Chapter 19: The Final Birthday

Wang studied Tao Fangyi intently. Tao Fangyi looked up and met his gaze several times.

Eventually, Tao Fangyi couldn’t take it anymore. “Do you have something to say?”

“No, you’re just different from what I imagined.” Wang had initially assumed Tao Fangyi was a saintly figure, the type of overly kind person constantly burdened by the safety of others. The more time they spent together, however, the more that impression felt wrong.

Tao Fangyi had a strong sense of personal boundaries. His apparent tolerance simply stemmed from a high level of acceptance.

“You’re different from what I imagined, too.” Tao Fangyi reached out and patted Wang’s shin. “I originally thought you were a vicious Fierce Ghost, but it turns out you just have a sharp tongue but a soft heart.” He could tell Wang was worried about the child, Li Yao.

Wang instantly stiffened.

Tao Fangyi added, “But a sharp tongue and a soft heart often leads to thankless effort.”

Wang didn’t believe he had a sharp tongue or a soft heart. He only knew that children needed to be looked after within a group, and all his seemingly “soft-hearted” actions were merely imitations of the people around him.

“Good kids need to express their true feelings properly,” Tao Fangyi said, patting Wang again.

“I want to fight you,” Wang stated his true feelings.

Tao Fangyi: “…No.”

Wang let out a heavy sigh.

He stared at the flushed face of Li Yao for a moment, then suddenly asked, “How is she doing right now?”

“Do you want to see?” Tao Fangyi hopped onto the bed and extended a hand towards Wang.

Wang looked at Tao Fangyi’s exceedingly small, round hand and silently extended two fingers, pinching Tao Fangyi’s hand.

Tao Fangyi grasped Wang’s index finger.

Being held by a Rag Doll was a truly peculiar sensation.

With one hand holding Wang’s and the other placed on Li Yao’s forehead, Tao Fangyi initiated the shift.

After a brief, gentle pulling sensation, the scenery before their eyes transformed.

“They’re over there,” Tao Fangyi whispered.

Wang was startled by Tao Fangyi’s voice, jolting him alert. He turned his head to look at Tao Fangyi.

The figure standing beside him was no longer the small Rag Doll, but the long-haired man he had seen within Tao Fangyi’s Barrier.

However, the man’s face was still obscured by a swirling Black Mist, making it impossible to see clearly.

Their hands were still clasped together. The doll hand, which could only grip one of Wang’s knuckles, had transformed into the palm of an adult male.

Tao Fangyi was still wearing his black leather gloves.

He seemed to be wearing the uniform of The Nineteenth Level.

“What is it?” Tao Fangyi turned and asked him.

“Nothing, just not used to it.” Wang rubbed the area where his ear would be with his other hand. “Your real voice is quite pleasant.”

The feeling of holding hands was different now compared to holding the Rag Doll’s hand.

Wang had never experienced such intimate contact with another adult individual in his entire existence.

But Tao Fangyi didn’t seem to find anything amiss.

Wang shifted his attention, looking at Li Yao within the dream.

They appeared to be in a Cake Shop. Li Yao sat face-to-face with an adult male. Li Yao had her hands clasped together and her eyes closed, while the man lit the candles for her, softly singing a terribly off-key birthday song.

Eight candles were lit on the Cake; they were celebrating Li Yao’s eighth birthday.

“Is that man her father?” Wang asked Tao Fangyi.

“Mm,” Tao Fangyi nodded.

“You said her father was affected by the terror she transmitted, causing him to lose his rationality. I thought he was here to snatch the child.” Instead, the scene before them was rather heartwarming.

“Losing rationality isn’t the same as going insane. If he were completely calm, he wouldn’t have come seeking her.” Tao Fangyi glanced at the Cake display counter and asked Wang if he wanted to eat something.

“This is the child’s dream,” Wang reminded him.

“I know. The food here has flavor.” Tao Fangyi went to the counter and ordered two mousses, then dragged Wang to sit at a table near Li Yao.

Li Yao’s father glanced in their direction.

“Can he see us?” Wang asked.

“Yes,” Tao Fangyi lowered his voice.

The birthday song ended, and Li Yao opened her eyes, blowing out the candles.

“Yaoyao, are those your friends?” the man asked with a smile.

Li Yao looked in the direction the man pointed. Upon seeing Wang and the other long-haired man, she froze for a moment.

“I’m Tao Fangyi.” Knowing Li Yao probably wouldn’t recognize him, he proactively introduced himself.

“Wow!” Li Yao’s eyes widened. “You’re actually so tall?”

“Hehe, yes.” Tao Fangyi chuckled as he accepted the mousses from the shop assistant.

Was this really the time for small talk?

Wang looked at Li Yao, then at Tao Fangyi. Tao Fangyi handed Wang his portion of mousse, urging him to taste it and see if it suited his palate.

“What exactly did we come in here for?” Wang asked Tao Fangyi.

“To see what choice this child makes.” Tao Fangyi had never intended to intervene.

Li Yao also asked, “Didn’t you come in to stop me?”

Tao Fangyi didn’t answer Li Yao’s question. Instead, he asked, “Are you happy right now?”

Li Yao glanced at the father sitting across from her, pursed her lips, and nodded.

Li Yao’s father didn’t hide his intentions. He told her plainly that if she felt life was too hard, he would take her away to the next life.

As for what would happen in the next life, that wasn’t something they could control.

Whether they’d be male, female, or not even human in the next life, they didn’t know.

Regardless, her life as Li Yao was over.

The process of death wouldn’t be painful. Her father would be with her, celebrate the rest of her birthdays, and then lead her by the hand down the Yellow Springs Road.

The road itself would be a bit terrifying, but her father would cover her eyes.

So, the path to death wouldn’t be arduous or painful.

“We can help sing the birthday song. This Cake Shop doesn’t have any other guests, and you can’t invite your real-life friends here. It’d be a slight pity, wouldn’t it?” Tao Fangyi suggested.

Wang: ?

Wait a minute. Not only was Tao Fangyi not stopping her, but he was practically congratulating her? This kid was seeking death.

Li Yao stammered, “Th-that would be fine.”

“Speaking of which, why can’t I see your face clearly?” Li Yao thus struck up a conversation with Tao Fangyi.

“Because I haven’t obtained my new body yet,” Tao Fangyi explained.

“You look really handsome,” Li Yao complimented.

“What?” Wang found this strange. “You can’t see his face. How do you know he’s handsome?”

“His aura is elegant, and his voice is pleasant to hear.” After all, Li Yao was a middle schooler with some sense of aesthetics.

“Tch, no appreciation.” Wang felt Li Yao’s taste was mediocre. No matter how you looked at it, he should be the more mysterious and handsome one.

“Would you like a more exciting birthday?” Tao Fangyi asked Li Yao.

“Exciting how?” Li Yao was puzzled.

Tao Fangyi snapped his fingers. The scenery around them shifted. The ordinary street scene outside the Cake Shop slowly dissolved into blocks of color, decomposing as countless amusement park rides rose from the ground.

It transformed into a colossal amusement park.

Li Yao’s eyes lit up.

“We can go have a blast, and then finish celebrating the rest of your birthdays,” Tao Fangyi said, very naturally taking Wang’s hand and holding it up, swinging it slightly.

Wang’s mouth remained perpetually downturned, looking somewhat unhappy.

“What’s your plan? Have your dad celebrate every remaining birthday with you until you turn thirteen?”

“I… I want to celebrate my fourteenth birthday too,” Li Yao said.

“Why? Your fourteenth birthday is next year.” Tao Fangyi didn’t understand Li Yao’s arrangement.

Li Yao lowered her head, smiling a bit sheepishly. She probably thought her idea was somewhat childish and worried the adults present would laugh at her. “I wasn’t alive for very long after my thirteenth birthday. I wanted to fill up the time between thirteen and fourteen, to round it out.”

“So you feel that completeness is perfection,” Tao Fangyi understood.

So, Tao Fangyi really came in just to accompany the child in playing?

Dragged outside by Tao Fangyi, Wang felt that Tao Fangyi’s actions were not in line with the teachings he had always received.

【Why do I feel like you’re cheering and sending her off to her death?】 Wang secretly asked Tao Fangyi using his consciousness.

【I indeed am.】 Tao Fangyi admitted. 【If she thinks this is a good thing, all I can do is cheer and send her on her way.】

Wang: 【…That’s not right.】

【If living is truly, terribly hard for her, then why force her to stay? Insisting she stay would only cause her to resent us.】 Tao Fangyi said. 【Besides, I can’t stay here forever. I can’t watch over this child every moment. I also can’t make promises to her, telling her the future will be wonderful. I can’t bear that responsibility.】

Wang felt Tao Fangyi’s reasoning was sound, but he still thought Tao Fangyi’s handling of the situation was too rash. 【But didn’t she make her choice because she got your body?】

【I don’t even know where my body went, so it’s out of my hands.】 Only recently had Tao Fangyi learned that his past body hadn’t been completely destroyed.

He wasn’t responsible for storing that pile of Wood Fragments.

Wang: …

What did Tao Fangyi’s past body even mean to him?

【But this child probably doesn’t want to die right now,】 Tao Fangyi added. 【She’s just overjoyed from seeing her father.】

【How do you know?】 Wang found Tao Fangyi’s judgment unreliable.

Tao Fangyi just said it was a feeling.

He felt this child didn’t want to stop at this moment.

Tao Fangyi and Wang accompanied Li Yao as she played throughout the amusement park. These rides weren’t thrilling for Wang; he was simply waiting for the conclusion.

Together, they celebrated Li Yao’s 9th birthday, then her 10th…

Li Yao showed no intention of stopping.

Finally, Tao Fangyi conjured a beautiful three-tiered Cake. This was for the fourteenth birthday Li Yao wanted to celebrate early. The final Cake.

Li Yao sat nearby as her father placed a paper crown on her head.

She stared at the large Cake for a long time, saying nothing.

Tao Fangyi inserted the candles one by one. Just as he was about to place the last candle, Li Yao spoke up. “I’ve grown up so much already.”

“Not really that much,” Tao Fangyi said with a smile. “Romance at your age is still considered puppy love.”

“If I leave, will Mom be sad?” Li Yao asked, then shook her head. “But she still has my little sister, so Mom will be able to carry on.”

“Haha, the adults in your imagination are really quite strong,” Tao Fangyi said, not yet placing the final candle.

His face was shrouded in Black Mist, but Wang could swear he saw the hint of a smile on Tao Fangyi’s lips.

“Is Mom not that strong?” Li Yao asked again.

“Who knows? I’ve never been human. You probably won’t know the answer until you grow to her age.”

“And Ren Xinxin doesn’t know what’s going on in your head either, right? She hasn’t been in this world long enough.” Tao Fangyi placed the final candle.

Just as he was about to light it, Li Yao interrupted him again. “Can I say goodbye to them?”

Tao Fangyi put away the lighter. “You can.”

【See, the beauty of life still holds some attachment for her.】 Tao Fangyi said to Wang.

【She said she wants to say goodbye.】 Wang reminded him.

【I know you’re an upright, good kid.】 Tao Fangyi took Wang’s hand again. 【You’re worried about Li Yao, aren’t you?】

Wang: 【I don’t know what image you have of me in your mind, but I can tell you, you’re wrong.】

Tao Fangyi: 【Haha.】

What was that “haha” supposed to mean?!

Tao Fangyi: 【You’re so fierce and so evil.】

Wang: 【I told you to stop coaxing me like a child!!】