Chapter 42: “Just Get By”

In contrast to Jiang Yao’s cold body, Duan Zhuxian’s chest felt like a furnace. Saying he was cold would be hard to believe, but the person in his arms remained silent, obediently resting his chin on Duan Zhuxian’s shoulder, letting himself be held.

It seemed Jiang Yao had worn himself out from their earlier struggle, with nowhere to place his inner fear and anxiety, suddenly becoming as docile as a herbivore.

Duan Zhuxian couldn’t bear to be tender, nor could he be indifferent. He had to take care of Jiang Yao’s pride, probably giving all his lifelong worries to this stubborn little fox.

Duan Zhuxian’s arms wrapped tighter around Jiang Yao’s back in the most possessive manner, pulling him closer.

During their cold war, Jiang Yao seemed to have lost some weight. His naturally lean waist and abdomen felt even thinner. When Duan Zhuxian hugged him just now, he almost missed the right spot.

The knitted sweater Jiang Yao wore was quite large. In the friction of the embrace, it lifted slightly, exposing a small strip of his cold, pale waistline.

Following that gap, Duan Zhuxian’s palm moved inch by inch until the rough base of his thumb rested against the tender skin. He measured the thickness by feel, lingering because the sensation was too good, making his movements slow and reluctant.

“Duàn Zhuxian, if you dare to mess with me here, tonight will be your death.”

Jiang Yao’s voice warned, sounding cold and irritable, as if his strength had mostly returned.

Duan Zhuxian’s fingers paused, realizing that Jiang Yao had misunderstood his intentions. Given that his hand was still on Jiang Yao’s waist and considering his past actions, it was indeed hard to explain.

He decided to release Jiang Yao before he could get upset. He turned around, picked up the glass of milk on the nearby stone table, and felt its coolness against his palm. “It’s cold.”

Jiang Yao snorted, “Whose fault is that?”

“Let’s go back inside,” Duan Zhuxian said gently. “I’ll heat it up again.”

He took Jiang Yao’s hand without waiting for a response and led him towards the house.

Duan Zhuxian used his left hand to hold Jiang Yao’s, the wedding ring on his ring finger pressing into his palm, a constant and uncomfortable reminder.

Jiang Yao glanced at Duan Zhuxian’s watch. It was 11:59, with forty seconds left until the end of their “temporary truce.” Just enough time to walk back to the house.

He turned his head, looking elsewhere, but didn’t pull his hand away from Duan Zhuxian’s.

Inside, it was bright, warm, and the air was filled with the pleasant scent of freshener. Everything was very agreeable.

Jiang Yao, having regained most of his warmth, leaned back on the living room sofa and received a message from Chen Yiqi: [How are things with Duan Zhuxian?]

Recently, Chen Yiqi had vaguely sensed that Jiang Yao and Duan Zhuxian had been fighting. However, being busy transitioning from a second-generation wealthy idler to a hands-on entrepreneur, he had been running around like a workhorse. It was only now that he remembered he had a good brother to check in on.

Jiang Yao lazily replied: [Same as always.]

Chen Yiqi: [Made up?]

Jiang Yao: [No, not planning to.]

Chen Yiqi: [Then what are you going to do? You’re not thinking of…]

Chen Yiqi didn’t dare type out those two rebellious words, which could potentially cause a minor earthquake in the business world.

Jiang Yao looked up at the figure not far away, boiling milk.

The man’s sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, his right hand still bandaged, making his movements a bit clumsy.

After staring for half a minute, Jiang Yao nonchalantly replied: [Just get by. What else can I do, divorce?]

*

In the blink of an eye, the school anniversary arrived.

In the early morning, Jiang Yao stood in front of his wide-open wardrobe, rubbing his hair and contemplating for a long time.

Besides sending golden invitation cards, the school had also custom-made uniforms for him and Duan Zhuxian. According to the invitee, this special treatment was only for the alumni who received the invitation cards.

He found it amusing.

Whoever wanted this treatment could have it.

In high school, Jiang Yao was reluctant to wear the school uniform properly. He would either leave the zipper undone or tuck one side of his shirt in to create various fashionable looks. Because he was an all-rounder with excellent grades, the teachers initially turned a blind eye. It wasn’t until the whole school started copying him that they finally couldn’t resist talking to him.

As he rummaged through his wardrobe, he heard a knock on the door behind him. He turned around, and suddenly found it hard to look away.

Standing in the half-open door was a man dressed in a school uniform.

The winter school uniform of their alma mater was a white top and black trousers, with a touch of blue on the sleeves. It was an ordinary and somewhat baggy style, but Duan Zhuxian, standing at 1.88 meters tall, managed to give it a cool and elegant aura.

He looked somewhat like he did at sixteen or seventeen, yet not entirely the same.

He still had the same impeccably perfect features and a tall, strikingly defined physique. However, his expression seemed less aloof than it had been ten years ago.

For a moment, it seemed as if a gentle light was flowing in those striking, mixed-race eyes.

Duan Zhuxian had originally come to remind Jiang Yao to have breakfast. When his gaze unintentionally fell on Jiang Yao’s left hand, he suddenly paused and strode into the room, asking, “Where’s your ring?”

His voice and expression were both a bit stern.

“I took it off,” Jiang Yao glanced to the side. “Didn’t want to deal with people asking too many questions.”

Following Jiang Yao’s gaze, Duan Zhuxian saw a velvet box on the table and let out an almost imperceptible sigh of relief.

He said, “Which of our old teachers or classmates doesn’t already know we’re married?”

Jiang Yao was suspicious, “How would they know?”

Their wedding, while not small, had its publicity mainly within the business circles. Only a small group of classmates and alumni were invited to the wedding, and it had only been a little over ten days since then, not enough time for it to become widely known.

Duan Zhuxian took Jiang Yao’s left hand, intending to slip the ring back onto his ring finger. “I posted our wedding announcement to the alumni association yesterday.”

As the words fell, Jiang Yao curled his fingers, causing Duan Zhuxian to miss his mark. Jiang Yao squinted and asked, “What did you say?”

Duan Zhuxian replied, “Sorry, I didn’t have time to discuss it with you.”

Jiang Yao glared at Duan Zhuxian, momentarily at a loss for words.

How could he not see a trace of apology on Duan Zhuxian’s self-righteous face?

When it came to provoking him, Duan Zhuxian was undoubtedly number one.

In the end, Jiang Yao decided to give the school some face and wore the custom uniform. After breakfast, he drove to the school, deliberately leaving at a different time than Duan Zhuxian.

As he drove onto the main road, he suddenly noticed Duan Zhuxian’s car in his rearview mirror.

No matter how fast he went, Duan Zhuxian matched his speed. When he slowed down, so did Duan Zhuxian. It seemed Duan Zhuxian was determined to arrive at the same time, and no matter how skilled Jiang Yao was, he couldn’t shake him off.

At the school parking lot, Jiang Yao used the brief time difference while parking to quickly enter the school gate.

The campus was filled with a festive atmosphere, with colorful decorations everywhere, even on the familiar statue at the entrance.

A group of men and women, also in school uniforms, approached. They seemed to be from the class above his back in the day, and Jiang Yao vaguely remembered them because three of them had confessed to him.

Seeing Jiang Yao, they gathered around to greet him. Someone with sharp eyes noticed his bare left ring finger and persistently asked, “Jiang Yao, did you really marry Duan Zhuxian?”

Jiang Yao’s temple throbbed. He hated these situations the most because one question would lead to another. He could already foresee how much he’d have to talk today, all thanks to a certain someone.

Inwardly cursing Duan Zhuxian once more, Jiang Yao was about to speak when he was suddenly pulled into an embrace from behind. A voice whispered in his ear, “Yes, we are married.”

Jiang Yao turned his head and found himself face-to-face with Duan Zhuxian’s charming yet slightly aloof smile.

The person who had asked the question nodded and said, “Congratulations to the school heartthrobs,” their eyes betraying a hint of regret.

After the group walked away, Duan Zhuxian said, “From now on, stick with me. If we encounter such situations again, I’ll handle the explanations.”

Jiang Yao shrugged off Duan Zhuxian’s arm, shoved his hands into his pockets, and walked ahead without acknowledging him. However, he didn’t push him away either.

Despite the early morning annoyance of dealing with a grumpy Jiang Yao, Duan Zhuxian felt no regret.

His incredibly attractive spouse drew attention, and he wanted to guard against anyone who might still harbor feelings.

With time to spare before meeting with the school leaders, Jiang Yao wandered around aimlessly, and Duan Zhuxian followed without hesitation, pointing out various landmarks with shared memories like a tour guide.

Walking through the campus with Duan Zhuxian, reminiscing about the past, seemed absurd and almost unbearable.

As they approached the sports field, Jiang Yao pointed ahead. “See that cornelian cherry tree?”

Duan Zhuxian replied, “Yes, it’s the place where you first spoke to me.”

Jiang Yao rolled his eyes. “If your eyes aren’t blind and you can still see distant things, you should be able to tell that I don’t want to talk to you right now.”

As they walked closer to the sports field, more students gathered around.

Although they were both wearing school uniforms, they didn’t blend in with the student crowd at all. Along the short distance, they drew frequent glances and whispers, and they were likely caught on numerous cameras.

Walking along the rubber track, they saw a grove of green pine trees in the distance.

Looking at the small forest, Jiang Yao felt something off but couldn’t pinpoint it until Duan Zhuxian’s voice interrupted his thoughts: “That used to be an empty lot.”

Jiang Yao’s vague memories suddenly came rushing back.

Duan Zhuxian continued, “During our second year, there was a school anniversary, and some alumni who had graduated over ten years ago proposed there. The wreath they threw landed right on your head. You were so stunned, standing in the middle of the cheering crowd, looking like a little prince.”

Jiang Yao vaguely remembered the incident, but the “little prince” part threw him off.

He pressed his lips tightly together, resisting the urge to retort.

Moments later, Duan Zhuxian’s voice sounded again, “When you brought it up later, you said that meeting on campus, falling in love after leaving school, and then proposing back on campus to form a perfect circle was quite romantic.”

Hearing this, Jiang Yao, who had resolved not to talk to Duan Zhuxian anymore, couldn’t help but react. “Did I really say something that cheesy?”

Duan Zhuxian’s lips curved into a smile. “Not only did you say it, but you also seemed a bit envious of them.”

Jiang Yao snapped back, “You’re talking nonsense…”

At most, he was just a bit sentimental, typical of the melodramatic teenage angst.

He used to think that once they graduated, everyone would go their separate ways, and the chances of meeting again would be slim. Whether lovers or friends, how lucky would one have to be to still be together after everything?

These youthful thoughts seemed embarrassingly naive when he looked back on them as an adult. After all, considering only the beginning and the end, there was indeed one person who had been there all along.

From admiration to marriage.

But too much had happened in between, changing everything.

In the end, he didn’t feel particularly lucky.

Not far away, the sun shone brightly in the clear blue sky.

Yet Jiang Yao lowered his gaze slightly, with a vague sense of regret for something lost creeping into his heart.

As they passed the pine grove, Duan Zhuxian suddenly circled in front of him and, without warning, crouched down, placing one knee on the ground.

Jiang Yao: “?”

Author’s Note:

Tomorrow is the first day of the Lunar New Year. I’ll be entertaining guests and visiting relatives, so there’s a high chance I won’t have time to write. If there’s no update at 8 PM tomorrow, it means I’m taking a day off. Just letting you know in advance, my dears~