INT CHAPTER 74

After Jiang Heng arrived, Liang Xiao immediately said, “Heng-ge, I’ll leave this to you. I need to go.”

 

It wasn’t often that someone spoke to Jiang Heng in such a commanding tone. Jiang Heng paused for a moment, then chuckled. “In such a hurry? At least take care of your hand first.”

 

Liang Xiao quickly walked toward the private room’s restroom. “No time.”

 

Everyone watched as Liang Xiao casually rinsed his hand under the faucet, grabbed a few paper towels to press against the wound, and hurried out.

 

“I’m off, Heng-ge,” Liang Xiao said as he passed Jiang Heng without even slowing down.

 

Jiang Heng watched Liang Xiao’s hurried figure in a suit and thought he looked like a groom rushing to avoid missing his own wedding.

 

Tsk, are young people’s relationships always this sweet these days?

 

“Don’t forget, you have tomorrow off,” Jiang Heng called out.

 

Without turning back, Liang Xiao replied, “Thanks, boss!”

 

When he stepped out of the bar, Liang Xiao planned to hail a cab but found the streets completely jammed with traffic. Without hesitation, he turned and ran toward the subway station while dialing Lu Ze’s number.

 

The phone rang for over ten seconds before it was answered. Lu Ze’s voice was low and groggy with sleep. “Hello…”

 

Liang Xiao froze for two seconds before speaking softly, instinctively lowering his voice. “Baby, did you fall asleep?”

 

Lu Ze suddenly woke up. “Damn, damn—did I fall asleep? What time is it? Are you on your way back?”

 

Panting slightly from running, Liang Xiao said, “It’s almost 10:30. I’m sorry—something came up at work. I’m on my way home now and should be there in about 15 minutes.”

 

“Liang Xiao! It’s your birthday today! Why are you apologizing so much? What’s there to apologize for? Are you running right now? Taking the subway?”

 

“Yeah…”

 

“No need to rush,” Lu Ze said helplessly. “There’s still time—plenty of it. I didn’t plan that many surprises anyway.”

 

Liang Xiao chuckled softly. “No way—I miss you. I need to see you soon.”

 

Hearing Liang Xiao’s labored breathing from running, Lu Ze was silent for a moment before saying gently, “I miss you too. Come back quickly.”

 

“Okay.”

 

·

 

After hanging up, Lu Ze rushed to the bathroom to splash cold water on his face. He fixed his hair in front of the mirror and smoothed out the wrinkles on his clothes from sleeping. Once he confirmed that he looked sharp and presentable, he whistled lightly.

 

He turned off all the lights in the living room except for a small one near the entrance to welcome the birthday boy.

 

Lu Ze had considered hiding and letting Liang Xiao explore the living room for surprises by himself but decided against it. He figured what Liang Xiao wanted most was to see him right away, so he stood by the door instead.

 

The old building had poor soundproofing, so Lu Ze could hear Liang Xiao’s hurried footsteps as he climbed the stairs—likely in dress shoes from the sound of it.

 

The footsteps stopped at the door. Smiling slightly, Lu Ze guessed that Liang Xiao was probably tidying himself up outside. Silently counting to ten in his head, he heard a knock at the door right on cue.

 

Knock, knock, knock.

 

Three knocks.

 

Lu Ze felt his heart pound heavily three times in sync. He took a deep breath, pressed down on the doorknob, and froze as soon as he opened the door.

 

Liang Xiao hadn’t cut his hair recently. What was once short had grown longer, slicked back but slightly messy from his rush to get home. He was still wearing his suit, with a black jacket over a slightly unbuttoned white shirt. The look was incredibly… restrained yet alluring.

 

Lu Ze’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed unconsciously. After just a few days apart, how had his boyfriend managed to become even more handsome?

 

Seeing Lu Ze standing there silently, Liang Xiao glanced down at his own appearance. Just as he looked up again, Lu Ze rushed forward and hugged him tightly.

 

The force of the hug made Liang Xiao take two steps back, but he firmly returned the embrace. The first thing Lu Ze said was, “Xiao Xiao, when did you suddenly grow up and become an adult?”

 

Liang Xiao froze for a moment before smiling. “I’m only twenty-one. Are you already complaining that I’m old?”

 

Lu Ze buried his face in Liang Xiao’s chest, laughing so hard that his shoulders shook.

 

Liang Xiao held him close, greedily running his hands over Lu Ze’s waist and back. After calming down, Lu Ze said, “Someone who’s only five months older than me has no right to be called old. I just feel like the gap between us suddenly widened—you look so much like one of those elite professionals.”

 

Breathing in Lu Ze’s familiar scent, Liang Xiao murmured softly, “I won’t dress like this next time.”

 

“Tsk, no way—it’s super handsome.”

 

Liang Xiao chuckled twice—that was exactly what he wanted to hear.

 

They stepped inside together. Lu Ze snapped his fingers and said, “Do you want to see your surprise first or get a kiss first?”

 

Liang Xiao stared at him for a moment before Lu Ze leaned closer and whispered teasingly, “Looks like the birthday boy wants a kiss first.”

 

As soon as the words left his mouth, he kissed Liang Xiao.

 

There was a faint scent of alcohol on Liang Xiao, so Lu Ze assumed he’d been drinking. But to his surprise, Liang Xiao’s mouth tasted sweet—like apples. He must have chewed gum on purpose.

 

The room was dimly lit except for a small light above them that cast a warm glow over their figures.

 

Liang Xiao closed his eyes, breathing heavily. When Lu Ze pulled back slightly, Liang Xiao leaned forward again to capture his lower lip. This time, Lu Ze closed his eyes too.

 

After a long moment, their foreheads rested against each other as they panted softly. Stroking Liang Xiao’s face, Lu Ze said hoarsely, “If we keep kissing like this, we won’t need to look at the gift.”

 

Liang Xiao nuzzled him with his nose and whispered back, “No way—I want to see it.”

 

Lu Ze smirked. “Then turn around and give me ten seconds to prepare.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Liang Xiao turned around with his back to Lu Ze and felt his heart race faster.

 

He hadn’t tried guessing what kind of gift Lu Ze had prepared because no matter what it was, he knew he would absolutely love it.

 

Three… two… one…

 

“All done,” Lu Ze said.

 

Liang Xiao turned back around, and Lu Ze snapped his fingers lightly. The room suddenly lit up with small fairy lights hanging on the walls.

 

At the same time, Liang Xiao noticed the balloons floating above that he hadn’t seen before.

 

Lu Ze smiled and said, “Come on, Xiao-ge, pick one.”

 

Liang Xiao suddenly realized that Lu Ze was about to perform a magic trick for him.

 

He took two steps forward and grabbed the string of one balloon. “This one.”

 

Lu Ze quickly wrapped the string around his fingers a few times, pulling the balloon into his hand.

 

“Don’t blink,” Lu Ze said.

 

With a loud pop, the balloon burst, and a small red piece of paper appeared in Lu Ze’s hand. He showed it to Liang Xiao—it had “Happy Birthday, Liang Xiao” written on it in yellow highlighter.

 

When Liang Xiao reached out to take it, Lu Ze pulled it back, rubbing the paper between his palms. When he opened his hand again, the paper had turned into a small red ball.

 

He handed the ball to Liang Xiao. “Open it.”

 

Carefully, Liang Xiao opened the ball. Inside was another red piece of paper, but instead of “Happy Birthday,” it now read: “Pick another balloon.”

 

Liang Xiao chuckled and chose another balloon. This time, Lu Ze gently tapped it with his right hand, causing it to pop. From his hand appeared a red paper rose.

 

Smiling, Lu Ze handed the rose to Liang Xiao and repeated, “Open it.”

 

Looking at the rose in his hand, Liang Xiao hesitated. “Do I have to open it? I kind of don’t want to.”

 

Lu Ze raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Making this harder for me? Fine, you don’t have to open it.”

 

He blew lightly on the rose and said, “Alright—check your pocket.”

 

Liang Xiao paused. He had been using his uninjured left hand all along, but now he was holding the rose in that hand. Switching hands would be too obvious, so he had no choice but to use his right hand.

 

“What’s wrong?” Lu Ze asked with a raised brow.

 

“Which pocket?” Liang Xiao asked.

 

“Which one do you hope it’s in?”

 

Liang Xiao smiled slightly. “The left one?”

 

Lu Ze snapped his fingers. “Of course.”

 

Placing the rose in his right palm, Liang Xiao reached into his left pocket and felt something—a real rose.

 

Pulling it out, he handed it to Lu Ze. Lu Ze asked with a grin, “Guess how many petals this rose has?”

 

Liang Xiao thought for a moment. Lu Ze often gave him flowers, and once he had counted—one of those roses had 37 petals.

 

Just as he was about to answer, Lu Ze smiled mischievously and said softly, “Think carefully—if you guess wrong, there’s no gift.”

 

After a brief pause, Liang Xiao replied hesitantly: “…Thirty-seven.”

 

Lu Ze’s eyes stayed on Liang Xiao as he began plucking off the petals one by one.

 

“One… two… three…”

 

When it reached thirty petals, Lu Ze said, “You count the rest.”

 

Liang Xiao inexplicably felt nervous. His throat tightened as he counted, “Thirty-one, thirty-two… thirty-six.”

 

He blinked. “What now, baby?”

 

Lu Ze didn’t respond but suddenly stepped closer.

 

With his left hand holding the petals, Lu Ze reached into Liang Xiao’s left pocket with his right hand and pinched out a single petal between two fingers. “Thirty-seven petals.”

 

Liang Xiao was too stunned to react. Smiling softly, he asked in a low voice, “So do I get my gift now?”

 

“Of course.”

 

Lu Ze clasped his hands together, gently shook them three times, and then opened them in front of Liang Xiao. “Xiao-ge, happy birthday.”

 

In his palms were the petals from earlier, and beneath them was a glimmering silver object.

 

Liang Xiao’s breath hitched as he instinctively reached out with his right hand to brush aside the petals. Beneath them lay a beautiful silver necklace.

 

Before he could fully process it, Lu Ze called his name seriously. “Liang Xiao, what happened to your hand?”

 

Both of their gazes fell on the back of Liang Xiao’s injured hand. He quickly lowered it. “I accidentally scratched it—it’s nothing.”

 

Switching to his left hand to take the gift, Liang Xiao added softly, “Baby, help me put it on.”

 

His tone carried a clear hint of appeasement.

 

Lu Ze stared at him for two seconds before casually stuffing the petals into his pocket and taking the necklace.

 

As he unclasped the necklace, he asked, “How did you scratch it? Were you rushing back?”

 

“No,” Liang Xiao denied quickly. “Really, I wasn’t.”

 

Lu Ze brought both hands behind Liang Xiao’s neck to fasten the necklace. Liang Xiao took the opportunity to hug him and explained, “A fight broke out in one of the private rooms. I went in with security and accidentally got scratched by some broken glass. I didn’t even feel it at first.”

 

“Why didn’t you treat it?”

 

“It’s just a small cut—it stopped bleeding quickly, so I didn’t bother.”

 

The necklace was now in place—its length was perfect. The small silver handgun pendant rested right against Liang Xiao’s slightly unbuttoned chest.

 

Lu Ze stared at him for a long time. Liang Xiao looked even better with the necklace than he had imagined—cool yet obedient.

 

It felt like Lu Ze had marked Liang Xiao as his own. No matter how cool or handsome Liang Xiao looked outside, he was still Lu Ze’s boyfriend—his and his alone.

 

It was like seeing an adorable dog wearing a collar while walking outside—everyone would know it had an owner and wasn’t a stray.

 

And honestly… Liang Xiao’s neck really suited wearing collars—no, necklaces—especially ones gifted by Lu Ze.

 

Liang Xiao could feel Lu Ze’s gaze glued to his neck. He leaned forward to kiss Lu Ze on the lips and said softly, “Thank you, baby. The magic trick was amazing, the gift is beautiful—I really like it. I love it.”

 

Lu Ze clicked his tongue. “Enough of that—let me see your hand.”

 

Liang Xiao hesitated briefly before extending his hand toward Lu Ze.

 

Holding it carefully, Lu Ze examined the wound and frowned. “You call this a small cut? It’s so long.”

 

Liang Xiao helplessly said, “It’s really just a small cut. It’s long, but very shallow—it barely bled.”

 

Lu Ze still frowned, his eyes full of concern. “No, it still needs to be treated. Do you have any medicine at home? If not, I’ll go buy some.”

 

“Yes, yes,” Liang Xiao replied quickly. “I’ll find it.”

 

He rummaged through a drawer and pulled out iodine and cotton swabs. Lu Ze turned on all the lights, pulled Liang Xiao to sit on the sofa, and started applying the medicine while asking, “Do fights happen often at your bar?”

 

“No,” Liang Xiao replied, his gaze fixed on Lu Ze’s eyelashes. “This is the first time someone got physical.”

 

Lu Ze gently blew on the wound. “Next time something like this happens, wear gloves.”

 

Liang Xiao smirked. “Alright.”

 

“Better yet, wear a mask and a hat—cover up completely.”

 

Liang Xiao laughed softly. “Alright, alright. Don’t worry, baby. This was really just an accident.”

 

Lu Ze glared at him. “Getting hurt makes you this happy?”

 

Liang Xiao pinched Lu Ze’s fingertips lightly and said, “I’m happy because it’s my birthday.”

 

After treating the wound, Lu Ze took a cake out of the fridge. Liang Xiao froze for a moment. “There’s cake too?”

 

Lu Ze blinked in surprise. “Isn’t there supposed to be cake for birthdays?”

 

Liang Xiao quickly nodded. “Of course.”

 

The cake wasn’t very big and didn’t have any fancy decorations—just a simple border with the words “Happy Birthday, Xiao Xiao” written in the center.

 

“Come on, birthday boy,” Lu Ze said as he placed a birthday hat on Liang Xiao’s head. The hat looked completely out of place with his suit but made him look adorable.

 

Liang Xiao didn’t resist and instead tilted his head to look at Lu Ze. “Should I make a wish?”

 

“Of course! Your boyfriend knows magic—any wish you make will come true.”

 

Liang Xiao chuckled softly.

 

Lu Ze placed candles on the cake, lit them with a lighter, turned off the lights again, and sat across from Liang Xiao to sing him a birthday song.

 

Liang Xiao had always thought Lu Ze’s voice was beautiful—he would sometimes replay Lu Ze’s voice messages multiple times just to hear him speak.

 

Now, hearing Lu Ze sing happy birthday to him in that same beautiful voice made Liang Xiao feel incredibly happy—happier than he’d ever been in his life.

 

He clasped his hands together and, for the first time in his life, seriously made a wish before opening his eyes and blowing out the candles.

 

Lu Ze got up to turn on the lights again. “Alright, let’s cut the cake.”

 

“Aren’t you going to ask me what I wished for?” Liang Xiao asked.

 

“No need,” Lu Ze replied softly as he looked at him. “My magic is really powerful—I heard your wish as you made it.”

 

Liang Xiao froze for two seconds before quickly lowering his gaze to the cake.

 

After a brief pause, Lu Ze added with a smile: “…Which part of the cake does the birthday boy want to eat?”

 

Liang Xiao held back his tears and asked, “Is there any special meaning to this?”

 

Lu Ze smiled. “No, just different words. You eat the ‘Happiness’ piece.”

 

“Alright.”

 

“I’ll eat the ‘Xiao Xiao’ piece.”

 

Liang Xiao glanced at him. “Alright.”

 

Lu Ze clicked his tongue. “…What are you thinking? I didn’t mean anything else.”

 

“I didn’t say you did,” Liang Xiao replied with a smile.

 

After finishing the cake, Lu Ze checked the time—it was almost midnight.

 

Suddenly, he stood up, knelt on one knee on the sofa beside Liang Xiao, and leaned down to kiss him on the lips.

 

Leaning against the sofa, Liang Xiao was enveloped in Lu Ze’s embrace. He looked up at Lu Ze, who smiled and said, “Once again, happy birthday to my Xiao Xiao. Wishing you peace and success in this new year. From now on, I’ll celebrate your birthday with you every year, okay?”

 

Liang Xiao’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he replied in a deep voice, “Okay.”

 

Lu Ze lowered his head and traced his tongue along Liang Xiao’s lips before slipping it inside for a kiss. Their mouths were filled with the sweet taste of cream.

 

In the last few seconds before midnight, Lu Ze kept repeating to Liang Xiao: “Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday…”

 

Looking into Lu Ze’s bright eyes that seemed to shine even in the dim light, Liang Xiao leaned forward and kissed him. “That’s enough, baby.”

 

“I want to make up for earlier,” Lu Ze murmured against his lips.

 

“No need,” Liang Xiao said gently, his eyes filled with warmth. “As long as you’re here from now on.”

 

Lu Ze solemnly replied, “I’ll always be here.”

 

His hand slid down to Liang Xiao’s collarbone, lightly rubbing the necklace chain with his fingertips. “Any other wishes? The kind I can grant right now?”

 

After a moment of thought, Liang Xiao said, “Sing me a song before bed—an English one.”

 

Lu Ze smiled and tapped Liang Xiao’s Adam’s apple playfully. “To help you sleep?”

 

“Mm,” Liang Xiao hummed softly. “To help me sleep.”

 

“Alright, I’ll sing for you.”

 

As he spoke, Lu Ze lowered his head to kiss Liang Xiao’s neck. Unsatisfied with just one kiss, he gently sucked on it.

 

A shiver ran from Liang Xiao’s neck down to his chest.

 

Lu Ze lifted the necklace pendant with one finger—it was warm from Liang Xiao’s body heat. He kissed his way down to where the pendant rested and bit it lightly. “You’re not allowed to take this necklace off—it has to stay on every day.”

 

In a raspy voice, Liang Xiao replied, “Alright… I won’t take it off.”

 

Lu Ze’s fingers continued downward and unbuttoned another button on Liang Xiao’s white shirt. But before he could go further, Liang Xiao grabbed his wrist.

 

Looking up at him, Lu Ze saw Liang Xiao’s Adam’s apple move as he said softly, “Let’s go to the bedroom.”

 

His suit was already wrinkled, the white shirt underneath had several buttons undone, revealing part of his chest. Around his neck hung Lu Ze’s signature necklace, and his eyes were still filled with intense desire.

 

Leaning close to Liang Xiao’s ear, Lu Ze whispered, “Xiao-ge, I think…”

 

“Hmm?” Liang Xiao responded.

 

“I think the bed in the bedroom might not hold up tonight.”

 

Liang Xiao froze for a moment before realizing what Lu Ze meant. He frowned slightly and seriously thought about it. “It shouldn’t collapse.”

 

Lu Ze burst out laughing and pinched his earlobe. “How are you so cute? I was joking! Even if it collapses, we’ll still do it—we can just buy a new one tomorrow.”

 

Clicking his tongue, Liang Xiao grabbed Lu Ze’s waist with both hands and gave it a playful squeeze. “Even if it doesn’t collapse, we’re buying a new one tomorrow.”

 

“Deal,” Lu Ze agreed cheerfully. “Much more practical than an air conditioner.”

 

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