Chapter 43

“Happy birthday, Meng Bai.”

In that instant, the whole world seemed to brighten.

Meng Bai clutched the pocket watch, unable to put it down. She found it a fascinating novelty. “Where did you get this watch? It’s so beautiful.”

“I picked it up at an antique market ages ago. It’s been with me for decades.”

“Decades! Then it’s something precious. You shouldn’t give it to me.” Meng Bai made as if to hand it back.

Miao Bai pushed her hand away. “It’s a gift for you, so keep it—unless you don’t like it.”

“I like it, of course I do!” Meng Bai gripped the watch tightly, listening to the steady tick-tock of time. It made the abstract flow of hours and minutes feel suddenly tangible.

She was still reveling in her delight when two sharp thuds rang out. The glass window chimed crisply.

It sounded like pebbles striking the pane.

Meng Bai sat up and peered toward the window.

Moments later, a voice called softly from outside. “Meng Bai! Meng Bai!!!”

It was Zhou An and Xu Zhou.

Meng Bai was both thrilled and startled. “What are you doing here!”

Zhou An waved from beyond the window, her shadow dancing on the mud wall. “Happy birthday!!! Come out and play! We’ve got birthday gifts for you!!!”

“Now?”

Zhou An sounded impatient. “What, tomorrow? Hurry up!”

Meng Bai glanced at Miao Bai but didn’t answer right away.

A few seconds passed, and Zhou An, losing patience, called out again. “What’s taking so long! Say something! You got a girl hiding in your room or what? Get out here already!”

It was meant as a joke, but it struck too close to the truth. Meng Bai flushed with embarrassment and scrambled out of bed.

“Coming, coming. Just wait.”

Oblivious to everything, Zhou An and Xu Zhou stood foolishly under the window, waiting for her.

Moonlight bathed the night. Meng Bai slipped on a thin T-shirt and stepped outside to meet them.

In the darkness, Zhou An waved excitedly at her. “Hurry over! Here’s your gift—you’re gonna love it!”

It was chilly. Shivering, Meng Bai approached and saw two brand-new books in Zhou An’s hands.

Books weren’t common in the small town, and new ones were a rarity—you had to leave town to find them.

Meng Bai could guess they hadn’t gone for fried potatoes that night. They’d gone shopping for books instead.

What could be more thrilling than books as a birthday gift?

They weren’t well-off, but they were generous with friends. Meng Bai took the books and, by moonlight, clearly made out the titles on the covers:

The Stranger and The Plague, both by the same author, Camus.

Zhou An explained, “The Stranger’s from me, and The Plague is from Xu Zhou. Real copies! We know you’re not picky about books, so we just grabbed some that’d suit your taste. This author’s Camus, and your friend’s Miao Bai—you’re so into Miao! So yeah, perfect fit!”

Meng Bai replied awkwardly, “Come on, I’m not that into Miao…”

Zhou An grinned slyly. “Heh! The way you were mooning over that lunatic during tutoring today? Don’t think I didn’t notice!”

Meng Bai cringed, mortified at the thought of Miao Bai overhearing.

“Okay, okay, enough already.” She ran her fingers over the covers. “I really love these books.”

Books, a bicycle, an old pocket watch.

In this unremarkable small town, everyone had given her the very best they could offer.

She had never felt so fulfilled. In this moment, the goddess of happiness truly smiled upon her.

But it was late. Meng Bai didn’t want them lingering. “We’ll catch up tomorrow in the daylight. You two head home and get some sleep.”

Xu Zhou cut in. “Head home? We haven’t even sung happy birthday yet.”

She pulled a small cake from behind her back, while Zhou An produced a box of matches. It was clear they’d rehearsed this.

With a scratch, a flame bloomed in the darkness. A gust of wind made it flicker and dance.

Meng Bai cupped her hands to shield it.

They stuck in the candles, and the three of them stood beneath the mud wall. Zhou An, hopelessly off-key, launched into song: “Happy birthday to you…”

Xu Zhou joined in: “Happy birthday to you~~~~”

The candlelight filtered through the window into the room. Meng Bai glanced up, figuring Miao Bai could probably hear the singing.

“Happy birthday to me—”

“Blow out the candles!” Zhou An clapped softly, giggling under her breath. “Ten years from now, the three of us should celebrate together again, right?”

Xu Zhou’s eyes sparkled as she nodded. “Right! Ten years from now, still together!”

Meng Bai blew, and with a whoosh, the flames snuffed out into the dark. Zhou An and Xu Zhou’s faces fell into shadow. Softly, Meng Bai said, “Of course. Ten years from now, I hope all of us can celebrate together.”

All of us.

Including the person inside by the window.

“Let’s eat some cake. You first, then we’ll go.”

Meng Bai dabbed a bit of frosting on her finger and tasted it. Quite sweet.

“Where’d you get it? Was it expensive?”

Zhou An stomped her foot in exasperation. “Not expensive—eat already! I’m starving!”

Xu Zhou and Zhou An insisted she take the first bite. Only then did they dig in.

“Save me a small piece,” Meng Bai said.

“What, one piece not enough for you?” Zhou An teased. “Greedy guts! Fine, fine—the rest is yours.”

The three of them stood outside nibbling for a few more minutes before Xu Zhou and Zhou An finally left.

Meng Bai carried the cake back inside—and wouldn’t you know it, just as she stepped through the door, there was Meng Xingzhong, up for a midnight bathroom break.

Father and daughter stared at each other. He scratched his head. “What in the world are you doing up in the middle of the night!”

Meng Bai held up the cake. “Zhou An brought it over. Happy birthday to me.”

He gave her a sidelong look. “That girl, running around here in the dead of night—she’s the one who’s gonna go missing one day!”

Meng Bai let his words slide off her like water. She hurried into her room with the cake.

She saved the best piece—the one loaded with the most fruit—for Miao Bai.

Still unsure if she would like it, Meng Bai asked tentatively, “Miao Bai, want some?”

The dim light softened the contours of Miao Bai’s cheeks. Her brows and eyes carried the mature allure of a woman.

Meng Bai couldn’t help stealing another glance.

“Eat.”

Meng Bai’s heart skipped happily.

She held the cake out and scooped up a small piece. “Here, this strawberry’s really sweet.”

She had no idea if Miao Bai had a sweet tooth, but she always wanted to give her the very best.

Miao Bai didn’t refuse. She parted her lips and gently sipped from Meng Bai’s spoon.

The curve of her lips as she opened her mouth was exquisitely beautiful, her full lips glossy and inviting. She ate with deliberate slowness, as if the mere act of food touching her tongue brought pure bliss.

Meng Bai’s attention wasn’t on the cake at all. She watched Miao Bai intently, her mind wandering to what it might feel like to brush her finger lightly against those lips.

They had to be so soft.

The thought flitted through her head, and the next instant, she snapped back to reality, deeming the notion oddly inappropriate.

Miao Bai’s voice broke through. “Want a bite?”

“Huh?” Meng Bai licked her own lips. “How?”

“Isn’t the spoon right there in your hand?”

“Oh.”

Meng Bai’s throat bobbed faintly. There was only one spoon, and Miao Bai had just taken a bite from it. Eating after her now felt strangely intimate.

She’d shared utensils with Zhou An before without a second thought, but with Miao Bai, it was different somehow.

Despite the tangle of hesitation in her chest, her hand moved of its own accord. She quickly scooped up a bite.

Strawberry cake burst on her tongue, its flavors trembling at the tip, but Meng Bai barely registered the sweetness of the fruit. She was hunting for traces of Miao Bai in every morsel.

Deliberately, irresistibly—where was that scent? It seemed to permeate her entire mouth.

A single bite, yet it held some enchantment, sending fizzy bubbles racing through her veins.

Miao Bai said, “Finish the rest.”

Meng Bai blinked. “Huh? You’re not having any more?”

Miao Bai’s lips curved in a smile. “One bite’s enough.”

“Oh.” Meng Bai dug in for the second scoop. Scant cake remained, but she licked the spoon thoroughly.

A flush of shame crept over her, yet she couldn’t rein in the impulse.

Why?

She had no idea why.

Only that the spoon Miao Bai had used carried such an alluring fragrance. She craved another taste.

Miao Bai seemed to notice the oddity, her brow furrowing slightly. “Are you eating the spoon or the cake?”

Meng Bai answered on reflex, “The spoon…” Then awareness hit, and her face flamed red. “The cake! Cake, of course. Why would I eat the spoon?”

“Then finish it up quick. Come to bed after—we’re sleeping early tonight.”

Meng Bai took one more halfhearted bite, set the plate aside, dashed out to rinse her mouth in a hurry, and scampered back.

If pitted against strawberry cake, she far preferred the warmth of Miao Bai’s embrace.

The moment the bedroom light clicked off, the world fell silent. Meng Bai lay on her narrow bed, enveloped in a profound sense of security unlike any she’d known.

She relished the wall at her back and Miao Bai before her, as if shielded from every direction.

Miao Bai patted her shoulder. “Get some sleep.”

Yet Meng Bai’s eyes stayed wide open, sleep nowhere in sight. In the pitch black, she quickly traced the soft outline of Miao Bai’s cheek.

“Miao Bai.”

“Mm?”

“Chat a little more, then I’ll sleep.”

“About what?”

Meng Bai inched closer, draping a hand over Miao Bai as she drew near, her whisper tentative. “Have you ever kissed that opera singer?”

Her voice, raw with youth, quivered in the darkness. Impulsive, yes—but even a minute earlier, she might have asked the same.

“Yes.”

“Oh…” In the shadows, Meng Bai blinked, a bitter pang twisting inside her—like wielding a knife she knew would cut her own skin. “What’s it like, then? Kissing?”

“You’ll find out when you start dating.”

“Dating?” Meng Bai clutched at Miao Bai’s clothes. “I haven’t even thought about that. I don’t know what liking someone feels like.” Curiosity ignited fiercely. “So what does it feel like to like someone?”

“I can’t remember. It’s been too long.” Miao Bai rolled over to face her directly, a hint of bewilderment in her tone. “You’ve got a lot of questions tonight.”

“No way! Just two, that’s all.” Meng Bai pressed on relentlessly. “Come on, what does liking someone feel like?”

Miao Bai sighed in resignation. “You think about her all the time, crave a bit of closeness. Though that’s hardly the textbook answer.”

“Oh!”

Closeness—what did that even mean? Meng Bai’s mind drew a blank.

Miao Bai clearly wanted to drop the subject, and Meng Bai let it go.

It was late; sleep called, willing or not.

Meng Bai settled into a comfortable position and shut her eyes. “Alright, night.”

Miao Bai murmured agreement, and the conversation ended.

But the instant Meng Bai’s eyes closed, the world erupted into clamor. Sleep proved elusive; her nerves strung tight, visions flickering behind her lids.

Like the cake from moments ago.

Why had it tasted so divine? Why hadn’t Miao Bai taken more? One extra bite, and that spoon would’ve been even more intoxicating…

Meng Bai’s eyes flew open. She rolled over, turning her back to Miao Bai.

Moments later, discomfort nagged; she rolled back.

“Can’t sleep? All that tossing and turning.”

Puzzlement soured into frustration, her actions a riddle without solution.

Meng Bai bolted upright. “My head’s buzzing with thoughts! It’s driving me crazy!”

Miao Bai, nonplussed, asked, “What’s wrong? What’re you thinking about?”

“Someone!”

Miao Bai fixed her with a steady gaze, pausing two beats before her voice warmed with amusement. “Given those questions earlier… sounds like you’ve got a crush.”

Meng Bai’s mind reeled, heat flooding her face. “No!!! I don’t!!!”

“Don’t be shy.” Miao Bai reached out, tugging her gently. “Lie back down and spill. Which boy from class?”