After hanging up the communicator, Ji Yuzhou noticed a document sitting in his private inbox. It was an investigation report on Jiang Xunyu.

He opened it and scanned the contents line by line, his expression darkening with each word.

Due to their unusual eye colors, Jiang Xunyu’s family had avoided census registrations and stayed away from populated areas. Years had passed, and the details were sparse.

Jiang Xunyu’s parents died one evening, reportedly to the sound of two gunshots in their rundown home.

It was the same night as Jiang Xunyu’s birthday.

Ji Yuzhou couldn’t imagine what had transpired that day.

A night that should have been filled with happiness—a table of homemade dishes to celebrate their only child’s birthday. Perhaps they had also sung for him, placing a small, simple party hat atop his head that came with the store-bought cake.

Jiang Xunyu, the sole survivor of that night, was sent to an orphanage. The only thing left at the scene was a photon gun devoid of bullets (energy). No one knew what had truly happened in that dilapidated little house.  

No wonder the boy was so afraid of photon guns.  

Ji Yuzhou regretted his hasty actions. He should have investigated Jiang Xunyu’s childhood earlier.  

November 23—Ji Yuzhou repeatedly looked at the date on the report, suddenly realizing that November 23 was today.  

What a rare coincidence.  

Ji Yuzhou closed the file. Out of habit, he almost dragged it to the recycle bin but paused. In the end, he created a private folder at the bottom of all his files to store the report on Jiang Xunyu.  

……

At 7 p.m., Ji Yuzhou left work early for once and drove to a cake shop. He had heard that kids liked these overly sweet treats. Standing in front of the glass display case, he hesitated before picking the brightest one—strawberry-flavored.  

That day was Jiang Xunyu’s birthday, and as his guardian, Ji Yuzhou hadn’t even been aware. Worse yet, he had smacked the boy’s palm just days ago over something unclear. Ji Yuzhou felt it was only right to make it up to him.  

The shop assistant wrapped the cake in pink ribbon, her tone sweet and bubbly. Ji Yuzhou’s cold, aloof demeanor felt completely out of place in the sugary atmosphere of the cake shop, so much so that even his voice softened unconsciously. “Do you have birthday hats?”  

The assistant smiled and pulled out two designs from a drawer for him to choose from. “Is it for a birthday? A child or a girlfriend? How old are they turning? Would you like birthday candles as well?”  

Ji Yuzhou, having never bought anything like this before, didn’t know there were so many fanciful options. After some hesitation, he recalled Jiang Xunyu’s apparent fondness for colorful things and picked the one covered in flowers.  

“Eighteenth birthday,” he said.  

“Got it.”  

The shop assistant skillfully packed the birthday hat and candles along with the cake and handed them to Ji Yuzhou.  

As Ji Yuzhou left the shop, he still found the whole experience surreal. He never thought he’d one day buy something so childish and trivial.  

Oh well. He shook his head. As long as the boy liked it.  

When he parked in the garage and brought the cake upstairs, he suddenly noticed that all the lights in the house were off. When no one was home, the system would automatically activate power-saving mode… meaning Jiang Xunyu wasn’t home?  

Ji Yuzhou had taken the trouble to excuse him from school that day, so Jiang Xunyu should have been at home.  

Setting the cake down, Ji Yuzhou quickly stepped outside. The sky had already turned pitch black, and the rain continued to drizzle, the clouds thick and starless. Where could the boy have gone?  

Hurriedly heading back to the garage, Ji Yuzhou prepared to drive out and search. But as he circled behind the car, he spotted a small figure crouched in a corner.  

The garage connected to a small garden at the back of the yard, where Jiang Xunyu was crouching, seemingly preoccupied with something.  

Ji Yuzhou’s first reaction was anger.  

He silently approached, only to see what Jiang Xunyu was doing: crouching carefully, drying a small cat with a towel. It was the same stray Ji Yuzhou had let into the garage.  

Jiang Xunyu’s voice was soft, tender. It was unclear if he was talking to the cat or mumbling to himself. “Are you a little one without a home too? How did you end up here? Are you cold… Don’t be scared. I’m here with you.”  

Ji Yuzhou stopped in his tracks, standing just two or three meters behind Jiang Xunyu. The rain completely muffled his footsteps, so Jiang Xunyu hadn’t noticed him.  

The kitten was well-behaved, perhaps sensing that Jiang Xunyu was helping it. Its round eyes stayed fixed on him as he gently dried it with the blanket.  

Jiang Xunyu patted its tiny head. “Such a good little thing… Since you’re being so good, I’ll tell you a secret. Today is my birthday. Will you stay with me tonight?”  

The anger in Ji Yuzhou’s heart dissipated completely, replaced with an overwhelming sense of heartbreak. He opened his mouth to say something but found his throat choked, unable to make a sound.  

He stood behind Jiang Xunyu for a while before silently heading back inside. He placed the cake on the coffee table, sat on the sofa, and waited for Jiang Xunyu to return.  

About an hour later, Jiang Xunyu came back inside, carrying the small blanket. As soon as he walked in, he spotted Ji Yuzhou sitting on the sofa.  

Ji Yuzhou was holding a cup of coffee, scrolling through his phone.  

“You’re back?”  

Jiang Xunyu’s expression flickered with surprise. He walked over to Ji Yuzhou. “Mr. Ji, why are you home so early today?”  

Only then did Ji Yuzhou realize he had come home much earlier than usual. The boy was probably used to him staying out late, which was why he had taken the opportunity to go outside and play with the cat.  

This realization filled Ji Yuzhou with a sudden sense of guilt. The boy had figured out his schedule, but Ji Yuzhou knew almost nothing about his personal life—who he met at school, what he experienced there.  

Instead of answering Jiang Xunyu’s question, Ji Yuzhou pointed to the cake on the table. “I bought it for you. Do you like it?”  

It was only then that Jiang Xunyu noticed the colorful box on the table.  

Given Ji Yuzhou’s status and position, Jiang Xunyu wasn’t surprised that he knew about his birthday. But he had never expected him to personally come back to celebrate it.  

He dumbly repeated Ji Yuzhou’s words. “For me?”  

Ji Yuzhou frowned slightly. “You don’t like it?”  

He had chosen it based on his impression of the boy’s preferences. Was it still not quite right?  

“Then what do you want to eat…” I’ll take you to get it.  

Before Ji Yuzhou could finish, he saw Jiang Xunyu’s eyes light up entirely. Those bright blue eyes sparkled, filled with starry joy.  

“Really… Is it really for me?”

Timid, yearning, and tinged with a hint of disbelief.

The sparkling stars in his eyes seemed to shimmer, as if they were about to overflow.

Suddenly, Ji Yuzhou felt a sharp pang in his chest.