GC: Chapter 209

209. Don’t Add Anything Weird

“Mn,” Bai YiHan responded to Chen Hong. “Is anyone inside?”

“No,” Cheng Hong replied, shaking his head. “However, Mr Mu seemed rather upset just now.”

“Upset? Who had upset him?” YiHan curiously wondered as he pushed the doors open.

Outside, Hong looked at the closed doors and muttered, “Who would dare make him upset? The moment you left, his face went dark.”

Inside where YiHan couldn’t have heard Hong’s muttering, YiHan called out as he walked in, “Mu-Mu? I’m back!”

Mu JingYuan looked up the instant he heard his door click open. When he saw that the person walking through those doors was finally someone not Chen Hong, a smile swiftly appeared on his face.

“You’re back,” JingYuan warmly greeted. “You must be tired. It’s freezing outside. Are you cold?”

YiHan walked over to lean against JingYuan’s desk. He placed his hands on JingYuan’s cheek to hold the other man’s head still as he looked at the man’s face.

“I wasn’t out there for long and I was driving the whole time,” said YiHan. “I had air conditioning. Once I step out of my car, I’m indoors already. How could I be cold? Hm. Chen Hong said you were upset. What is it? Who did it? Tell me. I’ll beat him up!”

JingYuan grabbed YiHan’s hands and held them. “Not cold? Your hands are cool. And don’t listen to Hong’s nonsense. Who could be upsetting me here?”

YiHan carefully scanned JingYuan’s expression. True, the other man didn’t look unhappy. YiHan leaned in and loudly kissed JingYuan on the cheek.

“That’s good,” YiHan giddily said.

“Well? What did Yan and YouRan say?” JingYuan softly asked.

“Of course they’d say yes,” said YiHan. “They thought it was a good idea from the moment they heard about it. Everyone’s getting married one after another. If we all do it together, people wouldn’t be so busy trying to get to everywhere. Now, four couples are getting married; us, Brother and Jiang-ge, Sister and TianYang, and Yan and YouRan. We have to think carefully about where we’ll have the wedding. The venue must be big enough.”

“The wedding is in June,” JingYuan said, bopping YiHan on the nose with a finger. “We can just do it outdoors.”

“Yes, an outdoor wedding would be nice,” YiHan said, nodding. “We just have to adjust our plans a little.”

“Don’t panic,” JingYuan said, smiling. “This concerns three of the great families. You don’t need to worry about something as trivial as a venue. You know, the older generation of the Bai, Chen and Yan families have all stepped down. They have nothing to do. Even if you don’t need their help with the wedding, they wouldn’t just sit and watch.”

“True,” YiHan said after a pause for contemplation. “What can I do then?”

“You only need to wait and be the groom,” said JingYuan.

“The groom? You said you wanted to be wed to me. Were you serious?” YiHan jokingly asked.

“I was serious back then,” said JingYuan, “but didn’t you object to it?”

“Actually,” YiHan said, hand on his chin, “I had a thought about it later and it did sound quite nice. Why don’t we have a purely Chinese wedding? You’ll wear a red veil then.”

JingYuan frowned, seemingly fighting with himself. Just as YiHan was about to burst out laughing, JingYuan actually nodded.

“Okay,” said JingYuan. “As long as you’re happy.”

YiHan was shocked. “I said I’ll be putting the bride’s red veil on you.”

“I know,” said JingYuan, nodding once more. “I heard you.”

YiHan was so touched that he could feel tears brimming in his eyes. “Mu-Mu,” he softly said, “why are you so good to me?”

“Isn’t it expected for me to be nice to you?” JingYuan chuckled. He then picked up his phone to make a call.

“Who are you calling?” YiHan nonchalantly asked.

“To Aunt Bai,” said JingYuan. “If we are to have a traditional Chinese wedding, there will be a lot to prepare before the wedding.”

Just as JingYuan was done speaking, the other party had answered the call. JingYuan only managed to say “hey” before the phone was snatched away by YiHan who had been scared stiff.

“Ah, no. JingYuan dialled the wrong number just now,” YiHan awkwardly chuckled into the phone to his mother. “Yes, he had the wrong number.”

YiHan then hung up the call and glared at JingYuan. “Are you mad? I was joking. Why did you call?”

“If you like it, I don’t mind it,” JingYuan said.

YiHan’s eyes went wide. His pupils were almost the shape of perfectly round circles. “Please. It’s a group wedding. Do you know how many people would be there on that day? If you really put on a red veil, how would you be able to face those people in the future?”

“What’s so embarrassing about it?” asked JingYuan. “Would anyone even dare say anything?”

“No one would dare but they would be laughing themselves to death on the inside, okay?” replied YiHan.

“What does it matter if they laugh?” said JingYuan.

“What does it matter?” YiHan’s voice rose. “It matters a lot, okay? Just what day and age do you think this is? What do you think will happen to your face, your dignity?”

“You only get married once,” said JingYuan. “I have to make yours a happy one so that you regret nothing.”

YiHan wrapped his arms around JingYuan’s neck. “As long as I’m getting married to you, I’d be happy even if I had to be married in a sack. I was truly joking just now. I don’t really think that way. Don’t ever make any decisions like that on your own. I’m warning you.”

“Okay,” said JingYuan, hugging YiHan back. “If you don’t like it, we won’t do it. This is perfect already.”

“Yes, yes,” YiHan said, rapidly nodding. “It’s great to have two grooms. Don’t add anything weird.”

“Okay,” JingYuan said, smiling. Did YiHan think he could win? Hah. JingYuan didn’t think YiHan would’ve really made JingYuan put on a bride’s veil.

***

Bai Yan and Bai XueQing’s engagement party was held together. As expected, guests filled the halls. From the He family, only He Yuan attended the party. The man apologised for Yan Miao’s absence who he said couldn’t attend as she wasn’t feeling well.

“Not feeling well?” YiHan pouted as he whispered to JingYuan. “I think it’s just her emotions that aren’t feeling well. She looks down on same-sex marriages in the first place. Now that there’s a grudge between our families, I think it’s good enough that she allowed He Yuan to attend.”

JingYuan held YiHan’s hand, playing with his fingers, as his deep voice replied, “Speaking of her, there’s not been a word of her actions for a very long time. It’s not like her at all.”

“It’s better without her clowning around,” YiHan said. “The world is at peace then. I would have developed a headache if she really did come. But I’m not part of the Yan family. If she makes a fuss at my brother and sister’s party, I would personally throw her out.”

“You don’t need to do it yourself,” JingYuan said with a smile. “Just leave the hard labour to me.”

“No,” YiHan disdainfully said. “I don’t want you to touch her.”

YiHan turned to look at Yan and YouRan on the other side of the entrance. “YouRan has been looking rather down lately. He’s like that too when I visited them last time. From the way Yan acts, it doesn’t seem like there’s anything worrying. I really don’t get it.”

“Won’t you know if you ask him?” said JingYuan.

“I’ve asked him,” said YiHan. “He looked like he had a lot to say but he wouldn’t tell me anything.”

“Then, it’s more likely something that’s happened between the two of them,” said JingYuan with a muffled chuckle. “That’s why he didn’t think it’d be okay telling you. He’s fine. It’s most likely a couple’s thing.”

“Oh, yes, why didn’t I think of that?” YiHan gasped in realisation. “But now that you put it like that, I’m curious.”

The two men were softly chatting and laughing away when someone approached them.

“Mr Mu. Little Master Bai,” the other person cautiously greeted.

YiHan turned around to find two men standing behind him. “Lu FengYu? Zhu Xun? How did you two bump into each other?” YiHan asked, surprised.

A red blush swiftly overtook Lu FengYu’s face as he shyly replied, “We didn’t bump into each other. We came together.”

One look at FengYu’s expression and YiHan knew what the other man meant. “You two…” he said with a smile. “When did it happen?”

FengYu glanced at Xun before looking away and whispered, “It’s…”

Zhu Xun had changed a lot since the last time YiHan saw him. The man looked more muscular. His entire being was beaming with the aura of confidence. 

“Back at the bar when we both helped Secretary Jiang hold that guy back, his tie clip was lost in the scuffle,” Xun said upon noticing FengYu was tongue-tied. “I found it. We’ve been in contact with each other since then. You know what he once felt for Secretary Jiang before, right? When Mr Bai got together with Secretary Jiang, he was so depressed that he’d often ask me out to bars to drink, to chat, to vent. After hanging out for a while, we thought we might as well get together since we find each other to be okay.”

FengYu threw Xun an angry look. However, he didn’t say anything as they were still talking to YiHan and JingYuan. Still, he grumbled internally.

The heck to finding each other to be okay, thought FengYu. It was clearly this shameless man who took an interest in FengYu first. Not only did the other man seduce him in all manner possible, Xun even laid a trap for him. FengYu was so exhausted by having to handle the other man’s advances that FengYu didn’t have much time to properly experience the bitterness that came with falling out of love. 

To think FengYu thought of Xun as a brother, a friend. This man wanted to roll in the hay with him the entire time! If not for the fact that Xun truly liked him, FengYu would never have gotten together with the man! When they first met, Xun was so pure and virtuous. FengYu never expected Xun to somehow change over time. This man was like a wolf in sheep’s clothing! Hmph!

Xun turned to look at FengYu before letting out a slight smile. Could he have told FengYu that he had inadvertently joined a fujoshi chat group where there’d be a bunch of people giving him ideas day after day? Crossdressing, swimwear parties, getting the other drunk, putting on a raspy voice, walking around in a bathrobe etc. Xun had done all he could in order to woo FengYu. He had never acted so boldly and crazy before in his entire life. 

Xun glanced at YiHan. If this man hadn’t given him a stable job that gave him the confidence to make a big gamble, if not for the encouragement and support of his mother who only ever wanted him to be happy, Xun could never have had the courage to go after the person he liked as if his life depended on it. More importantly, Xun succeeded. At least, he had succeeded by half. He knew this man still couldn’t completely let go of Jiang Hua yet but it didn’t matter. Xun could wait. He already had the man’s body. Would his heart be any further? Even if Xun never obtained the man’s heart, he had already done all he could. He had no regrets.

YiHan looked at the two men before him. “What happy news,” he said, smiling. “Congratulations, you two. When will you be getting married? Don’t forget about JingYuan and me then.”

“Of course,” FengYu replied with a natural smile of his own. “When we get married, I’ll definitely hand the invitations to you and Mr Mu in person as early as possible. We’re here today because I wish to seize this chance to thank Mr Mu’s support for the Lu family, for me.”

Xun looked at  FengYu with surprise. He didn’t think FengYu could speak of marrying him in such a natural manner. Frankly, not even Xun himself dared to think about something so far off in their future. Noticing Xun’s faze, FengYu glanced back at the man. This fool could be a genius at times and an absolute moron at times. Since he liked Xun so much, Xun would deal with it and take the man in. There was no need to be so moved by it!

Translator’s Note:

Lu FengYu and Zhu Xun: Does anyone remember this couple from Bai Yan and Jiang Hua’s arc? Zhu Xun was the bartender while Lu FengYu was the person with a crush who had moved to another city to work.

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