ITC chapter 4

 

Yunduan Town was a small place with few happenings, so Bai Xizhou was always off work right on time each day.

When he returned to the inn, he’d pass by the front desk and take the initiative to greet Wen Ruqing. Of course, it was just a simple nod.

 

Since the two had gone to see Old Chen together, their relationship seemed to have reached a subtle equilibrium—not exactly friends, but they weren’t strangers either, and they could exchange a few words in passing.

 

His aunt, Wen Qing, on the other hand, had gotten much closer to Bai Xizhou. She would always strike up conversations with him, even sometimes praising him when talking with her sisters.

 

Wen Ruqing smiled helplessly. He didn’t know why his aunt liked Bai Xizhou so much, but it was amusing to see Bai look so awkwardly out of place in the company of so many women.

 

Of course, he always laughed in secret.

 

The issue with Old Chen was smoothly resolved. To thank Bai Xizhou, Old Chen asked Wen Ruqing to give Bai some fruit as a token of appreciation.

 

Knowing he couldn’t decline, Wen took the fruit to the front desk to hand over to Bai Xizhou when he got off work. But just as he set it down on the table, the inn’s landline phone rang.

 

Usually, this landline rarely receives calls.

 

“Hello?” Wen Ruqing picked up the phone.

 

“It’s me, Bai Xizhou. Are you at the inn?” Bai Xizhou’s voice came from the other end.

 

The old landline crackled a bit as it transmitted the voice.

 

“Yes, I’m here. What’s up?” Wen Ruqing suddenly realized that he and Bai Xizhou hadn’t exchanged contact details, so it made sense Bai would try the landline.

 

“Could you do me a favor? There’s a USB drive on my desk. Could you bring it over to me?” Bai Xizhou’s voice sounded a bit urgent. “I left in a hurry this morning and forgot it, but I need it for something important.”

 

“Sure.” Wen Ruqing didn’t have much going on, so he didn’t mind the short errand. “To the aid center, right?”

 

“Yes, thanks. sorry for the trouble.”

 

“Alright, give me ten minutes.”

 

After hanging up, Wen Ruqing took the room card and went upstairs, quickly spotting the USB drive on Bai Xizhou’s desk.

 

The inn’s rooms weren’t very spacious, and Bai Xizhou’s room was kept very tidy. Since he’d been there for a while, it wasn’t cleaned daily, but it still barely looked lived in.

 

The bed was made impeccably, as if untouched. Books on the desk were stacked neatly from largest to smallest, and the pens were lined up beside the stationery.

 

The desk was so orderly it looked like a staged photo.

 

Bai Xizhou—Lawyer Bai—probably had a bit of OCD.

 

Without lingering, Wen Ruqing grabbed the USB drive and headed downstairs. Just then, he ran into his aunt, who’d come over from home. Noticing him on his way out, she asked where he was headed.

 

He answered honestly, and she brightened immediately, asking him to wait a moment. She pulled two food boxes from the bag she’d brought.

 

“Perfect timing. Could you take this to your Aunt Liu? She mentioned the other day she’d been craving this.”

 

“Auntie, that’s not fair! I wanted some, too.” Wen Ruqing accepted the food boxes, adding a bit of a playful whine.

He was really just teasing.

His aunt gave him a side-eye, saying she’d make something good for him tonight, which left him satisfied as he headed off, boxes in hand.

It was a quick ride on an electric scooter from the Qingmei Inn to the aid center, but walking would take about twenty minutes.

As Wen Ruqing arrived, he happened to see an older woman and a young woman coming out. Passing by him, they continued their conversation, and their words caught his attention.

 

“Gotta say, this Lawyer Bai is really meticulous. He explained everything I hadn’t even thought to ask about, and even though I threw all sorts of questions at him, he never lost patience.”

 

“Yeah, he’s kind and personable, solidly professional, and looks pretty young, too. I heard he’s already a partner at his firm, really accomplished for his age.”

 

“I heard he handled that long-standing Li family dispute as well. Even though it was all trivial matters, he took them seriously and handled everything perfectly.”

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Their voices trailed off as they walked away, and Wen Ruqing could no longer make out what they were saying. He lowered his head and chuckled to himself; it seemed everyone had only good things to say about Bai Xizhou. Everyone seemed to like him.

 

Holding the bag with the food containers, Wen Ruqing could feel the USB drive warming in his palm, but he didn’t rush in.

 

Inside, Bai Xizhou had just finished a consultation and leaned back in his chair, stretching a bit before sitting upright again. He refocused on his computer screen and went right back to work, looking full of energy.

 

Wen Ruqing enjoyed watching him work—or rather, he enjoyed seeing anyone fully immersed in their work.

 

When Bai Xizhou had gone out earlier, he had been wearing a jacket. Now, he had it draped over the back of his chair, his shirt sleeves rolled up to reveal his forearms. Wen Ruqing noticed an old watch on his wrist, the same one he had worn when they visited Old Chen’s house.

 

Bai Xizhou’s head was slightly bowed, and the only sound in the quiet office was the light tapping of his fingers on the keyboard.

 

Wen Ruqing felt a slight stir of warmth in his heart, a gentle wave of emotion so subtle he didn’t even notice it.

 

He stood in the doorway for a long time, watching Bai Xizhou read documents, type on the computer, and make calls—simple actions that were so ordinary yet somehow held his gaze.

 

A thought began to take shape in his mind.

 

When he finally snapped out of it, nearly five minutes had passed. Collecting himself, he stepped inside and bumped right into Liu Li, who was on her way out.

 

“Ruqing! What brings you here?” Liu Li beamed as she saw him, pulling him into the office and onto the sofa. “Why didn’t you come in sooner?”

 

From behind his desk, Bai Xizhou glanced over at him, lifted his hand, and waved five fingers in the air.

 

To Wen Ruqing, that gesture was a reminder: he was late.

 

Wen Ruqing looked away, greeted Liu Li, and then went over to hand the USB drive to Bai Xizhou. The exchange took less than a second, their fingers brushing briefly, each carrying a hint of the other’s warmth.

 

“You’re two minutes late,” Bai Xizhou said, plugging the USB into his computer. “Taking the scooter should’ve been faster.”

 

“I got held up a bit on the way,” Wen Ruqing argued, though he’d actually been standing at the door for a while. “Sorry, hope I didn’t hold you up.”

 

Of course, he wasn’t about to tell Bai Xizhou that those two minutes were spent staring at him while he worked.

 

“It didn’t, but you should be more aware of time. Being late isn’t a good habit.” Bai Xizhou continued speaking, still focused on his screen as he opened the urgent file he’d mentioned.

 

His voice was somewhat cold, and he didn’t look at Wen Ruqing.

 

While his words weren’t technically wrong, they had an unpleasant tone—like a superior scolding a subordinate. But Wen Ruqing wasn’t his subordinate.

 

It was just two minutes. Did he really need to make such a big deal about it?

 

Two minutes, and it hadn’t even delayed anything.

 

And besides, he’d only agreed to do Bai Xizhou this favor because of the casual rapport they’d built. There was no payment, not even a simple thank-you. Instead, he was criticized for being two minutes late. Who wouldn’t feel annoyed?

 

“Are you actually scolding me, Lawyer Bai?” Wen Ruqing frowned, his face turning cold as he stared at Bai Xizhou. “You were the one who asked me to bring this over as a favor. I didn’t even get a thank-you, and now you’re lecturing me. Even errand runners get a fee, yet here I am, doing this for nothing and getting a scolding for it. Lawyer Bai, that’s no way to treat someone.”

 

He spoke calmly, his tone steady, but every word was clear in the quiet office and hit Bai Xizhou’s ears.

 

Bai Xizhou was taken aback.

Was Wen Ruqing actually angry? Over what he’d just said?

This usually carefree, cheerful Wen Ruqing—always quick to get along with everyone—was genuinely upset with him.

As he watched Wen Ruqing turn to leave, Bai Xizhou felt an odd irritation bubbling up. Maybe they’d miscommunicated; he hadn’t intended to scold him.

“Oh, are you two really arguing?” Liu Li couldn’t quite understand the tension between them. Surely, this minor thing wasn’t worth such a fuss. “Is it really that big of a deal?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t dare argue with him. How could I ever win against a lawyer?” Wen Ruqing, still annoyed, didn’t want to talk to Bai Xizhou and replied with sarcasm. “Aunt Liu, my aunt asked me to bring this over for you…”

Then, they began chatting and laughing with Liu Li. Bai Xizhou wanted to say something more, but at that moment, another person came in for a consultation, so he had to focus on work.

 

It seemed like something had triggered Wen Ruqing, as he suddenly became angry.

 

He didn’t intend to blame Wen Ruqing, but perhaps his tone earlier wasn’t great, which made Wen Ruqing misinterpret it.

 

Liu Li grabbed a snack and chatted with Wen Ruqing for a few minutes before heading off to pick up her child. The office was left with only Wen Ruqing and Bai Xizhou, and the atmosphere was a bit awkward.

 

“Are you angry?” Bai Xizhou closed his laptop, stood up, and moved to sit beside Wen Ruqing. “If you don’t like the way I speak, I won’t do it again. Sorry, I might have spoken poorly. Also, thank you for bringing the stuff over.”

 

“It’s nothing,” Wen Ruqing shifted a bit to the side, distancing himself from Bai Xizhou, clearly still upset.

 

“Then how can I make it up to you?” Bai Xizhou moved closer to him.

 

It seemed like he wasn’t easy to appease. Bai Xizhou’s thoughts wandered, unsure who would take on this task in the future.

 

“Treat me to a meal,” Wen Ruqing turned to look at him seriously and said, “I’ll choose the place.”

 

Most people would think a meal isn’t worth it over one sentence, but Bai Xizhou agreed without hesitation.

 

He didn’t want to make Wen Ruqing angry, and the reason might be that Wen Ruqing’s aunt had always been good to him.

 

However, when Bai Xizhou, with the mindset of being “treated” by Wen Ruqing, rode Wen Ruqing’s electric bike to a roadside stall, he was completely thrown off by the wind. 

 

Tln: “在风中凌乱” (zài fēng zhōng líng luàn), which means “feeling disoriented” or “thrown off,” similar to how someone might feel if they were confused or caught off guard in an unexpected situation. It’s often used metaphorically to describe confusion or being mentally overwhelmed.

 

The understanding he had built up crumbled instantly, and he felt like he’d been played. Everything seemed to be part of Wen Ruqing’s premeditated plan.

 

Wanting him to treat him to a meal was a lie. What Wen Ruqing actually wanted was to find someone to eat at a roadside stall with.

 

No, maybe even the anger was fake—this gave him the perfect excuse to drag him here.

 

“You tell me.”

 

Bai Xizhou turned his head in disbelief to look at him. Wen Ruqing had just gotten off the electric scooter, and his hair was slightly messy from the helmet.

 

“Did you really get angry just now?”

 

“Although your words were indeed a bit irritating, I’m not petty enough to be like that. You apologize once, I apologize once, and we’re even.”

 

Wen Ruqing walked past Bai Xizhou, patted his shoulder, and gave him a helpless look.

 

“I just wanted to find an excuse to ask Lawyer Bai out for a chat, but I have to say, you’re really easy to fool.”

 

Bai Xizhou was left speechless, unable to catch his breath. Being toyed with by someone younger than him—it was hard to describe how it felt. He was a bit speechless, and also somewhat helpless.

 

“Why are you just standing there? Didn’t you say you wanted to eat?” Wen Ruqing waved his hand to call him over. His voice had a little cheerful bounce to it, the joy of having successfully teased Bai Xizhou. “I want to eat crawfish!”

 

It was already late, and the sky was painted with a stretch of orange-red sunset. Wen Ruqing turned around, looking at Bai Xizhou, who was still standing there in a daze, his figure outlined against the light.

 

Behind him was a busy street, with a few tables set up outside the shops, separated by only a layer of oilcloth. The electric bikes were parked neatly yet somewhat haphazardly in their spaces.

 

Wen Ruqing seemed to blend perfectly into this environment. In the twilight, his eyes were bright, his features soft, and even the strands of his hair were kissed by golden light.

 

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Author note: 

Frozen Starlight: 

Bai Xizhou: Little Liar  

Wen Ruqing: Hehe