ITC Chapter 55

 

Teng Yuan and Qu Qingchen scheduled their wedding for New Year’s Eve, held on a warm southern island. Since taking time off was difficult for Qu Qingchen—he had to coordinate and swap shifts—he spent nearly every day at the hospital before the wedding, just to clear enough time for it.

A professional planner was hired to handle the arrangements. Teng Yuan only needed to confirm the procedures with the coordinator.

Compared to him, Teng Yuan really had it easy.

He even invited Bai Xizhou and Wen Ruqing out to help him pick the wedding suits. The weather was cold, and Bai Xizhou wasn’t too eager to go out, but since Wen Ruqing didn’t decline, he had no choice but to tag along.

As expected, they chose suits—one black, one white. Qu Qingchen would wear the white one. Both were custom-made, and the final payment would only be made after the fitting confirmed everything was perfect. During the last fitting, there were issues with Qu Qingchen’s suit collar and buttons.

They only picked up the suits two days before the wedding. At the same time, they chose cufflinks for Qu Qingchen—a pair of deep blue gemstone ones, matching Teng Yuan’s outfit.

They arrived on the island a day before the wedding. Teng Yuan and Qu Qingchen needed to go over the ceremony details, while Wen Ruqing and Bai Xizhou were assigned a room to rest.

The room had a large balcony. Opening the windows revealed a view of the blue ocean and golden beach. Wen Ruqing had worked overtime the day before to clear his workload and had flown in that morning—he was truly exhausted.

He knew the view outside was beautiful, but he wasn’t in the mood to enjoy it. After putting his luggage down, he collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep instantly. When Bai Xizhou turned to call him over to see the ocean, he found him curled up on the bed, hugging a soft pillow, fast asleep.

Bai Xizhou smiled helplessly, closed the balcony door to keep the sea breeze out, drew the curtains, walked to the bed, covered Wen Ruqing with a blanket, and tiptoed out of the room.

Downstairs in the hotel was a small, quiet bar. Bai Xizhou ordered a drink and found a seat with the best sea view. The island sun was bright but not harsh—just pleasantly warm.

He took a small sip of the drink, which had a subtle coconut aroma. Gazing at the sea, he watched the waves washing over the shore. Someone stood there, letting the tide rise over their feet before retreating again.

A few kids ran past him, laughing. A little blonde girl with bright blue eyes carried a toy shovel. Her ponytail bounced as she ran, and under the sunlight, her eyes sparkled like glass.

“Excuse me, sir.” Someone called out to Bai Xizhou. It was a long-haired man, his tan skin glowing healthily. He handed Bai Xizhou a brown sheet of paper. “I just drew this of you. I’d like to give it to you.”

He spoke in English. Bai Xizhou looked down—it was a pen sketch. Though the lines were simple, they captured the subject’s posture effortlessly.

“Thank you.”

Bai Xizhou accepted the drawing and thanked him. In the bottom left corner was a cursive signature: “D.”

The man returned to his seat, picked up his camera, and left. A breeze carrying the salty scent of the sea passed by. Bai Xizhou looked up just in time to see the wind lift the man’s shirt—he thought he glimpsed a black tattoo on his back.

“What are you staring at?”

Teng Yuan and Qu Qingchen had just returned after inspecting the venue and saw Bai Xizhou sitting alone, drinking. They approached him but got no response despite calling out several times. Following his gaze, they noticed the long-haired man.

“Hey, you’re a taken man now—you can’t keep eyeing strangers like that.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. He just gave me a sketch. I thought he was a little odd, so I looked a bit longer.” Bai Xizhou looked away and sipped his drink, treating it like a passing moment.

“Ge, let’s talk about something serious.” Qu Qingchen ignored the banter, reminding Teng Yuan why they came.

“Oh right.” Teng Yuan smacked his forehead. “I checked the guest list today—Uncle’s here too.”

“He’s your dad’s friend, of course he’d come,” Bai Xizhou responded casually. “No need to worry about me.”

Qu Qingchen and Teng Yuan exchanged a glance. Teng Yuan looked like he wanted to say more, but Qu Qingchen placed a hand on his, signaling him to stop.

Since they had to wake up early the next day, they only chatted with Bai Xizhou briefly. Then, Qu Qingchen dragged Teng Yuan back to their room for a bath and some sleep.

By then, the sea had just turned golden with dusk. The afterglow painted the ocean in floating gold, and the clouds on the horizon were tinged orange-red. Bai Xizhou watched the sunset for a long time before getting up to take a meal back to the room.

Wen Ruqing woke up feeling much better. Looking around and not seeing Bai Xizhou, he guessed he had gone off with Teng Yuan.

He walked to the window and pulled the curtains open. The sunset glow poured in just as the sun dipped below the horizon. He took out his phone to snap a photo and happened to look down—there was Bai Xizhou, holding a takeout bag, smoothing his wind-tousled hair.

“Bai Xizhou!” Wen Ruqing cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted. It was dinnertime, so not many people were around. “What are you doing?”

Bai Xizhou looked up and saw Wen Ruqing leaning over the railing, waving. The balcony was lined with flowers. Amid the blooms, Wen Ruqing smiled, his expression relaxed.

“Getting food. Aren’t you hungry?” Bai Xizhou raised the bag in his hand.

“Don’t move, I’m coming down.” With that, Wen Ruqing left the balcony.

Since Wen Ruqing told him to wait, Bai Xizhou didn’t move. While waiting, he replied to some law firm messages on his phone.

Teng Yuan had warned him earlier that Bai Hésong might also be here, but he hadn’t expected to run into him so soon. Wen Ruqing hadn’t even come down yet when Bai Hésong appeared, holding hands with Bai Xiting’s mother. They looked like a long-married couple.

Spotting Bai Xizhou, Bai Hésong told the woman to go ahead and turned toward him.

“Xizhou.” He called out. Bai Xizhou lifted his head, his gaze calm and expressionless.

Not even a trace of hatred remained.

“Is something the matter?” Bai Xizhou asked politely, as if speaking to a stranger.

“Thank you… for what you did for Xiting.” Bai Hésong didn’t know what else to say. This calmness from his son caught him off guard. “Also… she and I are married now.”

She—referring to Bai Xiting’s mother.

“Mm. Congratulations,” Bai Xizhou replied flatly. That was the end of it.

Bai Hésong wanted to say more, to find some common ground. But they had none. So many years had passed without a real father-son relationship. Now, in his old age, he finally realized the value of family—but it was too late.

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Then he saw Bai Xizhou’s expression change slightly. The indifference vanished, replaced by warmth as he turned toward someone approaching.

Bai Xizhou walked past him, without a second thought. Behind him, Bai Hésong heard voices. Stiffly turning his head, he saw Bai Xizhou holding hands with a man—slightly shorter and slimmer. Bai Xizhou was gently fixing the man’s hair.

In the setting sun, Bai Hésong saw the glint of a ring on Bai Xizhou’s left ring finger.

They ate at the same spot where Bai Xizhou had been drinking earlier. It was quiet and breezy, the sunset still lingering. Wen Ruqing was hungry and ate in a rush. Bai Xizhou had already eaten and just watched him.

“Was that your father just now?” Wen Ruqing asked while eating. It was his first time trying local food and the flavor was just so-so. “You kind of look like him.”

Bai Xizhou nodded. No need to deny it—he could share everything with Wen Ruqing.

“What did he say to you?” Wen Ruqing asked between bites.

“He said he married Bai Xiting’s mom, and thanked me for handling her affairs.” Bai Xizhou leaned back, relaxed. Then he noticed Wen Ruqing’s eating slowed. “Not tasty? I thought it looked decent.”

Wen Ruqing shook his head—not that it was bad, just unfamiliar. He forked up some broccoli and offered it to Bai Xizhou. Bai Xizhou took a bite and his expression shifted—it really was just average.

“Let’s find somewhere else to eat,” Bai Xizhou said, starting to stand.

“No need. It’s fine. I can eat it.” Wen Ruqing waved for him to sit.

So Bai Xizhou sat back down and watched him finish the meal. Afterward, they stayed in their seats a while longer, not in a rush to leave.

“It’s beautiful here.” Wen Ruqing leaned back, gazing at the night ocean.

By then, the sun had fully set. The sea was lit with soft lights. Strings of warm bulbs were wrapped around trees, and a few tiny bugs danced in the light.

“You like it here?” The temperature was mild all year round—not too hot, not too cold. “If you do, we could have our wedding here too.”

“Are we going to have a wedding too?” Wen Ruqing looked away from the sea and back at Bai Xizhou. His eyes sparkled under the warm lights, with a touch of hope. “Have you thought it through? A lifetime is a long time.”

“Why would I be afraid? Marrying you is all I could ask for. But I also think… not everyone needs a wedding. Even if we don’t marry, we’ll still spend our lives together. Right?”

“You’re so cheesy.” Wen Ruqing smiled. “Yeah. Even if we don’t marry, we’ll always be together.”

The next day, for Teng Yuan’s wedding, Wen Ruqing also wore a suit. Originally, Teng Yuan invited both of them to be groomsmen, but Bai Xizhou declined.

The wedding was held on a garden lawn. Neither groom was led by their parents. Instead, Qu Qingchen walked step by step toward Teng Yuan, bouquet in hand—just like in the beginning, it was always him who closed the distance, entering Teng Yuan’s heart bit by bit.

Their parents watched from the audience. The vows were spoken in Chinese. Teng Yuan placed the ring on Qu Qingchen first, followed by their kiss. Flower boys dutifully threw petals into the air, which landed on the newlyweds… and on Bai Xizhou’s shoulder.

At the end of the ceremony, it was time to toss the bouquet. Qu Qingchen, holding Teng Yuan’s hand, threw the flowers backward. Wen Ruqing and Bai Xizhou stood aside, not joining—they no longer needed to chase after happiness. It was already beside them.

“This cake is delicious.” Wen Ruqing grabbed a piece from a table, took a bite, nodded in approval, and fed a bite to Bai Xizhou. “Not too sweet, with a hint of lemon.”

“It really is good.” Bai Xizhou nodded in agreement.

At that moment, Qu Qingchen and Teng Yuan walked over, holding a smaller bouquet. Qu Qingchen handed it to Bai Xizhou.

“I prepared this for you specially,” he said. “As your childhood friend, I wish you eternal happiness.”

Bai Xizhou accepted it and passed it to Wen Ruqing. Caught mid-bite, Wen Ruqing quickly set down his plate and took the bouquet. The scent of lily of the valley filled his arms.

“Thank you. Same to you.”