The next day was overcast, and Chu Lai felt a bit cold when he woke up.

He hadn’t turned on his weekday alarm, and when he reached for his phone, he realized it was already close to 10 AM.

As he was changing his clothes, he heard the sound of the door opening and the click-clack of a dog’s paws on the floor.

Cen Wei had just returned from outside and greeted Chu Lai as he saw him walk out, “Awake?”

Chu Lai still looked groggy, “I’m almost late.”

Cen Wei said, “I’ll take you there.”

Chu Lai glanced at Da Cai, noticing that Cen Wei no longer seemed afraid of the dog. That morning, while walking the dog, Cen Wei had even bumped into some other dog owners in the neighborhood.

Dog owners always left an impression on each other. Even though Chu Lai usually didn’t stand out, whenever people saw Da Cai, they would always ask, “Where’s Da Cai’s dad?”

In just one morning, the neighborhood dog owners’ group had already updated its gossip.

The owner of the black Shiba Inu from a certain floor of the apartment had already gotten married.

Cen Wei had earned a new title: “Little Dad of Da Cai.”

Many people in the neighborhood worked for nearby companies, so there weren’t many people walking their dogs in the morning. After buying breakfast downstairs, Cen Wei let the dog play with some friends for a while and even chatted with a few neighbors.

The owner of the Greyhound, whom they had met while walking the dog last night, was also there. The girl was walking her dog with her boyfriend and seemed quite curious about Cen Wei’s identity, stealing several glances at him.

Cen Wei naturally drew attention with his striking appearance—tall, wearing a trench coat that made his legs look even longer, and having a noble aura about him. Even people handing out flyers on the street would skip over him.

They probably thought that someone like him wouldn’t need to go to a public swimming pool or gym.

Noticing the glances, Cen Wei asked, “Is something wrong?”

The girl was embarrassed to say, so her boyfriend glanced at Da Cai, who was playing with their dog, and hesitantly asked, “Are you and Mr. Chu married?”

Cen Wei was a bit surprised. Although he hadn’t known Chu Lai for long, he knew that Chu Lai didn’t like talking to people too much, let alone sharing personal information.

He asked, “Have you guys talked often before?”

There was a café downstairs in the complex. While sitting outside and chatting with the couple, Cen Wei learned that they were the ones who had recommended the place to Chu Lai when he was looking for an apartment.

The guy had Chu Lai and Shen Quanzhang’s WeChat and had once scrolled past a picture of Chu Lai’s marriage certificate but didn’t look too closely. He had assumed that Chu Lai had married Shen Quanzhang.

It wasn’t until his girlfriend pointed it out that he looked again and realized the spouse wasn’t Shen Quanzhang.

But Shen Quanzhang’s social media gave no indication of a breakup; everything seemed peaceful.

People like to gossip. With the people involved right in front of them, curiosity got the better of them, and they asked a few more questions.

Same-sex couples weren’t exactly new anymore. The guy had seen Chu Lai and Shen Quanzhang together a few times before. Last year, Shen Quanzhang hadn’t even graduated yet—he was still a student.

But the Mr. Cen sitting in front of them now was completely different from Shen Quanzhang.

At first, the guy had been skeptical of his girlfriend’s glowing praise, but seeing him in person, he realized she had actually been too modest.

This guy was the type of person who would be hard to approach in everyday life.

The guy briefly mentioned his interactions with Chu Lai. Walking a dog only took about twenty minutes, so the conversation was a bit awkward, especially when discussing an ex in front of the current partner.

Cen Wei, however, was curious about Chu Lai’s past and asked a few more questions.

He learned that when Chu Lai had been looking for an apartment, Shen Quanzhang had been with him. So, he asked, “When he said he was moving, you didn’t know they had broken up?”

The couple shook their heads.

They weren’t that close. When Chu Lai participated in dog-walking activities, he mostly kept to himself. He always seemed so quiet, and sitting alone gave off a vibe that made people hesitant to bother him. But dog owners are usually chatty, so over time, they picked up a bit of information.

After chatting for a bit longer, the girl couldn’t resist asking, “Did you and Mr. Chu have a flash marriage?”

Cen Wei responded with a hum.

At this moment, Da Cai ran over to his feet. Cen Wei took out a pet water bottle and gave it a drink.

His movements were meticulous, and there was no sign of the fear he had once shown toward dogs.

Some of the other dog owners were getting ready to leave, and just like with children, dog owners often referred to themselves as “mom” and “dad.”

The girl started chatting with her boyfriend again, sharing some gossip about a couple in the building next door who had broken up, and one of them had come back in the middle of the night to steal their dog.

Unable to help himself, Cen Wei asked, “So after a breakup, does the dog still go with the ex?”

He had no memory of what Chu Lai’s ex looked like, only recalling how furious the guy had been that day.

Chu Lai rarely talked about his ex, and the dog couldn’t speak, so it was hard to gauge how their relationship had been.

Although Chu Lai’s only complaint about his ex was that he didn’t like hugs, Cen Wei had heard more from Jiang Liyong about complaints from Chu Lai’s friends.

Of course, he hadn’t looked too deeply into how Jiang Liyong had gotten so familiar with Chu Lai’s friends.

Chu Lai seemed so independent, and it appeared that the dog was his main connection to the social world. Even though their marriage was just an agreement, Cen Wei didn’t want to see him get hurt again.

His question was serious, and the girl answered, “Not necessarily.”

She looked at her boyfriend, “If we broke up and he came to take the dog in the middle of the night, my silly dog might think it’s just going out to play.”

Maybe the pointed nature of his question made the girl ask, “Are you worried that Mr. Chu’s ex will come and take Da Cai?”

It wasn’t that he was worried about that, but he didn’t know how to explain.

The guy chimed in, “That’s unlikely. From what I heard, Mr. Chu bought Da Cai himself and raised it on his own.”

The girl nodded enthusiastically, “Dogs are biased. They know who treats them better.”

The man in front of them was truly a sight to behold. The girl thought back to Chu Lai’s ex and imagined how different it must feel to stand next to someone like Mr. Cen.

She remembered how Shen Quanzhang treated the dog back when they were all living in the same complex—he seemed impatient even when giving it water.

Now, as Da Cai finished drinking and lay down at Cen Wei’s feet, the girl remarked, “Mr. Chu’s ex didn’t seem to like dogs very much, so you don’t need to worry.”

No matter how he looked at it, the comment seemed like a comparison to the ex. Cen Wei knew they had misunderstood, but he didn’t explain.

He wasn’t exactly a pro at walking the dog either. Such a big guy being pulled along by a small Shiba Inu—it wasn’t quite embarrassing, but it certainly made him seem more approachable.

In the end, the couple watched as he walked back toward the apartment building with the dog in his arms. The guy couldn’t help but exclaim, “If I remember correctly, Mr. Chu dated for several years, right? Why did he suddenly have a flash marriage?”

The girl replied, “Isn’t it obvious that the current one is much higher quality?”

The guy said, “Isn’t judging by appearances a bit unfair?”

The girl said, “Look at how well he treats Da Cai! Even when his watch, worth millions, got chewed on, he wasn’t mad. If it were you, you’d explode.”

– 

Chu Lai got into Cen Wei’s car, holding a bag of toast that was still warm. He asked, “You bought this downstairs?”

Cen Wei responded with a hum.

Chu Lai slept well last night and nearly overslept. Since his hair couldn’t be saved, he opted to wear a hat.

The overcast early autumn day was even colder. He asked Cen Wei, “What time did you get up?”

“A little after 8,” said Cen Wei.

They hadn’t talked much last night, and Chu Lai had already forgotten most of it by the time he woke up.

He was busy this morning, needing to log in to several games on his phone. Then, as they passed a certain station, he opened his company’s app to clock in.

As the car waited at a red light, Cen Wei couldn’t help but glance over at him.

Curious, Chu Lai asked, “Does the big boss need to clock in too?”

“Still have to,” replied Cen Wei.

Lianxin Umbrellas was one of the top companies in the country. It wasn’t Chu Lai’s first choice, but someone like Cen Wei, who was heir to such a company, wasn’t someone you’d expect to meet so casually.

Chu Lai absentmindedly asked a couple of questions while focusing on his game. Meanwhile, as they neared Chu Lai’s office, Cen Wei’s phone was flooded with messages—mostly from work, with the rest being from family.

When he opened it, they had just arrived at Chu Lai’s office. As Chu Lai unbuckled his seatbelt, he overheard a voice message from Cen Jianzuan, sent to Cen Wei.

The old man’s voice had a hint of a cough in it, “Ah Wei, your wedding with Lai Lai, leave it to us adults to handle.”

This didn’t sound like a request for their opinion; it was more of an announcement.

And who’s an adult, really? Chu Lai thought to himself: We’re already grown up.

This was something Xuan Rongqing had mentioned last night, though Cen Wei hadn’t brought it up with Chu Lai yet. After the first voice message ended, another started playing, showing just how thoroughly the old man had planned everything out.

Cen Jianzuan: “I’m going to give you two a grand wedding.”

“Lai Lai is all alone out here, and if we don’t hold it soon, it’ll be even more awkward.”

“You punk, don’t think I didn’t hear about the rumors that you got cheated on. Old Master Yuan even called me to apologize.”

“The old guy pretended to apologize, but really, he was just mocking me.”

“I looked into it. Yuan Chen and your ex are planning to have a wedding abroad, and they haven’t even set a date for the one here yet. This time, our Cen family has to…”

The seatbelt automatically retracted, and Chu Lai’s mobile game was still on auto-battle mode. The car was parked on the side of the road, and across the street was a bus stop.

It was the morning rush hour, with traffic flowing endlessly, but inside the car, only the old man’s raspy laughter echoed.

For a moment, Cen Wei was at a loss for words and glanced at the young man in the passenger seat.

The young man, wearing a short jacket, had a takeout bag with toast hanging from his wrist and his phone clutched in his hand. Calmly, he met Cen Wei’s gaze and said, “I seem to remember that there wasn’t a wedding in the agreement, right?”

Chu Lai tilted his head slightly, “Is this an extra mission?”

Wearing glasses, his calm gaze behind the lenses, combined with his tone, had a surprising amount of pressure.

At the very least, Cen Wei felt a bit guilty. His grip on the steering wheel tightened slightly, and he apologized, “Sorry, I’ll decline it.”

The car’s air freshener gave off a faintly bitter scent, and there were no other decorations, making it seem like a new car—just like its owner’s minimalist style.

Chu Lai and Cen Wei were like a clash of maximalism and minimalism.

But in terms of emotions, Chu Lai was the true minimalist. His gaze landed on Cen Wei’s hand gripping the steering wheel, and he seemed to recall the strength of that hand on his back when he had been pulled into his embrace.

Chu Lai said, “I’m not angry.”

The corner of Cen Wei’s mouth twitched, thinking, If you’re not angry, then what is this?

Chu Lai continued, “After all, it’s your grandfather’s wish, so forget it.”

His phone had already clocked him in, so he wasn’t in a rush to head upstairs. He fully embraced the concept of flexible working hours.

“Just compensate me later.”

Cen Wei knew exactly what that compensation meant—it wasn’t money or material things, but rather physical.

In that moment, he felt a pang of sorrow, like he was selling his body. Jiang Liyong had once joked that if the Cen family ever went bankrupt, he could consider working in certain “service” industries.

Dr. Jiang wasn’t exactly a jinx, but in some ways, his words had come true.

For the sake of a marriage agreement, Cen Wei had sold himself. Not in that way, but it wasn’t far off.

He nodded, showing that he understood, and simply said, “Alright.”

Satisfied, Chu Lai got out of the car. He hadn’t gone more than a few steps when the man in the car got out and chased after him, handing him an umbrella.

“There’s rain in the forecast. You’ve got a bit of a walk to the subway after work,” Cen Wei said.

Of course, the heir to a parasol company had umbrellas in his car. Chu Lai nodded, “Thanks, you…”

Before he could finish, he was pulled into an embrace. The hug was brief, and as they separated, Cen Wei said, “I’ve got a dinner meeting tonight, so I probably won’t be back in time.”

“This is for today.”

With that, the man drove away, leaving Chu Lai standing there, stunned for a few seconds. It wasn’t until the rain started hitting his face that he snapped out of it.

He opened the umbrella, and the warm toast in the paper bag bumped against his chest with the movement, as if it was in sync with his heartbeat.

Chu Lai thought, This person is way too thoughtful.

Will I ever find another hug this satisfying?