The Sickly Double Doesn't Want to Be Spoiled - Chapter 36 

Chapter 36 

The week following the blood transfusion was the week when Meng Yuan’s physical strength and energy reached their peak.

During this time, Qin Qing accompanied him to all the places he wanted to visit, played everything he wanted to play, and bought everything he wanted to take home.

The man wasn’t dead yet, but looking back at his past, Meng Yuan found that he surprisingly didn’t have many regrets left.

This was a scary thought.

To live well in this world, one must have something to look forward to either desires and cravings, or some unresolved regrets.

Meng Yuan had always believed that the reason he was given this second life was because his obsession was too strong back then; he hadn’t lived enough, hadn’t lived brilliantly, and hadn’t lived happily.

But what about now?

Now, he still had nearly a year of life left; he couldn’t become content so quickly. He had to desperately find things to do.

In late June, Meng Yuan had just finished this stage of blood transfusions and felt he was in good condition.

After coming out of the shower in the evening, he found an unread message on his phone from Qin Qing.

[Xiao Yuan, how do you want to play tomorrow?]

Tomorrow?

Oh right, tomorrow was June 20th, the original owner’s birthday. Qin Qing wanted to celebrate his birthday.

Meng Yuan’s own birthday was only one day later than the original owner’s. Holding his phone, he sat on the edge of the bed, pressed his hand against his heart, and muttered to himself:

“It’s not much of a difference, let’s celebrate them together then!”

Speaking of which, Meng Yuan actually rarely celebrated his birthday. In the past, he could never bring himself to spend money on a cake, so every year his birthday passed by quite casually.

“I can’t be so perfunctory this time,” he murmured. “After all, it’s not just my birthday alone anymore.”

Meng Yuan thought about it.

Some time ago, he and Qin Qing had already played everything there was to play. Qin Qing spent Lu Cong’s money without a hint of heartache, choosing only the most expensive options.

By now, Meng Yuan couldn’t think of anything else.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration hit him, and a smile climbed onto his brow: [Is there any amusement park we can go to?]

A return to childhood!

Qin Qing had taken him to all sorts of high-end, sophisticated places, but Meng Yuan looked back and realized he had never been to an amusement park.

Now was the perfect time to make up for that childhood regret.

Qin Qing replied very quickly: [Sure! Disneyland has a summer limited event recently, and there’s a fireworks show at night. Do you want to go?]

Heavens!

Meng Yuan’s heart soared. He quickly typed: [Yes yes yes!]

[I want to take photos!]

…

Disneyland, a place Meng Yuan had seen online countless times but had never visited.

At this very moment, wearing a Donald Duck headband, he walked in with his head held high.

Qin Qing followed behind, wearing an olive-green vest with countless pockets, a baseball cap, and a black mask, lugging a “big cannon” (a professional camera).

Just because Meng Yuan said he wanted to take photos, she had transformed on the spot into a professional “fansite master.”

Further back was Lu Cong, carrying big bags and small bags, wearing a Minnie Mouse headband, his face covered in dark lines.

Inside the bags were tissues, water bottles, pillboxes, towels, and every other item Meng Yuan might need. Qin Qing had meticulously organized them and solemnly handed them over to Lu Cong.

Initially, Lu Cong thought his role was Meng Yuan’s partner.

He didn’t expect to be informed at the time of departure that he was today’s nanny.

He had never been a nanny before.

“Ha, how interesting.”

Lu Cong hefted the bags upward and stood alone to the side, waiting for Meng Yuan to take photos.

This guy was taking photos as if he were determined to produce a masterpiece; the shutter hadn’t even clicked yet, but he probably already had the nine-grid layout for his evening WeChat Moments planned out.

Lu Cong wiped away some sweat.

“Ha, how interesting.”

After Meng Yuan finished photographing one scene, he went to photograph another.

His health wasn’t good, so he couldn’t go on the thrilling rides. Lu Cong had originally thought he would be disappointed and depressed because of this.

Sure enough, he had still underestimated this optimist.

Meng Yuan didn’t seem to have any intention of riding those things that flew through the air in the first place; he was just taking photos, frantically snapping away like he was collecting stamps and checking off a list.

It was as if he wanted to photograph everything he saw, and every path he crossed had to result in a photo with him in it.

At three in the afternoon, there was the character parade.

Both sides of the road were crowded with people. Adults and children alike craned their necks to watch. When the music started, familiar cartoon characters came one by one on floats, dancing and waving.

Meng Yuan finally quieted down for a while, no longer obsessed with having Qin Qing take photos of him, but instead holding his selfie stick high to film the animated characters passing by.

“It’s Elsa! Elsa! And Anna!” he shouted excitedly. “Oh my god, the Little Mermaid! So similar, she looks exactly like the one in the cartoon!”

Lu Cong was surprised to find that Meng Yuan actually knew the names of this entire long procession of characters, without missing a single one.

Yet, Lu Cong didn’t recognize any of them.

Exactly how old was Meng Yuan?

This question hammered against Lu Cong’s brain.

He was forced to realize that if these were the things Meng Yuan liked, then his previous attempt to show Meng Yuan Russian science documentaries had been a fundamental mistake.

The fireworks show was at eight in the evening. At seven, a staff member found them and led them to a private viewing platform.

The staff member took them in a sightseeing car, drove to a low-profile entrance directly in front of the castle, verified their identities, continued upward, and finally entered an area with an excellent view.

The platform was larger than Meng Yuan had imagined.

It had wooden flooring, several white sofas, and fruit and drinks set out on the coffee table. At the very front was a row of railings facing the castle directly, offering an open view without any obstructions.

The sky wasn’t completely dark yet, and the castle glowed with a golden light under the setting sun.

At eight o’clock, the fireworks show began on time.

When the music started, flowers of fire exploded one by one in the sky.

Meng Yuan didn’t even have time to react and was startled.

So close, it was so close.

Those star-like sparks seemed to bloom right over his head, carrying a heart-pounding, scorching breath.

However, the position of the platform had been precisely calculated so that the sparks wouldn’t actually land on them.

Meng Yuan was so shocked he couldn’t speak. He could only stare blankly at the sky. He had never seen fireworks so large, so bright, and so richly colored.

It turned out that when seen with one’s own eyes, the light of fireworks could make the entire pitch-black sky become a shifting kaleidoscope of colors.

As the fireworks neared their end, a staff member pushed a cart up, holding a cake.

It was a large three-layered cake covered in cream and strawberries, with a line of words written in chocolate on top: “Happy Birthday.”

“The cake is here!” Qin Qing stood up, her eyes bright.

She took the cart from the staff member and pushed it in front of Meng Yuan: “Xiao Yuan, do you like it?”

“By the way, those aren’t real strawberries,” she explained. “I specifically had someone make them into that shape and then flavored them. It’s a decent substitute, I guess.”

Meng Yuan completely didn’t expect this surprise. He stood up, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the favor: “I love it, I love it. When did you prepare this?”

“I prepared it long ago!” Qin Qing had a ‘look-at-how-great-I-am’ expression on her face. “I specifically had someone deliver it. Three layers the three of us won’t even be able to finish it.”

She took out a few candles and stuck them into the top layer.

After the candles were lit, the sky had turned completely dark, and the castle lights came on, illuminating the entire building in a magnificent golden glow.

“Alright, hurry and make a wish.”

As Qin Qing spoke, she gave Meng Yuan a little nudge forward.

Meng Yuan was a bit shy, his earlobes turning slightly red, but he still obediently closed his eyes and clasped his hands together.

A few dozen seconds later, he opened his eyes and blew out the candles.

“Happy Birthday!”

Qin Qing’s voice rang out, crisp and bright.

Meng Yuan gave her a grateful smile and then shifted his gaze to the side.

Lu Cong was standing quietly nearby, not joining in the ruckus with Qin Qing.

Meeting Meng Yuan’s gaze, he raised his hands and gave a soft clap, then mouthed the words to Meng Yuan:

“Happy Birthday.”

Meng Yuan nodded vigorously with a smile.

…

By the time they returned home, it was almost eleven o’clock. Qin Qing was so sleepy she could hardly keep her eyes open and went straight to her room to sleep.

Meng Yuan also went straight to wash up. He took a comfortable shower and came out, getting ready for bed when there was a sudden knock on the bedroom door.

He glanced at the time: 11:50 PM.

At this hour, it shouldn’t be Qin Qing, right?

Meng Yuan walked over and opened the door with a small crack. Lu Cong’s face appeared outside.

“Why are you here?” Meng Yuan pulled the door wide open.

Lu Cong had changed into pajamas, his hair was still a bit damp, and he looked like he had finished washing up as well.

“Don’t sleep yet,” Lu Cong said. “Come out for a moment.”

Meng Yuan asked curiously, “Is something the matter?”

Lu Cong didn’t say explicitly, only emphasizing again: “Come out with me for a bit. It won’t take you too long.”

Meng Yuan didn’t understand why, but he followed him downstairs anyway.

Lu Cong took him to the living room. The lights were off, and only the floor lamp by the sofa was on, dimmed to its lowest setting, emitting a faint, warm glow.

From a distance, Meng Yuan saw what looked like a small box on the coffee table.

Only when he got closer did he realize it was a cake box.

The living room was covered in a thick carpet. Lu Cong sat cross-legged on the floor and began untying the ribbon.

Meng Yuan was surprised: “What are you doing?”

“Cake,” Lu Cong said in a calm tone. “It was delivered a bit late.”

“You call this… a bit late?”

Lu Cong looked up, his expression unchanged: “That’s right, a bit.”

Meng Yuan: “…”

“Sit down,” Lu Cong said. “The cake won’t taste good if kept until tomorrow. Just bear with it and have a bite; consider it giving me some face.”

These words were quite serious.

Meng Yuan hurriedly sat down: “No, no, don’t say that. It’s the thought that counts. I’ll eat, I’ll eat.”

“And it’s not late,” he pulled at Lu Cong’s wrist to look at his watch. “There are still five minutes before twelve. Let’s hurry.”

“Mhm.”

Lu Cong nodded, but his movements were not hurried.

In fact, they were very slow so slow that Meng Yuan mistakenly thought he had to maintain elegance even while unpacking a cake.

It took a full two minutes for Lu Cong to open the cake box.

Meng Yuan saw that it was a very exquisite and beautiful cake.

It was a small one, pure white all over. In the center were two crystal-like white swans with lifelike feathers, surrounded by fluttering crystal butterflies.

At 11:58 PM, Lu Cong began to insert the candle.

It was just a single silver candle. He unhurriedly tore open the packaging, slowly found the right position, and then slowly pushed it in.

While watching his movements, Meng Yuan also watched the time flying by on his watch, feeling anxious on his behalf.

“Can you really not go any faster? The time is almost up.”

“Is that so?”

Lu Cong seemed only then to remember the matter of time and raised his hand for a look.

“It indeed is almost time,” he said.

“What?” Meng Yuan thought he had misheard.

Lu Cong shook his head and stopped talking.

Fifty-one.

Fifty-two.

Fifty-three.

The second hand jumped forward tick by tick.

Lu Cong took out a lighter and lit the candle.

The firelight flickered, reflecting on his eyelids and in Meng Yuan’s pupils.

Fifty-five.

Fifty-six.

Fifty-seven…

With every jump on the watch face, Meng Yuan’s heart trembled slightly in response.

He seemed to sense something. He slowly shifted his gaze to Lu Cong’s face, a look of astonishment flashing in his eyes.

Fifty-eight.

Fifty-nine…

In the extreme silence, every light sound of the second hand pausing became incredibly clear in Meng Yuan’s ears.

It’s exactly midnight.

June 21st, the next day.

“Alright, now it’s okay,” Lu Cong said.

Meng Yuan looked at him, feeling waves of dizziness. His palms were sweating, and his eyes felt hot, as if they were about to sweat too.

“You… how did you…” He was somewhat unable to speak.

Lu Cong pushed the cake toward him. His tone was still very calm, but it carried a hint of encouragement.

“Make another wish,” he said.

Meng Yuan lowered his head, appearing as though he didn’t dare to look into Lu Cong’s eyes.

He slowly raised his hands and clasped them together. Amidst a slight trembling of his arms, he closed his eyes for the second time, hiding the reddening of his eyes.

“Make a wish seriously.”

Lu Cong’s voice sounded softly beside him.

“A wish for yourself.”

The bridge of Meng Yuan’s nose felt sore. He forced out a smile with effort: “Okay.”

However, his voice trembled slightly.

As he blew out the candle, he smelled the sweet fragrance of the cake and heard the soft “pa” of the candle as it went out.

The candlelight turned into a wisp of white smoke that slowly rose, bringing a slight, pungent scent.

Yet, all these sounds and smells could not cover up his frantic, surging heartbeat that felt as though it were being scorched.

“Happy Birthday,” Lu Cong said.