Chapter 59

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Jian Yan’s so called ‘something homemade’ was actually He Xiu’s homemade creation. She just ate.

After changing into cozier stay-at-home clothes, Jian Yan lounged on the sofa with her laptop, scrolling through Weibo. There were many posts from anime festival attendees, her photo in particular being spammed many times on Weibo. She also saw that everyone was leaving suggestions on her Weibo to start a small outfit styling tutorial.

She felt that this was feasible. The frequency didn’t need to be very constant either. Twice a month tutorials would be enough. After thinking about this for a moment, Jian Yan straightforwardly posted a Weibo status.

Tang Zhi【V】: 「Expressing thanks for everyone’s interest. I have seen all of your suggestions. Small outfit styling tutorials can be released~ Also, you won’t have to worry that my clothing recommendations will be unaffordable『smile-cry』I will recommend brands for every price range. Moreover, I might push for a lot of small accessories, like socks, hats, and such. ^_^ Right now, winter is transitioning into spring, so I’m thinking of making the first tutorial: “Replace a winter article you’re wearing to make the perfect transition from winter to spring”『sun』」

One after another, readers expressed their extreme anticipation. Many retail brands were also very expectant, feeling that they could input advertisement on Teacher Tang Zhi’s Weibo!

Jian Yan continued to scroll through Weibo for a while. He Xiu, meanwhile, brought over a plate of fried onion rings from the kitchen. Seeing that she was still playing on her laptop on the sofa, he set down the plate and headed towards the living room. Jian Yan wore a thin, light pink top and a white pleated skirt that didn’t reach past her knees. Her perfect, slender legs were thus exposed to the air like this.

He Xiu originally came to ask her for a hand in the kitchen, but now, he suddenly wanted to do something else. Jian Yan’s long hair languidly cascaded down her back. It always seemed like a slight aroma of pastries accompanied a lady in pink.

It made him unable to suppress his thoughts of taking a bite.

Jian Yan saw him approach and closed her laptop halfway. She tilted her head up to look at him. “What is it?”

He Xiu didn’t reply and simply seized her by the waist, pressing her down gently into the sofa. Her body softened into his very comfortable embrace. His hands trailed along her smooth skin as he lowered his head to kiss her lips.

Jian Yan had yet to react. Soon, however, she became deeply engrossed in He Xiu’s kiss. When he began pressing kisses down her neck, Jian Yan finally had the time to speak up. “Not eating…?”

He Xiu’s lips quirked slightly into a smile. He raised his eyes to meet hers as he said, “You made me have even more of an appetite.”

“…” Jian Yan had a bit of difficulty in enduring his caresses, her breathing helplessly unsteady as she moaned, “It’s still daylight…” What are you playing at.

He Xiu’s breathing also became rushed. His hands had long slipped beneath Jian Yan’s relaxed clothing. “Just once…”

Since the last time he and Jian Yan had done it at home, he had stashed several boxes of condoms here in preparation to use at a moment’s notice.

?

After their exercise reached its conclusion, He Xiu casually clothed himself and bent down to kiss Jian Yan’s forehead. “Go take a bath first. I’ll continue making lunch.”

Jian Yan: “…”

She glanced at the time. There were still several minutes until 2:00PM…

Luckily, He Xiu was very proficient at preparing the cuisine. Jian Yan only had to wait half an hour before lunch was finally served. He Xiu served Jian Yan a bowl as he said to her, “Do you remember when you mentioned inviting Aunt Jiang and your mother over to share a meal?”

“Mn.”

“How about we do it tomorrow? Otherwise, this kind of matter will be dragged out for who knows how long.”

Jian Yan contemplated this for a moment and then nodded. “Okay, I’ll call my mom later.”

He Xiu mentioned, “I still need to return to the company this afternoon. I’ll make reservations today and send you the details once it’s set.”

“Alright, head straight back to the company once you finish eating, okay? Leave the clean-up with me.”

He Xiu stared at her before smiling. “I’m still washing the dishes. You worked hard today. Rest well this afternoon.”

Jian Yan: “…”

Today, she had indeed exhausted herself at the autograph signing, but she had a feeling that he wasn’t referring to that.

After He Xiu left, she called her mother and told her that He Xiu had invited her to lunch tomorrow. Because of the relatively unusual circumstances at his home, she had to first explain it all to her mother. Jian Yan’s mother had a very good impression of He Xiu, but she hadn’t expected him to have suffered so much as a child. Mentally, she released an unavoidable sigh of regret. Indeed, every family went through its problems.

He Xiu made reservations at a Yu Zhi Chinese dining hall. He took responsibility for retrieving Aunt Jiang while Jian Yan did so for her mother. The small group chatted very amiably at the table, the atmosphere continually harmonious. Aunt Jiang had not been this happy in a very long time. If He Xiu’s mother was still alive, she would definitely be happier.

Thinking of this, Aunt Jiang flashed a smile at He Xiu and asked, “So when do you two plan to marry?”

He Xiu replied, “The wedding is planned to be held in October this year.”

“Oh, October. Not a bad choice; the weather should be nice.” Aunt Jiang was still beaming. “Then when do you plan to get the certificate?”

He Xiu: “…”

At that moment, Aunt Jiang had her thoughts written all over her face. ‘Foolish boy, aren’t you worried your wife will run away with others if you wait until October?!’ could clearly be read from her expression.

Jian Yan’s mother also understood her allusion. Jian Yan had previously told her that even if Aunt Jiang wasn’t He Xiu’s birth mother, she had always treated him as her son. It seemed that this statement wasn’t an exaggeration. She wanted him to hurriedly trap Jian Yan.

Since she greatly liked He Xiu, however, she didn’t say a word.

He Xiu looked beside him at Jian Yan. He coughed dryly and stated, “That is, if you all aren’t opposed, I can get a certificate at any time.”

Aunt Jiang’s smile deepened. “Fixing a date is inferior to destiny’s plans. Today would be best.” She didn’t forget to ask for Jian Yan’s opinion once she voiced hers. “Yan Yan, what do you think?”

“Ah…?” Jian Yan felt like she was unable to keep up with this pace. She glanced at He Xiu and smoothed her lips into a smile as she said, “I’m fine with that. Mom, what do you think?”

Jian Yan’s mother replied, “Earlier or later, it’s still the same. I have no opinion. The key is that you both are happy.”

“Then it’s settled.” Aunt Jiang raised a brow at He Xiu, a smile tugging at her lips. “After you finish eating and return home, go get your household register.”

“Okay.” He Xiu smiled at Jian Yan as he said, “What about you?”

“I’m driving my mom home first and will grab my household register on the way. Shall we directly meet at the entrance of the Ministry of Civil Affairs?”

“Okay.”

?

Once this matter was discussed, the meal was rapidly consumed. He Xiu wanted to send Aunt Jiang home first before retrieving the household register, but Aunt Jiang stubbornly refused, harping on him to go home quickly to grab it and not make Jian Yan wait too long. He Xiu couldn’t convince her otherwise and had no choice but to call her a taxi before driving home.

At this time, no one should have been at the He Mansion—oh, apart from the injured, home-confined He Chen. When He Xiu opened the door and entered, he just happened to catch sight of He Chen clumsily using his left hand to pour himself a glass of water.

He chuckled and walked further in, commenting, “What, Young Master He needs to pour himself water?”

He Chen didn’t expect him to return at this time. Startled, he choked on his water. “Ke—ke—I’ve been stuck in bed for over a month; can’t I get up and exercise for a bit?”

“Alright, then you slowly exercise, while I go up first.”

He Chen saw him head upstairs and curiously inquired, “Why did you return so early today? Is Starlight General Merchandise closing down?”

He Xiu’s steps paused. He turned around and flashed a smile. “I returned to grab the household register.”

“Grab the household register? For what?”

“To get a certificate with Jian Yan.”

“…” He Chen absolutely didn’t expect this. “Holy shit, you’re that fast?!”

He Xiu smiled elusively. “How did you know I’m fast? You tried?”

He Chen: “…”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

He had joked with several guy friends of his multiple times, but this was the first time he did so with He Xiu… He was deeply stunned.

“So, as it turns out, Eldest Master He, with his elegant demeanor and grace, can also joke in this kind of vulgar manner. Hehe.”

He Xiu nonchalantly responded, “You, with such a high comprehension, are also not noble.”

He Chen: “…”

He Xiu went to He Jing Long’s shared room and rummaged through it for the household register. After finding what he had been looking for, he smiled and descended downstairs. He Chen was still sitting in the drawing room. Upon seeing He Chen, He Xiu asked, “What are you still sitting there for? Zhao Ying Fang will be distressed if she sees you down here when she returns.”

He Chen pursed his lips in silence for a moment before saying, “I intend to break my engagement with Xu Ying.”

He Xiu was a bit surprised. “Why?”

He Chen asked instead, “Do you think I should be together with her?”

He Xiu stared at him for a moment before asking, “Did you talk to your parents about this?”

“Not yet…” Although he was normally very pampered and spoiled at home, if he brought this matter up, he could imagine how they would react.

He Xiu patted his shoulder and stated, “I wish you well.”

He Chen: “…”

He Xiu quickly headed to the exit; however, he did turn back to glance at He Chen, who was still sitting on the sofa. “Let me give you a suggestion. The best time to bring it up would be when your injury still hasn’t recovered. They’ll be more lenient when they hit you.”

He Chen: “……”

Although He Xiu and He Chen had chatted about domestic trivia for quite a while, He Xiu still arrived at the Ministry of Civil Affairs before Jian Yan. He was actually somewhat nervous as he waited for her at the entrance. When he saw Jian Yan’s familiar car drive towards him, his heart slowly settled down.

Because today wasn’t a particularly special day, there weren’t many people coming to get certificates. The two of them weren’t in line for very long before they received their forms, took their photos, and had their physical examinations. Marriage certificate photos could not be photoshopped; one only had to pay some more money and wait a little longer. In order to be more beautiful, Jian Yan naturally was willing to wait. She looked at He Xiu and asked him, “Are you busy this afternoon?”

He Xiu smiled and said, “No matter how busy I am, I still want to get the certificate first. Otherwise, Aunt Jiang might kill me.”

“Haha.” Jian Yan couldn’t help laughing. “Aunt Jiang really is your surrogate mother; it seems like she’s afraid of me running away.”

“Actually, I’m also very afraid, but now, you are about to legally become Mrs. He.”

?

“You look beautiful.”

He Xiu’s heart surged when he took the marriage certificate from the staff member. The person he dearly loved, who was standing beside him, had now become his legal wife.

Probably to generate revenue, the Ministry of Civil Affairs offered to take a photo of the married couple right after the certificate was fulfilled, for a price. The room was intentionally decorated very beautifully for this.

Jian Yan tugged He Xiu to go, saying it would be her treat. He Xiu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

The photographer lifted his camera and stood opposite them. He told them, “You two can stand a bit closer.”

Jian Yan blinked. She tugged on He Xiu’s arm and stood tiptoe to press a kiss to his cheek.