Chapter 25 [VIP]

Chapter Summary: What if your Miss Yao were willing?

Sometimes Li Fengjian would reflect on when he actually started thinking about "marriage." When Yao Ye was still a college student, when she was overwhelmed with internships and graduation, when she was just starting her job and was caught off guard by her work, he never thought about "marrying" her.

But before he knew it, she graduated from university and got a stable job. Although she was still a clumsy young girl in his eyes, he suddenly had the desire to "possess" her forever.

He felt that he might have been influenced by Xiao Dong. After all, Li Fengjian had put in a lot of effort behind Xiao Dong's unexpected marriage proposal. And that day, when Xiao Dong ran up to him beaming with joy...

"Su Yan and I have set our wedding banquet for the National Day holiday in the second half of the year. Boss, I don't dare to presume to ask you to be my best man and run errands for me. How about you be the officiant?"

"A witness? The kind of person who acts like an elder and has to stand in the center of the stage to speak?"

"Hehe, just say a few words!"

Good heavens, they're even using the formal "you" (formal pronoun) now! Li Fengjian had no choice but to agree. Looking at the groom-to-be's beaming face, he suddenly asked him with a touch of melancholy,

"Xiao Dong, when you proposed to Su Yan, did you ever think you might be rejected?"

Xiao Dong laughed heartily, "I've thought about it. But it's just a thought. Because Su Yan will most likely agree."

Why are you so sure?

"Why..." This question stumped Xiao Dong. He hesitated for a moment, "Hmm... Would it seem cliché to answer that it's because we love each other?"

“No, not at all tacky…on the contrary, it’s enviable.” Li Fengjian’s voice trailed off, as if he had been stung by the answer, and he sighed silently.

Xiao Dong noticed and tentatively asked him, "Boss, are you alright...? Are things not going well between you and Yao Ye?"

Li Fengjian shook his head, but Xiao Dong understood.

Xiao Dong patted Li Fengjian on the shoulder and said, “Boss, you have to think of it this way. Su Yan and Yao Ye are different. Su Yan left her hometown to stay in this city, so of course she wants to have a stable home as soon as possible, which is my responsibility. But Yao Ye is different. Her parents have always been by her side, and she has a capable older sister who has taken care of her since she was a child. She is happy to live a carefree life like a child. Marriage is full of unknowns for her.”

"I understand..." Li Fengjian understood the reasoning, but recalling that night when he mustered up his courage and prepared, only to be met with Yao Ye's nervous "Wait a minute," he couldn't help but sigh. Just then, a WeChat message from Yao Ye arrived on his phone; she said she was coming to his place to retrieve some lost items. This was the first time this had happened, and Li Fengjian didn't even want to reply. He silently placed his phone face down on the table, his heart filled with a bittersweet mix of emotions. Suddenly, he called out to Xiao Dong...

"By the way, I suddenly miss that flavor."

"What would you like to drink? I'll make it for you right now!" Xiao Dong said hurriedly.

"It's that one you made last time, what was it called again... Heartbreak Tea! Remember it?"

"That one?" Xiao Dong was taken aback. It was a work he created when he was on the verge of heartbreak and had lost his mind.

"Yes, that's it. Do you remember the recipe? I suddenly really want to have a bite of it."

"I remember, but... are you sure you want to drink it?"

…………

That night, Li Fengjian drove to pick up Yao Ye, who had been working overtime until midnight. As soon as she got in the car, she hugged Li Fengjian wearily and sighed, "I'm exhausted, client, what do you want..."

As she spoke, she gave Li Fengjian a hard kiss, seeking comfort, but suddenly covered her mouth, "What, what does this taste like?"

Li Fengjian paused for a moment, "I've already chewed the gum, does it still taste good?"

"Yes, there is a strange smell... and it seems kind of familiar?"

"Hmm..." He smiled wryly, gently patted the top of her head, and murmured, "This is probably the taste of love..."

"ha?"

…………

It wasn't until after Yao Ye had washed up and was lying in bed, half-asleep, that she suddenly remembered what that strange smell was.

Isn't this the taste of that intoxicating tea from back then? Why is Kazamado making these weird drinks again? Aren't Xiao Dong and Su Yan getting married soon? What went wrong this time?

The very next day at noon, Su Yan invited her to lunch. Yao Ye had originally intended to subtly inquire, but seeing Su Yan's bright mood and the radiant glow of a bride-to-be, showing no trace of sadness or heartbreak, she was surprised.

She smiled as she chatted with Yao Ye about the various trivialities, busyness, and happiness of their recent wedding preparations, her eyes shining like stars.

Yao Ye was momentarily stunned and couldn't help but ask her, "Su Yan, how did you feel when Xiao Dong proposed to you? Were you nervous?"

"I'd say I'm more excited than nervous," Su Yan said with a smile, her hands supporting her chin.

"Aren't you nervous about getting married soon, leaving your parents, and starting a new family?"

Su Yan looked at her and vaguely understood a little. "My situation is a little different from yours. Xiao Dong and I are already living together. We live together, we've adjusted to each other, and we share the housework. We're practically like a married couple. So I'm not nervous about married life. But you live with your parents and are living a life of luxury. You must be worried about leaving your family's care and starting a new family with a man."

Yao Ye nodded thoughtfully, but thinking back on the ten days she "lived together" with Li Fengjian, she realized she had also been living a life of luxury, with everything done for her. No, even more luxurious. She would have been too embarrassed to wake her parents up in the middle of the night to make them a midnight snack when they were starving, but with Li Fengjian, all her willfulness and coquetry felt perfectly natural.

Oh my goodness, those ten days are such wonderful memories no matter when I think back on them.

While she was still lost in thought, Su Yan got back to the point, took her hand, and said sincerely, "Anyway, Xiao Dong and I finally managed to book our wedding banquet for the National Day holiday in the second half of the year, you definitely have to come. We met because of you!"

"I'll definitely come, and I'll definitely give you a big red envelope!" Yao Ye came back to her senses and was genuinely happy for Su Yan.

"No need for red envelopes, we should be the ones giving you matchmaker's red envelopes. We've invited Mr. Li to be our witness, and I was originally thinking of inviting you to be my bridesmaid..."

“Sure,” Yao Ye readily agreed.

"But thinking about it, I think I'll pass." Su Yan pursed her lips and smiled meaningfully. "I'll still invite Zhang Jiajia. You and Boss Li can sit at the main table and enjoy a good meal and drinks."

"Why did you decide to forget about it?" Yao Ye asked, puzzled. "I was my sister's bridesmaid before, so I have a lot of experience."

Su Yan smiled, her eyes crinkling, "After all, there are still six months until October. What if you two happen to be together in these six months... um, right... hehe, then you can't be a bridesmaid!"

Su Yan spoke subtly, but Yao Ye understood.

She paused for a moment, then chuckled awkwardly, "You mean, marriage? Ah... I was just asking casually about the proposal... Li Fengjian and I aren't getting married anytime soon..."

"Not necessarily."

"We're really not that fast..." she said, recalling the empty drawer in the sky and the empty feeling in her heart that day.

"Maybe there'll be a surprise," Su Yan insisted inexplicably.

“Really not…” Yao Ye said, but suddenly realized something was wrong. Su Yan’s eyes held a knowing smile, as if she knew something inside.

But Su Yan quickly composed herself. "It's almost time, I have to go."

Yao Ye couldn't help but call out to her, "Su Yan, do you know something?"

"I..." Upon hearing this, Su Yan's lips tightened, as if afraid of revealing the little secret she knew. "Oh, just wait patiently. I really have to go."

"Su Yan..." Seeing Su Yan get up to leave, Yao Ye hurriedly got up and chased after her, grabbing her sleeve. "Tell me, this is very important to me..."

………………

That evening, Li Fengjian returned home, slightly tired, only to find the house brightly lit. Yao Ye's shoes were lying haphazardly in the entryway, and her bag was tossed carelessly on the sofa.

"She's here?" He called her name, looking around, and soon found her sitting quietly on the edge of the bed in the master bedroom.

"Why did you suddenly come here?" He smiled and walked towards her.

Yao Ye looked up. "I met with Su Yan during the day and we talked about a lot of things. The conversation left me feeling completely disoriented at work. I thought, if I hadn't come to see you, I probably wouldn't have been able to sleep at all tonight."

"What did you talk about?" Li Fengjian sat down next to her and then noticed that the drawer of the bedside table had been opened.

"Su Yan said that she originally wanted to invite me to be her bridesmaid, but thinking that I might marry you in the next six months, she ended up inviting Zhang Jiajia instead."

Upon hearing this, Li Fengjian turned his face slightly away. "Oh, really... If you want to be a bridesmaid, you can tell her that we're not getting married anytime soon."

“I did say that, but Su Yan smiled and said maybe not. I always felt she knew something, and finally, after I pressed her, she told me…” Yao Ye took a deep breath, “Li Fengjian, there was a ring in the drawer, wasn’t there? That night, if I hadn’t said ‘wait,’ what you wanted to take out wasn’t protection, but… an engagement ring… right?”

Li Fengjian paused, "...Did Su Yan tell you?"

"Hmm... she heard it from Xiao Dong. You were with Xiao Dong when he bought the engagement ring. Xiao Dong told you that Su Yan mentioned that her ring size was the same as mine, and later... you also bought a diamond ring."

“Yes,” Li Fengjian had to admit, but still didn’t look at her. “But you don’t need to be nervous. The shop assistant said that buying two together would get a big discount, and I bought them on impulse.”

"What about the ring? It was in the drawer that night, wasn't it?"

“Yes.” Li Fengjian felt a tightness in his throat.

"And then what happened?"

"...Later, I returned it."

"Returned?" This answer was completely unexpected for Yao Ye. "Why?"

“Because…” Li Fengjian adjusted his breathing to compose himself: he was the one who wanted to get married, and he knew he shouldn’t pressure Yao Ye. But that “wait” from that night had extinguished any hope in his heart. He didn’t even want to see that ring again, just as he didn’t want to see his disheveled self that night. So the next morning, he silently put the ring in his pocket, and after dropping Yao Ye off at her company, he went back to the jewelry store to return it.

“Because I felt I wouldn’t need it for the time being,” he finally smiled, looking down at her gently and stroking the top of her head, “I thought that if I bought it so early, by the time Miss Yao wants to get married, the style might already be out of fashion. So I returned it.”

Yao Ye's eyes welled up with tears, because she could clearly see the forced smile in his eyes. She gently hugged him, then slowly buried herself in his stiff embrace.

"What if your Miss Yao is willing now?"

His hand, which had been gently stroking her back, suddenly stopped, as if he had heard something unbelievable. He asked in astonishment, "What did you say?"

"Stop pretending, you clearly heard it!" She wrinkled her nose.

“I heard it…” His voice trembled with excitement, “But… why… why are you so nervous every time I hint at it to you…”

"I am indeed nervous... but, however..." Yao Ye was tongue-tied and unable to describe her complex feelings. She hesitated for a long time before she could come up with a slightly more fitting metaphor.

So she blushed and said, "Do you remember that time I secretly went on a trip with you without telling our parents? That night, you clearly booked two rooms, but when we actually checked in, you..."

“I remember,” Li Fengjian said with a wicked grin, “but I found a thousand reasons to stay in your room and refuse to leave.”

"Exactly! You were all smirking that night. You had your agenda all along, and you even secretly put condoms in my toiletries bag! Humph, if you hadn't lost them yourself, I would have lost my innocence that night!"

"Actually, not long after that, you still lost your innocence..." He was secretly pleased, but then he took a hard punch from Yao Ye.

"Hmph, it's good that you remember!" Yao Ye took a deep breath. "Then do you remember what I said that night when you wanted to take me?"

As Li Fengjian recalled, it suddenly dawned on him that he understood Yao Ye's meaning.

She said, "That night, I also said 'wait' because I was really, really nervous. But afterwards, you still won me over because..."

"It's because you said that when it comes to something you've never experienced before, besides being nervous, you'll also feel a little bit of anticipation," Li Fengjian murmured.

"Hey, you really do remember every single word I said." Yao Ye laughed.

Li Fengjian couldn't help but kiss her forehead repeatedly, "Of course...of course..."

"So, do you understand now?"

He understood, yet still found it hard to believe. He tentatively asked her, "So, regarding marrying me, although you're nervous, you're also looking forward to it, right?"

Yao Ye then leaned back, carefully cupped Li Fengjian's face in her hands, and gently rested her forehead against him. "Of course! Because I'm marrying the person I love... Oh my god," she said shyly, pursing her lips, "Doesn't that sound a little cheesy..."

“No, not cheesy…” Li Fengjian hugged her tightly, moved. “Yao Ye, I won’t let you regret it. I will try my best to fulfill all your expectations.”

These words, like a spring breeze, dispelled the last trace of tension and worry in Yao Ye's heart. Her heart was at peace. She looked up at him again, but couldn't help but chuckle, "Hey, Li Fengjian, are you crying from excitement?"

Li Fengjian wiped his eyes a little embarrassedly and sighed, "I really regret it... Why didn't I realize what you meant sooner?"

"Regret what?" Yao Ye laughed. "I didn't run away with someone else, so it's not too late."

Do you know how much money I lost by returning that diamond ring?

"How much was it again?"

Li Fengjian silently gave a number, and then he saw Yao Ye jump up like a rocket, "What? No way! Even I'm about to cry! If we go to the store now and buy it back, can we still make up for the loss?"

………………

Of course, it was already late at night, and even if Yao Ye was reluctant to spend the money, she could only put it aside for the time being and leave it for tomorrow.

Li Fengjian checked the time. "It's getting late. I'll drive you home."

Yao Ye, however, lingered lazily, unwilling to leave. She leaned against the pillow, turned to the side, and looked at him with a charming gaze. "No rush, no rush. I'm very tired today and really want to drink a cup of hot red wine milk tea."

"good."

"The tea should be brewed very strong, and lots of red wine should be added."

"good."

"I want you to drink with me."

"How can I drive you home after I've had red wine?"

Yao Ye silently rolled her eyes. Why did he suddenly become such a gentleman? Did he not understand her hints at all?

So she could only put on a stern face and be more explicit, "Fine, I won't see you off... Humph... Anyway, it's not like this is the first time I've spent the night here."

Li Fengjian raised an eyebrow, "Your parents' side..."

Yao Ye simply lay down comfortably and said, "Before I came, I sent them a WeChat message saying: I'm not going home to sleep tonight. They only replied with two words: 'Okay.'"

Upon hearing this, Li Fengjian smiled deeply, "Is this really okay?"

She blinked. "Why not? It's time to openly tell them that their daughter has grown up."

But tonight, the people drinking aren't just the two of them, caught up in a passionate romance.

At the Yao family home, Yao's father, with mixed feelings, pulled out a bottle of old wine, took a sip, and sighed as he looked at the moon.

"Sigh, daughters are like birds that grow up and leave home; what's meant to happen will happen..."

………………