FIO CH4

Chapter 4: So, Shall We Forgive?

The morning’s little incident set the tone for an unpleasant day, with bad luck following closely behind. Everything at work went wrong: the program crashed, bugs appeared, and complaints came in. It wasn’t that these were major issues, but they were enough to cause frustration and chaos.

By the time Lu Fangchi had dealt with all the work, it was already seven o’clock, an hour later than the usual time to leave. There were still four hours until midnight. Lu Fangchi took off his glasses and rubbed his aching temples. Suddenly, his phone rang, the sound jarring in the quiet environment. The continuous “buzzing” of the phone against the table felt suffocating.

The phone rang and stopped, then started again, over and over, as if it would never stop until answered. On what seemed like the umpteenth ring, Lu Fangchi finally found his wits and slowly reached for the phone, pressing the answer button just before it would have disconnected automatically: “Hello.”

The person on the other end said something, and Lu Fangchi’s expression grew increasingly grim. His lips tightened, and after a long pause, he finally responded with a “Mm,” before hanging up.

Zhou Zheng stared at the phone screen, and as soon as the countdown from 59 to 00 appeared, he opened the WeChat chat box and began typing: “It’s going to be midnight in an hour, and you’re still not off work? Shall I come pick you up? The snow outside is getting heavier and heavier…”

Perhaps Santa Claus had heard Zhou Zheng’s plea, because before he could finish typing, the electronic door sound came from the entrance hall. Zhou Zheng looked up and saw Lu Fangchi standing at the door—he had returned.

Unlike his casual outfit in the morning, Lu Fangchi was now dressed in a suit that accentuated his tall and upright figure. His already eye-catching long legs seemed even more prominent. His hair was combed back neatly, and this attire made him look mature, restrained, and exuded an air of nobility and composure. He was truly handsome, but where had he been? And why was he dressed like this? These questions occupied Zhou Zheng’s mind, overshadowing the visual impact of Lu Fangchi’s appearance.

Lu Fangchi seemed to be in a neutral mood. With a cold expression, he loosened his tie, changed his shoes, shook off the snow from his body, and prepared to take a shower. But Zhou Zheng stood in his way like a wall and asked, “Are you just getting off work?”

Lu Fangchi responded perfunctorily, “Mm-hmm.”

Zhou Zheng sniffed the air, detecting a mix of smoke and alcohol, a scent that couldn’t have come from the office. However, he didn’t voice his suspicions. He wiped his nose, but before he could gather his emotions, Lu Fangchi interrupted him: “Can you move? I need to take a shower.”

Lu Fangchi, likely drenched from the snow, was wet all over. His eyes glistened with moisture, and his nose was red from the cold. Despite the irritation in his tone and the slight furrow of his brows, the dampness in his eyes softened his expression. In Zhou Zheng’s eyes, it looked like he was pouting, and Zhou Zheng’s ears suddenly felt hot. He quietly stepped aside.

Naturally, Lu Fangchi was unaware of Zhou Zheng’s inner turmoil. He just wanted to take a quick shower, go to bed, and end this exhausting day. The hot water soothed Lu Fangchi’s slightly irritable mood, and by the time he came out of the bathroom, he had calmed down considerably.

He glanced at his phone again—it was half past eleven. Good, almost done. If it weren’t for the sound of the door opening the next second.

“Xiao Chi, are you asleep?” Zhou Zheng pushed the door open slightly and whispered into the dimly lit bedroom, illuminated only by the bedside lamp.

Lu Fangchi hesitated for half a minute before responding, “Not yet.”

As soon as he sat up, Zhou Zheng walked mysteriously to his side and produced a four-inch cake from behind his back.

The moment Lu Fangchi saw the cake, his eyebrows furrowed slightly, and a hint of displeasure rose in his eyes. Unfortunately, the dim lighting made it impossible for Zhou Zheng to see these subtle expressions on Lu Fangchi’s face. Instead, Zhou Zheng began to sing the birthday song in his deep, magnetic voice: “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you…” His voice was unexpectedly touching, and his expressive eyes under his high, arched eyebrows were filled with affection. It was hard for anyone to resist a birthday song sung in such an atmosphere.

Except for Lu Fangchi.

When the song ended, he showed no reaction at all. The air became slightly tense, and it was clear that there was an awkward silence.

Zhou Zheng felt a bit embarrassed, unsure of what had gone wrong, but he still forced a smile and said, “Xiao Chi, happy birthday. I wish you peace and happiness.”

Lu Fangchi responded coldly, “Mm.”

Seeing that Lu Fangchi still didn’t move, Zhou Zheng couldn’t help but urge, “Blow out the candles.”

Lu Fangchi leaned forward and blew out the candles casually.

Zhou Zheng then turned on the main light with great enthusiasm and began to cut the cake.

“Xiao Chi, you should make the first cut.”

Lu Fangchi replied listlessly, “You cut it. I don’t want to get up.”

“It’s okay, I’ll hold it. You don’t need to stand up,” Zhou Zheng’s eyes sparkled with excitement, though it was unclear what he was so happy about.

Since it was his birthday, Lu Fangchi didn’t want to be too disappointing, so he reached out and made a half-hearted cut, not even slicing all the way through.

Zhou Zheng didn’t mind Lu Fangchi’s perfunctory gesture and deepened the cut along the same line, successfully removing a piece of the cake.

“The first piece is for Xiao Chi,” Zhou Zheng handed over a small plate with a piece of cake topped with five strawberries, having gathered all the strawberries from the entire four-inch cake for Lu Fangchi.

Lu Fangchi lowered his eyes and said, “Put it there. I’ll eat it later.”

Knowing full well that “later” probably meant “never,” Zhou Zheng insisted, “No, I want to see you eat it.”

“I can’t eat it now. I’m not hungry,” Lu Fangchi replied.

“But it’ll be past midnight soon,” Zhou Zheng argued.

“I’ll eat it before midnight. I’ll check the time,” Lu Fangchi insisted.

Zhou Zheng remained stubborn, even going so far as to feed Lu Fangchi himself. He scooped up a spoonful of cream and brought it to Lu Fangchi’s lips: “Just one bite, please.”

It was this action that finally irritated Lu Fangchi. He turned his head away, his brows furrowed, and his tone became stern: “Can’t you understand what I’m saying?”

Zhou Zheng was taken aback by Lu Fangchi’s sudden anger and stammered, “I just wanted you to have a bite of the cake…”

That single outburst seemed to open a floodgate, and Lu Fangchi’s pent-up emotions poured out: “So why do I have to eat this cake? Not everyone likes celebrating their birthday, and I really hate this overly sweet stuff.”

He truly seemed to dislike it, his face openly showing his aversion.

Realizing that his well-intentioned actions had backfired, Zhou Zheng immediately became flustered and began to tidy up the cake: “I’m s-sorry, I didn’t know. I’ll take it away right now.” As he spoke, he had already stood up, and his hurried and awkward demeanor was evident even in his retreating figure.

In his haste, Zhou Zheng forgot to close the bedroom door, so when Lu Fangchi heard the front door close clearly about five or six minutes later, he couldn’t help but wonder: Had he left?

Whatever.

The emotional outburst seemed to have drained all of Lu Fangchi’s energy, and he visibly wilted, slipping into the covers and closing his eyes. Perhaps because he had something on his mind, Lu Fangchi didn’t sleep soundly and even woke up in a start, his temples beaded with sweat. He reached for his phone on the nightstand to check the time—it was ten past midnight. He had only slept for a little over half an hour.

Lu Fangchi rubbed his aching temples, and his dry throat prompted him to get up and go to the kitchen for a drink. As he opened the refrigerator, the first thing that caught his eye was a collection of plates, five or six in total, all filled to the brim, looking quite abundant.

After taking a bottle of water from the fridge and closing the door, Lu Fangchi turned around and noticed the extra baking tools on the dining counter. He took a few sips of water, and on his way back to the bedroom, he saw two candle holders on the dining table, their positions clearly adjusted with care.

Back in bed, Lu Fangchi’s phone “dinged” with a notification. He glanced at it and saw it was a news push. But in the next second, almost against his will, he tapped into WeChat and found the chat with Zhou Zheng.

The screen was filled with white message bubbles, but upon closer inspection, Lu Fangchi realized that Zhou Zheng’s messages were not frequent, starting only at six in the evening, with each message an hour apart.

Are you off work yet, Xiao Chi?

Still working overtime?

Are you very busy? What time do you think you’ll be done?

Take your time, I’ll wait for you ^o^

It’s still snowing outside!

At least reply with a message, Xiao Chi (T . T)

At the time, Lu Fangchi had neither the time nor the mood to respond, and seeing these messages now, he found them annoying. But in his current state of mind, he realized they were actually cautious inquiries.

Lu Fangchi lowered his eyes, his fingers sliding back and forth on the screen before he sighed. Alright, he admitted it was his fault today for losing his temper with Zhou Zheng.

Reflecting on his own words and picturing Zhou Zheng’s fleeing back, Lu Fangchi felt a pang of guilt. No one owed anyone anything. Zhou Zheng had been busy all day, making longevity noodles, baking cakes, and cooking meals, only to receive a “dislike” from him.

Lu Fangchi began to call Zhou Zheng, but after half a minute, the ringtone sounded in the living room. Following the sound, he found a black phone on the sofa—Zhou Zheng had left without even taking his phone.

Frowning, Lu Fangchi paced to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked outside. Under the streetlights, the snowflakes danced like twinkling stars, falling and covering the ground in a blanket of white.

It was freezing cold, and Zhou Zheng was out there without his phone and with amnesia…

At that moment, Lu Fangchi truly became anxious. He quickly changed his clothes, wrapped a scarf around his neck, and rushed outside.

But as soon as he opened the door, he froze in his tracks.

The motion sensor light turned on, illuminating Zhou Zheng standing at the door. He seemed surprised by the sudden opening of the door, his eyes widening slightly and his face showing a clear expression of astonishment.

Lu Fangchi’s heart settled.

Then he noticed Zhou Zheng’s disheveled state. He was wearing only a thin nightgown under his down jacket and was shivering in a pair of slippers. His nose was red from the cold, and his lips were trembling and turning slightly blue.

Seeing this, Lu Fangchi quickly pulled Zhou Zheng inside and went to the kitchen to pour a cup of hot water for him.

When he handed it over, he touched Zhou Zheng’s fingertips, which were as cold as popsicles. His hair was also damp, as if he had just emerged from water.

How much snow had he been caught in, and why hadn’t he found a place to shelter?

Lu Fangchi hurriedly fetched a dry towel from the bathroom to dry Zhou Zheng’s hair. After a few minutes, realizing it wasn’t very effective and feeling like he had lost his mind, he suggested, “You should just take a hot shower directly. Take off your clothes too; they’re all wet.”

Seeing that Zhou Zheng didn’t move for a while, Lu Fangchi reached out to help him undress. At that moment, Zhou Zheng suddenly pulled out a rose from his chest and handed it to himself.

“I’m sorry,” he said sincerely, his eyebrows drooping in a clear show of remorse.

Lu Fangchi was taken aback for a moment. A part of his heart seemed to collapse rapidly, bubbling with a sour and soft sensation. He finally replied, somewhat off-topic, “You didn’t even take your phone, but you still had money to buy flowers?”

The topic shifted a bit abruptly, and Zhou Zheng’s face turned red. He had indeed encountered such an embarrassing situation just now. He rubbed his nose and said, somewhat embarrassedly, “I traded luxury goods for it.” After a pause, he added, “Fortunately, my old self was quite vain.”

This comment made Lu Fangchi laugh. He took the rose and examined it. Naturally, it wasn’t very fresh at this late hour, and after being crumpled in his chest, it was even a bit wilted, with the flower head drooping just like Zhou Zheng’s current posture—

“So, will you forgive me?” It was as if there was a little dog wagging its tail behind him.