The riverside scenery was breathtaking, worth lingering over. Yet the night air was chilly, and after enjoying the lights and the river from the yacht, the two walked along the bank before returning to the Tan Palace villa.
Qi Ji was still lost in the astonishment of the synchronized giant screens, his thoughts always a beat slow to catch up. It wasn’t until a soft meow reached him that he snapped back to reality.
“Huh? These are…”
“Bai Bai, Pang Pang?” Qi Ji exclaimed, surprised at the two small white cats running toward him. “Weren’t they at the hospital?”
Neither cat slowed down; one bumped against Qi Ji’s ankle, while the slightly slimmer one jumped up, clinging to his leg.
Qi Ji hurriedly scooped them up, one in each arm. Over the past few months, both kittens had grown considerably, soft and warm in his arms.
“Bai Bai, Pang Pang?” Pei Yusheng raised an eyebrow. “Weren’t they originally called Big Bai and Little Bai?”
“I initially thought Pang Pang was the older one, so I called him Big Bai. But the doctor said their birth order wasn’t certain, so we gave them new names,” Qi Ji explained, the kittens nuzzling him.
“Pang Pang liked the new name so much that we kept it.” Qi Ji glanced at the kitten in his right hand, who responded enthusiastically with a fuzzy little head nudge. “Meow~!”
Qi Ji chuckled helplessly. “Whenever he hears his name, he thinks it’s time to eat.”
“Do we have cat food at home?” he asked.
“Yes.”
Hearing the boy say “home” so naturally made Pei Yusheng’s lips curl in a smile.
He led Qi Ji and the two kittens to the greenhouse. The sensor door opened, revealing a spacious area with rattan chairs and a swing. Two identical food bowls were set neatly against the wall, already filled, with two cans opened beside them.
Pang Pang immediately jumped toward the cans. Qi Ji, used to this by now, placed Bai Bai next to the other bowl.
“The hospital said both kittens are fully recovered, so I had them brought home,” Pei Yusheng said. “I also put some supplies on the first-floor living room balcony. They can play wherever they like in the villa or here.”
Qi Ji paused. “And the mother cat…”
“She’s still not very friendly,” Pei Yusheng replied. “But when the kittens were brought home, the mother followed behind. I had someone check—she’s now settled on the lawn outside the villa. I’ve informed the neighbors too, so even if she wanders off, it’s fine.”
The villas were about a kilometer apart, with enough shared green space for the mother cat to roam. Qi Ji finally relaxed.
Once he realized everything, he couldn’t help but marvel at Pei Yusheng’s thoroughness. “This… really, thank…”
Before he could finish, Pei Yusheng leaned down and kissed the side of his face that Bai Bai had just nuzzled. His deep voice whispered near Qi Ji’s ear:
“You’ve already thanked me today.”
Qi Ji pursed his lips, staying silent, then mimicked Bai Bai by nuzzling Pei Yusheng’s neck.
The kittens soon finished eating and returned to nestle against Qi Ji. Nearby, the tranquil blue lake reflected the starry sky. They walked there together, the kittens in tow, to watch the stars.
A swing by the lakeside fit both of them, so they sat down. Pang Pang, full and sleepy, curled up on Qi Ji’s feet, while Bai Bai nestled in his arms, carefully grooming his tiny paws.
Having been sick and injured, Bai Bai was slimmer than Pang Pang and more clingy. He curled entirely in Qi Ji’s lap, wagging his long white tail, seeking attention.
Qi Ji stroked the tail, occasionally pinching the fuzzy tip. Soon, Bai Bai fell asleep too, his small head buried in Qi Ji’s arms, soft pink belly rising and falling.
Qi Ji whispered, “He’s so good.”
Pei Yusheng held Qi Ji close, stroking Bai Bai’s back alongside him, then shifted his hand to cover the boy’s fair hand holding the kitten. Warmth from his touch seeped in, comforting Qi Ji.
The hand held a soft kitten, the back held Pei’s warmth. Qi Ji closed his eyes, utterly content.
Pei Yusheng chuckled, leaning to kiss Qi Ji’s head. “I should also touch your tail.”
Though the boy had none, the tip of his tailbone was surprisingly sensitive, a gentle kiss eliciting a flush along his delicate spine—though he didn’t realize it himself.
The breeze rippled over the deep blue lake, stars mirrored in its waters, weaving a gentle dream. A dream held in their hands.
After watching the stars, the kittens asleep, they returned the cats to their beds in the greenhouse and walked upstairs together.
Though it wasn’t midnight yet, Pei Yusheng led Qi Ji to the villa rooftop.
“Let’s look at the lake from above,” he said.
Qi Ji assumed it was just to make up for the day and followed silently.
Under the night sky, the lake rippled gently, endless and clear.
“Looking at it at night… it feels like looking at the sea,” Qi Ji murmured.
Pei Yusheng smiled. “The sea is much bigger.”
“This is beautiful enough,” Qi Ji said. “The only difference is… we can’t see the sunrise here.”
Pei Yusheng glanced at his watch.
“What’s wrong? Still work?” Qi Ji asked.
“No,” Pei Yusheng replied. “The local time on the last island has passed midnight—your birthday, the twenty-first, is officially here.”
Qi Ji’s curiosity sparked. “Island?”
Pei Yusheng nodded. “On all the islands, you’ve now turned twenty.”
“Some countries only recognize adulthood at twenty, granting certain rights only then.”
Qi Ji’s eyes widened. “Rights?”
Pei Yusheng stroked the crown of his head. “Certain gift procedures, and private ownership of islands.”
As he spoke, the rooftop screens lit up, displaying breathtaking island scenes in high definition.
From distant views to close-ups, every island looked like a paradise.
His deep voice continued over soft music:
“I’ve loved the sea since I was young. Every birthday, my elders gifted me an island somewhere in the world. This year, I’ve received twenty islands, and recently bought more, bringing the total to fifty-two—yours as a gift.”
On the screens, islands with pink beaches, sugar-white sands, and palm trees filled the view. Turquoise waters glistened under the sunset, some scenes even showing seabirds and unhatched turtle eggs.
“Fifty-two islands… fifty-two, my love,” Pei Yusheng murmured, amused at the pun. “It’s cheesy, but I wanted to give them to you. Because you are my Qi Ji.”
Qi Ji was utterly stunned. He hadn’t recovered from the shock of the 880,000 in cash, and now this overwhelming gift left him speechless.
Closer views showed enormous birthday cakes on each beach, with twenty candles flickering. A single phrase appeared in both Chinese and the local language:
“Happy Birthday, Qi Ji.”
The boy couldn’t respond.
Sensing his unease, Pei Yusheng spoke first:
“This wasn’t impulsive, nor a last-minute birthday purchase,” he said. “Qi Qi, I planned this before the New Year. At that time, I was told I might have a fatal familial insomnia. I didn’t know if I’d survive. The person I’d miss most… is you.”
He gently cupped the boy’s soft, cool face.
“I can’t bear to be without you or to let you suffer. You’ve endured so much, and finally your life turned for the better. You deserve to enjoy it fully.”
“I wanted to give you these beautiful places. So if I’m ever gone, you can see them for me, and think of me.”
His warm fingers were quickly dampened by Qi Ji’s tears, which he grasped gently.
“I won’t go for you,” the boy sobbed. “I don’t want you gone… don’t say that…”
Tears poured, soaking their fingers. Pei Yusheng gently kissed them away, warming his frozen face.
“I won’t,” Pei Yusheng whispered. “We’ll see them together—all the islands, together, okay?”
Shivering, Qi Ji managed a sniffed agreement, gripping Pei’s fingers tightly.
After a long while, he whispered, “I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have cried.”
Pei Yusheng kissed his wet lashes. “Don’t apologize. Crying is fine. I’d rather you cry than hold it in.”
Before confessing, Pei Yusheng had seen Qi Ji’s tears twice—once from overwhelming debt and demands, and once from realizing he was deserving of love. Both times, silent.
“I was afraid you’d cry silently,” Pei Yusheng said softly, brushing away his tears. “There’s no right or wrong in tears. Cry if you need to—I hear you.”
The tears, long suppressed, flowed uncontrollably.
“I was scared… scared that my bad luck would hurt others, make you sick…” the boy cried. “I was afraid you wouldn’t want me…”
At last, the boy shed his cold, heavy shell, crying freely in Pei Yusheng’s arms.
“You didn’t make me sick, Qi Qi,” Pei said softly, holding him close, filling his own aching heart with the boy pressed against him.
“You saved me,” he whispered, kissing the crown of his head. “I will never leave you.”
“I’ll stay with you—our kittens, strawberry fields, and all the islands we’ll visit.”
“Always with you.”
Pei Yusheng cupped the back of his neck, kissing his forehead.
His promise was heavy, yet his voice gentle, like night light dissolving in the breeze—yet every day, that light would rise, illuminating the world.
“I’ve reached the edge of life, so I can say this with certainty: This life, I will always love you.”
On the massive screens, fifty-two beaches erupted in fireworks, illuminating the night sky and reflecting in the tranquil lake.
In the gentle evening, their fingers intertwined.
From now on, hand in hand.
Together, for a lifetime.
—The End—