Lawyer Bai was always true to his word. After work, he really did show up and said he came to help Wen Ruqing move. Wen Ruqing thought he was joking, so he hadn’t packed much—just read a bit and went to take a nap.
When he opened the door, he had just woken up, still hugging his teddy bear. His eyes were drowsy, and his pajama collar was skewed, exposing half his collarbone. Wen Ruqing stepped aside to let Bai Xizhou in, but all he could think about was: He has a key. Why’d he have to wake me up?
Bai Xizhou walked in, closed the door, and gently pinched Wen Ruqing’s chin to give him a kiss. Seeing him instantly wake up, he chuckled softly.
“Is there anything you have to bring?” he asked casually, sliding an arm around Wen Ruqing’s shoulders. “If not, let’s go. I’ve got everything you need at my place anyway.”
They’d both stayed over at each other’s places before, so all the basics were already there. Moving in would be easy.
“Let’s not pack too much. Too much trouble. I’ll just bring clothes,” Wen Ruqing yawned, leaning into Bai Xizhou’s shoulder. “Bring the toys you gave me, too.”
In the end, he still packed a whole suitcase—besides the toys and clothes, there were a few of his favorite books. According to him, their homes weren’t far apart. If he needed anything else, he could always come back. Bai Xizhou agreed.
Though he was familiar with Bai Xizhou’s home, this time felt different. The change in their relationship status made him a bit nervous. He followed Bai Xizhou to the door.
“Come register your fingerprint.”
Wen Ruqing obediently approached and let Bai Xizhou hold his hand to record it.
“You’re not going to ask how I got into your place last time?” Wen Ruqing asked, turning his head. Seeing Bai Xizhou’s amused expression, he immediately understood. “You did it on purpose.”
It wasn’t a question.
“Yes, I did. So what? If I didn’t pull a few tricks, how else could I bring you home?” Bai Xizhou replied shamelessly, making Wen Ruqing a bit flustered.
The hand Bai Xizhou held began to feel hot. They’d held hands before, but now that their relationship had changed, it suddenly felt awkward.
Fingerprint registration didn’t take long. Just as Wen Ruqing was about to sigh in relief, Bai Xizhou didn’t let go—instead, he laced their fingers together and pulled him inside.
As the door beeped shut behind them, Bai Xizhou had already wrapped an arm around Wen Ruqing’s waist, pulling him close. The familiar scent of pine enveloped him. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, it was covered in another kiss.
Kissed again!
This was the fourth time just today. His lips were going to fall off.
Though Wen Ruqing was helpless, his body instinctively responded. He lifted his arms around Bai Xizhou’s neck, letting him lower his head so kissing would be easier.
When Bai Xizhou had finally had his fill, he let go and looked at Wen Ruqing’s now-red lips, gently brushing them with his fingers.
“Ow.” Wen Ruqing grabbed his misbehaving hand with one hand and covered his mouth with the other. “They’re raw.”
Bai Xizhou’s fingers were a little rough. They hurt.
“Okay, no more kissing.” He smiled and stroked Wen Ruqing’s cheek. “I’ll cook. You put your stuff away.”
Wen Ruqing nodded.
He originally planned to leave his things in the guest room—he had always stayed there before—but when he opened the door, the bed was gone.
No wonder Bai Xizhou had asked him to sleep in the master bedroom last time.
The guest room had become a storage space, filled with all sorts of items. Overflow books from the study were stacked in the corners, and there was a drum set by the window.
Despite visiting often, Wen Ruqing had never noticed the drum set—or the guitar next to it.
Besides the books, there were several painting canvases leaned against the wall, all with vivid color blocks and twisted black-red lines. Each painting looked eerie and oppressive.
Next to the books was a glass display case filled with soldier figurines and various puppets. The soldiers resembled the ones Bai Xizhou had gifted him, though the materials were different. There were 24 total. One, missing a leg, was displayed separately—next to a ballerina doll.
“You can display the wooden dolls I gave you here too,” Bai Xizhou said from behind. “But your clothes and such go in the master bedroom.”
Wen Ruqing was startled by his sudden voice but was more curious about all these things.
They showed a side of Bai Xizhou he didn’t know.
“These were my hobbies back in college. When you started staying over, I packed everything into the study. After I confessed, I wasn’t sure you’d say yes. If you didn’t, the guest room wouldn’t be needed anyway. If you did—well, no need for a guest room then.”
Bai Xizhou pointed to the drums and explained that he used to be in a band in college and even played at a few music festivals. He quit in his third year. The guitar was something he picked up from the bassist but never learned to play properly.
“I learned a lot of things back then—even woodworking. Those mushrooms on the left shelf, I carved those with a master.”
Wen Ruqing looked over and sure enough, there was a row of fat little mushroom sculptures.
None of these things matched his image of the strict, serious lawyer Bai Xizhou. In his eyes, law students were supposed to be stiff and stern. He hadn’t expected such a colorful college life from him.
Compared to that, Wen Ruqing’s own university days seemed dull and empty—he hadn’t developed any hobbies or interests.
“Why is that one displayed with the ballerina?” Wen Ruqing asked, pointing at the broken soldier doll. “And it’s even missing a leg.”
“You’ve never heard the fairy tale?” Bai Xizhou looked at him. “The Steadfast Tin Soldier? Never?”
Wen Ruqing shook his head.
“Well then, I’ll tell you the story tonight before bed.” Bai Xizhou patted his head fondly.
He led Wen Ruqing to the master bedroom to put away his clothes. The toys went in the display case, and the teddy bear was tucked into bed—Wen Ruqing even seriously gave it a blanket.
Bai Xizhou’s closet was huge. One half held suits, shirts, ties, and accessories. The other side was casualwear. Wen Ruqing’s clothes now hung beside his, looking plain in comparison.
He’d have to find time to take Wen Ruqing shopping for new clothes.
Dinner was fairly simple—Bai Xizhou hadn’t been to the supermarket since returning, so there wasn’t much in the fridge.
After dinner, Wen Ruqing went to take a shower. He washed his hair, still using Bai Xizhou’s shampoo. When he came out, Bai Xizhou waved him over to sit down and picked up the hair dryer to dry his hair.
Wen Ruqing’s hair was fine and soft, so it dried quickly. The scent of freesia filled the air while Bai Xizhou dried it. A quiet sense of joy rose in Bai Xizhou’s chest. When he lowered his head, he could see Wen Ruqing’s fair neck.
And just below that was his back—Wen Ruqing had a beautiful spine curve, which Bai Xizhou had touched before—and graceful shoulder blades…
His thoughts began to drift further and further. Bai Xizhou frowned, forcing those wayward fantasies away. He had to admit: Wen Ruqing had a fatal attraction for him. He loved the feeling of touching him.
He was completely smitten.
Just before turning off the hair dryer, Bai Xizhou sneakily gave Wen Ruqing’s nape a light pinch—and was rewarded with a soft blush. Before Wen Ruqing could get mad, Bai Xizhou quickly escaped into the bathroom.
Wen Ruqing touched the back of his neck with a helpless sigh. He felt like Bai Xizhou especially loved touching him—particularly his neck and waist.
Since they started dating, Lawyer Bai seemed to have unlocked a strange new switch.
By the time Bai Xizhou finished showering, Wen Ruqing was already lying in bed playing on his phone. When he saw Bai Xizhou come out, he put his phone away and buried himself under the covers. Bai Xizhou lay down on the other side and turned off the light. Neither of them moved.
“Weren’t you going to tell me a story?” Wen Ruqing mumbled from under the blanket, his voice muffled but clearly inching closer to Bai Xizhou.
As soon as his back touched Bai Xizhou’s chest, he turned around under the covers, revealing half his face. His eyes sparkled in the dark.
Bai Xizhou wrapped his arms around him through the blanket and began to tell the story of The Steadfast Tin Soldier. His chin rested on top of Wen Ruqing’s head, inhaling the soothing scent of his hair.
“…The next day, when the maid emptied the ashes from the stove, she found the tin soldier had melted into a tiny tin heart. As for the little ballerina, all that was left was her glittering ornament—now burned black like a piece of charcoal.”
“So the reason you put them together… is to make up for that regret?” Wen Ruqing asked sleepily after the story, his voice soft.
“So clever,” Bai Xizhou murmured, kissing Wen Ruqing’s forehead. “Go to sleep.”
The sound of Wen Ruqing’s breathing gradually steadied in his arms. It seemed that fairy tales really could put someone to sleep.
But it wasn’t just about giving them a better ending—Bai Xizhou also hoped that his own love would find a happy home too.
Fortunately, he had already found his ballerina.
That night, Bai Xizhou didn’t sleep well. Even with his lover in his arms, he still had a nightmare.
In the dream, Wen Ruqing said that love was all a lie. He left so decisively, and Bai Xizhou couldn’t do anything about it.
He woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. Turning his head, he looked at the person in his arms—only to see a brown teddy bear. For a brief moment, panic flashed through him as the scene in his dream overlapped with reality.
Bai Xizhou got up and opened the bedroom door. Only after seeing the lights on in the living room did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.
He walked over softly and saw Wen Ruqing—who should’ve been in bed—wrapped in a blanket, barefoot, standing in front of the fridge. After picking through it for a while, he finally pulled out a bag of bread.
“Didn’t eat enough at dinner?”
The sudden voice startled Wen Ruqing so much that he almost dropped the bread.
He turned around and gave a slightly embarrassed smile.
He’d gotten hungry in the middle of the night and wanted to find something to eat.
But Bai Xizhou had been hugging him too tightly, so he could only substitute the teddy bear to slip out of his arms—and ended up getting caught anyway.
“There’s nothing much left to eat at home. That bread’s probably been there for ages. Don’t eat it.”
Bai Xizhou walked over, took the bread from his hands, and tossed it into the trash.
Facing Wen Ruqing’s aggrieved gaze, he spoke slowly: “Go put on your slippers. There’s still some noodles in the kitchen—I’ll cook you a bowl.”
Hearing that, Wen Ruqing’s face lit up immediately.
“I want a fried egg too.”
“Sure.”
Bai Xizhou smiled as he walked into the kitchen, silently scolding himself for overthinking.
Wen Ruqing was clearly right here beside him, and yet he was still shaken by a dream—even though he knew it wasn’t real.
“This really isn’t like you, Bai Xizhou. You’re seriously starting to regress.”
He muttered to himself in the kitchen, voice so soft that Wen Ruqing didn’t hear it.
Frozen Starlight
In a way, aren’t the two of them kind of perfect for each other?
They’ve both had dreams where the other broke up with them~
