ITC Chapter 23

It snowed in Xincheng. The once cold and rigid buildings were now blanketed with soft white snow, dulling their sharp edges. The silver-clad city suddenly looked much gentler.

Wen Ruqing walked out of the cake shop and looked up to see red lanterns hanging above the entrance, covered in snow. Not just the cake shop—every store along the street had hung lanterns, as if it were pre-planned. Even the street-side billboards were decorated with Chinese knots.

That’s when it hit him—the New Year was coming. He had been so busy moving lately that he’d completely forgotten about buying a ticket home. Now, it would probably be even harder to get one.

In past years, he would go back to Yunduan Town to stay for a while. But this year…

Wen Ruqing turned and saw his reflection in the glass window of the cake shop. His cheeks had thinned out, leaving him looking lifeless—exhausted in a way that sleep alone couldn’t fix.

He decided not to go back this year. He didn’t want to deal with the Spring Festival travel rush.

He used that excuse to convince himself, planning to call his aunt, Wen Qing, when he got home to let her know. No doubt he’d get a good scolding, but Wen Ruqing actually enjoyed it—it was her way of showing she cared.

He carried the cake home. At this hour, the subway wasn’t too crowded, and it was just a short walk from the station to the apartment complex where he now lived.

That day, Bai Xizhou had used the threat of “cutting off their friendship” to force Wen Ruqing into moving into a vacant apartment he owned. It wasn’t exactly close to the research institute, but the transportation was convenient, and it was a huge upgrade from Wen’s previous place.

On that floor, only Wen Ruqing lived there. The apartment across from his was vacant. He went upstairs and reached for his key, only to realize—the door wasn’t even locked.

He wasn’t surprised. Pushing the door open, the warmth inside melted away the cold on his body. Wen Ruqing placed the cake on the table, opened the fridge—it was packed to the brim with fresh fruit and snacks. He let out a helpless sigh, closed the fridge, and walked straight to the kitchen.

“You’re here again? Don’t you have to work?” Wen Ruqing leaned against the kitchen doorway, arms crossed, watching the person inside cooking.

Lately, Bai Xizhou had been dropping by frequently, always bringing tons of stuff—as if he had sworn to never let the fridge go empty.

But he was coming so often, Wen Ruqing was starting to feel a little overwhelmed.

“Not busy these days,” Bai Xizhou said, stopping what he was doing and turning to look at Wen. He was still wearing his suit, which looked oddly out of place in the kitchen. “What, I’m not welcome?”

“You literally told me a few days ago you were swamped with cases,” Wen Ruqing said bluntly, exposing the lie. “If I remember correctly, you had a court hearing today.”

“I did. But it ended early.” Bai Xizhou tossed a cherry into his mouth and handed the rest of the bowl to Wen Ruqing. “Had nothing else to do, so I came to see you.”

The cherries were sweet, and Wen Ruqing didn’t press further. They had dinner together again—one of countless shared meals since he’d moved in.

After dinner, Bai Xizhou washed the dishes while Wen read on the couch. This quiet, peaceful rhythm continued until Bai came out of the kitchen and said he was heading home.

Wen Ruqing walked him to the door. Bai told him not to come out—it was cold—then wrapped his scarf around his neck.

“It’s almost New Year,” Bai Xizhou suddenly said at the door. “What are you doing this year? Going home?”

Normally, people went home for the New Year. Wen Ruqing should’ve been no different.

But unexpectedly, Wen Ruqing shook his head. “I’m not going back.”

“My aunt would worry if she saw me like this.” It wasn’t that he didn’t want to go—it just didn’t feel like the right time.

“Then…” Bai Xizhou hesitated, “Want to spend New Year with me?”

Wen Ruqing was startled. Maybe it wasn’t a sudden question—maybe Bai had been thinking about it for a long time before finally asking.

“You know, my relationship with my family isn’t great. I usually spend New Year alone. Since you’ll be alone too, how about we spend it together?”

It was reasonable. Two men not going home, spending New Year together—it sounded a lot better than being alone. Less lonely.

“Sure.” Wen Ruqing didn’t think too long before agreeing.

He figured—Bai Xizhou had helped him, so spending New Year together felt only natural.

 

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Xincheng had an early winter break. The holiday preparations before the New Year were all done together by the two of them. Since there were only two people and they weren’t expecting many guests, there was no need to prepare too much.

On New Year’s Eve, Wen Ruqing visited Bai Xizhou’s home for the first time. He had assumed that as a lawyer, Bai Xizhou’s home would be simple and minimalist—mostly black, white, and grey tones.

But in reality, Bai Xizhou’s home felt very warm. The colors were soft and muted, mostly warm hues with high brightness levels—very little black, white, or dark shades at all.

It didn’t really look like a lawyer’s home.

The apartment had a balcony, though the doors were shut because of the cold. Potted plants filled the area by the door, and there were two large cages sitting among them.

He remembered Bai Xizhou had two rabbits—they must be in those cages.

“If you want to pet them, just let them out,” Bai Xizhou said, patting Wen Ruqing on the shoulder and taking the groceries from his hands. “The brown one is Xinxin, the gray-and-white one is Kaikai.”

“Kaikai and Xinxin?” Wen Ruqing’s mouth twitched. What kind of names were those—so serious, yet somehow so casual at the same time.

He didn’t know how long Bai Xizhou had been raising them, but both rabbits were quite small. Especially the little brown one, Xinxin—it was barely bigger than his palm.

Wen Ruqing didn’t dare let them out, afraid his clumsy handling might hurt them. Compared to him, these little creatures seemed so fragile.

The cage was placed right beside the plants, and the ones near the bars had already been nibbled on. Wen Ruqing silently moved the pot further away.

It was kind of amazing—Bai Xizhou’s home had flowers, plants, and pets. Who would’ve guessed? From the outside, you’d never think Lawyer Bai was someone who enjoyed life like this.

“Need help?” Wen Ruqing peeked into the kitchen.

“Come here.” Bai Xizhou called over his shoulder. Wen Ruqing obediently walked over.

“Open your mouth.”

Wen Ruqing did as told, and Bai popped something into his mouth. It had a crispy outer shell, juicy meat inside, and a sprinkle of cumin powder on top—tasting just like a night market snack.

“How is it?” Bai Xizhou asked.

“Delicious,” Wen Ruqing said, giving him a thumbs-up.

Seeing that Wen couldn’t sit still, Bai simply let him stay in the kitchen to help pass things. They worked together in sync, forming a smooth rhythm.

Just before the last dish was ready, Bai Xizhou’s phone rang. Wen Ruqing glanced at it—it was an unfamiliar number. He asked if Bai Xizhou wanted to answer.

“Decline it. It’s probably my family.” Bai Xizhou didn’t even look, his expression slightly cold.

Wen Ruqing didn’t ask further.

“Dinner’s ready. Let’s eat.”

With just two people, the meal came together quickly. Once everything was on the table, it looked like a proper feast.

Outside, the sky had already gone dark. From the balcony, every apartment was glowing with warm lights—just like theirs, most likely having reunion dinners and celebrating the New Year.

“Lawyer Bai, don’t you think something’s missing?” Wen Ruqing asked.

Bai Xizhou looked around in confusion. Food? Check. Company? Check. What could be missing?

“Watching the Spring Festival Gala, of course! Didn’t you used to watch it?”

Even if the gala wasn’t as interesting nowadays, having it play in the background still added a festive atmosphere. But not only did Bai Xizhou’s place lack that tradition, it didn’t even have a TV.

“I never had that habit. I usually spend New Year alone,” he said, especially after returning from abroad. “If you want to watch, you can use a tablet.”

Wen Ruqing shook his head. He didn’t really care that much about the show—just thought it would make the place feel livelier. It was a bit too quiet for a two-person New Year. But if Bai Xizhou didn’t mind the silence, then Wen Ruqing wouldn’t insist.

Their dinner together wasn’t that different from their usual meals—just in a different setting, with more dishes. It didn’t feel like a holiday.

Wen Ruqing looked at Bai Xizhou across the table. He was eating calmly, seemingly at ease with the atmosphere.

How did he usually spend New Year’s? Was it always like this?

He voiced the question aloud.

“I’d cook myself a big dinner, watch a movie until midnight, and then go to bed,” Bai replied honestly.

He didn’t think much about these traditional family holidays. But still, he stubbornly stayed up till midnight. That’s when the city would allow half an hour of fireworks. He’d stand on the balcony, watch until the last spark faded, then go to sleep.

Nothing special. Nothing particularly festive. Just another day.

“Wanna drink a little?” Wen Ruqing asked. It still felt too quiet. New Year’s shouldn’t be like this. He remembered they had bought two bottles of wine.

“I can’t hold my liquor, you know that.” Bai Xizhou reminded him.

Wen Ruqing smiled at the memory of Bai getting drunk—it was vivid in his mind.

No drinking, no Spring Gala—so boring.

“I can drink a little with you,” Bai Xizhou added.

If Wen wanted to, he wouldn’t say no.

Hearing that, Wen Ruqing lit up. He got the wine from the kitchen and poured two glasses.

Maybe it was the alcohol, but Wen Ruqing became more talkative.

“Lawyer Bai, you always say I didn’t contact you, but you didn’t contact me either. Why’s it all my fault?”

His face felt hot, his head dizzy—he hadn’t even drunk that much.

“I was waiting for you to make the first move.” Bai Xizhou glanced at the label—pretty high alcohol content. No wonder Wen Ruqing was already slurring.

Considering Wen had stomach problems, Bai gently took his glass away. Wen Ruqing just stared at him blankly, not protesting.

“You can’t always expect the other person to take the first step,” Wen Ruqing mumbled. “I was the one who did before.”

Drunk, his real feelings slipped out.

Bai Xizhou shook his head helplessly, stood up to clean the dishes. So much for Wen helping with those—he’d take care of it himself.

When he came back, Wen Ruqing was already asleep on the sofa.

At least he was a good drunk—not noisy or messy.

Wen Ruqing’s phone suddenly rang loudly in the quiet room. He frowned in his sleep and turned over. Bai Xizhou picked it up—it showed “Aunt.”

He knew he shouldn’t answer someone else’s call, but before he could stop himself, he picked it up.

“Hello, Auntie, this is Bai Xizhou.”

The woman on the other end was clearly surprised. After a moment of silence, she greeted him back.

He explained that he was with Wen Ruqing, who had fallen asleep after drinking a little. Wen Qing didn’t say much, only apologized for the trouble.

“Xizhou, I want to ask you a favor.” After a long pause, her voice came through again.

“Of course,” he said.

Wen Ruqing turned in his sleep, nearly falling off the couch.

“This kid never takes care of himself,” she said. “And you’re the only one I know in Xincheng. Could you please look after him for me, just so he doesn’t suffer too much?”

“Don’t worry, Auntie. I will.”

Wen Qing probably didn’t know just how bad Wen Ruqing was at looking after himself. Bai Xizhou couldn’t stand it either, but he never had a legitimate reason to step in. Now, thanks to her, he had one.

An excuse—to stay close.

After the call, silence returned to the room. Like in previous years, Bai picked a movie to watch. The only difference was—this time, he wasn’t alone.

Even though the person next to him was fast asleep.

When the movie credits rolled, it was midnight. Outside, fireworks exploded across the sky in dazzling bursts of color.

The noise woke Wen Ruqing. He sat up, groggy, and looked around in confusion at Bai Xizhou—who just smiled at him and reached out to ruffle his hair.

“Wen Ruqing, Happy New Year.”

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Author note:

Frozen Starlight:

I really love this kind of atmosphere—not quite dating, but even more like married life.