunned. So this is what cake tastes like... It's actually different from what he remembers. He had made cakes before, and he thought he had failed miserably, but unexpectedly, the cake he made tasted very similar to this one in his hand.

He had only eaten cake once, at Shen Cangyu's birthday banquet. He was still young then and had only tasted it once, but the flavor was imprinted in his mind. He had never eaten cake since then, but every time he thought of it, the taste of cake would be repeatedly retrieved from his memory and refined over and over again.

In the end, the cake tasted the best he could imagine, but when he tasted it again, he discovered that it wasn't what he had imagined. It turned out he had a similar cake before, but he hadn't known it then.

"What do you mean? You look disappointed." Shen Cangyu pinched his ear and pulled it outward.

Pei Wenjing let her pull him, tilting his head towards her, and couldn't help but laugh, "It's not disappointment, I'm just a little sentimental. I thought I had nothing in the past, but in reality, I have quite a lot. It's just that my obsession has blinded me, and I can't see clearly."

The Pei Wenjing of the past would never have been so frank. Whatever he thought, he would subconsciously keep it to himself. But now, he suddenly wanted to say it. He realized that their time was running out, and if they didn't say it now, they might never have the chance again. So, he decided to say what he thought and do what he wanted. At least this time, he wouldn't have any regrets.

Pei Wenjing almost murmured, "You've made me see so many things clearly. What would I do without you in my life?"

His gaze was direct and affectionate, and Shen Cangyu suspected that he had really drunk alcohol. Otherwise, how could he suddenly become so bold and say such drunken things?

"If you're drunk, go to sleep..." Before Shen Cangyu could finish speaking, Pei Wenjing leaned his head on her shoulder, his breath falling on the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent. He hadn't been drinking, but he felt truly drunk; otherwise, why did everything that had happened feel like a dream, so unreal?

Shen Cangyu gasped, quickly shoving the clingy man away and moving him to the bed. After freeing herself from Pei Wenjing's grasp, she looked at him lying on the bed, fast asleep. Only then did Shen Cangyu reach out and rub her neck, unsurprisingly feeling a small bump. Pei Wenjing had been breathing heavily on her neck, giving her goosebumps; she rarely got so close to anyone, and this feeling was strange.

Shen Cangyu tidied up the two plates of cake that had been cleared from the table, and looking at the remaining cake, she couldn't help but snort. Since Pei Wenjing liked it, she might as well leave it all for him, so he could eat cake for every meal. Thinking this, she began to rummage through Pei Wenjing's Sun and Moon Pot.

It's not on the table, nor on the shelf. Surely I don't carry it with me all the time?

Shen Cangyu groped Pei Wenjing's body, his hand reaching downwards.

Suddenly, the person who had been fast asleep opened his eyes, grabbed her fidgeting hand, and said in a low, hoarse voice, "Stop touching me, I don't have that much self-control."