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We are ordinary people, living ordinary lives.

Life gradually settles into a routine, and we sometimes have minor arguments over little things, like both being too lazy to wash the dishes. In the end, we either go into the bedroom with flushed faces or into the kitchen, also blushing.

My stuttering boyfriend is still a stutterer, but he remains my big, tough guy.

Thank goodness, after turning thirty, the frequency of our sex life might decline, but the quality remains guaranteed.

Ah, thirty—a magical boundary.

Before I got there, it felt terrifying; after crossing it, it seemed just the same.

Life must go on.

For my parents, this is the age to start pushing for arranged marriages.

After turning 28, every year during the New Year, I would be bombarded with arranged meetings.

With the spirit of “blocking the soldiers and damming the waters,” I met one girl after another, just to make friends.

Many sisters I met were forced into blind dates, and once we talked, we could actually become friends.

For years, my parents watched as I actively went on dates but never settled down with anyone.

By the time I was thirty and came home for the New Year, they threatened me, saying I had to bring a girlfriend back this year.

I already had one, but she was too high-maintenance to bring home.

I still cheerfully agreed, then confidently replied to their probing calls: “I’m working on it.”

Their fists hit cotton, and they were left speechless.

Recently, they haven’t mentioned this topic much over the phone.

I suspect they might be doubting my situation.

But I was glad to have peace.

Actually, my boyfriend and I are planning to come out.

I have a younger sister in college, who is straight but a fujoshi. The last time she came to see me, she discovered that our relationship was more than what I described as “roommates.”

She’s a smart and articulate girl, and with her support, I felt more confident.

But my stuttering boyfriend was quite insecure. He’s an only child, the sole heir of three generations, and his family is waiting for him to carry on the family line.

A few years ago, he tested the waters with his parents, and it was clear that marriage and children were non-negotiable.

So, he started a long-term battle, regularly instilling the idea that “not getting married is also okay” into their minds.

After more than three years of infiltration, my boyfriend and I decided to lay it all out this New Year.

Once we made that decision, I felt nervous every day, but when I finally sat in front of them, I felt much calmer.

As soon as I finished speaking, my mom turned away and started crying. My dad slammed his bowl down and shouted at my mom: “I told you he’s not normal! Every time he talks about marriage, he’s just fooling us!”

My mom, feeling more wronged, questioned why I had turned out this way.

I couldn’t answer, so my sister stepped in to support me, explaining that this was perfectly normal and educating them.

My dad didn’t even look at me in anger. The more he listened to my sister, the angrier he became, shouting at her: “What’s it to you? Stay in your room quietly.”

Of course, she wouldn’t listen; she kept talking. My mom covered my sister’s hand: “We all understand, but why did this happen to us?”

Homosexuality is completely normal, but no one wants to be in that situation.

The four of us fell silent.

My dad said, “I just want to ask you, can you change?”

Seeing me shake my head, he let out a heavy sigh and tried to leave.

“Dad,” I called after him, beginning to recount my relationship with my stuttering boyfriend, from meeting to knowing each other to falling in love for five years.

They listened quietly as I spoke slowly.

I apologized to them but still wanted to choose the life I wanted, to be with the person I love.

My parents didn’t say anything more; I felt they were absorbing it, but they just couldn’t accept it yet.

Back in my room, I messaged my boyfriend: “Achieved a milestone victory, how about you?”

My boyfriend took a while to reply with a crying emoji: “Failure.”

I suddenly felt scared; the consequences of coming out failing are always tragic. I hurriedly called him, but he rejected the call, saying it wasn’t convenient.

Suddenly, many scenarios flashed through my mind: violence, curses, imprisonment.

I wanted to find my boyfriend.

“I’m back at our home.”

He didn’t reply until very late.

I immediately booked a train ticket for the next day, thinking it might be good for my parents to cool down.

The next day, under their watchful eyes, I pulled my suitcase out the door.

My dad said, “No one is trying to drive you away.”

“I… I have something to take care of with my boyfriend, I’ll be back,” I added, “I’ll return.”

As soon as I got home, I saw my boyfriend wrapped in bandages.

I felt so heartbroken that I hugged him tightly, asking after a long pause, “Did your dad hit you?”

He nodded.

“How could he bear to do that? Isn’t he supposed to carry on the family line? How could he be so brutal to his own son?”

“He… he wasn’t careful. He hit me, so I know he won’t oppose it even more.”

“Are you stupid?” I seriously doubted my boyfriend had purposely gotten himself beaten by his dad.

But perhaps this tactic was indeed effective; the next day, his parents came knocking.

It was my first time meeting the in-laws!

His mom was relatively nice, but his dad gave me a cold shoulder.

His dad sat there in silence, exuding an overwhelming sense of pressure.

At first, his mom was sympathetic to my boyfriend and then pulled us aside to say a lot.

The gist was that we were two men, destined not to be accepted by society, destined to be unhappy, and that it would be better for both of us to call it quits.

My boyfriend and I firmly rebutted her.

In the end, it was a not-so-happy conclusion.

I brought my boyfriend home, and we celebrated the New Year together. My parents were a bit surprised to see my boyfriend but clearly liked him.

This was where our coming out story paused for now; I believe my parents will soon accept us.

My boyfriend’s parents also undoubtedly love him, and if one day they can set aside their prejudices, reconciliation will naturally follow.

My boyfriend came up with a plan: every day, he would post several updates on his Moments, visible only to his parents, to show off our love.

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