They said it would take ten minutes, but the two of them had been fooling around upstairs for half an hour before finally coming downstairs. Gu Weihao almost had to knock on the door again.
As they came downstairs, they bumped into Zhao Ruotong, who had been anxiously waiting. She immediately approached with concern and asked, “Are you okay, Bai Yang?”
“He’s fine,” Shao Cheng said, placing his hand on Bai Yang’s shoulder and drawing him into his territory.
Bai Yang smiled, “I’m fine. What about Song Chi?” He had enjoyed hitting him impulsively earlier, but now he realized that his actions might have gone too far.
“I’ve arranged for someone to take him to the hospital. It’s just minor injuries on the surface. His face is so thick-skinned, he’ll be fine. Don’t worry. If he dares to come bother you or cause trouble for me again, I’ll make him regret it,” Zhao Ruotong said confidently.
“Thank you. I’m fine. Just make sure to take care of yourself. If he ever bothers you again, don’t hesitate to let me know.” Bai Yang smiled as he said.
Zhao Ruotong was about to say something when Shao Cheng immediately interrupted, “It’s about time. Let’s go.” With that, he looped his arm around Bai Yang’s shoulder and walked forward. Zhao Ruotong could only retract her words and silently follow them.
Almost all the guests had gathered in the villa’s hall. Lavish self-service dinner and champagne were displayed around, and a band played lively music. When Shao Cheng arrived, everyone’s attention was drawn to him.
Seeing him, Gu Weihao teased, “I thought you wouldn’t come down all night.” Then he noticed Bai Yang’s swollen eyes and was taken aback. “Oh my god, Cheng, can’t you be more considerate? Look at what you’ve done to him.”
Shao Cheng cast a cold glance. “I suggest you don’t think about things you shouldn’t.”
Zhang Hongyi, on the other hand, didn’t have as much tact. He greeted, “Cheng, come and cut the cake!” As soon as he spoke, he saw Bai Yang following Shao Cheng, and his words choked in his throat.
Bai Yang blushed a bit at Gu Weihao’s teasing, but he still greeted the two with enthusiasm, “Hello.”
Zhang Hongyi furrowed his brows, “What are you doing here? Did you… Hmm!” He was cut off by Gu Weihao covering his mouth.
Shao Cheng ignored the two playfully bantering and led Bai Yang straight to the cake.
The cake was custom-made, beautifully decorated and innovative. The three-layered height was about half a person tall. Bai Yang had only seen such large cakes at weddings, but none of them were as exquisite as Shao Cheng’s.
The traditional ritual followed – lighting the candles, dimming the lights, singing the birthday song together, Shao Cheng made a wish, and then the lights were turned back on for cake-cutting.
Shao Cheng symbolically cut the first piece and then handed the knife to Bai Yang without hesitation. “You do it.”
Without a word, Bai Yang took on the task of slicing the cake. He cut each piece evenly and handed them out to others. Meanwhile, he occasionally glanced at Shao Cheng, who was sitting on a nearby sofa, apparently chatting on his phone, not eating any cake.
When he finally finished cutting and his hands were tired, Bai Yang looked back again to find that Shao Cheng wasn’t on the sofa anymore. He searched around the hall and finally found him on a secluded balcony.
Though it was spring, the evening breeze still carried a hint of cold. Bai Yang pushed aside the curtain and walked over, smiling, “Be careful not to catch a cold.”
Shao Cheng turned to him, “Did you have some cake?”
Only then did Bai Yang realize he had forgotten to save a piece for himself. “No, I didn’t.”
As if performing magic, Shao Cheng pulled out the untouched piece of cake from behind him, “I don’t like sweet things. Here, take it.”
Bai Yang quickly refused, “ It’s your birthday; you should have it. I’m fine.”
Shao Cheng frowned, “If you don’t want it, I’ll throw it away.” With that, he started walking back toward the hall.
“Wait!” Bai Yang stopped him, thought for a moment, and suggested, “Why don’t we eat it together?”
Shao Cheng paused in his tracks, seemingly agreeing to the idea.
Bai Yang took the cake and cut a small piece with a fork, then held it up to Shao Cheng’s lips. Smiling gently, he revealed a faint dimple, “For you.”
Shao Cheng’s pitch-black eyes stared at him calmly, “You first.”
Bai Yang had no choice but to retract his hand and eat it himself.
“Is it good?” Shao Cheng asked.
With a mouthful of cake, Bai Yang nodded, “Not too sweet, quite light. Try it.”
Suddenly, Shao Cheng leaned down and quickly gave him a peck on the lips, licking away the cream that had touched the corner of his mouth.
“Too sweet,” Shao Cheng’s expression remained indifferent. “I’ve tasted it, you finish the rest.”
Bai Yang froze, then blushed with realization. That surprise attack was too unfair.
In the end, Bai Yang ate the remaining cake, but he couldn’t really taste its flavor. Shao Cheng silently watched him eat, and only spoke up after he had finished:
“I’ve arranged your sister’s surgery.”
Bai Yang was momentarily stunned, then surprised and elated. He didn’t expect Shao Cheng to remember their conversation earlier in the day. Warmth spread through his heart, “Thank you so much, really, thank you.”
Shao Cheng reached out and gently caressed Bai Yang’s face, his thumb brushing against the small dimple. He was about to say something when the balcony curtain was drawn open once more.
“Cheng—” Gu Weihao called out loudly as he walked in. Seeing Bai Yang and Shao Cheng’s interaction, he quickly realized the situation and hastily said, “Sorry, sorry. I thought Cheng was alone. You guys continue, continue.”
Bai Yang felt embarrassed, “It’s okay. You can talk, I should go back anyway.”
Shao Cheng’s expression immediately turned sour. “You’d better have something important to say.”
Gu Weihao mumbled, “I just wanted to see if the birthday boy was having fun… “
Shao Cheng turned and ignored him.
“Don’t be like this, Cheng!” Gu Weihao said aggrievedly, “I did you a big favor today. You can’t treat me like this.”
He wasn’t entirely wrong. If Gu Weihao hadn’t brought Bai Yang here today, who knows when they would have reconciled.
Seeing Shao Cheng’s expression slightly improve, Gu Weihao’s old habits resurfaced as he teased, “Cheng, you finally came to your senses. The way you look at him tsk tsk, full of deep emotion. It melts my heart.”
Shao Cheng gave him a sharp look, though his expression held a hint of annoyance.
“What’s wrong, Cheng? Aren’t you two doing well now?”
Shao Cheng’s gaze shifted to the distant night sky. Lost in thought, he seemed to be recalling something. After a long silence, he finally spoke in a low voice:
“This is the first time I’ve actually liked someone this much.”
Gu Weihao was dumbfounded. If someone else had said that, he might have just nodded in agreement, but coming from Shao Cheng, it was quite shocking.
Shao Cheng continued, “he can see that i’m warming up to him, but I don’t think he can tell i like him back. I’m just afraid he’ll leave me at any time as his feelings are just because he feels grateful towards me.”
Gu Weihao remained utterly confused. He knew about the whole situation but what confused him was that Shao Cheng, who was usually so composed and level-headed, had become somewhat foolish in love. If only he had told Bai Yang those things, the issue would have been resolved. Anyone who knew Shao Cheng really well would understand how much he liked Bai Yang.
Of course, he couldn’t say all this in front of Shao Cheng.
………………………….
Shao Cheng summoned the family driver to take Bai Yang home. He also handed Bai Yang a new phone without any explanation. The driver was polite and courteous, asking if Bai Yang was warm enough and making sure he was comfortable throughout the ride. Bai Yang replied with a smile, “I’m fine. You don’t need to worry. Having a ride home is already great. Otherwise, I might be trying to hail a taxi on the main road right now.”
The driver said hurriedly, “Don’t be polite. If I don’t take good care of you, forget Shao Cheng, even his parents would scold me.”
Bai Yang was puzzled, “ Shao Cheng’s parents?”
“Oh no!” The driver seemed to suddenly realize something and stopped talking, “I’ve said too much. I’m sorry.”
Although he was quite curious, Bai Yang didn’t want to make things difficult for the driver, so he changed the topic and chatted about something else during the rest of the ride.
When he got back home, Bai Yang was about to take a shower when he received a message from Shao Cheng.
“Move back in tomorrow.”
He immediately replied, “Alright, I’ll buy a new phone tomorrow and return this one to you.”
Shao Cheng replied with three words, “up to you.”
Bai Yang looked at the message on his screen and felt a subtle change in their relationship. Despite Shao Cheng’s cold and assertive tone, he sensed a hint of concern and indulgence.
Or maybe it was just his imagination.
Bai Yang could feel that their relationship was improving, not as distant and cold as before. But he wasn’t delusional enough to believe Shao Cheng would actually reciprocate his feelings; he probably just thought he was okay, good enough to continue as a sex friend. For Bai Yang, that was already more than enough.
If someone had told him a few months ago that he would develop this kind of relationship with Shao Cheng, he would have thought they were delusional. Yet here he was, lucky enough to gain the attention and affection of someone he liked despite the vast difference in their backgrounds. May this beautiful dream never end.
