In the following days, Bai Xizhou didn’t see Wen Ruqing. When he asked Wen Qing about it, all he got was a vague “not sure” in response. Bai Xizhou found it odd—who disappears right after making peace?
But there was still a change. After that day, every morning when Bai Xizhou arrived at work, there would always be a cup of coffee waiting on his desk.
There was no need to guess who it was from.
Bai Xizhou usually arrived at work ten minutes early, but Wen Ruqing seemed to come even earlier, finishing everything and leaving before he got there. The coffee was always still hot when Bai Xizhou arrived, but the person who made it was long gone.
It felt as if Wen Ruqing was deliberately avoiding him but didn’t want to be forgotten either.
By the fourth day, even Liu Li couldn’t help teasing him about it. Bai Xizhou finally lost patience. He showed up half an hour earlier than usual and successfully caught Wen Ruqing in the office.
Leaning against the office doorframe with his arms crossed, Bai Xizhou stared at Wen Ruqing leisurely. The morning air was still humid and warm, yet Wen Ruqing felt a sudden chill down his back.
“Care to explain, my friend?” Bai Xizhou asked, trying to suppress a laugh as he observed Wen Ruqing’s nervous expression.
“Making coffee.” Caught in the act, Wen Ruqing awkwardly raised the cup, attempting to hide behind it.
The freshly brewed aroma of coffee filled the space between them. Bai Xizhou took the cup out of his hands, leaving nothing to shield them anymore.
“First you bring me cake, and now you’re making me coffee. Wen Ruqing, you…” Bai Xizhou paused for a moment, his eyes glinting mischievously as he changed what he was about to say.
“You’re not trying to chase me, are you?”
He spoke with a teasing tone, watching Wen Ruqing’s expression shift from awkwardness to confusion, then to shock. Wen Ruqing opened his mouth slightly, staring at Bai Xizhou as if he’d just heard the most ridiculous thing ever.
And then, he noticed the playful smirk on Bai Xizhou’s face.
“I’m not, I didn’t.” Wen Ruqing, realizing he was being teased, didn’t get angry. In fact, he rarely got angry. He lowered his eyes, avoiding Bai Xizhou’s gaze. “I’m just getting used to the life of a legal assistant in advance.”
This time, it was Bai Xizhou’s turn to be shocked.
Legal assistant? Why hadn’t he heard about this?
“The center is hiring assistants, so I mentioned it to Auntie, and she agreed.” Wen Ruqing took a step back, putting some distance between them, yet the scent of coffee still lingered.
The so-called legal assistant? It was just a coincidence.
The day he brought the cake to apologize was because his aunt asked him to. Wen Qing had always understood Wen Ruqing’s personality—straightforward and not very good with words. Those things shouldn’t have been said so bluntly. Wen Ruqing had also realized his mistake afterward, which was why he brought the cake.
Then he ended up with a watch. He didn’t know if that meant the apology had been accepted. Since he had no experience with this, and Bai Xizhou hadn’t said anything, he assumed Bai Xizhou was still upset.
While Wen Ruqing was troubled about social interactions, he received a call from his doctor back in Xincheng. The two of them were already quite familiar, so Wen Ruqing shared everything that had happened in the past few days.
The doctor concluded that Wen Ruqing’s mood had improved recently—probably because of the new environment or meeting new people. His condition seemed much better than before, and the doctor encouraged him to maintain this positive state.
Coincidentally, Wen Ruqing overheard his aunt mentioning that the center was hiring assistants. So, he decided to give it a try and got the job easily.
He thought that being closer to Bai Xizhou would help him understand his temperament better—making it easier to respond appropriately whether Bai Xizhou was happy or upset.
Making coffee was a last-minute idea. After noticing that Bai Xizhou often had a cup of coffee, Wen Ruqing figured it wouldn’t hurt to cater to his preferences. Plus, the coffee he prepared was the same type he often drank back in Xincheng.
And so, Wen Ruqing became the mysterious “coffee fairy” who delivered coffee every morning without showing up.
“My assistant doesn’t need to make coffee for me.” Bai Xizhou, clearly in a good mood, decided to let Wen Ruqing off the hook and dropped the topic. “I don’t have anything urgent for now, so you can go take a break. Around 3:30 this afternoon, go to my office, grab the files on my desk, and meet me at the front gate of Fujiang No. 1 High School.”
“Fujiang No. 1 High School?”
Before Wen Ruqing could react, Bai Xizhou had already walked past him, the scent of coffee lingering in the air as he moved.
“Did something happen?”
Fujiang No. 1 High School—Wen Ruqing was very familiar with it. It was where he had attended high school. His father had once been a teacher there, and now his younger sister, Xie Yuzhu, was a sophomore studying there.
When most people heard the need for a lawyer, their first reaction was that something bad had happened. Wen Ruqing was no exception.
“The school invited me to give a lecture. Nothing happened. Look at you acting like it’s a crisis.” Bai Xizhou had already taken his seat, sipping coffee. “Thanks, by the way. The coffee is really good.”
“Are you sure you don’t need me here?” Wen Ruqing sighed in relief at Bai Xizhou’s explanation but still asked cautiously.
As expected, Bai Xizhou’s answer was firm. With no other choice, Wen Ruqing headed home for now.
At 3 p.m., Wen Ruqing and Bai Xizhou met on time at the school gate. Wen handed over the documents, and a staff member escorted them into the campus. Since classes were still in session, the grounds were quiet with few people around.
The lecture was scheduled to take place on the field. The weather was nice—warm sunlight made the atmosphere comfortable. Unable to stay idle, Wen Ruqing busied himself helping to set up the venue while Bai Xizhou chatted with the school leaders.
By around 4 p.m., everything was ready. The leaders took their seats, and students, led by their teachers, entered the field in neat rows, quickly finding and sitting in their designated spots.
Standing under the shade of a tree next to the stage, Wen Ruqing immediately spotted Xie Yuzhu sitting in the front row. She noticed him too and smiled, waving in greeting. Wen Ruqing smiled and waved back.
Perhaps seeing Xie Yuzhu smiling so brightly had caught the attention of the girls sitting behind her. They pulled her closer and started chatting in hushed voices. Watching the cheerful expressions of the girls in the front rows, Wen Ruqing thought they looked like blooming sunflowers.
He realized that he had never had such a carefree time in high school. Back then, even smiles were rare for him.
Turning his gaze to the stage, Wen Ruqing looked at Bai Xizhou. Sitting beside the principal, Bai Xizhou lowered his head to review his notes while the principal spoke. His hands rested clasped on the table, and his wrists were bare.
That watch Bai Xizhou often wore—right now, it was on Wen Ruqing’s wrist, where his fingers kept brushing over it. The watch wasn’t particularly attractive, and when Bai Xizhou had given it to him, it had already stopped working.
Stripped of its function to tell time, the watch was nothing more than a useless item. Yet Bai Xizhou kept it. Maybe it held some special meaning for him.
But if it was so important, why had he given it away as a birthday gift?
…
“The watch was a gift from a friend. I noticed you’ve been touching it a lot.”
“Unconscious actions often reflect one’s inner thoughts. Maybe you value this person a lot, and that’s why you also value the gift they gave you.”
“I told you before to make more friends, but you never wanted to. This person is someone you took the initiative with, maybe he could be a turning point.”
…
Wen Ruqing pulled himself out of the conversation with the doctor as the principal’s speech ended. Now it was Bai Xizhou’s turn.
His voice was clear and deep, a sharp contrast to the principal’s less-than-perfect Mandarin, which had made people feel drowsy. Bai Xizhou’s voice was like a melody from the heavens.
Wen Ruqing clearly saw that as soon as Bai Xizhou started speaking, several people raised their heads in unison.
His speech wasn’t a simple recitation of notes; he mixed in a few case studies along with the content from his script, grabbing the students’ attention.
At this age, kids loved hearing stories like these. Legal terms, to them, were just academic jargon, and hearing too much of it would inevitably get boring. Using cases as an example was a perfect way to keep things interesting.
After Bai Xizhou finished his lecture, there was a Q&A session. He selected a few students to see if anyone had any questions. As expected, none of the questions hit the mark.
In most lectures, it’s hard for students to really take things in.
Bai Xizhou easily dodged any personal questions, and without any serious inquiries, the lecture ended.
Xie Yuzhu took advantage of the break before her class was called and ran over to Wen Ruqing.
“Brother, I’m on break now. Wait for me to finish packing, and I’ll go back with you.” Xie Yuzhu grabbed Wen Ruqing’s hand and noticed the watch on his wrist. “Brother, when did you buy this watch?”
Just as Wen Ruqing was about to explain, Bai Xizhou walked over. He didn’t look at Xie Yuzhu but kept his eyes fixed on Wen Ruqing.
“I have a social event tonight. Please take these back for me.”
Bai Xizhou handed him the documents. The materials Wen Ruqing had brought were handed back to him. After giving his instructions, Bai Xizhou left.
“Brother, who was that handsome guy just now?” Xie Yuzhu, being a young girl, naturally noticed the handsome guy. Plus, he looked so familiar with her brother. Maybe they knew each other. “Is he very familiar with you?”
“The guest at our inn is considered a friend.”
Xie Yuzhu wanted to ask more, but by then the class had already been called to leave. She had no choice but to leave first and planned to interrogate Wen Ruqing properly once they got back.
Wen Ruqing didn’t give Xie Yuzhu the chance to dig deeper and instead went back to the inn. He took out some tools that he hadn’t used in a while, sat by the window, and began repairing things.
When focused, time always passed quickly. Wen Ruqing finished, stretched his sore neck, and looked at the time—it was already past 10, but Bai Xizhou hadn’t returned yet.
He thought about calling Bai Xizhou, but then remembered they hadn’t exchanged contact information. The number Bai Xizhou had dialed to his landline earlier wasn’t in the call history either.
Although he understood the trouble with social events, it was getting late.
As he was considering asking his aunt if she had Bai Xizhou’s number, the door to the inn opened.
It was the same person who had helped them earlier, now helping Bai Xizhou inside. Bai Xizhou, who appeared completely out of it, was being supported by the person, looking dazed and unable to stand properly.
The person seemed to have found a savior, leaning on Wen Ruqing for help. Together, they helped Bai Xizhou back to his room.
Bai Xizhou was mumbling something, but Wen Ruqing couldn’t make it out, and the strong smell of alcohol was overpowering. After getting him into the room, the person who helped quickly left the scene.
“Bai Lawyer,” Wen Ruqing was at a loss. He had no experience taking care of drunk people. “Can you hear me?”
Bai Xizhou mumbled something incoherent, and then went silent.
The phone rang in the room, and Wen Ruqing searched around until he found it under Bai Xizhou’s arm.
The contact name was just a circle with nothing else. The call had been missed for a long time and automatically hung up, but it called again right away.
Worried it might be something important, Wen Ruqing answered the call.
“What the hell is wrong with you, calling me just to call me an idiot? You’re the idiot, aren’t you?” The voice on the other end immediately started cursing, leaving Wen Ruqing stunned and unsure how to respond.
“Uh, Bai Lawyer is drunk, and he can’t take calls right now.” Wen Ruqing said weakly.
There was a moment of silence on the other end.
“Who are you? Why are you answering Bai Xizhou’s phone?” The tone instantly turned serious.
“I’m his friend. The call seemed urgent, so I answered thinking it might be something important.”
Another moment of silence followed.
There were faint rustling sounds on the other end, and Wen Ruqing vaguely heard a few voices saying “Gege” (“elder brother”), which didn’t sound like the voice of the man who had been cursing earlier.
“I’ll wait until he sobers up tomorrow to call again. You… Let me remind you, stay away from drunk Bai Xizhou. You’ll regret it if you don’t.” The person on the other end left this cryptic warning before hanging up.
“Why did you use my phone?” Bai Xizhou’s voice came from behind, making Wen Ruqing jump in shock.
He quickly turned around, ready to explain.
Frozen Starlight:
Mr. Xiansheng: As the saying goes, ‘If you don’t listen to the advice of elders, you’ll suffer the consequences of it’
Wen Ruqing, you’ll regret this very soon.
