The confession might have been a misunderstanding, and as for the proposal—Guan Ciyan truly hadn’t prepared properly.

That day, he saw Jian Yang exchanging flirtatious glances with the actor playing Su Jin, taking such good care of him, and even denying their relationship in front of the cameras. Guan Ciyan only wanted to keep him by his side. The proposal just slipped out.

“I’m sorry.” Guan Ciyan never wanted Jian Yang to feel wronged. But if he were to make up for the proposal now, it would mean postponing the wedding.

He couldn’t afford to take that risk. What if someone else appeared? What if Jian Yang changed his mind…

Even now, he still didn’t understand why Jian Yang had suddenly agreed to love him.

“It’s fine.” Jian Yang had only mentioned it casually. Right now, all he wanted to do was sleep.

Wedding preparations were exhausting.

And he had been doing them in a two-week sprint.

Jian Yang turned over, hugging his pillow, his eyelids glued together as if by glue. His whole body curled up into a ball beneath the covers.

Guan Ciyan reached out to pull him closer, but Jian Yang was already half-asleep, limp in his grasp. When Guan Ciyan tried to pull him in, his hand was pinned down, almost as if Jian Yang was resisting on purpose. Given Guan Ciyan’s heightened nerves, he immediately assumed that Jian Yang was ignoring him because of the unfulfilled proposal.

“Jian Yang.” Guan Ciyan called softly.

Jian Yang responded in his dreams.

“Yangyang.”

“Sorry.”

Guan Ciyan wanted to pull him into his arms but suddenly remembered how, back on the island, after he had forced Jian Yang’s hand, Jian Yang had completely ignored him and demanded to leave. Torn between his thoughts, Guan Ciyan leaned close to Jian Yang’s ear.

“After the wedding, I’ll make it up to you with a proper proposal, okay? Don’t be mad at me, Yangyang.”

This time, he was close enough for Jian Yang to hear. But in his drowsy state, Jian Yang murmured, “No need…”

They were already getting married. Why bother with a proposal?

But!!

Jian Yang mustered all his strength to stay awake. Before he could drift off again, he forced his eyes open.

“But… can you still give me the island from your confession? I really like it. Brother Bai said it’s worth a fortune.”

Guan Ciyan froze for a moment. The anxiety and hesitation from before were instantly washed away by surprise. “You like it?”

“Mhm.” Jian Yang rubbed his eyes and patted his face.

Sleep was important, but that island was really valuable.

And it was beautiful. That sunset from that day—it was unforgettable.

“The little chapel we saw back then, is it finished now?”

“No.” Guan Ciyan’s voice was low as he gazed at him. “You told me not to continue, so I stopped the development.”

“Ah…” Jian Yang pressed his lips together, feeling a little guilty. “Because back then, I thought you were trying to… keep me as a sugar baby.”

“How could you think that?” Guan Ciyan asked. But before Jian Yang could answer, he continued, “Did I make you misunderstand? I never intended to keep you or anyone else.”

Jian Yang knew that now. The moment he learned that Guan Ciyan wanted to take Jian Buqing’s eyes for him, he had understood. He just hadn’t brought it up before because he felt stupid about the whole thing.

But since the topic was already out there, he decided to be honest. “Because I saw you talking to Jian Buqing alone on set. You even helped him get on that variety show. When you were on the show, you ate with him. I… I thought you liked him, that you were nice to me because we look alike.”

With every sentence he spoke, Jian Yang buried himself deeper into the blanket. He was sure Guan Ciyan was going to laugh at him for being an idiot again. Just like how he had scolded him for not knowing how to fight for a role with Director Xu. A misunderstanding this dramatic—Guan Ciyan would probably laugh at him for a lifetime.

“I’m sorry.” Guan Ciyan said.

Jian Yang, buried under the blanket, was about to retreat further when he suddenly froze. “What?”

“I’m sorry. I… shouldn’t have gotten so close to him.” Guan Ciyan explained, “The first time I saw him, I thought I had found the eyes you wanted. I hoped he would give them to you, so I gave him some resources. But when it came time for the surgery, he backed out.”

Jian Yang had guessed part of it, but he hadn’t realized how much Guan Ciyan had done behind the scenes for his eyes.

“And then? How did he end up on the operating table anyway?”

“Later, I sought out… Jian Buqing’s parents. I agreed to invest in their cinemas on the condition that Jian Buqing belonged to me. His parents agreed. Looking back now, they probably thought the same thing you did—that I liked him. But when they found out I wanted his eyes, they went to Jiang Ke. After that, well… you know the rest.”

“You started planning all this from the moment you saw Jian Buqing on set?” Jian Yang was so wide awake now that he sat up, staring at Guan Ciyan in shock.

“To be precise, it was at Wen Ye’s comeback banquet. The first time I saw Jian Buqing, I had the idea.”

“A whole year…” Jian Yang murmured. Nearly a year of planning, and Guan Ciyan hadn’t let a single word slip.

Guan Ciyan pulled the blanket up over Jian Yang’s back and stomach to shield him from the air conditioning.

“It’s a shame you don’t want it anymore. I was planning to give it to you as a wedding gift.” There was a hint of regret and hesitation in Guan Ciyan’s voice.

Jian Yang nearly jumped. It was just a wedding—no need to make it so dramatic!

“No, no, just the island is fine. You don’t have to do anything else.”

“Just that?” Guan Ciyan frowned. “But Jian family’s cinema is also under your name now. I used your company’s name for the investment. Jiang Ke handled the details. Right now, within the Jian family’s cinema core management, your company holds the highest authority. Do you not want it? If you don’t…”

“Oh, that—I’ll take it.”

Jian Yang never turned down money.

He narrowed his eyes, tilting Guan Ciyan’s chin up. “Tsk, mister, when did you start liking me?”

Guan Ciyan’s gaze turned blank, as if lost in thought. “I don’t know. When the old man asked if I wanted to marry you, I thought it was a good idea. If we got married, you’d always stay by my side.”

“That’s nice.”

Guan Ciyan didn’t say more, but his searching gaze showed what he wanted to hear. Jian Yang gave him the same answer.

“I don’t know either. But when I thought you liked Jian Buqing, I just wanted to run. I could give up everything you gave me, but I was terrified of seeing you with someone else. The thought of you holding someone else—it hurt so much.”

As he spoke, Jian Yang remembered the days he had spent trying to convince himself otherwise, living in self-denial. The leftover feelings of grievance, sorrow, and panic still lingered. He sniffled.

“Guan Ciyan, can you promise not to like anyone else?”

“You promised me—I’d be the only one.”

Guan Ciyan was silent, his dark eyes like ink, heavy and unreadable.

Jian Yang thought he was refusing and quickly added, “But if you can’t promise, that’s fine. Love isn’t something you can control…”

“You like me too?”

“You like me too? And you’ve liked me for a long time?”

“You’re not lying to me?”

Jian Yang couldn’t understand what was going on with Guan Ciyan at the moment. “Uh… well, I was sincere later on. At first, there was just a little, just a tiny, tiny bit of acting involved.”

Guan Ciyan pulled Jian Yang into a tight embrace, squeezing him hard. “I thought you were always lying to me.”

Jian Yang patted Guan Ciyan’s arm. “Loosen up, loosen up, I can’t breathe.”

After being released, before he could even catch his breath, Jian Yang tightly grabbed Guan Ciyan’s hand. “Wait a minute, I feel like we’re not even on the same wavelength here. Let me explain first. In the beginning, I did want to use you to escape from the Jian family, but you were too good to me. I was eager to become someone like you—you attracted me, taught me, helped me. I couldn’t help but fall for you. But you were so annoying! You ignored me, never reached out, and never came to see me. The days in the Wen Ye production crew were the happiest for me because you were always by my side. Later, when I saw you being so special to Jian Buqing, I wanted to leave. Guan Ciyan, what were you thinking?”

“I just wanted to be with you forever, but…”

“But… You thought I left because I never really liked you and was only deceiving you. So you dragged me back, wouldn’t let me leave, wouldn’t let me go out… You wanted to keep me locked up for a lifetime?”

Guan Ciyan had never explicitly thought of it that way, but it was exactly what he had done. He didn’t deny it; he could only apologize.

Jian Yang flopped back onto the bed. “That’s terrifying.”

“I’m sorry,” Guan Ciyan had no way to refute it.

Jian Yang acted as if he hadn’t heard him and continued muttering, “If Bai Shun hadn’t told me you were secretly preparing the wedding, we’d have spent a lifetime fighting.”

Guan Ciyan: “Huh???”

Jian Yang: “Guan Ciyan, you need to tell me things in the future! Do you not have a mouth?”

Jian Yang didn’t even consider that his own bizarre thought process might have contributed to the misunderstandings.

As sharp as Guan Ciyan was, he willingly took all the blame. “I understand.”

“Let’s sleep.”

Lying down, Guan Ciyan had already sorted out the not-so-complicated misunderstanding in his mind, yet he still couldn’t believe the fact that Jian Yang had always liked him. He turned over, pulled him into his arms, and softly asked, “The wedding… should we have it on the island?”

“Mmm, whatever.”

Since returning from the hospital, Jian Yang had been very tolerant of Guan Ciyan’s touch and requests—so tolerant that Guan Ciyan began to wonder if Jian Yang truly understood what kind of person he was. The most important issue between them hadn’t even been brought up despite their long conversation clearing up misunderstandings. Guan Ciyan couldn’t bear the torment of uncertainty any longer. “Jian Yang, aren’t you afraid of me?”

Jian Yang opened his eyes, completely awake. “No.”

“Guan Ciyan, as long as you love me, that’s all that matters. I have my ways to handle you.”

---

Zhang Bo had returned.

Jian Yang, exhausted, pleaded, “Just how many people do the Guan family need to invite?! Why does the guest list never seem to end?!”

Half a day later, Zhang Bo had neatly sorted out the business and family-related guest lists, seating arrangements, and avoided all personal conflicts between attendees.

Jian Yang was moved to tears. “Zhang Bo, why did you only come back now?”

Zhang Bo patted Jian Yang’s head. “I was looking after Madam. Since she moved out, she needed someone reliable.”

“You mean… Guan Ciyan’s mother?”

The last time Jian Yang had heard about her was when Guan Jingyu was slandering her. So Zhang Bo hadn’t been reassigned elsewhere by Guan Ciyan after all.

“Young Master, it’s time for you to change how you address her.”

Jian Yang’s face instantly flushed red. In two lifetimes, he had never called anyone ‘Mom.’

As Zhang Bo reviewed the banquet menu, he casually shared the past of Guan Ciyan and his mother. It was the usual story of an illegitimate child from a wealthy family and a mistress kept in the shadows—an overused cliché. But when it involved the person he loved, it carried a completely different weight.

Jian Yang knew in his heart that Guan Ciyan’s love for him was real. His craziness when trying to keep him was also real. He hadn’t brought it up before, partly because he didn’t want to reopen old wounds and drag Guan Ciyan back into his painful past. That might only make things worse. The other reason was that, despite everything, Guan Ciyan had never truly hurt him. When he tried to keep him locked up, he had still been reluctant to do any real harm. Jian Yang had his ways of dissolving those conflicts.

But things were developing in a way that forced him to finally confront it.

The day before the wedding, there was a free afternoon. Jian Yang suggested, “Let’s bring your mom over first. It’ll be easier for her to attend tomorrow.”

Guan Ciyan frowned, looking at Jian Yang hesitantly.

Jian Yang returned a firm look. “Guan Ciyan, I told you—I have my ways to handle you. Do you believe me?”

“I don’t disbelieve you.” His answer carried a hint of indulgence, as if he were simply saying sweet words to make his lover happy.

“Hmph,” Jian Yang didn’t push further and simply said, “Then just listen to me.”

On the morning of the wedding, Jian Yang finally met his mother-in-law in a legal sense.

The woman wore a white dress, standing in the island’s unfinished garden like a narcissus, avoiding the bustling crowd. The sunlight outlined the edges of her hair in gold. Her eyes were calm, almost indifferent, and they were identical to Guan Ciyan’s—except she lacked the aggression and authority that Guan Ciyan carried. Instead, she had an air of remoteness, making people hesitant to approach.

It was the same feeling Jian Yang had when he first met Guan Ciyan. Back then, he had sensed it clearly. But unlike his mother, Guan Ciyan used smiles to mask his distance, navigating the turbulent business world and complex family ties.

Jian Yang had spent an entire night preparing himself mentally. Then, he delivered the ultimate greeting bomb.

“Mom.”

The woman was indeed stunned for a moment, but only for half a second. Then, she gently nodded, “You are Jian Yang.”

Jian Yang was dressed in a crescent-white tailcoat today, fully dressed up—clearly the groom.

“Thank you for inviting me to your wedding,” the woman said, though she didn’t seem particularly happy.

Jian Yang let out a sigh of relief. Thankfully, there was no forced affectionate reunion, which made him like her even more. He wanted to say something but wasn’t sure how to refer to Guan Ciyan in front of her, so he had to settle for “him.” “He really hoped you could come.”

“Mm. I know.”

“In the future, we will take good care of you. This winter seems to be an unusually warm one. I’d like to invite you to spend the New Year with us up north. The snow scenery there is beautiful. Would you like to go?” Jian Yang asked.

The woman looked at him, puzzled. “It’s summer now.”

“Yes, but I think he would like to have a clear, foreseeable future together—one that includes me, and also you.”

“You…” The woman hesitated for a moment. “Okay.”

Her expression softened slightly, like the first crack on a frozen lake as spring arrives. “Uncle Zhang has told me about you two.”

“We should have visited you first before planning the wedding,” Jian Yang said, stepping closer to her slowly. Seeing that she didn’t step away, he moved forward again until they were finally at a normal social distance.

“That doesn’t matter. You…” The woman’s gaze flickered with emotion. “He… he will not be like his father. Please believe in him.”

“It doesn’t matter. No matter what he is like, I will still love him. Oh,” Jian Yang pretended to be serious, “You might not know this, but when I first met him, he was extremely, extraordinarily, terribly awful—worse than he is now. He thought I was dumb, called me stupid, lied to me, and loved lecturing me. And yet, none of that stopped me from thinking he was the best person in the world. So, you don’t have to worry. If you feel up to it later, there’s a seat for you in the banquet hall.”

The woman lowered her head in thought.

Jian Yang simply said goodbye.

He knew that someone who had been locked away for most of her life would have long since shut herself off, unable to adapt to the outside world. He hadn’t really expected her to attend the wedding just for Guan Ciyan’s sake.

But as long as the groom was there, that was enough!!!

“Guan Ciyan!” Jian Yang spotted the other groom amid the crowd, his gaze drifting.

The midday summer sun shone on Jian Yang’s head, casting deeper shadows on his face. His amber eyes reflected the sunlight, glowing as they met Guan Ciyan’s gaze, anchoring him in the light.

Jian Yang spread his arms and ran toward him, cupping Guan Ciyan’s face and pressing their foreheads together. “I’m here.”

“I talked to Mom. We’ll spend winter together.”

“Now, it’s time to walk down the aisle.”

Jian Yang linked his arm with Guan Ciyan’s. The light in Guan Ciyan’s eyes expanded, driving away the shadows behind him. The stormy road they had walked to get here was now illuminated by sunlight. As their feet stepped onto the red carpet, all the complicated and dark emotions from the past fell away with each step.

“Now, the grooms will exchange rings.”

Their eyes met. Jian Yang’s gaze swept away the lingering indifference and gloom in Guan Ciyan’s heart. His amber eyes reflected in Guan Ciyan’s, lighting up all the way to his soul.

---

“Guan Ciyan, help me!” Jian Yang shouted from the study, frustrated to the point of stomping his feet.

Guan Ciyan was lounging on a recliner, sunbathing. Hearing the noise, he walked over leisurely. “Don’t you love money the most?”

“I can’t read this, I don’t understand it, I can’t figure it out—ugh!!!” Jian Yang slammed the documents onto the table. “Why is a single cinema’s annual financial report this complicated?!”

Guan Ciyan smoothed down the stray tuft of hair on Jian Yang’s head. “So what now? Didn’t you say you wanted to revive Entertainment Sanctuary?”

This jerk, this jerk—he was teasing him again!!!

Some things never change!

But things were different now. Jian Yang took a deep breath and coolly said, “I need to work. You’re sleeping in the guest room tonight.”

Guan Ciyan: “Actually, financial reports aren’t that hard. I can help you sort it all out in two hours…”

---

Lhaozi’s Note: Hello there again, thankyou for reading this wonderful novel with me, if you wish to support me, you can donate to my ko-fi account, the link is in my profile, thankyou so much! see you in my other translations.