ITC Chapter 34

After Wen Ruqing talked to Bai Xizhou last time, the takeout he received returned to its original taste. Maybe the previous chef came back? Regardless, the familiar flavor returned, and so did Wen Ruqing’s appetite. He started eating more than before. Even Chen Qi commented that Wen Ruqing had put on quite a bit of weight compared to when he first arrived.

Bai Xizhou, upon hearing what the colleague said, was thrilled—it meant Wen Ruqing had really been eating well recently.

He had, after all, watched Wen Ruqing’s cheeks slowly regain fullness. Even his stomachaches had become less frequent. Seeing Wen Ruqing getting better and better, how could Bai Xizhou not feel happy?

At the end of May, the research institute organized a two-week training session for employees who had joined within the past year. Both Wen Ruqing and Xu Yuanyuan were on the list. The location was a rural area outside the city.

According to Chen Qi, the training was similar to high school military boot camps—exhausting and mainly for the sake of “improving physical fitness.” Though it sounded good on paper, it didn’t really do much. Still, Wen Ruqing followed the assignment and boarded the bus to the training base.

Chen Qi wasn’t lying—it was just like high school. Morning runs, classes all morning after breakfast, physical training in the afternoon, with only evenings offering a bit of relaxation. They stayed in the base’s dorms, four people per room. Wen Ruqing shared a room with three strangers. Xu Yuanyuan was in the women’s dorm in the building across.

As June approached, the afternoon sun became unbearable. Because of his low blood sugar, Wen Ruqing was told to rest in a shaded area. Several girls sat with him, chatting about things that didn’t interest him. Hugging his knees and leaning against a pillar, Wen Ruqing watched the people under the sun. The fake turf on the ground was hot to the touch. Bored, he picked at the artificial grass—completely disinterested.

The 15-day training passed without much change. The only changes? His skin tone and weight.
Previously, Wen Ruqing had pale skin and faint freckles—he rarely saw the sun because he was always indoors. Now he was a little tanned. He looked healthier, yes—but the mole under his eye had become harder to see.

And the weight loss? Bai Xizhou wasn’t thrilled. After all that effort to help him gain some weight, he lost it all in just one trip.

When Wen Ruqing stood on the scale, he was speechless. Bai Xizhou looked devastated—like the lost weight had come off his own body.

“Letting you lose weight again… that’s my failure,” Bai Xizhou said, turning away like he couldn’t face the truth, and disappeared into the kitchen.

“Is it really that serious?” Wen Ruqing stepped off the scale, shuffled to the couch in slippers, and flopped down with zero grace.

He lay there for a while, slowly regaining strength, when suddenly a fluffy ball jumped into his arms, curling up cozily without moving. Then another bunny hopped up to nudge at his arm.

The rabbits were welcoming him back, too.

As Wen Ruqing was basking in the fluff, his phone rang. It was his aunt.

“Ruqing, how have you been lately?” Aunt Wen Qing asked after checking on him, then continued, “Yuzhu just finished her college entrance exams and said she wants to visit you. I wanted to check if you’re free—if not, I’ll tell her to wait.”

“Let her come. She finally finished exams—she should relax and have fun,” Wen Ruqing answered quickly. “Do you want to come too, Auntie?”

“I’ll pass. You two enjoy.”

After some small talk, the call ended.

Bai Xizhou came out of the kitchen just then and asked Wen Ruqing to help bring out the dishes for dinner. Wen Ruqing immediately got up and headed to the kitchen.

“Your sister’s coming to visit?” Bai Xizhou asked casually over dinner.

“Yeah, for a few days.”

“Do you have a place for her to stay? It’s tourist season, might be hard to find a room.” Bai Xizhou lightly tapped his chopsticks on his rice, sounding casual—but he was definitely thinking things over.

“I was planning to let her stay at my place,” Wen Ruqing replied, focused on eating, not picking up on Bai Xizhou’s subtext.

“Then where will you sleep? Even if you’re cousins, it’s still not ideal for a guy and girl to stay in the same space. Why don’t you stay at my place? Let her use your apartment. You have my house key anyway.”

Wen Ruqing considered it for a moment. It was actually a pretty practical solution. He nodded.

Seeing that, a faint smile appeared on Bai Xizhou’s lips—there and gone in an instant.

When Xie Yuzhu arrived, Wen Ruqing took half a day off to pick her up.

Post-exam Xie Yuzhu was a different person. She ditched her straight school uniform for trendy clothes, curled her hair, put on lipstick—a total transformation. Wen Ruqing almost didn’t recognize her.

She spotted him first, ran over cheerfully, and hugged him. Wen Ruqing wasn’t used to such enthusiasm, especially with people around watching. He felt a little awkward.

“Your lipstick got on my shirt,” he said, gently pushing her off and opening the car door.

The apartment had been tidied up. Clean sheets and bedding. Xie Yuzhu did a tour of the place, nodding in approval. She patted Wen Ruqing on the shoulder.

“Not bad, bro. This place is nice.” But then she noticed—only one bedroom. “If I’m staying here, where are you sleeping?”

“At Uncle Bai’s place,” Wen Ruqing said, rolling her suitcase in. “Don’t go into the study—it’s my workspace. Don’t mess with stuff in the house. Your toiletries are in the bathroom. If anything comes up, call me. You’ve had a long day, rest up. I’ll head out now.”

She plopped on the sofa, watching him. Staying at a friend’s house was normal, sure. But her sixth sense said something was off.

Wen Ruqing had no idea what the 18-year-old girl was thinking. He finished giving her a house tour and clapped his hands, ready to leave—but she called him back.

“Bro, didn’t Uncle say he’d show me around? I want to go to the amusement park tomorrow. Can we take him too?” she asked, eyes twinkling.

“I’ll ask him, but don’t get your hopes up.” With that, Wen Ruqing left.

Yuzhu leaned back, opened her phone, and posted to her friend group:

> “A woman’s sixth sense. Those who get it, get it.”

No context. Only she knew what she meant.
And tomorrow, she planned to find out the truth—head-on.

The next day, Xie Yuzhu dressed up beautifully—cute outfit, fresh makeup, hair tied up—radiating youthful energy.

Bai Xizhou came to pick them up. Wen Ruqing sat in the front passenger seat. Yuzhu greeted Bai Xizhou politely before getting in. The three of them headed to the amusement park.

It was the weekend, so the park was crowded. She chose rides with shorter lines first, and then headed straight for the rollercoaster once the line thinned out.

Wen Ruqing hadn’t planned on going, but she insisted someone go with her. Bai Xizhou was on a call under a nearby umbrella, so the task fell to Wen Ruqing.

He wasn’t afraid of heights—just hated the weightlessness and pressure from sudden drops. As the rollercoaster climbed and plunged, all he heard was wind and screams.

Thankfully, the ride didn’t last long. Dizzy, he stumbled off the ride and fell right into Bai Xizhou’s arms.

“Bro, you’re so weak,” Yuzhu teased. She, on the other hand, looked completely fine.

Bai Xizhou half-held Wen Ruqing, his hand resting on his waist. Through the shirt, he could feel the warmth of Wen Ruqing’s skin. To outsiders, it looked a bit intimate—but Wen Ruqing seemed completely unaware.

Out of Wen Ruqing’s view, Bai Xizhou looked up—only to meet Xie Yuzhu’s gaze. She was watching him with a knowing, teasing look.

Their eyes met—just for a moment—but it said everything.
Bai Xizhou smiled slightly and let go of Wen Ruqing.

“You good now?” he whispered in his ear.

“I’m fine. I’ll go buy some water.” Wen Ruqing nodded. His face was pale, but he looked alright.

After he left, Yuzhu walked slowly to Bai Xizhou and sat down in the nearby shade.

“Uncle, tell me the truth,” she started bluntly. “Are you really just friends with my brother?”

Would regular “friends” hug like that? Look at each other like that? She didn’t buy it.

“We’re just friends,” Bai Xizhou replied firmly.

Sometimes, you really have to believe in a girl’s sixth sense. She had just turned eighteen but could already tell that Bai Xizhou looked at Wen Ruqing differently. And yet… Wen Ruqing had no clue.

Maybe he was just too close to see it.
Or maybe… he never even considered Bai Xizhou that way.

“I don’t believe you. Uncle, you can tell me. I won’t tell my brother. Or my mom,” Yuzhu said, trying again.

If Bai Xizhou really liked her brother, she’d be all for it. But why deny it?

“You’re just afraid he’ll reject you, so you’re lying to yourself. But actually—you really like him.”

“Little kids shouldn’t guess at grown-ups’ feelings.”

That was practically a confession.

Yuzhu now knew.
Whenever adults said things like that, it usually meant—she was right, but they just didn’t want to admit it.

Not long after, Wen Ruqing returned and handed them each a bottle of water.

Bai Xizhou took his, took a sip—and then a text came in. He glanced at his phone, and his expression shifted.

“Qingqing, something urgent came up at the law firm. I have to head back. You two enjoy the rest of the day.”

“Work’s important. Go ahead,” Wen Ruqing said.
He didn’t question it. Having Bai Xizhou around with his little cousin already felt weird enough. Since he had to leave for work, Wen Ruqing didn’t stop him. Yuzhu didn’t say much either—just waved him off.

Once he was gone, Wen Ruqing turned to her. “Do you want to keep going?”

Yuzhu just shook her head and motioned for him to sit with her.

“Qingqing”… such an intimate nickname. And you still want me to believe there’s nothing going on? Yeah, right.

“Bro, do you have a partner?” Yuzhu asked seriously.

That caught him off guard. He just shook his head.

“Are you into guys?”

She asked because she had seen Song Yang before.

“Not exactly.”

Wen Ruqing thought about it carefully. When it came to relationships, gender never really mattered to him. His first relationship had been with a guy, so he wasn’t opposed to dating men—but he wasn’t opposed to dating women either.

Maybe he wasn’t gay.

His first love just happened to be male.

“Why ask? You into girls now?” he teased, raising an eyebrow.

She stared at him blankly, then rolled her eyes.

“Bro, I’m just saying—if you don’t start dating soon, you’ll be stuck with blind dates.”

—

Frozen Starlight (Author’s Note):
Xie Yuzhu: I’m here to play matchmaker!
Taking a day off tomorrow, will resume updates the day after~