Author: hoenimochi (Page 2 of 95)

       Jiang Tongyan and Qian Xiaoke truly deserved to be called a match made in heaven; both of them were exceptionally good at ruining the mood.

       Jiang Tongyan had just been genuinely moved, only for Qian Xiaoke’s sudden singing, wildly off-key and soaring straight to the Southern Heavenly Gate, to interrupt him. Before he knew it, he laughed out loud.

       Children who ruined the atmosphere had to be punished, so Qian Xiaoke was hoisted onto Jiang Tongyan’s shoulder and carried back to the bedroom to ‘receive punishment’.

       Because Jiang Tongyan completely failed to behave like a decent human being that night, Qian Xiaoke’s alarm rang five times the next morning before he finally struggled upright in bed, hair sticking up like a chicken’s nest.

       His failure to wake up early completely derailed his plans.

       He had originally intended to perform well, to get up early and prepare a hearty breakfast for Jiang Tongyan’s parents. Instead, the moment he opened his eyes, it was already later than his usual wake-up time, while the lecherous landlord Jiang Tongyan beside him was still sleeping soundly.

       “Hey, stop sleeping,” Qian Xiaoke said, tugging on Jiang Tongyan’s ear. “Get up.”

       No sooner had he said it than Jiang Tongyan pulled him back into his arms.

       “Don’t mess with me,” Qian Xiaoke said. “I need to make breakfast for Mom and Dad!”

       Jiang Tongyan forced his eyes open with effort, looked confused for a moment, then smiled.

       “That was a pretty smooth change of address,” he said, kissing him once.

       “I haven’t brushed my teeth, don’t kiss me!”

       “Oh? Now I’m not even allowed to kiss you if you haven’t brushed your teeth?” Jiang Tongyan pouted. “Funny, considering someone was yelling for his husband to kiss him before his eyes were even open. Love has…fallen apart just like that.”

       Qian Xiaoke was fully awake by now. He laughed, kissed Jiang Tongyan once anyway, then climbed out of bed. “Seriously, get up. Mom and Dad are waiting.”

       “Relax, they won’t wake up until the afternoon,” Jiang Tongyan yawned. “They’re jet-lagged.”

       Qian Xiaoke, who had never been abroad and never experienced jet lag, suddenly understood. Leaning against Jiang Tongyan, he asked, “Then how come you never had jet lag before?”

       Jiang Tongyan thought to himself, because once I got off the plane, certain physical activities took priority, and jet lag had to make way for passion.

       Love really was something.

       “I’ll go to the office with you later,” Jiang Tongyan said. “This afternoon, see if you want to take leave.”

       “Huh? Why take leave?”

       “To take my parents around a bit. But no need to force yourself; if you really feel uncomfortable, I can go with them myself.”

       “No!” Qian Xiaoke said immediately. He did inevitably feel nervous around Jiang Tongyan’s parents, but he genuinely liked them and could feel that Jiang Tongyan’s family members were all kind and gentle people.

       He liked people like that.

       “They don’t come often. Of course I should accompany them.”

       It was already year’s end, and the company’s projects were wrapping up. Everyone was lazily waiting for the New Year to arrive, and even visiting clients were few in number. Qian Xiaoke figured he should at least take half a day off to accompany them; otherwise, it would look like he didn’t value them, which would be rude.

       “This afternoon we’ll take them to eat the snail noodle soup,” Jiang Tongyan stretched and went to wash up with Qian Xiaoke. “Let them broaden their horizons.”

       Qian Xiaoke was brushing his teeth when he heard that and nearly swallowed the toothpaste.

       He stared at him wide-eyed. “Are you crazy?”

       Those were his parents-in-law! Even if they didn’t go to a high-end restaurant, they couldn’t possibly be taken to eat the snail noodle soup!!

       It wasn’t that there was anything wrong with it; it was just that elders might not like it.

       Jiang Tongyan deliberately teased him. “Didn’t you do the same thing to me before?”

       “That’s different!” Qian Xiaoke rinsed his mouth and spat out the foam. “Be serious!”

       The serious Jiang Tongyan obediently did not take his parents to eat snail noodle soup that afternoon, but the four of them did go out for a meal of spicy hot pot.

       Jiang Tongyan’s parents were far more knowledgeable than Qian Xiaoke had imagined. His mother said, “I can even make spicy hot pot myself!”

       Qian Xiaoke immediately perked up and earnestly asked his mother-in-law for tips on how to make it. The two of them grew closer because of it.

       Later, Jiang Tongyan complained, “Who would’ve thought the secret to you becoming good friends with my mom was asking her how to make spicy hot pot…”

       Jiang Tongyan’s parents really didn’t stay long. They had come back mainly to visit Jiang Tongyan’s grandparents, and they just visited them by chance.

       Before leaving, they told Qian Xiaoke that when he had time, he should come with Jiang Tongyan to meet the grandparents, saying the two elderly people were really eager to see him.

       Qian Xiaoke obediently agreed, but he had already decided to push the next round of meeting with the elders further into the future. Making him go through this again so soon would be like taking the college entrance exam twice in a row. It was far too tormenting. As a poor student, he truly couldn’t handle it.

       After seeing Jiang Tongyan’s parents off, New Year’s Day was just around the corner.

       After New Year’s Day, Qian Xiaoke would be moving upstairs to work. Before the holiday, with help from his colleagues, he packed his things into cardboard boxes and moved them upstairs.

       Upstairs were all newly established departments. For the time being, there were only a few mid-level managers; most of the staff under them would only report for duty after New Year’s Day.

       Qian Xiaoke carried boxes upstairs together with a colleague. As soon as he came up, he saw Jiang Tongyan holding a damp towel and wiping Qian Xiaoke’s desk.

       A dignified domineering CEO was secretly wiping his own delicate wife’s desk. Such a considerate, perfect man made it impossible not to envy Qian Xiaoke.

       The colleague’s heart practically exploded. Who could have imagined that Chairman Jiang, who was usually stern-faced and rarely chatted with them, turned out behind the scenes to be a full-on wife-doting maniac? This colleague who was helping with the move nearly wanted to drop everything in his hands and run back downstairs immediately to spread the gossip.

       Jiang Tongyan. The good man.

       That label was firmly slapped on him from then on.

       Faced with everyone’s gazes, Jiang Tongyan remained calm and unbothered. Qian Xiaoke, on the other hand, was the one who became embarrassed first.

       “Uh, well…” Flustered, Qian Xiaoke hugged the large box and hurried forward, while saying to the colleague helping him, “You can just put it here, I’ll do it myself…”

       As it happened, the more panicked a person was, the easier it was to make a fool of themselves.

       Qian Xiaoke planned to take a few quick steps forward to set down the box in his arms so he could help with the one the colleague was carrying. In his rush, he tripped over himself, pitched straight forward, and successfully fell into his man’s arms.

       The colleague’s emotions were extremely complicated. On one hand, the gossip material had become even richer; on the other, there was a sour ache in their heart, as if they had turned into a freshly squeezed lemon.

       Why was it that other people could have such sweet love?

       Everyone was working the same job. Qian Xiaoke, this… was being good at acting spoiled made life easier?

       The colleague sighed, set down the things in their hands, then silently retreated, choosing to exit quietly and gracefully, leaving this blissful paradise to the affectionate couple.

       After the colleague left, Qian Xiaoke muttered, “Great, I embarrassed myself again.”

       “Not embarrassing,” Jiang Tongyan said, rubbing his head. “Everyone’s already used to it.”

       With a complicated mood, Qian Xiaoke finished moving his things before getting out of work. He followed Jiang Tongyan on a walk around the empty office area and, in the end, was pulled into Chairman Jiang’s large private office.

       Qian Xiaoke put on a reserved, modest air. “Chairman Jiang, what are you doing?”

       His back was pressed to the wall. He pursed his lips, and when he spoke, his voice was soft and sweet, looking as if he were resisting yet welcoming at the same time.

       Jiang Tongyan looked him over, closed the door properly, and said with a smile, “What do you think I’m doing?”

       “Oh my!” Qian Xiaoke said dramatically, grabbing his own collar. “I’m not that kind of person! I won’t use my body in exchange for a promotion!”

       “…You’re quite principled, little front-desk clerk!”

       “Of course! I’m a front-desk clerk with integrity!”

       “Integrity?” Jiang Tongyan laughed. “Then what are you doing right now?”

       At that moment, the little front-desk clerk surnamed Qian, who was declaring himself full of integrity, already had both arms wrapped around Chairman Jiang’s waist.

       Jiang Tongyan put on a serious expression. “I’m a domineering CEO with integrity.”

       Qian Xiaoke pouted. “What domineering CEO has integrity?”

       He leaned closer. “Domineering CEOs think about nothing all day except using their power to prey on tasty little front-desk clerks.”

       “What kind of novel have you been reading now?”

       “A new work by author Qian Xiaoke, ‘One Thousand and One Nights With the Domineering CEO’.”

       “Where did you publish it? I’ll go give you a tip.”

       Qian Xiaoke leaned against him and grinned foolishly. “I haven’t written it yet. Instead of tipping, you might as well use that effort to kiss me.”

       As he spoke, he rose onto his toes and tilted his head up, moving closer.

       Qian Xiaoke was genuinely a little happy that day. After all, tomorrow was New Year’s Day. Saying farewell to the old and welcoming the new made him feel light and floaty, not to mention that this year’s New Year’s Eve was different from before.

       Ever since he started university, almost every New Year’s Eve had been spent alone.

       Back when he was a student, his roommates were all locals or lived only one or two hours away by car. Before New Year’s Day, they would all go home, leaving the entire dorm with just him, a pitiful little kid. The first year he spent New Year’s alone, Qian Xiaoke cried for more than two hours, pathetically.

       Later, he gradually got used to it. He understood that as an adult, one was destined to learn how to endure loneliness. Still, every year, whenever he had a chance to make a wish, he would hope that the heavens would grant him a boyfriend who could accompany him during the holidays. If that really wasn’t possible, an ordinary friend would do. But the heavens were too busy, with too many people’s wishes to fulfil. He had queued for several years, and this year, it was finally realised.

       This year, Qian Xiaoke finally did not have to spend New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day alone.

       He hugged Jiang Tongyan and took the initiative to ask for a kiss, only to have his mouth covered.

       “So bold, little front-desk clerk!”

       Qian Xiaoke frowned, anxiously demanding a kiss.

       “Kissing is fine,” Jiang Tongyan said, “but this counts as you seducing me. I won’t give you a chance to rise through the ranks.”

       When Qian Xiaoke heard that, he directly bit Jiang Tongyan’s hand. “You’re so annoying!”

       As he said this, Qian Xiaoke pushed Jiang Tongyan to the corner and kissed him forcefully in a very ‘domineering’ way.

       The two of them kissed with intense entanglement. After all, it was the new office’s ‘first kiss’. Their state was excellent, so good that Jiang Tongyan became hard.

       “So shameless,” Qian Xiaoke said, blushing. “You really have no sense of shame!”

       “I can be even more shameless. Want to hear it?” Jiang Tongyan looked at Qian Xiaoke and wickedly raised his eyebrows.

       Qian Xiaoke put on an innocent expression, tilted his head, and asked, “What?”

       Jiang Tongyan pointed at the solid wood executive desk. “See that desk?”

       “I’m not blind.”

       “Prepared for you.”

       “Huh?” Qian Xiaoke was shocked. “You want me to work there?”

       “No, no, no.” Jiang Tongyan leaned close to Qian Xiaoke’s ear and, imitating the classic ‘wicked smile’ from novels, he said, “It was specially prepared for you so that we can do naughty stuff on it.”

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       Qian Xiaoke only ate half full for this meal. He really didn’t dare to eat too much, fearing he would ruin his image in his parents’ hearts.

During that meal, Qian Xiaoke only ate until he was about half full. He really didn’t dare eat too much, afraid of ruining the image he had built in Jiang Tongyan’s parents’ minds.

       He needed to create the image of a delicate, lovable little thing, not the kind of foodie who, once food was served, would ‘sweep through it like the autumn wind scattering fallen leaves’ and wishing he could lick the plates clean.

       No, absolutely not.

       Even though recently, both he and Jiang Tongyan had pretty much become the latter.

       Jiang Tongyan asked him, “You’re done eating?”

       “Mm, I’m full,” Qian Xiaoke said with a well-behaved smile. “It was really delicious. I’m stuffed.”

       Jiang Tongyan hesitated, then suppressed a laugh and said, “Alright, then let’s leave it at that.”

       Jiang Tongyan’s parents had no idea that Qian Xiaoke was putting on an act and said worriedly, “Xiaoke ate so little. Was it not to your taste, or is your stomach uncomfortable?”

       “No, no,” Qian Xiaoke hurriedly waved his hands to explain. “I’ve always had a small appetite.”

       Delicate little cuties like me live off dew, you know!

       Jiang Tongyan, standing to the side, was holding back laughter so hard he was about to injure himself internally. In his head, he was ranting nonstop: Qian Xiaoke! That’s enough already! Don’t you dare cry from hunger in the middle of the night!

       Qian Xiaoke actually still wanted to eat. He really loved today’s dishes. But since he had started acting, he had to carry it through to the end. He could only endure it.

       After dinner, it was already quite late. The family of four sat in the living room chatting. Qian Xiaoke was wound tight with nerves, extremely well-behaved, and tried his best not to interrupt. Only when he was directly asked a question, did he answer seriously, like an elementary school student being called on by the teacher.

       By the end of the evening, Qian Xiaoke was so exhausted that his head felt dizzy. He felt that meeting the parents didn’t just drain mental energy; it also drained physical energy. Right now, he was tired and hungry, and even felt like he had lost several pounds.

       When it was time to rest, Jiang Tongyan took his parents next door to stay. His mother said a bit unhappily, “Can’t you tear down that wall in the middle? Otherwise it feels like a married couple living separately.”

       As soon as Jiang Tongyan heard this, he knew his mother had clearly misunderstood. Whether that wall was torn down or not had long since stopped mattering, because from the very first day he and Qian Xiaoke confirmed their relationship, they had been sleeping in the same bed every night.

       Well, that wasn’t entirely precise. It should be said that, except for when Jiang Tongyan was away on business trips, the two of them slept in the same bed the rest of the time. As for when Jiang Tongyan was on business trips, Qian Xiaoke wasn’t lonely either. Jiang Tongyan’s body was forced to leave, but his soul remained in his little boyfriend’s bed.

       Two utterly hopeless people.

       “This is a rented place. How can we just tear down a wall whenever we want? Please be rational,” Jiang Tongyan said.

       “Then just buy it,” Jiang Tongyan’s mother said casually, clearly not short on money. “It’s just that this place is a bit small. If you two get married, it would be a little shabby as a marital home.”

       When Jiang Tongyan heard this, he laughed to himself and thought that her words absolutely could not be heard by Qian Xiaoke. Otherwise, that guy would start feeling sad again and sigh about the vast gap between the rich and the poor in the world.

       That kid was very sensitive.

       Jiang Tongyan settled his parents in next door, chatted briefly, made plans to accompany them sightseeing the next day, and then jogged back to Qian Xiaoke’s place next door.

       When Jiang Tongyan returned, he didn’t see Qian Xiaoke. He searched around and finally found the guy in the kitchen, sneaking food like a little mouse.

       “Is this really necessary?” Jiang Tongyan laughed at him. “If you weren’t full, you could’ve just kept eating. Why pretend to have a bird’s appetite?”

       “I just want to leave a good impression on your parents.” Qian Xiaoke said while eating. “I was afraid they would think I eat too much and start worrying that I would eat you into poverty.”

       “You’re really overthinking it,” Jiang Tongyan laughed. “My family has plenty of money. Even ten of you couldn’t eat us poor.”

       “Oh wow! Jiang Tongyan, you’re really imagining things nicely, huh!”

       “What am I imagining?”

       “Ten of me all revolving around you. Sounds great, doesn’t it?”

       Jiang Tongyan pictured it in his head and nearly got a nosebleed.

       One Qian Xiaoke pounding his back, one Qian Xiaoke massaging his shoulders, one Qian Xiaoke kneading his legs, one Qian Xiaoke fanning him. Of the remaining four, two were tucked under his arms on each side, and the last two stood to his left and right, praising him wildly. They wouldn’t even need to say much. Just calling him an unparalleled top would be enough.

       Amazing.

       Just thinking about it felt amazing.

       Of course, the even better content wouldn’t pass censorship, so Jiang Tongyan kept it to himself.

       After all, for him, shared joy was never as good as enjoying it alone.

       Late at night, the two of them got clingy again in the kitchen. Qian Xiaoke, who had vowed to lose weight, ate and drank his fill, then rubbed his round belly. “Is this… not very good?”

       Jiang Tongyan had originally wanted to tease him, but then he suddenly remembered how he had upset him at dinner because of this exact issue. Better not bring up a sore spot again.

       He leaned over and touched Qian Xiaoke’s round, puffed-up belly, grinning as he said, “It’s fine. Totally normal. After all, you’re pregnant with twins, a boy and a girl.”

       “Why are you so greedy?” Qian Xiaoke slapped his hand away. “Twins my ass. I’m only pregnant with one, and it’s a monkey!”

       “Wukong?”

       “The Six-Eared Macaque¹Six-Eared Macaque is a major antagonist and one of the most powerful characters in Wu Cheng’en’s fantasy novel Journey to the West, best remembered for closely impersonating Sun Wukong!”

       Jiang Tongyan was so amused he nearly laughed himself to death right there in the kitchen. He wrapped an arm around him and led him outward, gently rubbing his belly as he did. “I’m telling you, you really shouldn’t do this in the future.”

       Qian Xiaoke shot him a sideways glance.

       “I already told you, just be yourself. Whatever you’re like, we all like you,” Jiang Tongyan said. In truth, his heart ached for him.

       Qian Xiaoke usually looked carefree and easygoing, but in reality, he was a very delicate-minded person. So delicate that ever since the two of them got together, whenever Jiang Tongyan went on a business trip, it was always Qian Xiaoke who packed his luggage, arranging everything neatly. And every single time, Qian Xiaoke would randomly slip a small note into the pocket of one piece of clothing. On it, he would write: Miss me!

       Qian Xiaoke was exactly that kind of person, the kind people couldn’t help but dote on.

       Although lately Qian Xiaoke no longer talked about differences between them or anything like that, Jiang Tongyan could still feel the pressure he was under.

       At the company, colleagues wouldn’t say anything directly to him, but when interacting with Qian Xiaoke, there were definitely changes. They even stopped chatting and gossiping with him as much as before.

       No one was deliberately isolating Qian Xiaoke, but after all, Qian Xiaoke was family with Jiang Tongyan. There was always a gap between ordinary employees and management, and being caught in the middle made things very hard for him.

       And that was just the situation at work.

       Qian Xiaoke never complained to him. He was cheerful every day, but the pressure he carried was definitely not small.

       “Baby,” Jiang Tongyan said, “what do I have to do to make you feel at ease?”

       Qian Xiaoke froze for a moment and turned to look at him. “Why are you saying that?”

       Jiang Tongyan pulled him over to the sofa and sat down, letting Qian Xiaoke lie across his lap while he gently massaged his belly.

       “I thought about it seriously,” Jiang Tongyan said. “The reason you’re so worried and so tense is nothing more than the fact that I haven’t given you enough security.”

       “That’s not it…”

       “It is,” Jiang Tongyan sighed. “I should’ve reflected on this a long time ago.”

       Qian Xiaoke frowned and poked his chin. “Don’t be so serious. It’s not your problem, it’s mine.”

       “It is my problem,” Jiang Tongyan said, grabbing his hand and kissing it. “If I could make you feel that no matter what happens, no matter what others say or think, I’ll always stand firmly by your side, then you wouldn’t have all these worries.”

       It was rare for Jiang Tongyan to be this deeply emotional, to the point that Qian Xiaoke didn’t even know what expression he should be wearing.

       Qian Xiaoke sat up, swung a leg over and straddled Jiang Tongyan’s lap, wrapped his arms around his neck, and said in a coaxing, clingy tone, “It really isn’t that. I’m just… I mean…”

       He pressed his lips together, a little embarrassed to say it out loud.

       “You’re my wife.”

       “Hey! That’s not what I meant!” Qian Xiaoke laughed. “What I mean is, I really don’t doubt you at all. You’re already very good to me. I’m serious.”

       Jiang Tongyan curled his lips. “Bullshit.”

       Qian Xiaoke laughed and tugged at his face. “Who despises themselves like that?”

       “Aren’t I standing up for you?”

       “You don’t have to!” Qian Xiaoke hugged him and muttered softly. “Actually, my thinking is really simple. The reason I’m so nervous is that I don’t want to make things hard for you.”

       “Hm? What do you mean?”

       “Hehe.” Qian Xiaoke laughed. “Of course I know you love me and that it has to be me. After all, I’m already pregnant with your twins.”

       Jiang Tongyan laughed and gave his butt a light smack.

       “You can’t abandon the three of us, or I’ll ruin your reputation, so that part I’m not worried about.”

       He really made it sound convincing.

       Jiang Tongyan couldn’t help laughing.

       “And it’s not because I feel inferior. I’m not inferior at all. Someone as lovable as me is something you couldn’t find even with a lantern.”

       “That’s right,” Jiang Tongyan agreed. “I think you’re absolutely right.”

       Having been praised, Qian Xiaoke was delighted. With his ears tinged red, he burrowed into Jiang Tongyan’s arms.

       “Then what is it, exactly?” Jiang Tongyan really couldn’t figure him out. Just now Qian Xiaoke said he didn’t want to make things hard for him, but what hardship was there for him?

       “I’m worried that in this whole world, only you and I think I’m a rare and precious little darling, while your parents don’t think so. That after meeting me, they’ll feel we’re not suitable and ask us to break up,” Qian Xiaoke said seriously. “At that point, you definitely wouldn’t agree, and I wouldn’t just take the money and leave either. Between bread and love, I still want to choose love.”

       Qian Xiaoke spoke from the heart, and Jiang Tongyan listened with his heart. Once they were both fully in it, they couldn’t help feeling a little moved.

       “You would definitely end up arguing with your parents because of me,” Qian Xiaoke looked up at him. “That’s what I’m worried about. I don’t want you to have conflicts with your family, so I want to do my best to be good enough, hoping I can make them satisfied. That way, they won’t oppose us being together, and you won’t have to fight with them.”

       Jiang Tongyan raised a hand and covered his face.

       “What’s wrong?” Qian Xiaoke tilted his head and looked at him.

       “What am I supposed to do?”

       “Huh? What do you mean?” Qian Xiaoke was completely confused.

       “My baby is beautiful and kind-hearted, not only loving me but also understanding me and considering me in everything. How did I end up with such good fortune…” Jiang Tongyan fake-cried dramatically. “I’m moved. I want to cry.”

       Qian Xiaoke stared at him. After a few seconds, he started singing to him, “Men cry, cry, cry, it’s not a crime…” and then hiccupped.

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       Although Qian Xiaoke always felt that he was someone who had ‘seen the big world’, he was also very clear that the so-called grand scenes of domineering CEO families, the kind where someone said “Here’s five million, leave my son,” were things he had only ever seen in novels. When he actually had to meet in person parents-in-law who were rich, good-looking, and carried themselves with exceptional grace, his legs started going weak all over.

       Although Jiang Tongyan told Qian Xiaoke not to care so much and that he only needed to be himself, beauty was in the eye of the lover. When your lover thought you were a bit silly, that was called being genuine. When others saw it, that was called being truly… stupid.

       Although Jiang Tongyan’s parents looked very kind and were also especially good-looking, Qian Xiaoke’s mind was still clear. These were his parents-in-law. He absolutely could not slack off. The moment he did, his relationship with Jiang Tongyan, which was already not optimistic in his imagination, might very well collapse on the spot.

       Otherwise, why would one say that Comrade Qian Xiaoke had such a rich inner world? No one had ever told him that their relationship was not favoured, but after years of being steeped in melodramatic novels, he had already constructed an entire saga in his head about the love-hate entanglement between a wealthy elite family and a poor boy.

       That kind of love was tragic and moving. Unfortunately, true love could not overcome capital and power, and in the end, it still met a tragic conclusion.

       This was probably just the fate of a poor boy like him.

       “What are you thinking about?” Jiang Tongyan pinched Qian Xiaoke’s butt. “Did you go out without wearing long johns?”

       “I didn’t,” Qian Xiaoke said. “What kind of seductive bottom wears long johns?”

       “You made me wear them, and you didn’t wear them yourself. Is that appropriate?”

       “I made you wear them because I thought you would be cold,” Qian Xiaoke said righteously. “That’s a manifestation of my love for you.”

       “Cut it. I’ll have to keep an eye on you tomorrow morning.” After saying that, Jiang Tongyan suddenly realised something was off. “Don’t change the subject. What were you thinking about just now?”

       The two of them were getting ready to cook. Recently, Jiang Tongyan and Qian Xiaoke had genuinely been working hard on their cooking skills. Not long ago, Jiang Tongyan had accidentally seen an advertisement and was about to sign them both up for some kind of ‘New Oriental’ cooking class.

       Qian Xiaoke actually could not quite understand why Jiang Tongyan had suddenly become so enthusiastic about cooking.

       Jiang Tongyan’s explanation was that cooking relieved stress.

       For him, cooking really did relieve stress, but it had to be stated beforehand that it only worked when he was cooking for his own family. Outsiders did not count.

       Outsiders wanted to eat food cooked by Chairman Jiang?

       Don’t even think about it.

       He was stingy like that.

       As the highly motivated Jiang Tongyan prepped the ingredients, Qian Xiaoke helped out beside him. When Jiang Tongyan turned his head and glanced over, he saw that this guy had a strange expression, and who knew what he was mulling over again.

       “I’m just worried that what if Uncle and Auntie don’t like me,” Qian Xiaoke said. “Do you think Auntie might give me five million and tell me to leave you?”

       As soon as Jiang Tongyan heard that, he laughed so hard he nearly flung the cleaver out of his hand.

       “Can you stop reading weird novels?”

       “They’re not weird!” Qian Xiaoke said. “This kind of plot is super common!”

       “That’s still a novel,” Jiang Tongyan said solemnly. “And it’s way too unrealistic. How could five million be enough? No matter what, it should be ten million.”

       “Huh?” Qian Xiaoke stared at him in shock, his mouth opening into a perfect circle, big enough to stuff an egg into.

       “If she really does that to you,” Jiang Tongyan said, “you should ask for an outrageous amount. Demand ten million.”

       Qian Xiaoke narrowed his eyes at him. “I smell a conspiracy. Are you planning to wait until I get the money and then elope with me? That way, you get both the person and the money. As expected of you, Jiang Tongyan!”

       Jiang Tongyan looked at him and smiled. “No. I was thinking that if you take the initiative to ask for money, that’s extortion. Extortion is a crime. If you commit a crime, you get arrested. If you get arrested, you go to prison.”

       “…You’re so annoying!” Qian Xiaoke shot him a glare.

       Jiang Tongyan laughed nonstop. “As expected of me, Jiang Tongyan!”

       After joking around for a bit, Qian Xiaoke was not as nervous as before.

       “You really don’t need to be scared,” Jiang Tongyan said after teasing him, adding a few considerate words. “I know my parents. My family knew my sexual orientation eight hundred years ago, and I told them about our relationship on the first day we were together.”

       “The first day?” Qian Xiaoke said. “You sure moved fast.”

       This rotten man, Jiang Tongyan, was actually lying.

       He did not tell them on the first day they were together. He told them before they were even together, saying, “Look, in the future, I’m going to marry him.”

       He was thick-skinned to the extreme.

       “Qian Xiaoke.”

       “Mm?”

       “I know you won’t be able to relax completely no matter how I persuade you, but I hope you understand that my family and I will be happy and blessed that you can join us.” Jiang Tongyan suddenly said sentimentally, “We don’t need you to have any extraordinary family background or cultural education, nor do we need you to have the temperament and height of a supermodel or the delicate face of an actor. All we need is the cute and ordinary Qian Xiaoke.”

       Jiang Tongyan turned around to look at him. When he saw that guy standing there stupidly with a head of Chinese cabbage in his hands, he couldn’t help laughing. “But then again, you’re not ordinary either.”

       “How am I not ordinary…” Qian Xiaoke’s heart was racing. He realised that he was used to Jiang Tongyan’s usual clingy, unserious manner. The moment this man became serious and spoke sincere words of affection, he had no ability to fend it off at all.

       How could he be that handsome?

       “I really am very ordinary,” Qian Xiaoke said. “You don’t need to comfort me.”

       “I wasn’t comforting you. I can’t even be bothered to comfort people,” Jiang Tongyan said. “I was just telling the truth.”

       He put down the cleaver in his hand, took the Chinese cabbage that Qian Xiaoke had almost torn to pieces, and went to wash it.

       “I’ve seen plenty of the world too. I’ve seen all kinds of beautiful men and women, yet I fell so deeply in love with you to death, and you’re telling me you’re ordinary? That’s basically questioning my taste!”

       After hearing this, Qian Xiaoke successfully latched onto the main point. “You fell in love with me to the point dying?”

       The tips of Jiang Tongyan’s ears turned red. He snorted twice through his nose and ignored him.

       Qian Xiaoke laughed and leaned over to wash the cabbage with him, even bumping his arm with his small shoulder. “You fell in love with me to death!”

       Jiang Tongyan rolled his eyes.

       “Chairman Jiang, you’re making me really embarrassed like this!” Qian Xiaoke said smugly, his delight practically making his nonexistent rabbit tail grow longer.

       “Embarrassed? You look pretty pleased with yourself to me.”

       “No, no,” Qian Xiaoke laughed so hard he couldn’t stop. “I’m so shy I can’t even bear to look at you!”

       He said that, but when Jiang Tongyan turned his head to look at him, Qian Xiaoke still quickly stood on tiptoe and planted a kiss on him.

       After all that fooling around in the kitchen, Qian Xiaoke really did gradually relax. It was just that Jiang Tongyan’s parents, who were waiting outside to eat, saw that the kitchen door still hadn’t opened and didn’t dare go in to ask. They could only listen to the alternating chorus of growls from their own stomachs and silently regret having let the two of them cook in the first place.

       Because Qian Xiaoke and Jiang Tongyan kept interacting so frequently in the kitchen, their cooking efficiency was low, and by the time the four of them finally sat down to eat, it was already quite late.

       Still, the fact that Jiang Tongyan could make braised pork with glass noodles, chicken stewed with mushrooms, sauerkraut ribs, and three earthly delicacies¹a classic, savory Northeastern Chinese home-style dish made from three common underground vegetables: eggplant, potato, and green pepper, stir-fried together, often after being briefly deep-fried, creating a dish that’s rich, flavorful, and a super popular side for rice surprised his parents greatly.

       “All Northeastern dishes,” Jiang Tongyan’s father said. “Not bad, not bad. They’re done pretty well.”

       “More than pretty well,” Jiang Tongyan bragged smugly. “Otherwise, how could I have fed Xiaoke into getting this chubby?”

       Qian Xiaoke, who had been eating with his head down, froze on the spot. His eyes almost teared up, his chopsticks nearly clattering onto the floor.

       Jiang Tongyan had meant it as a joke, and also as a roundabout way to show that the two of them were living well together. He just hadn’t expected Qian Xiaoke to take it so much to heart.

       For someone who was a ‘seductive bottom’, gaining weight was practically the destruction of his ‘career’. It was deadly serious.

       Qian Xiaoke couldn’t help pursing his lips.

       “What nonsense are you talking about?” Jiang Tongyan’s mother shot a glare at her son for speaking improperly. “Xiaoke looks great. Where is he fat?”

       Qian Xiaoke looked at Jiang Tongyan’s mother with a heart full of gratitude.

       Mama Jiang continued scolding her son. “What fat or not fat? Health is what matters most. If you like it, then eat. Being able to eat is a blessing in itself!”

       “Yes, yes, you’re absolutely right,” Jiang Tongyan replied obediently.

       “Xiaoke, don’t listen to him,” Mama Jiang said after finishing her lecture of her tactless son, then turned to comfort the clearly somewhat hurt Qian Xiaoke. “You’re not fat at all. You’re adorable. Auntie just likes kids like you!”

       Qian Xiaoke became embarrassed, truly embarrassed this time.

       He felt that he shouldn’t have had a little sulk at the dinner table. If Jiang Tongyan had annoyed him, the two of them could talk about it later after they got home. He hadn’t expected Mama Jiang to comfort him like this.

       Jiang Tongyan looked at Qian Xiaoke, then at his own mother, and suddenly felt a sense of crisis. He felt that his position as the top one in Qian Xiaoke’s heart was in grave danger.

       “Baby,” Jiang Tongyan hurried to make amends, “I shouldn’t have made that kind of joke that made you uncomfortable just now. I’m sorry, okay?”

       Once he said that, Qian Xiaoke felt even more awkward.

       The whole family was coaxing him, making him seem small-minded instead.

       Qian Xiaoke hurried to explain, “It’s fine, it’s fine. I really am fine, I…”

       He suddenly felt that he was terrible with words and didn’t know how to defuse the awkwardness at all.

       Flustered, he looked at Jiang Tongyan and suddenly realised that in moments like this, he always subconsciously sought help from him. Was this what people called love?

       Because of love, no matter what happened, the first thing he wanted to do was rely on the other person?

       Jiang Tongyan smiled and raised his hand to rub Qian Xiaoke’s soft hair. “You’re the cutest.”

       Qian Xiaoke pressed his lips together, his heart feeling both sour and warm.

       “How about I eat more too? I’ll eat myself into a big fatty and let you poke my belly every day, okay?”

       Qian Xiaoke finally couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing. “Hey, don’t be like that!”

       He laughed, and Jiang Tongyan’s parents, sitting across from them, laughed as well. Watching the two kids be so cute even when having a little spat, the couple felt comforted too.

       “Alright, eat properly now,” Mama Jiang said when she saw that the two of them had shown enough affection. She took the initiative to steer things back on track. She said, “So you see, even in an intimate relationship, you need to pay attention to your wording and sense of proportion, and also be mindful of the other person’s feelings. Mom hopes that when you run into problems in the future, you’ll be able to resolve them like this. It’s not just about who gives in a step, but more about understanding each other.”

       Jiang Tongyan and Qian Xiaoke nodded obediently, silently conveying: Mom, we’ve learned.

---

T/N:
Happy New year all~
This series will also come to an end soon around.. hmm? 6 chaps more?
I’ll upload everything by this month tho, so dw
After this I will able to take one more series and there’s one series that I’ve been thinking to take either that or I’ll make the server mod create a request series channel~

---

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       As the saying goes, even an ugly bride has to meet her parents-in-law.

       Qian Xiaoke was not ugly, but he felt he was not ready.

       Mainly, his figure was not ready.

       Speaking of which, this was all Jiang Tongyan’s fault. Before the two of them got together, Qian Xiaoke had been a slender, beautiful boy… Of course, the word ‘boy’ was entirely his own opinion. Jiang Tongyan had reminded him before that at twenty-seven, he counted as a young adult.

       But that was not the point. The point was that after getting together with Jiang Tongyan, Qian Xiaoke had been raised far too well. Jiang Tongyan practically wanted to order a whole table of nourishing chicken soup for Qian Xiaoke every time they finished doing those shameful things, to replenish the energy he had lost.

       And, by the way, to replenish himself as well.

       They had not even been together that long, and the two of them had both gained weight happily.

       Jiang Tongyan said, “You’re the only one who thinks we’re fat. I think our figures are pretty good.”

       As he spoke, he pinched Qian Xiaoke’s face, which had grown rounder and even cuter.

       “So cute.” Jiang Tongyan said this from the bottom of his heart. He genuinely felt that Qian Xiaoke was cute, cuter than the expensive plush toys in shopping mall display windows.

       The kind you wanted to hold to your chest and knead and squeeze.

       Qian Xiaoke strongly disagreed with this assessment and retorted, “People say that you only call someone cute when you want to praise them but can’t find any other good qualities.”

       Jiang Tongyan sneered. “Who taught you that crooked logic?”

       “That’s just how it is.”

       “‘Just how it is,’ my ass,” Jiang Tongyan said. “Cute is the highest level of praise for a person. What do you know?”

       Qian Xiaoke, who supposedly ‘didn’t know anything’, still felt a little pleased inside when he heard Jiang Tongyan say that.

       “Besides,” Jiang Tongyan went on, “how many kilos have you gained?”

       “Compared to when we first got together, 3 kilos,” Qian Xiaoke said pitifully.

       A peerless beauty bottom was not allowed to get fat!

       Three kilos were already too much!

       Jiang Tongyan rolled his eyes. Seeing him make such a fuss about losing weight every day, he had thought Qian Xiaoke had gained thirty kilos.

       “Three kilos doesn’t count as fat. You can even keep going.”

       “How does it not count as fat?” Qian Xiaoke covered his face in sorrow. “Three kilos of flesh. I suspect it all went to my face.”

       Qian Xiaoke was just that kind of unlucky person. Other people gained weight quietly and could hide the flesh, but as soon as he gained weight, his face was the first to show it.

       Jiang Tongyan thought this was pretty good to look at.

       “Very well-fed-looking. My parents will like it,” Jiang Tongyan said, and to further ‘comfort’ Qian Xiaoke, he added, “Just like the chubby New Year poster dolls they used to paste on the walls when they were kids.”

       And then Qian Xiaoke really almost fainted.

       In any case, no matter what, Qian Xiaoke had not managed to lose his ‘fat’, and his parents-in-law had already arrived. Whether he wanted to meet them now or not, he had to.

       Jiang Tongyan pulled Qian Xiaoke along to change clothes and go downstairs to pick them up. To highlight Qian Xiaoke’s cuteness, he deliberately put that hat with bunny ears on his head.

       Qian Xiaoke said, “Hey, I’m not wearing that!”

       Jiang Tongyan did not understand. “Isn’t this your true form? You wear it every day. What’s wrong today?”

       “I want to be more mature today,” Qian Xiaoke urged him to hurry up. “I’m already twenty-seven. I can’t be like a kid.”

       Jiang Tongyan held the hat in his hand and followed him out the door. “Aren’t you a twenty-year-old beautiful boy?”

       “I’m a sexy young adult!” Today, Qian Xiaoke refused to be cute. He felt that parents would definitely want their son to find a boyfriend who looked mature, steady, and reliable, like Boss Shen’s flight-attendant boyfriend.

       For someone like him, who bought a knitted hat with a pair of bunny ears attached, it looked like an immature kid at a glance. Parents would not feel at ease.

       For the sake of meeting the parents, Qian Xiaoke had worried himself sick.

       However, in the elevator, Jiang Tongyan still put the hat on him.

       Jiang Tongyan said, “Why are you so nervous?”

       “How could I not be nervous? This is meeting your parents,” Qian Xiaoke said. “But come to think of it, thank goodness I clean the place diligently every day. Otherwise, with underwear and condoms flying around everywhere, they would probably faint when they came in.”

       Jiang Tongyan put an arm around him and laughed. “I’ll clean up in the future.”

       “Better not,” Qian Xiaoke muttered. “If you clean, you’ll just hire a cleaning service. That would be really embarrassing.”

       As the elevator reached the first floor, Qian Xiaoke’s little heart was pounding wildly.

       “Husband, I’m nervous.”

       “Don’t be nervous.” Jiang Tongyan took his hand and kissed it. “I’ve told them about you. They’ve also seen photos of the two of us.”

       “Photos? Like, photos of us together?” Qian Xiaoke’s delicate body jolted, his eyes widening round. “Bed photos of us?”

       “What kind of things are you thinking about?” Jiang Tongyan raised his hand and flicked him on the forehead. “Be normal.”

       “I’m just livening up the atmosphere.” Qian Xiaoke took a deep breath. Of course he knew Jiang Tongyan would never send their bed photos to his parents. That would mean he had completely lost his mind.

       “When you see them later, you don’t need to be nervous.” Jiang Tongyan squeezed his shoulder. “You don’t need to force yourself to act like anything in particular. Just be the real Qian Xiaoke, and they’ll like you like crazy.”

       “You’re just sweet-talking.” Qian Xiaoke did not believe him at all.

       “I’m serious,” Jiang Tongyan said. “I know my parents. They like kids just like you the most.”

       “…I’m not a kid!”

       Jiang Tongyan laughed and flicked the bunny ears on Qian Xiaoke’s hat, then casually tugged at his ears as they walked, tugging the whole way. It was extremely childish and extremely unlike a proper domineering CEO.

       When the two of them walked out, Jiang Tongyan’s parents were happily chatting with the neighbourhood security guard.

       Jiang Tongyan had considered opening the outer gate for them earlier, but worried they might wander around the complex and not find the building, which would be even more troublesome. It was better for the two of them to come down and get them directly.

       Speaking of which, Jiang Tongyan’s parents were quite talkative people. In just a few minutes, they were already itching to introduce girlfriends to the single, handsome security guard.

       If a girlfriend was not suitable, then a boyfriend was not entirely out of the question either.

       “Dad, Mom.” Jiang Tongyan called out to them, making Qian Xiaoke’s heart tremble.

       Qian Xiaoke timidly followed behind Jiang Tongyan, exactly like the little book attendant who used to trail after a rich young master in ancient times.

       Hearing their son’s voice, Jiang Tongyan’s parents immediately turned around in delight. Mother Jiang went straight over and gave her son a warm hug.

       The three of them had not seen each other for a while, and they truly missed one another.

       After the hug, Mother Jiang tilted her head and looked at the cute little boy standing slightly behind Jiang Tongyan. “You must be Xiaoke, right?”

       Although Jiang Tongyan had repeatedly emphasised to his mother that Qian Xiaoke would be twenty-eight next month, she still felt he was just a little boy. He was not tall, and he was cute-looking. How did he look anything like twenty-eight? Eighteen would have been more believable.

       Being suddenly called out, Qian Xiaoke jolted, his foot slipping as he nearly made a fool of himself.

       Fortunately, he steadied himself in time and did not leave his future parents-in-law with the first impression of ‘this one’s an idiot’.

       Qian Xiaoke obediently greeted her. “Hello, Auntie.”

       After that, he turned to Jiang Tongyan’s father. “Hello, Uncle.”

       Everyone in Jiang Tongyan’s family was tall. Not to mention the two men, even Jiang Tongyan’s mother was 175 centimetres tall. In high heels, she was taller than Qian Xiaoke.

       The four of them together, Xiaoke was the shortest.

       As they walked home, Qian Xiaoke felt as if he had arrived in the land of giants. The pressure was immense.

       Mother Jiang leaned close to her son and whispered, “Xiaoke is even cuter than in the photos!”

       Qian Xiaoke walked to the other side and could not hear what they were saying, but after seeing the two of them whispering, he grew so nervous that his palms started sweating in the dead of winter.

       What were they saying?

       Were they talking about how short he was?

       Being short was one thing, but he was also fat!

       And being fat aside, he was also dumb!

       Qian Xiaoke pouted.

       If they disliked him for being dumb, he could read more books and newspapers. If they disliked him for being fat, he could eat fewer snacks and sleep more. But if they disliked him for being short, there was really nothing he could do. At his age, he was basically not going to grow any taller.

       Should he go buy some height-increasing insoles in bulk?

       Qian Xiaoke’s head was full of wild thoughts, so many that his little brain was about to explode.

       Jiang Tongyan’s father probably felt that his son and wife were neglecting this young man, so he deliberately moved over and walked beside Qian Xiaoke.

       He meant well and wanted to keep the ‘boy’ company, but he had no idea that his actions only made the already-not-relaxed ‘boy’ feel even worse.

       Qian Xiaoke stiffened his back and started walking with his arms and legs moving on the same side.

       Seeing Qian Xiaoke’s strange gait, Jiang Tongyan’s father suddenly grew worried.

       The four of them finally arrived home. When they stepped out of the elevator, Jiang Tongyan introduced, “This side is Xiaoke’s place. Next door is mine.”

       “Why are they separated?” Jiang Tongyan’s mother asked, her question coming from the depths of her soul.

       “It’s a rented apartment,” Jiang Tongyan said. “We’ve been looking at houses recently and are planning to buy one after the New Year.”

       Qian Xiaoke’s delicate body jolted again. He thought, since when have we been looking at houses? Jiang Tongyan, don’t spout nonsense!

       What Jiang Tongyan said was half true and half false.

       Recently, he really had been asking Cheng Sen to help inquire about ready-to-move-in units that were bigger, better renovated, and more conveniently located. He just had not told Qian Xiaoke yet, because he had not found anything he liked so far.

       Qian Xiaoke briskly stepped forward to open the door. When he inserted the key, his hand was shaking.

       This was really too pathetic.

       He was always saying that Jiang Tongyan had not seen the world, but what about himself?

       Just meeting his parents-in-law, and he was scared like this.

       Mother Jiang kept smiling as she sized Qian Xiaoke up, finding this child truly interesting.

       The interesting child Qian Xiaoke opened the door and, like a doorman, ushered them inside, helped them take out the slippers, and attended to everything with great thoughtfulness and politeness.

       Jiang Tongyan said, “You two rest for a bit. Xiaoke and I will cook.”

       They had not eaten since getting off work, and it was the perfect time to eat together as four.

       “I’ll do it,” Jiang Tongyan’s father said, putting his things down. “What ingredients do you have at home?”

       “No need. You sit with Mom,” Jiang Tongyan said, wrapping an arm around Qian Xiaoke as they headed for the kitchen. “The two of us have made huge progress in our cooking lately. Let us show you what a real chef looks like.”

       As he spoke, the two of them went into the kitchen and even closed the door behind them.

       Jiang Tongyan’s parents both looked toward the kitchen. Jiang’s mother said, “Cooking is just cooking. Why did they close the door?”

       Of course, it was because they wanted to be affectionate.

       The useless Qian Xiaoke curled up in his husband’s arms and muttered, “I was scared to death, scared to death. What did Mom say to you?”

       “Oh?” Jiang Tongyan teased. “You’re already calling her Mom?”

       Qian Xiaoke’s face flushed red. “Don’t mess with me!”

       Seeing that he was genuinely nervous, Jiang Tongyan raised his hand and ruffled Qian Xiaoke’s hair hard, laughing as he said, “My mom said you’re cute and even wants you to be her godson.”

       “Really?” Qian Xiaoke’s eyes lit up.

       “Really, but I turned her down.”

       “Why?” Qian Xiaoke felt wronged.

       “If you became her godson, then I would be your older brother,” Jiang Tongyan said. “An incestuous romance does sound exciting, but from a moral standpoint, it’s not exactly encouraged.”

       Jiang Tongyan kissed Qian Xiaoke’s warm lips. “You’d better just honestly be my wife and my mom’s daughter-in-law.”

---

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       Qian Xiaoke said, “Hubby, I really wish every day were Christmas.”

       Jiang Tongyan was drenched in sweat and held Qian Xiaoke, who was just as soaked, in his arms. When Jiang Tongyan heard that, his whole body jolted, and he felt an ache in his kidneys.

       “Well, uh,” Jiang Tongyan felt his sweat pouring down like a waterfall as he earnestly tried to reason with him. “It’s once a year, that’s why it’s precious. If every day were Christmas, wouldn’t it lose its meaning? Don’t you think so?”

       Qian Xiaoke listened and thought it over seriously, then nodded. “That does seem to make sense.”

       Jiang Tongyan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

       He felt that he might still have lingering aftereffects. His impotence had been cured, but his kidneys were weak.

       For a man, being ‘not able to do it’ was a minefield that absolutely could not be stepped on.

       Ever since Jiang Tongyan recovered, every time he would leave Qian Xiaoke like this or that, gasping delicately and crying softly. Almost every time, it ended with Qian Xiaoke holding back tears as he begged his husband to hurry up and finish.

       But tonight, Qian Xiaoke’s interest had been far too high, and Jiang Tongyan had almost failed to keep him under control.

       It had been way too dangerous.

       Jiang Tongyan had always believed that letting Qian Xiaoke climax first, and only doing it himself at least twenty minutes later, was the normal process. A domineering CEO had to have this kind of ability.

       In the past, his actual performance had been pretty good, but today, he had actually climaxed together with Qian Xiaoke.

       Qian Xiaoke had gone crazy today. He wore a tight-fitting reindeer outfit that was irresistibly tempting, and throughout the entire process, he kept his middle finger wearing a diamond ring raised.

       Qian Xiaoke was in great shape, and Jiang Tongyan honestly was not bad either, but once the two were compared, the gap became obvious.

       Just tonight alone, over the course of an hour and a half, Qian Xiaoke had actively asked to change positions at least five times, and each time he said to Jiang Tongyan, “Husband, hang in there a bit more~! I’m just so happy today.”

       To be honest, Jiang Tongyan even felt that his skin had been rubbed raw.

       In short, he finally managed to hold on until the two of them reached life’s great harmony together. Qian Xiaoke’s small face was flushed pink as he contentedly snuggled up against Jiang Tongyan and lay down. Jiang Tongyan, meanwhile, had trembling fingers. Of course, it was not only his fingers that were shaking.

       How useless.

       This was far too embarrassing.

       Luckily, today he had used the ‘long-lasting’ type that Qian Xiaoke had bought before.

       Jiang Tongyan lay there, frowning deeply, and planned to search online for ways to extend the duration of this kind of activity once Qian Xiaoke fell asleep.

       It was very uncomfortable.

       His heart felt sour.

       Completely unaware of Jiang Tongyan’s worries, Qian Xiaoke yawned contentedly and snuggled closer into his arms. He then said, “Husband, look at me wearing this ring. Does it look good?”

       This question had been asked at least three times tonight during their ‘Santa Claus riding a reindeer’ game.

       “It looks good,” Jiang Tongyan said, grabbing his hand and kissing it. “Come on, let’s go take a shower. After that, we should sleep early.”

       This place was not like America. No matter how late you messed around on Christmas night, you still had to go to work the next day obediently.

       Qian Xiaoke was very well behaved. He dragged his completely exhausted husband off to take a shower and even energetically sat in the tub to scrub his back.

       Qian Xiaoke said, “I also know how to do cupping. I’ll let you experience it some other day.”

       Jiang Tongyan did not know what cupping was, but since his wife had said it, he obviously had to agree.

       So a few days later, one night, Qian Xiaoke, who had finally gritted his teeth and bought a full set of cupping tools, pulled Jiang Tongyan over, had him lie prone, thoughtfully planted a kiss on his back, and then started applying the cups.

       The whole process was extremely stimulating, and Jiang Tongyan’s terrified screams echoed throughout the house.

       As for cupping, Qian Xiaoke said, “Cupping is really comfortable, but a friendly reminder: if you haven’t learned or trained, please don’t do it casually by yourself. It can be dangerous.”

       Jiang Tongyan thought to himself, even if he didn’t remind people, no one would be doing this anyway.

       However, very soon, after Qian Xiaoke finished cupping him, Jiang Tongyan was completely won over.

       “Cupping is one of the greatest creations of our Chinese nation over five thousand years,” Qian Xiaoke started spouting nonsense again. “Look at your back. It’s no idea how much sexier than before.”

       Jiang Tongyan went to the bathroom to look in the mirror, and nearly fainted.

       Qian Xiaoke said proudly, “This is art!”

       Jiang Tongyan did not know whether to laugh or cry at what he said, but could only nod along and respond, “Yes, yes, art.”

       He thought to himself that when he went to see his parents on New Year’s Day, he absolutely could not let them see his back like this. Otherwise, they would probably think Qian Xiaoke had been abusing him at home.

       Actually, his parents were far more knowledgeable about the world than he was. He was the only one who did not know what cupping was.

       In the days after Christmas, aside from the time spent doing cupping, the usually optimistic Qian Xiaoke remained in a state of anxiety.

       There were only two reasons. First, losing weight was really hard. Second, New Year’s Day was coming, and he was going to meet Jiang Tongyan’s parents.

       Dating Jiang Tongyan did not scare Qian Xiaoke, but meeting the parents absolutely did.

       Qian Xiaoke knew very well what he was worth. The gap in family background and social status between him and Jiang Tongyan was so obvious that he was afraid the elders would think they were not well-matched.

       Anxious, anxious.

       Every day at the company, Qian Xiaoke looked like a wandering ghost, no longer showing any dedication to his job.

       Jiang Tongyan noticed something was off. He thought Qian Xiaoke might be physically unwell and was terribly worried. That night, when they got home, he pulled him over and said with great earnestness, “Wife, even though people say husband and wife are birds of the same forest, but when disaster strikes, they fly off separately—we are not like that. Heaven and earth can witness my sincerity toward you. We’ll share joy and hardship and get through difficulties together.”

       Qian Xiaoke was completely confused by this. He tilted his head and asked doubtfully, “Why are you suddenly saying this? Did you lose money doing business? Do you want me to live a hard life with you?”

       “Huh?”

       “It’s fine.” Qian Xiaoke had lived through hard times before. Every day now was the sweetness that came after years of bitterness, and he was least afraid of suffering.

       But then he thought about it again. Jiang Tongyan definitely would not be able to handle it.

       His Jiang Tongyan had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth, wrapped in gold and silver since childhood, living the life of a young master. If he suddenly fell from heaven to the ground, he would need a lot of comforting, soothing, and careful care.

       Qian Xiaoke reached out and patted Jiang Tongyan’s hair. “It’s okay, don’t worry. I will absolutely never leave you.”

       “You’ll never leave me?”

       “Yeah,” Qian Xiaoke said. “I may be poor, but my character is still decent.”

       Jiang Tongyan was baffled. Wasn’t it supposed to be him who would never leave Qian Xiaoke?

       Or had Qian Xiaoke learned something incredible behind his back?

       Jiang Tongyan grabbed Qian Xiaoke’s hand. “Wait. Explain this clearly to me. What do you mean by never leaving me?”

       “Sigh, you’re my husband,” Qian Xiaoke said. “As the saying goes, in the business world, wins and losses are common for domineering CEOs. Even though we took a loss this time, we can make a comeback. I’ll definitely stay with you.”

       Jiang Tongyan frowned. “Took a loss? Who took a loss? Whose loss was it? Did Cheng Sen do something behind my back and lose the company?”

       “Huh? I don’t know.”

       “Then what are you talking about?”

       “Aren’t you asking me to face hardship together with you because you lost money in business?”

       “…Your thinking is really broad.” Jiang Tongyan was about to explode with anger.

       Was this kid cursing him? What good would it do him to curse him into poverty?

       “Wake up.” Jiang Tongyan raised his hand and flicked him on the forehead. “I meant that I want to face hardship together with you.”

       Jiang Tongyan sighed. “You’ve been frowning lately. Did you run into some kind of trouble?”

       As soon as he finished speaking, inspiration suddenly struck him. His hand moved to Qian Xiaoke’s stomach. “Wife, did you get pregnant?”

       Qian Xiaoke looked at Jiang Tongyan as if he were watching an idiot perform.

       Jiang Tongyan gently stroked Qian Xiaoke’s rounded belly. Yes, for Qian Xiaoke, no matter how troubled he felt, meals still had to be filling and good. As for losing weight, he had to eat his fill to have the strength to lose weight.

       From this, it was clear that his determination to lose weight was not sincere at all, and perhaps he really should feel anxious.

       “Getting pregnant is a good thing,” Jiang Tongyan said. “It’s the crystallisation of our love. Don’t worry. Once the child is born, I’ll give him the best life.”

       Qian Xiaoke blinked, then pressed his lips together.

       “What are you thinking about?”

       Of course, Jiang Tongyan knew Qian Xiaoke could not possibly be pregnant. They were not in an mpreg novel, and no matter how capable Qian Xiaoke was, he still could not give birth.

       That said, every time they did that kind of thing, Qian Xiaoke would cling to him and shout loudly about wanting to bear his child. Used to set the mood and add interest, it was actually quite effective.

       “Then what is wrong with you?” Jiang Tongyan said. “It’s been days. You’ve been so worried. If you’re not pregnant, could it be that Cheng Sen docked your pay without permission? Wait here. Your husband will go get justice for you.”

       Only then did Qian Xiaoke finally understand why Jiang Tongyan had dragged him over and started acting crazy.

       It was because his behaviour these past few days had been too abnormal, and the other man was worried about him.

       Qian Xiaoke smiled. He leaned in, wrapped both arms around Jiang Tongyan’s neck, nestled into his chest, and acted spoiled.

       “You were worried about me?”

       “Who else would I worry about?” Jiang Tongyan said. “It wouldn’t be appropriate to worry about anyone else.”

       Qian Xiaoke grinned, biting his lip. “Why are you so good?”

       “Just average,” Jiang Tongyan said. As soon as Qian Xiaoke praised him, his tail practically shot up to the sky. “Basically, if I call myself second in this world, no one would dare call themselves first.”

       Qian Xiaoke was amused by his thick skin and laughed out loud.

       “So,” Jiang Tongyan said, “tell me. What’s really going on?”

       Just then, Jiang Tongyan’s phone rang.

       He picked it up, glanced at it, and suddenly smiled. “Well, this is something new.”

       Qian Xiaoke watched him answer the call and heard Jiang Tongyan say, “Mom, why are you calling at this hour?”

       “Huh? You’re already outside the complex? You don’t have an access card and got stopped by security? I’m not at my own place. I’m next door. Yes, yes, at Xiaoke’s place.” As he spoke, Jiang Tongyan smiled at Qian Xiaoke and pulled him up from the sofa. “Alright, wait there. Xiaoke and I will come down to get you.”

       After hanging up, Jiang Tongyan said, “My parents came early. Surprised? Shocked?”

       Qian Xiaoke nearly fainted when he heard that.

       He grabbed the corner of Jiang Tongyan’s clothes and said, “This is exactly why I’ve been worried these past few days…”

       It was over.

       The in-laws had arrived, and he was still fat. Qian Xiaoke wailed inwardly. Thinking of the scene in domineering CEO novels where someone says, “Here’s five million, leave my son,” he suddenly felt that he might be about to take the money and walk away.

---

T/N:
I just can never take these two couples seriously lolol
Mpreg (ಡ艸ಡ)

---

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       Qian Xiaoke truly lived up to being Qian Xiaoke.

       Jiang Tongyan thought to himself: as expected of the person I chose.

       Putting that song out of his mind, this gift was still full of tenderness and affection.

       The little reindeer in Qian Xiaoke’s heart was hopping around excitedly at that moment. He had actually been a bit nervous about giving this gift. It was his first time knitting a scarf, and it felt just like how a mother looks at her own child—no matter how she looked at it, it seemed wonderful, but that didn’t mean other people would feel the same.

       He was afraid he hadn’t knitted it well and that Jiang Tongyan would dislike it.

       But he had forgotten that he was the ‘child’s’ mother, who had ‘carried’ it for a long time before ‘giving birth’ to it, and that the ‘child’s’ father was Jiang Tongyan.

       Parents were all the same—when they looked at their own child, it was always a treasure.

       In the northern winter, indoor heating was excellent. Usually, when the two of them got home, they practically wanted to wander around the apartment in nothing but their underwear. Right now, Jiang Tongyan was wearing a Santa Claus outfit and was already feeling stifled.

       But once Qian Xiaoke presented his gift, Jiang Tongyan didn’t care about any of that. Liking it so much, he immediately wrapped it around his neck.

       It was really warm.

       The thick, soft knitted scarf even carried Qian Xiaoke’s body scent or at least, the body scent Jiang Tongyan imagined.

       “How are you so skilful?” Jiang Tongyan said with a scarf around his neck and sweat all over his head. “I don’t even know how to praise you anymore.”

       He should really go learn.

       He needed to join some kind of ‘learning how to praise’ group, and praise his wife every day when he got home.

       “You don’t need to praise me,” Qian Xiaoke leaned in, hugging his waist and acting spoiled. “As long as you don’t dislike it.”

       “Huh? What nonsense are you talking about?” Jiang Tongyan kissed Qian Xiaoke on the forehead. “You don’t have a fever, do you?”

       Qian Xiaoke let out an ‘Aiya’ and said, “Other people use thermometers to check temperature. You’re using your mouth?”

       “Why not?” Jiang Tongyan said. “We’re basically conjoined twins. I don’t need to measure—one kiss, and I know whether you have a fever.”

       The ‘little reindeer’ Qian Xiaoke lay against his chest, pressed his lips together, and then said something that almost made Jiang Tongyan pass out on the spot.

       He said, “But… forehead temperature isn’t accurate.”

       He blinked his big eyes, his small face flushed red, and even wriggled a bit in Jiang Tongyan’s arms.

       “Santa Claus, do you want to use your ‘thermometer’ to measure the reindeer’s rectal temperature?”

       Qian Xiaoke nearly bit his own tongue after saying it. It was too embarrassing. How could he be this embarrassing? He was a pure, innocent boy, unparalleled in the universe.

       The unparalleled-in-the-universe pure boy Qian Xiaoke felt that he should probably read fewer of those unspeakable novels in the future. Turning everyday life into that kind of story was really morally degenerate.

       Even though that was what he thought, being the protagonist of one of those novels was still kind of exciting.

       Qian Xiaoke tilted his head up, and what he saw was…

       “Husband, why are you having a nosebleed?” Qian Xiaoke panicked. He hurriedly struggled out of Jiang Tongyan’s arms. His eyes were wide with shock, and he raised his hand to wipe at Jiang Tongyan’s nose.

       If he hadn’t said anything, Jiang Tongyan wouldn’t have even noticed he was bleeding. His mind had been completely occupied by what Qian Xiaoke had just said.

       Thinking about it, it was really embarrassing. When they had first met, he had gone impotent for a long time because of a single sentence from the other person. And now, on the very night of a successful proposal, he was bleeding from the nose again because of something the other person said.

       Jiang Tongyan felt this was completely unreasonable. No matter how you looked at it, he was a powerful, dominant CEO—so why did these laughable, awkward incidents keep happening to him?

       If Baidu ever had an entry called The Encyclopedia of Jiang Tongyan’s Awkward Moments, then once you opened the page, there would probably be an extremely long list, long enough to go perfectly with alcohol.

       Or if a TV station gave him a segment called Cold Sweat Confessions, he could guarantee a full 24-hour live broadcast every day, without repeating content.

       It was just that embarrassing.

       And very sad.

       With one wipe, Qian Xiaoke smeared Jiang Tongyan’s face, making it look even more alarming.

       He hurried off to grab some tissues, then turned back and saw Jiang Tongyan tilting his head up. He immediately stopped him. “No, no! You can’t tilt your head back!”

       Holding the tissues, he ran over and made him stand upright. “If you tilt your head back, the blood will flow backwards, and you’ll choke on it! Don’t you have any common sense?”

       Seeing how flustered he was, Jiang Tongyan smiled and hummed softly.

       He had just instinctively tilted his head back—otherwise the floor would be covered in blood. Anyone who didn’t know better might think the two of them had gone at it too hard and someone had died.

       Jiang Tongyan stuffed tissues into his nose and watched Qian Xiaoke bustle around with a smile.

       “You’re still laughing!” Qian Xiaoke complained.

       Still dressed in the sexy reindeer outfit, Qian Xiaoke ran into the bathroom again. When he came back out, he was holding a towel that had been rinsed with cold water.

       He pressed the towel against Jiang Tongyan’s forehead. It was ice-cold and instantly refreshing.

       “Why did you suddenly get a nosebleed?” Qian Xiaoke asked. “Could you be sick? Should we go to the hospital tomorrow?”

       If it were Qian Xiaoke himself having a nosebleed, he wouldn’t treat it as anything serious at all. He might even take a selfie, make a silly face, and post it to his WeChat Moments.

       But Jiang Tongyan having a nosebleed was different. That had to be taken seriously.

       Everything about Jiang Tongyan had to be taken seriously.

       This was the manifestation of Qian Xiaoke’s deep affection and care for his fiancé!

       “It’s nothing,” Jiang Tongyan said. Qian Xiaoke pulled him to sit down on the sofa, where he leaned back and waited for the bleeding to stop, though his mind was filled with unspeakable thoughts.

       That wasn’t really his fault. He had never been able to handle teasing very well. And Qian Xiaoke was already dressed provocatively enough today, then went and said those words to seduce him.

       The fact that he hadn’t fainted on the spot was already impressive.

       “Come here,” Jiang Tongyan said. “Sit on my lap. Let me touch you a bit.”

       Qian Xiaoke was still worried about his nosebleed when he suddenly heard him say something like that. He immediately shot him a sharp look.

       Unfortunately, it didn’t scare Jiang Tongyan at all.

       That ‘sharp look’ wasn’t very professional. It was more like a flirtatious glance—one with a hook on it. And once it was thrown, it hooked Jiang Tongyan’s soul.

       The hopeless Jiang Tongyan had his heart completely caught. He leaned over and forcibly pulled Qian Xiaoke closer.

       “Let’s make out for a bit,” Jiang Tongyan said, dragging his partner in the tight, sexy reindeer outfit over and making him sit on his lap.

       “Oh.” Qian Xiaoke was so embarrassed he almost started smoking.

       “What is it now? What are you ‘oh’-ing about again?” Jiang Tongyan said. One hand held the damp towel on his forehead, while the other wandered over Qian Xiaoke’s waist. Despite wearing a Santa Claus outfit, he showed not the slightest bit of Santa’s kindness—he looked entirely like a lecherous old landlord.

       “You… that…” Qian Xiaoke was so shy that he looked like a virtuous virgin. “It’s poking me.”

       Jiang Tongyan looked down and laughed so hard his body shook.

       Poking him?

       Wasn’t that even better?

       The lecherous landlord showed no intention of restraining himself. He kept kneading Qian Xiaoke’s waist, his hands gradually moving lower, making Qian Xiaoke squirm like a fish.

       “Ahn!” Qian Xiaoke grabbed his hand. “Wait a bit before you do that!”

       He was worried about him!

       Qian Xiaoke was a little eager too, but they had to stop the nosebleed first. Otherwise, doing that while blood was still flowing would be extremely bloody! It would be a scene that wouldn’t even pass censorship on a novel website!

       “Wait for what? I’m dying of impatience,” Jiang Tongyan said. “Haven’t you heard that a moment of passion on a spring night is worth a thousand gold pieces? If we keep waiting, think of how much I’m losing!”

       “Your Chinese literature education isn’t bad,” Qian Xiaoke said. Jiang Tongyan pulled him into his arms, and he obediently rested against his chest. When he lifted his head to speak, he ended up with a mouthful of yarn.

       Yes, Jiang Tongyan was vain. His wife had knitted him a scarf, so he insisted on wearing it all the time, even though he was already sweating profusely.

       Even though there were no outsiders at home and no one to show off to, he still wore it.

       This was his persistence as Qian Xiaoke’s fiancé.

       Qian Xiaoke reached out, took the scarf off him, and muttered, “It’s so warm at home; why are you still wearing this?”

       “This is your love,” Jiang Tongyan said, having secretly been studying lately. His words now flowed smoothly. “As the husband you carefully chose and finally kept by your side, of course I have to carry your love with me at all times.”

       Qian Xiaoke said, “…What have you been reading lately?”

       “Nothing.”

       “Give me your phone. Let me see.”

       Jiang Tongyan hesitated for a moment, then handed it over.

       As a good husband of the modern era, if his wife wanted to look at his phone, how could he refuse?

       Qian Xiaoke didn’t look at anything else. He didn’t have a habit of reading other people’s chat histories. To him, loving someone meant trusting them, and he was very certain that Jiang Tongyan would never mess around outside.

       Of course, ‘trusting him’ referred to trusting his feelings, not his taste in reading material.

       Sure enough, when Qian Xiaoke opened Jiang Tongyan’s reading app, the titles he saw were things like The Wickedly Charming Husband’s One Thousand and One Nights, The Arrogant Domineering CEO’s Guide to Spoiling His Wife, and The Domineering CEO is the Top, He is the Bottom.

       Qian Xiaoke read web novels too, and he was a seasoned reader at that. But even he felt his right eyelid twitch when he saw those titles.

       “Old Jiang, why don’t you read the novels I recommended to you?” he asked.

       Jiang Tongyan stammered for a long while before saying, “It’s not that I don’t want to read them, but…”

       “But what?” The two of them, who were originally about to engage in deeper physical interaction, had somehow drifted into a serious and earnest ‘literary discussion’.

       “The ones you recommended are good,” Jiang Tongyan said, “but whenever it gets to the critical moment, they skip over it. It feels a bit… unsatisfying.”

       He said very seriously, “As an adult, I still want to read that kind of thing.”

       Qian Xiaoke glared at him. “That’s all you amount to.”

       “Not exactly,” Jiang Tongyan said, hugging him with a grin. “I’ve got other talents too.”

       “Huh? Like what?” Qian Xiaoke was thinking about which truly adult novels he should send him later, but before he could finish sorting them out in his head, he had already been picked up.

       Jiang Tongyan’s nosebleed had stopped. The lecherous landlord—no, Santa Claus—carried his reindeer toward the bedroom.

       “Don’t judge those novels by their tacky titles,” Jiang Tongyan said. “The content is really worth studying.”

       Studying?

       Studying what?

       Qian Xiaoke hadn’t figured it out yet when he was tossed onto the bed.

       “My little reindeer,” Jiang Tongyan said, “are you ready?”

       Qian Xiaoke smiled coyly. “So annoying. Don’t ask.”

       When Jiang Tongyan leaned in, he pressed close to his ear and said, “I’ve decided—when I have time, I’ll write a novel too. I’ll call it The Domineering Santa Claus Riding a Reindeer for One Thousand and One Nights.” 

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T/N:
Okayy last one ahahaha
Merry Christmas!

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       It’s great to be rich.

       Qian Xiaoke’s very first reaction when he saw the ring was that he also wanted to buy Jiang Tongyan a ring just as big for him to wear.

       He wanted to give Jiang Tongyan all the best things in the world, including himself.

       Put that way, it sounded a little thick-skinned. How did he end up counting himself as ‘the best thing’?

       But Qian Xiaoke felt that Jiang Tongyan would probably be very happy being with him, and anything that could make someone happy was the best thing.

       “Hey,” Jiang Tongyan called out to him. “Even if you’re going to turn me down, do it later. At least agree first. There are so many people watching, I’ll lose face otherwise!”

       Qian Xiaoke had been drifting off into space, and Jiang Tongyan was still kneeling on one knee, waiting for an answer.

       “Yes, yes, yes!” Of course he would!

       Qian Xiaoke finally snapped back to his senses. He hurriedly took the flowers, then asked Jiang Tongyan, “This ring… Is it real?”

       A diamond ring this big, he had only ever seen on Taobao, the kind that cost 9.9 yuan with free shipping, the kind you could tell at a glance was fake.

       Did a proper, genuine diamond ring really get this big?

       Jiang Tongyan laughed. “How about we find a piece of glass and scratch it to test?”

       Qian Xiaoke was amused by him and leaned into his arms, laughing. “I apologise for my recklessness.”

       As he laughed, Qian Xiaoke’s nose started to sting again.

       “Come on,” Jiang Tongyan said. “Gege will put it on for you.” He gently pushed him out of his arms so Qian Xiaoke could stand properly.

       Holding him could wait until they got home. Once they were back, not only could he hold him, but he could do other things too.

       At this moment, the most important thing was to secure Qian Xiaoke first.

       As Jiang Tongyan put the ring on his finger, he said, “Once you wear my ring, you’re mine. From now on, gege will be your lover-gege.”

       Qian Xiaoke lowered his eyes and looked at the outrageously large diamond ring now on his finger. He pursed his lips, wanting to cry.

       “What’s wrong?” Jiang Tongyan noticed something was off the moment he looked up. “Why are you crying?”

       Qian Xiaoke was stubborn. “I’m not crying. I’m laughing wildly.”

       After he said that, Jiang Tongyan burst into exaggerated laughter. “See? This is what wild laughter looks like. I suspect you have some kind of misunderstanding about emotions.”

       Qian Xiaoke puffed out his cheeks, crying as he laughed. “You’re so annoying! I’m touched! And you’re making fun of me!”

       He touched the big diamond ring on his finger. “I suddenly feel like I’m really lucky.”

       Jiang Tongyan looked at Qian Xiaoke and reached up to smooth down a little tuft of hair sticking up on the top of his head. That strand had been flattened and bent by his knitted hat with bunny ears, and no matter how he smoothed it, it wouldn’t lie flat.

       So be it—let it stick up.

       Just like their love.

       “You are pretty lucky,” Jiang Tongyan said. “I bought the ring blindly, and the size still fits perfectly.”

       Of course it hadn’t been a blind purchase.

       Jiang Tongyan had secretly measured Qian Xiaoke’s finger while he was asleep, and the diamond itself had been carefully chosen.

       You only proposed once in a lifetime, how could he possibly be casual about it?

       But Jiang Tongyan cared about his pride. He would never admit that he had been so nervous about proposing that he hadn’t slept properly for days, nor would he admit that worrying Qian Xiaoke might dislike such a ‘gaudy’ diamond ring had made him so anxious he was nearly constipated.

       “That’s not what I meant!” Qian Xiaoke raised a fist to punch his shoulder, but the ring on his finger suddenly flashed and dazzled his eyes, and he experienced firsthand what it meant to have a soft hand after taking someone’s gift.

       Once you had taken someone’s ring, you couldn’t even bring yourself to hit them anymore.

       “So,” Jiang Tongyan said, “does that mean this proposal ceremony is over?”

       “Do you have anything else planned?”

       For example: forcefully kissing me.

       For example: sweeping me up in a princess carry in front of everyone.

       “No.”

       Qian Xiaoke had nothing to say.

       Still, it was fine. He had never expected Jiang Tongyan to suddenly propose today in the first place.

       “Ah!”

       “What are you ‘ah’-ing about now?” Jiang Tongyan asked. “Don’t like the ring?”

       “No!” Qian Xiaoke said. “You should’ve told me you were going to propose! I should’ve worn the new sweater I just bought!”

       Jiang Tongyan laughed out loud and wrapped an arm around him as they went back to the table.

       “Alright, alright. You’re not some big celebrity. Getting proposed to isn’t going to make the trending list.”

       “…Hey, how about you propose again after we get home?”

       “Huh?”

       “When we get home, I’ll change into a new outfit, then put on some foundation and blush, dress myself up all pretty, and then you can propose to me all over again.”

       Jiang Tongyan looked at him like he was looking at an idiot.

       Qian Xiaoke held it in for a moment, then finally couldn’t help himself and collapsed to the side laughing.

       “I’m joking! You really don’t have a single humorous cell in your body!”

       “I’m not a comedian,” Jiang Tongyan said. “What do I need humour cells for?”

       Qian Xiaoke looked at him with a bright smile. After watching him for a bit, he said, “That’s true. Anyway, no matter what you’re like, I like you. No matter what you’re like, you’re my lover-gege.”

       This time, it was Jiang Tongyan’s ears that turned red.

       How could a domineering CEO get shy?

       A domineering CEO was just feeling hot, that was all.

       The overheated domineering CEO forced himself to suppress his smile and finished the meal with the little darling at the tip of his heart. During that time, he asked him eight times, “You really are willing to marry me?”

       At first, Qian Xiaoke answered sweetly, but later he got impatient. “Jiang Tongyan, what’s wrong with you? Do you not believe me?”

       “I just…” Jiang Tongyan coughed awkwardly, then lowered his voice and said indistinctly, “I don’t dare believe it.”

       “What’s there not to dare believe?” Qian Xiaoke thought to himself that the one who should be afraid this was all a dream ought to be him.

       Jiang Tongyan smiled at him. “It’s fine. Eat up. After we’re done, we’ll go home and make love.”

       “Not a chance.” Qian Xiaoke lowered his head and smiled to himself, glancing now and then at the heavy, oversized diamond ring on his finger. “Such an expensive restaurant—I’m going to savour it properly.”

       ============

       By the time Jiang Tongyan and Qian Xiaoke got home, it was already very late. According to Qian Xiaoke’s recent habits, he should have been sleepy by then.

       But today was different. There were so many things worth getting excited about that he would probably be unable to sleep for two or three days.

       This was very unhealthy and not something anyone should learn from.

       The moment they opened the door, before they even stepped inside, Qian Xiaoke was pulled into Jiang Tongyan’s arms and kissed until his mouth and face were all wet.

       He made soft, muffled sounds, his legs felt a little weak, embarrassed and flustered, but also a little excited.

       Once inside, Jiang Tongyan, the big pervert, immediately tried to strip off his fluffy bunny pants. Qian Xiaoke grabbed his hand and said, “Husband, wait a second!”

       Husband.

       That word went straight to Jiang Tongyan’s heart.

       Qian Xiaoke had occasionally called him that before, especially in bed, sweet and coy. He called him like that every time until Jiang Tongyan’s bones went soft, while that part went rock hard.

       But this time was different.

       Now, Jiang Tongyan really was his husband.

       A husband-to-be.

       “Husband can’t wait anymore.” Jiang Tongyan still tugged his pants off. “You calling me that clearly isn’t because you want me to wait.”

       “Hey! Wait!” Qian Xiaoke struggled free and slipped away.

       Jiang Tongyan, having been rejected, stood at the entryway looking pitifully at Qian Xiaoke bending over to pull his pants back up. “You don’t love me anymore? Has marriage really become the grave of our love?”

       Qian Xiaoke looked up at him. “What nonsense are you talking about? I have a gift for you.”

       After pulling his pants on, Qian Xiaoke ran into the house. “Wait for me!”

       Before going in, he even poked his head back out deliberately. “Husband, remember to put on Santa Claus’s outfit, okay? Muach muach.”

       The schedule today had really been packed too full. The impatient Jiang Tongyan had almost forgotten the special reserved act he had prepared—Santa Claus riding a reindeer.

       Qian Xiaoke ran into the bedroom, quickly changed his clothes, and then pulled out the Christmas gift he had hidden under the bed.

       The gift was wrapped tightly in red wrapping paper and tied with a bow.

       As he hugged the present and walked back out, his gaze flicked again to the diamond ring on his finger. He took a deep breath and walked toward Jiang Tongyan outside.

       He knew that, no matter what, he and Jiang Tongyan came from two different worlds. For Jiang Tongyan, he could arrange a proposal at the city’s most expensive restaurant with the best service, commission a one-of-a-kind, oversized diamond ring, and create romantic surprises that Qian Xiaoke had only ever seen in idol dramas. Those were all things Qian Xiaoke could not do.

       But he also had his own way of expressing his feelings.

       The gift in Qian Xiaoke’s arms was something he had prepared with great care. He believed Jiang Tongyan would definitely be able to feel the affection behind it, and that he would like it and cherish it.

       Jiang Tongyan had never been the kind of person who measured feelings with money. About that, Qian Xiaoke was confident.

       Wearing the reindeer outfit, he opened the bedroom door.

       Outside the door, his Santa Claus stood there waiting for him, smiling brightly.

       “Does it look good?” Qian Xiaoke stepped out and asked.

       He was quite shy.

       Jiang Tongyan really was too flashy. The reindeer outfit he had designed for Qian Xiaoke could basically be described as ‘barely covering anything’. A perfectly good reindeer had turned into a reindeer spirit.

       So embarrassing!

       Way too embarrassing!

       Qian Xiaoke hugged his gift, his face red like a little tomato.

       Jiang Tongyan was completely stunned.

       “You…” Jiang Tongyan swallowed. “Why does your butt look perkier?”

       In the past, Jiang Tongyan had always said Qian Xiaoke had a flat butt. That wasn’t really his fault; Qian Xiaoke’s butt really had been flat.

       But today, it looked kind of tempting.

       Qian Xiaoke chuckled. “I learned from Zhou Mo.”

       “Huh?”

       “He has a set of glute exercises. Lately, when you were working overtime, I was doing them at home.” He had only tried them with a casual mindset, but unexpectedly, they really seemed to work a little.

       Qian Xiaoke walked over and handed the gift to Jiang Tongyan. “Husband—ah, no, Santa Claus—will you accept the reindeer’s gift?”

       At that moment, Jiang Tongyan had no interest at all in opening a gift. He only wanted to unwrap this little reindeer first.

       But he couldn’t disappoint him.

       Overcome with desire, Jiang Tongyan forcibly restrained himself from pouncing and biting him, and instead took the exquisitely wrapped box from his hands.

       The box wasn’t heavy, but it was fairly large.

       He carefully unwrapped it, not even willing to damage the wrapping paper.

       Jiang Tongyan didn’t ask what was inside. He wanted to open it himself.

       When the box was opened, inside lay a black knitted scarf.

       Qian Xiaoke said, “When I was in college, the girls in my class would knit scarves for the guys they liked every winter. This one is the scarf I knitted for you. Do you like it?”

       He liked it. He liked it very much.

       But at that moment, for some reason, a song echoed in Jiang Tongyan’s mind—I knitted a sweater for an idiot.

       It was fine. At least it was a scarf, not a sweater.

       “If you like it,” Qian Xiaoke said, “I still have yarn. I can knit you a sweater too.” 

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T/N:
Since this is still christmas and fortunately the timing in the story fitss, so I decided to just translate all the christmas oness
Hehe, Merry Christmas all!

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