“You argued with your family?”
Hearing Bai Xizhou say he’d gone to his father’s house, Wen Ruqing more or less guessed what had happened. He kept patting Bai Xizhou’s back and changed the subject, “Want to grab something to eat? I haven’t had dinner yet.”
Only then did Bai Xizhou let go. Wen Ruqing’s face was a little red—probably from the heat—and his clothes were all wrinkled from the hug. Bai Xizhou looked down to smooth the collar of his shirt.
Maybe it was from rubbing against the buttons on Bai Xizhou’s shirt, but a red patch had appeared on Wen Ruqing’s neck, almost like an allergic reaction. He scratched it absentmindedly, making the area even redder.
“Don’t scratch it. It’ll go away soon. Let’s eat first.” Bai Xizhou stopped him in time.
He brought Wen Ruqing to a small restaurant. The place was clean, with no greasy stains on the tables. It was still fairly busy at this hour, but they found a seat. The owner quickly brought them a menu.
Wen Ruqing glanced at it and handed it to Bai Xizhou, while picking up the thermos on the table to rinse their bowls and chopsticks.
He was used to letting Bai Xizhou decide what he ate. He couldn’t control his cravings, but his stomach couldn’t handle much, so it was better to leave it to someone else.
And Bai Xizhou already knew his eating habits well.
Bai Xizhou ordered a few light dishes. After the owner left, Wen Ruqing passed him the rinsed chopsticks and poured him a cup of hot water.
“I thought you’d take me to some fancy place.” Wen Ruqing looked down, smiling lightly, “Didn’t think Lawyer Bai would come to a street-side joint.”
“My cleanliness obsession isn’t that serious. This place is clean, affordable, and tasty. I used to come here a lot,” Bai Xizhou said, fingertips touching the warm cup. “Don’t stereotype lawyers. I used to be really poor.”
When he had just returned to China, he was flat broke. Teng Yuan had helped him rent an apartment and covered a lot of living expenses.
Back then, high-end restaurants were out of the question. Life was messy and tiring, and he often just found some place to eat quickly. He had tried many street food places before finding this one.
Their food came quickly. Before they could chat much, dishes began arriving one by one.
“I just remembered something.” Wen Ruqing had a few bites, then suddenly looked up. “Did your private chef change recently? The food tastes different lately.”
Bai Xizhou’s hand paused midair, then he picked up a piece of broccoli and placed it in Wen Ruqing’s bowl.
“I’ll check tomorrow.” There was a hint of amusement on his face. “You prefer the old chef?”
Wen Ruqing nodded. The new chef seemed to be imitating the old flavors, but hadn’t quite nailed it—he could tell.
“Got it.” Bai Xizhou nodded, as if mentally noting it down.
Wen Ruqing almost said they could just cancel the service altogether—he was fine eating at the canteen. But seeing the slight smile on Bai Xizhou’s face, he kept quiet.
If ordering food for him made Bai Xizhou happy, then spending a little money wasn’t a big deal.
After all, Bai Xizhou had been looking out for him and caring for him in so many ways.
It had been a long time since he’d been cared for like that.
If someone was kind to him, he naturally wanted to return the gesture.
After dinner, Bai Xizhou drove Wen Ruqing home. As usual, he stopped at the community gate. But just as Wen Ruqing was about to get out, Bai Xizhou suddenly grabbed his wrist.
Wen Ruqing turned back in confusion. “What’s wrong?”
But Bai Xizhou just froze for a second, then as if coming back to his senses, let go and shook his head gently.
He sat in the car holding a cigarette. The driver’s side door was open, letting in the cool night breeze. He squinted slightly, staring at the weeds by the sidewalk.
He sat like that for a long time—long enough that the security guard came over to check on him. Bai Xizhou just waved it off and said he was feeling down and needed some air.
After the guard left, he took out his phone and messaged Teng Yuan:
[Maybe you were right. I think I really do like him.]
Ignoring the phone’s buzzing and ringtones, Bai Xizhou shut it off.
Silence fell around him, accompanied only by the soft glow of the streetlight.
Having confirmed his feelings for Wen Ruqing, Bai Xizhou didn’t feel as happy as he thought he would.
Wen Ruqing clearly only saw him as a friend. He’d said he wasn’t planning to date anyone right now.
So… how was he supposed to chase him?
A few days had passed since Han Mu confessed to Wen Ruqing. Since then, whenever they crossed paths, Han Mu would immediately walk the other way—completely abandoning his previous clingy tactics.
Wen Ruqing found it odd. Such a sudden personality shift. But honestly, it was a relief—saved him the headache.
That morning, he sat down at his desk like always, only to immediately receive a call from Wen Qing.
“Happy birthday, Ruqing.” Wen Qing’s voice was warm and familiar. “You still remember today’s your birthday, right?”
Honestly? He forgot.
Wen Ruqing didn’t really care about birthdays. Every year it was Wen Qing who reminded him.
“I knew you’d forget again.” She sighed. “Been busy lately?”
“Not too bad.” As he spoke, Chen Qi came over and handed him a stack of documents.
“Well, take care of yourself. Make sure you cook yourself a longevity noodle, or at least get a cake. Don’t brush it off. Got it?”
“Got it, got it.”
After hanging up, he noticed Chen Qi staring at him.
“It’s your birthday today? Why didn’t you say anything? I didn’t even prepare a gift.” Chen Qi looked like he’d been wronged. “Now I look like a terrible coworker.”
“So what do you want to do?”
Wen Ruqing had been working with Chen Qi for a while and realized—this guy was a total drama queen. It was a crime that he didn’t attend acting school.
“Dinner after work. We’re celebrating your birthday.”
Before Wen Ruqing could protest, Chen Qi had already pulled everyone into a group chat. Everyone agreed instantly, and Wen Ruqing couldn’t object.
Back at his desk, Wen Ruqing looked at his phone, thoughtful.
He knew Bai Xizhou had gone on a business trip again a few days ago and wasn’t in town. But even so, the empty inbox made him feel a little… empty too.
Though they said dinner was after work, the actual gathering was set for 8 PM.
Chen Qi said they needed time to prep—to make sure Wen Ruqing had a great first birthday at the institute.
They even created a separate group chat without Wen Ruqing and kept the restaurant a secret.
He was simply asked to buy the cake.
In the end, he picked a chocolate cake—big enough for everyone to get a slice. But it was a made-to-order bakery, so he had to sit and wait.
The wait was long and boring. He messaged Bai Xizhou to ask what he was doing. No reply.
Once the cake was ready, he messaged Chen Qi and finally got the restaurant address. It was nearby—just a ten-minute walk.
A server led him to the private room. As soon as he opened the door, a shower of confetti burst in his face. Glitter rained down on his head.
“Happy Birthday!”
The chorus of greetings pulled him from his surprise. Chen Qi and Xu Yuanyuan dragged him into the room and shut the door. Chen Qi opened the cake box while Xu Yuanyuan stuck in the candles.
Someone turned off the lights. The only light came from the candle flames.
“Make a wish, birthday boy.”
He didn’t have many wishes. What he wanted… he already had.
Still, he closed his eyes and made a wish as everyone sang.
In his mind, a hallway at the Green Plum Inn flashed by. That man standing at the doorway—the one who knew many of his secrets.
His heart stirred.
Actually, he did want something.
He wanted Bai Xizhou to wish him a happy birthday. Just that.
He blew out the candles. The lights came on. He cut the cake into slices for everyone.
The last piece went to Chen Qi—none was left.
“27 already, Ruqing. Time to find someone.” Chen Qi said seriously, eating his cake.
“Yeah, probably time.” Wen Ruqing replied distractedly.
Chen Qi kept talking, but Wen Ruqing dodged and laughed it off. Then suddenly, his phone buzzed.
[Where are you?]
Three words. So very Bai Xizhou.
[Wherever you are, I’ll come find you.]
Wen Ruqing told everyone he had something urgent to do and left quickly, saying they could charge the bill to him.
“What’s going on?” Xu Yuanyuan asked, confused. “The main character just left!”
“Probably went on a date.” Chen Qi said knowingly, shaking his head. He bit into the chocolate on the cake—it was a little bitter.
In Xincheng’s downtown area, there was a park where many people went for walks at night. When Wen Ruqing arrived, he saw Bai Xizhou sitting on a bench, looking up at the sky.
He exhaled and walked over, sitting beside him and handing him a bag.
“There was no cake left, so I got this instead. Just count it as my treat.” It was a chocolate snack he’d bought on the way.
Bai Xizhou took it, took one bite, and set it down. Probably didn’t like it.
“You gave me a cake last year on my birthday too.” Bai Xizhou chuckled, then pulled out two cans of beer from a plastic bag and handed one to Wen Ruqing.
“In the blink of an eye, it’s already been a year since we met.”
“Yeah, a whole year.”
From Yundaun Town to Xincheng—it had really been a year.
The cans clinked. Bubbles fizzed.
A breeze rustled the leaves above them.
“You still haven’t wished me a happy birthday,” Wen Ruqing suddenly said, with a soft, happy lilt in his voice.
Since Bai Xizhou was right here, why waste a birthday wish on the sky when he could ask in person?
And then—his shoulder sank.
Bai Xizhou leaned on him.
Drunk or not, Wen Ruqing could smell the beer. His hair brushed against Wen Ruqing’s neck—it tickled.
Getting tipsy from beer alone?
Wen Ruqing almost laughed.
“Lawyer Bai, you’re hopeless. Drunk on just a little beer?”
He patted Bai Xizhou’s thigh—not teasing his alcohol tolerance, just genuinely happy.
Bai Xizhou was here.
That made his birthday perfect.
Bai Xizhou suddenly gripped Wen Ruqing’s hand, stopping its movements. In the night, their closeness was hidden in shadow. Wen Ruqing felt the man on his shoulder shift—his breath brushing near his ear.
Then, Bai Xizhou’s voice whispered in his ear:
“Qingqing, happy birthday.”
Frozen Starlight (author’s note):
Step one in winning over the wife: pretend to be drunk.
