Cen Wei’s family situation was quite simple.

Chu Lai followed Cen Wei’s introductions and greeted everyone, but she noticed that Cen Wei didn’t mention his father. Seated across the dining table were only Cen Wei’s grandmother and mother.

The old lady appeared very stylish, with her hair neatly tied up and even the ends of her white hair streaked with a hint of red. Chu Lai couldn’t even tell if the white hair was naturally white or dyed.

Cen Wei resembled his mother a lot, especially their lips, which looked almost identical. However, their eyes were different. Xuan Rongqing looked gentle, giving off the feeling of a serene water town in Jiangnan.

Perhaps Chu Lai had been too harsh earlier, causing Cen Wei to let out a hiss of pain.

Noticing something, Xuan Rongqing smiled and asked Chu Lai, “Your name, Xiao Chu, is quite unique.”

Cen Wei agreed. However, considering that this was only their third time meeting, the topic of names hadn’t come up before.

At this moment, Chu Lai explained, “I drew a lot for the name ‘Lai’ but it felt too plain, so I added the three-dots water radical.”

The Cen family’s house was decorated very luxuriously; even the chandelier in the living room looked like an art piece. The dining lights made the food on the table even more appetizing.

Chu Lai hadn’t been this nervous in a long time.

Even though all of this was fake—fake lovers, fake family introductions—the marriage certificate was real.

The young man pursed his lips, his voice as smooth as jade, quite unlike the turbulence suggested by his name.

Xuan Rongqing chuckled, “Your parents must have a good relationship, right?”

Sitting beside her, Cen Wei remembered that Chu Lai’s father had passed away.

Chu Lai hadn’t told Cen Wei much about his family, but after they registered their marriage, his friend Jiang Liyong had chatted with him about it on WeChat. Jiang had mentioned things he heard from Liu Yuan about Chu Lai.

[Your partner seems to have had a rough time. His friend asked me about your situation, so we talked.]

[After his father passed away, he grew up with his grandmother. His grandmother passed away in his senior year of high school, so he’s been spending New Year’s alone since college.]

[Anyway, you’ve already registered your marriage, and neither of you have anyone else. If you want, you could agree to a divorce later. But it’s up to you.]

[You can’t force love, so just go with your feelings.]

Jiang Liyong wasn’t really one to advise Cen Wei. Both of them preferred watching others fall in love rather than getting involved themselves.

Cen Wei’s hesitation stemmed from issues with his father, and Jiang Liyong had his reasons too.

Feeling a bit regretful, Cen Wei wanted to change the subject. Chu Lai, however, calmly took the bowl of soup that Xuan Rongqing personally ladled out and said, “Yeah, they were great. After all, I married freely for love.”

He smiled and thanked her, “Thank you.”

Chu Lai’s aura was subtle. Among his peers, he was practically invisible and intentionally avoided group activities.

He preferred to be alone, not causing trouble for others, nor wanting others to trouble him. But that didn’t mean he didn’t yearn for warmth. Every New Year, he’d wait for news from his mother, and then reply with a simple “I’m doing well” before transferring money to her account.

Chu Lai’s appearance was gentle and delicate, not aggressive at all. When he smiled, it was unexpectedly charming. Wearing glasses, he looked scholarly, which only made people want to treat him kindly.

The old lady on the side chimed in, “Xiao Chu, you’re too polite! This is the first time you’ve come over. I made this soup for Awei this morning. I thought he was joking when he said he got married just to make me happy.”

“I didn’t expect it to be real! Honestly, such a big thing, and he didn’t even tell me earlier.”

She glanced at Cen Wei. He handed her his bowl and affectionately said, “Grandma, don’t I get any?”

Grandma replied, “Ask Xiao Chu for some.”

Chu Lai, taking it seriously, immediately offered his bowl of soup to Cen Wei.

Xuan Rongqing quickly interrupted, “No need to give it to him. He has his own hands.”

Chu Lai glanced at Cen Wei, who nodded, “I can serve myself. You should drink more.”

Chu Lai nodded obediently.

He looked very well-behaved, almost as if he were still quite young. Since the family didn’t know much about him, they asked a lot of questions.

Xuan Rongqing asked, “Xiao Chu, how old are you?”

While drinking his soup, Chu Lai answered, “I’m twenty-five. I’ve been working for almost three years now.”

He also mentioned the name of his company, which surprised Xuan Rongqing. “That’s a big company.”

Chu Lai nodded. Then Xuan Rongqing asked, “When did you meet Awei? He only came back to the country last year to start his company.”

Cen Wei replied, “Half a month ago. We happened to meet at a store.”

The two women in the family were particularly curious about their whirlwind marriage. Xuan Rongqing looked at Chu Lai, who was quietly sipping his soup, and asked Cen Wei, “Was it love at first sight?”

Cen Wei responded with a hum.

As Chu Lai bit into a piece of lotus root, he thought, “Wow, he’s quite the liar.”

Xuan Rongqing knew about Cen Wei’s previous boyfriend. Two months ago, when she visited Cen Wei while he was on a business trip abroad, they had dinner with Shen Ke.

Shen Ke was nothing like Chu Lai—more like the opposite, fire and water.

Shen Ke easily attracted attention, while Chu Lai was like a calm summer pond, still and quiet, requiring the sound of cicadas to bring any semblance of life.

At the time, Xuan Rongqing could tell that Shen Ke wasn’t right for Cen Wei.

She understood her son well. Ever since that incident, Cen Wei had been emotionally distant. While other boys might have turbulent teenage years and relationship drama, Cen Wei focused on school and occasionally played games.

Even though he acted like a typical person, Xuan Rongqing knew that no matter how much she healed, Cen Wei would struggle to move past it.

It was an ugly and humiliating accident. Even though the scandal was covered up, both mother and son were trapped in its aftermath.

Cen Wei had discussed love and marriage with Xuan Rongqing before, using peaceful words, encouraging his mother to date again, but warning her not to expect much from him.

At eighteen, his eyes held no hope for the future.

He was like stagnant water. Even as he grew into a man, Cen Wei still hadn’t escaped the filthy bloodstains of that day.

He had learned to put on a flawless mask, but deep inside, his heart remained frozen in an eternal winter. The biting cold would one day consume him entirely.

Xuan Rongqing never expected the resolute Cen Wei to opt for a flash marriage.

And his partner was so… calm.

So calm, in fact, that it made the old lady’s heart overflow with affection. She kept piling food into Chu Lai’s bowl.

Chu Lai, uncomfortable with such enthusiasm, glanced helplessly at Cen Wei while still answering the grandmother’s questions.

“We met at a bar, then later at a barbecue stand…”

“We had a few drinks together.”

The old lady was surprised, and even Xuan Rongqing looked at Cen Wei.

Seeing that Chu Lai was at a loss over the crab in front of him, Cen Wei took it and began shelling it for him, casually replying with a hum.

Grandma asked, “Awei went out drinking? He’s terrible with alcohol.”

Xuan Rongqing nodded, “One drink during New Year’s and his face turns red.”

The Cen family’s meals were all prepared by professional chefs, and the dishes were as good as those in a five-star restaurant.

Though Chu Lai usually didn’t care much about food, he did appreciate delicious meals. With the mindset of enjoying what he could, it felt almost like a vacation.

He nodded in agreement, “Yeah, he’s terrible with alcohol. He was out of it immediately.”

He recalled helping the drunken Cen Wei back home that night. The man was even heavier while drunk. Even with an elevator, it was tough getting him into his apartment, and the next day Chu Lai’s shoulders were sore. His coworkers even teased him, telling him to take it easy.

Chu Lai ignored them, thinking if it had been that kind of thing, he might have called in sick entirely.

Chu Lai wasn’t particularly fond of sex. Even watching adult films felt boring to him. Despite having a boyfriend, his life was more like that of a monk.

In contrast, Liu Yuan lived a vibrant life. When Chu Lai mentioned this to him, Liu Yuan blamed it on Shen Quanzhang’s poor skills, saying they needed more practice.

Chu Lai dismissed it immediately.

The delicate-looking man dug into some ice cream, his expression a mix of disdain, “What’s so great about it?”

“I’d rather be hugged.”

At the time, Liu Yuan thought Chu Lai’s preference was quite odd, as if being held was enough to bring him joy.

He even asked Chu Lai what kind of hug he needed and gave it a try, but Chu Lai remained expressionless. Liu Yuan couldn’t help but wonder if he was just as unresponsive in bed.

Having known each other for years, Liu Yuan had spent plenty of time with Chu Lai. He thought Chu Lai looked stunning when flushed, like a rose blooming in the snow, especially after physical exertion. But if he was so numb in bed…

Liu Yuan figured there were only two possibilities for Chu Lai’s partner: either they were exhausted or overly excited.

Back then, Liu Yuan had asked, “What if you break up because you’re incompatible in that area?”

Chu Lai responded, “Then so be it.”

But he never considered finding another. It just seemed like too much of a hassle.

Even paid cuddles were expensive, which would affect Chu Lai’s plans to buy a house.

Liu Yuan shook his head, “But you’re addicted. What if you have withdrawal?”

Sure enough, a week after his breakup, Chu Lai felt the craving. He tried hugging his dog to sleep, but it just wasn’t the same.

That night at the bar with Liu Yuan, he was trying to alleviate this craving. When he received Cen Wei’s message, his first thought was of the feeling of helping him up the stairs.

Cen Wei was tall and handsome, a full size bigger than Chu Lai. Dragging him home felt like when young Chu Lai had received the biggest teddy bear from his father. Dragging it to his room and falling into it brought him so much joy he couldn’t sleep.

– 

Cen Wei knew his tolerance for alcohol wasn’t great. Even abroad, he rarely drank. As a business owner, he had a secretary and partners to handle the heavy drinking. Though he’d been drunk before, it was always controlled, with someone sending him home.

That night, it was purely a mix of emotional overwhelm and extreme fatigue that caused trouble for a stranger.

The old lady looked at the two of them across the table as Cen Wei sighed. He pushed the peeled crab meat toward Chu Lai, saying, “I’m really sorry for that night.”

Grandma asked curiously, “Did you two end up sleeping together because of the drinking? Was it love at first sight?”

Her meaning was clear. Chu Lai was stunned, and he looked over at Cen Wei.

The man, now in a thin sweater after removing his coat, called out to his grandmother, “You don’t need to talk about such private matters in so much detail, do you?”

Chu Lai thought to himself: You’re making it sound like we definitely had a one-night stand.

Even Xuan Rongqing was surprised, “So at that time you two were…”

Cen Wei cut her off, “It was that night.”

Xuan Rongqing had been following Shen Ke’s social media. Two weeks ago, Shen Ke had posted pictures with his new boyfriend, and the two seemed very close, even wearing wedding rings.

She also recognized the other man—it was Yuan Chen, Cen Wei’s childhood friend, who had grown up in the same neighborhood!

Young people these days had such messy love lives. Still, she didn’t want to ask her son, who’d been cheated on by his childhood friend.

Cen Wei hadn’t mentioned it either, but last week, at a gathering, one of the other mothers had gently hinted to Xuan Rongqing that her son had been betrayed.

Xuan Rongqing’s emotions were complicated. She had once feared that after this, Cen Wei might even lose the will to live, especially after his grandfather pressured him with the idea of settling down by thirty.

But when the old man chose conservative treatment, all that was left was to count the days, and Xuan Rongqing couldn’t argue against that.

Yet, unexpectedly, Cen Wei agreed to it.

Maybe it was Xuan Rongqing’s complicated expression, but Cen Wei smiled and said, “Mom, don’t overthink it. It’s no big deal.”

He asked Chu Lai what he wanted to drink. When Chu Lai chose coconut juice, he opened it and poured it for him. His attentive manner made it seem like they weren’t newlyweds at all but had been married for a long time.

Chu Lai didn’t say thank you, just hummed in acknowledgment. “That night, I caught my ex-boyfriend cheating.”

Xuan Rongqing was shocked, “What?”

The old lady was equally surprised, but the young man across from them spoke in a calm tone, adding, “Cen Wei and I were seated at the next table, and we both got dumped, so…”

He glanced at Cen Wei, and when he smiled, his eyes and lips subtly curved upward, “We drowned our sorrows with alcohol, and then I took him home.”

At that moment, Cen Wei’s grandfather was wheeled over to the dining table by the housekeeper, just in time to hear this sentence.

He looked at Chu Lai for a long while, so long that Cen Wei coughed.

Chu Lai, feeling a bit creeped out by the unfamiliar old man’s gaze, was about to say something when the elderly voice asked—

“Is my grandson… up to the task?”

Chu Lai couldn’t help but let out a heavy “Ah?!” He stared at Cen Wei, his eyes full of confusion and shock.

He thought: Could it be that this man’s not actually cold? Could he be…?

His expression was so transparent that after just one second of eye contact, Cen Wei immediately understood.

“I…”

The old man interrupted, “You shut up. Let him answer.”

But Chu Lai seemed to have confirmed something, and from Cen Wei’s perspective, he visibly brightened up.

Cen Wei thought: What’s there to be so happy about?!