Chapter Thirty-Three: The Candle Burning for Her

While Ye Chen was taking a shower, he heard the sound of the door opening.

A moment later, there was a clattering noise as Ye Shanshan pushed her little cart over the threshold into the room.

Ye Chen felt a flicker of surprise.

So the girl still couldn’t let go of her beloved cart after all!

But something wasn’t right—wasn’t it a bit early to be bringing the cart back inside?

Did that mean she wasn’t going to set up her stall today?

A short while later, freshly showered, Ye Chen rummaged about his bedroom.

Huh... Where are my clothes?

Before he could make sense of it, the door creaked open.

Ye Shanshan entered, holding a stack of freshly washed and dried clothes.

When she caught sight of Ye Chen standing there bare-chested, unconsciously showing off his well-defined abs and chest, she quickly turned her head away, embarrassment coloring her cheeks, though she pretended not to care.

“There! I washed all your filthy clothes for you. You’ve really been a mess lately...”

“Only I would put up with you!”

Ye Chen keenly noticed the rosy flush at her neck.

Ha! Women! Who was it just now, telling me to strip without so much as a blush?

He grumbled inwardly, but he had no intention of actually saying any of it aloud.

All he could do was scratch his head and chuckle awkwardly, “Thanks!”

Ye Shanshan turned back, fixing Ye Chen with a serious look.

“Ye Chen, have you not been feeling well lately?”

“I’m not setting up the stall today. I was planning to go into town and buy some things.”

“Hmm... How about I pick up some medicine for you if I pass by the clinic?”

Ye Chen froze at her words, as if turned to stone, crumbling in the wind.

You’ve got it all wrong—it’s not what you think!

To hell with this body-cleansing nonsense, I’m done with it.

Then, in a flash, a bold idea struck Ye Chen.

What if I tried teaching the breathing technique to someone else?

If it worked, I’d gladly pass it on, guiding them step by step.

I’d make sure my disciples and their disciples could all experience what it’s like to be surrounded by that peculiar odor after cleansing the body.

Ye Shanshan works so hard every day running her stall—she deserves to be strong and healthy.

It’s settled: you’ll be my first female disciple.

“Oh, by the way, Ye Chen, I don’t feel like cooking tonight. Could you... could you take me out for dinner?”

Ye Shanshan had slipped back into her little-girl manner.

Ye Chen realized she often shifted between the role of older sister and younger sister.

Perhaps only when she set aside life’s burdens could she, a few years younger than him, reveal her true self.

With freshly washed hands, he gently patted her silky hair and said softly, “All right. Let me check in first, then I’ll come pick you up for dinner tonight.”

In the outer city, those who could cook at home usually did so.

Regardless of the quality of the ingredients or the cook’s skill, at least eating at home was the cheapest option.

After all, many had no means to cook for themselves at all, forced to beg on the streets or scavenge from trash bins.

And for those slightly better off, the chance to dine out even occasionally felt like a rare luxury.

Ye Chen’s mind drifted back to that winter, when the city was blanketed in white, snow swirling through the air, draping houses and streets in shimmering silver.

That day happened to be Ye Shanshan’s birthday.

The two of them, new arrivals in the outer city, worked hard every day, never having savored a meal cooked by anyone else.

Money was tight, and both had grown used to a frugal, penny-pinching life.

Ye Chen had dug out all his secret savings and tucked them into his inner pocket.

Early that morning, he stopped Ye Shanshan from setting up her stall and took her wandering all over town.

He paid for everything she usually denied herself, whether food or little treats.

It was on that day Ye Shanshan discovered his “good habit” of keeping secret savings.

Ye Chen remembered it clearly: Ye Shanshan, bare-faced and unadorned, was radiant with joy even over a simple dinner.

Her clear eyes shone with happiness and contentment.

He loved seeing her smile—those moments had stayed with him ever since.

By dusk, Ye Chen had spent all of his secret hoard.

That night, when he wanted to buy her another gift, he found his pockets empty.

Noticing his awkwardness, Ye Shanshan smiled sweetly and said:

“It’s all right. This has been my happiest birthday ever!”

Ye Chen, moved by her understanding, put on a mysterious air. “Wait here and close your eyes!”

After a while, she heard Ye Chen’s voice calling from a distance:

“Hey... Shanshan... you can open your eyes now!”

She lowered her hands and, before she could wonder why his voice sounded so far away, she saw, written in large characters across the snowy ground:

“Shanshan, Happy Birthday!”

The snow, thick as cream, covered the street like icing.

Flakes drifting from the sky landed on her lips, and as she licked them away, she tasted a hint of sweetness.

The earth was the cake, the snow its icing.

Ye Chen stood there, both hands raised high—a candle burning just for her.

Ye Shanshan would never forget that moment. It was the greatest and most enduring birthday gift in the world.

In that instant, her eyes grew misty, shining with tears.

...

In the inner city, in the basement of a certain building.

An overhead fluorescent lamp illuminated the entire space.

It was a square training chamber, its walls and floor forged from a single piece of alloy.

With a metallic creak, a door in the wall swung open and a young man stepped out.

He wore pristine white athletic clothes, hands thrust in his pockets.

Golden hair, medium in length, was pulled back with a simple headband.

His posture was straight and tall, his features handsome and striking—the very image of a scion of nobility, with a hint of roguish charm in his eyes.

He strolled nonchalantly to the center of the training area, shrugged off his jacket, and tossed it aside.

In the light, his physique was revealed—eight distinct abs, not the overblown kind but perfectly defined.

He was the sort who looked lean in clothes, powerfully built without them.

With a look like that, he’d be the center of attention in any nightclub.

High above the training ground was an observation room fitted with reinforced glass.

Two figures in white lab coats whispered together, watching the young man below.

A voice echoed from the speaker overhead:

“Deputy Lord Mossa, we’re ready to begin!”

The young man named Mossa nodded slightly.

A moment later, an electronic voice resounded through the chamber:

“Countdown: ten seconds. In ten seconds, the mutant chimera will enter the arena.”