Lu Chenghe got engaged to a boy who had just turned eighteen. The key point wasn’t the engagement, nor the fact that he’d just come of age, but that it was a boy! The eldest Lu had already made waves by publicly coming out for a man, but the second young master took it even further. Not only did he come out, but he got engaged right then and there.
And then look at the boy standing next to the Lu family’s big boss—so fresh-faced he practically looked like he could drip water. Dressed in a white suit, he looked both elegant and noble, with a smile on his face that seemed soaked in sunlight. Just one look made people feel warmly toward him. Some sharp-eyed guests even recognized him as the actor from a recently released film.
Anyone who could be invited to this kind of event by Lu Chenghe was either a very close friend of his or the head of a company with excellent ties to him, without exception, all sharp and savvy people. So even though Lu Chenghe suddenly dropped a bombshell like this, the crowd only showed slight surprise before quickly recovering and smiling as they clapped in congratulations.
As for the Lu family members who were already in the know, they were all grinning from ear to ear. Their son had found someone he truly liked. Even if the gender wasn’t what they would have preferred, in the end, it was still his choice. Having someone he loved to accompany him through life was far better than spending it alone. After everything that had happened with Lu Chenghan[mfn]eldest[/mfn], Mother Lu had also come to terms with things. Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. As long as Lu Ning could live a good life with her son, even if he were a man, she was willing to accept it.
Because of the Tang family’s issues, Lu Chenghan[mfn]fourth[/mfn] had been staying at the manor recently, so this banquet had been organized by him personally. He was also the first to know that his second brother was going to announce his engagement. Now, all the gloom was gone from his face, replaced by an unrestrained, radiant smile.
Lu Chenghan[mfn]eldest[/mfn] wrapped an arm around Chu Hang beside him and turned his head to ask, “When are we going to have our engagement?”
Chu Hang looked up at him and smiled gently. “It’s just a formality. Didn’t we agree? Once I win the award I’ve been aiming for, I’ll gradually step away. I won’t let myself stay this busy anymore. I’ll only take on projects I really like. Then I’ll have more time to spend with you. We’ll go abroad, get our certificate, and hold a wedding.”
Lu Chenghan curled his lips into a smile at that. “Alright, whatever you say.”
Down below the stage, the crowd continued applauding and offering their congratulations. Meanwhile, on stage, Zuo Ning’s mind was completely blank from the shock. His hand, tightly clasped in Lu Chenghe’s, was drenched with sweat. It wasn’t until he followed Lu Chenghe back down the stage that he felt how weak and wobbly his entire body had become. His heart was pounding in his throat.
It had to be said that Lu Chenghe truly knew him well. He hadn’t even considered asking him to say a few words. With Little Pudding in this completely spaced-out state, he probably couldn’t have said anything coherent anyway.
Lu Chenghe led him down from the stage. A few people he had good work relationships with came over to offer their congratulations. Lu Chenghe responded to each of them with a smile, while Zuo Ning had already gone fully blank, reduced to relying on instinct to keep smiling. But he had a beautiful face, and especially with that warm, sunshine-like smile, it was hard not to feel drawn to him. Plus, he was young, and just the way he obediently followed at Lu Chenghe’s side was enough to leave a favorable impression on many.
Seeing that Zuo Ning was completely stunned, Lu Chenghe stopped socializing, rubbed his head, and led him to a quiet corner. “Alright, are you hungry? Do you want to eat down here, or go back to the room?”
Zuo Ning stared at Lu Chenghe. “We’re engaged? Just now, was that us getting engaged? You, you didn’t even tell me!”
Lu Chenghe chuckled lightly. “Then, are you willing to be engaged to me?”
Zuo Ning blushed. “I—I am. But you didn’t tell me beforehand… You didn’t even propose. There wasn’t even a ring.”
“Who said there isn’t?”
Zuo Ning blinked at him. Lu Chenghe smiled and said, “It’s still early. Let’s eat something first.”
Now that they were no longer being stared at by everyone, Zuo Ning finally began to regain some of his senses. Hearing Lu Chenghe’s words, he couldn’t help but clutch his stomach and say, “My stomach hurts.”
Lu Chenghe couldn’t hold back a laugh. “You even got scared into this? Is your courage smaller than a mung bean?”
Zuo Ning glared at him. “It’s all your fault for not telling me! You could’ve at least given me a heads-up! Do you know I almost died from the shock just now? I—I need to go to the bathroom.”
Lu Chenghe shook his head helplessly. “Go on, go back to the room and relax a bit. I’ll come up in a little while.”
Zuo Ning nodded, and then, like a rabbit, darted upstairs in a flash.
Nie Yong and Shen Tao were holding wine glasses, just about to go over and meet their brother’s man—no, wait, their brother’s boy—but all they managed to see was a fleeing back.
“I say, Old Lu, you’re way too much. Hiding him this tightly. But don’t you think he’s a bit too young? This is a textbook case of an old cow eating tender grass. That baby-faced look, don’t tell me that’s your type?”
Lu Chenghe shot Nie Yong a cold glance. But Nie Yong wasn’t afraid of him in the slightest. He slung an arm around Lu Chenghe’s shoulder and kept teasing with a grin, “We only get to meet the person on such an important day, and now we didn’t even get a proper look. But don’t worry, that kid looks so young—we’re not going to scare him off. Too bad Lou Jiu’s off who-knows-where abroad right now and couldn’t be here to witness your big moment.”
Lu Chenghe shrugged his hand off with a flick. “Just drink your wine. I’ll introduce you properly when the time comes.”
Back in his room, Zuo Ning immediately ripped off his jacket and ran into the bathroom. He was really so scared he nearly peed himself. Covering his face, he let out a dramatic groan. This bad habit of his—getting a stomachache whenever he was nervous. He didn’t know if it could be cured.
Still, Lu Chenghe had gone way too far, springing this on him without a word. He never would’ve guessed it would go straight to an engagement like that. He’d thought—even if Lu’s mother seemed okay with Chenghe being with a man—it didn’t necessarily mean she would accept him. He’d already been planning how to slowly win her over, but who could’ve thought all those steps would be skipped, straight to the final result!
When Zuo Ning finally emerged from the bathroom after dawdling around, he saw Lu Chenghe already in the room. He rushed over, jumped into his lap, and wrapped his hands around his neck to “strangle” him. “You’re so mean! Just like that, you came out? Won’t it be bad for your company? What if the stock price drops or something?”
He’d seen plenty of TV dramas like that. Whenever the head of a family had some scandal, it would affect the company’s profits or whatever.
Lu Chenghe rubbed his stomach. “Still hurting?”
Zuo Ning grinned and hugged him. “Not anymore. I was really scared just now. What if I’d gotten so nervous I transformed on the spot?”
Lu Chenghe chuckled softly. “Then we’ll just call it a live magic show—man turns into dog, right before everyone’s eyes.”
Zuo Ning huffed and held Lu Chenghe’s face, looking him over from left to right. “You totally stunned me the moment I got out of the car. I didn’t even get a good look at you. You look really handsome today, even did your hair specially.”
Lu Chenghe held his hand. “So, are you ready now? Time to go down and cut the cake. It’s a huge, nine-tiered cake.”
Zuo Ning’s eyes lit up the moment he heard that. He’d never seen a nine-tiered cake before. But when he thought about the crowd downstairs, he couldn’t help but shrink back a little. After hesitating for a moment, he looked at Lu Chenghe and said, “Then you have to stay by my side the whole time.”
Lu Chenghe flicked his forehead with a finger. “Scaredy-cat.”
Now that he was mentally prepared, no matter how nervous he still felt, Zuo Ning at least managed to keep up appearances. Just walking beside Lu Chenghe with a calm and friendly smile was enough. After all, no one expected him to handle any actual socializing.
Once the two of them went downstairs, the lighting in the hall gradually dimmed. With the help of two maids, the butler wheeled out a massive, nine-tiered cake. Someone in the crowd took the lead in cheering. Soon, the entire banquet hall was filled with the sound of the birthday song.
It wasn’t until the cake was wheeled right in front of them that Zuo Ning saw, on the very top layer, two little figurines dressed in men’s formalwear. Each one was holding a small box, and on top of the boxes were two men’s rings.
Lu Chenghe picked up one of the rings and held Zuo Ning’s hand as he said, “Once you wear this ring, from this moment on, you’re completely mine.”
The ring was a very simple and elegant design. Nothing flashy—just a plain band with a single brilliant diamond set in the middle. The diamond wasn’t overly large or extravagant, just an ordinary size, understated but dazzling. Zuo Ning couldn’t take his eyes off it.
Just a year ago, he had still been lost about his future, even scared and helpless. But now, his wish had come true. He had a new life—and he had Lu Chenghe, the one he’d longed for. If this were a dream, he never wanted to wake up.
Lu Chenghe saw his Little Pudding dazed again, so stunned he didn’t even nod. With a small smile, he simply slid the ring onto Zuo Ning’s left middle finger himself. Then he picked up the other ring from the cake and handed it to his Little Pudding, holding out his own hand.
Zuo Ning looked at him, hands trembling slightly. And when he saw the ring slip onto Lu Chenghe’s finger, he suddenly felt a deep sense of certainty, like everything had finally fallen into place.
Lying on the bed, Zuo Ning stared at the ring on his hand. That simple diamond sparkled brilliantly under the light, and he couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across his face no matter how hard he tried. Lu Chenghe threw the blanket over his head. “You’ve been grinning like an idiot all night. Are you going to sleep or not?”
Zuo Ning struggled out from under the blanket, eyes wide as he looked at Lu Chenghe without saying a word.
Lu Chenghe looked at him and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Zuo Ning felt around under the blanket, then pulled out a familiar-looking packet and shook it in his hand. “It’s such an important day. Let’s celebrate, yeah?”
Lu Chenghe bent down and moved in close to his Little Pudding, pinched his cheek, and gave it a shake. “And who was it last time that cried and said ‘never again’? Said we should throw these away and just buy the regular kind?”
Zuo Ning glanced at the thing in his hand and gave Lu Chenghe a cheeky grin. “Isn’t there a saying, ‘once the wound’s healed, you forget the pain’? And besides, they’re expensive. It’d be such a waste to toss them. Come on, come on! Look, I’ve already taken my clothes off.”
As he spoke, he lifted a corner of the blanket, revealing that smooth, fair body like freshly peeled milk candy.
When it came to self-destructive tendencies, once Zuo Ning got going, no one could compete.
The next day, long past sunrise, Zuo Ning still hadn’t gotten up. He lay sprawled in bed like a dead dog.
