Day: December 25, 2025

       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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       Jiang Tongyan had a dream of being the male lead in an idol drama.

Jiang Tongyan was the kind of man who harboured a dream of being the male lead in an idol drama.

       Of course, this was something he absolutely could not let anyone else know. After all, it would be pretty embarrassing if it got out.

       He couldn’t say it, but he could act it out.

       For this Christmas, he had spent over a week planning everything from start to finish, even going so far as to personally selecting each dish at the restaurant with great care.

       So far, it looked like nothing more than the two of them going out to eat after work, but Jiang Tongyan had a plan.

       Qian Xiaoke had no sense of romance and no flair for atmosphere. Aside from having a sweet mouth and calling him ‘gege, gege’ all day long, he didn’t really know how to do anything else. Naturally, the responsibility of creating romance fell squarely on Jiang Tongyan’s shoulders.

       Being a domineering CEO was exhausting.

       A domineering CEO had to manage his career and manufacture romance.

       But the domineering CEO did it willingly.

       Because the domineering CEO really, really liked this sweet-talking, fluffy little bunny.

       The taxi came to a stop, and Qian Xiaoke leaned forward to look outside.

       He knew this restaurant.

       When he used to take the bus home, he often passed by it. The clean, minimalist exterior design had once made him think nothing of the place. Later, a coworker told him that the average meal cost here exceeded their monthly salary.

       And hidden within that statement was another important detail: the coworker who said it earned two thousand more than Qian Xiaoke.

       Qian Xiaoke’s eyes went wide. “We’re… eating here?”

       Wasn’t this a bit too extravagant?

       Qian Xiaoke knew he was just a small, bottom-tier city dweller who had never experienced the life of the wealthy. Every month’s salary had to be stretched and split carefully. Spending that much money on a single meal honestly made his head feel like it was about to explode.

       “Get out of the car.” Jiang Tongyan got out first and held the door open for him. “Weren’t you hungry?”

       Qian Xiaoke wasn’t hungry.

       Qian Xiaoke was feeling guilty.

       Seeing his hesitation, Jiang Tongyan smiled and physically pulled him out of the car. “Come on—don’t delay the driver from picking up his next passenger.”

       Qian Xiaoke snapped back to his senses, quickly thanked the driver, and got out.

       The two of them stood by the roadside, and Qian Xiaoke stared at the three-story white building in front of him.

       “I’m really broadening my horizons by sticking with you,” Qian Xiaoke said. “Old Jiang, aren’t we being a bit too luxurious?”

       “It’s only Christmas once a year. A little extravagance is fine.” And besides, this wasn’t just any ordinary Christmas—Jiang Tongyan had a surprise waiting for him.

       Jiang Tongyan tugged at the sleeve of Qian Xiaoke’s down jacket and led him inside like he was guiding a child.

       “Remember, stay calm later.”

       “Huh?” Qian Xiaoke said. “Oh.”

       Qian Xiaoke assumed Jiang Tongyan was worried that he—a poor, inexperienced nobody—might let out ghost-like exclamations upon entering such a high-end restaurant.

       But he wouldn’t.

       Even though he was dying to know what it looked like inside, and whether the food was made of gold or diamonds, now that he was here, he knew he had to put on a calm, indifferent front. Qian Xiaoke understood that much.

       Hearing his ‘oh’, Jiang Tongyan laughed inwardly. Oh my ass—just wait, you won’t even be able to say ‘oh’ later.

       As soon as they reached the entrance, two handsome men in uniform stepped forward to open the doors for them. Qian Xiaoke immediately grasped something important—this place was expensive for a reason. Hiring such handsome guys just to stand guard at the door couldn’t have been cheap.

       Qian Xiaoke stole a couple more glances at the handsome men, and just as he turned back, Jiang Tongyan caught him in the act.

       “You’re the most handsome,” Qian Xiaoke said. “They’re nowhere near your level.”

       Jiang Tongyan smiled with satisfaction. “Very good.”

       The exceedingly well-behaved fluffy bunny followed Jiang Tongyan inside. Before they even sat down, a waiter took their coats, and another pulled out the chairs. Everything, absolutely everything, was arranged neatly by the staff.

       Having never enjoyed this kind of service before, Qian Xiaoke felt extremely embarrassed. His little face flushed red, like a pink, ripe peach.

       Jiang Tongyan was tempted.

       He wanted to eat.

       After sitting down, Qian Xiaoke cautiously glanced around and whispered to Jiang Tongyan in an extremely soft voice, “Wouldn’t this restaurant go bankrupt?”

       “Hm? What’s wrong?” Jiang Tongyan asked him.

       Qian Xiaoke said, “It’s peak dinner time right now, but the entire restaurant only has the two of us.”

       Jiang Tongyan smiled faintly. “Probably because…everyone else had other plans today.”

       Qian Xiaoke pursed his lips, feeling a bit sorry for the restaurant.

       In winter, night fell early, and by the time they got off work, it was already completely dark.

       The restaurant was lit with warm orange lights, and just by turning his head, Qian Xiaoke could see the night outside through the nearby windows.

       Jiang Tongyan handed the menu to Qian Xiaoke and said he needed to go to the restroom first.

       The moment he stood up, Qian Xiaoke’s eyes stayed fixed on him.

       With Jiang Tongyan gone, Qian Xiaoke felt even more unsettled. He glanced down at the menu and immediately felt dizzy.

       The text on the menu was neither Chinese nor English. He had no idea what language it was. It was something foreign, with thin, worm-like letters that he couldn’t read at all.

       Not being able to read it was one thing. Qian Xiaoke thought he might just pick something that seemed reasonably priced, but then he realised that none of the dishes had prices listed.

       Did rich people order food without looking at prices?

       It was truly headache-inducing.

       Qian Xiaoke decided not to put on airs. He would just wait for Jiang Tongyan to come back and let that experienced rich man do the ordering.

       As he was thinking this, the lights in the restaurant suddenly went out.

       Was there a sudden power outage?

       Qian Xiaoke muttered, “Even a place this fancy can lose power?”

       With the interior lights gone, the night view outside looked even more captivating.

       Qian Xiaoke propped his chin on his hand and looked out the window, planning to ask Jiang Tongyan when he came back whether they should just go home instead.

       Back home, he still had a gift prepared for his fierce boyfriend.

       However, Qian Xiaoke’s plan to go home was interrupted because in the pitch-dark restaurant, piano music suddenly began to play.

       He turned toward the sound in surprise. Before he could react, candlelight flickered to life throughout the room.

       A candlelight dinner?

       Qian Xiaoke’s mouth fell open in astonishment.

       With not a single electric light on, the entire restaurant was bathed in gentle candlelight, glowing with warm tones.

       At the very centre of the restaurant stood a white grand piano. When they had entered earlier, Qian Xiaoke had thought it was merely a decoration, but now, someone was seated there, playing.

       The piece was one Qian Xiaoke knew extremely well. Years ago, countless people had used this very song, ‘Wedding in a Dream’, as their phone ringtone.

       But that wasn’t the important part. What mattered was that the person playing looked oddly familiar. It seemed like…

       “Old Jiang?”

       Qian Xiaoke’s voice reached Jiang Tongyan’s ears. The domineering CEO, elegantly playing the piano, merely curved his lips upward and smiled discreetly.

       Qian Xiaoke, who had been sitting there, unconsciously stood up and began walking toward Jiang Tongyan step by step.

       He hadn’t known that Jiang Tongyan could play the piano.

       Of course, a domineering CEO like Jiang Tongyan had many skills; he just hadn’t had the chance to show them before.

       As Qian Xiaoke slowly approached, he looked at the sensual curve of Jiang Tongyan’s profile, then at his fingers dancing nimbly across the piano keys. His heart pounded wildly; he was practically being enchanted to death by his boyfriend.

       The piece wasn’t long, and Jiang Tongyan soon brought it to an end.

       He turned to look at Qian Xiaoke and smiled slightly.

       Qian Xiaoke exclaimed, “That sounded so good! You’re amazing!”

       He had never been stingy with his praise for Jiang Tongyan—men were meant to be praised!

       The hearts in Qian Xiaoke’s eyes were practically shooting straight at Jiang Tongyan’s forehead.

       Jiang Tongyan was so happy he could barely contain himself. He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

       At the same time, music filled the restaurant again. This time, it was violin music, but not Jiang Tongyan playing. Instead, a small ensemble suddenly appeared not far away: two men and two women, dressed in formal attire, playing violins.

       Qian Xiaoke thought to himself that this was kind of amazing.

       Wasn’t this the sort of scene that only showed up in idol dramas?

       High-end restaurants really were different!!! Service this attentive was on another level!

       Little did he know that none of this had been arranged by the restaurant at all. It was entirely designed by his Old Jiang himself, and it had cost quite a lot of money.

       Along with the violin music came one of the restaurant’s handsome waiters.

       Qian Xiaoke watched as the handsome waiter pushed over a small cart. On it stood a Christmas tree covered with decorations, and beneath it were several beautifully wrapped gift boxes.

       The handsome waiter wheeled the cart right up to Qian Xiaoke. Jiang Tongyan said, “Your Christmas present.”

       “A tree?” And a handsome guy?

       The tree he could accept. The handsome guy, no.

       Qian Xiaoke thought to himself that handsome guys were great, but one Jiang Tongyan was more than enough for him.

       He really wasn’t greedy at all.

       Jiang Tongyan couldn’t hold it in and laughed. “Yes, a tree.”

       Idiot.

       Jiang Tongyan pointed at the tree. “Look for it. There’s a special gift.”

       Qian Xiaoke glanced at it, walked over to the Christmas tree, bent down, and picked up the gift box on the far right.

       There were six gift boxes in total under the tree, each labelled with a number. The one Qian Xiaoke picked up was marked “No. 1.”

       He opened it. Inside was a slip of paper, on which Jiang Tongyan had written, in handwriting barely better than an elementary schooler’s: Wife, muah muah muah!

       Qian Xiaoke laughed so hard he nearly blacked out.

       “What is this?” he said, laughing as he lightly punched Jiang Tongyan’s shoulder, the note still in his hand.

       But as he laughed, his nose started to sting. It was clearly just a piece of paper. It wasn’t as if no one had ever kissed him before. And yet, for some inexplicable reason, he was so moved he wanted to cry.

       Qian Xiaoke complained to himself that he really was a delicate little flower, moved so easily.

       “There’s more,” Jiang Tongyan said. “Open them one by one, in the order they’re placed.”

       This was obviously planned out. Even though Qian Xiaoke wanted to rebel a little, he knew this wasn’t the right time to do so.

       He obediently opened the gifts in order.

       Wife, muah muah muah!

       My precious sweetheart, today is the who-knows-how-manyth day since we met!

       You little pig probably don’t even know how long we’ve known each other!

       But that’s okay—your husband loves you, muah muah muah!

       Comrade Qian Xiaoke, Merry Christmas. When you open the last gift later, don’t cry. Stay calm!

       Clutching all five notes in his hand, Qian Xiaoke looked at Jiang Tongyan.

       “Go on,” Jiang Tongyan said. “Open the last one.”

       For no apparent reason, Jiang Tongyan felt nervous. His back was already slick with sweat.

       Qian Xiaoke turned to look at the final box and asked, “What is it?”

       As he spoke, he picked it up and carefully opened it.

       The moment Qian Xiaoke opened the box, a ring flashed before his eyes.

       At the same time, as if by magic, a bouquet of roses appeared in Jiang Tongyan’s hand. It set off his domineering CEO face so much that it even seemed to be tinged with red. He dropped to one knee and asked,

       “Qian Xiaoke, would you be willing to marry me, this unsophisticated rich man?”

---

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       Qian Xiaoke said he was unhappy, but the smile on his face never stopped.

       Jiang Tongyan said, “You’re really something—getting the benefits and still acting coy.”

       ‘Boss’s wife’ Qian Xiaoke straightened up, put on a serious expression, and said, “No, I’m genuinely worried.”

       “I can’t tell,” Jiang Tongyan said. “You look pretty happy to me.”

       Qian Xiaoke was grinning so wide his gums were almost showing. He had already started planning how he would deal with everyone calling him ‘boss’s wife’ once he got to the office the next day.

       However, his expectations fell flat.

       No one called him ‘boss’s wife’. Instead, several people crowded over and asked, “Xiaoke, how did you manage to win over Chairman Jiang?”

       That immediately displeased Qian Xiaoke. “Why does it have to be me chasing him? Couldn’t he be the one chasing me?”

       A coworker narrowed their eyes. “You are cute, sure, but someone like Chairman Jiang—a domineering CEO who’s seen the world—he must’ve seen plenty of cute people. Seems unlikely. Very unlikely.”

       “Why is it unlikely?!” Qian Xiaoke pouted. “He was the one who chased me!”

       After vaguely brushing off his coworkers, Qian Xiaoke sat there and began to reflect seriously on the development of his love story with Jiang Tongyan.

       Who had chased whom first?

       Who had fallen for whom first?

       Qian Xiaoke puffed his cheeks and held his chin to think about life, and then he was called into the office by Cheng Sen.

       The office area upstairs had finished renovations and would be put into use after New Year’s Day. Cheng Sen had called Qian Xiaoke over to discuss a job transfer—from this floor to the one upstairs.

       From working in front of Cheng Sen…to working in front of Jiang Tongyan.

       To be honest, Cheng Sen was rather reluctant. Qian Xiaoke had worked here for many years and had always done well. He was diligent, reliable, and quick-witted, and he was extremely well-suited for the job. Handing such a capable employee over to Jiang Tongyan just like that felt a bit wasteful.

       Still, reluctant or not, he had been the one to bring it up first. A man had to keep his word.

       Cheng Sen said, “After New Year’s Day, the upstairs offices will officially be in use. Tongyan’s side is hiring new staff, and there’s no suitable candidate for the front desk.”

       He then played a small tactical move. “I figured I would see what you want. If you’re willing, you can go upstairs and help him. If you feel it’s inconvenient, you can stay here.”

       He took a sip of tea and said in a very official manner, “After all, you’re one of our company’s outstanding employees. Any position transfer should prioritise your own wishes.”

       What Cheng Sen was thinking was: if Qian Xiaoke didn’t want to go, he could reasonably keep him.

       But how could Qian Xiaoke possibly be unwilling?

       After hearing Cheng Sen out, Qian Xiaoke put on an affected, shy act. “Oh, but Old Jiang and I… oh dear…”

       “You don’t want to?” Cheng Sen saw hope. “Then—”

       “No!” Qian Xiaoke hurried to explain. “I’m not unwilling at all. I just got shy for a moment.”

       Alright then.

       Cheng Sen really should have expected this from the two of them.

       “Okay, then it’s settled,” Cheng Sen said, reminding him, “But I still have to say this—although our company doesn’t prohibit office relationships, the two of you should… well, watch your boundaries.”

       Cheng Sen was very serious when he said this.

       Recently, he had noticed that the two of them were being a bit too clingy.

       Jiang Tongyan was shameless enough to post intimate photos of the two of them on his Moments every day. At first, Cheng Sen had been puzzled—weren’t they supposed to be keeping things secret? Why was he posting photos so openly?

       Only later did he learn that Jiang Tongyan had learned how to set up audience groups in Moments. Every time he posted, aside from himself and Qian Xiaoke, only two people could see them—Cheng Sen and Shen Huiming.

       Childish. Extremely childish. He had never seen someone so childish at thirty years old.

       Cheng Sen really wanted to complain—people like Jiang Tongyan deserved to be complained about for a thousand and one nights.

       “Don’t worry, Chairman Cheng, really, don’t worry!” Qian Xiaoke raised his hand and swore to the heavens, making solemn promises. “We will absolutely control ourselves. Even though I’m a beauty, I will not be a femme fatale! Please rest assured!”

       A beauty?

       A femme fatale?

       Cheng Sen looked at Qian Xiaoke and smiled faintly. “Alright. I’ll try.”

       I’ll try to be reassured, but it’s not very promising.

       Feeling extremely pleased, the so-called beauty turned femme fatale Qian Xiaoke returned to his seat and even began imagining various indecent scenarios of himself and Jiang Tongyan in different corners upstairs.

       After finishing his daydream, Qian Xiaoke blushed and fell into self-reproach.

       Qian Xiaoke, how could you think like that? You must love your job and respect your work. You absolutely cannot do such obscene, vulgar, shameful things in the workplace!

       He took a deep breath and corrected his attitude.

       After all, he was the boss’s wife now. He had to act like one.

       ==============

       ‘Boss’s wife’ Qian Xiaoke had a wonderful Christmas. While the other single coworkers went out for a group dinner, he went on a sweet date hand in hand with his boyfriend.

       From the very beginning, the relationship between Jiang Tongyan and Qian Xiaoke had never followed the usual path. They had never really gone on a proper date, and Jiang Tongyan felt that simply wouldn’t do. If others had it, his Qian Xiaoke had to have it too. A cool, flashy, luxurious date—arrange it immediately.

       Originally, Jiang Tongyan had planned to let Qian Xiaoke choose the restaurant, but then he suddenly realised that if he did, there was a good chance their Christmas would end up being spent in a snail noodle shop. He promptly abandoned the idea.

       He would arrange this date and take Qian Xiaoke out to properly ‘see the world’.

       So after work, Jiang Tongyan wrapped an arm around his ‘little darling wife’ and swaggered out of the office building, openly showing off their affection as if no one else existed.

       Qian Xiaoke said, “Old Jiang, you know, here in China, when people are gay, they usually aren’t this open.”

       “So what?” Jiang Tongyan shot him a sideways glance. “What does it have to do with me whether they’re open or not?”

       Qian Xiaoke poked him. “I just mean people usually keep a low profile.”

       “Then let them keep a low profile.” Standing by the roadside, Jiang Tongyan waved down a car. “I’ll be able to pick up my car the day after tomorrow. After that, we won’t have to take taxis to work every day.”

       He raised an eyebrow at Qian Xiaoke and smiled. “The gas money gets reimbursed by Cheng Sen.”

       Qian Xiaoke blinked. “Isn’t that kind of like fleecing the company?”

       “I raised this sheep myself. What’s wrong with shearing a bit of wool?” Jiang Tongyan opened the car door and let him get in. “You need to start adjusting your mindset now.”

       “What mindset?” Qian Xiaoke fell silent, calculating in his head. He felt this couldn’t go on forever. Ever since they got together, it seemed he had been constantly taking advantage of Jiang Tongyan.

       Living in his rented apartment, using his car, and soon even taking a salary paid by him.

       Qian Xiaoke understood that Jiang Tongyan did all this because he liked him, but he still felt uneasy accepting it so readily.

       Since childhood, his parents had taught him not to owe others. Even in a romantic relationship, giving and receiving should be equal. Qian Xiaoke truly couldn’t accept all this with a clear conscience.

       For days now, he had been thinking about what he could do to respond to Jiang Tongyan’s efforts.

       But he was honestly confused.

       Jiang Tongyan was better than him in every way and lacked nothing. Aside from love, what else could he possibly give?

       Qian Xiaoke felt incredibly foolish. He felt so foolish that he couldn’t even handle something like this, and it made him feel miserable.

       “What are you thinking about?” Jiang Tongyan noticed his distraction and thought he might be hungry. “It’s not far. Hang in there a bit longer. Eat more later.”

       Qian Xiaoke tilted his head to look at him and nodded heavily, full of worry.

       Jiang Tongyan had been quite busy lately. The two of them rarely went out to eat. Even when they did, it was usually just a simple late-night snack at a small restaurant downstairs from their place.

       He found it refreshing. Late at night, wrapped in coats, the two of them would run downstairs to eat a bowl of noodles. It felt full of everyday charm.

       He realised that he had already adapted to Qian Xiaoke’s way of life—frugal, careful, treating everything and everyone seriously.

       Growing up, Jiang Tongyan had always been extravagant with money. Having never lacked money, he had no real concept of ‘saving’. And precisely because of that, he rarely felt an intense desire for anything, because if he wanted something, he could easily get it.

       After getting together with Qian Xiaoke, Jiang Tongyan felt that he had drawn closer to real life.

       Still, after walking close to the ground for a while, he wanted to take the one he loved up into the sky for a bit.

       Qian Xiaoke had taken Jiang Tongyan to ‘see the world’ in his own way, and Jiang Tongyan also wanted Qian Xiaoke to experience things he’d never experienced before.

       He wanted to lay out everything good in front of Qian Xiaoke and let him choose freely.

       Back when they had just gotten together, Jiang Tongyan had proudly said to him with his tail practically in the air, “Comrade Qian Xiaoke, you’ve now latched onto a rich man. You can spend freely. If there’s anything you’ve always wanted but couldn’t afford, say the word—this rich man will make your wish come true!”

       But Qian Xiaoke’s response back then had shocked Jiang Tongyan so much that his jaw nearly dropped.

       Qian Xiaoke had said, “I don’t want you to help me fulfil my wishes.”

       At the time, Qian Xiaoke was naked, curled lazily in Jiang Tongyan’s arms. He yawned languidly like a little cat and snuggled closer.

       “Why?” Jiang Tongyan asked.

       Poking Jiang Tongyan’s belly button, Qian Xiaoke said, “You’re not Santa Claus. I’m not with you to collect gifts or have my wishes granted.”

       “I know,” Jiang Tongyan said. “I just feel like now that you have me, you can have whatever you want.”

       Qian Xiaoke looked at him and smiled. “Nope.”

       Smiling sweetly, Qian Xiaoke climbed onto Jiang Tongyan and pressed him down until Jiang Tongyan let out an ‘ow’.

       Qian Xiaoke said, “You’re here to satisfy my desire for love, not my material desires. The things I want, I’ll work hard to earn myself. I don’t want to rely on you.”

       Jiang Tongyan was a lover, not a tool for making wishes come true.

       Qian Xiaoke was very clear about that.

       Still, many things really couldn’t be avoided, simply because the gap between them in so many aspects was too wide.

       At this moment, the two of them sat in the taxi as countless Santas passed by outside the window, handing out small gifts to pedestrians.

       Qian Xiaoke said, “Oh right, I also prepared a gift for you.”

       Jiang Tongyan was a little surprised. “Aren’t you the reindeer? Giving Christmas presents is Santa’s job.”

       “The reindeer also wants to give his Santa a present!” Qian Xiaoke said. “I’ll give it to you when we get home tonight. You’re not allowed to dislike it!”

       Jiang Tongyan smiled at him and pinched his little nose. “I’ll think about it and decide depending on the situation!”

       Even though he said that, even if Qian Xiaoke only bought Jiang Tongyan a pair of three-yuan socks, Jiang Tongyan would treasure them like a priceless heirloom.

       Love really did make people blind.

---

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       Jiang Tongyan was enjoying his love life to the fullest, and after returning to the country, his career development was going quite smoothly as well.

       The office had not even finished renovations yet, but several deals had already been closed. Everything was going so well that Jiang Tongyan was riding high, feeling full of confidence and already starting to plan how to spend Christmas with Qian Xiaoke.

       For Qian Xiaoke, Christmas was really just an ordinary workday—at most, a bit more festive. The company would put up a Christmas tree in the lobby, and the boss would hand out big apples to everyone.

       But for Jiang Tongyan, Christmas was a major occasion.

       He was a kid who had grown up overseas. To him, Christmas was equivalent to the Spring Festival in China. It was something that had to be celebrated in a big way.

       He started making preparations early, even hauling an enormous Christmas tree straight into Qian Xiaoke’s apartment.

       Qian Xiaoke actually liked holidays too, but when he had been on his own before, he always kept things simple. The main reason was to save money. Now things were different. With Jiang Tongyan around, even if Qian Xiaoke wanted to save, his man would not allow it.

       “This is the first holiday we’re celebrating together,” Jiang Tongyan said. “We can’t be careless about it.”

       When he said this, he was in the middle of measuring Qian Xiaoke’s waist, hips, and head circumference.

       He was being ridiculously extra. He insisted on having Santa Claus and reindeer costumes custom-made. Buying them online was not acceptable. As a wealthy man, Jiang Tongyan had high standards and strict demands when it came to life, so everything had to be custom.

       Qian Xiaoke said, “Santa outfits are big and baggy, so you don’t need to measure so accurately.”

       “Who told you you’re wearing Santa’s outfit?” Jiang Tongyan smiled faintly. “You’re the reindeer. The one I’m going to ride.”

       Nasty!

       Shameless!

       Qian Xiaoke blushed and swung his little fist, lightly punching Jiang Tongyan in the chest.

       Jiang Tongyan had far too many unspeakable thoughts. Who would have guessed that Boss Jiang, who looked so handsome, suave, and refined on the outside, actually had a head full of colour-coded, adults-only PowerPoint slides?

       To satisfy his own twisted tastes, he even personally designed Qian Xiaoke’s reindeer costume.

       Anywhere that should be exposed had to be exposed.

       Cute and sexy—Qian Xiaoke deserved it.

       The day before Christmas, the head of the administrative department went to Cheng Sen with a proposal: they could organise a dinner outing for single employees after work on Christmas Day.

       At the time, Qian Xiaoke was helping Cheng Sen tidy up the tea set on the office coffee table. When he heard the supervisor say that, his hand jerked, and he nearly dropped one of Chairman Cheng’s teacups, each worth several thousand yuan.

       Still shaken, Qian Xiaoke held the teacup with both hands and pricked up his ears, desperately hoping Chairman Cheng would disagree.

       So far, Qian Xiaoke’s relationship with Jiang Tongyan was still a secret. Although he had always lived openly and honestly, Jiang Tongyan was different—he was a partner in the company, practically a boss. Qian Xiaoke worried that if everyone found out he was the ‘boss’s wife’, people would start keeping their distance from him.

       Qian Xiaoke thought about a lot of things.

       He was also a little embarrassed. Back when he and a few coworkers had agreed that whoever got into a relationship first would be a dog, yet he had gone and secretly gotten a boyfriend and such a fierce one at that. He was afraid that others would feel envious or jealous and end up under psychological pressure.

       Of course, that last reason was entirely his own overthinking—pure self-directed drama when he had nothing better to do.

       In any case, he simply was not ready to make the relationship public yet. He always felt the timing was not right.

       Jiang Tongyan had been preparing for this Christmas for a long time. No matter what, Qian Xiaoke could not let his mighty Jiang be disappointed.

       Reject it!

       Please, Chairman Cheng—reject it!

       “You decide how to arrange it,” Cheng Sen said. He had never been very enthusiastic about group employee activities. He felt that most people probably did not enjoy company gatherings anyway. Even if coworkers went out to eat together after work, they likely would not be able to relax truly. That said, as a boss, and knowing that collective activities were sometimes unavoidable, he could not be bothered to manage them. He left it to the admin team to handle, as long as they didn’t go overboard.

       Hearing Cheng Sen say that, Qian Xiaoke internally collapsed. He felt like he had gone bald on the spot.

       The head of the administrative department left with light, cheerful steps, leaving Qian Xiaoke behind to pack up the tea set with a deeply worried expression.

       He had to come up with a proper excuse to turn down the event tomorrow night!

       He absolutely could not go. Otherwise, his fierce boyfriend might blow up the entire apartment building.

       Qian Xiaoke was anxious and racked his brain, but he could not come up with a reasonable excuse.

       That evening after work, Jiang Tongyan was busy with business and had to work late. He messaged Qian Xiaoke, telling him to leave first and not wait for him.

       But how could Qian Xiaoke not wait—especially at a time like this?

       Qian Xiaoke stood at the front desk, watching his coworkers leave one by one, playing Candy Crush on his phone while waiting for Jiang Tongyan.

       Jiang Tongyan had no idea Qian Xiaoke was still waiting outside. He and Cheng Sen discussed a project proposal until after eight in the evening.

       By a little after eight o’clock, the entire floor was left with only the three of them.

       Qian Xiaoke had used up all his energy in the Candy Crush game, and out of sheer boredom, he had no idea when he ended up slumped there and fell asleep.

       After Jiang Tongyan finalised the plan with Cheng Sen, he prepared to leave. His delicate wife was waiting at home—there was no way he was going to keep wasting time with Cheng Sen.

       When he stepped out, the motion-sensor lights in the hallway turned on. He had not expected anyone else to be there, and when he suddenly saw someone lying at the front desk, it startled him.

       Qian Xiaoke was wearing his white down jacket, hood pulled up, sprawled there fast asleep, looking like a small cake that had just been baked.

       Jiang Tongyan took a closer look and smiled, his heart growing warm and soft.

       He walked over quietly and used his phone to secretly take a dozen photos of Qian Xiaoke. The guy was sleeping so soundly he was almost drooling—who knew what sweet dream he was having.

       After taking the photos, Jiang Tongyan poked Qian Xiaoke’s cheek with his finger.

       Soft and plumper.

       Ever since Qian Xiaoke had gotten together with Jiang Tongyan, his life had been carefree. He ate well every day and had gained weight straight from happiness.

       But a chubbier Qian Xiaoke was even cuter. Every time Jiang Tongyan held him, it felt like hugging a fat little rabbit.

       Of course, Jiang Tongyan dared not tell Qian Xiaoke that he had gotten fat. Ever since he found out he would be meeting Jiang Tongyan’s parents after New Year’s Day, he had been yelling nonstop about losing weight. If he took it seriously and stopped eating properly, the one who would worry would still be Jiang Tongyan.

       When Jiang Tongyan poked him like that, the person sleeping there jolted awake.

       Still half-asleep, Qian Xiaoke lifted his head and instinctively raised his hand to wipe his mouth.

       Jiang Tongyan laughed at him. “Were you dreaming about me?”

       “Huh?”

       “Was I in your dream also a feast for the eyes?”

       “Huh?”

       “Look at how greedy you are. Come on, let’s go. Go home. Go home and your husband will satisfy you.”

       “Huh?”

       Qian Xiaoke looked at him. He was too embarrassed to admit that he really had been dreaming—but there had been no Jiang Tongyan in the dream, only a gigantic piece of cheesecake.

       “Don’t just stand there. It’s already past eight,” Jiang Tongyan said as he pulled his hand. “Let’s go. Eat first, then go home and have sex.”

       “Sex again?” Qian Xiaoke stood up and obediently zipped up his down jacket.

       “What do you mean by that?” Jiang Tongyan instantly became alert and glared at him. “Are you tired of me?”

       He turned around and pinched Qian Xiaoke’s cheek. “You’re really a love scammer! We’ve only been together for how long? And you’re already bored?”

       Qian Xiaoke did not feel any pain at all. He smiled like a little candy ball. “No, no. What I meant was, husband, your stamina is really amazing.”

       Jiang Tongyan was pleased. He rubbed Qian Xiaoke’s face, picked up his small backpack, took his hand, and left.

       Sometimes, the more you fear something, the more it happens.

       Qian Xiaoke was still thinking about what excuse he should use tomorrow to get out of the group activity when he followed Jiang Tongyan into the elevator. The moment they stepped out of the company building, they ran straight into several coworkers.

       Jiang Tongyan had long wanted to make their relationship public. He wanted to send a message in the company group saying “Thanks everyone, we’re together,” tag Qian Xiaoke, and even hand out red envelopes. He had been fully prepared. But Qian Xiaoke had always felt too shy, so it never happened.

       In hindsight, it would have been better to tell everyone earlier.

       Usually, the two of them did not walk too close after work. They would only take another side road before hailing a taxi together.

       Jiang Tongyan’s house and car were still not settled yet, and he complained about it all the time, but Qian Xiaoke thought this was actually quite nice.

       Because they left late that day and most coworkers were already gone, they had let their guard down and walked out holding hands. Who would have thought that a few coworkers—the most gossip-loving ones—had not gone straight home after work? They had gone to a small restaurant nearby to eat together, and just happened to come out at that moment, passing by the company on their way to the subway station.

       Several pairs of eyes met.

       Qian Xiaoke’s soul left his body.

       Jiang Tongyan looked smug.

       As for those coworkers, the flames of gossip burned fiercely in their eyes.

       Was this a case of unspoken rules¹being sugar baby?

       Or a proper, legitimate relationship?

       Qian Xiaoke was impressive—Chairman Jiang had only been here for a short time and the two of them were already together!

       They would have to learn from Qian Xiaoke’s flirting techniques. Maybe next month they could also land a rich partner!

       After a moment of delicate silence, Jiang Tongyan calmly held Qian Xiaoke’s hand and walked over to greet everyone.

       “You guys are still here this late?” he said, composed and unhurried.

       Chairman Jiang truly lived up to the title. Even in a situation like this, he remained unfazed.

       “Be careful on the way,” Jiang Tongyan said. “Xiaoke and I will head home first.”

       Xiaoke and I.

       Going home.

       Qian Xiaoke lowered his head and pressed his lips together. He was so guilty that he did not dare look at his coworkers. He was dragged along by Jiang Tongyan straight into a taxi.

       Once inside, Qian Xiaoke immediately sprawled across Jiang Tongyan’s lap.

       “Oh no, oh no, we’re done for!” he whined. “How did we get found out?”

       “So what if they found out?” Jiang Tongyan did not care. “They should have noticed long ago.”

       This was good. At last, they did not need to keep up a secret relationship anymore.

       “Let me ask you,” Jiang Tongyan said sourly, a little unhappy. “Do you think I’m something to be ashamed of? Is that why you’re always sneaking around?”

       Qian Xiaoke lifted his head, clicked his tongue, and said, “You don’t understand.”

       “How do I not understand?” Jiang Tongyan flicked his forehead. “Say it. I’m listening.”

       Qian Xiaoke replied in a sticky, mumbled voice, “I was just worried.”

       He let out a small ‘ah’ and flopped back onto Jiang Tongyan’s lap. “What if they find out about us and start calling me the boss’s wife every day? Wouldn’t that be so embarrassing?”

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T/N:
Merry Christmass
★˛˚˛*˛°.˛*.˛°˛.*★˚˛*˛°.˛*.˛°˛.*★*★* 。*˛.
˛°_██_*.。*./ \ .˛* .˛。.˛.*.★* *★ 。*
˛. (´• ̮•)*.。*/♫.♫\*˛.* ˛_Π_____.e ˛* ˛*
.°( . • . ) ˛°./• ‘♫ ‘ •\.˛*./______/~＼*. ˛*.。˛* ˛.*。
*(…’•’.. ) *˛╬╬╬╬╬˛°.｜田田 ｜門｜╬╬╬╬╬*˚ .˛

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