Tang Zhe genuinely wanted to be good to Min Yang. In Tang Zhe’s eyes, even though Min Yang was an Alpha, he had lost his mother at a young age. While Tang Zhe himself had also grown up without a father, at least he had learned a few things from Miss Tang and could protect himself. But Min Yang was different.
Over the past few days, Tang Zhe had learned a lot from the butler—about Min Yang’s father, about Min Yang himself, and about his stepmother and younger brother. The more he learned, the more it pained Tang Zhe.
Min Yang had been alone since he was a child, and Tang Zhe couldn’t imagine how lonely and difficult that must have been.
Thinking about the injuries Min Yang had suffered, Tang Zhe felt that his Alpha was as fragile as porcelain.
Tang Zhe was naturally good at taking care of people. When he was little, Miss Tang often traveled for long periods—each trip lasted at least ten days to half a month. The elderly grandfather who took care of Tang Zhe was too old to move around much, so while other children were still picky and spoiled, Tang Zhe had already learned to dress himself and tie his own shoes. Later, when he moved to the Tang family, the person assigned to care for him was a maid who favored the eldest young master. She didn’t bother to take care of Tang Zhe, and it was considered a good day if she wasn’t picking on him.
Tang Zhe had to learn to take care of himself, but now, he had someone he wanted to take care of.
Tang Zhe was meticulous in his work. Although he didn’t know how to cook many dishes, he could make simple porridge and meals, and he put his heart into it. Under Tang Zhe’s care, the stomach issues that Min Yang had developed from overwork never resurfaced.
Tonight, when Min Yang returned from work and opened the door, he was once again greeted with a hug from the little stammerer.
Tang Zhe was wearing light gray pyjamas, his hair still slightly damp from a recent wash. Only the roots were dry, and the few wet strands brushed against the Alpha’s chin.
“Mr… Mr. Min.”
“Mm.” Min Yang kept a straight face, but his chin felt a bit ticklish, though oddly… he didn’t want to push Tang Zhe away.
After the brief hug, Tang Zhe led Min Yang to the sofa. It was then that Min Yang noticed the room was filled with colourful ribbons and balloons.
Min Yang frowned in confusion, about to ask what was going on, but Tang Zhe quickly turned off the lights.
Min Yang instinctively tensed up but relaxed slightly when he sensed that only Tang Zhe’s pheromones were present, easing the tension in his shoulders.
“What are you doing?” Min Yang asked coldly.
“Mr… Mr. Min.” Tang Zhe seemed a bit nervous too, speaking very close to Min Yang. Maybe it was because everything had gone dark, but Min Yang’s senses seemed heightened, and he could even feel the warmth of Tang Zhe’s breath on his face as he spoke.
The next moment, Min Yang felt something being gently placed on his head. Whatever it was, Tang Zhe was carefully adjusting it.
Just as Min Yang was about to ask what it was, the lights came back on, revealing the answer.
Tang Zhe had placed a… birthday hat on his head.
The hat was surrounded by a ring of tiny star-shaped lights, the kind that children would love.
“Ha-happy… birthday.” Tang Zhe said earnestly, forcing each word out despite his stammer.
Only then did Min Yang notice that it wasn’t just the birthday hat that was adorned with star lights. The living room was decorated with playful, childlike atmosphere lights. Tang Zhe held his hand, and in the glow of the lights, the reflection in the floor-to-ceiling windows made it seem as though they were both standing amidst a galaxy of stars.
“You…” For the first time, Min Yang felt as though he might have a bit of a stutter himself. His throat tightened, and he couldn’t manage to say a complete sentence for a long while.
It was only now that Min Yang remembered—today was his birthday.
In truth, Min Yang had never been particularly fixated on birthdays. Perhaps when he was younger, he had looked forward to them, but after so many disappointments, he had stopped expecting anything. When Min Yang was three, his mother passed away in an accident. It was ironic that just a month later, his father brought home a new wife, along with a one-year-old half-brother. There was no place for Min Yang in this newly formed family, and from that point on, he no longer celebrated his birthday.
His birthday was forgotten by everyone, just as he was.
Min Yang had grown used to it.
But Tang Zhe had disrupted this habit.
Tang Zhe, with his congenital stutter, struggled to speak fluently, yet here he was, singing a birthday song along with the music.
—Not a single stutter, though who knows how many times the little stammerer had secretly practiced.
“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you…”
The candlelight cast a warm glow on the little stammerer’s cheeks as he looked at Min Yang with bright eyes. “Mr… Mr. Min, you… you should… make a wish.”
Tang Zhe offered with excitement, “Birthday… wishes… are… always… very… magical.”
Min Yang stayed silent for a long time. Just when Tang Zhe thought he had refused to make a wish, the Alpha quickly spat out two words.
Min Yang said, “Childish!”
Min Yang: “Who still believes in birthday wishes? I stopped making wishes when I was three…”
The Alpha rarely spoke at length, and his voice was dry. If you listened closely, you could hear a faint trace of nervousness in his tone.
Under Tang Zhe’s amused gaze, Min Yang awkwardly turned his head away. “But since you went to the trouble of getting a birthday cake—”
Min Yang cleared his throat uncomfortably, “I suppose… I can… reluctantly believe in it one last time.”
Min Yang clasped his hands together, closing his eyes briefly before opening them again. He looked around cautiously, taking two steps to the left and then two steps to the right.
“So,” Min Yang asked, looking at Tang Zhe, “Can birthday wishes really come true?”
“Does it matter if I stand here when I make my wish?”
Min Yang hadn’t made a wish in over a decade and was clearly out of practice.
“I heard that if you blow out all the candles on your birthday cake in one go, your wish is more likely to come true. Is… is that true?”
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