Decayed Vulgarian chapter 72
Make a Wish
The tone of the other party’s voice dissipated into the cold winter air. Shen Xun stared blankly at the screen for a while before hastily dialing back, his voice sounding somewhat bewildered, “Sorry… I forgot.”
“Sorry for what?” Meng Yuan Cen chuckled. His voice remained gentle, clear, and penetrating. “It’s your birthday; you don’t need to apologize.”
Shen Xun bit his lip and softly asked, “Did you wait long for me?”
“Not long,” Meng Yuan Cen thought for a moment, then replied, “Just from the time I got home until now, for the evening.”
Shen Xun instinctively wanted to apologize but remembered Meng Yuan Cen’s earlier words and silently swallowed the apology.
He explained, “Actually, I haven’t celebrated my birthday for many years. My family and friends are the same. If they remember, they’ll say ‘Happy Birthday,’ send a red envelope; if not, that’s fine. For example, this year, no one sent a birthday wish to remind me, so I genuinely forgot. Otherwise, I would have come back.”
“Then, in the future, I will celebrate your birthday every year, making it unforgettable,” Meng Yuan Cen said indifferently. Pausing, he asked, “If you came back tonight, would you be in a hurry?”
“Yes, I would probably come back briefly.”
“I thought so, so I didn’t remind you. I figured if you had time, you’d naturally return at night. If you didn’t, that was okay. There is no need to rush back specifically for a birthday. I know you’ve been busy and tired lately, and besides,” Meng Yuan Cen paused and clicked his tongue, “if you don’t come back, it’s you who won’t get to eat the birthday cake, not me.”
Hearing this, Shen Xun chuckled and then asked, “Has the cake been cut yet?”
“Not yet. There’s no point in me eating it alone if you’re not here.”
Glancing at the time, realizing it was ten minutes until midnight, Shen Xun had an idea. “Meng Yuan Cen, can you do me a favor?”
“What is it?”
“Put the candles on the cake now, light them for me, blow them out, and then make a wish for me.”
“Sure,” Meng Yuan Cen readily agreed. As he started arranging the candles, he couldn’t help but laugh, “Seriously, can I make a wish for you?”
“I say you can,” Shen Xun said solemnly, “You make a wish for me on my birthday, so when your birthday comes, you must return the wish to me. That way, we won’t waste our annual chance to make wishes, and our wishes will all come true.”
“Okay,” Meng Yuan Cen found this approach unexpectedly clever, “What’s next after making the wish? Should I eat the cake for you, right?”
Shen Xun nodded, “Yes, and it needs to be before midnight.”
Meng Yuan Cen teased, “How can I finish such a big cake in one go?”
Soon, a video arrived on WeChat.
Shen Xun opened the video to see a black and white-themed cake adorned with chocolate pieces, chocolate bars, fruits, and twenty-nine candles arranged in a circular pattern around the flower-shaped English letters “Happy Birthday.” In the video’s background, a partial side view of Meng Yuan Cen’s face was seen. The warm candlelight flickered for a few seconds and was then extinguished by Meng Yuan Cen in the video. He then closed his eyes to make a wish.
As the candlelight was snuffed out, Shen Xun’s heart leaped suddenly, resonating through his chest.
His voice caught in his throat, “Meng Yuan Cen, what did you wish for?”
Meng Yuan Cen said, “I won’t tell you; if I say it, it won’t come true.”
Shen Xun chuckled and remained speechless.
Meng Yuan Cen continued, “By the way, Shen Xun, aren’t you curious about your birthday present?”
Shen Xun hadn’t been curious but, prompted by Meng Yuan Cen’s words, suddenly became interested, “What gift?”
“It’s—”
Meng Yuan Cen trailed off, then abruptly changed the subject, “I won’t tell you since you didn’t come back today.”
Shen Xun laughed, “Meng Yuan Cen, are you being childish?”
Meng Yuan Cen pretended not to hear and said, “Okay, that’s it for now. Get some rest, goodnight.”
Shen Xun hastily said, “Wait, don’t hang up yet; you haven’t told me what the gift is.”
Meng Yuan Cen teasingly responded, “You’ll find out when you come home early; I won’t say now, I want to leave you with some anticipation.”
Shen Xun furrowed his brow, “Are you trying to keep me in suspense?”
“Yes,” Meng Yuan Cen confessed openly, “since you haven’t been home these past few days, consider it a small punishment.”
“Goodnight, darling.”
Then, Meng Yuan Cen was the first to end the call.
Perhaps because he often hung up on Meng Yuan Cen lately.
Shen Xun knew that Meng Yuan Cen was someone who held grudges.
The dismemberment case in the Songming district concluded under the relentless efforts of the public security agency. The culprit and the victim were roommates with financial disputes. The two had long-standing grievances, which ultimately led to the tragedy.
The police compiled a prosecution opinion, and along with case files, materials, and evidence, they transferred to the People’s Procuratorate. The pressure now lied with the procuratorate and the people’s court.
On the evening when the transfer was completed, at six o’clock, Shen Xun returned home from the Yuhai Sub-bureau. It was the first time since the New Year that he finished work at a regular hour, leaving him feeling deeply grateful.
Shen Xun hadn’t informed Meng Yuan Cen that he would be returning home on time tonight. There were often unexpected incidents in his forensic work that disrupted his plans. To prevent the possibility of disappointing Meng Yuan Cen again, Shen Xun decided to keep quiet, holding it all the way to the front door. There were a few times he nearly let slip, but fortunately, he managed to hold back.
As he unlocked the door with his keys, there was an indescribable sense of daze. Even though he had come home a few times these days, his state of mind was drastically different. At this moment, he felt tranquil and relaxed, unlike the earlier period when he felt like tasks were chasing him incessantly, draining his mental energy, leaving him no space to think about anything other than the cases.
His fingers maneuvered the key, and with a click, the door swung open with a creak.
Shen Xun entered to find the living room empty. He bent down to change his shoes and took a few steps inside. The bedroom door was closed tightly. Thinking about how Meng Yuan Cen required closed space for important matters, a common habit of his, Shen Xun stood at the bedroom door, hesitating whether to push the door open directly, fearing it might disturb Meng Yuan Cen. He thought it might be better to send a message to probe first and was contemplating in his mind.
Suddenly, the bedroom door was pulled open from the inside, revealing Meng Yuan Cen dressed in sleepwear, wearing silver-rimmed glasses.
Caught off guard, Shen Xun looked up, locking eyes with Meng Yuan Cen.
Meng Yuan Cen showed a bit of surprise on his face. “You’re back?”
Shen Xun nodded, “Yes.”
The surprise slowly turned into joy. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming back?”
“Because,” Shen Xun pondered and smiled, a rare and bright smile. He imitated the way Meng Yuan Cen returned home late that one time, opened his arms towards him, and softly said, “hug!”
In the next moment, his arm was tugged, and he fell into a warm embrace.
Shen Xun instinctively tilted his head back, and for a moment, he saw his reflection in Meng Yuan Cen’s eyes. Then, warm and wet kisses rained down, starting from the forehead, then moving to the cheeks. He involuntarily closed his eyes, the soft touch briefly lingering on his lips before withdrawing.
“I love this surprise,” Meng Yuan Cen softly said. His voice was slightly deep, magnetic, and his standard English pronunciation was pleasant, exuding a captivating power that made people willingly indulge. He casually closed the bedroom door and chuckled, “You’ve learned quickly.”
With those words, Meng Yuan Cen lowered his head again and engaged in a deep kiss with Shen Xun. Their intertwined tongues heated the surrounding air, causing a hazy mist to form on the resin glasses.