ITC Chapter 40

After a rain, the heat in the air had dissipated a bit, and it wasn’t so stuffy anymore. Wen Ruqing got up and washed his face. The tired look on his face was reflected in the mirror, and water droplets remained unwiped.

He walked to the window, opened it, and let the outside sounds drift into the room. The view outside was unfamiliar. Wen Ruqing spaced out for a second before remembering—he wasn’t in Xincheng anymore.

After the music festival that day, he had requested a transfer to Jingcheng for exchange studies. Feng Yuhua was surprised by how urgent his tone was, as if he was desperate to escape something.

She asked a bit more, but Wen Ruqing brushed her off casually. Feng Yuhua didn’t press further—she never meddled in her subordinates’ personal lives. The next day, she submitted the report to the institute. It was approved quickly.

Today was Wen Ruqing’s fifth day here.

The sky was just beginning to brighten. Pale light painted the horizon as the sun rose. Wen Ruqing leaned by the window, watching the sunrise. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but for a moment, a trace of loneliness crossed his face.

He changed clothes and went downstairs. The hotel restaurant was already open, and he had a simple breakfast.

The steamed dumplings were clearly frozen ones—not very good. The tofu pudding lacked that distinct soybean aroma. Still, Wen Ruqing made do and finished the meal.

Just as he finished, his phone rang. The contact name “Ye Yin” flashed on the screen—it was someone he had met recently in Jingcheng.

The institute here had assigned Ye Yin as his assistant. She was a young girl, a recent college graduate with short hair and glasses, full of youthful energy.

“What is it?” Wen Ruqing answered, his voice tinged with indifference.

“Brother Wen, the professor asked me to pick you up. Are you ready?” Ye Yin’s energetic voice came through the receiver. “I’m already in the hotel lobby.”

“I’m ready. Coming down now.” Wen Ruqing packed up another serving of the steamed dumplings and a cup of soy milk.

He headed down quickly. From afar, he spotted Ye Yin sitting on the sofa, playing on her phone with a piece of bread still in her mouth.

He walked over, handed her the food, and sat down beside her.

“For me?” Ye Yin looked surprised and delighted, brushing the crumbs from her hands. Her round eyes sparkled like a kitten’s. “Thank you, Brother Wen!”

“You didn’t have to come this early. You could’ve had a proper breakfast first. Skipping breakfast can lead to stomach problems.”

“Sometimes I’m just in a rush, so I make do,” Ye Yin said while munching the dumplings. “I skip breakfast all the time. It’s fine.”

“I used to be like that too. And now I’ve got stomach problems.” This was the first time he had advised someone to eat well.

He used to be the one getting lectured. But now, he was doing much better and had formed the habit of eating three meals a day—something he owed entirely to…

The name Bai Xizhou flashed in his mind. Wen Ruqing lowered his gaze unconsciously and touched his wrist, where the cool leather strap of his watch rested.

After Ye Yin finished eating, the two left the hotel together. As they stood at the entrance waiting for her car, Wen Ruqing suddenly felt a chill on his back, as if someone was watching him. He turned around and looked, but only saw hurried pedestrians.

That eerie feeling vanished as quickly as it came—maybe it was just his imagination.

Choosing to ignore it, Wen Ruqing got in the car and headed to the research institute with Ye Yin.

His primary task here was learning—shadowing the local experts and observing more complex damage cases and restoration techniques. The master craftsmen here were fond of him—he learned quickly and was eager to improve. Compliments about him were common in the office.

He got along well with colleagues, too. Everyone agreed that he was polite and easy to work with. But only Ye Yin noticed: Wen Ruqing at work and after work seemed like two entirely different people.

At work, he was warm and lively. After work, it was as if he put on a shell of ice—still polite, but distant.

Ye Yin didn’t quite understand why, but since they were only working together for a month, she didn’t intend to pry. She respected everyone’s individuality.

Still, Wen Ruqing treated her kindly—he often let her tag along when he was running late. Whenever she forgot to eat breakfast, he’d bring some extra food down for her. Thanks to him, she’d even gotten to join a few meals with the institute leadership.

She just had to focus on eating—socializing was Wen Ruqing’s job. Ye Yin was incredibly grateful that her mentor had assigned her this role.

As time passed, the two grew more familiar. One day, after a trip to the university with their mentor, it was already late when they returned. Worried about her safety, Wen Ruqing decided to walk Ye Yin home first before returning to his hotel.

The street leading to Ye Yin’s home was quiet. Tall trees lined both sides, their shadows cast on the pavement by the streetlights.

While walking, a sound came from behind them. Ye Yin suddenly looked back, as if she’d seen something bad, and her pace quickened. Wen Ruqing followed beside her, unsure what was happening, but matched her speed anyway.

“Brother Wen… someone’s following me,” Ye Yin whispered, her voice trembling slightly. “It’s definitely my ex. He just won’t let go.”

“It’s okay. I’ll walk you back,” Wen Ruqing replied, moving closer to her and pretending they were a couple.

The whole way, he stayed close to her, escorting her all the way to the entrance of her building. Still uneasy, he even followed her up the elevator and didn’t relax until he saw her safely enter her home.

Just as he turned to leave, someone suddenly appeared in front of him. Before he could react, a fist struck his face, knocking him to the ground. The man climbed on top of him, punching him over and over.

“You bastard! Seducing someone else’s girlfriend? I’ll beat you to death today!” the man shouted as he punched, using foul and vulgar language.

From what the man said, Wen Ruqing immediately figured out he must be Ye Yin’s ex-boyfriend. The taste of blood filled his mouth. Finding an opening, he rolled to the side, dodging another punch, and quickly got to his feet.

Pain exploded all over his body like it was falling apart, but he still moved to block Ye Yin’s door.

The noise outside startled Ye Yin. She looked through the peephole—and saw her ex-boyfriend’s face. Cursing under her breath, she immediately pulled out her phone and called the police.

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Wen Ruqing sat in a chair, watching the police officers in uniform walk past him. The cold, white light made his vision spin. The inside of his mouth was cut—it hurt. His body hurt too, probably covered in bruises.

But still, he felt lucky. If he hadn’t been the one to get hit, it might’ve been Ye Yin. Thinking of it that way, he’d rather take the beating.

He was the victim, but the man who hit him was still yelling at him. Ye Yin had explained over and over that Wen Ruqing wasn’t her new boyfriend, but the guy was too worked up to listen.

Wen Ruqing barely spoke throughout. He answered only when the police asked questions. The rest was just endless arguing and the officers scolding the man.

Bored and tired, he opened his phone and scrolled to his contacts. His finger hovered over a certain name for a long time. Then he tapped in and removed the number from his block list.

A ringtone echoed in the space, awkward in the stillness. Wen Ruqing glanced at the officers, who gestured for him to take the call outside.

“Where are you?”

That familiar phrasing again—only the tone had changed. It was flat now, with something else behind it.

“So you finally picked up my call?”

“I’m in Jingcheng. On a work trip,” Wen Ruqing answered vaguely. He didn’t want to explain why it had been over two weeks with no contact between them.

“Where are you now?” Bai Xizhou asked again.

“In Jingcheng.” Wen Ruqing repeated, expression unchanged.

He could hear Bai Xizhou exhale sharply on the other end, like he was trying hard to hold back something.

“I asked—where exactly are you right now?”

“Funan District police station, Jingcheng,” Wen Ruqing replied calmly. He wasn’t afraid to say it. Bai Xizhou was still in Xincheng—there’s no way he’d show up here right now.

“Got it. Wait for me.”

Bai Xizhou hung up after those six words.

But that sentence made Wen Ruqing uneasy. He held his phone tightly, turning his head just in time to see Ye Yin walking out with an apologetic look on her face.

“I’m so sorry, Brother Wen. I didn’t know he was that crazy. He only ever followed me before—I never thought he’d actually hit someone.”

Looking at the bruises on Wen Ruqing’s face, Ye Yin felt even more guilty. She insisted on taking him to the hospital, but Wen Ruqing refused. He just said a friend would come pick him up—he didn’t say who.

“Go home and get some rest. Tell our supervisor that I’ll be taking a day off tomorrow. I’ll wait here for a bit.” He smiled faintly, trying to reassure her.

But the smile tugged at the injuries on his face, making him suck in a sharp breath. He turned and sat on the steps outside the police station.

Ye Yin didn’t press further. She just told him to call her if anything came up and left. Once she was gone, Wen Ruqing sat there quietly. An officer brought him a glass of water and invited him to come inside, but he declined.

The night air was chilly, and he was only wearing a short-sleeved shirt. The physical pain mixed with emotional heaviness. His eyes stung. Hugging his knees, he leaned against a column and buried his face in his arms.

Bai Xizhou had told him to wait—so he waited. He didn’t even know why he listened. He had made up his mind to cut things off. He had blocked his number. But in the end, he still unblocked him. And when Bai Xizhou’s voice came through the phone, all the bottled-up grievances surged up uncontrollably.

What was he thinking? What was he trying to do?

Wen Ruqing didn’t know. He was sure Bai Xizhou was still in Xincheng. Would he really come? Or was it just a comforting lie?

He didn’t know how long he’d been sitting there. He was nearly frozen when, in a daze, he heard someone call his name. He looked up—Bai Xizhou was walking toward him through the night.

Bai Xizhou quickly approached, took off his jacket, and draped it over Wen Ruqing’s shoulders. The familiar scent of freesia made Wen Ruqing’s nose sting. He tried to stand, but his legs had gone numb from sitting too long. Without a word, Bai Xizhou reached out to help him up.

They stood there facing each other in the pale police station light. Wen Ruqing blinked. His vision blurred, and warm tears spilled down his cheeks.

He heard Bai Xizhou sigh. Then the scent of freesia deepened—Bai Xizhou pulled him into a hug, patting his back gently like he was soothing a child.

“Bai Xizhou, I’m hurting,” Wen Ruqing mumbled, burying himself in the hug.

“Where does it hurt?”

Bai Xizhou started to release him, but Wen Ruqing only hugged him tighter. Bai Xizhou gave in with a helpless sigh and held the back of his neck.

“Where does it hurt? Should we go to the hospital?”

“No. No hospital. Just going back to the hotel is fine.” Wen Ruqing let go, his cheeks still streaked with tears.

Ba Xizhou wiped them away. He saw the bruise at the corner of Wen Ruqing’s mouth, the red mark on his cheekbone, and those teary eyes—like a stray puppy caught in the rain, lost and trembling.

Bai Xizhou drove him to the hotel, following the address Wen Ruqing had given. The front desk had a first aid kit. Bai Xizhou asked for it and went up to the room with him.

The whole time, Wen Ruqing was very well-behaved. He didn’t resist Bo Xizhou’s touch—which reassured him greatly.

After that confession, Wen Ruqing had completely cut him off. Bai Xizhou had assumed he just needed time to think, so he gave him space. But when he went to his house and found it empty, and then to the institute only to hear that Wen Ruqing had gone on a business trip—he realized Wen Ruqing was hiding.

Disappearing was surprisingly easy—like right now, if he hadn’t called, he wouldn’t even know where he was.

Finally getting through only to learn Wen Ruqing was at the police station—that crushed him. And when he arrived, seeing Wen Ruqing beaten, tear-streaked, and fragile—it was too much.

Inside the room, Bai Xizhou opened the kit and had Wen Ruqing sit down. Wen Ruqing cooperated obediently. When Bai Xizhou told him to look up, he did. When told to turn left, he didn’t dare turn right. The facial injuries weren’t too serious, so treatment was quick. Bai Xizhou asked if he was hurt anywhere else.

Wen Ruqing lifted his shirt. His flat abdomen was exposed to the cool air. The man had hit him hard—he’d nearly collapsed at the time. Seeing the bruise now didn’t surprise him.

Bai Xizhou crouched, applying ointment carefully. Every time the swab touched his skin, Wen Ruqing flinched from the pain. Bo Xizhou held his waist to keep him still.

“Now you know it hurts?” he said sternly. “Didn’t think about that when you were getting beaten up?”

“I didn’t hit him—he hit me,” Wen Ruqing said through gritted teeth, gasping as the swab touched another bruise.

Bai Xizhou didn’t respond. He focused on the treatment. The scent of medicine filled the room. Wen Ruqing looked down at the top of his head, then at the hand holding the cotton swab. He bit his lip, hesitating.

“Bai Xizhou… can’t we just be friends?”

Bai Xizhou’s hand paused—but only for a second. Then he continued.

Silence stretched between them, heavy and suffocating. Wen Ruqing felt like he couldn’t breathe. Finally, Bai Xizhou spoke—his tone tight, almost gritted between his teeth.

“No. Impossible. Don’t even think about it.”

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Frozen Starlight:

Wen Ruqing: Avoiding things is shameful, but useful.

Bai Xizhou: No. Impossible. Don’t even think about it.