SBS chapter 24

After dinner, Ye Xi went to the movies with Bai Yue. Because the wait at the burger place had taken too long, Ye Xi had bought tickets for the 9:40 p.m. show.

When they got out of the car, it had started to drizzle with a bit of sleet. Bai Yue opened a large black umbrella and put an arm around Ye Xi, pulling him close to keep him from getting wet.

Ye Xi glanced at the hand Bai Yue had placed on his shoulder.

Honestly, he didn’t need Bai Yue to take care of him so cautiously.

He didn’t mind getting a little wet in the rain.

He wasn’t like Li Rui, that little drama king, who had a head full of romantic fantasies, always wanting his boyfriend to hug him and pamper him—swearing to train his man into a 24/7 loyal puppy + bodyguard combo…

Still, Ye Xi tried hard to suppress the smile tugging at his lips.

He had just seen a young couple walking into the mall beside them in the exact same position.

The girl’s long hair brushed the guy’s arm as he held her shoulder.

Exactly like him and Bai Yue.

Just that one shallow moment was enough to make Ye Xi feel a little giddy.

Upstairs, Bai Yue went to collect the tickets. Ye Xi had already chosen the movie.

There were 7 or 8 films screening for Christmas, ranging from romantic fantasies to zombie horror flicks.

Li Rui had previously suggested Ye Xi pick a horror movie. That way, when the tension peaked, he could scream and fall into Bai Yue’s arms. Even if nothing else happened, at least he’d get to feel those pecs.

Ye Xi had imagined it for a second—he had to admit, it was a little tempting.

But he regretfully shook his head.

Back when Bai Yue lived at the Zheng family’s home with him, they had watched a horror film together. At the time, Ye Xi hadn’t even realized his feelings—he sat there stone-faced, watching the ghosts tear people apart. Not only did he fail to act scared or bashful, he even sneered and shoved popcorn in his mouth.

So in the end, he picked a romance.

“Colorless Tree,” Bai Yue read the title softly and asked, “Who’s in it?”

They had already entered the theater. Bai Yue had bought VIP seats—roomy, individual sofas. Since it was just the two of them, he had chosen a couple’s seat in the back row, with the seats right next to each other.

The ticket package came with complimentary cocktails and chocolates. Since Bai Yue was driving, he gave his drink to Ye Xi.

Ye Xi now looked like a little cat, sipping at the edge of his glass. The blue cocktail reflected in his eyes like a shimmering sea.

“Liu Tengyuan and An Jing,” Ye Xi whispered, cupping his hand to his mouth. Although the movie hadn’t started, the theater lights had already dimmed. He didn’t want to disturb others, but he was still a little excited talking about his favorite actors. “Liu Tengyuan was the lead in Green Apricots Last Year. He just won Best Actor this year—super handsome!”

Those last two words were obviously filled with excitement.

Bai Yue had no idea who this person was, but Ye Xi’s glowing praise made him raise an eyebrow.

He chuckled softly.

In the quiet theater, it was especially clear—like a feather brushing into Ye Xi’s ear.

“How handsome?”

He lowered his voice too, leaning closer so Ye Xi could hear him.

Whether intentionally or not…

Maybe it was someone being sneaky on purpose.

Ye Xi still had one elbow on the armrest, body tilted slightly toward Bai Yue.

And when Bai Yue leaned in—

Ye Xi suddenly felt his lips bump against soft skin.

His eyes flew open in the dark.

“!!”

Ye Xi stared in disbelief, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he froze completely.

He had just brushed Bai Yue’s cheek.

It couldn’t be called a kiss.

Bai Yue had accidentally bumped into him. A brief touch—then gone.

But no matter how he explained it or tried to label it as “accidental,” it still felt—

Like a flustered little kiss on the cheek.

At least, to him, it did.

Ye Xi was completely paralyzed.

The opening credits had started. A soft silver glow filled the theater.

A couple behind them giggled quietly, whispering in each other’s ears.

Bai Yue turned to him in the dim light.

“Did I bump into you just now?” Bai Yue asked gently.

He seemed completely unaware. Perfectly put-together in his crisp black coat, long fingers resting on the armrest, every crease and gesture radiating calm elegance.

He looked at Ye Xi with a serene face—those perfectly drawn brows, the sculpted profile—completely oblivious that he’d just been taken advantage of.

“Ah…”

Ye Xi finally managed to gather some scattered shreds of rational thought.

“No…” he shook his head, not even sure what he was saying. “Just hit my hand, that’s all.”

He awkwardly sat upright and tried to focus on the screen, but couldn’t even tell if the male lead was wearing black or white.

His breathing was completely off.

He grabbed the cocktail and took a huge gulp.

But the icy drink did nothing to calm his panicked heart. His face was burning.

Luckily, the theater was dark enough. The film had started. No one could hear how loudly his heart was pounding.

Bai Yue’s lips curved faintly, but only for a second.

He clearly wasn’t done with Ye Xi yet. He slowly leaned in again, close enough to touch.

“You never answered me,” he whispered. “You think Liu Tengyuan is super handsome? Is he your favorite actor?”

As he spoke, he cast a sharp, judging glance at the male lead on screen.

The guy’s jaw was weak, and his eyes too flirtatious—definitely the type who’d waver and be emotionally fragile.

Ye Xi, at this point, had already forgotten what Liu Tengyuan even looked like.

Compared to the person he loved, even his favorite actor couldn’t compete. Not even close.

He shook his head in a daze, instantly switching sides.

“He’s… alright.”

Ye Xi mumbled.

And from the bottom of his heart, he added, “I wouldn’t say I like him that much.”

This time, Bai Yue’s smile was more genuine. He leisurely leaned back into his seat.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ye Xi chug both cocktails and order a can of iced cola on his phone.

For the next two hours, Bai Yue didn’t make any more moves.

The movie, surprisingly, turned out to be a tragic romance.

Bai Yue had assumed that a Christmas film, even if it didn’t score high, would at least give couples some kind of emotional payoff.

But after a romantic opening, the second half spiraled. The female lead died in a foreign land, and the male lead traveled across the ocean to collect her ashes.

Kind of boring.

Bai Yue thought, Another manipulative drama. Always using death to romanticize love. The screenwriter was probably just a sadist who couldn’t stand happy endings.

Still, he could hear someone in the dark quietly sobbing.

Probably a girl wiping her tears on her boyfriend’s shoulder.

He turned his head slightly to look at Ye Xi.

Ye Xi wasn’t crying.

That gave Bai Yue a moment of disappointment.

But then he got caught up in watching Ye Xi’s face instead—Ye Xi was totally engrossed in the movie. Even though he had just said he didn’t care for the male lead, when the guy got shot and collapsed on the beach, Ye Xi still gasped softly.

Bai Yue smiled.

He found watching Ye Xi more entertaining than the movie.

Ye Xi bit on his cola straw, eyes locked on the screen, following the movements with focused intensity. His cool phoenix eyes were slightly widened, looking like a little puppy.

Especially when a bloody scene came up—Ye Xi wrinkled his nose in distaste, making him look even more like one.

Bai Yue stared at him, even tempted to reach over and scratch under Ye Xi’s chin.

He remembered when Ye Xi was little and he had brought over a puppy for him to play with.

Ye Xi had looked just like this—wide-eyed, innocent, holding the puppy as he looked up at him. Him and the puppy’s face had been nearly identical.

But in the blink of an eye, that boy who used to fit in his lap had grown up.

Now so handsome and graceful—every movement, every smile, pulled Bai Yue’s gaze completely.

The thought made Bai Yue chuckle helplessly.

…..

Half an hour later, the movie ended. The male lead, now with a missing leg, lived alone in a foreign land. The second male lead brought a letter back to their hometown.

The female lead was left beneath a cedar tree in the garden—rain or shine, the male lead would watch over her from the window.

When they exited the theater, Ye Xi was still sighing dramatically.

He actually quite liked the movie. The lead actors gave great performances, but maybe it was just his fudanshi-tinted glasses—he couldn’t shake the feeling that the second male lead didn’t have entirely pure intentions toward the male protagonist.

After all, what kind of “good bro” keeps the other guy’s shirt as a memento…?

That was exactly the kind of thing he would do to Bai Yue.

And just at that moment, he overheard two girls behind him chatting.

“Do you really think the second male lead only sees the protagonist as a friend? I mean, sure, crossing the ocean to save him is one thing, but crying while hugging him?”

“I don’t think so,” the other girl said calmly. “Remember around the 45-minute mark? There was a quick flash of a photo of the main lead under his pillow. I’m telling you, the director totally knew what he was doing.”

Truly, great minds think alike.

Ye Xi nearly turned around to join their conversation, but when he saw Bai Yue beside him, he stopped himself.

He reluctantly tore his eyes away from the two girls and refocused on Bai Yue.

It was already midnight. The mall had long since closed, and they were exiting through a side door.

Outside, the snow had stopped, but the ground was still wet.

Bai Yue was holding Ye Xi’s hand as they walked toward the parking lot.

Ye Xi half-heartedly tried to pull his hand away twice but failed, and then happily gave up trying.

When they stepped under a streetlight, he looked up at Bai Yue.

The streetlamp was especially bright that night. Every detail of Bai Yue’s face was illuminated, including the faint scar beneath his left brow bone.

It had been so many years that the scar had almost blended into his skin.

Coincidentally, the second male lead in the movie had a similar scar beneath his brow too.

Ye Xi couldn’t help but stare at Bai Yue again.

He thought, People are strange.

That character didn’t look anything like Bai Yue, yet just because of that scar in the same place, he had found himself caring more about the second male lead’s fate than the protagonist’s.

Bai Yue noticed the gaze beside him and turned his head. “What is it?”

As he moved, the light and shadow on his face shifted, and the scar flickered in and out of view.

“It’s nothing,” Ye Xi said softly. “I just noticed that the second male lead in the movie also had a scar under his brow, just like you.”

He looked up at Bai Yue again.

He knew Bai Yue had gotten that scar from an accident when he was a child, but they hadn’t been that close before, so he never knew the details.

He asked curiously, “Bai-ge, how did you get hurt there when you were little?”

Just a bit off from that spot, and it would’ve been his eye.

But Bai Yue had grown up surrounded by people—tutors, servants—it didn’t seem like he’d have the chance to be seriously hurt.

Bai Yue paused mid-step, unsure how to answer.

The truth was, the scar was from a kidnapping when he was a child. His family had been worried about trauma and had kept him at home for an extra year before sending him back to school.

That’s why he was two years older than Ye Xi but only a year ahead in school.

But in the end, he didn’t share the whole truth.

“It was sort of a car accident,” Bai Yue said softly. “The driver took the wrong road, and we rolled down a mountain path. There was no one else around, so my nanny stayed with me in the mountains, waiting for rescue for a long time.”

He smiled at Ye Xi. “This scar was from broken glass at the time.”

In fact, he had other scars on his body, but they were hidden under clothing.

Ye Xi was stunned. He hadn’t expected such a casual question to lead to such a serious story.

For a moment, he was a little dazed.

Bai Yue pushed aside some hair on his forehead, letting Ye Xi see the scar more clearly.

He smiled nonchalantly. “My whole forehead was covered in blood. My nanny was scared out of her mind. Luckily, it healed up fine after stitches.”

Just as he finished speaking, he heard Ye Xi suck in a sharp breath.

Bai Yue’s lips curved into a silent smile.

He thought, Just like that. Care a little more about me. Hurt a little more for me.

Think of me just a little bit more.

He loved it when Ye Xi was full of thoughts only of him.

Ye Xi couldn’t help raising his hand to touch the scar on Bai Yue’s brow.

Even after so many years, Bai Yue was standing there perfectly fine in front of him.

But he still felt a pang in his heart for the boy Bai Yue had once been.

“That must’ve hurt a lot,” Ye Xi said softly, his eyes full of sincere sorrow.

Bai Yue blinked. “Mm.”

He stood still, letting Ye Xi examine him.

“But the wound healed years ago. It used to itch sometimes,” Bai Yue smiled, “but now I don’t feel it at all.”

Anyway, the kidnappers had long been thrown in jail. That old scar didn’t matter to him.

But he was more than happy to use it to win a little sympathy from the one he loved.

Ye Xi lingered a little longer, then slowly lowered his hand, belatedly realizing how forward that was.

Thankfully, Bai Yue didn’t mind and continued holding his hand as they walked toward the parking lot.

Stepping on the damp ground, Ye Xi instinctively leaned a bit closer to Bai Yue.

He stared at their shadows on the pavement, suddenly feeling a touch of melancholy.

He thought, I barely know anything about Bai Yue’s childhood.

He had joined the Zheng family when he was around seven or eight, while Bai Yue had already been ten.

He had almost no memories of Bai Yue as a child.

Everything he knew about Bai Yue’s past came from Zheng Yang’s stories.

Like the car accident—he’d never heard of it before. But Zheng Yang probably knew everything.

He couldn’t help but feel a little jealous.

Jealous that Zheng Yang had been there for so many different stages of Bai Yue’s life.

Ye Xi let out a soft sigh.

But soon, he buried that feeling of jealousy deep inside.

He followed Bai Yue into the car and glanced at the time before getting in.

11:52.

There were still eight minutes left of Christmas.

And in his bag, a gift for Bai Yue lay hidden.

It wasn’t anything too expensive—a custom handmade necktie.

His love mentor had said firmly: “If you’re going to give a gift, give a personal item with a hint of intimacy. A tie, cufflinks, custom cologne—something that will remind him of you when he uses it.”

So he and Li Rui had spent an entire afternoon at the shop, nearly wearing out the catalog.

As another minute ticked by, Christmas was about to end.

Ye Xi took a deep breath, pulled the gift box from his bag, and shoved it toward Bai Yue with an air of reckless determination.

Bai Yue was caught off guard.

“This is my Christmas gift,” Ye Xi stammered. “Thank you, Bai-ge, for everything lately—for tutoring me, for spending Christmas with me. I only did well on the exam because of you.”

He was running out of words.

But setting aside his feelings for Bai Yue, his gratitude was real.

So he added in a small voice, “I really appreciate it.”

Bai Yue smiled and didn’t refuse. On the contrary, he happily accepted it.

He politely asked, “Thank you. Can I open it?”

Ye Xi nodded eagerly.

Bai Yue slowly untied the satin ribbon on the box.

He wondered what it could be.

What would a guy like Ye Xi pick out? Headphones, sneakers, a game console?

But when he opened the box, Bai Yue froze. For a couple of seconds, he couldn’t even speak.

Inside was a deep blue silk tie with a wool lining, entirely handmade. The design was autumn-themed—not stiff and businesslike, but more relaxed and youthful.

Bai Yue’s gaze drifted to the unsuspecting Ye Xi beside him.

He thought of the tie hidden away in his drawer—the one that belonged to Ye Xi, the one he’d secretly kept.

Also dark blue. Nowhere near as refined or valuable as the one in his hands—but it had gotten him through many lonely nights.

Bai Yue let out a soft laugh, genuinely pleased.

What was this, then?

His precious sweetheart had offered up a beautiful collar all on his own—and placed it so expectantly in his hands.

He gently closed the box.

“I really like it.”

He looked at Ye Xi, eyes soft but filled with dangerous intensity.

Ye Xi, feeling like he’d just been pardoned, finally relaxed.

“That’s good.”

He had spent ages choosing it, sitting with Li Rui in that shop all afternoon. If Bai Yue hadn’t liked it, that would’ve been devastating.

Just as he was breathing out a sigh of relief, he saw Bai Yue reach into the back seat and pull out a gift bag.

He placed it in his arms.

Right then, the clock struck midnight.

Christmas was over.

The world outside was silent, and Bai Yue looked at him with a smile. “Merry Christmas.”

He had prepared a gift for Ye Xi too. At the final moment of Christmas, they had exchanged them.