A Gentle Wish and a Distressing Encounter

Chu Nian stared at the cake in his hands, lost in thought for a long moment.

He truly couldn’t fathom a reason why Lu Jinnian would buy him a cake. During his birthdays over the past two years, Lu Jinnian had never so much as asked about them. Why start now?

Chu Nian suddenly recalled what Lu Jinnian had mentioned about visiting his family home next month.

Is he afraid I won’t agree?

It was true that Chu Nian had never met Lu Jinnian’s family; Lu Jinnian seemed to intentionally or unintentionally keep him away from them. If he hadn’t bumped into Lu Jinchu at the hospital last time, he likely would have reached the end of their contract without ever knowing what the brother—the other protagonist in the rumors—even looked like.

But there was no need for Lu Jinnian to do any of this. Chu Nian had no reason to refuse any of Lu Jinnian’s requests. Their contract stated it clearly: he would do anything Lu Jinnian wanted, as long as Lu Jinnian paid him.

Chu Nian frowned, feeling a strange sensation in his chest. He carried the cake back to his room, set it on the table, and headed into the bathroom to shower.

By the time he came out, it was nearly midnight. Drying his hair with a towel, his peripheral vision caught an unread message on his phone.

Lu Jinnian: 【How does the cake taste?】

Chu Nian froze, his movements stopping mid-air. A droplet of water from his hair slid down his pale neck and disappeared into his shirt.

He turned his head, his gaze lingering on the unopened cake box. With fingers still warm from the shower, he tapped the screen and replied: 【Not bad.】

The message sent successfully, and then silence from the other side. Chu Nian put his phone down and leaned over, staring through the transparent lid of the cake box for a long time.

The fluffy sponge was covered in cream and topped with bright red strawberries dusted with powdered sugar. Even without opening it, he could almost smell the sweetness.

Mhm… it should be very sweet.

****************************************

Lu Jinnian hadn’t expected Chu Nian to appear at his door.

When he opened it and saw Chu Nian standing there, he was visibly startled.

Chu Nian stood before him, looking up with obsidian eyes that seemed slightly misty. The tips of his hair were still wet. He wore a simple white short-sleeved shirt, the wide collar accentuating his elegant collarbones.

Lu Jinnian stood dazed for a few seconds before his gaze slid down to the cake Chu Nian was holding. A few lit candles were stuck into it; Chu Nian’s breath made the orange flames flicker, casting swaying shadows onto the floor.

Lu Jinnian tilted his head, a flash of confusion in his eyes. “You…”

“Lu Jinnian.” Chu Nian released his bitten lower lip and interrupted him softly. “Help me… make a wish.”

Lu Jinnian blinked, not quite processing the request. “Who lets someone else make the wish on their own birthday?” He shook his head in refusal.

At those words, the person before him frowned with an air of distress, his lips pouting slightly. The candlelight reflected in his eyes, lighting up the deep night held within them.

“But I haven’t celebrated my birthday in a long time,” Chu Nian whispered. “And I don’t have any wishes.”

Whenever he closed his eyes, images of Liao Ling and Pei Yu would surface. They would be wearing gentle smiles, surrounding him to wish him a happy birthday. But in the next second, their expressions would turn icy and numb; their lifeless eyes would stare at him, parched lips murmuring the same phrase: “This is all your fault.”

Whenever he saw this, Chu Nian felt a wave of suffocation. He had snapped his eyes open, clutching his racing chest as he gasped for air. The lit candles were nearly spent, and his mind had gone blank; by the time he regained his senses, he had already walked to Lu Jinnian’s door.

The tall man in front of him stared down at him, then quirked a smile. “If I make it, you won’t regret it?”

Chu Nian shook his head.

“Fine.”

Lu Jinnian agreed and reached back to switch off the lights in his room. Darkness rushed in, leaving the candles on the cake as the only source of light.

He lowered his head and folded his hands. The warm glow enveloped Lu Jinnian’s face, making him look exceptionally handsome in a different way.

[I hope…]

Chu Nian stared at him with wide eyes. Their shadows merged on the floor, and the night outside seemed to deepen as a hot summer breeze brushed past the windowsill.

[…that Chu Nian will always be loved.]

Lu Jinnian’s inner voice sounded remarkably calm.

Chu Nian’s breath hitched. It felt as if his heart had been caught in a hand and set ablaze, the heat flowing through his veins.

It was like a stone dropped into a still lake, sending out ripple after ripple. He didn’t know how to describe the feeling. No one had ever said those words to him before.

I hope you are loved.

Lu Jinnian had made the gentlest wish possible for him.

The world was silent. Chu Nian could only hear the frantic beating of his own heart.

“Huff.”

The candles were blown out.

He and Lu Jinnian were submerged in darkness together.

“Click.”

The lights in the room behind them were switched on, the harsh glare instantly piercing the dark.

The man stood before Chu Nian with his back to the light, the smile still lingering on his lips and a sparkle in his eyes.

“Is that good?”

The magnetic voice pulled Chu Nian back to reality. He awkwardly looked away, afraid Lu Jinnian would notice his runaway emotions. He felt like his voice might not even be louder than his heartbeat. His throat felt dry.

Chu Nian’s lashes fluttered. “Yes. Thank you.”

******************************************

The brutal summer finally welcomed a heavy downpour.

The rain that had started the previous night continued into the next afternoon. Dark clouds stacked in the sky, and the humidity in the air felt even more irritating because of the rain.

However, the wind was finally cooler. A woman sitting by the window opened the glass, allowing the cool breeze to rush in and sweep away the heat in the office.

The scent of rain-filled air entered Chu Nian’s nose. The coffee by his hand had long gone cold. He typed the last character into his computer, saved the file out of habit, and rubbed his aching eyes.

Chu Nian yawned as he stood up. His back felt stiff and sore from sitting too long. He picked up his cup, walked to the sink, and poured the dregs of the coffee down the drain.

As he washed the cup, two colleagues standing outside the glass door chatted; they gave him a friendly greeting when they saw him. Chu Nian responded with a light smile.

The two turned back to continue their conversation.

“…The previous supervisor was transferred. I heard a new one is coming. I wonder what they’re like. If they’re as mean as the last one, I’m just going to quit.”

“I know, right? Last time he yelled at me so much I became depressed. My friends had to talk me out of resigning…”

“Chu Nian!”

Someone suddenly called his name.

Chu Nian turned off the faucet and turned around. Shen Que had appeared behind him, and standing next to him was a stranger.

He set the cup down and walked over. “President Shen, you called?”

“This is our company’s new supervisor,” Shen Que pointed to the man. “His last name is Ye. You can call him Supervisor Ye.”

Chu Nian gave an “Mhm” and looked at Supervisor Ye. The man was wearing a standard suit and had a very delicate, clean-cut face. Though he was only about as tall as Chu Nian’s shoulder, he looked easy to get along with.

Seeing Chu Nian looking at him, Supervisor Ye smiled proactively and extended a hand. “Chu Nian, right? We’ll be colleagues from now on. Let’s look out for each other.”

Chu Nian didn’t dare be rude; he reached out to shake the hand, saying respectfully, “Hello, Supervisor Ye.”

When their palms met, the man’s body temperature was significantly higher than his own. Chu Nian intended to let go after a brief shake.

However, the other man kept a firm grip.

His rough fingertips even brushed against the back of Chu Nian’s hand, seemingly intentionally. Chu Nian’s brow twitched. He looked up at Supervisor Ye, who was staring right back. The eyes behind the glasses held an obscure, unreadable light.

In that instant, Chu Nian inexplicably found that look familiar. It was an unsettling, distressing gaze.

He used some force to wrench his hand back. Looking down, he saw several faint red finger marks left on his pale skin.

Shen Que didn’t notice the abnormality. “Chu Nian, if you aren’t busy, take Supervisor Ye for a tour and help him get familiar with the company.”

Chu Nian opened his mouth to refuse, but ultimately swallowed the words. “Okay.”

He agreed, and after Shen Que exchanged a few more pleasantries with Supervisor Ye, Chu Nian led the man out of the office.

Huanxing Group’s internal structure was large; it was one of the top companies in the country, even if it paled slightly in comparison to Lansheng. It had been founded by Shen Que, making him the youngest successful entrepreneur in the industry.

Chu Nian led the way, introducing each department. The other man cooperated with everything he said, but as time passed, Chu Nian began to notice something was wrong. Supervisor Ye’s responses became less frequent and more perfunctory. Walking behind him, the man’s eyes were practically glued to Chu Nian’s body.

The feeling of being stared at so blatantly made Chu Nian uncomfortable. Beyond that, there were the man’s filthy inner thoughts.

[The way his clothes trace his waistline when he walks… if only I could slip my hand under that hem…]

This voice had been bothering him the whole way.

Chu Nian stopped in his tracks. He pressed his lips together and turned around to meet the man’s eyes.

Supervisor Ye stopped as well, a faint smile on his face. His dark pupils watched Chu Nian with a look that seemed like it wanted to swallow him whole, sending a shiver down Chu Nian’s spine.

Chu Nian’s Adam’s apple bobbed.

He remembered now. He had seen this expression before.

…On Pei Yu’s face.