“Then what, Yuan? Are you sure it meets the conditions? Who is it? Can you talk about marriage now? Did you discuss money? How’s the price? Why aren’t you responding? This kid always stops halfway…”

On the other end of the phone, He Qiu frowned, urging nonstop, too anxious to notice Ruan Xinyuan’s slightly awkward expression on the screen.

Ruan Xinyuan’s ears were burning. He closed his eyes lightly, turned his head, and pointed at the phone to the three people standing behind him, indicating he was on a call.

The three understood. Fang Youzhi got it and made a “shh” gesture to the other two.

Yan Kangliang nodded, walked to the wardrobe to find clothes for a shower, while Jiang Qifeng turned around, put the basketball back, and sat down, putting on headphones along with Fang Youzhi.

The urging voice in the headphones continued. Ruan Xinyuan got up, pulled the curtain, breathed a sigh of relief, and continued speaking, lowering his voice a bit.

“Grandma’s fortune-telling wasn’t wrong. The person is within ten kilometers of me, right at Siming’s school. I met him by accident. I’ve confirmed repeatedly that he meets those three conditions…” 

He exchanged glances with the three people on the screen who were listening intently. 

“He’s an associate professor in the history department, handsome, outstanding temperament, and a good personality.”

“And… he agreed to marry without discussing money.”

He Qiu immediately caught the key point, “Oh, so you just found him recently, right? Without money, he agreed to marry you so quickly… Isn’t that a bit strange?”

Next to her, Ruan Linfu also frowned deeply, suspiciously saying, “Hmm, could he have ulterior motives, Yuan?”

After all, Ruan Linfu had confidence in his son’s looks and charm.

Ruan Xinyuan smiled helplessly, “Old Ruan, don’t forget, the one with ulterior motives is me, okay? I’m doing this to survive. To put it bluntly, I’m asking someone to give up a lifetime of happiness.”

“Don’t worry, he agreed because he had a good first impression of me, and his family is also pressuring him to marry. It’s mutually beneficial, which is great.”

He conveniently skipped over his proposal to Qi Xun and the lies about love at first sight and secret crushes.

“How did you bring up marriage with him?” Hua Jin’s sharp eyes caught the part Ruan Xinyuan deliberately omitted.

“You didn’t just…”

Ruan Xinyuan interrupted in time.

“Ah, you know, talking money hurts feelings. We’ve met, and we had a good first impression of each other, so I just reasoned with him emotionally. I said I liked him, and my family has a unique custom of needing to marry before eighteen. Even if he didn’t understand, it didn’t matter. It was like a blind cat catching a dead mouse.” He continued to cover up.

Hua Jin sighed in relief, “Just don’t tell him the truth. The fewer people who know, the better. If he feels shortchanged later, you can negotiate a price, anything under ten million is negotiable.”

After saying this, Hua Jin waved generously, and Ruan Linfu quickly nodded in agreement, “Yes, son, money isn’t an issue.”

Ruan Xinyuan nodded obediently, “I know, don’t worry. He’s a good person, probably won’t get to the money part.”

He Qiu snorted, shaking her head with a smile, “Yuan, you know people, not hearts. Besides, you haven’t known him long. Sometimes money ties are more reliable.”

Ruan Linfu relaxed a bit, his eyes a little red, “Now we can finally relax. We’ve been waiting for this day for so long!”

Ruan Xinyuan smiled reassuringly at him.

“And Grandma, we both think we can get the certificate soon. Let’s skip the wedding; it’s too troublesome and unnecessary. Can you help us pick the nearest auspicious date?” Ruan Xinyuan looked at Hua Jin with an inquiring gaze.

Hua Jin chuckled and waved her hand, “Leave it to me. Just send me his name and exact birth time. It won’t take long.”

“Alright, once it’s done, I’ll arrange a time for you to meet his parents,” Ruan Xinyuan reminded, “His parents are from Jiang City, so you’ll have to come over. And most importantly, they don’t know the real reason for our marriage. They think we’re truly in love, so don’t spill the beans!”

“Don’t worry, we’ve got it.” Ruan Linfu patted his chest in assurance.

Ruan Xinyuan gave a few more reminders before ending the video call.

Afraid he’d forget later, he quickly sent a message to Qi Xun.

[Abundant Wealth Golden Ingot: Brother Xun, send me your exact birth time. I’ll have my grandma pick an auspicious date [Little Cat Holding Flowers]]

Qi Xun replied swiftly.

[Professor Qi: Okay.]

A few minutes later, Qi Xun sent over his exact birth time.

Seeing the message personally sent by the other party, and after multiple verifications, Ruan Xinyuan finally breathed a real sigh of relief.

But it was quite amazing…

Ruan Xinyuan looked at the time.

If you only look at the day, Qi Xun was born exactly one hour after him, not a minute more or less.

Thinking about it, if they were the same age, he’d be a bit older?

If Qi Xun called him brother…

The thought came out of nowhere, and Ruan Xinyuan chuckled to himself, tossing it aside.

After sending the information to Hua Jin, he reopened the curtain.

Just then, Yan Kangliang came out of the bathroom, and Ruan Xinyuan coughed twice.

The three of them looked at him.

“So, my good friend introduced me to someone who fits my future partner’s criteria. The other person is quite satisfied with me too, so we’re planning to get the certificate soon. By the way, Qifeng and Kangliang, you might not know, but I’m gay.”

After saying this, Ruan Xinyuan felt a bit guilty, rubbing his nose.

But to the three straight guys, it looked like shyness.

Yan Kangliang and Jiang Qifeng had already digested the news silently.

Fang Youzhi pushed himself over in his chair, pointing at the white roses on the floor, “Quick move, Xinyuan. Is it the crush you mentioned to me? That big bouquet of roses is from him, right?”

“Wow,” Jiang Qifeng said, munching on an apple, his mouth full, “Brother Yuan, why only tell Brother Fang and not us? What does he look like? Got a photo? What does he do?”

Yan Kangliang, drying his hair, walked closer, “Must be handsome, right?”

“Last time I mentioned it, you two weren’t around…” Ruan Xinyuan, ears red, scrolled through his phone album, found some photos of Qi Xun from the B University forum, and handed them over.

“He’s an associate professor in the history department at our neighboring B University, named Qi Xun. I’ll introduce him to you when there’s a chance.”

Fang Youzhi looked at the photos taken from a passerby’s perspective, admiring them, “Really handsome, looks like a star shooting a movie at the neighboring school. And an associate professor, so the education is top-notch… Perfect match for you.”

He looked up, patting Ruan Xinyuan’s shoulder with satisfaction.

Jiang Qifeng also praised, “This kind of temperament is rare around us. Brother Yuan, you’re something.”

Yan Kangliang gave a serious thumbs-up to Ruan Xinyuan, “Wishing you happiness and a long life together.”

“Well… thanks.” Ruan Xinyuan blushed, accepting the blessings.

“Do we need to give a wedding gift?” Fang Youzhi wiped his glasses, put them back on, and blinked, asking seriously.

Ruan Xinyuan laughed, brushing his hair, “Of course not. We haven’t even started working yet. Your money is mostly from your parents, no need to be so formal with me.”

“Then I don’t have to worry about this month’s Engel’s coefficient.” Yan Kangliang expressed gratitude.

“Lower your coefficient a bit more.” Jiang Qifeng handed Yan Kangliang an apple.

Yan Kangliang coolly waved it off, “I’m not interested in boring fruits.”

“Hey, you…” Jiang Qifeng was indignant on behalf of the apple.

Ruan Xinyuan listened, amused.

*

Jiang City, Shengdu Chaoyuan.

“I heard from Song Qi that you found him in the human world and are planning to get a marriage certificate with a mortal?” Qin Buqi, in a suit, stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the colorful nightscape of Jiang City.

Qi Xun sat on a single leather sofa, swirling champagne in a goblet, took a sip, frowned slightly, and put it down.

Cola tastes better, he thought.

“Yeah, he informed quickly. Xizai probably knows too.” Qi Xun wasn’t too concerned; they’d find out sooner or later.

Qin Buqi’s thin lips parted, his tone flat, “You’ve made Zhongyuan worry again. A ghost marrying in the human world, like what you did a hundred years ago, will bring backlash.”

“It doesn’t matter. Years ago, I entered the eighteenth level of hell. I have nothing to fear.” Qi Xun stood up, joining Qin Buqi by the window, looking out.

In the dark gray clouds, a bright moon was hidden.

“Song Qi is the most naive of us four, with many thoughts but little consideration. He won’t remember to remind you of some things, but I must.” Qin Buqi’s tone remained calm, his thoughts clear, his attitude rational.

“You became a king in hell, different from us three. You’re not afraid of the ghost backlash because you’ve walked through purgatory and endured countless sufferings, which we can’t criticize.”

Qi Xun listened silently, not immediately responding.

“But you’re not afraid of backlash on yourself. The fate path knows, so it may not fall on you.”

Qin Buqi didn’t continue, savoring his drink instead.

Qi Xun’s gaze was cold, chuckling, “Humans are manipulated by the heavens, ghosts are tormented by ghost paths. There’s no true escape anywhere, it’s laughable.”

“But my answer is the same as a hundred years ago. I’ll bear all consequences alone, without regret.”

“Nothing is more important than seeing him again.”

Qin Buqi stopped there, not extending the topic, “Since that’s the case, have you decided who will play your parents in the human world?”

Qi Xun smirked, “I’ve already thought about it.”

His phone vibrated twice in his pocket. Seeing Qin Buqi’s empty glass, he unceremoniously showed him the door.

“Alright, it’s late. You can go back to your floor.”

Qin Buqi, who hadn’t even sat down in twenty minutes: “…”

But he hadn’t planned to stay long. His task was done, and he left the glass, skillfully heading to the door.

Qi Xun returned to the sofa, checking his phone.

It was a WeChat message from Ruan Xinyuan.

[Xiao Yuan: Brother Xun, my grandma has calculated it [Little Cat Spinning]]

[Xiao Yuan: The nearest auspicious date is tomorrow! [Little Cat Pointing Fingers]]

[Xiao Yuan: So, shall we get the certificate tomorrow?]