17
The cake was small and exquisitely made, decorated with chocolate leaves and plump, glossy cherries. The wind swept through, threatening to snuff out the flickering candle flames. Instinctively, Cen Feng cupped his hands around them.
Between his palms, the candles burned silently, their gentle warmth melting the cold from his fingers.
He looked down at Xu Zhaixing for a long moment before asking softly, “Your birthday?”
Xu Zhaixing lied without batting an eyelash. “Yes! But I’m home all alone. I bought this cake but didn’t know who to share it with. I’m so glad you’re here.”
Her smile was bright and sincere. Cen Feng didn’t question it, accepting her explanation. He glanced at the candles, which were burning lower, and reminded her, “Then make a wish.”
Xu Zhaixing nodded, bowed her head slightly, and closed her eyes. A few seconds later, she snapped them open, her gaze sparkling as she looked at Cen Feng. “Brother, you get three wishes on your birthday. I’ve already made two, and I can’t think of a third. Can I give the last wish to you?”
Cen Feng was taken aback.
Xu Zhaixing urged him, “Hurry, hurry! The candles are almost gone. Make a wish!”
Instinctively, Cen Feng closed his eyes.
But his mind went blank.
What should I wish for?
Do wishes even come true?
If wishes really could be granted…
He wished he had never been born into this world.
To be a stone, a tree, even a breeze that passes and fades, anything but human. Anything would be better.
But he had never been given a choice. This world had never offered him one. He had tried, struggled, truly believed he could make a better life for himself.
There was a time he genuinely believed the future would be brighter.
But the world told him, time and again, “Don’t fool yourself. It will never get better.”
As a child, he thought that being obedient, well-behaved, and eating less might make his father love him. But what awaited him was endless beatings.
Later, when that man went to prison, he was free. He thought life in the orphanage would at least mean no more beatings. But because he was a murderer’s son, endless bullying and violence awaited him.
A teacher once told him, “Cen Feng, you should smile more. Smile, and people will like you. Maybe someone will even adopt you.”
So, he endured the pain hidden beneath his clothes and forced himself to smile.
Eventually, a couple did adopt him. The day they took him home, they dressed him in warm, soft new clothes and gave him biscuits and candies. For a moment, he believed things would finally be different.
But in that home, there was also an older brother, one who shared no blood with him.
Cen Feng knew, from the very moment he stepped into that house, that his brother hated him.
He recognized that look of loathing all too well.
He lived in that house with utmost caution—speaking softly, walking lightly, never competing or grabbing for anything. Yet the older brother, just two years his senior, still despised him.
In the dead of night, the boy would urinate on his bed, tear up his carefully completed homework, and team up with classmates at school to shove his head into a toilet bowl.
The malice of youth knows no bounds. Adults can never fathom just how cruel children can be.
Cen Feng couldn’t bring himself to tell his adoptive parents what their most treasured son had done to him. They had taken him in, provided food, clothing, and shelter, and sent him to school. They had shown him kindness; he couldn’t be the one to destroy this family.
His adoptive parents saw it all as mere childish squabbles, something the boys would outgrow in time.
They couldn’t understand why he wanted to escape that home.
Then a talent scout from Zhongtian discovered him. Becoming a star didn’t matter to him. For a fifteen-year-old boy trapped in a silent hell, he was willing to pay any price to leave.
But after becoming a trainee, he realized he had only leaped from one hell into another. Here, everyone was a competitor. Friends would betray you; brothers would climb over your head for a chance to debut.
There was no turning back.
His adoptive parents had cut ties with him after he dropped out to become a trainee.
This was the path he had chosen. He had to prove himself—to himself and to the world.
He gritted his teeth, refusing to admit defeat.
But what was the result?
Reality slapped him again and again, until he was finally forced awake.
Looking back now at the road he had traveled, it all seemed absurdly laughable.
Reality had constantly whispered to him: Stop trying, it’s useless. Stop chasing, you’ll never catch anything good. Someone like you was never meant to have light.
But he refused to believe it. He kept moving forward, running, reaching out, straining to touch that beam of light, only to eventually plunge into an abyss.
And so, now, he no longer held onto hope.
He had accepted his fate.
If you don’t chase, you won’t feel pain. If you don’t hope, you won’t be disappointed. All that is beautiful is a false illusion—sugar to lure him in, hands dragging him into the depths, poison that corrodes his very bones.
He wouldn’t be fooled again.
Cen Feng opened his eyes.
Xu Zhaixing unexpectedly met his icy gaze. A sharp, cutting chill pierced her heart.
In an instant, Cen Feng withdrew his hands from around the candles, took two steps back, his entire being radiating coldness and rejection. “I don’t have any wishes.”
He turned and walked away.
Xu Zhaixing was at a loss, frozen in place.
Cen Feng stopped after a few steps. He looked up at the empty street. After a few seconds, he turned and walked back. Xu Zhaixing was still standing there, staring at him in confusion.
She heard him ask, “How are you getting home?”
She stammered, “T-Taking a taxi.”
Cen Feng’s expression remained cold. “Come with me.”
Xu Zhaixing, still holding the cake, followed him closely.
At the street corner, they waited for two minutes before a taxi passed by. Cen Feng waved it down, pulled open the door, and said, “Get in.”
Faced with her idol’s imposing aura, Xu Zhaixing had no resistance. Trembling slightly, she started to climb in. Halfway in, she remembered something, quickly turned around, and held out the cake. “Brother, you haven’t had any cake yet.”
Cen Feng frowned, looking impatient. “I don’t want any.”
Xu Zhaixing wasn’t ready to give up. She whispered, “It’s really sweet. Just try a little? Just one bite…”
Looking at Cen Feng’s expression, she almost expected him to strike her.
Instead, the next moment, Cen Feng extended a finger, swiped it quickly across the cake, then brought it to his lips for a brief taste.
He said, “Satisfied?”
Xu Zhaixing felt content. Holding the cake, she settled obediently into the car. Before the driver started moving, she leaned out the window and asked pitifully, “Brother, can I come listen to you sing next time?”
Cen Feng looked down at her, his eyes unreadable. “There’s a heavy snow warning. I won’t be coming.”
Xu Zhaixing nodded quickly. “Oh, okay! Then you must take care of yourself, Brother. I’ll come find you again when the weather gets warmer!”
Cen Feng didn’t respond.
As the car pulled away, she kept looking back longingly. She saw the boy standing straight under the streetlight, his shadow stretching long and lonely across the ground.
Her eyes stung a little. She gave a small wave and whispered, “Happy birthday, Brother.”
Halfway home, Xu Yan’s call came through. As soon as she answered, he scolded her, “I just went to the office to sign some documents, and you disappeared? Didn’t I tell you there’s a blizzard warning tonight and not to go out?”
Xu Zhaixing hurriedly apologized. “I’m almost back! I just went out to buy a cake. I’ll be home soon!”
Xu Yan rubbed his temples in frustration, walking to the entrance to change his shoes. “I’ll wait for you downstairs.”
About ten minutes later, Xu Zhaixing jumped out of the taxi with her cake. Under Xu Yan’s skeptical gaze, she waved the cake box. “I was just craving it. Sorry.”
Xu Yan gave her a cold look. “If you run off like this again, I’m telling your Mom.”
Xu Zhaixing retorted, “Brother, how old are you? Resorting to tattling? Can’t we have some basic trust between people?”
This girl certainly had a sharp tongue. Xu Yan was about to tap her head in warning when he noticed that, despite her cheerful smile, her eyes looked downcast.
His gesture softened into a gentle ruffle of her hair. “What’s wrong?”
Xu Zhaixing ran over to press the elevator button. “Huh? Nothing’s wrong. Hurry up, it’s freezing.”
Since she didn’t want to talk, he didn’t press further.
Back home, Xu Zhaixing took out the cake, squatted by the coffee table, and started eating it with a spoon, one scoop after another. When Xu Yan went to take a shower, she was in that position. When he came out, she was still in that same position, expression unchanged, looking a bit down.
Xu Yan rubbed his hair with a towel and walked over to her. “Want to come to the company with me tomorrow?”
It seemed to take Xu Zhaixing a moment to process his words before she nodded. “Okay. I’ll set an alarm.”
Xu Yan didn’t say anything else, just smiled. “Finish up and get to bed early.”
The next morning, Xu Zhaixing climbed sleepily into Xu Yan’s Mercedes-Benz.
Star Era’s office was located downtown. Although it didn’t have an entire imposing building like some larger companies, Xu Yan had leased the first seven floors of a newly built commercial tower.
The company might be small, but its appearance had to be impressive—crucial for signing artists and securing investor partnerships.
At the entrance, a security guard greeted, “Good morning, Mr. Xu.”
Xu Yan nodded kindly. As they walked through, the front desk staff, the cleaning lady, and employees rushing to clock in all greeted in unison, “Good morning, Mr. Xu.”
This was Xu Zhaixing’s first time visiting the entertainment company she had helped create. Everything filled her with awe. In just half a year, Xu Yan had managed to build the company to this scale, truly worthy of being a future industry titan.
As she looked around, others were looking at her too.
The company’s internal group chat quickly lit up:
— Mr. Xu brought a super young girl to the company today!
— Young? That’s practically a kid. She still has baby fat. Can’t be more than fifteen.
— She’s so cute! Such big eyes!
— Is she a newly signed artist? Did Mr. Xu say who’ll manage her? I’m short on this exact type. Don’t anyone dare try to take her from me.
— Sister Su, you’ve changed. Last night you said I was your only treasure.
— The industry is really lacking this type right now. Where did Mr. Xu find such a gem? Brother Yun, aren’t you taking Jinjin to audition for Director Guo’s project today? Ask Mr. Xu about bringing this girl along. She fits the character perfectly. Might just land a role.
— We don’t even know if she’s signed yet. I’ll ask Mr. Xu in his office later.
Xu Yan noticed Xu Zhaixing looking around with excitement in her eyes, none of last night’s gloom in sight. Relieved, he said as they stepped into the private elevator, “I have a morning meeting. Feel free to wander around and get familiar with the place. Later, I’ll introduce you to the staff and artists.”
Xu Zhaixing waved a hand. “No need, no need. You can introduce them when I graduate and join the company. Go ahead with your work. I’ll explore on my own.”
Xu Yan nodded and left the elevator. Rubbing her hands together in anticipation, Xu Zhaixing decided to start her tour from the seventh floor and work her way down.
The sixth and seventh floors housed Xu Yan’s and a few other managers’ offices. Xu Zhaixing wandered around the seventh floor, but it was mostly empty, so she took the stairs down to the sixth.
The sixth-floor corridor was lined with posters of the company’s signed artists. Xu Zhaixing was particularly interested and examined each one closely.
Besides the artists she had specifically recommended to Xu Yan in the initial proposal, he had signed five more—three guys and two girls, all quite young and very attractive.
The first poster featured a girl with long, straight black hair. Her look was pure and sweet, and she was smiling brightly at the camera, what would later be called a “first-love face.” Her signature on the poster read “Zhao Jinjin.”
Xu Zhaixing was thoroughly engrossed in the posters when the elevator doors next to her slid open. A girl wearing sunglasses stepped out, followed by two assistants. She was fuming as she walked, “What does Ma Zhe think he’s doing? Urging Brother Yun to take that new girl along with me to the audition? Just because I chose Brother Yun’s group over his during the artist division, he’s holding a grudge? Trying to block my way, huh? Hmph, what’s the background of that new girl? Anything in the group chat?”
An assistant hurriedly replied, “No updates yet. Mr. Xu and the others are in the morning meeting.”
The girl sneered, “Just arrived at the company and already reaching into my territory? Does she think I’m an easy target? I want to see what kind of big shot she is. So, what if Mr. Xu personally brought her in? Wasn’t I personally signed by Mr. Xu too?”
Just then, she noticed a cute young girl not far away, looking inexplicably amused while staring at her poster.
Zhao Jinjin paused, giving her assistant a questioning look.
The assistant quickly pulled out her phone, scrolled through the group chat, found the blurry photo someone had secretly taken earlier, and after comparing it, gave Zhao Jinjin a firm nod.
That’s her!
Zhao Jinjin’s anger flared instantly.
What’s with that smile while looking at my poster?
Trying to provoke me?
Bring it on! I’m right here! Let’s have it out!
She raised her voice, a cold laugh escaping her lips. “Some newcomers these days may lack skill, but they sure know how to latch onto the right people fast. Trying to compete with me? They should first weigh their own worth!”
Xu Zhaixing, hearing the commotion, turned around curiously: Who is this beautiful, long-legged, slim-waisted sister yelling at?
**