Chapter 37: “Long Admired”

Although Jiang Yao had done the unforgivable act of getting into bed with his rival countless times, he still had a bottom line in his heart, or perhaps a safety line—

He believed that kissing was a more intimate act than sleeping together.

Duan Zhuxian was very understanding. Even in the most intense moments, he never asked Jiang Yao for a kiss, leaving only one mark after another on his body.

Slumped in a chair, Jiang Yao grabbed Duan Zhuxian by the collar and asked fiercely, “Really?”

His ears were redder than a blushed face.

Forced to bend over, Duan Zhuxian responded gently, “Really.”

In this regard, Jiang Yao was too innocent. Despite trying to have an early romance at the age of sixteen or seventeen, he was still as pure as a blank sheet of paper, waiting for Duan Zhuxian to fill it with patterns. But he didn’t dare to bully him too much, so coaxing him became necessary.

Jiang Yao glared, gritting his teeth for a long time, but ultimately decided to believe him this time. Otherwise, he couldn’t get over it.

The sudden heat on his face slowly dissipated, and the places touched by Duan Zhuxian continued to burn, faintly feeling like they were on fire.

Jiang Yao raised his hand and pressed his lower lip.

Could his mouth be allergic to Duan Zhuxian’s mouth?

At this moment, the butler’s voice sounded from outside the door: “Mr. Duan, a gentleman claiming to be your younger brother wants to see you.”

Duan Zhuxian straightened his collar and said, “Let him in.”

Before the words had even fallen, a figure burst through the door.

Jiang Yao turned his head and saw that it was Duan Feiyi.

Duan Feiyi was holding a gift box and said to Duan Zhuxian, “Brother, congratulations on your wedding.”

“Just put it on the table,” Duan Zhuxian indicated, seeing that Duan Feiyi was still standing there, he asked, “Is there something else?”

Duan Feiyi took a couple of steps closer and said, “Brother, you’ve been so busy lately. Let me help out with the resort project.”

As soon as Jiang Yao saw Duan Feiyi, he remembered the incident at the racetrack last time and all the bad things he did to Duan Zhuxian back then. His face already didn’t look good, and now he was even more shocked by Duan Feiyi’s brazen words.

Is there anyone so blatant about trying to snatch a project?

Duan Zhuxian, however, showed no reaction, and just asked calmly, “Are you short of money?”

Exposed for his intentions, Duan Feiyi hesitated for a moment before admitting reluctantly, “I have a small company that’s been facing some difficulties recently. I approached Hua Yan for investment, and they said it requires your approval.”

The company Duan Feiyi mentioned was one he started behind the Duan family’s back, intending to provide a fallback for him and his mother, using money he had embezzled from Hua Yan.

Duan Zhuxian replied, “The resort project is too big for you to handle. As for letting Hua Yan invest in your private company, there’s no guarantee that Dad and Grandpa won’t find out.”

Duan Feiyi lowered his head slightly, falling into silence.

He was aware of everything Duan Zhuxian had said, but he was at a dead end. Given Duan Zhuxian’s capabilities, Hua Yan would certainly leave him with nothing in the end. If his company collapsed as well, he would truly have nothing left, not to mention that he was currently being hounded by creditors from the North American casinos.

Duan Zhuxian continued, “As your elder brother, I should indeed support you, but I’ve only been back in the country for a few years, and I don’t have much spare cash at my disposal.”

Upon hearing this, Duan Feiyi’s expression instantly turned somewhat strange.

From childhood to adulthood, he had almost taken away all of Duan Zhuxian’s resources, pushing Duan Zhuxian to the brink of desperation. Many times, Duan Zhuxian didn’t even have pocket money, and even his study abroad expenses were paid with money he earned himself.

Feeling guilty, Duan Feiyi stammered, unable to say a word.

On the side, Jiang Yao raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, watching Duan Zhuxian’s performance as if he were an actor.

When they were doing the prenuptial agreement, Duan Zhuxian’s overseas assets were shockingly extensive, making him a true eligible bachelor.

“Here’s the deal.” Duan Zhuxian suddenly spoke, still maintaining the demeanor of a steady elder brother, “I can introduce you to an investment company. They’re currently taking on small venture capital projects. Whether you can secure the investment is up to you.”

Grateful to the point of tears, Duan Feiyi took the contact information and left.

After closing the door that Duan Feiyi had barged through, Duan Zhuxian turned around, meeting Jiang Yao’s unblinking gaze.

Jiang Yao squinted and said, “Although I don’t know what you’re planning, I can be sure that he’s fallen into your trap. Pretty sneaky, Mr. Duan.”

Duan Zhuxian didn’t deny it, only asking, “Are you afraid?”

Jiang Yao scoffed, curling his lips disdainfully, “I know exactly what kind of person you are. If I were even a little afraid of you, I wouldn’t have provoked you in the first place.”

He raised his chin to look at Duan Zhuxian, with a hint of youthful arrogance in his eyes.

Duan Zhuxian was a bit surprised.

All along, he didn’t want Jiang Yao to know too much about his less-than-glorious dealings, especially those tied to the Duan family. He feared Jiang Yao would distance himself even more, as no one wants to be entangled with trouble.

Jiang Yao stepped forward and nonchalantly patted Duan Zhuxian on the shoulder. “Being a villain isn’t a bad thing. You don’t need to hide anything from me anymore; it’s exhausting.”

Duan Zhuxian paused for a moment and then smiled. “Okay.”

*

Before heading to the wedding venue, the master of ceremonies went over the process with them. It wouldn’t be as ceremonious as a traditional wedding; they just needed to show up on stage and exchange rings.

Jiang Yao sighed with relief, glad he wouldn’t have to suppress his laughter.

By noon, the banquet hall was already packed with guests.

At Jiang Yao’s strong insistence, the wedding wasn’t extravagantly grand. However, as Jiang Yao followed Duan Zhuxian out of the car and saw the irises blooming all around in the cold winter, he was slightly taken aback.

The rich blue-violet color seemed to flow, unknowingly seeping from his eyes into his heart.

Just a month ago, he had happened to buy a bouquet of blue irises from a flower shop named “Dreamy Whispers.”

Was it a coincidence?

To Jiang Yao, this wedding wasn’t a daunting grand affair. The nature of this business marriage was well understood by all the guests.

However, as Jiang Yao walked through the dreamlike flowers, receiving blessings from all directions, there was a moment when he felt like he was truly marrying someone he loved. His initially calm steps began to falter.

Once on stage, Jiang Yao felt awkward and out of place, reacting strictly according to the master of ceremonies’ cues. When it came time to put the ring on Duan Zhuxian, his hands trembled so much that he nearly put it on the wrong finger. He felt like a puppet on strings, forced into a business marriage and unwilling.

After exchanging rings, the ceremony was finally over, and the guests began to cheer—

“Kiss! Kiss!”

“A passionate kiss! A French kiss!”

Jiang Yao’s expression froze.

Here it came, just as someone had anticipated.

Amid the thunderous cheers and countless cameras, his chin was lifted by a hand, and as that perfect, tempting face slowly approached, Jiang Yao warned in a low voice, “If you stick out your tongue, I will kill you.”

With less than a centimeter between them, Duan Zhuxian chuckled softly. “I’ll do my best not to make you a widower.”

As his words and warm breath fell, Duan Zhuxian’s lips pressed against his, gently nibbling and spreading the kiss, taking away half of his lipstick.

This kiss was much more intense than the one in the room earlier, yet it had an added layer of tenderness.

So much so that even after Duan Zhuxian let go and stood upright, Jiang Yao was still savoring the feeling from moments ago.

He felt the same allergic reaction again.

The places Duan Zhuxian had kissed were warm.

And a bit… sweet.

Did Duan Zhuxian put honey on his lips?

By the time Jiang Yao came back to his senses, a video montage of photos was already playing on the large screen behind them.

They were photos from their middle school days, including shots from competitions and candid moments, showing two teenage boys—one flamboyant and unrestrained, the other cool and composed. Despite their differences, they stood together harmoniously.

Jiang Yao was astonished and asked Duan Zhuxian, “Why do you still have these photos?”

Duan Zhuxian replied, “I’m not as forgetful as you are.”

Jiang Yao huffed.

He hadn’t lost the photos; he had just kept them at the bottom of his drawer, never taking them out over the years.

But he was too embarrassed to admit that.

Watching the scenes flash by, Jiang Yao suddenly felt a slight swelling in his chest.

Some things are like air—so light that they seem nonexistent most of the time, yet they have always lingered in his life. Whenever he chooses to open up his memories and try to feel, they are inevitably there, waiting.

However, he felt this analogy might not be entirely accurate.

He couldn’t fully grasp whether, if he lost these seemingly insignificant moments from his life, he would instantly recognize their irreplaceable importance, just like losing air.

Oh well, he wasn’t good at Chinese literature anyway.

The guests were also astonished by these photos, questioning the notion of a purely business marriage.

“Who would have thought they were truly in love?”

“They must be acting. I heard they were mortal enemies who couldn’t stand each other.”

“Who keeps photos of their rival for ten years?”

…

The guests’ whispers reached Jiang Yao’s ears, and although he kept a smile on his face, he inwardly retorted: My rival does!

Someone in the crowd, not satisfied, shouted, “Why are they all old photos? We want to see the current ones!”

I told you not to overdo it. Now there’s a problem!

Jiang Yao looked at Duan Zhuxian with a hint of schadenfreude, and silently asked: How will you handle this?

Duan Zhuxian picked up the microphone and calmly said, “Sorry, the current photos are private collections.”

Wow, Duan Zhuxian really is silver-tongued.

Jiang Yao was impressed.

After the video ended, the master of ceremonies announced, “Next, it’s time for the newlyweds to reveal their hearts to each other. Please, offer your vows.”

Jiang Yao: “?”

No one told him about this part…

Jiang Yao immediately panicked. When the master of ceremonies handed him the microphone, he took a big step back.

The microphone was smoothly taken by Duan Zhuxian.

Then, Duan Zhuxian’s clear and steady voice echoed throughout the venue: “Thank you all for taking the time out of your busy schedules to attend our wedding.”

A round of enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience.

Once the commotion settled, Duan Zhuxian spoke again: “My lover, Mr. Jiang Yao, and I…”

The word “lover” was so solemn and weighty that it caught Jiang Yao off guard, making his heart skip a beat.

Facing the audience, Duan Zhuxian extended his hand, his fingers precisely intertwining with Jiang Yao’s.

“We met eleven years ago as high school classmates. Among us are many teachers and alumni from Foreign Language High School.”

“He was outstanding, the brightest and most popular person in the school.”

The deep, magnetic voice, amplified by the surround sound system, continuously poured into Jiang Yao’s ears, making him feel a bit dizzy, as if something had bewitched him, causing his heart to pound in his left chest.

It seemed like this was the first time he had heard Duan Zhuxian praise him, using the word “most” twice.

“Our story begins simply. Eleven years ago, on October 10th, he crossed the sports field, walked up to me, called my name, and challenged me to a volleyball match.”

At this point, Duan Zhuxian paused, as if he was gathering his thoughts.

Jiang Yao watched Duan Zhuxian’s slightly lowered face, his rolling Adam’s apple, and had a gut feeling that Duan Zhuxian was about to turn his head towards him.

His already racing heart suddenly sped up to the point of near explosion.

Stop! Don’t look over here!

Jiang Yao commanded silently.

However, the next second, he was captured by Duan Zhuxian’s gaze, and he stood frozen in place.

He had never seen such a deeply affectionate pair of eyes, like the night sky, or the deep sea, closing in like an inescapable net, as if they wanted to drown him.

“Jiang Yao, the reason I want to marry you is also very simple.”

In a daze, he heard Duan Zhuxian enunciate each word clearly.

“Because I have long admired you, and will do so for a lifetime.”