Forget it-no more thinking about it. Xia Shule slept soundly that night, while his parents held a discussion that lasted all night. Their final conclusion was... they had better prepare more gifts for tomorrow's visit.
Once Xia Shule set his mind on something, not even ten oxen could drag him away. Otherwise, he wouldn't have spent so many years chasing Jiang Gechen without giving up.
Still, his parents breathed a sigh of relief. At least it wasn't that boy from the Jiang family. Anyone would be more reliable than him.
Everything went far more smoothly than Xia Shule had imagined.
Back in his room, Xia Shule lay on his bed, opened his phone, and tapped on his chat with the old man. He had to let him know about this right away. Whether he liked it or not, he was going to have to agree!
Le Shuxia: Hey~ You there, buddy? Reply with 1 if you get this.
Old man (disguised as a gardener): 1
Xia Shule was no longer surprised by his instant replies. That was how it should be, wasn't it?
He glanced at the contact name he'd given him. It made him laugh every time he looked at it.
Le Shuxia: I told my parents about us. Before we register our marriage tomorrow, can you come home with me? They think it's all happening too fast and won't feel at ease.
Old man (disguised as a gardener): Sure. What time?
Le Shuxia: Wait until I let you know.
On the other side of the screen, Yan Zhiyi unconsciously frowned. He had a feeling the kid was getting back at him for making him wait before.
But...
Old man (disguised as a gardener): Sure. Whatever you say.
Hmph~
On this side of the screen, Xia Shule gave a smug little huff. Not bad. He really was getting his revenge, but he'd hidden it pretty well, hadn't he?
Le Shuxia: Don't give us away tomorrow! I'm twenty, born in the Year of the Rooster. I don't eat cilantro, scallions, ginger, or garlic, but I love garlic crayfish.
Le Shuxia: Remember those in case they ask. They probably won't ask anything too detailed. This should more or less cover it.
Old man (disguised as a gardener): OK. I'll remember.
Le Shuxia: What about you? How old are you? I've only talked about myself. I need to get to know you too. Otherwise, if they ask me something, I won't be able to get a single word out.
Old man (disguised as a gardener): Thirty. Year of the Pig. I eat everything.
Xia Shule nearly blacked out at the message. Apparently, people who didn't like talking could keep their sentences concise under any circumstances. They didn't even have to think about it. It was a skill of theirs...
Huh!?
Le Shuxia: Wait a second?
Le Shuxia: You're thirty!?
Le Shuxia: You don't look it! You're actually thirty! Wow~ No wonder you've always had this mature air about you.
Le Shuxia: But you look pretty young. I thought you were only twenty-five or twenty-six.
After learning his age, Xia Shule marveled that it was no wonder his mother was anxious. If he reached that age himself, Ms. Ming Yue would probably be anxious too, wouldn't she? Besides, his own parents were a little older.
They'd had this big shot late in life.
Old man (disguised as a gardener): ...
He might as well just call him old.
Le Shuxia: Stop sending those six little dots. They look like sheep poop all over the place.
Le Shuxia: Good night, Uncle Yan.
Uncle Yan, and then Gardener Gege. The little guy was always changing what he called him, though he still preferred hearing Gardener Gege.
Old man (disguised as a gardener): ...
Old man (disguised as a gardener): Good night.
He'd told him not to send those six little dots, and he'd done it again. It felt as if a whole flock of sheep was pooping on his screen. Xia Shule put down his phone. He absolutely had to get his beauty sleep. No more staying up late.
Early the next morning.
Xia Shule dressed neatly in sky-blue overalls and a plain white T-shirt, looking every bit like a high school student.
Yan Zhiyi was already waiting outside the Xia family's home early that morning. Clearly, he also considered this day of making things official important. He wore a custom-made shirt, meticulously pressed.
The phone screen in his hand displayed the message Xia Shule had sent four minutes earlier.
Le Shuxia: I'm almost ready!! Wait for me to bring you inside!!
Yan Zhiyi hadn't replied. He simply waited patiently. He could tell that although the kid considered this nothing more than going through the motions, he was young, after all. Experiencing such a major life event for the first time, he was bound to be nervous and take it seriously.
As if it weren't Yan Zhiyi's first time too. He was merely putting on a calm front.
After quite a while, he finally spotted Xia Shule jogging toward him.
Young, full of life, a little... sun. That was what Yan Zhiyi thought when he saw Xia Shule.
Ever since getting to know the kid, he hadn't noticed a single flaw in him. On the contrary, he was full of good qualities.
Meeting the smile on Xia Shule's face, Yan Zhiyi opened the car door and got out, catching the little cannonball who couldn't stop in time in his arms.
Xia Shule tilted his head up in his embrace, smiling brightly. "Let's go. How long have you been waiting? I told you not to come too early, and now I've kept you waiting."
"Not long. I was worried I'd be late." Yan Zhiyi's hand circled the kid's waist. It was so slender that he felt he could almost wrap one hand around it.
So thin? Didn't he usually eat?
Xia Shule was completely oblivious to their somewhat intimate position. Whenever he was happy, sad, angry, or excited, he liked physical contact.
Yan Zhiyi, however, was already deep in this sea of intimacy. They were pressed close together, and the kid, a head shorter than him, was looking up at him.
It was a strange feeling, impossible to put into words. In any case, Yan Zhiyi had never experienced anything like it in his first thirty years. It was new. So new that he was rather reluctant to let go.
His hand quietly took in the contours of the other's waist.
They stood there like that for quite a while, until Xia Shule felt the hand against his lower back growing warmer and warmer. He'd initially figured that if the other man didn't move, neither would he, but he'd been standing there far too long.
What was this guy thinking about, holding him here?
Xia Shule patted Yan Zhiyi's arm and urged him, "Come on. Let's go inside."
Then he wriggled out of Yan Zhiyi's embrace.
Yan Zhiyi stayed where he was and rubbed his hand. That slender, soft sensation seemed to linger between his fingers, and his brows drew together slightly in apparent puzzlement.
Inside, the Xia Family couple were already terribly nervous. Even setting aside the fact that Yan Zhiyi was about to become their son-in-law, he was a man whose very name struck fear into people in Jingjiang.
On the one hand, the Xia Family couple thought President Yan was a formidable figure. On the other, they wanted to establish their authority and back their son up.
And so the two sat on the sofa looking both fierce and timid, a striking contrast.
Footsteps came from the doorway, along with their son's calls.
"Mom, Dad~ Here I come~"
Knowing his parents were nervous too, Xia Shule called out loudly from the doorway in advance.
Ms. Ming Yue cleared her throat softly and straightened her back.
They'd agreed the night before that one would play good cop and the other bad cop.
Considering that Xia Dunrong would still have to discuss business partnerships and such with President Yan in the future, Ming Yue decided to be the villain herself. She did her best to put on a fierce expression.
As the footsteps drew closer, two figures gradually came into view.
A young man with light steps and a radiant smile, and behind him, a tall, straight-backed man with a stern expression.