After Backstabbing The Villain, The System Allowed Me To Enter The Book Again - Chapter 30

“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you…”

A girl in a half-mask sang as she gracefully pushed the cake-laden cart into the room. She was wearing the same delicate gown Su Zihan had put on earlier.

Her usually clear, sweet voice carried a faint rasp, the result of swallowing several chili peppers beforehand. Shen Huaixin couldn’t mimic Su Zihan’s tone, so this was the only trick she could use. With the lights dimmed and the background music turned up, her disguise was easier to mask.

She had no idea whether this “substitute swap” would work. But judging from the starlit brightness in Shen Chumo’s eyes, it had. The person he saw… was “Han.”

“Happy birthday, Chumo,” Shen Huaixin coughed lightly, trying to cover her voice. “My throat wasn’t feeling well just now, so I stepped out for a moment. But I’ve taken some medicine—it’s nothing serious.”

“Are you okay? Should I go with you—”

Shen Huaixin quickly cut him off: “No need. Just a little hoarseness.”

“What does ‘happy birthday’ mean?” Shen Chumo tilted his head, puzzled.

Shen Huaixin hadn’t expected that Su Zihan hadn’t even managed to say those words to him yet. She couldn’t help glancing at her phone, checking for any message from Qi Yi, but it had only been a short while—nothing yet.

“Today’s your birthday, silly,” she said, brows arched, voice gentle.

【System: Checking host OOC deviation… severe… mild…

Result: Current impersonation of female lead does not cause OOC.】

With the system’s backing, Shen Huaixin felt freer. She reached out and ruffled his hair—a wish she’d had since her first day here.

Softer than she imagined. His fringe slipped silkily through her fingers, neatly combed. With a little more effort, she turned it into a messy bird’s nest. He narrowed his eyes obediently, like a cat being scratched under the chin.

Shen Huaixin looked him up and down—hair in a wild tangle, clothes smeared with cream. Who would dare say this was the future ruthless villain who would one day destroy the world?

“So this is why you brought me here? To celebrate?” Shen Chumo finally understood.

“Mm.” Shen Huaixin nodded. “‘I’ wanted to celebrate your birthday. Are you happy?”

He nodded without a shred of hesitation.

“…”

Shen Huaixin touched the mask on her face, lips curving slightly at the exposed corner. Of course—he was happier having the heroine celebrate for him, not her.

Her throat still burned painfully, making her swallow constantly. She pulled his hand into hers.

“The new cake will be here soon. In the meantime, think about what wish you want to make.”

“I already have one.”

“What is it?” Shen Huaixin teased, half-joking about the villain he would one day become. “Don’t tell me it’s to destroy the world?”

Shen Chumo didn’t catch her sarcasm. He shook his head. “I want the you who’s here now… to stay by my side.”

Forever. But he didn’t say that last word—he didn’t dare believe in it.

He liked it better this way—when Shen Huaixin wasn’t masking her feelings, when she smiled and held his hand, every action genuine.

Held hands…

He suddenly realized what was happening. Her fingers, slender and soft, curved gently around his. Like silk, smooth and delicate.

He wanted to hold tighter. Before the thought fully formed, his body acted on its own—he turned his hand, threaded his fingers through hers, palm pressed firmly to palm, clutching her with just enough strength to keep her there.

Shen Huaixin’s lashes trembled. Heat rose to her cheeks, and she tried to pull her hand free. But her pampered hand was soft as water, slippery as though it could escape any moment, and Shen Chumo instinctively locked his grip tighter.

Even he didn’t understand why. Normally so compliant, yet the moment she tried to pull away, his first instinct was to hold on.

“I’ve always been by your side,” Shen Huaixin said after a pause, using Su Zihan’s name as cover. “You can come find me in the next class anytime—whether for studying or playing, I’ll be there.”

“Okay.” He squeezed her hand a little tighter.

“…”

She couldn’t pull away. Their palms grew warm, a faint dampness forming between them. Such enthusiasm—he really couldn’t bear to let go of the heroine’s hand.

What a pity, she thought—his dependence only showed itself when facing her.

She tilted her head, studying him. His face betrayed nothing, save for the blush tinting his ears. The birthday song echoed through the hall, covering the thunder of his heartbeat.

She let him lead her out onto the lawn. The sun was setting, the sky aflame with orange and red, outlining the distant mountains in magnificent silhouettes.

In this still-unpolluted world, everything looked peaceful, serene.

She lay down on the grassy slope. The evening breeze was cool—too cool. Shen Huaixin shivered.

Of course she was cold, dressed like this. She tucked in her chin against the chill. The next second, a warm coat draped over her shoulders. Shen Huaixin shook her head, amused.

“Chumo, that’s sweet of you, but…”

She tapped her nose, where his jacket had smeared cream, and gave him a teasing look.

His gaze followed hers to the smudge of white. Without thinking, he cupped her cheeks in both hands and leaned in. Their breath mingled. His lips stopped just short of her nose—when suddenly, smack!

Her palms clamped his face. His cheeks squished, his lips mere millimeters from her. He could see the cream wrinkle as her nose scrunched up, her face flushed pink.

“You… you can’t be so greedy as to eat food off a girl’s face.” Shen Huaixin’s tone was half stern, half flustered. “Don’t ever do something like this without a girl’s permission, or people will call you a pervert. Understand?”

It wasn’t greed. He just wanted to know—if cream’s sweetness mixed with Shen Huaixin’s scent, what would it taste like?

No… he wanted to know her taste.

Shen Chumo swallowed, eyes fixed on her nose. “Then… can I eat it?”

“Of course not!”

“Then… can I eat your lipstick?”

Shen Huaixin’s pupils shook. Hearing such outrageous innocence from the “villain-to-be” almost made her leap up. “Y-you! What kind of dramas have you been watching? Those silly skits are bad for kids!”

“So… I can’t?” he asked.

“No.”

“Then… can I eat the cream?”

Back to the same question. After what he’d just said, Shen Huaixin found herself less resistant now. “…Fine. Just the cream. But don’t ever mention lipstick again—especially not in front of other girls.”

Mission accomplished. Shen Chumo nodded eagerly. His tongue darted out, sweeping the cream from her nose, stealing away a hint of her breath along with it.

He savored carefully. Like dew warmed by sunlight after snowmelt—clean, clear, natural. Just like her.

Yet his chest felt too full, an almost uncomfortable sweetness, making him feel weightless, ungrounded.

He wanted more. The thought sparked, heart itching unbearably, but he could only replay the taste in memory, treasuring it.

Shen Huaixin frowned, suspicion dawning. “Chumo… you didn’t just deliberately suggest something outrageous first, so that when you stepped back, I’d agree, did you? Like haggling—cut low, then meet in the middle?”

Shen Chumo didn’t even try to deny it. He nodded with perfect honesty, leaving her speechless.

“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you…”

Just then, the staff wheeled out another cake, placing it on the table and lighting the candles. The flames flickered in the cool breeze, wavering as though ready to vanish.

Shen Huaixin tugged his sleeve urgently. “Quick, make your wish.”

Shen Chumo sat before the cake, folded his hands as he’d seen on TV, and closed his eyes in prayer.

I wish… that Shen Huaixin will always stay with me.

“Ah, they’ve gone out,” one staff member said regretfully.

Shen Chumo opened his eyes. The two candles, shaped into a “17,” had already gone dark, wisps of smoke curling upward. He hadn’t finished his wish.

“…”

His expression froze. But deep inside, he thought: I could reignite the candles. I could set the whole lawn ablaze if I wanted. My wish will never be denied.

He turned to Shen Huaixin. She, too, had her hands clasped, staring at the smoke with a dazed expression.

…Had she made a wish, too?

“Did you?” Shen Huaixin noticed his gaze and smiled. “Make a wish, I mean?”

“Halfway,” Shen Chumo admitted. “What about you?”

She shrugged, hiding the faint shadow in her eyes. “Same as you. No choice—the autumn wind has no mercy.”

Her wish had been simple: that Shen Chumo would not be left all alone, that his ending would not be death.

She didn’t linger on it. Pushing the cake toward him, she said, “Birthday boy, cut the cake.”

Afterward, she divided the slices, making sure to serve herself the largest piece.

As she ate, she pulled one staff member aside. “Is the projector fixed?”

His mouth was still full of cake. After swallowing, he looked awkward. “We changed the batteries, contacted customer service, tried some repairs, but… I’m sorry.”

“…It’s fine.”

She’d expected as much. Nothing about this birthday had gone as planned. Still, Shen Chumo was easy to please. Perhaps because he was so used to having nothing, even a handful of candy could bring him joy.

Her phone buzzed. A message from Qi Yi:

Qi Yi: I’ve met with Su Zihan. She’s safe. Don’t worry.

Shen Huaixin looked up at the sky and let out a long breath. Night had fallen, the dark curtain drawn, with the moon and scattered stars shining above.

“Chumo, look. Over there, that hill—I used to climb to the top and lie down to watch the sky.”

She murmured softly, “I wanted to give you a sky full of stars, to show you that eternity isn’t only found in death. But…”

Shen Chumo lifted his head. The vast, star-strewn heavens filled his gaze—brilliant, solitary, eternal beyond reach.

“Mm. I see it.”

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

He looked at her. “Mm.”