Neither Chu Lai nor Cen Wei wanted to have a wedding, but since it was the elders’ wish, the decision was made. At most, Cen Wei could let Chu Lai have his way in some areas to make up for it.

Time passed quickly, and the elders of the Cen family continued to push forward with the preparations for their eldest grandson’s wedding.

Chu Lai couldn’t quite understand why, since everything was already settled, Grandma Hong was still going all out like this.

He forwarded the photo the old lady had sent him to Cen Wei: [Photo]

“Your grandma even matched our birth charts [sweat emoji].”

Chu Lai was slacking off at work and didn’t bother to check if Cen Wei had seen the message. He still had to reply to his “legal husband’s” 80-year-old grandma’s inquiries.

The relationship between Cen Wei’s grandparents was very strong, and ever since Chu Lai had met them, he was frequently invited to the Cen family’s house for meals. He was used to being a homebody and had his own ways of declining social activities, but these tactics didn’t work on the Cen family.

When Chu Lai said it was too far, Grandpa Cen immediately arranged a car to pick him up straight from his office. When he said he had to work late, they sent a high-end lunchbox directly to his company.

Xuan Rongqing, a flower arranger, would occasionally even send flowers to Chu Lai.

Chu Lai’s peaceful life as a corporate drone was completely disrupted.

Even though in his company most people had more of an online relationship, with everyone referring to each other by nicknames, the commotion didn’t go unnoticed.

The car that came to pick up Chu Lai was a stretched Lincoln that most people only ever saw in movies, and the lunchbox was from a place in S City that required a special reservation. Not to mention, the flowers from Xuan Rongqing were packaged with a logo that even regular people who were getting married couldn’t easily book.

As a result, the gossip about an employee from a certain department “marrying into wealth” quickly spread from small groups to the entire floor. Even though Chu Lai’s real name wasn’t exposed, he was mentally prepared for the stares every time he went to the cafeteria.

Those who didn’t know him well wouldn’t bother him much, but they might sneak a glance at his ID badge. Those who had interacted with him wanted to ask a few questions. However, Chu Lai’s expression screamed, “Do not disturb”—no matter how pleasant his voice was, it was clear from his tone that people should leave him alone. So, curious colleagues could only ask his teammates during team-building events.

“Is it true your team leader married into a wealthy family?”

“He’s been so low-key, though. That car, those lunchboxes, the flowers… Even if you sold me, I couldn’t afford it.”

“So it’s him? I remember there was a long debate in the group chat about someone on the 17th floor. Turns out I couldn’t even match the face.”

“If it’s him, then it makes sense. He rarely participates in any events except for the annual party, and only because there’s a lottery. He’s very much a homebody.”

“I heard he’d been dating a classmate for years. How did it suddenly become so high-profile?”

“Could this be one of those stories where the poor boyfriend suddenly turns into a rich heir overnight?”

…

Chu Lai was despairing over this world of gossip. In the past, he might have found it amusing, but now that the gossip involved him, his feelings were rather mixed.

While he maintained a polite attitude toward Grandma Hong, who had a huge red-flower profile picture, he vented his frustrations to Cen Wei by spamming him with dog-themed angry emojis.

Meanwhile, Cen Wei had just entered the meeting room, waiting for the new selection of umbrella handle materials to be presented. As soon as the person in charge opened the PPT, his boss’s phone, forgotten in silent mode on the table, started vibrating like crazy.

Just as the phone was about to vibrate off the edge of the table, Cen Wei quickly caught it.

Secretary Zhong could easily guess who was sending all those messages—none other than Mr. Chu, his boss’s newly married spouse.

Lately, the entire company had been aware that their boss, Cen, was in the middle of wedding preparations.

Despite the impending wedding, Cen Wei remained focused on work, constantly working overtime, which made the staff worry that the company might not even grant him a honeymoon.

“If even the boss is working like this during his wedding, what hope do we have as regular employees? Is he going to review design drafts on his wedding night?”

Cen Wei muted the phone, signaled the presenter to continue, and opened Chu Lai’s messages. Seeing the birth chart compatibility diagram sent by his grandma almost made him laugh out loud.

Now, he truly understood how his family viewed marriage. What era was this? Even though they were a gay couple, they still had to deal with auspicious dates and birth charts.

He replied:

“What if the charts don’t match?”

Chu Lai replied instantly:

“Your grandma will make them match, even if they don’t, until they’re a perfect celestial union.”

He forwarded the chat with his grandma to show how she had said exactly that. She even added a flowering prosperity emoji at the end.

Even though Chu Lai seemed annoyed by it all, his messages were filled with those cheesy emojis only middle-aged people would use, showing that while he complained, he was still dutifully playing along as the straight man in this comedy act. This had Cen Wei smiling the entire time.

Shen Yangxu, sitting nearby, was stunned. Just a while ago, people had speculated that Cen Wei’s flash marriage was just for show, like renting a boyfriend to bring home for the holidays. But now, it was clear that wasn’t the case.

Who wouldn’t think this was a couple in love?

This whole birth chart ordeal seemed to have truly exasperated Chu Lai, and he couldn’t help but complain to Cen Wei:

“Next time your grandpa invites me over for dinner, can you come with me?”

[Now everyone at work is saying I’ve married into wealth, all because of that obnoxious stretched Lincoln your grandpa sent.]

[Didn’t you say your family is a low-key, hundred-year-old enterprise? This isn’t exactly low-key.]

[Also, can you tell your grandma to stop ordering such expensive lunch boxes? The cafeteria here is free, and I feel like I’m losing out.]

Cen Wei guessed Chu Lai was replying through his computer; otherwise, the typing speed was simply too fast to believe.

He was aware of the car situation with his grandpa’s driver and replied:

“I already told him.”

[The car is second-hand, not as expensive as you think, and we hardly ever use it.]

Chu Lai sent back an eye-roll emoji.

Sensing his annoyance, Cen Wei apologized:

“Sorry, I’ll make sure my grandparents bother you less.”

But Chu Lai didn’t reply. During the meeting, Cen Wei kept glancing at his phone, waiting for a response.

Even though he seemed distracted, he still managed to listen to the new material proposals and give feedback.

After the meeting, Shen Yangxu stood by him and remarked, “The person in charge looked terrified by your expression. Could you not bring your personal feelings into work?”

Shen Yangxu was close enough to joke about it, and surprised, Cen Wei asked, “Was I that scary?”

Shen Yangxu pulled Secretary Zhong over, “What do you think, Xiao Zhong?”

Secretary Zhong hesitated but eventually nodded.

Shen Yangxu sighed, “People might think you just got scolded by your wife.”

The comment hit the mark, though it felt a bit off. After all, even though Chu Lai was technically his “wife” now, he wasn’t exactly that kind of wife.

Cen Wei’s expression turned a bit strange. “What do you mean by being scolded by your wife?”

Shen Yangxu explained, “When my wife scolds me, I look just like that. She’ll even block me sometimes. Ugh, it’s heartbreaking.”

At thirty, Shen Yangxu, with two kids, was considered middle-aged in the eyes of younger colleagues, though he was still much younger than the higher-ups at Lianxin. Despite his achievements, his childish antics remained.

Feeling a bit exasperated, Cen Wei took a step back, distancing himself slightly from Shen Yangxu.

Still no reply from Chu Lai.

Shen Yangxu asked, “Did you upset your partner?”

Cen Wei shook his head, then after a moment, nodded, “It’s just that my grandparents keep inviting him to dinner.”

Shen Yangxu, aware that Cen Wei was in the middle of wedding preparations, thought back to his own experience of being overwhelmed during his wedding. He found it a bit unfair that Cen Wei still seemed to double down on work, and grumbled, “None of us have had dinner with your fiancé yet. You’re hiding him too well.”

The only time Shen Yangxu had seen Chu Lai was the day they registered their marriage. Every time he brought it up, Cen Wei would promise, “Next time.” Shen Yangxu suspected the “next time” might end up being the wedding itself.

Sure enough, the next words out of Cen Wei’s mouth were, “Next time.”

Shen Yangxu continued, “Haven’t you set the wedding date? Are you going to take wedding photos? Where’s the reception? You’re the only grandson in your family; it’s going to be a big deal, right?”

Secretary Zhong, standing nearby, felt like Director Shen’s words were a subtle jab at their boss, but he had no evidence.

“I don’t know,” replied Cen Wei.

Neither he nor Chu Lai, the actual people getting married, seemed particularly concerned. Shen Yangxu was momentarily at a loss for words, “You’re way too irresponsible. When I got married, I personally packed all the wedding candies, and you even praised my wedding favors for being unique.”

“I did?” asked Cen Wei, genuinely confused.

Shen Yangxu replied, “It’s nice that your family’s handling things for you. My mother-in-law was a nightmare.”

Even though Cen Wei didn’t have to deal with a mother-in-law, his mind was preoccupied with Chu Lai not responding. He hurried back to his office and called his mother, Xuan Rongqing.

She was still picking out flowers for the wedding bouquet when she answered in surprise, “Ah Wei, what’s the matter?”

“Mom, has Grandpa been asking Chu Lai over for dinner again?”

Cen Jianzuan’s health wasn’t great, and while he was recovering at home, he couldn’t eat much. The conservative treatment also hinted that he didn’t have much time left. His biggest wish was to see Cen Wei get married.

The wedding was scheduled for New Year’s Day, and with the Spring Festival falling at the end of January next year, he hoped to spend the New Year with Chu Lai.

It was a beautiful thought, but the old couple loved a lively atmosphere. Knowing that Chu Lai ate at the company cafeteria every day, they practically wished he would come home for lunch as well.

Chu Lai didn’t complain about it much, only occasionally bringing it up when Cen Wei would come over for a hug.

Today, though, he seemed to have hit his breaking point, likely after hearing some gossip from his colleagues.

Xuan Rongqing replied, “Lai Lai was just over for dinner last week. He mentioned that Grandpa’s car was too flashy, so we had the driver switch to a cheaper one.”

She then added, with a hint of complaint, “It’s always Lai Lai coming over to keep us company. What about you? I know you’re busy with work trips, but isn’t it hard to come home for a meal after returning?”

And she didn’t stop there. “After you and Lai Lai get married, why don’t you both come home to stay every weekend? It was Grandpa’s suggestion, but I’d like to spend more time with you two as well.”

A chill ran down Cen Wei’s spine. With over a month left until the wedding, he was already feeling the immense pressure of married life.

If this was tough for him, Chu Lai, who just wanted a simple life as a regular office worker, must be even more miserable.

Thinking it over, he decided to call Chu Lai, hurriedly saying goodbye to his mom before hanging up.

It was already after 5 PM. Chu Lai usually got off work at 7 PM, so when Cen Wei called, no one answered at first.

About half an hour later, Chu Lai called back.

On the other end of the line, his voice was lazy, “What’s up? I was just interviewing interns.”

Cen Wei asked casually, “Interviews in the afternoon?”

Chu Lai replied, “It was for some overseas interns. I was just there to make up the numbers. The main focus was the game architect from the other team.”

It seemed like he had returned to his workstation, as the sound of a cup lid clicking into place could be heard in the background.

“I thought you were upset,” said Cen Wei.

Standing in his office, watching the sun set and the streetlights flicker on as the workday came to an end, the rush-hour traffic moving along in the twilight, he suddenly felt a longing to go home.

But before he could figure out which home he was referring to, Chu Lai responded, “I wasn’t mad. I was just complaining a little. Don’t take it too seriously.”

Feeling odd sitting there and talking on the phone, Chu Lai moved to a different spot. As he passed by some colleagues, they shot him knowing glances, their lips clearly mouthing, “Your hubby?”

The young man nodded calmly.

Cen Wei said, “So you’ve been having dinner with my grandpa all last week. Sorry about that, I should’ve…”

Chu Lai’s company was quite far from his.

It was only recently that he realized his ex, Shen Quanzhang, worked at the same company as Cen Wei. He vaguely remembered Shen mentioning it during his interview, but Chu Lai had brushed it off at the time since he was more focused on taking Da Cai for a walk.

Shen didn’t bring it up much either, and toward the end of their relationship, they were pretty much living separate lives.

Other than splitting the rent, which was hard to manage evenly, Shen, who had just graduated, often claimed he needed to send money back to his family. When Chu Lai blocked Shen after their breakup, he hadn’t even considered asking for the money back.

It was twilight now, and from where Chu Lai stood, he could barely make out a star-shaped building near Cen Wei’s office park. The structure was angular and sharp, just visible in the distance. It seemed close, but in reality, it was several subway stops away.

Still, hearing his voice on the phone from such a distance felt oddly magical.

Chu Lai said, “It’s no big deal. Later, you can…”

Before he could finish, his phone buzzed with another call—it was from his landlord.

Chu Lai quickly told Cen Wei to hold on and answered the landlord’s call. It turned out that the landlord needed to take the apartment back early for his daughter’s wedding.

After finishing the call, Chu Lai called Cen Wei back, staring at the bell pepper emoji next to his name as the call connected.

Cen Wei had remained standing by the window.

When he wasn’t traveling for work, he would usually drive over to see Chu Lai after work. While it wasn’t exactly a long-distance relationship, it still involved a drive of about ten kilometers.

It had been exactly one month since they met. From getting their marriage certificate to preparing for the wedding, everything had moved at lightning speed.

He was already getting used to this way of life.

Sometimes, even after working late, he would drive over to Chu Lai’s place to fulfill his promise. If it was too late, he’d simply stay over, and they’d head to work separately the next day.

“Mr. Cen.”

After Chu Lai spoke, he sighed, which made Cen Wei laugh. “What’s wrong? Need extra hugs today?”

From the other end, Chu Lai replied, “No.”

“My landlord is taking the apartment back early to use it as a wedding house for his daughter.”

“I have to move out by the end of the week.”

Before Chu Lai could ask for extra compensation, Cen Wei’s voice came through the phone, crashing into his ears—

“Then move in with me.”