ITC Chapter 2

Bai Xizhou didn’t sleep well that night—the bed was too soft, the pillow too high, leaving him with a sore back and neck.

He usually slept just fine, at least better than most people his age, but he was a little particular about where he slept.

When he couldn’t fall asleep, Bai Xizhou would look out the window. He always chose rooms with windows whenever he traveled.

In the past, looking out his hotel window usually meant staring into a dark night, but here in this small town, the night sky held a few scattered stars.

Eventually, his eyes would grow tired from staring, he’d close them, clear his mind, and manage to sleep a few hours.

Rubbing his neck, Bai Xizhou headed downstairs, wondering if he should ask for a different pillow. But the hotel’s pillows were probably all the same height, and it seemed too much to ask someone to buy him a new one just for himself.

Maybe he should switch hotels? But he had already paid, and changing places just because of a pillow seemed like too much hassle—especially since this was the only hotel in town.

After changing his clothes, he went downstairs. It was warm today, so he skipped his suit, wearing just a white dress shirt. When he reached the lobby, he happened to run into the guy with the wristband from last night and the receptionist auntie, who were having breakfast together.

“How long have you been back? You’re here every day, never thinking to go out for a walk.”

“Auntie, you’re the one who told me to come back in the first place. Now you’re already getting tired of me.”

“I only had you come back for your own good, so going out for a walk would be good for you too. You’re always glued to those books—it’s terrible for your eyes.” The woman paused, then added, “Don’t be the first person who managed to stay a hundred percent focused on book restoration, yet managed to ruin their own eyesight doing it.”

At the staircase, Bai Xizhou overheard this and couldn’t help but chuckle. It was just like she was scolding a child.

Wen Ruqing was the first to notice him. He glanced up, the playfulness from a moment ago completely gone, then quickly looked down and resumed eating, treating Bai Xizhou just as neutrally as he treated everyone else.

“Heading out, Lawyer Bai?” It was the auntie who saw him next. Smiling warmly, she greeted him, “Did you sleep all right last night?”

Bai Xizhou hesitated to admit that he actually hadn’t slept well at all. After all, it wasn’t just because of the bed.

“Not too bad,” he replied with a middle-ground answer.

“We’ve had lawyers stay with us here before. I could tell from how you’re dressed.”

In such a small town, it was easy for people to know exactly who was coming or going and what was going on with everyone. Here in Yunduan Town, there were no secrets.

“Have you had breakfast yet? Come, have a little bite.”

She was so enthusiastic that she tried to pull him into a seat. At her age, perhaps it was natural to like people like Bai Xizhou—working in the big city, earning a steady income, and reasonably good-looking too.

Or maybe it was just the natural affection most people seemed to have for lawyers.

“auntie.” Wen Ruqing frowned and interjected, “He has work to get to.”

“Even if you have work, you still need to eat,” she replied, all seriousness as she turned back to scold him. “I bet you haven’t been eating properly yourself. I’ve been wanting to say something. Just look at you, skin and bones.”

Caught in the crossfire, Wen Ruqing threw a quick glance at Bai Xizhou, then ducked his head. But his eyes clearly said, ‘Sorry, I can’t save you. You’re on your own.’

Bai Xizhou felt slightly awkward, not really comfortable watching someone else’s family drama unfold, but despite himself, his mind drifted back to last night. 

This person really was thin, maybe even a bit unhealthy. He ought to eat more.

Brushing off that sudden, stray thought, Bai Xizhou remembered his purpose. He was just about to say something to make his exit when his phone suddenly rang—it was a call from Liu Li.

“Sister Li, I just stepped out. Do you need anything?” Bai Xizhou answered, “Mr. Chen, yes? Got it, I’ll head over. You can send the files to my phone.”

After hanging up, he turned back to the auntie and politely declined her invitation for breakfast.

“I heard you mention you’re going to find Old Mr. Chen,” she said. “Why don’t I ask Ruqing to show you the way? You just got here, so you probably don’t know where it is.”

Wen Ruqing, suddenly roped into a task, looked up with half a bun frozen in mid-bite, his face a picture of disbelief as he stared at his aunt.

“Auntie, are you joking?” Wen Ruqing tried to struggle out of it.

“Do I look like I’m joking?” Wen Qing shot him a sidelong glance before turning back to Bai Xizhou with a friendly smile. “Ruqing knows Old Mr. Chen, so it’ll be easier if he takes you there.”

Her reasoning made sense, though Bai Xizhou barely knew Wen Ruqing, and he knew his aunt even less.

“Old Mr. Chen lives out of the way, so you’d have trouble finding it on your own,” Wen Qing continued persuasively, making it clear that Bai Xizhou wouldn’t get away with saying no.

Bai Xizhou didn’t mind having an extra person along, but he could tell Wen Ruqing wasn’t exactly enthusiastic.

“Fine, let’s go. I’ll take you to him,” Wen Ruqing stood up, his tone cool as he grabbed an egg from the table. “What are you waiting for? Let’s go.”

Wen Ruqing led him out, handing him the egg he’d picked up.

“Here, eat this first to tide you over. I’ll go get the car.”

Bai Xizhou wasn’t used to being taken care of like this. Usually, he was the one organizing things for other people, so the whole experience felt strangely new. He peeled the egg and ate it while waiting by the roadside.

The town was lively in the morning. People were passing by, and aunties with bags of fresh vegetables walked along, chatting about things Bai Xizhou couldn’t quite catch.

The sun peeked out from behind the clouds, bathing the town in golden light. The sky was especially blue after the rain.

A scene of small-town life.

Bai Xizhou ate his egg, quietly taking it all in.

A loud honk snapped him out of his morning reverie, and he turned to see Wen Ruqing… on an electric scooter.

Wen Ruqing handed the helmet to Bai Xizhou, signaling for him to put it on.

“Get on,” Wen Ruqing patted the backseat of the scooter, seriously assuring him, “Don’t worry, my driving skills are great.”

If not for the fear of delaying things, Bai Xizhou thought, he definitely wouldn’t get onto Wen Ruqing’s scooter .

Grandpa Chen lived in a remote area where the road hadn’t been paved yet. Wen Ruqing led Bai Xizhou through small paths.

It had rained yesterday, and the ground was wet, but the rain wasn’t too heavy, so it hadn’t completely soaked the earth. Muddy roads like this were the easiest to slip on.

“Why don’t you hold onto me?” Wen Ruqing couldn’t help but say when the scooter bumped over another uneven patch, “I’m really afraid you’ll fall off.”

Bai Xizhou didn’t care, saying it was fine, but in the next moment, the scooter suddenly slid, causing Bai Xizhou to tip to one side. He instinctively grabbed Wen Ruqing’s waist to steady himself.

“I told you to hold on, but you didn’t listen,” Wen Ruqing stifled a laugh and continued driving.

Bai Xizhou was much taller and stronger than Wen Ruqing. Holding onto his waist was actually a little uncomfortable, but to avoid being thrown off, Bai Xizhou didn’t let go.

“I don’t think I’ve asked you your name yet.”

Maybe Wen Ruqing knew his name, but Bai Xizhou didn’t know his.

“My name is Wen Ruqing,” Wen Ruqing replied, his voice floating through the air.

The scooter stopped at an open field, right after Wen Ruqing finished introducing himself.

“Who’s that?” A voice came from the field to the side.

Bai Xizhou and Wen Ruqing got out of the car, and Bai Xizhou saw a sprightly elderly man leaning on a hoe, looking toward them.

“Uncle Chen, it’s me, Ruqing,” Wen Ruqing waved at the old man and ran over with a smile on his face.

Bai Xizhou rarely paid this much attention to someone he’d just met.

 

People’s excessive focus on strangers mostly comes from their appearance, after all, that’s the first impression.

But Wen Ruqing wasn’t particularly good-looking; he could at most be called delicate. When he got the room card for himself last night, he was close enough to see the small freckles on Wen Ruqing’s face.

He wasn’t the type of person who would grab attention at first sight.

Yet sometimes, when Bai Xizhou looked at Wen Ruqing, he would suddenly recall his past self. Everything about Wen Ruqing felt out of place; he was smiling, but it seemed like he didn’t really want to smile.

While Bai Xizhou was still pondering the source of this sense of incongruity, Wen Ruqing had already brought Uncle Chen to him.

“Uncle Chen, this is Bai Xizhou, he’s a lawyer.”

Upon hearing the word “lawyer,” Grandpa Chen’s previously kind expression suddenly dropped.

“Is this because of that little brat!” Grandpa Chen’s voice was loud and full of anger. “I haven’t gone to sue them yet, but they’ve already hired a lawyer!”

“I’m not your son’s lawyer. I’m from the Legal Aid Center. I just arrived yesterday. It was Sister Li who asked me to come find you today,” Bai Xizhou ran his hand through his hair, which had been tousled by the wind, and extended his hand to shake Grandpa Chen’s. “I’m here to help you.”

Grandpa Chen clearly didn’t believe him. He looked at Wen Ruqing, then at Bai Xizhou’s extended hand.

“No need, no need. I still have work to do. I don’t need any legal aid,” Grandpa Chen didn’t trust the young man before him, who seemed polite and well-mannered.

“Uncle Chen, just have a chat with Lawyer Bai. I’ll take care of the work for you,” Wen Ruqing stopped Grandpa Chen from walking away. “Don’t you want to solve the problem quickly? This lawyer is from the big city, and he’s helping you for free.”

It was unclear whether it was the mention of “free” that persuaded Grandpa Chen, or if he just wanted to resolve the issue as soon as possible, but it seemed like Grandpa Chen was indeed swayed.

Wen Ruqing turned around and went back to the vegetable field, not forgetting to give Bai Xizhou a look. The look was very much like a kindergarten teacher encouraging a child.

Bai Xizhou had already gone over Grandpa Chen’s issue when they were having eggs earlier. The problems faced by someone Grandpa Chen’s age were usually related to elderly care, specifically that his two sons didn’t want to give him any money.

Grandpa Chen was getting old, and his house was about to be demolished due to city planning. He had been allocated a house in the city, over 100 square meters, but it was an unfinished unit, so Grandpa Chen couldn’t move in directly.

He had two sons who both worked in the city. Now they both wanted the house but didn’t want the old man to live with them, which led to the conflict.

This issue had been ongoing for a while, and Grandpa Chen was now at the point where he didn’t want to go to either side. He didn’t want to give the house to either of his sons.

Bai Xizhou got a basic understanding of Grandpa Chen’s concerns and asked a few more detailed questions about his current living situation. Then he contacted his sons and arranged for them to come in the afternoon.

Before they knew it, it was noon. Grandpa Chen said he was going to prepare lunch and asked them to rest for a while and eat together.

Bai Xizhou couldn’t refuse, and since he had more work in the afternoon, it was a hassle to go back and forth. Wen Ruqing had also been working hard all morning and must have been hungry too.

It seemed better not to trouble them.

Wen Ruqing had finished with the vegetable field and was carrying a hoe back. Bai Xizhou handed him a glass of water, and Wen Ruqing quickly drank it.

There was a light sheen of sweat on his forehead, and his face was slightly flushed from the heat, but it looked healthier and more rosy than in the morning. Bai Xizhou thought, he was thin, but when working, he put in a lot of effort.

“How was the conversation?” Wen Ruqing put the hoe back in Grandpa Chen’s tool shed.

“The two sons are coming in the afternoon. After lunch, we’ll continue,” Bai Xizhou handed Wen Ruqing two pieces of paper to wipe his sweat and noticed Wen Ruqing’s wristband was covered in dirt. “Your hands are dirty, go wash them.”

Wen Ruqing was momentarily stunned. His hands were indeed dirty.

Grandpa Chen called from inside, “Wash your hands before lunch,” so Bai Xizhou and Wen Ruqing went to the water faucet together.

The water ran over their skin, washing away the dirt. Wen Ruqing took off his wristband. He didn’t want it to get wet because it would feel uncomfortable wearing it afterward.

Probably caught off guard, Wen Ruqing didn’t think Bai Xizhou would be paying attention to him, as it was just a simple motion.

But Bai Xizhou glanced over and saw a distinct scar on Wen Ruqing’s pale wrist.