Official Announcement
Li Huaizhou was awakened by the chirping of birds outside the window. When he opened his eyes, Xie Mo was sitting on the sofa beside the bed, swiping the screen of his mobile phone with his fingertips. The light from the screen reflected on the side of his face, which was soft and unlike the usually decisive President Xie.
"Awake?" Xie Mo heard the noise, turned his head and reached out to touch his forehead. "Did you sleep well last night?"
Li Huaizhou rubbed the pillow and wrapped himself into a small ball, his voice still sticky with sleep: "I'm fine, I just dreamed about my cat sons." He paused, his eyes suddenly lit up, "By the way, Lin Shengxia said yesterday that Tiandou gave birth to five kittens. You haven't seen them yet, right?" Xie Mo smiled and nodded, leaning over to help him push the loose hair away from his forehead. "Okay, get up and wash up first. Ji Jiancheng just sent a message saying that we are going to climb Yunqi Cliff today. He said it's very beautiful up there."
"He's too energetic," Li Huaizhou complained, but he still sat up slowly and walked to the bathroom in his slippers. The man in the mirror had a slight blueish tint under his eyes, but he looked much more energetic than a few days ago. Xie Mo had been feeding him in various ways these days, and his stomach felt better, and his sleep had improved as well.
By the time the two of them packed up and headed out, Ji Jiancheng and Shen Qitang were already waiting downstairs at the hotel. Ji Jiancheng, holding a plastic bag filled with freshly bought soy milk and fried dough sticks, waved as he saw them, "Brother Zhou, Mr. Xie, hurry up and eat something to fill your stomach. It takes two hours to climb up Yunqi Cliff!"
Shen Qitang leaned against a nearby tree, holding a bottle of mineral water. He smiled and added, "I looked up the guide and there's an observatory up there. You can see the stars very clearly at night, but it's a pity we can't wait until night." Li Huaizhou took the fried dough stick handed to him by Ji Jiancheng, took a bite, and asked vaguely, "Why?"
Ji Jiancheng sighed, sipping his soy milk with a straw. "Why else? The company is pushing me. Yesterday, the HR department sent me a message saying that they only approved four days of leave and I have to go back to work tomorrow afternoon." He looked at Shen Qitang aggrievedly, "You guys are still better off. You opened your own shop and have free time. Xie Mo is even better. You are the boss yourself."
Chen Qitang raised his eyebrows and patted his shoulder: "There's no point in being envious. Who told you to roll up in the first place?" "That's for the sake of making money." Ji Jiancheng muttered, then turned to look at Li Huaizhou, "Brother Zhou, I'll come and play with you guys next time I have a day off." Li Huaizhou rolled his eyes at him, but still nodded: "Okay, I'll let you be the light bulb then."
The group chatted and laughed as they made their way towards Yunqi Cliff. The mountain path was easier than expected, lined with tall camphor trees. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground. Ji Jiancheng took photos as he walked, his phone album filled with pictures of the scenery. He even took a photo with Chen Qitang, euphemistically calling it "commemorating our last happy moments."
Li Huaizhou and Xie Mo walked behind, hand in hand, at a leisurely pace. Xie Mo was afraid that he would get tired, so he deliberately slowed down his pace, stopping from time to time to wipe his sweat: "Are you tired? Do you want to rest for a while?"
"Not tired," Li Huaizhou shook his head. It was already noon when he reached the top of Yunqi Cliff. Standing on the observation deck, he could see the entire Huding Mountain. The lake in the distance resembled a emerald green. Smoke curled from the village at the foot of the mountain. The breeze, carrying the fragrance of the mountain vegetation, made him feel relaxed and refreshed.
Ji Jiancheng held up his phone and took pictures non-stop, shouting, "It's so beautiful! This trip was worth it! Brother Chen, please take a few pictures for me. I want to show off on WeChat Moments." Shen Qitang reluctantly took the phone and helped him find the angle: "That's all you can do."
Li Huaizhou leaned in Xie Mo's arms, looking at the scenery in front of him, and suddenly felt particularly at peace in his heart. He turned his head to look at Xie Mo, leaned over and kissed him on the corner of his mouth: "Thank you, Mr. Xie."
"What are you thanking me for?" Xie Mo looked down at him, his eyes full of tenderness.
"Thank you for accompanying me here. Aren't you busy?" Li Huaizhou's voice was very soft. Xie Mo held his waist tightly and kissed him on the forehead: "Silly boy, who else should I accompany if I don't accompany you?" At noon, they had lunch at the farmhouse on the top of the mountain, and went to the nearby ancient village in the afternoon. The houses in the village are all white-walled and black-tiled, and the stone roads are winding. The old people on the roadside are sitting at the door to bask in the sun, and they greeted them warmly when they saw them. Shen Qitang was attracted by a handicraft shop. He went in and picked for a long time and bought two small bamboo baskets; Ji Jiancheng was attracted by the sugar painting stall on the roadside.
Li Huaizhou was attracted by a small shop selling ceramics. There were all kinds of small ornaments in the shop, including kittens, puppies, and cute little rabbits. He picked up a ceramic cup in the shape of a kitten and turned to look at Xie Mo: "This is so cute, like a puppet." Xie Mo walked over, picked up the cup and looked at it: "If you like it, buy it."
"No, it's too expensive." Li Huaizhou shook his head and put the cup back. He knew Xie Mo was not short of money, but he didn't want to spend Xie Mo's money all the time. Although the cat cafe he opened was also a popular online store and made a lot of money, Li Huaizhou liked to save it.
Xie Mo saw through his thoughts and reached out to ruffle his hair: "It's just a cup, just give me a gift." Before Li Huaizhou could stop him, Xie Mo had already paid and handed the cup to him: "Take it, just think of it as a souvenir for you." Li Huaizhou looked at the cup in his hand, his heart warmed, and whispered: "Thank you."
They wandered around until dusk before returning to town. Ji Jiancheng suggested going to the night market, saying it was bustling with local specialties. Shen Qitang wanted to refuse, saying he was trying to lose weight, but Ji Jiancheng coaxed him into going.
The night market was indeed very lively, with stalls on both sides of the street selling snacks, accessories, toys, and everything in between. The air was filled with the aroma of various foods, the cumin smell of grilled skewers, the sweet aroma of sugar-roasted chestnuts, and the unique smell of stinky tofu, all mixed together.
Ji Jiancheng dragged Li Huaizhou straight to the snack stand, bought two skewers of grilled squid, and handed one to Li Huaizhou: "Brother Zhou, try this, it's really delicious!"
Li Huaizhou took it and took a bite. It was indeed delicious. Xie Mo followed behind them, his hands soon full of bags. Li Huaizhou ate half of the grilled cold noodles, the candied haws that he said were too sweet after taking a bite, and the fried rice cakes that Li Huaizhou thought were not tasty. "Brother Chen, you should eat something too." Ji Jiancheng took a skewer of grilled chicken wings and handed it to Shen Qitang. "Look at you, you have such a good figure and you are so beautiful. Even if you eat more, you won't get fat. What are you afraid of?"
Chen Qitang glared at him. "You're the only one who says that." He said that, but still took the chicken wing and took a small bite. "I'm telling the truth." Ji Jiancheng smiled. "Brother Chen, you're so outstanding, are you afraid of not finding a partner? There will definitely be people chasing you from one end to the other."
"Shut up." Shen Qitang was embarrassed by what he said and stretched out his hand as if to hit him. Ji Jiancheng smiled and hid behind Li Huaizhou. Li Huaizhou was amused by them and laughed so hard that he almost dropped the grilled squid in his hand. Xie Mo looked at the three people making a fuss in front of him and couldn't help but smile. His eyes were always on Li Huaizhou, watching his little canine teeth showing when he smiled, watching the sauce on the corners of his mouth because he ate too quickly, and his heart was filled with joy.
Shen Qitang was attracted by a small stall selling small accessories on the roadside and squatted down to look at the bracelets and hairpins on the stall. Ji Jiancheng also came over and chirped to her, "This pearl bracelet is beautiful. It will look good on you, Brother Shen."
Li Huaizhou looked at Xie Mo with sparkling eyes. "Don't you think Tiandou is amazing? She's a mother to five cats all by herself." Xie Mo smiled and ruffled his hair. "She's really amazing. And our baby is amazing too. She takes such good care of the fifty-plus cats at Mint Fluffy Tail."
"Of course, they are all my sons." Li Huaizhuo raised his chin proudly. He always treated the cat with mint fur tail as his child and called him "son" fluently.
Xie Mo shook his head helplessly: "Yes, my baby is the best."
Li Huaizhou blushed a little at what he said, and when he turned around, he saw Xie Mo looking at a small stall next to him. He leaned over curiously and found that it was a small stall selling rings. There were all kinds of rings on the stall, some made of silver, some alloy, and some with colored gemstones, sparkling under the light. Xie Mo picked up a green transparent ring. The material of the ring looked like jade. Although it was obviously not real, the color was very transparent and had a faint luster under the light. He didn't hesitate and paid directly, turning to look at Li Huaizhou: "Do you like it?"
Li Huaizhou was stunned for a moment, looking at the ring in Xie Mo's hand, his heart skipped a beat. Xie Mo was... going to give him a ring? "The rings on these stalls are all fake and worthless." Li Huaizhou whispered, but he couldn't help but feel a little excited. Xie Mo grabbed his hand and gently put the ring on his ring finger, gently stroking the edge of the ring with his fingertips: "It doesn't matter if it's fake, I'll give you a real one when we get back."
Li Huaizhou looked at the green ring on his ring finger and suddenly smiled, revealing his canine teeth. He couldn't help but lean over and whispered in Xie Mo's ear, "Mr. Xie, are you proposing to me?" Xie Mo took his hand, lowered her head and kissed the ring, her voice gentle and serious, "I guess so, baby."
Li Huaizhou teased him deliberately, "Then why did you put it on me directly? Aren't you afraid that I won't agree?" "Then I will take it by force." Xie Mo was amused by him and continued to speak along with his words, his eyes full of doting. Li Huaizhou smiled and said nothing more. But in his heart he was thinking: Idiot, how could I not agree? "Brother Zhou, President Xie, what are you doing? Come and take a look at this!" Ji Jiancheng's voice came from the side, interrupting the tenderness of the two.
Li Huaizhou quickly withdrew his hand and pulled Xie Mo over with some embarrassment. Shen Qitang was holding a silver necklace with a small star pendant hanging on it. "Do you think this looks good? I think it's suitable as a gift for a friend."
They strolled around the night market for a while, buying some local specialties before slowly making their way back to the hotel. On the way back, Ji Jiancheng kept muttering about having to go back to work the next day, looking rather reluctant. Shen Qitang consoled him, saying they could hang out together again next time he had a day off. Back at the hotel, Li Huaizhou went to shower first. When he emerged, Xie Mo was sitting by the bed, carefully wiping the ceramic cat mug he'd bought that afternoon.
"Why are you still wiping it? It's already clean." Li Huaizhou walked over with a smile and sat next to Xie Mo. "I have to clean it for you before I can use it." Xie Mo put down the cup and reached out to touch his hair. "Your hair is not dry yet, let me help you blow it dry."
Li Huaizhou sat obediently on the edge of the bed, letting Xie Mo blow his hair with a hair dryer. The warm wind blowing through his hair, carrying the warmth of Xie Mo's palm, made him feel particularly comfortable. He leaned in Xie Mo's arms, closed his eyes, and enjoyed this moment of warmth.
While Xie Mo was taking a shower, Li Huaizhou was lying on the bed, looking at the copper coin string on his wrist and the green ring on his ring finger. He suddenly remembered that he hadn't updated his social account for a long time. He took out his mobile phone and took a photo of his hand under the warm yellow light of the bedside. In the photo, the green ring on the ring finger was particularly conspicuous, and the copper coin string on his wrist was also clearly visible. He was just about to post it with the new song he had recorded before.
Xie Mo's hair hadn't dried yet, and the long strands fell obediently on his shoulders. The moisture made him look less fierce and more gentle. He walked over and leaned close to Li Huaizhou: "Baby, what are you doing?"
Li Huaizhou's eyes lit up, and he suddenly grabbed Xie Mo's hand, pointed his phone at their interlocked fingers, and snapped another picture. In the photo, the watch on Xie Mo's wrist complemented his copper coin necklace, and the green ring on his ring finger was particularly eye-catching. Xie Mo raised an eyebrow in confusion, watching him expertly edit the text: "New song 'Seventeen Years Old Plum Rain Season' and the official announcement of your 'sister-in-law.'" Then he simply hit send.
"You are..." Xie Mo was a little surprised, then laughed again. He didn't expect Li Huaizhou to be so direct in making the official announcement and even gave him the title of "sister-in-law". Li Huaizhou raised his chin proudly: "What's wrong? Is it not okay to officially announce my boyfriend?"
"Okay, of course." Xie Mo leaned over and kissed him on the corner of his mouth, "It's just that I'm not very satisfied with the title of 'sister-in-law'."
Li Huaizhou was about to retort when his phone began to vibrate non-stop. He opened his social media app and discovered that within just ten minutes of posting the post, it had already amassed over a thousand likes, and the comment section was abuzz with activity.
"Holy crap! Brother Zhou actually made it official?!"
"These hands look like two men's hands, right? So my sister-in-law is... a boy? So he's... my sister-in-law's brother?"
"Help! Our Brother Zhou looks like Zero no matter how you look at him. Is this something we can say?"
"The new song is so good! 'Seventeen Years Old Rainy Season' is so good too."
"So who is my sister-in-law? Can you show us your face?"
Li Huaizhou smiled as he scrolled through the comments. At this moment, the background music in the video started playing. It was his own version of "The Plum Rain Season at Seventeen." "Outside the yard, half of the evergreen leaves have fallen to the ground, shattering the light. The wind, wrapped in the chirping of cicadas, sways around the branches. The corridor you leaned against still retains its warmth, just like the time when your drooping hair brushed across my face."
The gentle singing voice echoed in the room, carrying a touch of youthful memories, as if it was accompaniment to the atmosphere at the time. Xie Mo hugged Li Huaizhou's waist from behind, resting his chin on his shoulder, and said in a low and gentle voice: "Did I propose successfully? And you announced it so publicly."
Li Huaizhou was a little proud: "I guess so, considering you gave me the ring."
Xie Mo lowered his head and gently bit his neck, his tone teasing: "However, the title of 'sister-in-law'?" Li Huaizhou subconsciously wanted to avoid it, but Xie Mo pulled him back. He simply said with confidence: "It doesn't matter what the title is, and this is my official announcement of you, I can say whatever I want."
Xie Mo smiled helplessly, stretched out his hand and gently pinched his waist: "Okay, baby, you can say whatever you want."
"What reward?" Li Huaizhou turned to look at him, his eyes full of confusion.
Xie Mo didn't say anything, but just lowered his head and kissed him. The gentle kiss was a bit domineering, spreading from the corner of his mouth to his neck, leaving a series of light strawberry marks on his neck. Li Huaizhou was a little breathless from his kiss, and reached out to push him away, but he hugged him tighter. "Stop it, we have to get up early tomorrow." Li Huaizhou begged for mercy in a low voice, his cheeks as red as a ripe apple.
Xie Mo finally let him go, resting his forehead against his, breathing a little quickly. "Okay, stop making trouble. Go to bed quickly, or you won't be able to get up tomorrow."
Li Huaizhou nodded and lay down obediently. Xie Mo covered him with the quilt and put his arms around him. The moonlight from outside the window shone through the gap in the curtains and fell on their clasped hands. The green ring on their ring finger shone lightly in the moonlight. Li Huaizhou leaned in Xie Mo's arms, listening to his steady heartbeat, and felt at ease.
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