Chapter 81: End of the Main Story (Part 2)
After getting the special edition of the macho-men magazine, Little Frog walked into the study and, right in front of Huo Beixing, placed it in the most prominent spot.
The flower at home had crushed every wildflower.
The flower at home scored a massive victory.
An Yi turned back to look at Huo Beixing, almost like he was showing off, and told him, “I put you in first place.”
Huo Beixing did not show much on his face, but inwardly he was delighted beyond measure.
The business at sea was finally finished, so the very next day Huo Beixing wanted to take back the duty of picking up and dropping off An Yi from Huo Xiao.
Who knew Huo Xiao would refuse.
Huo Beixing frowned. “I’m done with work.”
Huo Xiao swallowed nervously and braced himself. “I know, but I still want to pick up brother An Yi to and from school.”
Recently, An Yi had been busy making a ring for Huo Beixing. Once he found out Huo Xiao had replaced Huo Beixing as his driver, he had been overjoyed. His class and work hours were fixed, and when Huo Beixing handled his transportation, all his off-work time was basically occupied by him. There was hardly any time left for him to run around and go to the jewelry shop to oversee the ring-making process.
But once it was Huo Xiao driving him, he had all the excuse and time he needed to go to the jewelry shop. If he came home late, he could just say he had gone out to eat with Huo Xiao.
Huo Xiao also knew about the ring.
Something like this was supposed to be a secret surprise. How could the other party discover it in advance?
The two of them had already kept it from Huo Beixing for so long as comrades-in-arms. The ring was just about finished now. They absolutely could not let anything go wrong at the very end.
Huo Xiao said, “Brother Beixing, just leave it alone. I’ll handle brother An Yi’s pick-ups.”
The more Huo Beixing listened, the more something felt off.
He had only let this brat pick up his wife for two days, and now he was hooked on it?
“What are you picking him up for? He’s my wife.”
Huo Xiao said, “But he’s my sister-in-law.”
Huo Beixing shot to his feet. “Kid, are you trying to pull that same trick with the dumplings on me?!”
Huo Beixing had broad shoulders and long legs. When he stood up, he startled Huo Xiao so badly it was like the man was about to yank a belt off his waist and whip him.
Huo Xiao swallowed hard and braced himself. “No, brother Beixing—how could I be some kind of pervert?!”
Huo Xiao had completely forgotten that the first time he met An Yi, he had asked An Yi to hit him because he was a pervert.
And An Yi had really hit him.
Huo Xiao hastily made up a lie. “I’ve been dating lately, so I’ve been chatting with brother An Yi about it.”
Huo Beixing’s look toward him turned complicated.
“You’re chatting with him?”
Huo Xiao went blank. “W-what’s wrong with that?”
Huo Beixing thought of his wife, who had always had a screw loose when it came to romance. “He can’t even figure out his own relationship.”
Huo Xiao: ……
In the end, under Huo Xiao’s intense insistence, he successfully won the right to continue driving An Yi around.
Huo Xiao picked up his water glass and took a sip. He had truly exhausted himself for the sake of these two people’s affairs.
At eighteen years old, he had officially become the Love Security Guard.
Huo Xiao kept driving An Yi around for about another ten days. School was almost starting soon, yet the brat still showed no sign of leaving.
While Huo Beixing and An Yi were watching Where Is the Runaway Bride Running To?, Huo Beixing said, “I’ll go pick you up tomorrow.”
An Yi was biting into watermelon with hearty little chomps. Hearing that, he raised his head. “No need, there’s Xiao.”
“Can’t I go pick you up?”
“Xiao should do it.”
“Why?”
An Yi went silent for a long time. “Because he’s a male college student.”
Huo Beixing: ……
So he liked male college students?
Damn it. If he had known, he never would have graduated from college in the first place.
An Yi looked at the female lead on TV biting into a ring hidden in a cake, and his eyes lit up. Scooting his butt closer to Huo Beixing, he said, “That’s so romantic.”
Huo Beixing glanced at it and gave a quiet acknowledgment.
“You think it’s romantic too?”
Huo Beixing stroked the hair on An Yi’s head. “Romantic.”
An Yi silently stored that away in his heart.
The next day, An Yi went with Huo Xiao to the jewelry shop to pick up the finished ring.
Watching from the side, Huo Xiao asked, “Brother An Yi, did you design all of this for brother Beixing yourself?”
An Yi nodded. “Is it pretty?”
Huo Xiao said, “It is.”
“He’s beautiful, so he should wear beautiful things.”
Huo Xiao froze on the spot. It was the first time in his life he had ever heard anyone describe Huo Beixing like that.
Huo Beixing’s features were striking, the kind of face you would never forget after seeing it once. Extremely outstanding, elegant and reckless, there were many words people could use to praise him, but “beautiful” was a first, and An Yi was the first person ever to say it.
It sounded strange, yet special.
Huo Xiao stood there.
So this was… love?!
For today’s ring-giving plan, An Yi had booked a high-end restaurant a whole week in advance.
Huo Beixing came over from the company, and as soon as he entered the restaurant, he discovered it had been reserved exclusively.
Looking ahead, he saw An Yi standing not far away, dressed in formalwear, his little face taut with nerves.
Huo Beixing narrowed his eyes and silently whistled in his heart.
But he did not ask any questions and simply let An Yi lead him.
An Yi was extremely nervous. His movements were awkward as he sat down with Huo Beixing.
“Is there anything you want to eat?”
Huo Beixing ordered a few things casually. He had expected something might happen over the course of the meal and had been secretly looking forward to it.
Yet even when they were almost done eating, nothing had happened.
The violinist beside them had nearly smoked the strings right off the instrument.
Huo Beixing: ……
When dessert was finally brought out, the emotions in An Yi’s eyes shifted. Huo Beixing caught it and looked at the cherry cake in front of him.
Then he recalled Where Is the Runaway Bride Running To?, which they had watched together before.
The path of love lay hidden within it.
Huo Beixing acted indifferent, but he ate his cake with great care, already thinking about how to pretend to be surprised once he found the ring.
He had confidence in his acting ability.
After all, he had once played the role of a fool for quite a long time.
An Yi licked his lips nervously, waiting for Huo Beixing’s astonishment.
But when Huo Beixing reached the very last bite, the two of them both fell silent.
They stared at that final forkful of cake.
Huo Beixing: ……
Huo Beixing lifted his eyes to look at An Yi.
Had they perhaps forgotten to put something in it?
An Yi: ……
He had not expected Huo Beixing to miss the ring. That should not have happened. He had personally put it into the cake.
It should have been in the cake.
An Yi felt a little disappointed and took a bite from his own cake.
Clink.
An Yi: ……
The ring really had been in the cake.
It was just in his cake instead.
Looking at the ring buried inside the cake, An Yi could not help feeling dejected. Little Frog’s romantic plan had gone up in smoke.
When Huo Beixing saw the ring being taken out, he exclaimed in delight, “Is it for me?!”
Hearing the surprise in his voice, An Yi looked up in astonishment, his eyes wide. “Yes.”
He had only said one word, yet his face was already turning red with embarrassment.
An Yi’s heart pounded wildly. He took a deep breath, nervous. He had originally prepared a whole pile of drafted speeches for this romantic operation, but now he could not remember a single one of them. All he could do was stretch out the hand holding the ring.
“Huo Beixing, I love you. Can you… can you spend the rest of your life with me?”
Huo Beixing said nothing and simply extended his hand toward him.
An Yi looked at him, then at the hand he had reached out, and quickly used a napkin to wipe the cream off the ring before slipping it onto Huo Beixing’s finger.
Huo Beixing lifted his hand and stared at it for a very long time. The smile at the corners of his mouth could not be hidden.
“An Yi, thank you for choosing me.”
An Yi lowered his head shyly. “What’s there to thank me for?”
Huo Beixing smiled and shook his head, then glanced at the violinist nearby. The violinist tactfully withdrew.
An Yi was still wondering why the violinist had left halfway through a song when Huo Beixing suddenly leaned over and kissed him.
By the time the two of them came out of the restaurant, their lips were both a little swollen.
Little Frog’s romantic operation had unexpectedly included some French elements.
His mouth still felt like he had just eaten chili peppers, stinging hot all over.
It was already ten at night. The streets were still lively and bright, and from time to time the summer night breeze swept by, driving off the heat. Huo Beixing kept lifting his hand to look at the ring, putting it down, lifting it again, putting it down again. After just that short walk, he had already looked at it more than ten times.
An Yi bumped him with his butt. “Do you like it?”
Huo Beixing said, “I do.”
“Then do I treat you well?”
Huo Beixing took his hand. “You do.”
An Yi started smiling in delight.
“I think so too.”
When they reached the bookstore where they had bought macho-men magazines before, An Yi unconsciously turned his head to look.
He shook their clasped hands. “Next time, let’s come here and buy books again.”
Huo Home-Flower Beixing immediately sensed danger. “What books?”
An Yi blinked. “You know.”
Huo Beixing’s face stiffened. “I’m not buying them.”
“If you won’t buy them, my husband will.”
Huo Beixing bent down. The evening wind rustled through the lush leaves in the trees overhead. “What if your husband is petty too, and he won’t buy them either?”
An Yi’s brows lifted, and he deliberately tried to scare him. “Then aren’t you afraid I’ll just get myself another husband?”
“You won’t get the chance.” Huo Beixing raised his left hand, the ring glittering brightly under the moonlight. Then he said smugly, “We’re going to be together for the rest of our lives.”
[The End]
