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Golden rays of the setting sun meld with twilight clouds. The warm glow of summer dusk spills over, casting trembling shadows on the gilded ground, filling the air with a palpable heat.
The Sweetheart Cake Shop near Nancheng Middle School experiences its busiest time of day. Students crowd the store after school, clustering in groups, filling the space with laughter and whispers.
The cashier, swamped with work, counts money and gives change, frequently wiping the sweat from his brow. He doesn't even have time to stretch his aching neck.
On this sweltering day, the stingy boss refused to turn on the air conditioning. With only two staff members, how could anyone keep up with the workload?
Just as she wished she could sprout eight arms like an octopus, the atmosphere in the shop suddenly and synchronously hushed, making even the sound of breathing distinctively audible.
Light footsteps echoed, followed by a clear and captivating male voice that graced her ears.
"Hello, I'm here to pick up the birthday cake I reserved at noon."
The cashier blinked, her gaze meeting a pair of eyes as gentle as rippling water.
The young man had a face seemingly sculpted from ice and snow, outshining any celebrity she had seen on television. His skin was pale, his demeanor graceful; he emanated a softness akin to spring water yet was as distant and aloof as frost and snow.
Enchanted, the cashier felt the warmth within her dissipate instantly, as if the air conditioning had suddenly sprung to life.
Other customers seemed to react in a similar fashion. The young man seemed to possess an innate ability to draw everyone's attention, eliciting lingering glances and momentary stupors.
"Miss?" Realizing she was in a daze, the young man's voice remained warm and devoid of annoyance.
"Ah, yes," the cashier snapped back to reality, hastily checking the reservation list. "Are you Mr. Qi?"
Qi Bai Cha nodded, "Yes."
"Just a moment; your cake is ready. I'll fetch it for you." Turning away, she felt her cheeks burn and her heart flutter erratically.
This was her first encounter with a man of such staggering good looks in real life!
Qi Bai Cha waited patiently, as the other customers slowly regained their composure and resumed their selections. Nevertheless, many a young woman's eyes still stole glances at the tall, handsome man, some even audaciously snapping photos to share on social media.
Just then, another group of students entered. Spotting Qi Bai Cha at the counter, their faces lit up. The girl in the lead exclaimed, "Wow, Teacher Qi, you're buying cake too?"
Qi Bai Cha glanced over; they were his students.
He simply acknowledged with a, "Hmm."
His voice was both silky and cool, carrying an intoxicating tenderness that was almost enough to "impregnate one's ears."
The cashier, now holding the cake box, found the title "Teacher Qi" intriguing. He looked so young; she would have believed it if he were said to be a student. Turns out, he was a high school teacher.
Youthful and already an educator—truly a combination of good looks and talent.
Admiring both his beauty and ability, she couldn't help but add, "Happy birthday."
Qi Bai Cha gave a slight smile, "Thank you. But it's not my birthday, it's my partner's."
That smile left the cashier entranced and emotionally drained. By the time she realized he had a partner, Qi Bai Cha had already walked away with his cake box.
Before exiting, he thoughtfully reminded his students, "Don't loiter too long on the road; head home soon."
The students obediently replied, "Alright, Teacher Qi."
The cashier felt a twinge of wistfulness. Such a young and accomplished man was already married.
She wondered what kind of woman would be worthy of a man so strikingly handsome.
As the girls were checking out, she curiously inquired, "So, that was your teacher just now?"
"Yes, and he's not just any teacher; he's our class advisor and the most handsome male teacher in the whole school!" one girl proudly declared. "All the other classes are green with envy."
"Moreover, Mr. Qi isn't just good-looking. He's also incredibly kind and well-educated—a graduate of a prestigious university!" another girl added. "He teaches history, and our class consistently has the highest average history grade in our grade level."
"We only found out today that Mr. Qi is married. With looks like his, his wife must be stunning..."
The students could go on and on singing Mr. Qi's praises.
As the cashier listened, her feelings evolved from envy to admiration, finally settling into a contented smile. While good-looking men often catch the eyes of single women, someone as remarkable as this was a figure to be admired from a distance.
Qi Bai Cha walked to his nearby parking space with the cake box in hand. Before entering his white Chevrolet sedan, he glanced at the sky, colored a rosy hue by the setting sun.
To the average person, the sky might have seemed cloaked in a delicate layer of golden strands, radiant in the twilight. Yet, Qi Bai Cha saw a nebulous, dark-green mist hovering in the northeastern corner above the campus—a twisted shape that emitted a vile stench abhorred by deities.
The malevolent energy around the school was getting stronger; he'd have to investigate soon.
He redirected his gaze, placed the cake box in the passenger seat, started the car, and drove off.
The car navigated through the bustling streets before entering a quiet, affluent neighborhood. Behind a labyrinth of rose walls stood a magnificent luxury villa.
Parking his modest Chevrolet sedan amidst an array of expensive Lamborghinis, Maseratis, Rolls-Royces, and Ferraris, Qi Bai Cha's vehicle seemed decidedly inconspicuous.
No matter; the entire underground garage was his property.
A teacher should always maintain a low profile.
Upon returning home, he placed the cake box on the table. The living room was empty; Fu Ming Ye had not yet returned.
Compared to Qi Bai Cha's rather mundane role as a high school teacher, Fu Ming Ye had a much more glamorous title—CEO of a publicly-listed company and ranked number one on the nation's list of wealthiest individuals, thus his perpetual busyness.
Many have lamented that Qi Bai Cha's talents are wasted on teaching high school, but he disagrees. He has lived for countless years, experiencing myriad lives, from emperor to minister, from general to pauper. The concept of wealth or status holds little meaning for him anymore.
Many of his ancient friends chose eternal slumber due to the monotony of immortality. Qi Bai Cha, a relatively young deity among ancient gods, chose to keep exploring human life, assuming new names every few decades and settling in different places to experience fresh facets of existence.
He had seen many places, met many people, and said many goodbyes.
Why did he change his name? Each time he assumed a new identity, he became a well-known figure—sometimes even legendary. Naturally, he couldn't continue using the same name.
During the Republican Era, his last friend, the Rain God, also chose eternal sleep, leaving him as the last remaining god in existence.
Watching the Rain God enter eternal slumber, he knew it would be an age before his friend awoke again.
The last god felt loneliness.
He returned to the busiest tea houses and wine shops in the human realm, choosing a table to sit alone in true solitude. When people, attracted by his demeanor, came to strike up conversations, they would ask for his name. Just then, a neighboring table ordered a pot of white tea. Inspired, he chose a new name for himself: "Qi Bai Cha."
That time, finding himself devoid of old friends, he felt rather dispirited, lacking the ambition to make a name for himself. He chose to live incognito, and the name he picked has stuck to this day.
As for the name he bore as a god, it's better left unspoken. All those who knew it have now entered eternal sleep, unable to utter it again.
After the era of the Republic of China, Qi Bai Cha too contemplated eternal slumber. The life of a god was, indeed, a tedious one. Yet, a last-minute change of heart led him to witness the establishment of the New Hua Nation, the rapid development of technology, the dawn of the 21st century, and—most importantly—the arrival of the man he loved.
He fell in love with a mortal.
Who is now his husband.
His husband's name is Fu Ming Ye.
Prior to meeting Fu Ming Ye, Qi Bai Cha had never thought he'd genuinely fall in love, especially not with a mortal.
In reality, the realm of gods is not as it is often portrayed in human myths, bereft of love or desire. There were plenty of gods in romantic relationships—be it between gods and mortals or gods and demons. Despite outshining a host of stunning goddesses to be heralded as the most beautiful deity, Qi Bai Cha never had any suitors.
The reason was simple: he was a god born from the eternal snows atop a mountain. When he took shape, it was as a youth of radiant purity and dazzling beauty. Even among gods, who are above worldly concerns, he was considered excessively cold.
A god of ice and snow, a cold beauty, an unattainable flower—many titles were bestowed upon him, such that even fellow gods felt he was sacrosanct.
It was only later when they realized he was actually a gentle sweetheart that the goddesses treated him like a son. None had romantic inclinations toward him.
Therefore, despite eons of existence, Qi Bai Cha had never tasted love. He had seen love stories between gods and mortals result in tragic consequences, leaving the gods bereft and opting for eternal sleep to heal their wounds.
Qi Bai Cha knew that the mortal lifespan was fleeting. Even the loss of a good friend would bring sorrow. Losing a loved one to old age, sickness, and death would be unbearable. Even if reincarnation were possible, the person who comes back wouldn't be the same, deepening the despair.
He told himself not to touch love.
However, he broke that rule upon meeting Fu Ming Ye.
Love, like a moth to a flame, could not be resisted. It easily shattered all his defenses.
Thinking of his lover, Qi Bai Cha's lips curved into a soft smile, his luminous eyes tinged with a faint shade of worry.
He met Fu Ming Ye when the latter was twenty-four. Now, Fu Ming Ye is twenty-seven.
How many sets of twenty-seven years does a mortal have?
The days that he could spend with his partner were rapidly diminishing.
With this thought, the happiness Qi Bai Cha initially felt for his lover's birthday began to wane, transforming into an inexplicable sense of gloom.
Pushing aside those disturbing thoughts, he opened a bottle of red wine, donned an apron, and entered the kitchen. His elegant fingers gripping the knife expertly crafted exquisite dishes: braised carp, sweet and sour ribs, braised bamboo shoots, Mapo tofu...
If one's lifespan is long enough, and if one isn't particularly obtuse, infinite time allows for the acquisition of multifaceted skills.
And so was the case with Qi Bai Cha. Mastering the eight major cuisines, he could easily give any culinary expert a run for their money.
Indeed, he wasn't a proper snow god at all—far from being untouched by worldly dust.
Qi Bai Cha cherished the vibrant atmosphere of the human world, particularly when sharing a simple meal with Fu Ming Ye on an ordinary night. To him, that experience surpassed even the most celestial of nectars.
With a steaming and fragrant spread of dishes ready, Qi Bai Cha set the table and removed his apron, just as the sound of a key turning in the villa's front door echoed.
Fu Ming Ye had returned.
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