ITC Chapter 31

“Who was it?” Bai Xizhou’s voice was slightly anxious. He leaned toward Wen Ruqing, the sleepiness in his eyes completely gone, his fingers subconsciously tightening around the blanket. “Did you say yes?”

“It’s that old classmate I mentioned before,” Wen Ruqing answered honestly, rolling his eyes at the memory of earlier. “We barely know each other, and he’s already confessing.”

Seeing Wen Ruqing shake his head, Bai Xizhou finally let out a sigh of relief—but then frowned.

Logically, even if Wen Ruqing had said yes, that was his own business. What did it have to do with Bai Xizhou? Why was he so nervous?

Ever since Teng Yuan hinted at a few things, something seemed to shift in the way Bai Xizhou looked at Wen Ruqing.

Bai Xizhou turned his head—Wen Ruqing was leaning back, looking up at the ceiling with a faint smile, utterly relaxed, as if he were just casually recounting something that had nothing to do with him.

“Seems like you really don’t like him,” Bai Xizhou said, letting his gaze roam freely across Wen Ruqing’s face, trying to read something more in it. “Then what type do you like?”

“I don’t have an ideal type. And honestly, I’m not planning to date anyone right now. Love… just isn’t for me.” Wen Ruqing’s eyes darkened. He pulled a throw pillow over and sat cross-legged on the couch.

That position was more comfortable. It made him feel at ease.

Bai Xizhou didn’t know why he said that—probably something to do with his past. So he didn’t ask further.

Neither of them had eaten yet. With no more sleepiness, Bai Xizhou went to the kitchen and cooked two bowls of noodles. They had a simple dinner together. Wen Ruqing didn’t go home—he stayed over in the guest room.

Bai Xizhou, who had fallen asleep earlier on the couch, now lay in bed tossing and turning.

This shouldn’t be happening at his age. He was long past the age of being entangled over love.

But the root of this restlessness was that he realized—he really did have feelings for Wen Ruqing. He didn’t want Wen Ruqing to become someone else’s boyfriend. He wanted him by his side.

These feelings had quietly taken root in the dark, growing and climbing around Bai Xizhou’s heart. The scenes of them together kept looping in his mind.

The later it got, the more awake he became.

Wen Ruqing didn’t want to date right now—so whether it was that classmate or Bai Xizhou himself, he wouldn’t say yes to anyone.

Confessing rashly would probably ruin their friendship. Wen Ruqing might even choose to disappear from his life. After all, he’d done that before.

And that wasn’t something Bai Xizhou could bear to see.

He turned over and stared at the dark wall. Just one wall away, Wen Ruqing was sleeping in the guest room.

He sighed. In the still night, the sound was especially clear.

Wen Ruqing hadn’t fallen asleep either. He was reading group messages. After everything that happened tonight, he knew people would be talking about him. He hadn’t held back with his rejection.

But surprisingly, his messages were filled with care and praise—everyone in the department was actually supportive. Reading back, he found out that nobody liked Han Mu much anyway. They had just been polite for the sake of work.

Thanks to Wen Ruqing’s direct rejection, Han Mu had been humiliated in front of everyone. He probably wouldn’t show up in their department for a while.

Many colleagues also messaged him privately, asking if he was okay and telling him not to stress over someone like that—just treat him like trash on the street.

Wen Ruqing smiled, replied to everyone, turned off the lights, and went to sleep. Somewhere in between, he thought he heard someone sigh.

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The next morning, Wen Ruqing woke to find Bai Xizhou already gone. Breakfast was on the table—a sandwich and a carton of milk. There was even a sticky note.

[Had to leave early. Don’t forget to eat.]

At the end of the note was a little heart.

Wen Ruqing tucked it into his pocket, grabbed his breakfast, and left for work.

Today, a new batch of ancient texts arrived at the institute. Unlike the previous southern batch, these were from the north, where the main issue was paper brittleness. It meant extra care while flipping through the pages.

Plus, the quantity was large. Just sorting the books had taken a full day. After that, each staff member had to classify their assigned books more thoroughly.

Wen Ruqing’s job was to evaluate the condition of each book and fill out the damage report forms. Since each book was in a different state of deterioration, the repair plan had to be customized for each one.

Others, like Chen Qi and Xu Yuanyuan, were handling acidity, color, and thickness measurements. Everyone had their roles. Still, it took four whole days to finish the sorting process.

Even though it was exhausting, the institute placed high importance on this batch. Unlike the previous ones, which were returned after repair, these would be permanently archived.

After completing his part, Wen Ruqing left the institute—it was already dark outside. His eyes were blurry with exhaustion, and he rubbed his sore neck, debating if he needed a pain patch. When he looked up, he saw someone standing under the streetlight.

A man in a dark shirt, the collar slightly open, his hair tousled by the night breeze. He raised his hand to his mouth and took a drag of his cigarette, the smoke curling around his lips, glowing faintly in the light.

Under the dim glow, leaning against the pole, staring at the ground, Bai Xizhou looked lost in thought.

Despite people passing by, Wen Ruqing thought he looked terribly alone.

He walked over, just as Bai Xizhou finished the last drag and stubbed out the cigarette, tossing it in a bin. When he turned, he saw Wen Ruqing.

“You should’ve told me you were coming,” Wen Ruqing stopped in front of him and asked gently.

There was no reply.

Bai Xizhou’s face, backlit by the lamp, was shadowed. He stepped forward, closing the distance between them, and leaned on Wen Ruqing’s shoulder without a word.

“What’s wrong?” Bai Xizhou felt fragile.

“Nothing… I’m just tired. Can I hold you for a while?”

His voice was soft, close to Wen Ruqing’s ear, and tinged with weariness.

Wen Ruqing didn’t know what had happened, but if even someone like Bai Xizhou needed comfort, it must’ve been bad. He didn’t say anything—just raised his arms and hugged him.

And the moment his hand touched Bai Xizhou’s back, he was pulled into a tighter embrace. Bai Xizhou’s warmth enveloped him. Wen Ruqing froze. His hand stalled midair as Bai Xizhou held him closer and closer.

“Relax a bit, you’re hurting me,” Wen Ruqing murmured, patting his back.

Bai Xizhou loosened his grip slightly but didn’t let go.

Wen Ruqing looked past him—toward the entrance of the institute—where someone wearing glasses stood watching.

Han Mu had just finished work and happened to see Wen Ruqing. He’d followed him, wanting to ask why he had been so harsh in front of everyone. But just as he stepped outside, he saw Wen Ruqing… in another man’s arms.

No wonder he was rejected—turns out, Wen Ruqing already had someone.

Frustrated, Han Mu pulled out his phone, wanting to take a picture. He didn’t know what for, just acted on impulse. But before he could snap it, the man hugging Wen Ruqing suddenly looked up.

Their eyes locked.

Han Mu felt a chill down his spine. Like he’d just disturbed a lion in the middle of devouring its prey.

That gaze screamed one thing:

“Wen Ruqing is mine.”

Han Mu stiffly turned and left.

Wen Ruqing didn’t notice. He was still patting Bai Xizhou’s back, trying to ease his emotions.

“Is this how you comfort people?” Bai Xizhou murmured.

“Well, how can I comfort you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong?”

“I saw my father today…” Bai Xizhou finally said.

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Author note:

Frozen Starlight:
The first step in falling in love — hug your future wife first~