Chapter 33 - Birthday

In December, W City experiences snow, while Z City experiences rain.

On the evening of the 24th, Xiao Ruan handed Shen Shuyun two apples wrapped in colored paper, smiling as he said they were "peace apples." One was for Shen Shuyun, and the other was for the baby in his belly, as a good omen for peace and safety.

Shen Shuyun did not believe in gods and ghosts and rarely celebrated Western holidays. To him, December 25th was special only because it was Ning Wan's Gregorian birthday.

As early as a week before, Z City was already filled with a Christmas atmosphere. Burgundy and dark green seemed to have become the city's main colors, with golden bells and white English signs saying "Merry Christmas" everywhere, making the streets, dressed in red and green, suddenly lively. Although it was all just commercial promotion, it did make the city look vibrant.

Shen Shuyun had just had a prenatal check-up at the Omega hospital in Z City. The cold gel applied to his belly still made him feel somewhat uncomfortable. He walked slowly down the street with his hands in his pockets.

The doctor told him that all the values were currently normal, and the baby was healthy. However, his pheromone secretion was not very good, and he needed to find the baby's other father to provide alpha pheromones as soon as possible; otherwise, the chances of postpartum depression would be very high. Shen Shuyun smiled and listened but did not take it to heart.

In the evening, Shen Shuyun went to Xiao Ruan's house. Xiao Ruan's alpha, a very quiet person, answered the door. It was hard to imagine how Xiao Ruan, with his lively personality, ended up with such a reserved partner. But Xiao Ruan didn't seem to care. Even though the man was always silent, Xiao Ruan chatted away, forcing the man to respond with "mm" and "ah."

Xiao Ruan married early and had a child early. Now, his child was eight years old, a girl with round eyes like Xiao Ruan's, lively and charming. Shen Shuyun gave her the gift box of chocolates he brought, and the little girl happily said "thank you, Uncle Shen" several times.

Xiao Ruan led Shen Shuyun into the house and to the dining table. A man who looked to be about thirty-five or thirty-six was sitting at the other end of the table, removing his cufflinks.

Xiao Ruan smiled, pulled Shen Shuyun to sit opposite the man, and introduced him, "Shuyun, this is my brother Xiao Mo, who has returned from Singapore. Brother, this is my friend Shen Shuyun; we were college classmates."

Xiao Mo slowly lifted his eyes and looked at the omega in front of him with sharp eyes. He was wearing a knee-length off-white coat, which was loose but couldn't hide the curve of his abdomen. He seemed a bit too thin; the coat gave him a hollow look. His hair looked like it hadn't been cut for a while and had almost grown to his shoulders. At this moment, he gathered his slightly messy hair, tied it with a hair tie he pulled from his pocket, and completely revealed his jade-like face.

Perhaps because of the pregnancy pheromones, Shen Shuyun's skin had become even more delicate than before, appearing radiant under the light, making him look like he was carved from mutton-fat jade. His features were not extremely beautiful but were perfectly combined—whether it was his slightly arched eyebrows, his small and well-defined nose, or his soft and slightly red lips, they made him look like a gentle spring breeze in April, warm and comfortable.

Yes, comfortable—this was the word. Generally speaking, this word is not used to describe a person, but for some reason, this was the only phrase that lingered in Xiao Mo's mind.

Feeling the somewhat burning gaze, Shen Shuyun gave a faint smile and first greeted Xiao Mo, "Hello, Mr. Xiao."

"Why so formal?" Xiao Mo said, with his hands clasped under his chin, "You and Xiao Ruan are of the same age. If you don't mind, you can just call me Brother."

Shen Shuyun felt a bit awkward about Xiao Mo's familiarity. He looked at Xiao Ruan awkwardly, as if seeking advice. Xiao Mo stared at him and snorted, "What, do you think I'm old enough to be your uncle?"

"N-no..." Shen Shuyun blushed a little and quickly said, "Brother Xiao."

At this moment, Xiao Ruan's partner came over with a large plate of hot pot ingredients, which relieved Shen Shuyun from the awkward situation.

"Let's start," Xiao Ruan placed chopsticks in front of everyone and then asked, "Shuyun, what would you like to drink?"

"Just plain water, thank you."

Meanwhile, in W City, someone stood on the balcony covered in fine snow, smoking a cigarette.

The phone rang, and Ning Wan took out his phone from his pocket. As soon as he answered, loud music blared from the other end, making it hard to hear the voice clearly. He could only catch a few words: "Brother... Christmas... come out and play!"

Ning Wan exhaled the thick smoke from his lungs, and the icy snow that fell on his hand holding the cigarette melted instantly into water.

His voice was a bit hoarse: "I'm not coming."

"Brother, why aren't you coming?" Ning You's voice grew louder, almost shouting, "You used to not come because you had a family, and we all understood. But now you're divorced! Why still not come? Enjoy the single life!"

Ning Wan's eyes were covered with a mist darker than the evening sky, as if all his emotions were being swallowed by this mist. He felt a deep pain in his heart: "I'm not interested. I'm Hanging up."

Saying this, he really hung up the phone.

Ning Wan recalled the time half a month ago when he went to the school to find Shen Shuyun. The familiar desk had already been occupied by a younger teacher. He looked at the person helplessly and finally asked, "Where is the person who used to sit here? Where is Shen Shuyun?"

The new teacher had some contact with Shen Shuyun during the handover, so he stood up and answered, "You mean Teacher Shen? He left a month ago."

Resigned... resigned.

Shen Shuyun really left.

That day, Ning Wan returned home in a daze, sitting on the sofa with his head covered. He couldn't describe the feeling inside; he just felt like he had lost something very important, a deep pain starting from his heart.

Is this love?

Ning Wan began to deeply ponder love for the first time in his life.

What is love? From a physiological perspective, it is the secretion of hormones and the surge of adrenaline. But from an abstract perspective, love is a difficult thing to define—an elusive feeling that cannot be perceived by the five senses.

Does he love Shen Shuyun? Does he love Tang Yichuan?

Ning Wan's fingers trembled as he shook off the cigarette ash, staring at the distant snowy curtain and sighed silently.

He really couldn't explain the definition of love. He only realized after Shen Shuyun left that without this person, every day was colorless. Shen Shuyun to him was as essential as water to fish or air to humans.

That person always looked at him with a smiling face, gently calling him "A-Wan." Whatever his requests were, whether reasonable or unreasonable, Shen Shuyun always complied.

The phone rang again. Ning Wan quickly answered and held it to his ear, but the voice on the other end once again disappointed him—it was Luo Xiao: "Happy birthday, Ning Wan!"

Ning Wan weakly forced a smile, suddenly realizing that Luo Xiao couldn't see him anyway. There was no need to force himself to smile like that, so he stopped smiling and replied calmly, "Thank you."

"This year, I really can't be with you. Xiao Han and I are going abroad," Luo Xiao's voice carried a bit of apology, "I'll bring you a gift when I return."

Ning Wan put the cigarette in his mouth and took a deep drag: "Forget it, I'm not a child. I don't care so much about birthdays."

"Of course, of course."

Ning Wan chatted briefly with Luo Xiao and hung up the phone, not talking for too long.

The red and green lights on the street made his eyes ache. Couples walked hand in hand, and Ning Wan clutched his phone, hoping for a call.

But until nightfall, with the stars dim and the night deep, he did not receive a "happy birthday" from Shen Shuyun.

In the past, Shen Shuyun always celebrated his birthday with him, and eventually, the celebration would end up in bed. Shen Shuyun would lie in his arms, his forehead slightly damp, breathing lightly in discomfort... But those tolerant and gentle eyes were always focused on him.

Actually, it was okay if Shen Shuyun didn't say "happy birthday," Ning Wan thought. At least he could have asked how he was doing. How could he leave without a trace? How far in this world does he have to search to find the person who always smiled and indulged him?

There is no answer to this question.