CHAPTER 471: CHAPTER 351: WITH INTENTION (EXTRA FOR MONTHLY TICKET)

It was a square paper box about as wide as a forearm.

The box was perfectly square, entirely black, with a line of words written in a pure white square font—

[Happy Birthday, Ye Jiu].

With the small black-and-white box in his hands, Wen Nan had a fleeting illusion, thinking that his uncle, who had passed away many years ago, would look quite fitting resting peacefully inside.

Of course, Wen Nan would absolutely never voice such thoughts.

No one uses a pure black square paper box to wrap a birthday gift; this is common sense, something Yu Shujun doesn’t understand, and it’s not her fault.

Being too serious at a time like this would ruin the atmosphere.

So Wen Nan’s smile deepened, and he raised his hand to open the box. Seeing what was inside, he was stunned—

Inside that paper box was a heart.

Not a heart-shaped ornament, but a bloody heart with clearly visible ventricles, atria, arteries, and veins.

No way, sister, did you disappear for the better part of the day to fly out to Myanmar?

This... this thing, can it really be given as a gift?

Under Wen Nan’s peculiar gaze, Yu Shujun became increasingly uneasy—it was the first time she had seriously prepared a birthday gift, and for someone she liked, no less.

It seems... it might have gone wrong.

Wrapping her fingers covered in crimson fragments into a fist behind her back, Yu Shujun softly said, "I made it myself..."

She originally wanted the other person to taste it, to see how it was, but just one glance at that indescribable expression, and it was unlikely they’d stomach it.

After Yu Shujun’s quiet reminder, Wen Nan opened his mouth, showing an expression of sudden realization—

This was Yu Shujun’s homemade birthday cake for him?!

⑉•̆-•̆⑉

This unique little thing sure looks quite... authentic.

Almost scared him.

It was Wen Nan’s first time experiencing Yu Shujun’s culinary skills; needless to say, her homemade food was as bewildering as she was.

Presuming Yu Shujun was a player from the start, after being with her for so long, it was easy to forget that Yu Shujun was, essentially, a character that walked out from an instance.

And after seeing Aunt Mei, Little Jiji, Xu Zhenzhen’s culinary skills, Wen Nan should have clearly known that none of the "delicacies" made by strategy characters here are normal.

No wonder before, in the car, he saw bloodstains on Yu Shujun’s fingers, and she claimed it wasn’t a wound—in fact, she had been working overtime to make this delicately incomprehensible "heartfelt" cake?

Seeing Wen Nan’s gaze shuttle between the "cake" and herself, Yu Shujun grew increasingly anxious, unable to resist opening her mouth to try to end this long torment, "If you don’t like it—"

"—Like it," Wen Nan interrupted, raising his hand, grabbing the bloody "heart," as if it began to beat, he’d feel as though he wandered onto the set of "Painted Skin," "I’ll taste it."

Blood trickled through Wen Nan’s fingers, the crimson liquid dripping into the black box beneath.

Yu Shujun took out a set of utensils from her equipment spare column, offering them to Wen Nan.

Wen Nan shook his head, "No need, eating it by hand feels more meaningful."

With that, he opened his mouth and bit into the tip of the heart, chewing in big mouthfuls.

It was salty.

Surprisingly, the taste was quite decent.

The texture was soft and tender, reminiscent of top-quality tuna belly sashimi, soft and bouncing, melting in the mouth.

The taste lingered between king crab and chicken, with more meaty tones than king crab but more marine savoriness than chicken, somewhat akin to... barnacles, yes, the taste of barnacles, but even tastier.

Jun classmate, your heart is very delicious.

Giant Wen gave his highest praise.

Opposite, on the windowsill, Yu Shujun observed his nuanced expressions, ensuring Wen Nan was satisfied with her culinary skills, finally being able to let go of her anxiety.

She lifted her hand, resting her elbow on her bent knee, cupping her cheek with a slight smile as she stared intently at the man in front of her, eventually whispering:

"Slow down, don’t choke."

...Choke?

How could such a soft and tender "heart" cause choking?

Unless there was another surprise hidden inside the "cake," like an engagement ring of sorts.

But such clichéd, overdone tricks from the real world wouldn’t possibly occur to a character who doesn’t even understand basic human societal norms... right?

Amidst these musings, "crack" came a sound, as Wen Nan’s teeth hit something hard, nearly putting a notch in his molar.

The chewing instantly ceased as he lifted his eyes, incredulity flashing towards the person in front.

Yu Shujun turned her head slightly, gazing earnestly at the dim night sky, as though suddenly deeply interested in the starlit, moonless night.

Wen Nan smiled wryly, reluctantly raising his hand and poking at the half-eaten "heart," extracting a canine-sized hard object.

It was a pendant.

A "Little Dragon" shaped pendant.

The pendant glowed like ice and snow, feeling like a material of some very special jade.

The "face" of the little dragon was carelessly crafted, akin to a child’s doodle just learning to use a pen, yet beneath the dragon’s tail hung two lifelike...

No...

This...

This was his original form?!

Wen Nan was shocked, "Where did you get this?"

Yu Shujun answered truthfully, "Bought raw stone from the mall, I... carved the pattern myself."

"No, where did you learn the pattern?" Wen Nan appeared suspicious, "Do you know the Water Monkey?"

Yu Shujun shook her head with a frown, "Earlier, in the Divine Staff Sheath’s internal space, in your environment, that... woman you called ’baby,’ she was holding this, and I thought, it must be something important to you, so I replicated it."

Watching Wen Nan’s expression, Yu Shujun feared her attempt at surprise became a fright, hastily apologizing, "I’m sorry, if you don’t like it, I’ll switch it for something else..."

As she spoke, she reached to take the pendant.

Wen Nan hurriedly pulled his hand back, not allowing her to take it, "I like it very much, just a bit surprising."

Unexpectedly, within the Divine Staff Sheath, during such a critical moment, a fleeting scene was etched so clearly in Yu Shujun’s mind, remembered all the way to now.

Wen Nan lightly caressed those two pieces, smiling, "Thank you for your thoughtfulness."

Yu Shujun finally felt relieved, "As long as you like it."

Feeling the cool touch of the pendant, Wen Nan offhandedly asked, "This raw stone seems to be of excellent quality, where’s it from?"

"Void Stone."

"Cough, cough, cough!"

At her words, Wen Nan choked on his half-eaten "cake," turning red.

...Void Stone?!

The one selling for a million gold coins a gram in the player marketplace, the astronomical stone?!

The pendant he held must weigh at least 50 grams.

This... selling his entire [Wenna] guild couldn’t afford one of this mini dragon’s elements!

You spendthrift woman!