Chapter 35: Birthday Gift

The news online was overwhelming.

Xie Xiaobao thought over and over but couldn’t figure out how to bring up the matter naturally and without awkwardness to He Yu.  

In the end, he simply buried it in his mind like an ostrich hiding its head.  

He Yu noticed that Xie Xiaobao hadn’t contacted him for a long time.

Taking the initiative, he sent a message on WeChat.

Xie Xiaobao replied hastily with a few words, then ended the conversation, using the excuse that he had something else to do.  

Xie Xiaobao was avoiding him.  

Frowning, unsure if it was just his imagination, He Yu sent another message.  

[*Are you there?*]  

[*Are you free Friday night? Want to grab dinner together?*]  

Xie Xiaobao had been dodging He Yu for days, afraid that if they started talking, the topic would turn to Weibo and things would become awkward for everyone.

So he had been avoiding chatting with He Yu altogether.  

He Yu’s invitation tempted Xie Xiaobao greatly, but he blushed thinking that if He Yu had also seen those mocking memes, meeting face to face would be even more embarrassing.  

Better not go, he typed out the message reluctantly.  

[*Friday I actually have something going on, maybe next time?*]  

He Yu frowned at the second rejection.

Xie Xiaobao was definitely avoiding him — it wasn’t just his imagination.  

[*Busy lately?*]  

[*Actually, Friday is my birthday. I was hoping to have dinner with you.*]  

“Huh?” Xie Xiaobao sat up in surprise.

Friday was He Yu’s birthday?  

He fiddled with the buttons on his pajamas.

There was no way he could let He Yu spend his birthday alone.

At worst, if He Yu found out later, he would just apologize to him.  

[*Then I’ll treat you to dinner. What do you want as a gift?*]  

He Yu smiled faintly as he read Xie Xiaobao’s message.  

[*No need, your presence is enough.*]  

Seeing this, Xie Xiaobao felt even more guilty.

On such an important day as a birthday, He Yu was the one who took the initiative to invite him, yet he still made excuses and pushed him away.

It was just too much.  

[*If you don’t say, I’ll prepare something myself.*]  

Xie Xiaobao propped his chin on a stuffed cat, chatting while pondering what gift to get He Yu.  

He Yu sent him a smiling face emoji, then pulled up his contacts and called He Father.  

“Dad, I won’t be coming back on Friday.”  

“Yes, there’s something sudden at the company. I’ll make it up over the weekend. Tell Mom and Grandma not to prepare anything this year.”  

After hanging up, He Mother came over.  

“Is that Little Yu?”  

He Father nodded, frowning thoughtfully.  

“Hm, said he won’t be coming home for his birthday this year.”  

“Why not?” He Mother asked.

“Mom was just saying the other day she’s been experimenting with some new dishes, planning to try them on Little Yu’s birthday.”  

He Father clasped his hands behind his back, looking calm.  

“He’s at that age now; he needs some personal space.”  

“Personal space?”  

He Mother stopped mid-sentence, suddenly realizing something, her voice full of surprise.  

“You mean…?”  

He Father smiled.  

“I’m just guessing. After all these years, you haven’t seen Little Yu spend his birthday with anyone else.”  

He Mother took a few steps forward happily, muttering,  “I wonder whose kid it is. Can they handle Little Yu’s personality…?”  

“Old He, why doesn’t he bring someone home to meet us?”  

He Father chuckled helplessly and patted her shoulder, urging her to sit down.  

“It’s not written in the stars yet. Little Yu’s got his own sense of boundaries, you don’t need to worry unnecessarily.”  

While He Father and He Mother were overjoyed, Xie Xiaobao was still fretting.  

He planned to make the birthday cake himself and had to find time to buy all the ingredients.

As for the gift, he was still struggling with what to give.  

He Yu wasn’t short on money; the things in the mall must be ordinary to him.

It had to be something special.  

Xie Xiaobao rested his chin on his hand, thinking for a while before suddenly getting up and dashing to Xie Yan’s room.

After knocking three times, he poked his head inside.  

“Big Brother?”  

Xie Yan, wearing pajamas and leaning against the headboard, saw him peeking in and waved him in.  

Xie Xiaobao shuffled over hesitantly, eyes flickering nervously at Xie Yan.  

“Big Brother…”  

“Hm?” Xie Yan closed his book, folding his hands as he silently waited for him to continue.  

“Well… I have a friend’s birthday coming up…” Xie Xiaobao clasped his hands behind his back, nervously twisting the hem of his shirt.

“Don’t you have that… um…”  

“What?” Xie Yan raised an eyebrow.  

“That piece of… Agarwood…”  

Xie Xiaobao’s voice got lower as he spoke.

Xie Yan did indeed have a piece of aged Agarwood that had been gifted to him long ago.

Xie Xiaobao remembered Xie Yan had praised it a few times, saying it was very rare.  

“I want to make a bracelet myself but don’t have good materials…”  

Xie Xiaobao boldly bargained, “If you’re not using it, I can trade you something else.”  

Xie Yan sat up straight and gave him a long once-over before finally asking,  “Which friend?”  

Xie Xiaobao sensed this was promising and quickly replied,  “He Yu, you’ve met him.”  

Xie Yan frowned slightly, looking at the joyful expression on Xie Xiaobao’s face, and slowly asked, “Are you… close with him?”  

Xie Xiaobao nodded emphatically,  “We’re good friends.”  

Xie Yan folded one leg up and drummed his fingers on his knee, silent and unmoving.  

Xie Xiaobao waited anxiously beside him, nearly dying of impatience, wishing he could turn into a cat and claw at Xie Yan’s sleeve to get some affection.  

“The safe in the study, the code is my birthday. Go get it yourself.”  

In the end, Xie Yan relented and let him take it himself.  

Xie Xiaobao’s eyes sparkled as he exclaimed, “Big Brother, you’re so kind!” and rushed out of the room.  

After retrieving the Agarwood from the study, Xie Xiaobao couldn’t wait to get back to his room.

The piece Xie Yan kept wasn’t large, but it was very old and heavy in hand.

Even without getting close, he could smell its faint fragrance.  

Polishing the beads required tools, and since he also hadn’t gotten ingredients for the cake, Xie Xiaobao tidied up and headed out together to buy everything.  

He took a taxi and wandered around Shen City before finally buying all the materials.

Setting up his tools, he prepared to start making the bracelet.  

The whole piece of Agarwood had to be sliced into thin pieces, then those pieces cut into small cylindrical beads.

This task tested both patience and skill.

Fortunately, Xie Xiaobao was quite good with his hands and steady, spending half a day cutting out eighteen small cylinders.  

He then drilled holes in each cylinder and began polishing the shape, smoothing out the edges.

Machine polishing made the beads slightly larger than the final product, allowing for detailed hand polishing and buffing afterward.  

Xie Xiaobao was meticulous with this step, carefully comparing the grain pattern of every bead.

It wasn’t until Wednesday night that he finished the entire polishing process.  

The smooth wooden beads rolled gently in the small box, clinking softly when they bumped against each other.

Xie Xiaobao counted them once more to confirm and finally put down his tools, stretching with relief.  

“Why don’t you just buy a bracelet? You’ve been at this for two days and still haven’t finished,” Xie Yan said, slightly annoyed watching him work nonstop for two days.

“The thought counts.”  

Xie Xiaobao puffed out his cheeks and said, “Handmade is more meaningful. The ones from the mall don’t count.”  

Xie Yan’s expression darkened.  

“When did you get so close with He Yu?”  

Xie Xiaobao thought carefully and realized friendship was a mysterious thing.

Not long ago, he and He Yu were just ordinary friends, but now, when he mentioned it, they could be called best friends.  

“Well… suddenly it just got that way. I can’t even remember.”  

He grinned foolishly, clutching the small box holding the beads tightly to his chest.  

Xie Yan’s brow twitched as if he wanted to say something but held back, finally saying, “Take care of yourself.”  

Xie Xiaobao nodded, said goodnight, and hugged the box as he went back to his room.  

After a night’s sleep, Xie Xiaobao woke early on Thursday, his mind occupied with the task ahead.  

The beads only needed the final polish.

Xie Xiaobao carefully finished the last buffing, then strung the beads onto a red cord.  

The dark brown beads formed a bracelet, smooth and glossy with a gentle, delicate sheen.

Bringing it close to his nose, Xie Xiaobao inhaled the unique, fresh scent of the Agarwood and smiled with satisfaction.

Carefully, he placed the bracelet into its box.  

Now, all that was left was Friday.

After making the cake, he could go find He Yu.