Blazing fire is hard to extinguish chapter 18
Gathering
On the 23rd of November, which happened to fall on a Thursday, Lin Chi went to school as usual.
Throughout the day, his phone buzzed incessantly with messages wishing him a happy birthday, from both familiar and unfamiliar faces.
Huo Yuning was out of town and couldn’t congratulate him in person, but she sent him a pair of sneakers.
“Congratulations on turning 23 today, you’re officially an adult now. Keep up the good work in the future.”
Lin Chi replied to Huo Yuning’s message with a slight smile, “Thank you.”
He replied to the others one by one as well, then tossed his phone aside and focused on his classes.
This elective course was also coming to an end.
It was his last course that determined his graduation. The exams were approaching, and failing was not an option.
Meanwhile, miles away, Li Tingyan was sitting in a clubhouse with his friends, having tea.
The weather wasn’t great that day, but it didn’t affect their gathering.
Li Tingyan had declined Xu Mu’s invitations many times before, but this time he couldn’t refuse.
Zhao Anzhen was attending an exhibition with some newly acquainted friends and was absent. Another married friend, He Yin, was traveling abroad with his wife.
So that day’s gathering mainly consisted of Li Tingyan, Xu Mu, Ye Fengshan, and another person named Huo Yunzhe, who had just returned from overseas and was dedicated to environmental protection work, with no interest in family business at present. They were all classmates from high school. Although they had gone their separate ways afterwards, their relationship remained strong.
As soon as Li Tingyan arrived, the friends surrounded him and asked about his recent love life.
Ye Fengshan was never one to hold back, and he quickly spilled the beans about everything that had happened with Li Tingyan.
Now everyone knew that Li Tingyan had a handsome, young man by his side who seemed to have captured his heart.
Xu Mu was also in the lineup of those questioning him and looked quite pleased, considering himself the earliest to know.
Li Tingyan silently stared at him. Since getting married, Xu Mu seemed more gentle. He wore a soft gray cashmere cardigan and silver-rimmed glasses, with a Patek Philippe watch on his wrist, bought during the honeymoon with Zhao Anzhen.
He heard Xu Mu say, “You’re all fools. I was deeply impressed by that young man. He’s really good-looking and lively. Anzhen even asked me about him later, wanting Tingyan to bring him home for a visit. But Tingyan refused.”
At this point, Xu Mu glanced reproachfully at Li Tingyan, but quickly added generously, “But I understand. Who wouldn’t want more personal space when in love? I was the same with Anzhen. Besides, I think it’s good for Tingyan to find someone younger and cheerful. He’s too serious himself.”
Word by word.
Xu Mu’s laughter mixed with the sound of flowing water under the bamboo forest around them, entering Li Tingyan’s ears.
From start to finish, he neither admitted nor denied anything.
But his friends around him had already filled in all the details for him.
Even he himself had to wonder if there really was a passionate love between him and Lin Chi.
His hand slid along the rim of the tea cup, eyes lowered, hiding his emotions.
“Alright, stop talking about me all the time,” he finally didn’t clear up his relationship with Lin Chi, “I’ve only known him for a little over half a year, it’s not definite yet. When it is, I’ll bring him to meet you.”
“Wow,” Ye Fengshan couldn’t stand his stoic demeanor, kicking him under the table, “You’re so eager, isn’t this already confirmation? Could it be that Lin Chi isn’t serious about you, won’t give you a title.”
Laughter immediately filled the air.
Li Tingyan smiled too.
“Let’s just leave it at that.”
But he kept his eyes lowered, never meeting Xu Mu’s gaze.
They chatted a while longer, and played a few rounds of golf. Xu Mu checked the time, thinking Anzhen should be finishing her exhibition.
“I have to go, I’m having dinner with Anzhen and my parents tonight.”
The others teased him.
“What a devoted husband,” Huo Yunzhe chuckled, “Can’t stand being apart even after marriage, huh? Do you really have to go back tonight, can’t you ask Zhao Anzhen to join us?”
Xu Mu still smiled.
The light reflected on his face, everyone could see the happiness there.
He carried a beautiful secret, eager to announce it long ago, just not finding the right moment.
“Tonight won’t work, Anzhen… She’s pregnant. So my parents strongly insisted we go home for a visit. We’ve already agreed on today, maybe next time.”
“Wow.”
The news exploded like a bomb in the room, leaving everyone stunned.
Ye Fengshan, bewildered, asked, “Am I really going to be an uncle?”
Huo Yunzhe came straight over and punched Xu Mu’s shoulder, saying, “You sneaky guy, how come you are only telling us now?”
Xu Mu kept stepping back, but his eyes were full of amusement. “I only found out a couple of days ago, just like Anzhen. How could I keep it from you guys? I gathered you all here today specifically to tell you. In a while, Anzhen and I will have a party for the baby. You all must come.”
“Of course.”
Ye Fengshan was still dazed, pondering, “What should we give as a gift? It’s incredible, isn’t it, that we’re already onto the next generation? What do you think, Tingyan?”
“Yes.”
Li Tingyan blinked, his hand on the cup tightened briefly before relaxing. He lifted his head, looking sincerely at Xu Mu. “Congratulations on becoming a father.”
The others around also caught on and patted Xu Mu’s shoulder, offering congratulations.
Xu Mu chuckled knowingly, already behaving like an overly happy father even though the child had yet to be born.
As the gathering wound down, only Ye Fengshan and Huo Yunzhe remained.
Li Tingyan didn’t stay with them either.
“Today is Lin Chi’s birthday, and I already have plans,” he said lightly, gently pulling away Ye Fengshan’s hand on his arm.
“Damn.”
Ye Fengshan turned to Huo Yunzhe. “Are we the only bachelors left?”
Huo Yunzhe replied casually, “Not me, I have a fiancée.”
Ye Fengshan rolled his eyes. “Your fiancée, I’m not even sure exists. After all these years, we’ve never met her. Is she even real?”
Huo Yunzhe just smiled.
But Li Tingyan’s excuse was flawless; it was Lin Chi’s birthday, after all. It would be unkind to keep him tied up.
Ye Fengshan waved him off. “Go on, get out of my world.”
Li Tingyan smiled and didn’t argue, grabbing his coat and leaving with Xu Mu.
Outside the club, the staff had already brought their cars over.
Li Tingyan added, “I’m genuinely happy for you. You’ve always wanted a family, a like-minded wife, and adorable kids, and now you will have all that.”
Xu Mu, perhaps reminded of something, gazed tenderly. “Yes.”
Then he raised his arm and bumped Li Tingyan lightly. “You’ll have it too. Maybe not a child yet, but you’ll find a perfect partner, I’m sure.”
Li Tingyan looked ahead, his voice light and airy, sounding almost perfunctory.
“Thank you for your kind words.”
Li Tingyan drove towards Lin Chi’s school. The road was congested, and while waiting at a red light, he glanced to the side and saw Lin Chi.
More accurately, it was an advertisement featuring Lin Chi.
It was for a luxury brand that Lin Chi had recently been involved in promoting.
The luxury brand was currently heavily investing in marketing, with billboards covering the streets.
Lin Chi was one of the models in these advertisements.
His billboard happened to be placed at the bus stop next to where Li Tingyan was waiting.
In the photo, Lin Chi was dressed in white, a white knitted sweater adorned with pearls, his face as pale and smooth as pearls. His eyebrows were light-colored, and only his lips had a hint of smoky pink.
On his hand, he wore a ring resembling a black feather.
His fingers were slender and fair, positioned near his lips as if about to kiss the ring.
The intense black of the ring, cut to shine brightly, contrasted with his flawless white complexion, truly captivating.
The red light had not yet lit up, and this stretch of road always felt unusually long.
Li Tingyan stared at the billboard, recalling Lin Chi mentioning this shoot some time ago.
The brand specifically chose him because a travel video he starred in had gained some popularity online, fitting well with the brand’s image, leading to his inclusion among twelve models selected for the campaign.
It was an opportunity exclusively for Lin Chi, one that no one could take away from him.
Lin Chi had said to him earlier, “I don’t know if I was just unlucky recently, but things have turned around lately. I’ve been getting more opportunities than in the past year.”
Li Tingyan slowly curled his lips.
He had thought to pave the way for Lin Chi, but even without his interference, Lin Chi shone like a pearl in the dust, gradually being discovered by people.
He was genuinely happy for him.
Even when others stopped to admire Lin Chi’s advertisement and looked up at it, he felt a subtle sense of pride.
Because the person who overturned everyone’s expectations on that billboard had once lain intimately beside him, and he had seen his brilliance earlier than anyone else.
At the gathering just now, everyone assumed they were a couple, joking good-naturedly and complimenting how well they suited each other.
And now, on this evening nearing winter, with drizzling rain, he stood before this billboard.
He also wondered, if he were to fall in love with Lin Chi, if he could indeed love Lin Chi, it would truly be a happy ending for everyone.
Everything would be much simpler.