Chapter 61 Happy Birthday
No, security on the Korean Peninsula has always been tight.
The apartment is also equipped with an intrusion alarm system. Door and window sensors monitor in real time, and automatically connect to the security department's alarm system once an abnormal intrusion is detected.
The kitchen lights are on. I walk through the living room and then the master bedroom. I'm so familiar with this apartment.
A thought flashed through Ji Tong's mind, and his heart suddenly started pounding.
No, he's in Germany.
Ji Tong then remembered that Gu Lin had said there was no signal.
My uncle said the signal is bad in Germany, but he hadn't had much trouble communicating with Gu Lin before. If it's not a signal problem, then it must be... on the plane?
Ji Tong was jolted awake by the thought, feeling as if he were suspended in mid-air by a rope. His fingers went numb as he unlocked his phone, not bothering to check any messages, and quickly opened the monitoring software.
The system notification indicated a feedback time of 11:07 PM. Ji Tong's breathing trembled slightly, and his fingers were stiff. He clicked twice before finally opening the live screenshot.
"Whoosh—"
The screen flashed, and a series of surveillance screenshots popped up.
In the center of each screenshot is the figure of one person.
The man was wearing the coat Ji Tong had given him when he took him to the airport, and was carrying a bag, as if he had stayed in the apartment the whole time and had never left.
Only the stray hairs ruffled by the wind on his forehead hinted at the traveler's long and arduous journey.
Ji Tong's mind went blank for a second, she forgot everything, and just stared intently at the screen, her body feeling as if it were suspended higher, floating and swaying.
He raised his hand, expressionless but with a fierce twist, and pinched himself hard.
It hurts.
Ji Tong finally released his breath, like someone who had been submerged in water suddenly surfacing and breathing heavily.
Ji Tong got out of bed, without even putting on slippers, and ran barefoot to the door. He locked the door, not wanting to wait even a few seconds, and leaned against the door to dial a number.
Low battery power
[10% battery remaining]
Ji Tong: "..."
Ji Tong went to the bedside table to get a power bank. Even though it was the room where he had grown up, he felt like he was in it for the first time, stumbling and even bumping his foot.
Ji Tong wasn't wearing slippers, and it hurt quite a bit, but he didn't care.
The phone vibrated with a "buzz," and the glowing red battery steadily began to charge.
Ji Tong had already dialed the number, then hung up, opened WeChat, started an audio/video call, then a video call, and dialed again.
Five seconds later, the video call was answered.
Ji Tong could already see the sofa behind Gu Lin through the camera, as well as the planetary puzzle framed on the wall, missing a piece.
Everything points to one message: Gu Lin and he are in the same time zone, with no time difference, so there's no need to calculate time.
But Ji Tong still asked, "Where are you?"
Gu Lin's soft, deep voice came through.
"An Jing."
He didn't say "apartment," he only said "Anjing."
Ji Tong remained silent for a long time.
The two stared at each other across the video for a long time.
"When you said you were going on a long trip, was this the kind of trip you were referring to?" Ji Tong's voice was a little hoarse.
Gu Lin walked to the sofa and sat down.
The apartment had been unoccupied for over ten days, and the temperature inside was low. Although Gu Lin had taken off his coat, he hadn't changed out of his sweater underneath.
"Is it far?" he said with a smile.
Ji Tong was at a loss for words.
How could it not be far?
It's more than 7,000 kilometers to Anjing.
"What time is your flight?" Ji Tong asked, paused for two seconds, and said, "I'm asking about Berlin time."
Gu Lin said, "A little after 2 o'clock."
It's definitely not 2 PM.
"So when you texted me this morning saying you were going on a long trip, you were already at the airport?"
"Um."
The direct flight from Brandenburg to Ankin Airport takes more than nine hours, but Gu Lin had just arrived.
"You called me this afternoon, were you on a connecting flight?"
"Um."
I was wondering why there was a broadcast sound.
Ji Tong felt a tightness in her chest. She should have asked one more question then; how come she hadn't paid attention?
Ji Tong's temples throbbed with pain.
Thinking back now, when he asked Gu Lin what he wanted for New Year's Eve dinner in the back mountain that afternoon, Gu Lin said he wanted a bento box, which Gu Lin took as a joke.
"It's 11 o'clock, have you eaten? What did you eat?"
"I ate," Gu Lin said, noticing the heartache in her boyfriend's eyes. "First class, everything you'd expect."
Even in first class, the food is all pre-cooked, at best a slightly more upscale bento box.
"You did this on purpose." Just thinking about New Year's Eve, with all the lights on in every house, and Gu Lin alone on the plane eating a cold airplane meal, made Ji Tong's heart ache as if it were soaked in alcohol.
"Why aren't you saying anything? Are you afraid to admit it?"
"No," Gu Linfei said. After a long day of flying, he took a taxi straight back to his apartment. He wasn't feeling very comfortable. He leaned back on the sofa with his legs bent, his left hand on his knee, and smiled casually. "I admit, it was intentional."
Since he admitted it so readily, Ji Tong fell silent.
Take off at dawn, land late at night, New Year's Eve, 15 hours.
"What are you coming back for?" Ji Tong asked knowingly.
Gu Lin rested one hand on the back of his neck: "It's my boyfriend's birthday."
Her boyfriend, however, frowned.
"Grandpa is having a luncheon tomorrow, and it won't end until at least the afternoon."
"I know," Gu Lin said in a reassuring tone, "I know all about his plans for tomorrow. It won't take up your daytime."
"Give me two hours tonight?"
Ji Tong felt an even stronger pang of sadness in her heart.
The flight on New Year's Eve is 14 hours long, plus an hour for the return trip from the airport, so that's a two-hour layover.
It's obviously not worth it.
So stupid.
Ji Tong sat on the carpet beside the bed, and as if remembering something, her back, which was pressed tightly against the mattress, tensed up: "You're back today, are things alright with Auntie and your grandfather?"
“It’s alright. Grandpa learned lion dance and drumming last year, and he has a ‘performance’ these days. He’s really into it.”
"Learn to play drums?"
"Um."
Ji Tong mumbled a few words, which Gu Lin didn't hear clearly. He thought Ji Tong was curious about his grandfather learning lion dancing, but upon closer listening, he heard a sentence:
"No wonder you have such a strong hand and hit me so hard when you're learning to play the drums."
Gu Lin paused for two seconds, then chuckled. All the fatigue from a long day melted away in the heartache hidden behind Ji Tong's words.
"And what about Auntie?" Ji Tong asked again.
Gu Lin said, "I told her it was your birthday, and she let us through."
Ji Tong felt a little apologetic: "So, Auntie will be spending New Year's Eve alone?"
"No, her husband is with her, skiing in Sweden."
Ji Tong felt a little better, her shoulders and back slumped again, she bent her legs and leaned back on the mattress, quietly looking at the person opposite her for a long time, with a hint of expectation, and asked, "So, are we going back?"
"Um."
The answer was as expected, but Ji Tong was still a little disappointed, though she didn't show it. She simply asked, "When are you going back?"
Gu Lin replied, "The flight is the morning after tomorrow."
Ji Tong knew he had to go back, but he didn't expect it to be so soon.
"What time is it?"
"10:30."
Ji Tong twirled her fingers: "...Can't we stay one more day?"
"So rushed."
Gu Lin was silent for a moment before answering, "Grandpa is coming back the day after tomorrow and has arranged dinner."
Ji Tong stopped talking, and after a long pause, nodded.
We have to go back.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Knowing that Gu Lin had to go back the day after tomorrow, Ji Tong suddenly felt the urgency of the situation.
After sitting for a while, Gu Lin got up and went to the refrigerator to get a bottle of iced tea. "The plane lands at 9:40, and I'll arrive at the apartment at 11:00."
"Even if I told you sooner, it would have been better to wait."
Ji Tong was speechless.
Indeed, even if one knew he was coming, it would be difficult to sneak out; one would have to wait.
Any other time would be fine, even a birthday, you can always find an excuse, but it just so happens to be New Year's Eve.
Even my uncle, a self-proclaimed "backpacker on Earth," had to stay home on New Year's Eve.
“At least I’ll know sooner,” Ji Tong said, “so I can call you sooner.”
"It's not too late now." Gu Lin took the can of drink, sat back down on the sofa, and pulled the tab with one finger.
And most importantly, Gu Lin didn't mention it—
I was afraid he would be thinking about other things and wouldn't eat properly.
After all, it's a once-a-year New Year's Eve dinner.
"Did the kitchen prepare the bamboo shoots this afternoon?" Gu Lin casually started a conversation.
When Ji Tong heard him ask this, she felt a mix of heartache, exasperation, and amusement, but she still answered, "I made it. I made a stew of pickled bamboo shoots and pork."
"Are you hungry? When are you going to sleep? I'll order you something to eat?" Ji Tong said while switching pages on her phone, preparing to see which private kitchens near the peninsula were still open, but Gu Lin said, "I'm not hungry, I just ate before the plane landed."
"I'm not eating. I'll take a shower after midnight and then go to sleep. I'm a little tired."
Ji Tong rarely heard the word "tired" from Gu Lin's mouth, and when she heard it suddenly, she was a little dazed. After the dazed feeling, she felt bloated, bloated all over. Indescribable emotions surged up in her heart and were stuck in her throat.
"Why wait until midnight?"
"If you want to wish me a Happy New Year or a Happy Birthday, say it now."
"After saying that, I took a shower, and after that, I went to sleep."
Ji Tong didn't give Gu Lin any more time to speak. He glanced at the alarm clock, 11:36 PM, and backed down.
"You can say it at midnight, but go take a shower now. I'll give you 24 minutes."
"I'll video call you again at midnight. I want to see you've finished showering and are in bed, understand?"
After saying that, Ji Tong didn't give Gu Lin a chance to speak again and hung up the video call.
JT: I'll go right away.
[The ward: Understood.]
"How come you can't find the charger after going upstairs?" Ji Yuanfeng called out from the corridor.
"Honey, are you in your room?"
Ji Tong sat on the carpet and replied, "Yes, Dad. I'll go downstairs in a bit; I have something to do."
As midnight approached, the number of messages in various groups increased, with a deluge of red envelopes and blessing text messages, but Ji Tong neither grabbed nor read a single one.
He opened the live monitoring and saw Gu Lin get up from the sofa and walk into the bedroom.
Gu Lin didn't close the door, and the camera automatically followed, barely capturing the section of road behind the master bedroom door.
Ji Tong saw Gu Lin take off his sweater, and judging from the changes in the light and shadow in the camera footage, he probably opened the wardrobe.
Sure enough, a few seconds later, Gu Lin walked towards the bathroom on the right side of the door, carrying his pajamas in one hand.
Ji Tong returned to the WeChat interface and stared at his profile picture for a long time.
[JT: I didn't tell you this morning, but I actually dreamt about you last night.]
[JT: I dreamt that you came back to celebrate my birthday with me.]
JT: I was very happy in my dream.
Ji Tong paused for a moment, then typed the last sentence—
[JT: Just be happy like this.]
-
Not long after Ji Yuanfeng went downstairs, the voices of Song Zhenshu and the others could be heard in the courtyard.
"Tongtong, it's almost midnight, get ready to come down and open your presents."
"Guess what Grandma prepared for you this year."
Ji Tong stood up from the carpet, ran to the window, and called out to the courtyard, "Grandma, I accidentally spilled tea on my clothes. I'll take a shower before coming downstairs."
"Did it spill on your clothes? Are you burned?"
"No, it's just wet."
Ji Tong told a lie.
Since it wouldn't be convenient to call Gu Lin downstairs, I decided not to go downstairs at all.
He secretly wanted to save the first "Happy Birthday" and the first "Happy New Year" at midnight this year for his boyfriend.
Ji Tong opened her tablet, randomly selected a live stream of the Spring Festival Gala, didn't watch it, and just tossed it on the bed to use as an alarm clock.
He didn't exit the chat interface with Gu Lin, even though the number of unread messages in the upper left corner kept increasing to a terrifying level. He just left his phone there, only occasionally switching to the monitoring screen.
At 11:54 PM, the monitoring software sent a new message notification.
[Attention! Someone has passed through this key area!]
[Cloud-controlled Smart Camera 25pro PTZ Version - Living Room - 76358987]
Ji Tong noticed that the "home security" mode was still on. He clicked on it and switched modes. At the same time, he saw Gu Lin in the surveillance camera wearing pajamas and standing by the coffee table, bending down to pick up his phone.
His hair was still a little damp, and his loose black pajamas made him look exceptionally neat.
Ji Tong reopened the video call and dialed back.
Answered in a second.
Ji Tong was silent for a moment. She had been able to type without any reservations that she had dreamed about him and said "happy," but now that they were actually looking at each other, she felt a little embarrassed.
"Are you done washing?" Ji Tong naturally started the conversation.
"Hmm," Gu Lin said with a faint but clear smile, "I saw it."
So what if he sees it? I sent it to him anyway.
“But I’m also a little angry,” Ji Tong warned, “If you dare to go missing for more than ten hours again, you’d better watch out.”
Gu Lin: "Received."
"Still in the room?" Gu Lin asked, looking at the window behind him.
“Okay, let’s go down after midnight,” Ji Tong looked up at the alarm clock on the wall, “we can still chat for 5 more minutes.”
Five short, yet precious minutes.
The last five minutes of the year.
The two chatted about the weather in Germany, the New Year's Eve dinner tonight, and the beautiful acorns that Ji Tong had found in the back hill.
The live stream on the tablet on the bed transformed from dancing to a chorus, the stage grew increasingly crowded, the host's blessings rang out amidst the accompaniment, and a one-minute countdown began.
Ji Tong turned around and opened the window. Gu Lin also walked from the living room to the balcony and opened the window.
10, 9, 8...
Ji Tong silently recited it in his heart.
"3, 2, 1—"
Fireworks burst into bloom in both skies at the same time.
"Happy New Year."
"Happy birthday."
Their voices overlapped.
After saying "Happy Birthday," Gu Lin added, "Happy New Year."
A brand new, tender spring, filled with love and companionship, has arrived in grand style at this moment.
"戈戈!"
"Is your baby done washing up? It's past midnight."
"Why is it taking so long? I'll go up and check."
Ji Tong heard Song Zhenshu and the others' voices and remembered that the door was still locked.
Having already wished her boyfriend a happy birthday and a happy new year, Ji Tong was quite satisfied. As she walked towards the door, she said, "I have to go downstairs now, or my uncle will come up and arrest me. Go to sleep, right now."
"Sleep in the master bedroom, no sleeping on the sofa, understand?"
"knew."
Ji Tong smiled and said, "Good night, see you tomorrow."
"It's today," Gu Lin corrected him.
Ji Tong paused for a second.
right.
"See you today, goodnight, boyfriend."
Ji Tong opened the door just seconds before Song Zhenshu burst in.
Song Zhenshu looked at his red Anchor sweater: "Didn't you take a shower? Why are you still wearing this?"
Ji Tong: "..."
I was careless.
Ji Tong retorted, "Do I have to change clothes to take a shower?"
Song Zhenshu: "Listen to what you have to say."
Ji Tong: "I didn't change it on purpose. My grandma said that when dressing for New Year's Eve, you should have a beginning and an end."
Song Zhenshu: "How come I've never heard of it?"
Without allowing any further explanation, Ji Tong pulled Song Zhenshu downstairs.
After receiving fourteen phone calls, sending out eight hundred red envelopes, and receiving a house full of gifts, the courtyard finally quieted down again at one o'clock in the morning.
Ji Tong returned to her room, washed up, and lay on the bed, finally having time to work out tomorrow's schedule.
Gu Lin's flight is at 10 am on the second day of the Lunar New Year. Anjing will be crowded during the Spring Festival, so he has to leave at 8 am. The lunch banquet ends today, and he won't be able to leave until at least 4 pm. He needs to find an excuse to leave quickly, but there will be so many people tomorrow, which will be a bit difficult.
Ji Tong thought to herself, "It would be much easier if no one was watching."
etc--
Nobody was watching.
Ji Tong suddenly sat up in bed.
…Now that nobody's watching over us, isn't there?
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