Chapter 23 "Fiancée"
Without making any noise, he tried it for the first time in his life.
In the dim room, Jiang Yao's brows were relaxed, his face was calm, and he was sleeping peacefully.
After a few seconds, he suddenly opened his eyes, and fear flashed in his eyes.
"Fuck! Is this the latest ghost story???"
Jiang Yao's heart beat wildly for a moment, and he stared at Duan Zhuxian's face, but because the light was too dim, he couldn't make out the other person's expression.
Duan Zhuxian must be joking, right?
It should be a joke.
This must be a joke...
Jiang Yao clutched the quilt tightly, analyzed the situation urgently, and brainwashed himself repeatedly.
"Ghost story? Is the fact that I like you scary?"
Duan Zhuxian's voice fell again. Jiang Yao pricked up his ears and heard a hint of something strange that was being suppressed in his steady tone.
It seems like... a mockery.
It was a joke!
I want to see him take the bait and then get humiliated.
Jiang Yao let out a breath, and his pounding heart slowly calmed down.
"Don't worry." Jiang Yao narrowed his eyes and sneered, "If that really happens, I will definitely run as far away as I can!"
I must seize this opportunity to take revenge and let Duan Zhuxian also taste the sadness of being rejected! !
After Jiang Yao finished speaking, he turned sideways and rushed towards Duan Zhuxian, raised his chin, and shook his head with a provocative look.
The butterflies that were about to burst out of the throat suddenly stopped, and like dead leaves that had lost their souls, they sank to the bottom of the lake called "reason".
Looking at the childish guy in front of him who was so self-righteous, Duan Zhuxian's forehead throbbed.
He grabbed the quilt and covered Jiang Yao's mouth, which was still trying to talk.
Jiang Yao was caught off guard and his eyes widened, making pitiful "mumbles" a few times.
In return, Duan Zhuxian only said two cold and ruthless words:
"sleep."
*
Recently, Jiang Yao has had pain in his butt.
Ever since they established a sex partner relationship, that person has become an insatiable beast, pushing him down every now and then.
At the beginning, he was in high spirits and was able to hang out with the other person with ease. He secretly enjoyed the feeling of being engaged and sleeping with his mortal enemy without telling anyone. Occasionally, he still had the energy to say stubbornly "that's all" afterwards.
But soon, he began to doubt his life.
But a man can't say "no" easily, especially in front of his lifelong adversary.
So in order to escape, he devoted his free time to work, worked hard to advance the music platform project in his hands, and fell asleep as soon as he got home to eliminate any opportunity to take advantage of.
Then, he simply stayed away from home completely.
If he worked overtime too late, he would stay at the company directly. During the holidays, he would move to the construction site of a building contracted by an acquaintance, under the pretext of making it convenient to seek advice from the stationed engineers on site.
I didn't see that beast named Duan for a whole week.
Until one day at noon, he was wearing a yellow safety helmet and treating the migrant workers to a deluxe meat lunch in a simple brick shack. Just after he finished the last bite, he was taken away from the construction site by Duan Zhuxian, covered in dust, to visit Old Man Duan.
In the car, Jiang Yao asked Duan Zhuxian with a puzzled look on his face: "Why did you drag me to see your grandfather without even saying hello?"
Duan Zhuxian said calmly, "Five days ago, I asked Assistant Lin to inform you to go home, but you didn't."
Jiang Yao rolled his eyes and recalled it for a while, and it seemed to be true.
Lin Zhu's original words were: "Boss Duan said he had something to do."
His butt was still hurting at the time, and he thought that what Duan Zhuxian meant by "doing things" was that kind of thing. He couldn't ask too much because of Lin Zhu, so he ignored it.
Thinking of this, Jiang Yao's ears felt hot. He turned his head silently to look out the window, thinking that it was all the fault of Duan Zhuxian, the beast in human skin, who had corrupted his pure heart.
After a while, he took out his mobile phone and quietly dragged Duan Zhuxian, whose profile picture was a snowy crystal ball, off the WeChat blacklist and released him on bail temporarily.
The Duan residence is located halfway up a mountain in the suburbs. It is a large courtyard with four entrances and exits passed down from ancestors. From the entrance to the residential building, the car has to drive a distance.
Dark old cypresses were planted on both sides of the road, standing guard along the way like loyal guards, blocking out the sun and making it impossible to hear people talking loudly.
After getting off the car, a white-bearded old man who looked like a butler half bowed to Duan Zhuxian and called him "Young Master", just like in a TV drama.
Jiang Yao felt a chill in his teeth when he heard this.
It's hard to believe that in the 21st century, there are still places with such a strong feudal atmosphere in the metropolis of Lingbei.
He was afraid that the old lady would call him "Young Madam" next, so before the other party looked over, he quickly interrupted and greeted her first.
Not far away, a man happened to be escorted out of the house by his nanny and then got into a car parked at the door.
If he was not mistaken, it should be the mayor who just retired a while ago. Jiang Yao had met him before with his father.
Only then did he realize that the person he was about to face was not only Duan Zhuxian's grandfather, but also one of Lingbei's top entrepreneurs, the man who now held the lifeblood of the Jiang family.
Even the former mayor had to pay a personal visit, but he, a junior without any power or influence, came to pay a visit without any preparation.
Jiang Yao thought about it and couldn't help but feel like retreating. He slowed down his pace and slowly fell behind Duan Zhuxian.
"Um... I suddenly remembered that I didn't bring any gifts. How about you go first and I'll come back another day?"
"I'm ready for you."
Duan Zhuxian, who was walking in front, shook the gift box in his hand, as if he had eyes in the back of his head. He reached back with his other hand, accurately grasped Jiang Yao's hand, and pulled the little fox who was trying to slip away to his side. The moment he stepped into the entrance, he openly inserted four fingers into Jiang Yao's fingers.
Jiang Yao lowered his head, looking at the two hands clasped together in surprise, and took the first two steps into the door in a clockwise direction.
When he looked up again, he met Mr. Duan, who was wearing a Zhongshan suit and sitting on the armchair.
Mr. Duan came from the military, and even though he is now over eighty years old, he still can't hide the murderous aura around him.
Jiang Yao was already unsure, and being stared at by those hawk-like, cloudy eyes made him feel even more uncomfortable. Even the sanctimonious Duan Zhuxian beside him became amiable.
There were incense burning and offerings to gods in the room, and the atmosphere was a bit cold. Jiang Yao subconsciously moved closer to Duan Zhuxian.
Duan Zhuxian pinched his hand and reminded: "Call me grandpa."
The young man beside him immediately babbled, "Hello, Grandpa."
He was dull and dazed, as obedient as a quail, without any trace of the arrogance of a fox.
Duan Zhuxian suppressed the curve of his lips and opened the box in his hand and handed it to Mr. Duan: "This is a gift that Jiang Yao prepared for you."
Jiang Yao also looked inside and saw a jade seal-like artifact lying inside. It looked very valuable.
General Duan took out the jade seal, played with it for a while, and his eyes showed a bit of kindness, it seemed that his favorite thing was touched.
"You are thoughtful." Old Duan put down the jade seal and patted Jiang Yao's shoulder.
"I'm glad you're willing to accept it, Grandpa." Jiang Yao grinned, his smile a little awkwardly.
The old man had a guest to meet in the evening, so he didn't keep them for dinner. He had afternoon tea with them, asked Duan Zhuxian about some company matters, and then signaled that they could go back.
Apart from the initial nervousness, Jiang Yao's subsequent performance was quite decent. He made the old man laugh a few times and helped the Jiang family gain some favorability, but he was on edge the whole time and only relaxed after going down the mountain.
Sitting in the car, Jiang Yao stretched his limbs and tilted his head: "Thank you for the meeting gift."
Duan Zhuxian, who was driving nearby, hummed.
Jiang Yao asked, "How much is that antique? I'll return it to you later."
Duan Zhuxian reported a number, and Jiang Yao's eyes almost popped out after hearing it. He wondered if it would be enough to sell the precious sports car in his garage.
"I didn't ask you to pay it back." Duan Zhuxian said with a half-smile, "You can consider it as an expenditure of the common property during marriage."
Jiang Yao snorted twice and said nothing.
Seeing that Jiang Yao was rarely arguing and in low spirits, Duan Zhuxian asked, "Are you tired?"
"Yeah." Jiang Yao said weakly, "The atmosphere in your house is too gloomy. I get goosebumps every time I go there."
Duan Zhuxian raised his eyebrows: "Young Master Jiang is still stage fright?"
Jiang Yao humphed in a dissembling way: "It's just not suitable for someone like me who needs sunshine."
Duan Zhuxian said: "Actually, I seldom go there either."
"Huh?" Jiang Yao didn't understand. "Isn't that your home?"
Duan Zhuxian explained: "Not really. That's where my grandfather lives. The younger generations who can go there often are the ones he respects and recognizes."
Jiang Yao was surprised, thinking that even someone as outstanding and strong as Duan Zhuxian had times when he wasn't taken seriously. But then he thought about how Old Man Duan had many children when he was young, so he had no shortage of grandchildren. Moreover, Duan Zhuxian's father had married him a stepmother since he was a child, and even gave birth to a brother who was only half a year younger than him. Perhaps his father didn't love him, and his mother didn't care for him...
Thinking of this, he glanced at Duan Zhuxian.
This was the opponent he personally picked nine years ago. No matter whether this person had good or bad character, it could not erase his confidence in Duan Zhuxian's ability.
Jiang Yao had an indescribable feeling that the person he had been unable to let go of and with whom he had been competing openly and secretly was actually looked down upon by others.
He waved his hand dismissively: "It's better not to go to such a depressing place."
Seeing that Duan Zhuxian was still staring ahead without saying anything, he quickly added, "What I mean is that for someone like you who isn't sunny and cheerful enough, going there too often will only make you more lonely."
Jiang Yao's tone was awkward and stiff, but Duan Zhuxian heard the comfort in it.
Jiang Yao is a bit careless most of the time and seems to be very heartless, but occasionally he can be surprisingly delicate and can perceive more keenly than anyone else what is hidden beneath Duan Zhuxian's surface emotions.
It was during these unexpected little moments that Duan Zhuxian gradually fell in love with her, so that in his heart, Jiang Yao was always a particularly lovely person.
The sunset was all around, and the night-blooming jasmine along the way finally survived the long day. Duan Zhuxian's eyebrows were covered with a layer of soft skylight.
"Then we should go there less often in the future."
Jiang Yao exclaimed, "Can't I just not go?"
Duan Zhuxian said, "Not going isn't realistic. My grandfather is a very suspicious person. He will definitely check on our relationship status like he did today to ensure the stability of our marriage."
"Ah, getting married is such a hassle." Jiang Yao yawned, his enthusiasm dampened. "Then what are your grandfather's eligibility criteria?"
The car stopped at a red light. Duan Zhuxian looked at Jiang Yao and said, "I don't have high expectations. Just a little bit of the husband-husband look is enough."
Jiang Yao was puzzled: "What do you mean by what a husband should be like?"
"Like, move closer when you talk, like this..."
Duan Zhuxian stretched out his hand, clasped the back of Jiang Yao's head with his palm, turned it a little towards him, and the next second, pressed in close to him face to face.
"Do you understand?"
"Grass……"
Jiang Yao was choked by the thin air between their lips and stepped back suddenly.
That was a close call, I almost lost my first kiss!
“Isn’t this asking too much?”
Jiang Yao was so scared that he raised his voice.
When he was acting in front of his brother, he didn't ask Duan Zhuxian to do this.
"You didn't decide that on your own?"
Jiang Yao's heart was pounding and he squinted his eyes in question.
"What do you think?"
Duan Zhuxian asked back, and restarted the car when the light turned green.
Seeing Duan Zhuxian's half-smile, Jiang Yao suddenly realized that he had asked a stupid question.
The possibility that Duan Zhuxian wants to get close to him is as low as the possibility that Duan Zhuxian has a crush on him.
Jiang Yao thought about it and thought that Duan Zhuxian was probably too eager to perform in front of his grandfather and gain recognition, so he was desperate to seek help from all kinds of people. It was probably a mentality of being suppressed for too long and eager for quick success.
He could understand it quite well. He had also experienced times when he felt that he was not expected to do so in front of his parents and his brother, and therefore wanted to stand up for himself.
Deducing from this, he even began to understand why Duan Zhuxian, a self-righteous man who never bowed his head, would take the initiative to sacrifice herself and marry his mortal enemy.
It’s quite sad to think about it.
Very rarely, he felt kind towards Duan Zhuxian and suddenly wanted to fulfill Duan Zhuxian's little wish.
"Okay." Jiang Yao turned his head and looked out the window. "I'll try my best."
Duan Zhuxian didn't ask Jiang Yao where they were going next. He drove her directly back to the bridal chamber. The journey was smooth and there wasn't even a traffic jam. The whole process was so natural and smooth.
By the time Jiang Yao reacted, he had already arrived at the door of his home.
Duan Zhuxian parked the car, walked around to the passenger seat, and personally opened the door for Jiang Yao.
Jiang Yao didn't get out of the car immediately. With a stern face, he made three rules with Duan Zhuxian: he was not allowed to get aroused when he saw him in the future.
Duan Zhuxian held the car door with one hand, a faint smile in his eyes: "Then Mr. Jiang, don't run away from home when you have a disagreement in the future."
Jiang Yao immediately retorted: "Who ran away from home? I was busy with work."
Duan Zhuxian said "hmm" and made a "please" gesture.
Jiang Yao got out of the car and stared at Duan Zhuxian's half-smile. He always felt that Duan Zhuxian didn't believe what he said at all.
*
Jiang Yao had been working non-stop at the company for a while, so he took a few days off. Coincidentally, he received an invitation from Chen Tang: "Xiao Wei and I have moved into our new home, and we'd like to invite you over for a simple meal."
Jiang Yao asked, "Who else?"
Chen Tang replied: "Just you, I'll invite others later."
Jiang Yao's typing fingers paused for a moment, but he still tapped out four words: "Where's Duan Zhuxian?"
After a long while, a long message came from the other end: "I'd better be frank. I've noticed there's been a conflict between you and Zhuxian for a long time. I played dumb because you both kept it a secret from me. Although I don't know what happened, I think it's best to keep you two separate. I'll tell him all this when I invite him later."
Jiang Yao was a little surprised by Shen Tang's sudden confession. He thought Shen Tang was not aware of the breakdown of his relationship with Duan Zhuxian.
After all, when they were students, he and Duan Zhuxian mostly met as rivals. After graduating from high school, they did not attend the same school, so it was normal for them to become estranged.
However, this arrangement was for the best for Chen Tang, as he wasn't ready to face both his fiancé and his secret crush at the same time.
*
Chen Tang has never had the habit of being extravagant, so Jiang Yao picked out two bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon produced by a private winery as a gift to congratulate him on his new home.
The couple’s new home is located within the Second Ring Road. It has four bedrooms and two living rooms and is over 100 square meters. It is a school district house.
When Jiang Yao arrived, the couple was cooking. After leading him into the house, they returned to the kitchen to continue preparing dinner without asking him for help.
Jiang Yao, the kitchen killer, was also happy to have some free time. He sat on the sofa and watched TV for a while. His eyes were vaguely drawn to two figures not far away.
Although Chen Tang and Xu Yuewei are already married, their behavior patterns are still stuck in the honeymoon stage. They even have to taste the saltiness of a spoonful of soup one by one, and the whole kitchen is filled with the warm smell of fireworks.
Jiang Yao saw this and couldn't help but feel a little envious.
He was born in a merchant family. As far as he could remember, his parents were busy with business all day long. He and Jiang Chen were taken care of by nannies most of the time, and the environment they grew up in always lacked some of the warmth of home.
Later, when he reached puberty, he realized his sexual orientation and fantasized about starting a family with such a gentle, virtuous and handsome man in the future to make up for his childhood regrets.
Jiang Yao narrowed his eyes, and the loving and busy couple in front of him gradually turned into shadows. The clear image that slowly emerged in his mind was the scene of him and Duan Zhuxian cooking together.
The small stew pot was bubbling. The sunlight outside the window fell on Duan Zhuxian's focused back, a yellow halo and warm...
It took Jiang Yao a while to come back to his senses. He let out a "Fuck" and quickly got rid of that person from his mind.
The next second, the phone rang and the caller ID showed: Mr. Duan.
She glanced at Chen Tang, making sure he couldn't take care of herself for a while before walking to the window.
As soon as the call was connected, the person on the other end asked directly: "Where are you?"
Jiang Yao raised an eyebrow: "I don't think I have any obligation to report my itinerary to Mr. Duan."
Duan Zhuxian slowed down his tone: "In front of you, I am not Mr. Duan."
Jiang Yao knew what Duan Zhuxian meant because they were going to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get their marriage certificate tomorrow.
He didn't want to tell the truth, but he was afraid that Duan Zhuxian, the suspicious guy, would misunderstand him for going to a nightclub and then give him a bunch of pros and cons and moral principles.
After weighing the pros and cons, he decided to tell the truth: "I'm at Shen Tang's new home."
The other party suddenly fell silent, and after a while, he said, "Don't stay too late."
Although the tone was emotionless, Jiang Yao felt inexplicably annoyed after hearing it.
Apart from asking him to maintain the image of a "married man" in front of external spies, Duan Zhuxian was not a fussy person. He had been spending so much time at the company and the construction site some time ago, but Duan Zhuxian had never personally contacted him once. This time, he suddenly even wanted to control his meetings with friends. There was probably only one reason -
Duan Zhuxian doesn't want him to live with the person he has a crush on.
The irritation in his heart suddenly rose to his throat. Jiang Yao's mind was hot and he asked in a strange voice: "By the way, didn't he invite you to be his guest?"
She pretended to be surprised, just like a green tea.
But as long as it can make Duan Zhuxian jealous to death, a little tea will do.
After that, Duan Zhuxian didn't say anything else. He just reminded him to pay attention to the time and then hung up the phone. The last voice echoing in the receiver was much colder than before.
It was obvious that he had succeeded in provoking Duan Zhuxian, but he seemed to be even more irritated.
This state of infinite superposition of relief and dissatisfaction can perhaps only be explained by quantum mechanics.
A few minutes later, Chen Tang and Xu Yuewei were also done and were serving the dishes.
The two flirted openly at the dinner table, Jiang Yao joked politely, and the three of them laughed continuously.
Taking advantage of the opportunity to show off their affection, Chen Tang talked about his study abroad in North America and his long-distance relationship with Xu Yuewei. He lamented that after going abroad, he didn't even have a friend to talk to. His words revealed the sadness of being a stranger in a foreign land. Fortunately, his beloved wife never left him and gave him unconditional spiritual support across the ocean.
Jiang Yao became more and more confused the more he listened, and couldn't help but interrupt: "Isn't Duan Zhuxian here too?"
Chen Tang said, "Zhu Xian and I don't go to school in the same area."
Jiang Yao was stunned when he heard this.
Chen Tang continued, "During my entire study abroad period, I only met him once, and that was the day I found out he was also in North America."
The inherent cognition that had been held for a long time was suddenly broken. Jiang Yao's fingers loosened suddenly, and the chopsticks knocked into the bowl. His chest and throat felt swollen and a little difficult to digest.
Could it be that Duan Zhuxian is too cowardly and doesn't even dare to ask people to come after him, and can only hide in the corner and observe secretly?
No wonder he only abused his power and set obstacles behind his love rival's back, and never dared to confess his love openly.
After giving a reasonable explanation to the unexpected facts, Jiang Yao said "Oh".
Chen Tang recalled briefly, "I was meeting an online friend near Zhuxian's school, and I happened to run into him outside his clinic."
Jiang Yao asked: "Treatment room?"
Chen Tang nodded: "My online friend is a psychiatrist, but Zhuxian probably isn't going there for a consultation."
"Oh, that's really impossible."
Jiang Yao curled his lips.
People like Duan Zhuxian, who are cold-faced and hard-hearted, and are at the level of a devil, will only mess with other people's mentality.
Chen Tang remembered something and added, "He mentioned you when we were having dinner."
Jiang Yao paused in picking up the food and raised his eyelids: "Why are you mentioning me for no reason? Did he say something bad about me?"
Chen Tang laughed dumbly: "You really treat him as an enemy."
Jiang Yao snorted twice but didn't refute. Since it had been made clear, he didn't intend to sugarcoat it anymore.
"Zhuxian said that the sweet and sour pork tenderloin at that Chinese restaurant is pretty good, with the sweet and sour taste you like."
Chen Tang finished speaking with a smile, and seeing Jiang Yao in a daze, he thought Jiang Yao didn't listen at all.
But Jiang Yao just suddenly recalled that some time ago, he and Duan Zhuxian had breakfast together. Duan Zhuxian specially asked someone to prepare shrimp dumplings for him and said that he remembered all the little things about him.
He pursed his lips, his heart itching, as if being tickled by a feather across his chest. He couldn't describe the feeling.
After taking a few bites of rice, he pretended to be nonchalant and asked Chen Tang, "What else did he say about me?"
Chen Tang thought for a moment and shook his head: "I can't remember, it seems that we haven't talked about you since then."
Jiang Yao said "Oh" and didn't ask any more questions.
He could tell that Chen Tang told him this in an attempt to resolve the strained relationship between him and Duan Zhuxian.
It was already past nine o'clock in the evening. Chen Tang wanted to let Jiang Yao stay at his home, but Jiang Yao declined.
He and Duan Zhuxian have a life-long event to attend to tomorrow, so it is not advisable for him to stay out all night.
An e-sports event was being broadcast on TV. Jiang Yao and Shen Tang were occasionally complaining about the players' low-level mistakes. At this time, the doorbell rang and Xu Yuewei went to open the door.
Chen Tang followed his gaze and saw Duan Zhuxian outside the door. He immediately stood up with a look of surprise on his face.
Jiang Yao was even more surprised than Chen Tang.
He didn't expect Duan Zhuxian to really come!
Bai Yueguang is already married, so why can't you let go?
The strange itchy and numb feeling I had during dinner disappeared instantly.
Jiang Yao crossed his legs and continued to watch the e-sports competition with a cold attitude as if he didn't know Duan Zhuxian, even though Duan Zhuxian's eyes were glued to him from the beginning and he couldn't ignore him at all.
Haha, I have been killing fish in RT-Mart for ten years, and my heart is as cold as the knife in my hand.
Jiang Yao brainwashes himself.
"Zhu Xian is here."
Chen Tang walked over with a wry smile.
He was a little worried that if the two enemies came to blows, something unpleasant would happen, and his small house could not bear it.
Duan Zhuxian hummed, then said calmly, "Come and pick up my wife."
"Who the hell is your wife!"
Jiang Yao, who had been slaughtering fish at RT-Mart for ten years, jumped up from the sofa.
"Well, that's not accurate. It should be called——"
Duan Zhuxian paused, his eyes passed over the shocked Chen Tang, and fell on Jiang Yao's blushing and expressionless face, and he slowly uttered three words.
"fiancée."
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