The Stars In Your Eyes

The Christmas dinner will be held on Christmas eve. When Bai Yutang arrived in the morning, he was surprised to see some people who arrived earlier than him dressed very well. He himself always dresses in a humble manner even though his clothes were never cheap, a credit of his lover's habit to flaunt showering him with money.

"Morning Huang Jie." Bai Yutang greeted her. He always arrived earlier than Huang Shi, and was surprised to see her wearing a one piece emerald green dress with black stockings and black coat. She also wears ankle length boots with pointy heels.

"Morning." Huang Shi put her bag and walked to the pantry after turning her computer on.

Ten minutes later, Bai Yutang realized something was wrong with today. He saw Xiang Cai arrive wearing a dark green shirt with black suit on top of it. He even used cufflink today.. Never in Bai Yutang's life wore a cufflink to the office.

At lunch time they have lunch together with two ladies from the finance department. For once in this cold winter, Bai Yutang saw the mini skirt Xiang Cai mentioned on his first day working here. 

Bai Yutang admired these ladies who could wear mini skirts on top of their black leggings in this weather. It was true once they got inside the building, it didn't matter anymore. This building's heater functions very properly.

They have lunch at the cafeteria in this building. The two finance ladies shared one portion of chicken butter. They eat the chicken with a gesture as if the chicken is a magical food bestowed by the high priest. Slowly savour it.

"Ah.. The heavy price we have to pay when wearing this skirt." The lady said in a sad face. The other patted her tummy and mumbled repeated mantras. "I'm full I'm full I'm full.."

Huang Shi was either blessed or cursed with her skinny features. On one hand, she was lucky she didn't get fat. On the other hand, her features lack of feminine aura emitted by the curvy hips and full breast. She calmly said to the girls, "Why don't you drink more? Mrs. Zhu always drinks three glasses of water before she orders something to eat. She said it helped her stomach to feel full before stuffing food to her mouth."

The two girls immediately stand up and order four more glasses of hot tea.

"Why does everyone dress so well today?" Bai Yutang asked. Finally he can't help but to ask, to satisfy his curiosity.

"This is a Christmas Eve party. After dinner, we'll go to some karaoke or bar, depending on our director's mood." Xiang Cai said.

"Ah.." Bai Yutang's mind jumbled in a mixed mood. He already told his lover he will finish the company dinner at 9 o'clock. He really didn't know there's an after party after the dinner.

"What? You didn't realise from the group chat?" Huang Shi asked.

"I thought it was just an individual's decision.." Bai Yutang answered.

"You already have some plans for tonight?" One of the finance ladies asked him while drinking her hot tea slowly.

Bai Yutang slowly nodded. 

"With your boyfriend?" The other lady asked. Bai Yutang knows maybe the whole office knows that he was a cutsleeve. So he nodded again.

"It's okay. I'll call him later to tell him I'll be going back late tonight." Bai Yutang said.

"Do you live together?"

Bai Yutang nodded again.

"Where do you live?"

Bai Yutang mentioned their address.

"Woah. Do you rent the apartment there, or own it?" Xiang Cai asked because he looked for a good apartment to rent. His apartment rent will end next month. The apartment he stays in now is a little bit old and gives him some trouble sometimes with the water or electricity.

"My boyfriend owned it." Bai Yutang said.

"Do you know the apartment owner there who wants to rent their apartment out? I like that apartment, but saw the advertisement from the property management and the price is a little bit high." Xiang Cai's eyes sparkled. If he could rent from the owner directly, the price would be lower.

"I'll try to look out for you. One or two bedrooms?" Bai Yutang promised him.

Huang Shi snorted, "That apartment is really out of your budget, Xiang Cai. Better to look for a cheaper one. You still need to save for your future girlfriend and marriage."

"Let our Xiang Cai indulge himself in luxury. He is destined to stay single for life, Huang Jie! Better to pamper himself rather than saving for the dream girl who will never come true." The finance ladies laughed.

"You girls could laugh at me when you already tie the knot with your boyfriends. You'll never know who will have the last laugh. Don't show up in the office with puffy eyes if you break up." Xiang Cai cruelly returned their teasing.

"Damn it! Are you cursing us, Xiang Cai? This is definitely the reason why you stay single!" 

"It is called facing reality, not cursing, ladies. Don't you know the old saying? Never flaunt your fortune or else the Gods will envy and take it away from you."

Bai Yutang didn't understand why the finance girls always argued with Xiang Cai but also had lunch with him the most compared to the other people on their team.

Xiang Cai then turned his head to Bai Yutang, "One bedroom please. I actually want to have a roommate, but nowadays it's hard to trust strangers and live together. So I prefer to live alone rather than compromise my safety."

Bai Yutang silently thought. Yu Dong will resign after Chinese new year while looking for a job in S city. He will marry Mu Xiaoya in April and live in S city, Mu Xiaoya's birth city. Mu Xiaoya herself already graduated and settled in S city this year. Bai Yutang's ear almost fell off from Yu Dong's self pity every time they met. Yu Dong said long distance relationship is torture him to the verge of having early baldness.

Tang Yuxuan surprisingly will become the first who might lose his bachelor status between them. His wedding to Fei Hong was planned for March. Tang Yuxuan who was the one said he didn't think about early marriage when they graduate.

With these marriages coming, Liu Xiang will soon become a single fighter and lose his roommates. Once Liu Xiang even shamelessly asked Bai Yutang and Jian Kang Lu whether he could rent their free room in the apartment. 

This idea of course was rejected by Jian Kang Lu even though Liu Xiang earnestly promised he would turn on his earphone noise cancellation if Jian Kang Lu wanted to "do" Bai Yutang in the living room.

But before he proposed this idea of Liu Xiang and Xiang Cai to become roommates, he needed to ask Liu Xiang first. After all, Bai Yutang only know Xiang Cai less than one month.

When the clock shows 6 o'clock, they go to the first destination, the hotpot restaurant which has been booked for 50 people. Not everyone could go to this event. Bai Yutang as the new employee of course can't exempt himself.

Jian Kang Lu is really sour and bitter to hear his kitten will extend the dinner. But he understands his kitten needs to do it. He was also the one who worried about his kitten social life. 

Humans are a funny species. Jian Kang Lu wants his kitten to have other friends but when his wish comes true, he feels uneasy and wants to kidnap Bai Yutang back to himself.

Jian Kang Lu has his dinner alone. A simple salad and pasta in Italian restaurant near his hospital. Then he drove home to meet the lonely cold apartment without his kitten's presence.

It's just one night he spent his time alone among hundreds of nights he came home in a warm apartment with his kitten's cook. But this one snowy night was truly cold and hard to bear. 

Jian Kang Lu sighed to realise how much he depends on his kitten's love.

Honestly speaking, it was Bai Yutang who usually comes home first then meets this cold apartment. It was also Bai Yutang who had to spend his time alone in times when Jian Kang Lu needed to go to conferences or other hospital's celebration.

This makes Jian Kang Lu's attachment and his love grow even more. Filled his heart, etched to his bone. A devotion to his kitten's patience and tolerance to him.

When Jian Kang Lu took a bath alone, Bai Yutang and some of their team had already arrived in the bar. The number of people who choose to go to the club decreased from 50 to around 40 people.

Surprisingly, they went to the V club. The club was owned by Hui Yi Zhan, Sun Hongjia's relatives. If it was not because he's a new employee who hasn't passed through his probation period, Bai Yutang will choose to go home, back to his lover's embrace.

Bai Yutang rode on Xiang Cai's car with the finance ladies. Their group is one of the earliest groups to arrive. At the entrance, a person from the HR team who seemed to handle tonight's reservation was shouting, "Who had the membership? Ask your team in the group chat."

Bai Yutang didn't really know the benefit of having this membership card. He has one due to the Hui Yi Zhan's urge last year when they came here. He doesn't know whether the membership card is still active or expired, since it exceeds one year from the first and last time he came here with his lover and his sister.

Still he comes forward. If it is still active, maybe they could get a discount. "I have, but I don't know whether the card is still active or not." Bai Yutang then fished the card out from his wallet and gave it to the attendant.

The attendant immediately called someone. Then a tall handsome man comes forward.

"Hello Mr. Bai. My name is Yu Linshi. Do you prefer me or another person to be your assistant for tonight? And which room do you prefer?"

Bai Yutang had no idea and told this man that the leader is the other person. The handsome man then talked to this person. Bai Yutang didn't know what they were talking about, but the person from HR looked at him, then excitedly made a phone call before talking a little bit more with the handsome man.

There already 12 people arrived, waiting for the others. The one from HR then clapped his hand, "Let's go inside first. Tell the other to go to Mr. Bai's room when they arrive."

Bai Yutang was really embarrassed to hear that. When he follows the others inside, he is quite confused why the other person is saying they need to go to the room under his name. Then again he thinks maybe this is part of the new employee welcome party. 

He prays the room under his name doesn't mean he needs to pay for their drinks tonight.

And later even after this long night ended, when the directors bleed their hearts to swipe their credit card settling the payment, he still has no idea.