ABSTIWTVMST Chapter 152

Everything happened so suddenly.

When Xu Chenghao was brought to the Little Yellow Duck Restaurant, he still thought the other party was fulfilling the promise made a few days ago, happily calculating what delicious food he would eat later to make it up to himself. But when the door was pushed open, Xu Chenghao froze on the spot. The foot he had lifted hung in the air for a long while without coming down, and he was even so startled that he took a step back.

The Little Yellow Duck Restaurant before his eyes was completely different from its usual arrangement of tables and chairs. Everywhere within his line of sight were red-pink roses in full bloom. The faint floral fragrance was mixed with the scent of scented candles, sweet and intoxicating, paired with the hazy glow of candlelight that rendered the atmosphere to the peak of romance.

At the corner, rose-colored light gauze hung down, concealing the piano behind it. A black silhouette slightly lifted a hand, and a melodious, tender piano piece slowly began to play, making the already hazy and ambiguous scene grow even softer and more tender.

Jing Yicheng embraced Xu Chenghao as they walked in, stopping within the area encircled by scented candles. He lowered his head and said, “Do you know what I’m about to do?” Without waiting for Xu Chenghao to answer, he directly knelt on one knee, revealing the ring he had long prepared, and said in a gentle voice, “Xu Chenghao, marry me!”

Xu Chenghao lowered his head for a glance, and saw inside the red velvet box two rings placed side by side. Their design was simple and elegant, very much in line with his aesthetic. Just as he raised his hand in satisfaction, he suddenly remembered something and withdrew it, deliberately saying, “You’re proposing with just one sentence? No oaths sworn beneath mountains and seas[mfn]“山盟海誓” [shan meng hai shi] literally “pledges under mountains and seas,” a Chinese idiom meaning solemn, everlasting vows of love[/mfn], no sweet words?”

Jing Yicheng lifted his head, his gaze gentle, and said, “I want to use time to prove that your choice is not wrong.”

Xu Chenghao suppressed the smile tugging at the corners of his lips and continued to make things difficult: “Then what should we do? I’m just a vulgar[mfn]“俗人” [su ren] literally “vulgar/common person,” here used self-deprecatingly to mean someone with ordinary, indulgent desires.[/mfn] person who wants to hear sweet words.”

Jing Yicheng: “If you want to hear them, of course I can say them… Haohao, I will treat you well for a lifetime, spoil you, love you, take care of you, help you look after your family and manage the company, hand over the assets to you to handle, agree with you in everything and give way to you in everything. As long as you’re happy, I’ll be happy. I also won’t let you be sad or upset. I will make you happy forever, so… Haohao, marry me.”

Xu Chenghao was coaxed into great joy. He extended his hand and said, “Seeing as you’re being so sincere, then I’ll agree to you.”

Jing Yicheng immediately revealed a smile. Taking out the ring from the box, he slowly slid it onto Xu Chenghao’s ring finger. His heart was filled to the brim with satisfaction and happiness. After kissing the back of the hand several times, he was finally willing to stand up, and hinted, “There’s still one more…”

Xu Chenghao joked, “It’s fine, I still have my right hand.”

The originally ambiguous atmosphere instantly cleared away. Jing Yicheng found it both amusing and helpless; he bit his cheek, then reached out his hand and said, “You’re supposed to say you’ll put it on for me.”

Seeing the full expectation in Jing Yicheng’s eyes, Xu Chenghao slightly restrained himself, held up his hand, and said, “Then now I’ll ask—Jing Yicheng, will you marry me? I will also treat you well for a lifetime…”

Jing Yicheng: “I will. As long as it’s you, I’m willing to do anything. You don’t have to make any compromises.”[mfn]“让步” [rang bu] literally “give way/cede ground,” here meaning to compromise or yield one’s position in a relationship.[/mfn]

Xu Chenghao was choked by the words of affection, lowering his head to laugh for quite a while before picking up the ring and putting it on Jing Yicheng. When the silver ring slowly passed the second knuckle of the ring finger, Xu Chenghao’s movement paused for a moment, and he suddenly began to pull it back.

Jing Yicheng’s heart instantly gave a heavy thump. He immediately curled his finger to clamp down on the ring, saying nervously, “Haohao!”

Xu Chenghao was slightly stunned, then quickly soothed him: “I’m not regretting it, I just saw that there’s an engraving on the inside of the ring and wanted to see what it is.”

“No.” Jing Yicheng was extremely uneasy, coaxing in a low voice: “Haohao, put it on me first. If you want to see it, I can get you the design drawing… Taking the ring off right after putting it on has a bad meaning.”

The corner of Xu Chenghao’s mouth twitched. He could only push the ring up fully and completely put it on him, then soothe: “Alright, alright, don’t be nervous.”

Only then did Jing Yicheng breathe a sigh of relief. He cupped Xu Chenghao’s cheeks, kissing while complaining, “You scared me to death just now.”

Xu Chenghao wrapped an arm around his waist, patting him comfortingly: “My fault… don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid.”

The two kissed for a while. Once Jing Yicheng’s mood had gradually calmed, he suddenly pulled Xu Chenghao’s hand and walked toward the outside.

Xu Chenghao was a little puzzled: “We haven’t eaten yet.”

“Go home to eat, and I’ll give you a gift while we’re at it.”

“What gift?”

“You’ll know when it gets dark.”

Xu Chenghao had no idea what he meant. After eating his fill at home, he sat in the living room, waiting with eager eyes. He had just searched everywhere and found nothing at home—there was absolutely no gift like what Jing Yicheng had mentioned.

Just as Xu Chenghao was hesitating over whether he should go upstairs and take a look, Jing Yicheng suddenly leaned over, one arm around his back and the other under his knees, directly picking him up.

Xu Chenghao was displeased: “I’m not going to sleep, I haven’t gotten the gift yet!”

Jing Yicheng gave a low chuckle, carrying him straight out to the balcony. The summer evening breeze was cool and pleasant. In the corner, the purple glow of the mosquito-killing lamp was working, sparing its owner from suffering. On the balcony, there was also a stack of four large flower pots; the space freed up had been set with a double recliner by Jing Yicheng.

Sitting on the recliner, Xu Chenghao looked into the distance. As he gazed at the city nightscape, still puzzling over what the other was up to, a blazing bright light suddenly shot up from the horizon like a meteor with a long tail, exploding in the sky with a bang. In an instant, a brilliant nebula formed into a—small… small yellow duck pattern?

The sound of fireworks ascending echoed again. This time, the firework with a trailing tail exploded into a sky full of stars. Just as Xu Chenghao thought it had returned to normal, the full sky of stars suddenly blossomed again into—a perfectly clear chili pepper shape!

Xu Chenghao: “…”

For a moment, he didn’t know whether he should be touched, amused, or just start making sarcastic comments.

Jing Yicheng rested his chin on Xu Chenghao’s shoulder, speaking warmly: “When your leg was injured, it happened to be New Year’s, and I promised I’d watch fireworks with you. Although the firework research took too long, the timing now is just right… do you like it?”

The feeling of being moved instantly took the upper hand in Xu Chenghao’s heart: “You still remember.”

“Of course I remember. Back then, it was the first time you lost your temper at me—I thought we were done for.” Speaking of the past, Jing Yicheng still felt lingering fear, silently pulling him tighter into his embrace.

Xu Chenghao, on the other hand, felt a little embarrassed: “I wasn’t actually losing my temper at you, I was just a bit aggrieved…”

“Mm, I know.” Jing Yicheng said, “I’m very happy that you were able to vent it out.”

Xu Chenghao said with satisfaction, “So the gift you’re giving me is the fireworks?”

Jing Yicheng: “Mm, and… from now on, I won’t miss a single year’s fireworks.”

The promise, wrapped in their kiss, was especially sweet. Xu Chenghao was kissed into a dazed muddle, and only when he was laid onto the bed did he suddenly snap back to his senses. He abruptly flipped over to press Jing Yicheng beneath him, declaring, “I’m very satisfied with your arrangements today.” Xu Chenghao especially liked this kind of warm, two-person world—unshowy, with just the right degree of propriety.

He straightened his back, unfastening buttons with his fingers as he said, “I’ll give you a gift too.”

The slightly guilty look in Jing Yicheng’s eyes was instantly replaced by brightness. Completely immersed in Xu Chenghao’s initiative, he was set ablaze with desire by the seduction—there was no way he could think about anything else.

The two spent a night of indulgence, completely unaware that outside had already exploded into chaos!

—Jing Yicheng liked Xu Chenghao so much. Having finally gotten him, would he not show off? Impossible! He wished he could announce it to the entire globe, wished that everyone would know Xu Chenghao belonged to him, Jing Yicheng.

So, when the first Little Yellow Duck firework bloomed in the sky, at that same moment, every major billboard in the city changed. The billboards with text displayed: “Congratulations to President Xu and President Jing on their union.” Those that could display photos showed photos of tonight’s successful proposal; if the billboard could play video, even better—there would be a detailed introduction to these two young and handsome men’s backgrounds, then a few photos added in to congratulate President Jing on his successful proposal. It was simply perfect.

With such a big spectacle, how could it possibly go unnoticed? Especially when the attitude of these two big shots was obviously to flaunt it, to tell the whole world they were together. And so, entertainment reporters in all major outlets worked overtime, writing all kinds of colorful, rainbow-tinted pieces. In short, just one principle: praise them to death!

#TrueLoveInTheEliteCircle: Watch the Net Worth Face-off of the Two Presidents#
#Gossip: From Love Rivals to Lovers in a Dog-Blood Elite Romance#
#Shocking: The Little Brother You Like Belongs to Another Little Brother!#

These few eye-catching headlines shot to the top of the trending searches almost instantly. Netizens, who were always eager for gossip about the elite class, after being stunned by such an extravagant display, immediately flocked to the topics to start screaming: “Oh my god, what is this absolutely beautiful love!”

“I just want to know how much all those billboard spots cost! Let this poor person open their eyes to the sight.”

“Upstairs, you can go check these two’s net worth—I’ll start by feeling sour first as a show of respect!”[mfn]“酸” [suan] literally “sour,” slang for feeling envy or jealousy, often used playfully in online comments; “为敬” [wei jing] literally “as a toast” or “as a sign of respect,” here humorously paired with ‘sour’ to mean ‘I’ll go ahead and express my envy first.’ “楼上” [lou shang] literally “the floor above,” common forum/net slang to refer to the commenter immediately above.[/mfn]

“The last headline is too real—rich, handsome little brothers are always other little brothers’… wuwuwuwu.”

“Ahhhhh my god, what is this absolutely beautiful love—from love rivals to lovers is really too melodramatic! Wuwuwu, I just love melodrama!”

“Today is yet another day of crying over someone else’s absolutely beautiful love,” said the single dog in this way.

The online buzz, instead of diminishing over time, only grew hotter. More and more office workers joined the fray after getting off work, howling and screaming over someone else’s absolutely beautiful love.

At the same time, in the bustling downtown area, the lights in the Ruan Corporation offices had just gone out. Ruan Chenxuan, feeling weary, rubbed at his brow and, carrying his briefcase, walked out of the company building—just in time to witness the Little Yellow Duck fireworks blooming and the billboard displays changing.

The young man in the photo was as gentle and elegant as in his memory: a simple white shirt, the cuffs slightly rolled up to reveal slender and attractive wrists, long and well-proportioned fingers held in the palms of the man kneeling on one knee, with the ring on his ring finger shining with a soft glow.

Below was a line of text—Congratulations to Mr. Jing on his successful proposal.

Standing in place, Ruan Chenxuan looked around and discovered that all the billboards surrounding Ruan Corporation had been changed. After a long moment of silence, he finally turned and got into his car to go home.

Along the way, he saw all kinds of photos and congratulatory text everywhere. Looking at them, Ruan Chenxuan suddenly curled his lips in a mocking smile. Just now, he had thought Jing Yicheng had deliberately placed them around Ruan Corporation to flaunt it at him. Thinking about it now—when people are in love, how would they still remember who he even was? How could they possibly flaunt it especially to him?

After all, he was nobody.

Ruan Chenxuan closed his eyes and remained silent the whole way. When he arrived at the Ruan home, the moment he opened the car door to get out, a swish of movement sounded and a huge banner dropped down in front of the gate. Looking closely—it was precisely the same proposal picture he had seen in front of Ruan Corporation.

Ruan Chenxuan: “…”

He took back what he had just felt 🙂

 

The author has something to say: Jing Yicheng: courting death is refreshing every single time!

T/N: JYC is so petty. I love him haha