After all the fuss, since they’d finished soaking in the hot spring anyway, Zheng Yang pulled out the alcohol they’d bought that evening.
He sneered at Bai Yue: “Now you’ve got nothing to say, right? I’m an adult.”
His birthday was February 18th, even earlier than Bai Yue’s.
He still held a grudge from last time, when Bai Yue confronted him yet only ordered him a Coke at the bar.
Hearing this, Ye Xi’s eyes flickered uneasily. He quietly tried to take away a bottle of lychee wine with his fingertips.
But even his lightest movements were caught by Zheng Yang.
Zheng Yang pressed down firmly, retaliating with righteous indignation: “You can’t drink. You’re not of age.”
Yet he turned to underage Li Rui beside him and said, “You can. You look like you can handle your liquor.”
Li Rui silently pointed a finger at himself.
“Me?”
What a joke — his limit was barely a single bottle of beer.
Ye Xi narrowed his eyes, fists itching again, but just as he was about to say something, he remembered Bai Yue was beside him.
He immediately swallowed it down, gazing at Bai Yue pitifully.
“I’ll only drink a little.”
He gestured with his hands to show how little.
Two days ago, his self-proclaimed love guru had reminded him — since he was traveling with his crush, he must display his pitiful, dependent side at all times.
Beating Zheng Yang up just now had already been a mistake; he had to claw back some impression points here.
Bai Yue immediately switched sides with ease.
He pushed Zheng Yang aside and picked up the bottle of lychee wine.
“A small glass is fine.” He spoke softly to Ye Xi.
Zheng Yang’s eyes went wide behind him.
The hell—double standards much, you dog?!
….
But protests were useless. Even with Zheng Yang constantly interfering, Ye Xi still managed to taste every bottle, finally declaring that the yuzu wine was the best.
It was only a little after eleven. Since they’d had milk tea earlier at the convenience store, everyone was still full of energy.
Li Rui even brought face masks in his suitcase. He slapped one on himself without hesitation and put one on Ye Xi too.
When he turned around and saw Zheng Yang’s face full of disdain, he didn’t spare him either — forcibly dragging him over and smearing his face full.
He had figured it out.
Zheng Yang was just a paper tiger. Once you got close, he wasn’t fierce at all.
As long as Li Rui acted a little pushy, Zheng Yang couldn’t do anything to stop him.
Grinning ear to ear, he smeared white clay across Zheng Yang’s face, and while he was at it, threatened: “Don’t take this lightly. These days girls care a lot about a guy’s looks. Especially those cool older-sister types — they love pretty boys who behave. If you don’t take care of yourself, how will you ever catch a pretty lady?”
Zheng Yang froze, half-believing, half-doubting, wanting badly to refute but unable to find a flaw.
While he hesitated, Li Rui’s hands moved fast, covering his face completely.
Now the three of them sat there with identical whitewashed faces, all staring at Bai Yue.
Bai Yue couldn’t help laughing. Shaking his head, he got up and tugged the curtains open a little.
Ten minutes later, he said, “It’s snowing again.”
This town was always heavy with snow. For the locals, the thick drifts were a nuisance — every trip out required shoveling a path.
But for travelers passing through, it was a gift from the sky.
Light, pure, slowly blanketing the world until everything was a hazy white — like stumbling into a snowbound country cut off from the world.
“Really?” Li Rui was peeling off the masks from himself and Ye Xi, but at those words he ran over at once.
Ye Xi and Zheng Yang followed closely behind.
Though Changhuan City also snowed, it was nothing like this — not so vast, not this thickly falling, where sky and earth both turned white.
Li Rui lifted his phone to record, whispering to Ye Xi: “If I send this to Sheng Yuhe, do you think he’ll ask me where I am?”
He blinked, a trace of scheming in his eyes.
“And if I catch Zheng Yang’s side profile in the frame, would he think I’m on a date with another guy?”
Oho.
Hard to say.
Ye Xi thought it over, sneaking another glance at Bai Yue by the window.
“You could try.” He whispered back. “Nothing to lose.”
Li Rui instantly lit up, conspiring with Ye Xi on the best way to send it.
But Ye Xi didn’t know — while he and Li Rui were whispering, heads close together, plotting how to woo Sheng Yuhe…
Bai Yue’s gaze slipped past Zheng Yang, past Li Rui, landing steadily on him.
Ye Xi wore a pale jade bathrobe, his hair tied into a little tuft. His face, white and fine as jade, glowed faintly in the snowy light outside, like a tender sprout in the spring snow.
His eyes shone brightly, a little excited, more lively than usual.
Even his small dimple showed as his brows curved, entirely pure and boyish.
Bai Yue just stood there, watching quietly.
Snow tapped against the window. The courtyard was hushed, only the evergreen bamboo swaying gently in the winter breeze.
Even though Ye Xi did nothing.
Even though Ye Xi didn’t even look his way.
In that silent snowy night, in this little bedroom, just watching him like this, Bai Yue still felt a faint happiness.
Like those river lanterns floating downstream — not quite within reach, yet still seemingly at hand.
“You keep staring and your eyeballs are going to fall out.”
A dry voice broke in.
Zheng Yang had been snapping pictures of the garden to send to his mother, but when he looked up, he noticed Bai Yue’s gaze.
Instantly, he felt sick of the sugar.
Bai Yue finally pulled his attention back, meeting Zheng Yang’s annoying face.
There was still amusement in his eyes as he calmly said, “What’s it to you.”
Zheng Yang only smiled, not angry, turning his gaze instead toward Li Rui and Ye Xi.
The two of them were already sitting down again, fussing over the phone with solemn expressions, as if plotting some great national affair.
Though Zheng Yang also thought Ye Xi looked cute like that, he still scoffed.
“Don’t even know what you like about him. He hasn’t even grown up yet — not handsome, not sexy.”
Bai Yue’s response was a flick to the forehead.
But then he let out a quiet sigh, with a smile hidden inside, tinged with puzzlement.
“Honestly, sometimes I wonder that myself.”
He wondered why it was that he liked Ye Xi so much.
Even he couldn’t explain it.
But his voice was too low for Zheng Yang to catch. The boy only blinked in confusion.
And Bai Yue didn’t explain.
Maybe, he thought, from the moment he stepped into the Zheng household and saw that thin little boy on the garden swing, clutching a heavy book, quietly meeting his gaze—
He was already doomed never to escape Ye Xi’s hold.
….
That night ended with Ye Xi, Zheng Yang, and Li Rui playing cards.
The three lost evenly, no clear winner, so each took plenty of penalty drinks.
In the end, they all collapsed drunk.
Zheng Yang forgot entirely about guarding Ye Xi’s chastity, because he was the worst off, head on a cushion, dead to the world.
Li Rui lay slumped on the table, looking half-conscious, until his head dropped onto his arms with a thud.
Only Ye Xi was relatively obedient.
He sat hugging a pillow in the corner, eyes misty, eyelids drooping.
Bai Yue surveyed the chaos and felt a headache coming on.
Was this really a trip? Or had he just come to be their babysitter?
But there was no helping it — it was his duty as the oldest.
Zheng Yang he could ignore; the boy would have to drag himself back to his own room anyway.
He went to nudge the younger Li Rui onto a bed.
The boy still had a scrap of awareness, nodding weakly before collapsing into the sheets, gone.
Then he went to scoop up Ye Xi.
Ye Xi didn’t resist at all, leaning quietly against his shoulder.
For all his tall frame and long legs, he was light for a boy. Carrying him was no effort; Bai Yue slipped him into bed.
Ye Xi was perfectly compliant, not moving at all, just doing as he was guided.
But when Bai Yue was about to leave, Ye Xi caught his hand.
He didn’t say anything, just lay curled under the blanket, staring at Bai Yue without blinking.
His fingers were so slender that Bai Yue could’ve easily pried them open.
But he stood rooted at the bedside, unable to pull away.
The bedside lamp cast a dim amber glow. With the overhead lights off, the room was shadowy, lit only by the snow outside and this faint halo.
It fell just right across Ye Xi’s face, lighting those dewy eyes.
No one knew how long passed before Bai Yue heard a clear ding-dong.
He couldn’t tell where it came from — maybe someone’s phone, maybe just spam.
But Ye Xi blinked, as if receiving a signal.
He clutched Bai Yue’s hand tighter and murmured something.
Bai Yue didn’t hear. He bent lower — only for Ye Xi to suddenly hook an arm around his neck.
Bai Yue froze.
But very quickly, he also heard clearly what Ye Xi was saying.
“Bai-ge, happy birthday,” Ye Xi murmured softly. “I wanted to be the first, to catch midnight and wish you…”
His voice was faint, his drunken words slurred and jumbled.
But after he said it, he looked so satisfied, letting go of Bai Yue and falling back against the pillow.
Yet his hand still clung to Bai Yue’s, pressing it to his cheek.
The corners of his lips lifted slightly. His misty eyes gazed at Bai Yue, yet it seemed as if he didn’t even recognize who he was.
Bai Yue looked at him for a long time.
He glanced at the watch on his other wrist—00:01.
His phone was buzzing nonstop; no doubt many people were sending him birthday wishes right at midnight.
But he thought, Ye Xi really was the first person to wish him a happy birthday.
Because they were this close.
Outside, the snow was still falling, drifting into the courtyard hot spring, only to slowly melt away.
He slowly sat down at the side of Ye Xi’s bed.
He raised a hand to touch Ye Xi’s flushed cheek, and even those damp lips.
Why did he like Ye Xi so much?
He wondered.
Maybe it was moments like this.
Ye Xi gazed at him quietly, his eyes soft and wet, like a small creature entirely dependent on him.
Out in the world, Ye Xi was mature and calm, even a little distant, always keeping others at arm’s length, unwilling to get close. Light as mist, ready to drift away at any time.
But in front of him, he would show this unguarded expression.
Like a puppy rolling over to bare its belly only to someone it loves.
How could he ever let go of that?
Bai Yue stroked Ye Xi’s forehead, remembering years ago, when he was still very young, he had sat at Ye Xi’s bedside like this, reading him fairy tales.
And at the end of those stories, the prince would kiss his beloved princess, and they would grow old together—like every happily-ever-after ending.
On this night of drifting snow, the world silent and pure white, he too placed a gentle kiss on Ye Xi’s forehead.
He didn’t know if Ye Xi would remember it when he woke up tomorrow.
But so what?
It was his birthday.
He should receive the compassion and pardon of the one he loved, forgiveness for all his sins.
Meanwhile, in the bed next to them, Li Rui turned over. He half-opened his eyes in a daze, but before he could fully wake, sleep dragged him back under.
…..
The next morning, aside from Bai Yue, the other three were all groggy, faint shadows of blue under their eyes—proof of last night’s hangover.
Li Rui was the most dramatic. He stared into the mirror for ages before collapsing onto Ye Xi’s shoulder.
“I think my face is ruined,” he wailed. “Even ten face masks won’t save me.”
Zheng Yang bit down on the straw of his iced milk and laughed at him from across the table.
…..
After breakfast, they set out again.
That day’s plan was to visit the library on the mountaintop, then the museum and the art gallery. In the afternoon they’d try a long-standing Western restaurant with decades of reputation.
That evening, there would be a fireworks festival by the beach, from 9:00 to 9:30.
Their schedule was packed.
While they were at the art gallery, Ye Xi leaned over to whisper to Li Rui.
“During the fireworks tonight, you have to hold Zheng Yang back,” he said, sneaking out a little velvet pouch and shaking it in front of Li Rui. “I’ve prepared a birthday gift—I want to give it to Bai-ge in private.”
Li Rui nodded firmly. Even if he had to kick Zheng Yang into the sea, he would do it.
He flashed Ye Xi an “OK” gesture.
“Leave it to me.”
The two of them glanced at Zheng Yang, who was studying a jade thumb ring from a thousand years ago behind the glass, and suddenly felt a chill down his spine.
Around eight in the evening, Bai Yue drove them to the beach to watch the fireworks.
Zheng Yang sat in the back eating snacks. Honestly, he wasn’t very interested in fireworks festivals.
He couldn’t even remember how many he had seen. When he was twelve, his family had even booked an entire show just for his birthday—the fireworks custom-made, spelling out his name and portrait in the sky, complete with his dog beside him.
But this was the first time he was watching fireworks with Ye Xi. The first time going somewhere with a group, jostling through a crowd, waiting with everyone for the moment the fireworks burst open.
So he just crunched down on a butter cookie and said nothing.
Half an hour later, they arrived.
The beach was already full of people, and the nearby vendors had lit up warm-colored bulbs and opened their stalls.
Since it was winter, it wasn’t as lively as the summer festivals.
Many people shivered in the cold wind, stamping their feet in the sand, their breaths puffing out white into the night air.
Li Rui and Ye Xi went off to buy milk tea again.
Zheng Yang was dumbfounded. “These two are practically milk tea spirits now. How many cups have they had these past few days? It’s like sugar means nothing to them.”
But when Ye Xi came back, he handed Zheng Yang a cup—half-sugar, hot black tea macchiato.
“Want one?”
Zheng Yang hesitated, then still accepted it.
Ye Xi, meanwhile, brought Bai Yue a coconut water. He knew Bai Yue truly didn’t drink milk tea.
Bai Yue accepted it with a smile. “Thanks.”
They all stood in front of a little bar with a bright, colorful sign. Bai Yue bought a few cigars from the counter—more or less as a way to pay for using the space.
Wind chimes still hung from the wooden corridor, probably forgotten after summer, chiming crisply in the winter breeze.
Li Rui said to Ye Xi, “This is my first time at a winter fireworks festival. Before, I’d only ever seen them in summer.”
Ye Xi responded, but his gaze couldn’t help drifting toward Bai Yue.
Under the soft, dim lights of the corridor, Bai Yue wore a long gray-white coat. With his broad shoulders and long legs, he already stood out in a crowd, but dressed up like this, he looked even more striking.
He was talking with Zheng Yang. From Ye Xi’s angle, he could only see the bridge of his nose and his long curled lashes.
But when those lashes blinked, it was like a butterfly’s wings trembling in Ye Xi’s heart.
Ye Xi clenched the velvet pouch in his coat pocket. Even though it was the freezing winter, when water would freeze on contact, his heart pounded furiously, and his palms began to sweat.
At 8:50, the crowd grew restless.
Staff with megaphones announced that the fireworks would soon begin, asking everyone to stay orderly and help maintain a good environment.
Ye Xi exchanged a glance with Li Rui.
Li Rui grabbed Zheng Yang’s arm with all the determination of his life and the courage of burning bridges. “Ah, I think this spot is too far back. Let’s go up front!”
He said this while yanking Zheng Yang forward several steps before he could even react.
“What’s your hurry…” Zheng Yang muttered, baffled, turning back. “Shouldn’t we wait for Bai Yue and Ye Xi?”
Li Rui shook his head firmly. “No way. I just saw a great spot. If we don’t go now, someone else will take it. They’ll catch up to us later.”
And with that, he dragged Zheng Yang away by brute force, not caring about his protests.
As they moved ahead, the swelling crowd quickly separated them from Bai Yue and Ye Xi.
Ye Xi remained under the bar’s corridor. Though it was farther from the beach, it was quieter, and the view was still good.
Bai Yue hadn’t heard what Li Rui said earlier. He looked at Ye Xi curiously. “Where did they go?”
Ye Xi touched his nose and lied without blinking. “I think they went to buy roasted apples. Li Rui said he wanted some.”
“Oh.”
Bai Yue didn’t press the matter.
Ye Xi nervously fidgeted with his coat hem. He didn’t know how long Li Rui could keep Zheng Yang away.
Maybe fifteen minutes.
Maybe half an hour.
But at least, in just two more minutes, the fireworks would begin.
At the very least, he could have a moment of fireworks with Bai Yue alone.
Just then, the countdown started on a big screen by the sea.
10, 9, 8, 7…
6, 5, 4…
3, 2, 1!
With a bang, the first firework exploded over the sea, a brilliant red bloom against the dark night.
From the bar behind them came a chorus of gasps—customers inside had also seen it and cried out in wonder.
Ye Xi lifted his head to the sky, but then quietly turned his face toward Bai Yue beside him.
He had seen countless fireworks scenes in anime—dates, confessions, first loves, farewells, reunions. Every important moment seemed to unfold beneath fireworks.
He had watched them so many times on screen, nibbling on dried fish snacks, watching the characters’ joys and heartbreaks.
He’d seen so much of it, he’d never really thought the so-called vows under fireworks were that romantic.
But until this moment—
Brilliant fireworks bloomed one after another across the sea, lighting up the night sky.
The sharp, clean breath of winter brushed his face, and mist from the sea floated in the air.
Crowds jostled and shouted in joy, their silhouettes gathered on the sand beneath the sky.
Ye Xi looked at Bai Yue and thought—this really was different.
Watching fireworks with the person you love was completely different.
The fireworks vanished in an instant, only to ignite again the next second, like words of love never spoken aloud.
He gazed at Bai Yue’s profile, and in that moment, his heart was unbelievably calm.
He thought, how wonderful.
In this year of running toward eighteen, the last year before adulthood, he could actually be this close to Bai Yue.
Before this year, he had never imagined he’d one day travel with Zheng Yang, and even less that he’d be standing alone with Bai Yue beneath a dim corridor light, watching fireworks together.
Ye Xi took a deep breath and pulled out the little velvet pouch he had been clutching all this time, now a bit wrinkled.
Amid the noise and cheer, he said softly, “Bai-ge, happy birthday.”
He should have said it yesterday. He had even set an alarm for midnight, afraid of missing the moment.
But he got drunk instead, and when he woke up in the morning, dazed and confused, he couldn’t remember if he’d said it or not.
It didn’t matter. He could say it again.
Bai Yue turned his face toward him and saw the small velvet pouch in Ye Xi’s hands, offered with such solemn sincerity.
“What’s this?” he asked.
Ye Xi lowered his eyes. “It’s your birthday present.”
Bai Yue was momentarily stunned, then smiled as he took it, not intending to be polite with Ye Xi.
Loosening the drawstring, he said, “Last time I got your Christmas gift, and now a birthday gift too. This winter has been quite bountiful.”
From the pouch, he pulled out a black leather bracelet. It was a simple design, a classic piece from a luxury jewelry brand.
At the center of the strap hung a small silver tag. Under the light, Bai Yue noticed his own initials and birthday engraved on it.
But when he turned the tag over, his expression faltered.
Because on the back was another date.
Others might not recognize it, but he knew—it was Ye Xi’s birthday.
Ye Xi kept his head down, shifting uneasily on his feet.
He really hadn’t known what to give Bai Yue. After all, Bai Yue came from such privilege—his nineteenth birthday gift had even been a small estate.
What could Ye Xi possibly give that would be memorable?
So he had sought advice from Liang Zhan and Li Rui.
Liang Zhan didn’t know exactly who he liked, but vaguely guessed it was a boy.
So she had smiled, lifted a magazine to half-cover her face, and said, “Then give him a bracelet. Haven’t you noticed? Lots of guys our age wear girls’ hair ties on their wrists. It means they’re dating. It’s a way of showing the world their girlfriend gave them something, a little sign of ownership. Since you’re both boys, just adjust it a bit—give him a bracelet instead.”
He had hesitated for a long time but, in the end, followed Liang Zhan’s suggestion.
If he didn’t know what to give, then he’d give something carrying a bit of selfishness.
Even if Bai Yue didn’t belong to him, he still wished, for at least a moment, that this bracelet could bind Bai Yue to him.
Even if it was just for an instant. Even if only for a fleeting few minutes, Bai Yue would truly be his.
Ye Xi whispered, “I engraved my birthday on the back. That way, someday if you see this bracelet again, maybe you’ll remember it was from me.”
He lifted his head and gave Bai Yue a small smile.
The night breeze lifted his fringe, revealing a pair of bright eyes, still carrying a trace of boyish innocence.
He didn’t know if, years later—or even just a few years later—he would still be by Bai Yue’s side.
But he hoped that when Bai Yue saw the bracelet, he would still think of him.
Bai Yue stared at him silently.
His eyes were dark and deep, his lashes like butterfly wings damp with dew, lowered gently, betraying no thoughts.
Not until another firework burst did he finally raise his hand and say to Ye Xi, “Then put it on me.”
Ye Xi froze, then nodded quickly.
Carefully, he took the bracelet and fastened it around Bai Yue’s wrist.
How should he put it? Bai Yue’s hand was as flawless as a model’s—long bones, clear knuckles, translucent like jade. Anything he wore looked good. Even a plain black bracelet looked like an art piece on him.
Ye Xi admired it for a few seconds before lifting his eyes to smile. “It’s on.”
By now, the fireworks festival had reached its peak. Dozens of blossoms shot into the sky, bursting in waves, and the crowd below erupted with gasps like waves crashing.
And just then, snowflakes began to drift from the night sky.
So fine, so light.
One slipped in along the eaves and landed on Ye Xi’s cheek.
He blinked, and amid the noise and chaos, he saw Bai Yue’s lips move. He said something to him.
But he couldn’t hear clearly.
Puzzled, he leaned closer. “What?”
But Bai Yue suddenly pulled him into an embrace.
Holding Ye Xi’s waist, he pressed close to his ear. Under the grandeur of the fireworks, his lips brushed against Ye Xi’s ear, breathing softly just as Ye Xi had done to him the night before.
“I said, I hope on my next birthday, you’ll still be by my side.”
Ye Xi froze. Countless sparks from fireworks rained down from the sky.
On the beach, the crowd let out a collective sigh of regret and delight.
On this winter night, at this fireworks festival, countless gazes of affection were hidden, along with confessions spoken aloud or kept deep within.
All of them slowly melted into the waves along the shore, unresolved.
