Lin Xingshi, Lin Xingshi, Lin Xingshi, every day Little Nian Beast would lie on the floor and write her name many times.

And Lin Xingshi would also lie next to him, propping her chin with her hands, supervising him until he no longer made mistakes, and his handwriting was no longer crooked. Only then would she clap her hands and say with admiration, "Little Nian, you really are a super genius!"

"Little Nian is a genius!"

Little Nian Beast declared, throwing the paper and pen aside and rushing to the fridge for an ice pop.

That day, Little Nian Beast also wrote their names on the calendar. Over time, Lin Xingshi seemed to forget her original name. But she knew these days wouldn't last. They could hide for a while, but not their whole lives.

Lately, every time they went out, they avoided the surveillance cameras. It would be one thing if it was just herself, but Little Nian Beast was also implicated, having to walk in the shadows with her.

She didn't like it, but there was no other way. Her family must have checked the stowaways on that ship and knew what Little Nian Beast looked like, so he was also at risk of being recognized.

She wanted to stay with Little Nian Beast. But she really didn't like living this way.

"Xiaoxing, what's wrong?" Little Nian Beast changed the way he called her.

Lin Xingshi was silent for a moment, "My family... they all know I've come to Li Jing. It must be those human traffickers who spread the news about me. Now everyone is looking for me in this city, there are missing person posters everywhere, and I saw so many pictures of myself when I just stepped out."

She paused: "We can't hide for much longer."

Little Nian Beast was stunned. He had also seen those missing person posters on the street, plastered on walls and utility poles, the photos clearly showing Lin Xingshi's face.

The posters said she had been abducted by human traffickers. If anyone knew her whereabouts, they should contact the authorities. But with Lin Xingshi's skills, how could she have been kidnapped by traffickers? If anything, traffickers should be afraid of her! Humans are really good at lying, Little Nian Beast thought.

He knew Lin Xingshi was in a bad mood, but he didn't know how to comfort her.

Lin Xingshi sighed softly, looking at her growing hair, thinking she had escaped her former life. But until the day she saw those many posters in the street, with her picture on each.

She stood there, staring at so many identical faces, looking at the short-haired self in those photos, feeling surrounded by her past self, and suffocating.

It was then Lin Xingshi realized that she couldn't escape. The world was a gigantic cage that would push everyone into the place they were destined to be.

"Why do they keep looking for you?" Little Nian Beast thought for a moment before asking.

"Because everyone says I'm a once-in-a-lifetime talent, so they all force me to cultivate further. Especially my father, he wants me to become the next head of the family." Lin Xingshi sighed, "I feel they are so old-fashioned... There are so many ambitious people in the family, my brother and others want to inherit the family, but they chose me instead."

Little Nian Beast was silent for a while: "Today is your birthday, don't be sad."

"Birthday?"

"Yeah, you told me before."

"I almost forgot... how do you still remember?" Lin Xingshi slowly lifted her eyes to meet Little Nian Beast's gaze.

"Of course I remember, because it's the day you were born. You're the most important person to Little Nian, without you taking me along, Little Nian would be wandering the streets now," said Little Nian Beast.

Lin Xingshi was stunned, "What are we supposed to do on birthdays?"

"Buy a cake, that's what they say on TV," Little Nian Beast said, "I already got one from the cake shop last night."

"When?"

"While you were sleeping."

"Don't sneak out while I'm asleep again," Lin Xingshi said softly, "If I wake up and can't find you, I'll be scared."

Little Nian Beast froze for a moment, then nodded. Only at this moment did he feel Lin Xingshi seemed like a girl. By the time he came back to his senses, her hair had grown very long, and perhaps due to the influence of the Celestial Driver, a strand of her hair had turned dark red at the back of her head.

After a moment of silence, Little Nian Beast suddenly asked, "Alright, don't be unhappy, let's eat the cake first."

"Who eats cake in the morning?"

"In the morning, in the morning!"

"I think you just want to eat it yourself."

"Today is Xiaoxing's birthday!"

"Fine then, you win." Lin Xingshi laughed.

"Eat cake!"

Little Nian Beast used his claw to make a crack that opened into a separate space, reached his hand out, and pulled out a beautifully wrapped box, holding it in his hand.

He jumped off the sofa, placed the box on the table, then opened it. Inside was a cream cake with candles on it.

With his back to Lin Xingshi, Little Nian Beast suddenly lifted his fingertip, a trace of purplish-red flame swept through the air, and the candle was instantly lit, burning with a warm red glow.

It happened to be raining outside with the curtains drawn, the living room was dark, yet at this moment as the candle burned, their faces were illuminated, enveloped in a warm glow.

Lin Xingshi hugged her knees, looking at the flame on the cake, her eyes unconsciously turning red.

"Why are you crying again?"

"No one ever celebrated my birthday before," she mumbled.

"Isn't Little Nian someone?"

"You're a pig."

"I'm a lion."

"Pig."

"Can't a pig celebrate your birthday?" Little Nian Beast puffed his cheeks, wrinkling his nose angrily. His nose crinkled, just like a real pig's.