Damn it, I'm surrounded by childhood sweethearts-Chapter 404 - 295. So that’s how it is.

After finishing lunch, they seemed to have no activities planned for the afternoon.

The adults had work in the afternoon and drove straight back to their respective homes; the mass of classmates who had gathered dispersed into small groups to find their own entertainment.

After simply bidding farewell to their parents, the five girls, along with Xu Qingfan, broke away from the crowd.

"Don’t we have anything planned for the afternoon?" Xu Qingfan blinked, feeling that rallying hundreds of people for his birthday and then just dispersing after the meal was rather anticlimactic.

Moreover, the morning’s activities had overturned his impression of the girls.

Calling hundreds of people to celebrate his birthday, although he could do it himself, was a bit too exaggerated.

Despite that, the moment when hundreds of people wished him a happy birthday in unison was indeed touching, filling him with an overwhelming surge of emotion, almost to the point of tears.

But in retrospect, it did seem anticlimactic, and there was really no need to make such a fuss.

The five girls, who had been busy all morning, were already out of energy and unanimously gestured, "The plan for the afternoon is to go back to sleep."

The exhausted girls dragged the birthday boy, Xu Qingfan, back to their secret base of a home; once inside, they collapsed onto the couch as if they had expended all their spirit and energy.

Xu Qingfan turned on the air conditioning for them, then went to the kitchen to make and serve them tea, making it seem as if it was the five girls who were celebrating their birthdays.

"I messed up, I’m never doing this again," Xiao Ruawen said, finally catching her breath and regretfully slapping her own head after finishing half a cup of tea.

"No way, Brother Qing Fan is just too popular," Lin Wanning slid off the sofa onto the floor, idly popping her lips in de-stress.

"So tired~" Zhang Yiyi despondently rested her head on Xiao Ruawen’s chest.

"What are you guys talking about? I don’t understand a word," Xu Qingfan squeezed Xia Xiaoxiao’s thigh and asked after sitting down.

"It’s all your fault... Anyway, it’s just your fault!" Xia Xiaoxiao initially wanted to call him a ’dead dog’ but considering it was his birthday, she decided to give him some face and amended her words.

"Actually, it’s not that tiring. It’s good as long as Brother Fan is happy," Wu Lingyu added.

Seeing Wu Lingyu say this, Xu Qingfan was even more confused and asked, "What exactly are you guys talking about?"

"I don’t want to talk anymore, someone explain it to Brother Fan," Xiao Ruawen said, squinting and playing dead first.

Luckily they had the always accommodating Lin Wanning, who explained, "Here’s what happened, we originally wanted to..."

"QQ messages were going off non-stop, they were about to explode, so we had no choice but to switch to having a meal instead."

It turns out that the plan of the five girls did not initially include holding a birthday banquet; they wanted to keep it simple—just the six of them at their secret base, to have lunch together and then watch a movie.

However, it was the movie-watching part that caused a problem.

Their initial plan was to book a private screening room to play a video they had edited, with their parents and classmates seated beforehand, then the five girls, pretending to be late, would arrive leisurely with Xu Qingfan.

Halfway through the movie, they planned to excuse themselves to the restroom as a group, returning with a birthday cake with lit candles. At that moment, the video they edited would play, followed by everyone singing the birthday song together.

This whole setup was meant to make Xu Qingfan cry!

However, the issue arose during the stage of inviting classmates; they only intended to invite those from their class and instructed them not to tell Xu Qingfan.

These students indeed did not tell Xu Qingfan, but they told their friends, which caused the situation to spiral out of control.

Every day the girls received dozens if not hundreds of private messages from people who also wanted to join Xu Qingfan’s birthday event.

To refuse them directly would, of course, be possible, but it seemed somewhat unkind given their good intentions, and besides, the five girls were quite pleased to see so many people fond of their Brother Fan.

But with such a sudden increase in numbers, the cinema was adamant about not accommodating them.

After numerous failed negotiations, the five girls ultimately had to switch to Plan B, inviting everyone to a meal together.

Having heard the whole story, Xu Qingfan finally understood the situation. He chuckled and rubbed the girls’ heads, "You all worked hard. Actually, just getting together with you few would make me very happy. A hundred, a thousand people wishing me well does not weigh as much as a single word from you all."

"Hee hee~ Brother Qing Fan is so nice."

"Just wanted to give you a surprise, Brother Fan. Who knew it would be so exhausting? These past few days, just trying to remember names has gone through two pen refills." Xiao Ruawen hugged Yiyi, using her as a pillow, feeling the comfort of holding a soft girl in her arms.

"Brother~ as long as you like it," Zhang Yiyi, nestled in her bosom, also said.

"Dare not to like it, and I’ll punch you!"

"No wonder you kept looking at your phones and stepping out now and then during the morning singalong," Xu Qingfan belatedly realized, "Don’t do this next time. I still prefer a simple birthday with just the six of us."

"Mhm!"

"This afternoon doesn’t count, Brother Qing Fan hasn’t even blown out the candles or had cake yet. There’s still a surprise waiting for tonight~" Lin Wanning got up from the ground and lay on Xu Qingfan’s legs.

Seeing this, Xia Xiaoxiao raised her eyebrows and placed her skirt-covered legs on top as well.

"Mhm, we have to celebrate Brother Fan’s birthday tonight." Wu Lingyu, thinking about the outfit she had to wear for Xu Qingfan that evening, felt her face grow slightly warm.

With his left hand brushing Lin Wanning’s bangs and his right hand caressing Xia Xiaoxiao’s leg, Xu Qingfan enjoyed the closeness of the beautiful girls while he inquired, "What’s the surprise for tonight?"

"Of course, it’s...."

"Top secret!"

The five girls exclaimed in unison, and after speaking, they couldn’t help but laugh. Their laughter was crisp and merry, like the pleasing sound of tinkling bells, lightly rippling through the air.

"You guys really," Xu Qingfan’s face also wore a gentle smile.

Compared to having hundreds of people gathered eating and participating in activities, he much preferred it this way.

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The five girls sat with him in the living room, huddled together without any constraints, not needing many words to feel connected at heart.

In such a state, it was as if their bodies and minds were touched by soft feathers, frazzled nerves gradually relaxing, thoughts becoming calm. Worries and stresses seemed to fade away, leaving behind serenity and peace.

"Brother Qing Fan will definitely like the birthday gift tonight!"

"That’s right!"

"The afternoon was just an appetizer, the real surprise is tonight!"

"Let’s see if you cry or not!"

"Then I’ll be waiting for you all..."

The sounds of conversation in the living room gradually diminished until all that remained were six even breathing sounds.

A gentle breeze wafted over the windowsill, and the wind chimes rang out clearly...