He offered his soul for Chi Yao, and Chi Yao could feel it.

How to put it? Chi Yao liked that feeling.

There were no barriers—none physically and none emotionally from that moment on.

Chi Yao was sweating, and Fu Rong held him to wash up, taking care of everything.

When Chi Yao returned to the bed, he felt a bit tired but wasn’t too sleepy; it was still daytime. Suddenly, a phrase popped into his head, “White Day Declaration,”^[1]White Day is the time for men to express their feelings through thoughtful gifts. and he smiled to himself.

Out of nowhere, the man in front of him knelt down.

He knelt on one knee before Chi Yao.

Chi Yao stared at Fu Rong, who was kneeling, as if he knew what was about to happen but felt too shocked to react.

He had never considered this before; Fu Rong could come over and take care of him and the baby, and that was fine. But Chi Yao hadn’t thought about getting closer to Fu Rong in a more formal sense.

Fu Rong had been carrying a small box with him, intending to propose many times, but there never seemed to be the right opportunity. Chi Yao might like him, but that kind of affection didn’t feel exclusive.

After all, Chi Yao had once loved Shen Ling so deeply. Although the child was theirs, Fu Rong felt insecure in his heart.

Chi Yao had never said he loved Fu Rong. With Shen Ling gone, perhaps there was still other people like Shen Ling that will captivate him. Fu Rong felt extremely uneasy. He wanted a more fitting identity so that if anyone else showed up, he could have a reason to send them away.

So Fu Rong thought about marriage, but Chi Yao seemed to have an attitude of not wanting to marry anyone. Fu Rong had no experience; everything in his life had gone smoothly, but with Chi Yao, it felt like all past experiences were irrelevant.

He even felt a bit scared to propose to Chi Yao.

But today was different. He had confirmed Chi Yao’s feelings; he was different in Chi Yao’s eyes. This person had both his eyes and his heart.

So Fu Rong no longer hesitated and took out the engagement ring.

He looked at Chi Yao, raising his gaze to meet the eyes of his beloved. His lips parted slightly as if he wanted to speak, but his throat felt dry, and he couldn’t make a sound.

Taking Chi Yao’s left hand, Fu Rong’s eyes glimmered with unshed tears as he slowly placed the engagement ring on Chi Yao’s ring finger.

Every second felt like a challenge for Fu Rong. He is worried that Chi Yao would refuse him, that he wouldn’t allow him to put the ring on, or even that he might throw it away. Fu Rong had never felt this nervous before, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

Chi Yao wiped away the sweat, then raised his left hand to examine the ring closely. He didn’t like wearing a lot of accessories; they were too cumbersome, especially when it came to fighting.

After looking at the ring for a moment, Chi Yao flexed his finger slightly, finding that it fit just right—not too tight or too loose.

There was another ring in the box. Chi Yao took it out; it was slightly larger than the one he wore. He glanced at Fu Rong, whose eyes were red, tears shimmering within.

“Is this it?” Chi Yao asked.

Fu Rong coughed twice to clear his throat, trying to speak but failing.

“You want me to marry you?” Chi Yao smiled. The ring was enough to show Fu Rong’s intentions.

Fu Rong nodded, his eyes sparkling brightly.

“I refuse,” Chi Yao suddenly said.

Fu Rong’s entire expression changed as he quickly grabbed Chi Yao’s hand. “Why? Chi Yao, you already put on the ring!”

Why refuse him? Why not marry him?

“I refuse to marry you.”

Chi Yao smiled, not waiting for Fu Rong to panic and say something. He added playfully, “But if it’s me marrying you, then that’s fine.”^[2]For those who will be confused on this one, Chi Yao means, he doesn’t want Fu Rong to marry him but instead Chi Yao want to marry Fu Rong. If you still find this hard to understand just think … Continue reading

Not Chi Yao marrying Fu Rong, but Fu Rong marrying Chi Yao; that was acceptable.

Fu Rong hadn’t considered this point, but whether it was him marrying or Chi Yao, as long as it meant having Chi Yao, those were trivial details.

“By the way, you have to wear a wedding dress.” Like a woman wearing a wedding dress, Chi Yao hadn’t planned on this, but since Fu Rong suggested it, he decided to go along with his idea.

Fu Rong wouldn’t object; as long as Chi Yao nodded, he would do everything according to Chi Yao’s wishes.

“Sure, I’ll wear anything.” Even if it’s nothing, Fu Rong had no other demands.

“Nothing won’t leave you naked; I wouldn’t want that either.”

“Your body, remember, from now on, can only belong to me.”

“If I ever find out you let someone else see or touch it, I’ll beat you up, got it?”

Chi Yao playfully kicked Fu Rong, not hard at all—more like a teasing poke.

Catching Chi Yao’s foot, Fu Rong bent down and kissed Chi Yao’s delicate ankle.

Chi Yao slipped the ring he was holding onto Fu Rong’s left hand.

The two wore matching engagement rings.

Fu Rong gazed at Chi Yao, his eyes filled with deep affection and tender love.

“I’ll take care of the wedding arrangements.” Since they had already exchanged rings, Fu Rong felt they needed to move forward with the wedding plans to avoid any unexpected complications. Chi Yao was still so young; even if they had a child, they wouldn’t let others know that Chi Yao was the one who gave birth.

Though Chi Yao had a fiery and quirky personality, Fu Rong saw those flaws as alluring traits. He knew someone would eventually notice Chi Yao’s beauty, and he couldn’t let anyone else have a chance to take advantage; he had to marry Chi Yao as soon as possible.

Chi Yao probably understood Fu Rong’s thoughts. He truly believed he could keep anyone else at bay, but only Fu Rong would do.

Including Fu Rong—if it hadn’t been for the previous life, where this person had taken care of him and the baby, he wouldn’t have allowed Fu Rong to get close to him so easily.

Regarding the wedding, Chi Yao didn’t intervene; he let Fu Rong handle everything.

During this time, Fu Rong didn’t discuss one thing with Chi Yao—his grandfather.

When the time came for the wedding, they would definitely invite Chi Yao’s grandfather. Fu Rong made some preparations. One day, when Chi Yao left for work, Fu Rong had little to do, so he stayed home to accompany the baby. However, as soon as Chi Yao left, Fu Rong also went out.

He took the baby with him and drove to Chi Yao’s grandfather’s house.

This was something he had to face; he couldn’t let Chi Yao do it.

When they arrived, Grandpa came out from the backyard, thinking it was Chi Yao who had brought the baby. But when he saw a handsome yet unfamiliar face, his expression changed.

The man was holding the baby, and with that expression and posture, Grandpa immediately recognized his identity.

So it was this person who had made his grandson suffer so much, causing him to endure that pain—he had even had to undergo surgery.

That scar would, without a doubt, remain on Chi Yao for the rest of his life.

Grandpa walked over, casually picking up a broom left aside, and approached Fu Rong, swatting him on the leg.

This kid had let Chi Yao get pregnant, had let Chi Yao give birth, and had even missed the baby’s full-month celebration. Now, the baby was almost a year old before he finally showed up.

Where had he been all this time?

What had he been doing that made Chi Yao bear so much alone?

The more Grandpa thought about it, the angrier he became. He struck Fu Rong several times with the broom, and only when his old arms started to ache did he stop.

“Grandpa…” Fu Rong tried to speak but was immediately silenced.

“Shut up. Leave the baby here; you can get lost.”

Grandpa was clearly very displeased with Fu Rong, instructing him to leave while keeping the baby.

The baby was sleeping soundly, unaware of the commotion around him. He lay comfortably in Fu Rong’s arms, gradually becoming familiar with his father’s scent, which brought him peace.

“Grandpa, I’m sorry.” Fu Rong bowed his head, sincerely and respectfully apologizing to Grandpa.

Grandpa clenched his fists. If it weren’t for the fact that this kid was so tall, he really would have liked to smack that handsome face.

He could only imagine that Chi Yao must have been deceived by this guy’s looks, leading to the pregnancy.

“You owe your apologies to Chi Yao; you should talk to him.” Apologizing to him was pointless. Did he think that as long as he was forgiven, everything would be fine?

Grandpa looked into Fu Rong’s arms, at the baby, whose small face was pale and delicate, like a snow-carved doll.

Seeing the baby seemed to calm Grandpa’s anger a little.

He reached out and took the baby into his arms. Although his expression looked fierce, his movements were very gentle.

“We named him Chi Yan, with ‘Yan’ meaning speech,” Fu Rong said with a faint smile.

Hmph, Grandpa snorted coldly, only caring about his precious great-grandson.

“Grandpa, I didn’t know at first that Chi Yao was pregnant. He… he didn’t let me know; I was completely unaware that he would get pregnant.”

“It’s my fault; I should have taken any precautions at all.”

“After I found out there was a baby, I went to Chi Yao’s side, hired someone to take care of him, and even bought a place next door to him, visiting every day.”

“On the day Chi Yao gave birth, he held my hand the whole time, and we went into the delivery room together.”

“When the baby was born…” Fu Rong’s voice grew hoarse as he spoke about the birth, his smile barely hiding the slight choke in his voice.

“I watched him be born. Both the baby and Chi Yao are my treasures for this life. I will take good care of them.”

“I will dedicate my entire life to looking after them.”

Fu Rong spoke sincerely, and Grandpa could see it in his eyes. He knew perfectly well when someone was being genuine; this young man, with his tall stature, was expressing real emotions when he talked about past events.

Just a moment ago, Grandpa had hit him with the broom, but Fu Rong didn’t fight back. It seemed that as long as it made Grandpa feel better, he was willing to take whatever punishment.

And the way he looked at the baby told Grandpa that he was truly a man who loved children.

Carrying the baby into the house, Grandpa glanced back at Fu Rong, who was standing still. After taking a couple of steps, noticing the silence behind him, he turned around sharply, “Aren’t you coming in?”

Fu Rong felt a surge of joy. He thought that Chi Yao’s family was just like him—cold on the outside but warm on the inside.

Fu Rong followed him into the living room. Grandpa noticed that the baby seemed to be sleeping uneasily; clearly, he wasn’t familiar with his great-grandfather’s scent yet and might wake up. Grandpa urged Fu Rong to take the baby back.

“You’re here today, so you must have other things to discuss, right?” If he only came to talk about the past, Grandpa thought that wouldn’t be enough; there must be another reason.

“Yes.” Fu Rong nodded.

He adjusted the baby’s position so that he could sleep more comfortably.

“Chi Yao has agreed to my proposal.”

“You want to marry him? No way.” Grandpa would not allow his precious grandson to get married.

But if it’s Fu Rong marrying his grandson it was somewhat acceptable.

Seeing the look on Grandpa’s face, Fu Rong realized that his thoughts were indeed the same as Chi Yao’s.

Before Grandpa could get any angrier, Fu Rong quickly added, “He agreed to my proposal, but it’s not him marrying me; it’s me marrying him.”

When it came to marrying Chi Yao, Fu Rong thought he might struggle to say it, but when he actually spoke the words, it felt completely natural.

This person before him was Chi Yao’s close family, the baby’s close family, and also his family, Fu Rong’s family.

“You’re marrying? Will your family agree?”

This was a perfectly good man, and he clearly didn’t have a simple background; his family must have some power. Such families typically wouldn’t agree to this.

“I’ll handle things on their side; there won’t be any problems. You don’t need to worry about that, Grandpa.”

He would resolve everything, ensuring that no one or nothing could stop him from having Chi Yao.

Seeing Fu Rong’s determination, and considering the situation thus far, Grandpa realized that there had been no leaks regarding the child. If the news about Chi Yao giving birth got out, this person must have taken some action to prevent it.