16. Chinese New Year Celebration

The two of them returned home, where preparations for Chinese New Year were already underway. On the table, there were big red couplets and the character “福” (meaning “luck”). Nearby, dried goods and fruits were still in their packaging.

Upon seeing the two, Mother Zuo first asked Cheng Shu how he enjoyed his time, and after receiving his positive response, she shifted her attention to her son.

Mother Zuo instructed, “You’ve been specifically awaited to help put up the couplets, so put your things down quickly and help.”

Zuo Jiayi readily agreed, “I’m here!”

He first helped put up the couplets, and then voluntarily came to the table to arrange the dried goods and fruits.

Cheng Shu also joined him, and while arranging, he fed Zuo Jiayi a longan. Before he could react, it was already in his mouth.

Turning his head to look at him, Zuo Jiayi smiled and asked, “Is it sweet?”

After swallowing the fresh and juicy fruit, Cheng Shu nodded, “Yes, it’s sweet.”

Zuo Jiayi looked at him expectantly, “I want to taste it too.”

Cheng Shu understood what he meant, he was asking to be fed by Cheng Shu. A smile involuntarily curved his lips as he selected a big one and peeled it for Zuo Jiayi.

Seeing the two of them being so affectionate, the others didn’t disturb them. Although Cheng Shu felt a bit embarrassed at dinner, facing his sister-in-law’s playful gaze.

With everything prepared and the festive atmosphere in full swing, Chinese New Year’s Eve arrived.

Early in the morning, the family began preparing the New Year’s Eve dinner.

They worked hard all day, and by the time it was getting dark, everything was ready. A variety of dishes were laid out on the table, and several people gathered around. The laughter from the television added to the New Year’s Eve festivities.

Just as they started eating, Cheng Shu’s phone suddenly rang.

Cheng Shu checked and saw it was a video call from his family.

Zuo Jiayi came over, “Who is it?”

Cheng Shu replied, “It’s my parents.”

As soon as they heard this, everyone at the table became alert.

Mother Zuo sounded somewhat excited, “Xiaoshu, answer it quickly. Let both our families chat together.”

Cheng Shu agreed and answered the video call.

“Brother! Have you started eating?”

As soon as the video call connected, Cheng Shu’s sister’s voice came through. She leaned in front of the camera, so her face filled the screen.

Seemingly realizing that this wasn’t very presentable, she slowly sat back and pretended to adjust her hair.

Cheng Shu replied, “We were just about to start.”

Once he moved a bit further from the screen, Cheng Shu’s parents appeared. After briefly asking their son a couple of questions, they got to the main point, asking if they wanted to have dinner together via video call.

Cheng Shu looked at the Left family members around him, and everyone nodded. Mother Zuo even said directly, “Oh, we’re all family. Let’s eat together!”

So, the two families had their New Year’s Eve dinner together through a video call. During this time, they found the smartphone’s screen to be too small, so they switched to using a tablet.

As they chatted and became more familiar, both sides grew more satisfied, and even after finishing their meal, they didn’t want to end the conversation.

So, Zuo Jiayi and Cheng Shu took it upon themselves to clean up.

While washing the dishes, Zuo Jiayi chatted with Cheng Shu, “Chengcheng, do you think our parents, seeing how harmonious they are together, will plan our wedding for us when we go out later?”

“Uh…” Cheng Shu pondered for a moment, “It’s possible.”

“What about you?” Zuo Jiayi asked.

Zuo Jiayi hadn’t caught on and asked in a daze, “What?”

“Our wedding! Does Chengcheng have any ideas?”

“So soon…”

“Early preparation~”

“I haven’t thought about it yet. Let’s think about it a little every day in the future.”

“Great! You’re in charge of thinking, and I’m in charge of implementation!”

Cheng Shu’s smile had never left his face since earlier, and seeing Zuo Jiayi so excited made his heart even sweeter. He couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“Alright, I’m counting on my boyfriend then.”

After they finished washing the dishes, it was getting late.

In the living room, only Father Zuo and Mother Zuo were watching the Spring Festival Gala on TV, and the tablet beside them was still lit. Cheng Shu’s sister had also gone offline, leaving only two pairs of parents casually chatting while watching TV.

Their family didn’t have the tradition of staying up late on New Year’s Eve, and nowadays, fireworks were not allowed in the city. After dinner, everyone went to rest as needed.

Zuo Jiayi held Cheng Shu’s hand and led him upstairs. “Before, during every New Year’s Eve, my parents and my brother’s family were always sweet, and I felt sour wherever I went. But now that I have you, I can be sweet too.”

Cheng Shu couldn’t help but smile at this. “Is it that easy to be sweet?”

Zuo Jiayi explained, “It wasn’t as easy before, but after falling in love with you, it’s easy to be sweet.”

“Why?” Cheng Shu asked.

“Because before, it was just simple sweetness, but after falling in love with you, it’s targeted sweetness. When I see others being sweet, I think of you.”

Suddenly, Cheng Shu remembered what he had posted on the forum. “So, when you confessed to me when you were drunk, was it for the same reason?”

Zuo Jiayi also remembered. “Yes, when I saw others being sweet, I thought of you.”

While Cheng Shu didn’t pay much attention to whether others were being sweet or not, his words made Cheng Shu feel so happy that he couldn’t help but respond, “Then you won’t need to feel sour anymore in the future, because I’ll always be there.”

Hearing Cheng Shu casually utter a lifelong promise, Zuo Jiayi couldn’t help but kiss him on the cheek and said, “Good, let’s always be together!”

After going upstairs, Cheng Shu took a shower first. When he came out, his whole body was emitting warmth, and he was wearing a soft and huggable pajama with bunny ears, making him look very cuddly.

Zuo Jiayi thought so and acted accordingly. However, before he could hold Cheng Shu, he was stopped, “Let’s take a shower first.”

Alright, they would shower first and then cuddle.

After a quick shower in just a few minutes, Zuo Jiayi entered the room and witnessed an incredibly arousing scene—

Cheng Shu, who had been tightly wrapped in a robe with bunny ears, had now unbuttoned both the top and bottom parts of it.

Not only could he see his fair and slender thighs, but he could also see his delicate collarbone. The bunny ears hung crookedly behind him, turning their typically cute decoration into something seductive.

Zuo Jiayi froze in place, using every ounce of self-control not to pounce on him.

He tried his best to keep his voice as calm as usual but failed to hide the hoarseness, “Why aren’t you dressed properly? What if you catch a cold later?”

Cheng Shu tilted his head and replied, “We have air conditioning; it won’t be cold.”

After saying this, he patted the space next to him, inviting Zuo Jiayi over.

Zuo Jiayi walked over with great difficulty, wanting to help him adjust his clothing properly. But as he reached out, his hand was grabbed by the person in front of him.

Zuo Jiayi struggled to keep his gaze from wandering, “What’s wrong?”

“Today is New Year’s Eve,” Cheng Shu’s soft breath brushed against his neck, “Tomorrow is the start of a new year.”

“Yeah?”

“So… can we progress a bit faster this time?”

When warmth and softness invite you, who could resist? Who could resist? No, he couldn’t resist!

When emotions were running high, Zuo Jiayi took a deep breath and reached for a condom, but his movements were stopped again.

Cheng Shu said with a soft, flirtatious voice, “I don’t want to use it this time…”

Zuo Jiayi took a deep breath, his voice already hoarse beyond recognition, “Is that okay?”

Cheng Shu looked at him with a seductive gaze and answered through actions…

When Cheng Shu woke up again, it was already broad daylight.

Turning his head, he saw the person next to him, cuddling his waist and sleeping soundly, with a smile on his face, as if he had dreamt of something delightful.

Cheng Shu moved slowly, reached for his phone to check the time, and realized it was not early anymore. Zuo Jiayi also woke up groggily, cuddling him tightly and wanting to go back to sleep.

Cheng Shu softly called out to him, “It’s time to get up.”

Zuo Jiayi mumbled in response, “No, this morning is our family’s time to be lazy.”

Cheng Shu was puzzled, “There’s such a time?”

“Yes, there is… I’m not lying, do you want to be lazy with me for a while longer?”

Cheng Shu, although a bit puzzled, knew that he wouldn’t deceive him. He hadn’t planned to go back to sleep, but the warmth of the blankets and the comfort of having his boyfriend beside him made him doze off again.

Besides, he was truly exhausted from last night. Before losing consciousness, he had been half-awake and had thought, “No wonder someone dared to stay up so late.”

The two of them didn’t go downstairs until almost noon, and surprisingly, there was no one downstairs. They waited for a while, and the others gradually came down.

Mother Zuo saw the two of them and asked, “So early? Did you sleep well, Shu? Jiayi, did you bully Shu by not waking him up?”

Zuo Jiayi quickly denied, “I woke him up, Mom, don’t worry.”

Although he had indeed vigorously “bullied” Cheng Shu last night, he had also made sure his wife slept well.

After lunch, relatives began to arrive one after another. The family warmly welcomed them and formally introduced Cheng Shu to their relatives.

Cheng Shu was initially nervous, but the Zuo family’s relatives were all very friendly, and he gradually relaxed.

In the evening, as people arrived one after another, they began playing cards and chatting. They had initially wanted to invite Zuo Jiayi and Cheng Shu to join them, but Zuo Jiayi secretly took Cheng Shu and slipped away.

Cheng Shu allowed himself to be led, asking, “Where are you taking me?”

Zuo Jiayi had a mysterious look on his face. “You’ll know when we get there.”

After walking for a while, they arrived at an open space. Zuo Jiayi manipulated his phone in some way, and gradually, the sound of machinery working filled the surroundings, followed by snowflakes gently falling.

Zuo Jiayi held Cheng Shu’s hand and smoothly went down on one knee. With his other hand, he took out a box, revealing a ring inside.

“Cheng Cheng, do you want it?”

Cheng Shu had already regained his composure and smiled. “I thought you were going to propose to me.”

Zuo Jiayi smiled as he placed the ring on Cheng Shu’s ring finger.

Cheng Shu looked at the ring on his hand and pulled him up. “Is this a couple’s ring?”

Zuo Jiayi stood up, holding Cheng Shu’s hands and rubbing his head against his. “Yes, I rushed out and only brought yours. You can help me put it on later when we go back.”

Cheng Shu smiled with narrowed eyes and allowed him to hold him. “You haven’t answered my question yet.”

Zuo Jiayi pinched his hand. “Isn’t it because we’re short on time? I’ll carefully choose an engagement ring for you, one that’s unique and meaningful.”

Cheng Shu looked down at the ring on his hand, feeling a sense of happiness flooding his heart. “Alright, then I’ll wait for my future husband’s proposal.”

Cheng Shu suppressed the warmth in his heart and said, “Shall we go back now and put it on?”

Zuo Jiayi replied, “No hurry, it snowed earlier, unexpectedly there was no snow on New Year’s. I prepared some props, let’s watch a bit longer?”

Cheng Shu agreed, “Sure, we can take our time.”

Fulfilling your boyfriend’s little wishes was a must. After all, they had a lifetime ahead of them.

TN:

And we’re done~ It was a novel experience doing this kind of story. But quite enjoyable. I think I’ll do more short stories in the future.