Loving him to death and back

Pei Jinghe was quite efficient.

The day after Tassilo released its official statement, all the marketing campaigns involving Wu Jiangyuan were taken down.

Except for the haters busily doing their bidding in the comments, though they had little effect on Wu Jiangyuan.

He left the endorsement contract signing entirely to He Qu and enjoyed his free time.

His peaceful days did not last long before a phone call from home urgently summoned him back.

That evening.

Wu Jiangyuan returned to the family home and saw Jia Xin'an leisurely trimming flowers. He approached her in a huff.

"My dear mother, you didn't call me back in such a hurry just to watch you trim flowers, did you?"

Jia Xin'an made the last snip and admired her handiwork with satisfaction.

"Well?" She turned, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling. "Isn't it pretty? It's a skill I just learned."

Wu Jiangyuan obligingly praised her. "Gorgeous. That's my mom for you."

Jia Xin'an hummed a little tune, picked up the watering can, and began watering the flowers.

Seeing her like this, Wu Jiangyuan knew there was no emergency at all. He had been tricked into coming over again.

He asked, "Where's Dad?"

Jia Xin'an said, "Your dad is upstairs entertaining guests."

"Guests?" Wu Jiangyuan suddenly had a bad feeling. "Don't tell me it's Uncle Pei and the others?"

Jia Xin'an smiled faintly. "Clever boy, Yuanyuan."

"I'm sure you know why we called you back this time, don't you?"

The corner of Wu Jiangyuan's mouth twitched. What else could it be? Nothing but the wedding.

"Oh, you." Jia Xin'an shook her head helplessly. "You're registering your marriage next week. You can't keep being so willful."

"...Hold on." Wu Jiangyuan suddenly caught on and took a few steps over to Jia Xin'an. "Registering next week? Wasn't it next month?!"

Jia Xin'an asked, "What's today's date?"

Wu Jiangyuan said, "The twenty-seventh."

"What day of the week?"

"...Tuesday."

Jia Xin'an asked no more questions, only smiled. "Then won't next week be next month?"

"So when you said we'd register next month, you meant the beginning of the month?"

If this conversation went on any longer, Wu Jiangyuan would turn into a dark-skinned hunk.

Jia Xin'an gently stroked his cheek. "Mainly, your Uncle Pei thinks this month, April, is unlucky. May is lucky."

Wu Jiangyuan could not even be bothered to fight back. "Fine, you have the final say. But you could've just texted me about this. Why make me come all the way over?"

"That's certainly not the only thing we need to discuss."

Jia Xin'an gave him a reproachful look. "We'll announce the details once Jinghe gets here."

Wu Jiangyuan had not expected them to have called Pei Jinghe over too.

"Oh, Yuanyuan, when we sent you two to get your suits tailored last time, we forgot to have you sort out the rings while you were at it..."

Seeing that Jia Xin'an was about to start making arrangements again, Wu Jiangyuan hurriedly put an arm around her shoulders and led her to the couch. "Mom, stop worrying. Pei Jinghe and I will decide on the rings ourselves."

"From now on," Wu Jiangyuan said, switching on the LCD screen as well, "don't worry about anything between Pei Jinghe and me."

Jia Xin'an said, "But..."

Wu Jiangyuan put some fruit into her hand too, cutting her off. "No buts. I'm marrying Pei Jinghe, not you."

Jia Xin'an frowned and clicked her tongue softly. "Yuanyuan, don't think I don't know there's actually a rift between you and Jinghe."

"Do you think I want to worry about your business? I'm afraid Jinghe will be mistreated."

"He'll be mistreated?" Wu Jiangyuan laughed in exasperation. "Mom, I'm your biological son."

Jia Xin'an spoke as though it were perfectly natural. "Once you marry Jinghe, he'll be my son too, of course."

Wu Jiangyuan said, "..."

If they were not six months apart in age, he would have suspected that his mother and Aunt Yao had taken home the wrong babies.

Knowing Jia Xin'an's temperament all too well, he said helplessly, "Things between Pei Jinghe and me aren't as bad as you think. We're doing great."

Jia Xin'an remained skeptical. "Really?"

"If there were a rift between us, would I still..." Wu Jiangyuan abruptly faltered, his expression turning awkward as his voice grew quieter. "Would I still sleep with him?"

Jia Xin'an said nothing, but she looked only half convinced.

Wu Jiangyuan said very earnestly, "Mom, Pei Jinghe and I..."

He paused, took a deep breath, and launched into an intensely heartfelt declaration.

"We're in love. I've liked him ever since I was little, and now, I've come to... love him so much!"

"So, so much! I love him to death and back. I won't marry anyone else in this lifetime."

"Our love is rock-solid and unbreakable. There's absolutely no rift between us!"

Help.

He nearly threw up saying those words.

If this would stop his mother from worrying, he would rather throw up to death right here.

No one else could hear him anyway. He could say whatever he wanted.

Just then, Jia Xin'an glanced to the side. Her tightly knitted brows relaxed, and she laughed gently.

"Jinghe, did you hear all that?"

Wu Jiangyuan said, "..."

His mouth gave a sharp twitch, and he froze on the spot.

An amused male voice came from behind him. "Auntie, sorry I'm late."

Wu Jiangyuan closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down.

The voice he least wanted to hear had come to claim his life like a devil.

Jia Xin'an beamed. "You're not late. Yuanyuan only just arrived too."

Wu Jiangyuan distinctly felt Pei Jinghe walk over and stop beside him.

He turned his head for a glance and met Pei Jinghe's unreadable eyes.

The thought of the outrageous things that had just come out of his own mouth made him quickly look away.

Hopefully Pei Jinghe hadn't heard...

"I had no idea our Tangtang loved me so much."

At the sound of Pei Jinghe's low chuckle, Wu Jiangyuan knew he was done for.

He shot Pei Jinghe a discreet glare. Unable to lash out in front of Jia Xin'an, he could only lower his head and compose himself.

Pei Jinghe caught those little movements. He did not need to guess to know that someone was hanging his head and silently cursing.

Pei Jinghe raised a hand to the back of Wu Jiangyuan's head and stroked his hair as though soothing a cat.

Wu Jiangyuan stiffened. Before he could react, a broad, slightly cool palm covered the back of his neck.

Pei Jinghe said, "Auntie, although I don't know what you were talking about just now, there's still something I'd like to say."

He deliberately paused there. Wu Jiangyuan's ears pricked up warily. This guy had better not undermine him. He had only just managed to fool his suspicious mother.

He was so afraid the guy would say something bad that he did not even react to the moderate pressure kneading the back of his neck.

Then Pei Jinghe said, "Everything Tangtang said is true. Our feelings are mutual, and I love him very much too."

Jia Xin'an covered her mouth in delight. "Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease. You lovebirds can make your own decisions about your affairs."

Wu Jiangyuan did not feel the relief he had expected. Instead, hearing Pei Jinghe's words left him feeling strange.

Only then did he notice someone's wandering paw.

With Jia Xin'an right in front of them, he merely pulled his lips into a dry smile.

Damn it.

Author's note: Jinghe, if you manage to win your wife over, it's all thanks to your family. ʕ´-ก̀ʔᐝ

Let me explain: I don't know why you think the family is being unreasonable. They watched both boys grow up. The elders see a lot of things more clearly than the boys themselves do; it's just that the people involved don't realize it.

One is conflicted and bad at expressing himself directly, while the other is straightforward. They're bound to need a long time to adjust to each other, and they need someone to give them a push.

Besides, how could Jinghe count as an outsider? They're both children cherished by their elders. •᷄ࡇ•᷅

One more thing: my dears, if you can't stand it, please tap the upper-left corner. This is how the characters are written. Everyone understands things differently. (I won't change it even if you question me. ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ) Love you all~