The bodyguard was still at the door. When he saw Jian Yang and Guan Ciyan return together, his face showed a trace of fear.

Jian Yang waved his hand, signaling him to leave.

Guan Ciyan didn’t say anything, but since Jian Yang had given the order, the bodyguard left first.

“Guan Ciyan, dismiss the bodyguards.”

“Where are you going?” Guan Ciyan asked.

“I’m going to pick flowers for the wedding.” Jian Yang spoke lightly and cheerfully, like an ordinary groom-to-be, seriously preparing for his wedding.

“You… already know.”

Jian Yang felt Guan Ciyan’s grip on his hand tighten, so he held his hand back.

That was just how he was—if he loved, he loved completely. And if one day Guan Ciyan stopped loving him, he would leave without hesitation.

“Mm, I won’t hold it against you for not proposing.”

Jian Yang looked into Guan Ciyan’s eyes for a moment, then rested his forehead against his chest and sighed. “I’m tired. I don’t want to keep guessing whether you have feelings for me or not. Marriage is good.”

Guan Ciyan finally reacted. The brewing storm in his eyes was dissolved by Jian Yang’s gentleness, turning into rain that could last a century. “Are you willing?”

“I am.”

“To be with me.”

“To be with you.”

“To marry me and never be apart.”

“To marry you, but whether we stay together depends on how you behave.” Jian Yang smiled, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“I won’t let go.” Guan Ciyan’s confession sounded like a threat. “You know that. I’ll lock you up, force you—you’ll never leave me again.”

Jian Yang’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He seemed to see the obsessive and violent soul beneath Guan Ciyan’s indifferent exterior.

When they first met, Guan Ciyan was cold, ill-tempered, and constantly teasing him with fake smiles, testing his limits. It was only that night on the back mountain that Jian Yang accidentally caught a glimpse of his vulnerability and confusion.

Once their relationship deepened, Guan Ciyan indulged him endlessly, showing him patience and tenderness as if no matter what he did, it would always be forgiven.

It wasn’t until Guan Ciyan locked him up on that island and unleashed his madness upon him that Jian Yang realized—Guan Ciyan had been restraining himself all along.

He had always thought Guan Ciyan was just a gentle person with a bit of a wicked sense of humor. But now, he wasn’t so sure.

“Are you hesitating?”

Jian Yang’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Are you afraid, Guan Ciyan?”

This was Guan Ciyan. How could someone like him possibly feel “uncertainty”?

“I’m not hesitating,” Jian Yang said. “I just realized—I might have never truly understood you.”

“And once you do, you won’t be able to leave.”

Guan Ciyan kept repeating the same thing—he wouldn’t let him go. Jian Yang didn’t understand. “Why do you think I would leave? What do I have to do for you to stop feeling insecure?”

Guan Ciyan was at a loss for words.

From the moment he captured Jian Yang and brought him back, he had already prepared for a lifetime of Jian Yang’s hatred and resentment. No matter the consequences, he had accepted them.

As long as Jian Yang remained by his side, within his sight.

But then Jian Yang suddenly said he wanted to marry him, that he liked him, that he wouldn’t leave.

And Guan Ciyan panicked.

Jian Yang had lied to him like this before.

But this time, Jian Yang was talking about marriage. He would put on their wedding rings and declare to the world that they belonged to each other.

Guan Ciyan had never prepared for this outcome.

It felt like he had taken a wrong turn—he had torn apart his carefully maintained facade of gentleness and calm, exposing the deep-rooted control and violence of the Guan family for Jian Yang to see.

“Guan Ciyan?” Jian Yang called his name.

Guan Ciyan snapped out of it, suddenly realizing that Jian Yang hadn’t called him “sir” in a long time.

“You like me?” Guan Ciyan asked.

“I like you.” Jian Yang answered without a trace of impatience, as if he had figured something out. He kissed Guan Ciyan’s cheek. “If you can’t figure it out now, don’t think about it. Just tell me when you do. I promise, no matter what you say, I’ll agree to it.

It’s late. I want to sleep.”

Tonight, Jian Yang had expected a fierce battle, but Guan Ciyan behaved himself and only held him in his arms.

Jian Yang nestled against him, kissing his chest lightly. “Can we bring Uncle Zhang back? I’m used to having him take care of me.”

“Okay.”

“Then do you have time tomorrow to go pick wedding flowers with me? I want us to go together.”

Guan Ciyan was busy reclaiming shares of the group but still agreed. “Okay.”

“Let’s sleep.”

Neither of them slept well. The next day, when they picked up Bai Shun to choose flowers, Bai Shun gave them a piece of advice, “You need to have some restraint.”

Bai Shun was very experienced in wedding planning—after all, he had been thinking about it for many years.

The catalog was filled with bouquets of all kinds, making it overwhelming to choose. Jian Yang liked everything, and Guan Ciyan said they should take everything.

Bai Shun sighed. “If you do that, your wedding will be a mess.”

Jian Yang was just joking around.

Tapping his fingers on the catalog, he asked Guan Ciyan, “Do you think champagne roses are too cliché?”

A faint blush crept onto his face. He looked a little shy, but his smile was sweet. For the first time, Guan Ciyan truly felt that Jian Yang was sincere about marrying him.

They were preparing for the wedding, together.

“As long as you like it,” Guan Ciyan replied, suddenly feeling a strange, restless warmth spreading through him.

Jian Yang hesitated, lowering his head in embarrassment. “Ah, it’s just… I always imagined champagne roses. That’s how it is in movies. But these blue irises are really pretty too.”

“Champagne roses,” Guan Ciyan decided for him.

He had been the one who initiated the wedding plans on his own. If he could make it into the wedding Jian Yang had always dreamed of, that would be the best outcome.

Their time was tight. After returning from the island, Guan Ciyan hadn’t let Jian Yang leave the house for two weeks. Now, they only had two weeks left.

There were still suits, venues, wedding favors…

Luckily, Guan Ciyan’s wealth made things easier. The best suits and venue were quickly settled. When it came to designing the wedding favors, Jian Yang spent two days working on them before complaining to Guan Ciyan, “I’m exhausted. Why didn’t you tell me earlier that we were getting married?”

The house was filled with bright red paper bags, ribbons, bows, and handwoven strings. The wedding was no longer just an abstract concept—it had become something real and tangible.

Just like when Guan Ciyan tasted the tomato and egg noodles Jian Yang had made for him.

Love was something you could see and touch.

For a moment, Guan Ciyan hesitated—should he postpone the wedding? Should he wait until everything was prepared more thoroughly so he could give Jian Yang an even grander and more perfect ceremony?

But only for a moment.

He said, “I’m sorry, I—”

“Forget it, forget it. Just don’t go to the company tomorrow. Stay home and help me, and I’ll forgive you.”

“Okay.”

Guan Ciyan put aside a billion-dollar company to stay home and debate whether they should use panda-shaped gummy candies or kitten-shaped ones.

“Guan Ciyan, you never even proposed to me.”

That night, exhausted, the two of them collapsed into bed. Even half-asleep, Jian Yang was still thinking about it.