After Xuanyi finishes her Weibo live, she scrubs off her makeup, changes into her comfiest pyjamas and gets ready to collapse into bed. However, there’s already somebody there.

“Jesus,” Xuanyi says in shock. “What are you doing here?”

Fu Jing blinks at her blearily. “I know you think highly of me, but calling me Jesus is a bit overboard.”

Xuanyi snorts and shoves her, and Fu Jing falls over theatrically, landing with her limbs splayed out on the bed. Xuanyi takes the opportunity to straddle her, climbing on top of her and burying her face against Fu Jing’s neck.

“Hi,” she says, quiet and intimate, and she can feel Fu Jing swallow.

“Hi,” Fu Jing returns. “Happy Birthday.”

Xuanyi lifts her face so she can see Fu Jing’s, and she sees the soft look in her eyes, the set of that’s not quite a smile but warmer than that somehow.

“Where’s my present?” Xuanyi asks playfully.

Fu Jing spreads out her arms. “Here I am.”

Xuanyi puts on a disappointed expression. “That’s all I get?”

“Hey, what do you mean ‘all’? You should feel blessed to get this present.”

“I do feel blessed,” Xuanyi says seriously. “Why do you think I called you Jesus?”

Fu Jing snorts, but she’s smiling. “Careful, you’re picking up my dad jokes.”

“Does that mean that Chaoyue is going to call us both ‘Dad’ now?”

“How did we go from the lesbian billionaire couple of China to being a pair of lame joking dads?”

Xuanyi bursts into laughter. “Since when were we the lesbian billionaire couple of China?”

“Since we got together,” Fu Jing says. “What, you only want to be a lesbian billionaire couple with Meiqi?”

“I mean, that’d be kind of hard considering we’re neither billionaires nor a couple.”

“So if you were both billionaires you’d consider it?”

Xuanyi wrinkles her nose. “Don’t be gross, Meiqi is like my sister.” She gives Fu Jing a sidelong glance. “You’re not getting jealous again, are you?”

Fu Jing huffs. “What do you mean ‘again’?”

“Is it because she got me a ring? She does that every year, you know. It’s just a tradition.”

“You know, you’re not helping your case,” Fu Jing says, and Xuanyi just fixes her with a Look. “No, I’m not jealous. Well, maybe a little bit, but I can’t help it, okay? It’s just. You two have all this history, you celebrated five birthdays together, and this is only my first one with you.”

“The first of many,” Xuanyi says, slipping her fingers through Fu Jing’s.

Fu Jing squeezes. “I’m sorry.”

“For being unreasonably jealous?”

Fu Jing gives her a sad pout that reminds Xuanyi of a puppy with its ears tucked back against its head, uneasily awaiting a reprimand. “Mm hm.”

“Yes, this is my first birthday that we’ve spent together, but that’s not a bad thing, you know. It’s another first I get to share with you.” Xuanyi smiles. “I think that’s special. Don’t you?”

“Well, you know I can’t say no if you put it like that.”

Xuanyi laughs and presses it against Fu Jing’s cheek. “You’re my girlfriend, okay? Meiqi can get me a thousand rings and that wouldn’t change anything.”

She wishes she could bottle up the light in Fu Jing’s eyes, the pleased flush of her cheeks, and take them out on those dark, lonely nights when she’s by herself in some faraway land without them, without Fu Jing.

Fu Jing clears . “You’re not going to tell her, are you?” she says sheepishly.

“Of course I am. She’ll find it hilarious.”

“Laoxuan…” It’s half a whine, and it brings a full smile to Xuanyi’s face.

“You know, if you’re sad we don’t have enough history together, we’ll just have to make more.”

Fu Jing gets a particular glint in her eyes, and suddenly Xuanyi remembers that they’re on a bed. Her bed. A place where they’ve made quite a lot of history. However, Fu Jing’s gaze softens, still bright but warm, tender.

“Xuanyi,” she says. “Happy Birthday.”

Xuanyi blinks and can only think to say, “You already said that.”

Fu Jing ignores that and keeps looking at her, and even though Xuanyi doesn’t get flustered often, she finds her face filling with warmth.

“We spent my birthday together on the show, and now we’re spending your birthday together. I’m happy we got that. Get that.”

“I’m happy too,” Xuanyi says, her voice coming out rather thick.

“I just—” Fu Jing’s throat flexes when she swallows. “I’m really grateful.”

“Jingjing,” Xuanyi says quietly. “You don’t have to say it. I know.”

Fu Jing sings, staring into her eyes, “Wo ai ni a, hen xiang nian hen gan xie you ni de mei tian.” I love you. I really miss and am grateful for every day with you. She had changed the lyrics from xia tian, summer, to mei tian, every day.

A smile crackles over Xuanyi’s face, helpless, incandescent. She remembers how Fu Jing had sung this during practice, melancholic and soulful, how she had messed up during the live and cried against Xuanyi’s shoulder afterwards, how she had serenaded Xuanyi with this after confessing to her.

“Jing.” Xuanyi’s smile turns softer, because she knows Fu Jing finds it easier to sing the words than say them. “I love you too.”

“I can’t believe I’m 24,” Xuanyi says, almost to herself. “Aojuan is barely eighteen and I’m already in my mid-twenties.”

“Why the sudden gloom?”

“You said it yourself, right? Being in our industry, a birthday isn’t something to celebrate. Getting older isn’t a good thing.”

“You say that like you’ve sprouted wrinkles and white hair.” Fu Jing taps her knee against Xuanyi’s. “I have nothing against older women, but don’t make me feel like my girlfriend is booking a room at the retirement home.”

Xuanyi huffs out a soft laugh. “Would you be my roommate?”

“Of course. Who else is going to fetch you milk tea when you’re craving it?”

“What if you throw your hip out doing that?” Xuanyi asks, idly tracing a hand down said body part as she speaks. Fu Jing’s breath hitches, and Xuanyi hides a smile.

“I’m pretty sure by then they’ll have very advanced replacement hips. I can probably become part-cyborg.”

Xuanyi tilts her head to the side. “But I don’t want you to replace your body parts. I like your body.”

“Yeah, you like my body now.”

“I’ll always like your body. Your dad jokes, not so much.”

“By then, they’ll be great grandpa jokes.”

“That doesn’t sound much better,” Xuanyi says wryly. “Well, I guess the being great grandpas with each other part sounds…”

“Amazing?” Fu Jing supplies. “Wonderful? A dream come true?”

Xuanyi laughs so hard her face crumples up. “Yes, all of those,” she tells Fu Jing, and pulls her in for a kiss.