CH 30

“Happy birthday!”

As the apartment door opened, Lin Yuxing and Gu Zhongyi were greeted with a strange and colorful world.

Su Li and Gu Nuan held fireworks in their hands, and colored paper flew through the air. Yang Qing cheered and applauded enthusiastically, creating a lively atmosphere.

Gu Zhongyi: “…”

In order to make Lin Yuxing’s birthday party more exciting, Yang Qing, who enjoyed participating in various activities, took the initiative to decorate the living room.

Gu Zhongyi, who had never organized a birthday party for anyone before, mistakenly believed in Yang Qing’s taste and agreed to the proposal, even giving them the apartment password in advance.

Unexpectedly, the color scheme turned out to be indescribable. Yang Qing, although talented, definitely lacked artistic talent.

Lin Yuxing looked at the colorful balloons and ribbons filling the living room, with beautiful flower baskets congratulating him on his birthday. He looked anxiously at Gu Zhongyi next to him, feeling puzzled.

“I asked them to decorate,” Gu Zhongyi looked at the chaotic room and couldn’t help but say, “…but it’s indeed a bit flashy.”

Su Li and Gu Nuan also felt the same way but indeed it was too late to change everything so they had to flow with it.

Yang Qing snorted and, feeling dissatisfied, pointed out Gu Zhongyi’s shortcomings and tried to defend himself, “Zhongyi is even worse at decorating than me. I was a bit rushed this time, so it doesn’t look that good.”

Gu Zhongyi patted his shoulder and withdrew his playful remarks, saying, “You worked hard.”

Lin Yuxing shook his head, moved, and said, “It’s beautiful, and I really like it! Thank you all for your efforts.”

Under everyone’s urging, he took off his old worn-out sneakers and put on the new slippers which Gu Zhongyi handed to him. The warmth surrounded Lin Yuxing, whose hands’ frostbite swelled up, itched, and his head felt a bit dizzy.

He stared at this birthday party specially prepared for him and occasionally smiled.

Lin Yuxing’s happiness was fully visible to Gu Zhongyi. He closed the door and put the groceries he brought aside.

Su Li and Gu Nuan couldn’t wait to take out the gifts they had prepared a few days ago and stuffed Lin Yuxing’s arms.

Holding the gifts, Lin Yuxing was too excited to speak. After a while, he asked nervously, “Can I open them?”

“Of course, once they’re given to you, they’re yours,” they replied.

The gifts from Su Li and Gu Nuan were affordable and practical warm items, which might seem ordinary to others but were excellent gifts for Lin Yuxing.

They had put a lot of thought into them, not wanting to choose something too expensive but still matching the birthday boy’s preferences.

Fortunately, Lin Yuxing liked them very much. He held the valuable shoes and cherished them, saying, “Thank you, I will treasure these gifts.”

Until the end of time.

Su Li was frustrated and privately messaged Gu Nuan.

Su Li: [He specifically told me earlier not  to give Li Yuxing expensive gifts as he wouldn’t accept them.]

Gu Nuan: [I’ve let it go. They are a couple, i take it he knows him best]

Su Li: [It’s too complicated. I see through this Alpha!]

Yang Qing, disregarding their complex thoughts, dutifully brought the ingredients to the kitchen. He took out a few bottles of wine from the refrigerator and cheerfully said, “Come on, how can we celebrate a birthday without alcohol! I brought some cooked food, let’s start with a drink first.”

Seeing the enthusiastic Lin Yuxing, Gu Zhongyi reminded Yang Qing in a soft voice before going to the kitchen to cook, “Just have a little drink. Su Li and Guan Nuan aren’t of legal age yet, and they’re both Omegas, so be mindful.”

Yang Qing slapped his forehead, realizing that he hadn’t considered that. “Right, right, I didn’t think about that.”

When he turned around, Su Li and Guan Nuan had already filled their glasses. Yang Qing understood that those two must have strict restrictions at home, so they were indulging themselves outside.

Only Lin Yuxing’s glass remained empty as he said, “I’ll just have a soft drink.”

Lin Yuxing was afraid that he couldn’t handle alcohol well. If he got drunk, it might end  with Gu Zhongyi being the only one left to clean up the leftovers on the table.

Not only that, but Lin Yuxing also went to the kitchen, rolled up his sleeves, and planned to handle the ingredients with Gu Zhongyi.

But there was no reason for the birthday boy to cook  himself.

Lin Yuxing didn’t let Gu Zhongyi chase him away and stubbornly stayed in the kitchen. He boasted, “I used to work at a restaurant and learned a bit of cooking. I don’t know how to thank you guys today, so let me prepare a few dishes.”

In the limited space, the pheromones from Lin Yuxing’s glands, intensified by the ointment, released a stronger and sweeter scent, intruding carelessly into Gu Zhongyi’s nose.

With the barrier, Gu Zhongyi wouldn’t be intoxicated, but he could still feel intoxicated because of his fondness. He couldn’t refuse Lin Yuxing’s request and agreed to let him stay in the kitchen.

The three people in the living room were not good at cooking, so Gu Zhongyi used the excuse of “no messing around” to keep them outside the kitchen.

During their time together, Lin Yuxing and Gu Zhongyi had such seamless coordination that they were no less competent than partners who had lived together for many years.

One washed, the other chopped; one stir-fried, the other served. They quickly made half a table of dishes. The rest were either stewing in the pot or being steamed.

While Lin Yuxing was chopping scallions, he glanced at the time on his phone. It was already 8 o’clock in the evening. His stomach growled, and a piece of braised pork suddenly appeared in front of his mouth.

“…”

“Try it?”

With a slight movement of his hand holding the chopsticks, Gu Zhongyi fed it to Lin Yuxing’s mouth. Watching him chew and swallow, Gu Zhongyi smiled brightly and asked, “How is it? Is it the same as when we went to the restaurant last time?”

Lin Yuxing’s eyes lit up, and he immediately gave a thumbs-up.

Wanting to reciprocate the gesture, Lin Yuxing peeled off one of the oil-braised prawns he had just cooked and handed it over, wanting Gu Zhongyi to taste it.

Unexpectedly, Gu Zhongyi leaned in and took a bite of the prawn from Lin Yuxing’s hand. His teeth lightly grazed Lin Yuxing’s fingertips, as if plucking the strings of their hearts.

Lin Yuxing’s heart  began to race, thumping in his throat.

Covering his throat with his hand, Lin Yuxing subconsciously took a step back, accidentally bumping into the pot of boiling water behind him.

“Be careful!”

Gu Zhongyi quickly pulled him and held the pot steady.

While the danger was averted, Lin Yuxing ended up in Gu Zhongyi’s embrace, their chests pressed against each other in an intimate contact.

The collision of their pheromones was like a bottle of sweet and sour summer soda.

With Gu Zhongyi’s arm protecting him, Lin Yuxing couldn’t help but feel his heart pounding, and soon his face turned red. For the first time, he had the thought of wanting to stay in that embrace a bit longer.

Because this feeling was exactly the same as when he dreamed about Gu Zhongyi.

If it weren’t for Yang Qing untimely pushing open the kitchen door, making a “tsk tsk” sound, Lin Yuxing might have taken a while longer to regain his senses.

He quickly moved away from Gu Zhongyi and blushed, stammering, “I’m sorry, I forgot there was a pot behind me…”

“You’ve been busy all day and must be tired. Go rest for a while, Yang Qing and I can handle the rest,” Gu Zhongyi must have realized Lin Yuxing was feeling shy and considerately gave him an excuse to escape the embarrassment.

Lin Yuxing looked at Gu Zhongyi, who appeared calm and composed, and felt a hint of disappointment in his heart. He quickly nodded and hurriedly left the kitchen.

Seeing this, Yang Qing sneaked up to Gu Zhongyi and nudged his elbow, saying sarcastically, “Seems like the relationship is going well, cooking and being all lovey-dovey.” He continued in a teasing tone, “The kitchen is too small, you should get a bigger house soon.”

“It’s normal to have a good relationship, isn’t it?” Gu Zhongyi laughed. “And a small kitchen is cozy.”

Yang Qing, accustomed to the current Gu Zhongyi, cheerfully continued cutting the scallions, humming a self-made tune in a mischievous manner, “People in love, one by one, like they’ve had fake alcohol…”

Gu Zhongyi calle out, “Yang Qing.”

Yang Qing obediently complied, “Yes, sir,” and stopped singing, saying, “Alright, alright.”,

When Lin Yuxing came out of the kitchen, his cheeks were flushed. He sat at the dining table, still not fully recovered from the incident in the kitchen, and Su Li, who didn’t know any better, wanted to pour him a drink.

He shook his head repeatedly, “I don’t have a good alcohol tolerance, so I won’t drink tonight.”

Su Li exclaimed, “You, the birthday boy, not drinking?!”

Gu Nuan, slightly tipsy, enjoyed the spectacle and pointed at Lin Yuxing’s glass, saying, ” Gu Zhongyi  said that tonight the three of us will sleep in the same room, while he and Yang Qing will sleep in the living room. He has already prepared all the toiletries for us. Let’s just drink and don’t worry about it!”

Lin Yuxing was busy trying to stop them, but soon his glass was already filled with alcohol.

Gu Nuan suddenly remembered something and took out a bottle of pheromone inhibitor perfume from his shoulder bag and placed it on the nearby cabinet.

“My dad knows we have Alphas gathering for dinner, so he specially asked me to bring the company’s new product. This way, even if everyone gets drunk, the pheromones won’t go wild. It’s safe.”

Lin Yuxing was a fan of the Gu Group, and he looked at Gu Nuan and Su Li with admiration. “Impressive, it’s the Gu Group!” They even invented something like that.

Gu Nuan patted his chest and proudly said, “Of course!”

However, every time Lin Yuxing saw Gu Nuan, it was hard for him to associate him with the heir of the Gu Group. After all, Gu Nuan looked soft and sweet, completely different from those decisive and powerful CEOs in the news. But nothing was set in stone. Gu Nuan was outstanding and intelligent, so it was probably just because he was still young and lacked experience.

Lin Yuxing had a clear goal for his future, and he firmly believed that he shouldn’t offend the heir of the Gu Group. So he took the initiative to flatter him.

He poured a glass of wine for Gu Nuan and said, “Gu Nuan, cheers to the glory of the Gu Group!”

Su Li: “?”

Gu Nuan clinked glasses without hesitation. “Yuxing, don’t be polite. We’re family from now on!”

In Gu Nuan’s mind, Lin Yuxing was Gu Zhongyi’s partner and would eventually become a part of the Gu Group.

they then drank the alcohol in their glasses in one gulp.

By the time Gu Zhongyi and Yang Qing came out of the kitchen with the dishes, Gu Nuan and Lin Yuxing had already consumed two entire bottles of wine. Su Li, sandwiched between the two, playfully complained, “You’re all family, and I’m the only outsider here.”

He raised his chin and sat down between them, putting his hands on their shoulders. “You two shouldn’t clink glasses anymore! Now that we’re all here, let’s blow out the candles and make a wish! It’s already so late, and I’m starving!”

Lin Yuxing’s birthday wish was simple: he hoped to successfully graduate from college.

He remembered that when he used to work at the restaurant, the customers would intertwine their fingers and make wishes on their birthdays, so he followed suit. When he was ready and was about to speak, Gu Zhongyi stopped him.

“If you say your birthday wish out loud, it won’t come true.”

Hearing this, Lin Yuxing pressed his lips tightly. He closed his eyes and silently placed his wish in his heart.

When he opened his eyes, the first person he saw was Gu Zhongyi sitting across from him.

“Yuxing, happy birthday.”

He wasn’t sure if it was because of the alcohol, but in the flickering candlelight, Gu Zhongyi’s expression was gentle, his voice steady, and everything seemed like a dream. The Gu Zhongyi in front of him resembled the one who had appeared in his dreams, the Gu Zhongyi who let him have his way.

Gu Zhongyi’s eyes were filled with countless expressions of love, so explicit.

But it disappeared in an instant, leaving no trace.

“…”

Lin Yuxing sighed, thinking he had been delusional. He must have been mistaken.

Interestingly, at that moment, he actually felt the impulse to respond to these feelings. He wanted to embrace passionately, to kiss tenderly, to experience every sweet and suffocating emotion.

Under the influence of alcohol, he had a moment of clarity.

it dawned on him belatedly what his true feelings were.

He told himself that he was a normal person, so it was natural for him to have feelings for Gu Zhongyi. It was an ordinary thing.

Humans are easily swayed by emotions, and even if they know they’re not fit or the feelings won’t be reciprocated, they will still move forward.

Lin Yuxing slightly parted his lips, and his heart suddenly tightened. In the dim candlelight, his eyes  fixedly looking at Gu Zhongyi. His eyelashes trembled like falling leaves.

Time passed for a moment.

Lin Yuxing’s Adam’s apple moved unconsciously. Something was blossoming inside him, occupying his every thought.

He closed his eyes again, paused for three seconds, and then finally blew out the candle.

Because he had made one more small wish – “I hope I can stop liking him.”

Lin Yuxing blindly believed that birthday wishes would come true.