After Marrying Bigshot Vegetable Boss - Chapter 35

When Yu Lan woke up, Xi Yun had already gone back for a while.

In his drowsiness, he heard Chu Wang’s voice. At first, he thought he was dreaming—after all, wasn’t it necessary to touch him to hear his voice?

Thinking this, he yawned and rubbed his eyes, and when he felt a bit of fresh air, he remembered that he had indeed fallen asleep hugging Chu Wang.

No wonder he could hear Chu Wang’s voice.

As he thought about this, he lifted his head and sure enough saw the man in the flower room.

“How long did I sleep?” He slept better than he had imagined, but Yu Lan also knew that Chu Wang’s body couldn’t bear too much weight, so he slowed down his movements and got off him, asking.

But maybe he hadn’t woken up yet, Yu Lan was still sluggish, as if someone had taken away his bones, and after moving off Chu Wang’s legs, he leaned back on his shoulder, squinting his eyes.

“Not long, just about twenty minutes.” Chu Wang saw it, “Did you sleep well?”

Yu Lan nodded slowly and laboriously with his eyes closed: “Yes, it was quite comfortable.”

“Mr. Chu, if you wake up later,” he yawned again and said, “maybe it will be more comfortable to fall asleep then.”

Now it was because of his illness that he was a little thinner, and some places were a bit uncomfortable.

Yu Lan said with his eyes closed, and when he spoke, he didn’t think about it at all until he heard Chu Wang’s very calm but seemingly smiling “I know” before suddenly realizing what he had just said.

He just woke up, his expression stiffened: “Not Mr. Chu! I didn’t mean that! What I meant was I hope you’ll be healthier then…”

“Well, I know.” Chu Wang nodded naturally and even affirmed his words, “I’ll remember.”

Yu Lan simply stopped continuing this topic, afraid that he would say more wrong things.

He coughed and pretended nothing had happened, looking outside the flower room, most of the day had already sunk into the clouds: “Let me take you back.”

He was actually a little embarrassed, thinking about it, he said again, “Or… do you still want to see somewhere?”

After all, Chu Wang said he wanted to come down and walk around. He agreed, but he ended up chatting in the flower room and falling asleep…

“I’m satisfied today.” Chu Wang spoke, but he didn’t know if he was talking about sightseeing this time, “Let’s go back.”

Yu Lan straightened out his crumpled clothes and stood up, pushing Chu Wang out.

However, he walked slowly on the way, and occasionally said a few words to Chu Wang.

It’s all irrelevant content, and he doesn’t care whether the other person will answer him. He just pushes him happily and leisurely.

“Mr. Chu, the osmanthus tree I brought you down last time is almost falling off.”

“It’s a bit cool today…”

“Yeah, next time I bring you downstairs, I’ll help you change into a thicker coat.”

“Are you cold?”

Although he just said casually to himself, Chu Wang answered every short question without missing a word.

“Yeah.”

“You’re a little thin.”

“It’s okay.”

“Not at all.”

Yu Lan suddenly felt better.

Maybe it was because he had slept in the flower room for a while, or maybe Chu Wang seemed different from before today.

When he pushed the wheelchair into the door, he found that Xi Yun was already in the living room and smiled and walked over when she saw him: “Little Yu?”

“Auntie,” Yu Lan obediently called out, “I brought Mr. Chu out for a walk.”

Xi Yun smiled and said, “Then come and have dinner first?”

Yu Lan felt a little guilty for no reason, because although he took Chu Wang out, he didn’t really walk much himself, and he slept well.

He nodded: “Okay, I’ll take Mr. Chu upstairs first.”

When dinner was over, Xi Yun stopped him: “By the way, Xiaoyu, do you still remember the charity auction I told you about last time?”

Yu Lan stopped and remembered that day when he took Chu Wang to the company, and Xiaoyan did mention it.

“Auntie has been very busy lately, so she might not have time that day.” Xi Yun said, “As usual, our family is going, and usually for charity, we would buy something to show our gratitude, more or less.”

“I remember the dress I ordered for you should have arrived by now. Would you like to go and have some fun?” Xi Yun was afraid he might feel awkward, so she explained, “If you’re not willing, just ask Miss Zhang to go. But if you like, you can go and see if there’s anything you fancy, and you can buy it.”

Yu Lan felt that both Xi Yun and Chu Wang spoke to him as if money were no object, and he didn’t know how to respond. All he could do was nod and say, “Okay.”

“Whatever you decide, as long as you’re happy,” Xi Yun smiled gently, recalling the scene she had witnessed in the flower room earlier.

In truth, this child wasn’t without admirers, nor was he devoid of his own emotions.

“Well then…” Yu Lan pondered for a moment. “Can I bring Mr. Chu along?”

He remembered what Zhang Yan had said: “After all, he represents the Chu family, just like when I took Mr. Chu to the company before, just to make an appearance.”

He did want to bring Chu Wang along, knowing now how to summon him, sometimes needing someone to talk to when he couldn’t make up his mind.

Xi Yun looked pleasantly surprised. “If you’re willing, Yu Lan, that would be best.”

Thinking he was going, Xi Yun started planning like she would for her own child: “Right, apart from the dress, what else is missing? Cufflinks, you can use Chu Wang’s for now…”

From neckties to cufflinks, and from leather shoes to watches, Yu Lan looked over everything meticulously, thinking about rearranging the entire set.

When he was about to make a call to have someone come over immediately to choose a new set, Yu Lan stopped him in time: “Auntie, this is fine for me.”

Xi Yun insisted firmly, “Since you’re here with us, you must use the best of everything.”

She glanced at Yu Lan and added, “Yu Lan, rest assured. Whatever your family didn’t provide before, we can make up for now.”

“It’s okay, we can take it step by step,” she said.

Yu Lan blinked.

Although he had indeed initially used his most common method to please adults to make these three months a bit better, he still felt a bit emotional now.

“But…” He thought for a moment before saying, “I don’t think I’ve lost anything.”

When he was at the welfare home, Auntie Liu had already given him the best within her ability. He didn’t expect things that were beyond his class, and even though there were some twists and turns along the way, he still lived a relatively content life.

Now suddenly gaining so much, he was a bit slow to react.

Xi Yun looked at him and finally smiled, “Alright, it’s your decision.”

Meanwhile, dozens of kilometers away at the Yu family, the atmosphere seemed to have improved compared to before.

Returning with people, Yu Ling, just arrived at the door, couldn’t wait to speak: “Mom!”

Liang Zhiyu was arranging flowers on the balcony not far away. In fact, she had heard Yu Ling’s voice. In the past, she would have put down everything and greeted her baby back home.

But now, whether it was because a lot of things hadn’t been resolved or because of the recent discord, Liang Zhiyu lowered her head with eyes downcast, pretending not to hear, and continued trimming the bouquet in front of her.

Seeing no one responded, Yu Ling’s expression was briefly embarrassed, but she quickly raised her head and said to the person in front of her, “Brother Sijue, you come in first. My mom probably didn’t hear.”

Then she ran over again, “Mom, look who I’ve brought!”

Upon hearing this, Liang Zhiyu finally put down her scissors, walked over with a smile, and said, “Xiao Ling…”

As she looked up, she indeed saw a young man who looked somewhat familiar standing behind Yu Ling.

She recalled what Yu Ling had said before and instantly remembered who he was. She immediately smiled warmly, “This is… Xiao Song?”

Song Sijue politely greeted her, showing restraint and courtesy, “Aunt Liang, it’s been a while.”

Yu Ling seemed very happy. Seeing the two still standing face to face, she simply took Song Sijue’s hand and walked over, “Sijue brother, come on! I said I’d bring you home for dinner today.”

Song Sijue’s fingers stiffened for a moment, but he didn’t withdraw his hand. Instead, he took a step forward and followed.

This meal was somewhat awkward, whether it was Liang Zhiyu constantly serving dishes to Song Sijue or Yu Ling smiling and recounting past events with him.

And when it came to the past, it was inevitable to mention the broken engagement.

“Xiao Song, when we received the news before, Xiao Ling and I thought you were facing some difficulty. Now we know you just didn’t want to marry someone you didn’t know…” Liang Zhiyu smiled flatteringly, “Auntie feels relieved too.”

“It’s nothing, Aunt Liang,” Song Sijue smiled lightly. “Such matters should ideally have mutual consent, rather than being jokes from elders.”

“Moreover, I didn’t know the other party at all… It’s absurd to marry someone I’ve never met, so it’s better to dissolve it first.”

“Yes, we strongly advocate for children’s marital freedom now,” Liang Zhiyu smiled. “But this time you’re back…?”

“I’m here this time for a collaboration between the headquarters overseas and here,” Song Sijue said. “I just arrived.”

“Oh right, Aunt Liang, speaking of which, what about the child from your family before?”

Liang Zhiyu paused her smile. “He… “

She glanced at Yu Ling’s expression. At times like this, this mother and son had a certain tacit understanding. She quickly understood and sighed, “That’s also… a very difficult decision.”

“Xiao Ling has always been in poor health, but that child, he, he…”

Yu Ling timely came over and held Liang Zhiyu’s hand. “Mom, it’s all because of me.”

Song Sijue intervened, “Forget it, Auntie, it’s unavoidable.”

“Children like him, who have suffered outside, are indeed prone to some distortion and may do some not-so-good things.” He glanced at Yu Ling. “I understand. He must have bullied Xiao Ling, which led you to make this decision.”

Liang Zhiyu looked conflicted but seemed to confirm what Song Sijue said.

However, she still wanted to steer the conversation back to earlier topics and thought for a moment before saying, “So Sijue, since you just ended your engagement with the other party and are back in the country, why don’t we…”

Yu Ling seemed surprised by Liang Zhiyu’s suggestion and immediately blushed and lowered her head in embarrassment.

But Song Sijue seemed prepared and tactfully avoided Liang Zhiyu’s somewhat pointed question, smiling gently. “Speaking of which, there’s an auction at the headquarters recently.”

He skillfully shifted the topic, “It’s a good opportunity for me to make amends for not coming back all these years—I’ll go over and bring a gift back for Xiao Ling.”

But when Yu Lan returned to his room, he found himself unexpectedly interested in the auction, perhaps due to Xi Yun’s words.

Although Xi Yun had left the decision to him, this was still a first for Yu Lan. His impressions of charity galas and auctions had always been confined to dramas and novels, and he mentioned it to Chu Wang when he returned.

“Miss Zhang said she could arrange a special seat for me. I’ll sit next to you and take you with me,” he said, his excitement palpable despite trying to appear calm. “Oh yes, I’ll have to coordinate our outfits in the same style and color.”

“That way everyone will recognize my status.”

Chu Wang understood what Yu Lan meant, and despite their relationship, he felt happy. After all, Yu Lan was now legally his lover.

Over these days, Yu Lan had become familiar with every corner of Chu Wang’s room, and he had a deep impression of the styles and designs in the wardrobe.

After much deliberation, he picked out an outfit similar to his own white suit style, held it up against Chu Wang’s body, and then symbolically lifted his head, seeking the opinion of the invisible person in the room: “Mr. Chu, how about this?”

Chu Wang looked at his expression, eyes filled with anticipation. Although Yu Lan asked “how about this,” his eyes clearly said “this one, I like this one.”

“Well…” as if deliberately teasing him, Chu Wang hesitated slightly, seeming unsure.

Sure enough, the next moment he saw Yu Lan freeze slightly.

As if this moment could make his mood better for the whole day, Chu Wang paused for that instant, not wanting to see Yu Lan disappointed or any other expression, and immediately said, “Then let’s go with this one.”

The smile on Yu Lan’s face brightened as he had hoped, becoming lively again. “Great!”

Although he knew Yu Lan wouldn’t easily be bullied outside, his changed mindset made Chu Wang unable to resist reminding him, “If anyone dares to use this identity to insult you, you don’t have to endure it. You can react right there.”

Yu Lan buried himself in the wardrobe, listening to Chu Wang speak. He pulled his head out and smiled back, “It’s okay, Mr. Chu. You don’t need to worry.”

Watching Yu Lan immerse himself back into the closet, Chu Wang noticed him pause as he took out a neatly folded tie box. “Oh, by the way…”

Yu Lan didn’t find it particularly embarrassing, so he decided to be honest with Chu Wang, “Mr. Chu, I just realized… I don’t really know how to tie a tie.”

He scratched the back of his head, “I’m still young, and I’ve never been to places like this before. I’ve only worn those ready-made bow ties for photos. I’ve never been to a really formal event, and no one has ever taught me these things.”

“What style would suit me?” Yu Lan finished and checked his phone, “Can I learn a quick tutorial?”

Chu Wang looked down at him, glanced at the suit he had chosen, and thought for a moment before saying, “A half Windsor knot looks good. It suits you.”

Yu Lan nodded vaguely, “Oh.”

Then he really opened the tutorial and decided to learn it tonight.

But despite Yu Lan’s sharp mind, his fingers weren’t as nimble. After spending a long time practicing on a hanger, he kept getting tangled up and couldn’t quite get the hang of even a simple knot—

Chu Wang couldn’t help but remind him, “If you’re having trouble, try putting it around your neck slowly by yourself. It might be easier.”

Yu Lan listened and wanted to try it, but after he messed up Chu Wang’s silk tie in front of the mirror, his head drooped, “It’s so hard.”

Chu Wang couldn’t help but smile.

He actually wanted to say that if he couldn’t do it, it was just a little thing to tie a tie. There were plenty of people at home who could help, or he could have Zhang Yan come over and solve it in a few minutes.

He was about to speak.

But when he looked down, he saw Yu Lan sitting cross-legged on the carpet, his head drooping. His hair was tousled from wrestling with a tie, and the previously lively curls were now listlessly shaking.

From his angle, he could see Yu Lan’s slightly open collar due to his learning efforts, his fair and delicate neck, and the faint red marks on his fingers from struggling with the tie.

He felt that his idea was crazy and should be stopped.

But his brain and heart weren’t in this empty body’s soul, so he cunningly found an excuse for himself. He didn’t let Yu Lan go find someone else for help but instead spoke up, “Do you really want to learn that much?”

“Yeah,” Yu Lan pouted, “I can’t do it with the videos. They make my eyes spin. It would be great if someone could teach me.”

“Then… let me…”

“I’ll teach you.”

Just as Yu Lan was about to think about asking the butler for help, Chu Wang interrupted him and said.

Yu Lan widened his eyes, as if he hadn’t quite grasped it until then. “Mr. Chu, you’ll teach me?”

How will you teach me?

I can’t even touch him.

Just as this thought occurred to him, a somewhat unreal speculation arose, and Chu Wang’s voice echoed in his ears once again: “It’s not like I can’t touch you completely.”

With each word Chu Wang uttered, he found his own thoughts incredible, yet he couldn’t stop himself: “There’s still plenty of cinnabar from last time, right?”

Sure enough, just as he had thought, Yu Lan was momentarily stunned, but instantly understood his meaning: “Are you saying…”

Chu Wang lowered his head, locking eyes with Yu Lan, as if asking himself as much as Yu Lan, “Don’t you want to learn?”

“Whatever type of knot you want to tie, I can teach you.”

Though Yu Lan felt it was somewhat unbelievable to learn to tie a tie with cinnabar, unexpectedly, he seemed to subconsciously think it feasible as well. He nodded faintly and then rose to the end of the cabinet where the small wooden box was kept.

Except for the pack he had taken from the company last time, this wooden box hadn’t been opened since that day. Afraid he might misunderstand, Yu Lan glanced up at Chu Wang: “Mr. Chu, should I… sprinkle them all over my hands?”

Chu Wang remained silent, just barely nodding.

Yu Lan pondered, “Or should I add a little water? Otherwise, if it’s just powder, it might fall off once applied.”

Saying this, he proceeded carefully, opening two packs and heading to the bathroom to place them in water.

Using only a little water in the basin, Yu Lan cautiously poured in the contents. Cinnabar doesn’t dissolve in water, but the instant the two packets of powder touched the water, the entire basin turned a nearly glaring crimson.

It looked like some kind of mysterious ritual, but Yu Lan didn’t have time to think much about it. Taking a deep breath, he immersed both hands into the pool of cinnabar-colored water — which, being lukewarm, wasn’t particularly stimulating.

When he withdrew his hands after soaking them thoroughly in the cinnabar powder, Yu Lan made sure not to shake them off, fearing that otherwise Chu Wang wouldn’t be able to touch him.

Returning to the mirror, Yu Lan asked Chu Wang, who was approaching, “Mr. Chu, like this?”

Chu Wang softly “hmmed.”

Without further consideration, Yu Lan re-tied the tie around his neck and said, “Please teach me.”

He faced the mirror alone, wearing a white shirt. However, soon a hint of expected chill swept over him.

This was the second time he had touched Chu Wang, different from the previous time when they had just hooked pinkies. Yu Lan felt the other’s long, slender fingers and large palms completely enveloping his hands.

So Chu Wang’s hands were this big — Yu Lan suddenly found himself holding his breath for a moment, inexplicably thinking so.

In the mirror, the young man sat on the floor in a white shirt, his hand posture appearing somewhat odd — as if there were something the mirror couldn’t reflect, holding him. His hands were as red as if stained with blood, resting on his neck and the already wrinkled tie.

Chu Wang’s voice was deep, husky, and terse.

“Watch closely.”

He said.

His palm pressed tightly against Yu Lan’s, as if afraid he might run away, even squeezing each finger into the gap between theirs, ensuring every inch of skin made contact. Yu Lan had almost forgotten Chu Wang was here to teach him how to tie a tie. For a few seconds, his mind went blank, mechanically following Chu Wang’s hand movements, inching past the seemingly useless piece of cloth.

The young man’s expression in the mirror remained dazed, but his fingers didn’t stop, making tiny adjustments.

Sitting in front of the mirror, his slender neck and fingers turned blood-red, Yu Lan was completely wrapped in his hands. It resembled a mysterious ritual of unknown origin, yet also a naive, sweet sacrifice.