Chapter 06.1: “Is It Too Late to Cancel the Wedding Now?”

Jiang Yao couldn’t remember when Duan Zhuxian’s cold and mean mouth had become so humorous.

He lowered his eyebrows, and stared at Duan Zhuxian’s face fiercely, trying to find a flaw.

But in those deep eyes, there was only the usual calm, as if he were detached from it all.

Truly worthy of being his arch-enemy for so many years, not even willing to join forces with him on something as outrageous as sharing a household registration!

Before He Lu spoke those words, he had naively hoped that Duan Zhuxian would come to an agreement with him to find a way to call off the marriage alliance.

When he felt irritated, Jiang Yao loved to fiddle with his cigarette case. He reached into his pocket and rummaged around but couldn’t find it.

He patted his trouser pocket and muttered, “What a bad luck,” when suddenly the sound of tapping on a paper box rang out beside his ear.

The next second, a cigarette was pressed to his lips.

It turned out to be the custom-made brand he often smoked, unlike the usual cigarettes that are harsh and have an unpleasant smell. And it was difficult to buy it domestically.

The subtle tobacco scent tickled his heart, and in the end, he did not reject it. With slightly parted lips, he put the cigarette in his mouth.

Duan Zhuxian raised his hand to shield the wind at Jiang Yao’s lips, while his other hand flipped open the lighter lid. He flicked the flint wheel with his thumb, and with a click, a pale blue spark emerged.

For the few minutes after the cigarette was lit, Duan Zhuxian did not leave, standing silently beside him, as if waiting for a response.

There was an annoying sense of calm, as if everything was under control.

Jiang Yao was displeased but too lazy to chase him away, inhaling the smoke deeply and shallowly, the orange glow between his fingers flickering rhythmlessly.

When he went to tap the ash into the trash can, through the gaps in the bamboo curtain not far away, Jiang Yao vaguely saw his father serving tea to Duan Song, who patted his father’s shoulder, the two looking like good brothers…

This marriage alliance was agreed by himself; not only did his parents not force him, but they also advised him to think it over.

As for marriage alliance, he could back out, but if he were to walk away now, he would be pleased, but he would offend the Duan family. As for Jiang Li, it would be adding insult to injury, and moreover, finding another backer to stabilize the other shareholders in a short time would be difficult.

He should be more mature, he was twenty-six, not sixteen, and at least he couldn’t let a certain Duan be better than him.

On the distant horizon, the melting sunset gradually cooled and sank.

Jiang Yao exhaled a cloud of smoke slowly, and suddenly felt an eerie calm after the storm, leaving behind the mess that couldn’t be cleaned up, but no longer stirring up the desire to fight.

“Have you calmed down?” Duan Zhuxian asked him.

Jiang Yao pinched out the cigarette, and spoke in a twisted tone, “Let’s get this straight, we’re only cooperating in this regard, as for anything more excessive, don’t even think about it.”

“More excessive?” Duan Zhuxian’s tone softened slightly, as if playing with these words, “What more excessive things could there be between us?”

Jiang Yao was intending to cancel out their past grudges.

He knew Duan Zhuxian understood what he meant and was deliberately using his words to tease him.

He rolled his eyes, not wanting to deal with Duan Zhuxian.

“Since we’re going to cooperate in the future, we can’t not even have each other’s WeChat, right?”

Duan Zhuxian took out his phone and waved it in front of Jiang Yao.

Jiang Yao paused for a moment, then said “Oh,” took out his phone, and headed straight for the blacklist.

Duan Zhuxian slightly lowered his head, his gaze following Jiang Yao’s cold, white, and slender fingertips to the screen.

In Jiang Yao’s blacklist, there was only one person—him.

Duan Zhuxian raised an eyebrow slightly and asked: “Am I the only one you’ve ever blocked?”

Jiang Yao looked down at his phone and hummed, “Yes, I’ve arranged a luxurious single cell for Mr. Duan. No need to thank me, it’s what you deserve.”

A sudden laughter hit his eardrums without warning, with a magnetic texture.

Jiang Yao’s thumb, which was operating the screen, paused: “What are you laughing at?”

Duan Zhuxian said, “I didn’t realize I was so special to you.”

Jiang Yao lifted his eyelids and glared at him: “Say one more word and I won’t let you out.”

Duan Zhuxian tilted his chin up, signaling Jiang Yao to continue, then his expression returned to its inscrutable state.

Jiang Yao irritably clicked on Duan Zhuxian’s years-unchanged snow globe avatar and turned off the “Add to Blacklist” button.

Duan Zhuxian’s WeChat was finally released from its sentence.

The sentence was seven years and nine months.

*

In fact, on that terrible snowy night in senior year, after they parted ways at the entrance of the small grocery store outside the school, Jiang Yao did not immediately block Duan Zhuxian on WeChat.

After all, they had been rivals for so long, creating countless memories. Once his emotions settled, it was hard to let go.

Such complex feelings persisted until the first Christmas after the college entrance exam when he went to Q University to find Shen Tang.

That day, he sat in the campus restaurant they had agreed upon, and waited for Shen Tang to finish his class.

When the time came, the wind chimes on the glass door jingled, and he looked towards the entrance with anticipation.

However, the person who walked into the restaurant through the snow was a tall, long-legged young man.

He wore a deep gray coat, unbuttoned, with snowflakes clinging to his shoulders like hurried traces.

The black turtleneck sweater underneath made his face look pale, creating a lonely atmosphere, but it didn’t shake his aloof demeanor.

“Why are you here?”

As their gazes met, Jiang Yao’s body leaned forward suddenly, and involuntarily raising his voice.

“It seems more reasonable for a student from Q University to appear in this restaurant than one from B University.”

The voice he hadn’t heard in half a year sounded more mature as it approached.

Duan Zhuxian walked slowly into the restaurant, his superior bone structure highlighted as the daylight from outside gradually dimmed.

Realizing his own fault, Jiang Yao grunted disapprovingly, about to lower his head to message Shen Tang when he suddenly felt the light in front of him dim.

He looked up. Duan Zhuxian had taken the seat opposite him and ordered a cup of hot Americano from the waiter.

Jiang Yao looked around; there were only a few customers in the restaurant, and there was no lack of empty tables.

As soon as Duan Zhuxian sat down, he started drinking his coffee, not seeming like he wanted to catch up with him.

Besides, Duan Zhuxian didn’t consider him a friend, and they had no past to reminisce about. At most, they were rivals in love.

Jiang Yao narrowed his eyes slightly, and a bright suspicion rising in his gaze. Just as he was about to speak, the glass door was pushed open from the outside again.

Shen Tang had arrived.

With him was a long-haired girl, both wearing matching red scarves, and holding hands.

Jiang Yao’s brain went a bit haywire, sitting on the chair in a daze for a while, until they came over chatting amicably, only then did he shift his gaze away from their intertwined hands.

“Who is she?”

Jiang Yao looked up and asked.

The girl’s face turned slightly red, her sensitive mind picking up on the subtle fluctuations in Jiang Yao’s emotions.

“She is my girlfriend,” Shen Tang said, covering the girl’s hand with his palm, gently helping her out. “It was actually Zhuxian who heard you were coming and suggested on the spur of the moment that I should take this opportunity to bring Xiao Wei over to meet you.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yao’s frozen thoughts exploded in his mind like startled pigeons.

His first reaction was not to respond to Shen Tang’s explanation, but to look at Duan Zhuxian beside him.