Wedding Attire – Bride’s Dress

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Chi Yao knew the date of the wedding, so the completed attire was sent over. He tried on each suit and selected a white one for the groom.

With fair skin and a slender build, anything he wore accentuated his shape, making the clothing look even more stylish.

Chi Yao chose a white suit, and Fu Rong, for the sake of color coordination, had his bridal gown made to match his in white as well.

In private, Fu Rong tried on the dress alone, without anyone else around. He looked at himself in the mirror wearing the bridal gown and felt it lacked any sense of beauty.

If Chi Yao were to see him like this, he might just turn and walk away.

But suddenly, Fu Rong chuckled, thinking of one thing: that in this dress, he would be marrying Chi Yao, and when they entered the bridal chamber… Fu Rong shook his head, stopping himself from thinking further.

Chi Yao would likely refuse.

But at that moment, there would be no room for Chi Yao to refuse.

Chi Yao knew about Fu Rong’s custom-made dress but hadn’t seen him in it yet, which made him curious and excited.

Before the wedding, Chi Yao and Fu Rong had a few days apart. Chi Yao took this time to return to his hometown with his child, but he hadn’t yet shared the wedding news with his family, his father, stepmother, or sister.

Chi Yao no longer considers them family. To him, family is only his grandfather, his child, and now, one more person.

They all love him—Chi Yao knows this well.

Having their love is enough.

However, word eventually got out. Chi’s father found out Chi Yao was marrying a man, and while that man was Fu Rong, whose family held a high status, it still didn’t sit well with him that two men were marrying; he thought people would gossip.

Chi’s father returned to their hometown to try to stop him. But before he could say much, the old man kicked him out.

The old man told him to leave immediately. If it weren’t for the fact that he was Chi Yao’s father, the old man would have dealt with him long ago and wouldn’t have let him stay in peace until today.

Chi’s father didn’t dare go against the old man; everything he had was because of him, out of respect for his late wife.

No matter how uncomfortable he was with his son marrying a man, Chi’s father seemed to have no choice but to swallow his discontent.

When he returned home, though, he vented his anger on his current wife, blaming her for not fulfilling her role as a mother. Even if she was Chi Yao’s stepmother, she should have raised him better. They argued, and he even hit her.

Then, he left and went to his mistress, abandoning his wife.

After this, the stepmother called Chi Yao, asking if he was crazy and why he was marrying a man—didn’t he realize it was a disgrace to the Chi family?

Chi Yao replied with one sentence, “Are you even a Chi? My father isn’t even really family to me, so what does that make you?”

This enraged his stepmother. Chi Yao ended the call, blocked her number, and set his phone to ignore calls from unknown numbers, so he could have a few peaceful days before his wedding.

Chi Yao no longer held any affection for those family members and couldn’t understand why his father and stepmother were still together.

Chi Yao put that family aside, feeling they didn’t deserve space in his mind.

His child was almost a year old now and could occasionally walk on his own, though still a bit unsteadily.

The baby loved running to the backyard to look at Grandpa’s flowers. Sometimes, he’d get mischievous and try to pick them, and when Chi Yao saw it, he’d grab the baby’s little hand, gently tap it twice, and remind him that those were Grandpa’s treasures. No matter who it belonged to, one shouldn’t ruin someone else’s treasures without permission, even in the family.

Chi Yao would bring the child close, gently instructing him, and the baby, seeming to understand, would pout but obediently stop picking the flowers.

Chi Yao sat in a chair, watching the baby play on the carpeted floor with his toys. The nanny was also present. After a while, Chi Yao closed his eyes and relaxed in the comfortable sunlight.

Seeing his dad seemingly asleep, the baby tiptoed over to Chi Yao, his tiny hands somehow covered in dirt, and placed them right on Chi Yao’s light-colored pants, leaving a clear handprint.

Chi Yao opened his eyes and gently tapped the baby’s tiny nose.

“You little rascal,” he said, his tone full of affection.

The baby beamed. “Daddy!”

Chi Yao was stunned, thinking he’d misheard.

He immediately sat up and took the baby’s little hands, his face showing a hint of uncontrollable emotion. Smiling but with a slight tremor in his voice, he asked, “Baby, what did you just call me?”

“Daddy, Daddy…” The baby repeated the word, each time more clearly.

Chi Yao’s smile deepened, and he hugged the baby tightly, holding him close.

“My precious,” he murmured, holding him so tightly that the baby, uncomfortable, protested.

“Daddy, let go!”

Chi Yao loosened his grip but kept the baby on his lap.

“Say it again,” he urged, his eyes fixed on the baby’s.

“Daddy!” The sound was especially clear and sweet to Chi Yao’s ears, bringing a sudden warmth to his eyes.

In his previous life, he hadn’t had the chance to hear his baby call him “Daddy.” Now, he finally could.

A tear welled up in Chi Yao’s eye, and the nanny, seeing this, quietly stepped back to give them privacy.

Chi Yao lowered his head and planted a kiss on the baby’s soft cheek, cherishing the moment.

The baby used his tiny hand to wipe his face, and Chi Yao hugged him again, more gently this time.

The baby reached up, his fingers brushing Chi Yao’s face. Chi Yao took the baby’s hand, pressing his lips to his tiny palm.

In that moment, Chi Yao felt thankful for this life. If the baby had been born in the past life, he wouldn’t have been there to accompany him. Leaving the baby alone in the world would have only brought him sorrow.

Thank goodness they could meet again in this life.

Chi Yao hugged the baby, whispering, “Thank you, baby.”

The baby laughed and called him “Daddy” once more.

“Yes,” Chi Yao answered warmly.

Chi Yao then shared his joy with Fu Rong, who was busy with the wedding preparations and hadn’t seen Chi Yao for a day or two. They spoke via video call daily, with Fu Rong usually initiating.

But this time, Chi Yao initiated the call. Fu Rong, busy but concerned, answered immediately.

Thinking something might be wrong, he noticed Chi Yao smiling but saying nothing.

Fu Rong observed the slight redness in Chi Yao’s eyes, as though he’d been crying, and grew worried.

“Chi Yao, what’s wrong? Why are your eyes red? Where’s the baby?” Fu Rong assumed something must have happened with the baby.

“Baby, could you say that one more time?”

Chi Yao turned the camera toward the baby, whose face appeared on the screen.

“Baby, what’s going on? Did you bully your dad? His eyes are red.”

Fu Rong asked the baby if he had been bullying Chi Yao.

The baby smiled and reached out toward Fu Rong on the phone screen. He recognized him now and could even recognize his voice.

“Daddy!”

Suddenly, the baby called out again, and Fu Rong’s expression instantly changed. He thought he had misheard—the baby was calling him Daddy.

“Baby, yes, I’m Daddy, I’m Daddy. Say it to me one more time, just once more.”

Fu Rong laughed, and his laughter traveled across the line. Chi Yao watched him, seeing a genuine, heartfelt smile. Warmth filled Chi Yao’s heart, a gentle heat flowing through him.

His child, and his…

Lover!

From this moment on, his life felt truly complete.

The baby, however, suddenly stopped calling and turned his little face away, grabbing Chi Yao’s shirt as if being playful with him.

“Alright, alright. If you don’t want to say it, you don’t have to,” Chi Yao said, holding the baby close. He was already overjoyed that the baby called him Daddy; he couldn’t ask for more.

Fu Rong took a moment to compose himself, his voice now steady.

“In two days, I’ll come to pick you both up.” In two days, it would be their wedding day.

The invitations had already been sent, all to close friends and family. Fu Rong’s family had arrived early, although they still hadn’t met Chi Yao’s parents, who clearly disapproved of the wedding.

But upon learning that Chi Yao’s grandfather would attend, Fu Rong’s parents approached the old man. Although aged, he looked robust and more energetic than many younger people.

The moment Fu Rong’s parents appeared, Grandpa immediately recognized them. Fu Rong resembled both of them in his features.

Here were the parents of the man about to marry his only grandson, and they hadn’t even formally introduced themselves or followed any of the customary formalities; they left everything to the younger generation. While Grandpa wasn’t old-fashioned, he was slightly displeased with Fu Rong. Becoming family with Fu Rong and the baby’s father, Grandpa felt like he was handing over a treasure and found himself increasingly dissatisfied with his future in-laws.

He responded with a cold snort.

In front of Grandpa, Fu Rong’s parents acted deferential, lowering themselves as if in front of their own elder. If it had been Chi Yao’s parents, they wouldn’t have done so.

They had brought a few things as gifts for Grandpa.

Initially, Grandpa didn’t want to accept them, but when they said it was for the baby, Chi Yan, he decided to take a look.

They handed over an envelope, which contained a check.

“Since we couldn’t attend the baby’s full-month celebration, we missed that event. Now that the baby is about to turn one, it wouldn’t be right for us to have nothing to offer as grandparents,” Fu’s mother said with a warm smile.

The baby was so adorable and filled them with joy. Even though he carried the Chi surname, it didn’t matter; as long as he was their precious grandson from the Fu family, that was enough.

The check had eight digits. Although this sum didn’t mean much to Grandpa, he appreciated the gesture for a full-month celebration. There would be many more birthdays in the future, and they could continue to give gifts then.

Grandpa understood their intent and accepted the check, keeping it for the baby.

Fu Rong rode in the wedding car, on his way to pick up Chi Yao. There would be no pranks or noisy customs; he simply went to bring Chi Yao home.

The baby rode in a separate car and wasn’t with Chi Yao. He seemed to sense that today was a special day and was calm and content. With a large crowd around, it was lively. The baby’s wide eyes wandered, looking here and there.

A young girl, Fu Rong’s niece named Kiki, accompanied him. Kiki was just over four and another child herself, so there was someone assigned to look after them. Sitting in his child’s seat, Chi Yan looked out the car window with excitement.