In the airport lounge, Bardle looked down at his phone, his fingertips tapping the screen intermittently.
His spirits were low.
Davy leaned in and asked cautiously, "Bro, you seem down ever since we left the resort. What's wrong? Didn't you have a good time these past couple of days?"
"No."
"Was it not enough fun? Don't wanna go back yet?"
Davy started guessing randomly.
"But Kerry really put his heart into this trip. The arrangements for food, drinks, and fun were meticulous. Even I didn't want to leave. Just for this, if he comes back to B City, I'd definitely welcome him with open arms."
Bardle couldn't be bothered to respond, still looking uninterested.
Davy stroked his chin, continuing on his own.
"Kerry is really something. His stepmother whispered in his dad's ear, had him sent off to Y City, and in just six years, he's become the leader in Y City's pharmaceutical industry. During this time, not only did he get no help from the Phillips family, he probably faced plenty of sabotage too. With his skills, he'd dominate if he returned to B City."
"He was really thoughtful inviting us this time, handled the social niceties perfectly."
"Hey, Bardle, what do you think about him returning to B City? Aren't you planning to focus on medical equipment development next year? The pie in this industry is only so big. If Kerry comes back, he's definitely gonna take a slice."
Bardle tapped his screen a few times, put his phone away, and said indifferently, "Let him take a slice if he wants. As long as he has the skill to swallow it."
Davy grinned, "Look at me asking the obvious — Bardle, you're just dabbling on a whim anyway; it won't affect you in the slightest. But that stepmother of his is in for some panic. The Phillips family built their fortune on pharmaceuticals, and now the fully-fledged eldest son is making a powerful return. Tsk, tsk, tsk — this should be quite a show to watch."
Bardle wasn't interested in any of this.
The announcement sounded, and he stood up to board.
Davy followed, still chattering.
"But Kerry's younger brother is really good-looking, huh? Rosy lips and white teeth... Those beautiful eyes looked right into my heart. Especially when he called me 'Brother' so clearly and brightly…"
Bardle suddenly stopped walking, squinting slightly at him.
"He called you 'Brother'? When did you see him?"
Davy answered blankly, "I met him when we were kids. But in my memory, Cohen was thin, small, and quiet. Yesterday afternoon, I went back to my room to charge my phone and ran into him in the elevator on my way down. Didn't even recognize him. Only knew it was him when he greeted me."
Bardle's gaze darkened.
"He called you 'Brother'?"
"Yeah, I'm three years older than him. Shouldn't he call me that? What's the problem?"
"Heh…"
He let out a cold laugh and strode towards the boarding gate.
Davy, confused, jogged to keep up.
"Bro, was that 'heh' for me?"
"Piss off. Stay away from me."
"What did I do now…"
*
Nighttime, an upscale villa in B City.
Men and women chatted and laughed, glasses clinking.
The birthday boy stood on the second-floor balcony, wearing only a white shirt in the cold wind, a half-smoked cigarette between his fingers.
Half his face was hidden in the night and smoke, sexy and captivating.
"Bardle, so this is where you are."
A young man in a stylish white suit, with delicate features, walked up to Bardle and smilingly handed him a small gift box.
"Happy Birthday."
Looking at the person through the haze of smoke, Bardle seemed to space out for a second, but quickly collected himself and took the box.
"Thanks."
Cade smiled widely.
"Why aren't you wearing a jacket? Be careful not to catch a cold."
"Not cold."
"Hahaha, did two days in the hot springs turn you into iron and steel?"
He joked, then asked, "So, how's my brother's resort? Ah, too bad I was tied up with something recently, otherwise I could've gone with you guys. Must be really comfortable soaking in hot springs in winter."
"Not bad."
"I'll definitely try to go when I get the chance."
"Mhm."
Bardle stubbed out his cigarette.
"Leaving."
"Huh?"
Cade followed him inside.
"You're leaving already? We haven't cut the cake yet."
He rubbed his cold fingertips.
"Already had some."
"Ah…"
Cade watched him go downstairs, pick up his coat, and leave, then lowered his head somewhat dejectedly.
But he quickly perked up again and threw himself back into the socializing of a birthday party without its guest of honor.
*
Bardle returned home, took a hot shower, leaned back against the headboard, picked up his phone, and started to send a message.
For the first time in his life, Bardle was greeted by a red exclamation mark.
Frowning tightly, he leaned closer to look at the exclamation mark in the chat box and the message: "Message sent but rejected by the recipient."
He laughed in frustration and called his assistant.
"Hey, Boss. Happy Birthday."
"Was happy."
"Uh…"
So... not happy now?
"Help me find the contact information for Cohen, the younger brother of Kerry, the owner of YH Hot Spring Resort."
"Oh, okay."
"Make it quick. Year-end bonus doubled."
The assistant's reply was thunderous.
"YES!"
Less than ten minutes after hanging up, Bardle received the info from his assistant.
Gritting his teeth, he input the number and called.
"Hello?"
Cohen's muffled voice came through, as if he'd been woken up.
Bardle gritted his teeth and forced out two words.
"It's me."
Silence on the other end, then the call was hung up.
Hearing the dial tone, he couldn't stay seated anymore.
He stood up, paced back and forth, and called again.
The phone rang for a long time before it was answered.
Frustrated, he said, "Cohen!"
In the dim room, Cohen sat cross-legged on the bed, silent.
"Why did you block me?"
"..."
"Talk."
Cohen clutched the quilt, his voice muffled.
"What do you want?"
"Why did you block me?"
He repeated, "What do you want with me?"
Then added, "You already know, didn't you? Didn't you reject it?"
This time, it was Bardle's turn to fall silent.
Cohen waited for a long time.
His heart felt like it was plummeting from a height, plunging into water with a splash, leaving him numb and aching.
Finally, his shoulders slumped.
He ended the call, lay down, pulled the covers over himself, and buried himself within them.
Bardle gripped his phone tightly, sat on the edge of the bed, picked up the cigarette pack and lighter from the nightstand, smoked two cigarettes, then called again.
The call connected.
Another stretch of silence.
"Cohen."
He said, "Come back to B City."
Cohen felt his heart, sunk to the bottom of the lake, being fished out.
The corners of his lips quirked up slightly as he softly replied, "Mhm."
Bardle added, "Take me out of the blacklist."
"Mhm."
Bardle hung up and opened WeChat.
"Bardle: ."
"Cohen: .."
Finally, no red exclamation mark.
A smile touched his eyes as he leaned against the headboard and typed.
"Bardle: Where did you learn the habit of blocking people the moment you're displeased?"
"Cohen: Your profile picture..."
His profile picture had already been changed to a chibi version of himself, completely unlike his usual aura.
"Bardle: Changed it this morning at the airport. Didn't you see it?"
"Bardle: You blocked me right after I left?"
Burrowed under the covers, Cohen felt a bit guilty, but also a bit happy.
Could it be that Bardle felt something for him too?
"Bardle: Just because I left without saying goodbye? Cohen, you've got quite the temper."
"Cohen: Cat hiding its head.jpg"
Looking at the emoji, Bardle could picture him shrinking under the blankets.
Kind of cute...
Cohen glanced at the time.
Two minutes left until midnight.
"Cohen: Happy Birthday."
"Bardle: Was quite happy, but then found out I got blocked for no reason..."
He immediately didn't know how to reply.
Bardle sent another message, this time a voice note: "Say it again."
Cohen held down the chat box and said softly, "Bardle, Happy Birthday."
Bardle listened to it twice, then replied with a smile, "Thanks. It's cold. Go to sleep early. Put on more clothes when you get up. I'll be waiting for you to come. Good night."
"Good night..."
The conversation ended.
Cohen played the voice note several more times, covered his rapidly beating heart, closed his eyes, and drifted into pleasant dreams.