ITC Chapter 36

“Brother, what are you thinking about?”

Xie Yuzhu sipped the milk tea she had just bought and waved her hand in front of Wen Ruqing’s face. He came back to his senses and looked at her, asking what was wrong. Xie Yuzhu was speechless and said bluntly that this was already the fifth time tonight he had spaced out.

“Really?” Wen Ruqing held the milk tea. The condensation on the cup trickled down and landed on the base of his thumb, dampening the skin. “Have you packed everything?”

“I packed it ages ago.”

Xie Yuzhu was just visiting New Town for a few days and didn’t plan to stay long. She had made plans with her classmates to go somewhere else. As she put it, since she finally had a holiday without homework, she wanted to visit as many places as possible—who knew if she’d get another chance later.

“Brother, don’t change the subject. What were you thinking about just now? Tell me, I can help you share the burden.” Xie Yuzhu leaned in, looking nosy and curious.

“What would a kid like you know?” Wen Ruqing pushed her away, took a sip of milk tea, and calmed down a little.

He had been thinking about what Bai Xizhou said last night. What kind of thought process would lead Bai Xizhou to say he smelled nice? Wouldn’t that feel weird?

It wasn’t just Bai Xizhou acting strange—his own reaction had been strange, too.

When Bai Xizhou said that, he clearly felt something trying to burst out of his chest. But just as he tried to grab onto the feeling, it quickly disappeared.

Xie Yuzhu saw him drifting off again. Her eyes lit up with mischief as an idea popped into her head.

“Brother, don’t tell me you were thinking about Uncle Bai?”

“No.” Wen Ruqing flatly denied it.

But he answered too quickly—only confirming Xie Yuzhu’s suspicion.

“If it’s a relationship problem, I can give you free advice.” She was getting more enthusiastic. “Come on, I won’t even charge.”

Wen Ruqing turned to look at her. Seeing her with such a know-it-all look, he frowned and reached out to ruffle her hair.

“Be honest. Did you date someone in high school?”

Pressed down like that, Xie Yuzhu felt wronged and quickly shook her head. She was only theoretically experienced—it didn’t mean she had real-life experience!

“Stop digging into my business,” Wen Ruqing said. He had no intention of telling this nosy little kid what was on his mind. “It’s about time. I’ll take you to the airport.”

Seeing she wouldn’t get anything out of him, Xie Yuzhu gave up and got into the car headed for the airport.

After dropping her off, he watched her walk in. Just before entering the boarding gate, she turned around and hugged him.

“Brother, everyone really loves you. Pay more attention to the people around you.”

Wen Ruqing hadn’t fully processed it. He just thought her words were a little odd but didn’t overthink it. In his heart, she was still a kid—and what a child said couldn’t be taken seriously.

Only after sending her off did Wen Ruqing return home.

But when he reached his door, he stopped. He remembered locking it before he left, yet now the door wasn’t properly closed, and light was leaking from inside.

Had Bai Xizhou come? Why didn’t he tell him?

Wen Ruqing pushed the door open with doubt. All the lights inside were on. On the sofa, someone was curled up. As he got closer, he saw it was indeed Bai Xizhou.

He crouched down and gently brushed aside Bai Xizhou’s bangs. The scar on his brow had faded quite a bit, but up close, it was still visible. Wen Ruqing let out a quiet sigh.

His gaze shifted downward—he saw the damp eyelashes and the reddish skin under his eyes.

Had he been crying?

What could have made Bai Xizhou cry? The last time he cried was over his grandfather’s belongings. So what was it this time?

“Bai Xizhou.” Wen Ruqing called his name softly and nudged his shoulder. “Get up. Don’t sleep here—go lie down on the bed.”

Bai Xizhou must have heard him, because he slowly opened his eyes. Just waking up, his eyes were still misty, glistening faintly under the lights. He looked a little pitiful.

Maybe realizing how disheveled he looked and not wanting Wen Ruqing to see, Bai Xizhou quickly raised a hand to cover his face and sat up before Wen Ruqing could say anything.

“You’re back. Yuzhu left?” Bai Xizhou asked, his voice a little hoarse.

“Yeah, I just took her to the airport.” Wen Ruqing’s lips parted slightly, about to say something—

“Can I stay here tonight?” Bai Xizhou interrupted him again.

“Of course you can. This is your house too.” Wen Ruqing frowned, sensing that Bai Xizhou didn’t really want to talk, and he didn’t like that feeling. “Have you eaten?”

“I have.”

After that, neither of them spoke again. The living room fell silent.

Wen Ruqing stood up, sighed inwardly, and turned toward the bedroom. Yuzhu had just left, and he needed to change the bedsheets. There was no guest room, and Bai Xizhou would definitely be sleeping in the bed, so he prepared a floor mattress for himself.

By the time he finished, Bai Xizhou had already showered and returned to the room. His eyes were even redder from the steam. The two of them exchanged a glance—then silence again.

“You sleep in the bed. I’ll take the floor. I’m going to shower first.”

Feeling stuffy inside, Wen Ruqing was eager to escape the room. Bai Xizhou didn’t stop him. He simply sat down on the bed, lay down, pulled the blanket over himself—and it was unclear whether he fell asleep or not.
*

Hot water ran over his body as Wen Ruqing quietly stared at the tiles in front of him. After a while, he suddenly slammed his fist against the wall. Pain shot up his hand, and the skin instantly turned red. He reached out and turned off the hot water.

He was irritated.

Bai Xizhou’s reddened eyes clearly showed he had cried. Yet instead of saying anything, Bai Xizhou chose to cover his face and pretend like nothing had happened—as if that would make Wen Ruqing act like he hadn’t seen it either.

Bai Xizhou always told Wen Ruqing to be honest. Always insisted that Wen Ruqing tell him everything. But when it came to himself, he didn’t want to say a single word.

Aren’t they friends? Isn’t he the one who said they should always be honest with each other?

So what is this now? Does he think even if he did speak up, Wen Ruqing wouldn’t give him the response he wanted?

In the end, who’s the one that doesn’t trust?
Who’s the one hiding something?

Wen Ruqing’s mind was a mess. Even the way he was drying his hair became impatient. He stood at the bedroom door, hesitating.

Should he go in or not?

He stood there for a moment before finally opening the door.

Before he had gone out, Bai Xizhou had still lying on the bed. Now, he was sitting on the edge of it. The bedroom was lit only by a small lamp. When he heard movement, Bai Xizhou looked up.

“Qingqing, come here,” he called softly.

Half of his face was hidden in the dark, his expression unreadable. There was a slight smile at the corner of his lips, but it carried a deep sadness—like a beast walking alone in the dark, whose powerful exterior could no longer hide its loneliness and fragility under the night’s shadows.

Wen Ruqing walked over and stood in front of him. Bai Xizhou looked up at him and smiled, but it was a smile that didn’t bring any comfort.

Suddenly, Bai Xizhou reached out and wrapped his arms around Wen Ruqing’s waist, resting his face against his abdomen. Through the fabric, his warmth could be felt.

Just like that, Wen Ruqing’s anger faded. He realized that although Bai Xizhou hadn’t said anything aloud, every time he got close—it was like a hedgehog revealing its soft belly to someone it trusted.

“If you need to, you can tell me.” Wen Ruqing gently ran his hand through Bai Xizhou’s hair, pressing lightly. “I might not be able to do much, but I can stay with you.”

“My parents are getting a divorce.” Bai Xizhou spoke while leaning against Wen Ruqing, his voice muffled—so much that his emotions couldn’t be clearly read.

Wen Ruqing knew about his parents’ situation. Even so, hearing it now, he was still a little surprised.

He had thought… they would’ve divorced long ago. Why wait until now?

“You think it’s strange, don’t you?” Bai Xizhou didn’t even need to look up to know what Wen Ruqing was thinking. “Because it was always a business marriage. Splitting the assets isn’t easy. I knew they’d end up like this eventually—I just didn’t expect my mother to ask me to handle the divorce case myself.”

No matter how indifferent he tried to act, when the matter truly landed on his shoulders, Bai Xizhou couldn’t face it calmly.

He had already recommended two lawyers to Yan Mo last time, but today her assistant showed up again, saying Yan Mo still hoped Bai Xizhou would take the case.

He couldn’t understand—what kind of hatred could make someone, after all these years, come back just to stab him like this?

After leaving the firm, his mind was flooded with childhood memories. He felt terrible. The emotional walls he had built over the years were easily knocked down. Standing on a street in New Town, he suddenly didn’t know where to go.

It was the height of summer, yet he felt chilled to the bone. When he came to his senses, his face was already wet. He wiped his face carelessly and took a cab to Wen Ruqing’s place. He wanted to see him. At the very least, he wanted to feel love in that space.

But Wen Ruqing wasn’t home. He had forgotten—at that time, Wen Ruqing was taking Xie Yuzhu to the airport. To say he wasn’t upset would’ve been a lie. Who wouldn’t want the person they long to see to be there when they need them most?

He didn’t call. He just wanted to sleep for a bit on the sofa. Maybe when he woke up, the pain would have faded. Adults shouldn’t carry sorrow into the next day—if he could just rest a while, maybe he could go back to joking with Wen Ruqing like always.

At first, he really didn’t want to tell Wen Ruqing anything. He was older than him, yet still cried over something like this—it was embarrassing. He didn’t want to lose face in front of Wen Ruqing.

But he couldn’t help it.
Looking at Wen Ruqing’s face, he couldn’t stop himself from wanting to hug him. He wanted to pull him in—merge him into his bones and blood. Wen Ruqing’s eyes always seemed like they could see right through him. In front of those eyes, every lie lost its hiding place.

“I keep telling myself not to let them hurt me anymore… not to be sad about them. But I’m not someone who’s cold and heartless. I can’t pretend I don’t care. I admit it—I still do.”

Bai Xizhou’s voice trembled. Wen Ruqing could feel the warmth dampening the skin of his lower abdomen. He looked down and saw Bai Xizhou’s shaking shoulders.

He was at a loss for words. He didn’t know how to comfort him, so he just kept stroking Bai Xizhou’s hair.

That’s what his father used to do for him when he was little.

“Hold me, Qingqing. I’m really sad.”
His voice was low and muffled. Wen Ruqing felt the arms around his waist suddenly tighten. Their bodies pressed even closer.

He could smell the scent of body wash—he wasn’t sure whether it was from himself or from Bai Xizhou.

Even though Wen Ruqing felt this closeness was a little too much, in the end, he didn’t push him away. Instead, he lifted his arms and hugged Bai Xizhou back.

If he wanted a hug… then a hug it is.

---

In the following days, Bai Xizhou didn’t go to the law firm. He handled everything through his laptop.

He stayed at Wen Ruqing’s place, completely taking over Wen Ruqing’s bed—and the worst part was, Wen Ruqing couldn’t even complain. After all, Bai Xizhou’s emotions had been all over the place lately.

That day, Wen Ruqing was packing up to leave work when Chen Qi stopped him, pulling him back down into his seat.

“Talk. What have you been doing these past few days? We’ve been asking you to come out and hang, and you keep saying you’re busy. Busy with what exactly?” Chen Qi pointed a pen at him like an interrogation lamp. “Spill. No lying.”

“My cat at home’s been emotionally unstable. I have to go back and watch him so he doesn’t destroy the place,” Wen Ruqing replied with a completely straight face, making up nonsense without a blink.

Chen Qi looked half-convinced, half-skeptical. Wen Ruqing didn’t care whether he believed it or not. He waited for the right moment and slipped out.

When Wen Ruqing got home, Bai Xizhou had already made dinner. He walked over and stopped in front of him. From behind his back, he revealed a purple flower—the kind he had secretly plucked from the flower bed by the gate of their apartment complex.

“For you.”

He handed the flower to Bai Xizhou, then went to wash up before dinner. Bai Xizhou watched him, his gaze filled with complex thoughts.

Wen Ruqing probably didn’t realize what day it was today.

Bai Xizhou shook his head. Sometimes Wen Ruqing could be sharp, other times just terribly slow.

He probably didn’t mean it the way Bai Xizhou was thinking. But then why—why would he give him a flower on the Qixi Festival?

If that wasn’t intentional, then what was it? Was he trying to make him misunderstand on purpose?

That night, Bai Xizhou told Wen Ruqing to sleep on the bed while he took the floor. Wen Ruqing agreed—maybe he was really tired lately—because he fell asleep not long after lying down.

Bai Xizhou couldn’t sleep. He lay awake, staring at the ceiling, thinking about the small purple flower resting on the table… and Wen Ruqing’s face as he gave it to him, calm and without any deeper emotion.

Suddenly, Wen Ruqing turned over in his sleep. One of his arms dangled off the bed, right beside Bai Xizhou.

Only in the darkness did Bai Xizhou dare to take that hand without hesitation, pressing a soft, warm kiss to the back of it.