Bo Xinghang had been acting really strange lately.
Even his hair seemed to exude an air of “something’s not right.”
Xu Yi observed him for a few days and reached this conclusion.
During a break between classes, Xu Yi quickly ran to the back door. He glanced at the other people in the room who were resting and chatting, then looked at Bo Xinghang, who hadn’t moved much all day, and thought he might be seeing things.
Someone nearby went to the back row to get some water. Xu Yi tugged on him and kept his eyes fixed on Bo Xinghang. He asked quietly, “Do you think Bo Xinghang has been hiding something from me lately?”
“Huh?” The boy followed his gaze. Bo Xinghang had finished writing and was looking down at his phone, texting someone. The boy seemed puzzled. “Really?”
“You know Hang-ge the best. If he had something going on, he’d definitely tell you first.”
That made sense, but…
Xu Yi sighed inwardly and waved his hand. “Forget it, go get your water.”
“Oh.”
Xu Yi glanced over twice again. Bo Xinghang had just finished sending a message and tossed his phone into his backpack. He glanced a few more times and, once there were no more notifications, picked up his pen again to continue working on his paper. The corners of his mouth lifted into a smile, one that could only be described as thoroughly pleased with himself.
Xu Yi’s eyes widened as he stared at the curve of Bo Xinghang’s smile. Finally, he understood why his Hang-ge was acting so unusually. His Hang-ge was in love!
It must be because the girl had really good grades. Hang-ge felt he didn’t measure up to her, so he decided to turn over a new leaf, study hard, and then proudly introduce her to him!
I get it, I get it, I totally understand.
Xu Yi silently wiped away a tear, fully appreciating his Hang-ge’s dedication to learning for love.
But in the back row, where Hang-ge was texting, he had no idea about Xu Yi’s wild imagination. Otherwise, he would have shown Xu Yi what “Hang-ge’s loving care” really meant.
Xu Yi’s guess was correct, but he would never have imagined that the girl motivating Hang-ge to turn over a new leaf was none other than Doctor Ji.
Bo Xinghang’s eyes lingered on the last message on the screen, which was Doctor Ji saying, “Then I’ll wait for you at home.” Staring at the words “at home,” he felt a sense of indescribable comfort.
It felt like having a home.
He had originally planned to leave soon, but when he came home two days ago, he discovered that his mom was different this year compared to previous years. She usually left the day after the Qingming Festival, but this year she stayed home for a week. The noise of the mahjong tiles made him feel disgusted and secretly joyful at the same time.
It gave him an excuse to stay at Doctor Ji’s place longer.
During lunch break, Bo Xinghang stretched his stiff neck and got up to get some food. Suddenly, he realized he hadn’t talked to that dog, Xu Yi, for several days and had no idea where he’d run off to.
Not thinking too much of it, he stood up and walked toward the door. Suddenly, a figure flashed past his line of sight and stopped beside him.
Speak of the devil, and he appears. Bo Xinghang glanced at Xu Yi and raised his eyebrows at his eager expression. “Where have you been lately?”
Xu Yi, who had been secretly observing his good friend behind his back, gave a mysterious smile and didn’t dare to tell the truth. He patted Hang-ge on the back with a meaningful look. “I discovered something big.”
“Oh.” Bo Xinghang remained calm. “You found your dad’s secret money stash?”
“…”
“Oh, I get it. Your mom found your dad’s secret money stash.”
“No, my dad’s money still hasn’t been found.”
“Hidden pretty deep.” Bo Xinghang nodded, feeling hungry as he spoke. After a whole morning of classes, he desperately needed to refuel. He nudged Xu Yi with his elbow and urged him, “Come on, I’m starving.”
“Oh, let’s go.”
Watching Bo Xinghang’s back, Xu Yi quickened his pace. When they finally lined up at the window to get food, he realized something was off. Recalling their earlier conversation, he realized he had been completely sidetracked!
As expected, his Hang-ge was feeling guilty!
Such a humble romance.
Xu Yi was moved to tears.
Halfway through their meal, Xu Yi suddenly remembered something. “Oh, right, Hang-ge, isn’t your birthday coming up?”
“… Birthday?”
Bo Xinghang raised his eyes. His birthday was April 16th, which meant he’d be turning 18 in less than a week. It was indeed coming up.
It felt like nothing had happened, yet suddenly he was about to be 18. Bo Xinghang found it unbelievable. “Damn, am I really becoming an adult?”
Having repeated a year, Xu Yi had experienced this adulthood milestone before, so he calmly continued eating. “Yeah, buddy, you’re turning 18 too.”
Bo Xinghang put down his chopsticks and tried to savor the taste of becoming an adult. “This feeling…”
Xu Yi: “… What feeling?”
It was hard to describe.
It was odd.
He hadn’t quite grown up, but his thoughts were no longer as immature. In the eyes of many high school students, this was already considered a sign of adulthood.
On the other hand, even though he had grown older, it didn’t feel like he was truly an adult. It was as if everyone always talked about eighteen being the best age, but when he actually reached it, it didn’t seem extraordinary.
It was just an ordinary marker. Just eighteen, nothing more.
Bo Xinghang’s slender fingers held the chopsticks, casually stirring the tomato and scrambled eggs on his plate, lost in his thoughts.
–
Doctor Ji happened to find out about the boy’s birthday.
Yesterday’s rain had been so heavy that Bo Xinghang’s pajamas hadn’t dried. After taking a shower, Bo Xinghang casually pulled out all his IDs from his pocket and laid them out on the coffee table, wearing a hoodie as his pajamas.
Doctor Ji wasn’t in the habit of prying into other people’s privacy, but it was hard not to notice this display. As he sat on the sofa and glanced at the table, he immediately spotted the ID card on top.
The ID card was from middle school graduation.
It showed a younger, more immature version of Bo Xinghang, with long hair and amber eyes partially obscured by bangs. The expression was unclear, but it exuded a strong sense of melancholy.
Doctor Ji had only felt the boy’s dark times through his words. Now, seeing the photo, it felt like he was witnessing Bo Xinghang’s sadness firsthand.
He wished he had been there at that time.
Doctor Ji thought that even if he couldn’t offer any comforting words, just being able to give him a hug would have been enough.
“Ahem.” Noticing Doctor Ji’s gaze, Bo Xinghang subtly prompted, “Doctor Ji, what are you looking at?”
“You back then.”
“……”
He looked too unattractive back then. Why not focus on the birthday instead of looking at something better left unseen?
Bo Xinghang pursed his lips and covered the photo with his hand. “Look at something else.”
“Something else?” Ji Wenzhen was amused by his behavior and couldn’t help but chuckle. Following Bo Xinghang’s hint, he looked again and pretended to be surprised, “Your birthday is coming up soon?”
He finally noticed.
Bo Xinghang pretended to be modest. “It’s not that soon. It’s just a birthday marking adulthood. No need to be so surprised.”
Doctor Ji struggled to contain his laughter. “Oh? How can that be? Our Xiao Xing’s birthday needs to be celebrated.”
“Tsk, it’s unnecessary.” Though he complained, the term “Xiao Xing” made him shy. He shoved the ID into his pocket and insisted, “There’s no need for a big celebration.”
Doctor Ji calmly nodded. “Alright, whatever our Xiao Xing says goes.”
He said this to appease Bo Xinghang, but the celebration would go on as planned. When Bo Xinghang, with his ears burning, quickly made an excuse to escape by pretending to do homework, Doctor Ji took out his phone and messaged White Rabbit, his junior.
—What should I prepare for a birthday?
—What? Senior, has your account been hacked??
It was the first time Bai Muyang, who usually saw his senior as detached from worldly matters, saw him ask such a question. Sitting on the sofa in the infirmary to rest, Bai Muyang’s first thought was that his account had been hacked.
—.
As cold as Doctor Ji. Definitely in line with his usual demeanor.
Once Bai Muyang confirmed that it was indeed his senior on the other end of the phone, he started replying seriously.
—Senior, I remember your birthday is at the end of the year. Who are you celebrating?
—.
Alright then.
Bai Muyang sighed.
—You asked the right person. If it’s for a guy, just get him something he likes: games, basketball, a watch, anything. Easy to handle. But for a girl… it’s different!
Bai Muyang, full of energy, made a show of rolling up nonexistent sleeves on his arm, ready to explain everything to him in detail.
—Mm, thanks.
—??
Bai Muyang was confused. What did that mean?
—Senior, who exactly are you celebrating, a guy??
For my Xiao Xing.
Doctor Ji sat cross-legged on the sofa and glanced at the new messages with a calm expression.
—My younger brother.
Bai Muyang was speechless. He had thought that Senior Ji was finally starting to understand the human world and would spend his precious energy on celebrating a girl’s birthday.
He had even started imagining what his sister-in-law might look like, only to find out that Senior Ji was still as detached as ever.
Sigh.
What a waste of a handsome face.
Ji Wenzhen closed the screen and began to think about preparations for the birthday. His previous inquiry was of little help, as he had never seen Bo Xinghang play games or basketball.
The only thing he knew was that Bo Xinghang smoked and drank.
Ji Wenzhen frowned, feeling increasingly uneasy about these unhealthy habits. He decided he needed to find a way to encourage the boy to quit smoking.
Thinking about birthday gifts was proving to be a daunting task. While Doctor Ji was mulling this over alone in the living room, Bo Xinghang received a notice from the hospital.
It was good news.
His grandmother could be discharged.
Although her health had recently improved, he hadn’t dared to hope for this discharge notification. The hospital informed him to come in a few days to complete the discharge paperwork and settle the final hospitalization fee beforehand.
10,8001about $1,500.
Although the bed wasn’t expensive, the accumulated cost made Bo Xinghang’s heart sink. He was in trouble.
He quickly checked his account balance on his phone. Including all his living expenses, he had only 5,2912about $750—more than half short.
Bo Xinghang pursed his lips, staring intently at his phone screen in silence.
The feeling was particularly unpleasant, like hope had just emerged, only for someone to say, “Sorry, we made a mistake.”
It was akin to a power outage in the middle of class, with students cheering internally, only for the teacher to come in and say, “It’s just two minutes; the power will be back soon.”
It was frustrating and left him feeling powerless.
The day after his grandmother’s discharge was his birthday, but with the current situation, it felt as though the light was right in front of him, yet he couldn’t grasp it.
Bo Xinghang opened WeChat and messaged the bar owner.
—Boss, are there any clients willing to spend money recently?
—Why, Xiao Hang, are you short on cash? There are clients, but their methods are a bit unsavory. They might use some dirty tactics, and others are reluctant to deal with them.
The harsh white light from the lamp highlighted the boy’s gloomy expression. He instinctively touched the silver stud in his ear, twisting it lightly. The slight pain reminded him of his situation.
Bo Xinghang took a deep breath and slowly typed.
—Mm, I’ll do it.
