Chapter 17: Choosing Wedding Rings
Even after entering the elevator, Zhu Zhixi had not fully woken up.
Squatting inside the elevator, he propped his head up with both hands, his body swaying slightly back and forth. A tuft of hair on top of his head was still sticking up from sleep, but he himself was completely unaware.
When the doors opened, Fu Rangyi grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up. Zhu Zhixi did not resist at all. He even wanted to turn into a long, soft strand of kelp and simply be dragged along.
Only when he was dragged to the entrance of a jewelry store did Zhu Zhixi finally understand and turn back from kelp into human form.
He remembered the phone call Fu’s mother had answered at the dining table, where she had complained that she had not received any gifts for the holiday.
The great professor was actually quite filial. He even knew to prepare a Christmas surprise for his mother.
Thinking that they were choosing a gift for his mother-in-law, Zhu Zhixi perked up a little. After entering, he went straight to the women’s counter and naturally asked the sales associate about their newest high jewelry collection.
On the other side, a saleswoman in a store manager’s uniform enthusiastically greeted Fu Rangyi. Her voice was very loud and crisp, drawing part of Zhu Zhixi’s attention.
“Because you only made the appointment last night, several pieces in stock haven’t been transferred over yet. But we do have pictures, so you can take a look first.”
“Zhu Zhixi.” Fu Rangyi turned his face and called his name from afar, his tone sounding not very pleased.
What now, great professor?
Zhu Zhixi quickly put down the emerald necklace set he was looking at and walked toward him.
“You want to buy a necklace?” Fu Rangyi asked.
Zhu Zhixi was also somewhat confused. “Ah? Me?”
Meaning he wanted to buy it in Zhu Zhixi’s name and give it to his mother?
Smart. There it was, a little trick to quickly please his mother-in-law.
“Sure.” He reacted, smiled at Fu Rangyi, and even patted his own chest. “I’ll buy it.”
Fu Rangyi frowned.
What was this again? So neurotic.
“Buy it for whom?”
“Our mom.” Zhu Zhixi wore a proud expression that said, “How’s that? I’m pretty quick on the uptake, right?”
Fu Rangyi stopped speaking.
Just then, the store manager appeared and led the two of them into the VIP room with a smile.
“These are all the ring styles from our brand’s full collection. Basically, all the available pieces are here.”
Rings?
They were indeed rings, two jewelry trays packed full of them.
Fu Rangyi’s tone was as calm as ever. “Which pair do you like?”
Zhu Zhixi widened his eyes and looked at him.
After two seconds, he leaned close to Fu Rangyi’s ear and whispered in secret.
“We’re here to pick wedding rings?”
“What else?”
“I thought it was for our…”
Zhu Zhixi did not continue. He turned his head and smiled at the store manager. The store manager also gave him a professional smile.
He was extremely confused and could not even focus on choosing a style. After enduring and enduring, he still sent Fu Rangyi a WeChat message.
[Bad Rabbit: Why so sudden?]
After sending it, he bumped Fu Rangyi with his shoulder and nodded toward his phone.
[Pretty Widower: While you were still sleeping, my mom urged me again to buy rings and scolded me for not caring about you enough.]
You don’t, though.
Zhu Zhixi pouted, then thought of something and typed with a smile.
[Bad Rabbit: Then today you’ll have to bleed heavily, husband. I want the most expensive one.]
[Pretty Widower: Whatever. It’s not my money anyway.]
The two of them sat on the sofa, each holding a phone and chatting away happily, neither speaking to the other. The scene was truly somewhat strange.
For the sake of sales performance, the store manager awkwardly interrupted. “Um, shall we start going through the styles now? Is that all right?”
“Of course.”
Zhu Zhixi narrowed his eyes and began examining the styles carefully.
When his mother had been alive, she had loved collecting jewelry. Since childhood, he had been influenced by what he saw and heard, and later inherited most of her collection.
Compared to someone obsessed with academia, he understood these things much better. With only a casual glance, he could tell that the pieces brought out were all from the brand’s high jewelry series.
His intuition told him that none of these seemed like Fu Rangyi’s preferred style.
If the great professor were choosing for himself, he would probably prefer something as low-key as possible, just barely recognizable as a wedding ring. These designer pieces were most likely a hard requirement from the Fu elders: luxurious, eye-catching, and not embarrassing.
Zhu Zhixi understood the situation very clearly. This was acting, not a real marriage. His own preferences were not important.
The nosebleed earlier had reminded him that, for the sake of more physical contact, he had to increase Fu Rangyi’s goodwill toward him.
So, from the pile of flashy styles, he painstakingly picked out a few simple ones that looked like rings Fu Rangyi might like.
“These few, please let us try them on.”
“You’re sure?” Fu Rangyi was somewhat surprised.
Zhu Zhixi turned his head, trying to read his expression, but failed.
“They don’t look good?”
Fu Rangyi neither agreed nor disagreed. “Try them first.”
The store manager glanced at Zhu Zhixi and roughly estimated his ring size.
“Your hands are so slender. You can wear many women’s rings and unisex styles too. Please try these and see whether the sizes fit.”
“Okay.”
He casually picked a platinum diamond ring and slipped it onto his ring finger. He was already wearing quite a few stacked rings on his hands, so this one mixed among them and did not stand out.
Back and forth, he tried them again and again. They were all about the same.
Store managers at big brands were all sharp-eyed. With one glance, she saw that he did not particularly like them and smiled. “Mr. Zhu, if you don’t like these very much, we have several more styles. I’ll have someone bring them out for you to choose slowly.”
“No need, no need.” Zhu Zhixi hurriedly stopped her. “Let’s make this quick.”
Unexpectedly, Fu Rangyi, who had been silent for a long time, spoke up.
“No need to rush. Choose slowly.”
Since things had been said to this point, the store manager quickly brought out several more styles and arranged them one by one, helping him try them on.
Zhu Zhixi yawned.
Maybe he should just throw the decision to Fu Rangyi.
Whatever Fu Rangyi chose, he would wear. Anyway, it was just a symbol of being married.
So he tugged at Fu Rangyi’s sleeve and gave him a look.
Originally, he was worried Fu Rangyi would not understand, but unexpectedly, Fu Rangyi actually looked toward the counter, swept his gaze over it, and reached out.
Good. Fake husband had been successfully called up.
But in the next second, Zhu Zhixi discovered he had called up the wrong setting.
Fu Rangyi actually passed directly over those simple styles that had been selected and picked up an Art Deco-style white gold ring set with a ruby.
The store manager’s voice rose several degrees.
“Mr. Fu has excellent taste. The main stone of this piece is a 2.8-carat unheated pigeon blood ruby, square cut. It is surrounded by a large number of fancy-cut diamonds and square diamonds to create mechanical geometric lines, very clean and sharp…”
Zhu Zhixi failed to hear most of the introduction.
He was extremely surprised, because this was the ring he had liked at first glance. Modern, bold, anti-classical. It made him think of a certain decorative arts exhibition he had once seen.
But this was also the option he had rejected from the very beginning. It did not fit Fu Rangyi’s cold and restrained style at all.
This answer came far too unexpectedly.
“Mr. Fu, please try putting it on Mr. Zhu.” The store manager smiled brightly and presented the ring to Fu Rangyi.
Only then did Zhu Zhixi come back to himself. “Ah? It’s fine, I can do it myself.”
Before he could refuse, Fu Rangyi had already taken the ring.
His expression did not reveal whether he was willing or unwilling. In any case, very calmly, he took Zhu Zhixi’s left hand, though only by the wrist.
The ring was slowly pushed onto his ring finger.
From the ring to the fingertips, then to the lowered eyelashes, his gaze shifted unconsciously.
Was it because this action had been given too many symbolic meanings of sweetness, happiness, and completeness by people? At this moment, Zhu Zhixi’s heartbeat did indeed quicken.
Until those hands left his warming fingers.
“It looks wonderful!” The store manager was clearly the most excited among them. “Mr. Zhu’s hands are very long and slender, and his skin is fair. He is truly too suited to wearing rubies!”
The ring was heavy, encircling his ring finger. Zhu Zhixi’s mood felt a little subtle. He rarely had such indescribable moments. He kept feeling as though something was missing.
“Is it too eye-catching?”
After asking this, he suddenly realized what it was. As his husband, Fu Rangyi had not even politely praised it in front of the salesperson.
It looks nice. It suits you. Not bad.
Sure enough, it was a fake marriage. He did not even know how to act.
At this moment, the unqualified actor also gave no response to his question. He still lowered his eyes and observed the ring.
Was this his first time trying wedding rings, so he found it novel?
Zhu Zhixi did not know. All he saw were Fu Rangyi’s long, dense eyelashes. From this angle, they almost covered his eyes.
In that instant, he remembered the blue morpho butterfly he had encountered in the Amazon rainforest. Under dizzyingly bright sunlight, it had lightly landed on his finger, its dark wings flapping extremely slowly.
“We’ll take this one.”
Fu Rangyi gently turned the ring, pulled it out a little, then pushed it back in to the base of the finger. After trying it, he said in a low voice, “The size is just right too.”
“All right. Then yours…”
As if he had already chosen long ago, he casually pointed. “This one, then.”
Zhu Zhixi looked over.
It was a smooth white gold men’s ring set with a round ruby. Along the center line of the band, a row of small diamonds was embedded. The main stone and his own ring were very consistent in color, both vivid pigeon blood red. Only this one was small and delicate, accenting the exact center of the ring, indeed like a tiny drop of blood.
He was somewhat surprised. He had not expected Fu Rangyi to choose a colored gemstone too, and even less expected such a bright pigeon blood red. But it was indeed a simple style, so his prediction on that point had not been wrong.
The store manager gently reminded them, “These two aren’t a matching pair.”
“It’s fine,” Zhu Zhixi quickly said.
Anyway, we’re not a pair either.
After a while, he heard Fu Rangyi, who had been silent for a long time, ask softly, “Aren’t you going to put it on me?”
“Oh, right.”
Was it because he hadn’t acted well enough?
Zhu Zhixi’s heart grew even more unsettled, rising and falling, thumping nonstop.
A thin layer of sweat broke out over his palm. He rubbed his fingertips together, picked up the ring set with a tiny red dot of a gem, took an unconscious deep breath, then took his fake partner’s hand and lowered his head to put it on for him.
His movements were so careful that even he found them a little funny.
“It fits perfectly.”
Not only was the size perfect, even the width was just right. It happened to cover the faint scar on the ring finger, making his hand look even longer and more elegant than before. There was also a subtle feeling to it.
Zhu Zhixi could not quite describe it.
“Your hands are truly beautiful,” the store manager said, beaming. “You would both be more than qualified to be hand models. May I take a photo? You really look so well matched.”
He himself had no problem with it.
But Fu Rangyi was such a petty person. He would definitely refuse.
Unexpectedly, the petty ghost said mildly, “Do as you please.”
Had this man changed his nature today?
Under the store manager’s direction, they placed their two hands together, but they did not interlace their fingers. Just like that, they left behind a slightly unfamiliar-looking photo.
When they were checking out, the store manager asked, “Would you like anything engraved?”
Zhu Zhixi hurriedly refused. “No need. This is already very good.”
“Are you sure?” Fu Rangyi’s tone when he asked seemed to carry a bit of anger.
For some reason, Zhu Zhixi felt that he was acting strange today. After thinking for a moment, he took out his phone and typed.
Bad Bunny: Unless you let me pay for this ring myself.
Pretty Widower: What does that have to do with who pays? My parents would never let you pay. Are you trying to get me scolded?
Bad Bunny: No. If you don’t let me pay, then after the divorce, I’ll have no choice but to return this ring to you. If my name is really engraved on it, when you take it back later, won’t it be uncomfortable to look at? It’d be awkward to give it to someone else too.
Pretty Widower: Do you think I would give away a secondhand ring?
…Fair enough.
Bad Bunny: So you’re really giving it to me?
Before he could wait for a reply, he heard Fu Rangyi say to the store manager, “Let’s engrave it after all.”
“Of course. May I ask if you would like both of your names engraved?”
Fu Rangyi paused for a few seconds. After thinking, he replied, “Engrave a countdown around it.”
Zhu Zhixi froze on the spot.
Fu Rangyi had already asked the store manager for paper and a pen. He leaned over and wrote down a string of numbers.
His memory instantly drifted back to a certain night not long ago. Sitting at the dining table, after Zhu Zhixi had confessed the existence of the countdown, Fu Rangyi had interrogated him like a criminal, asking him a whole string of questions.
“You said that after meeting me, you discovered the countdown could pause. In other words, the first time it paused was during our blind date?”
“That’s right.”
Fu Rangyi pressed on with a scrutinizing look. “Do you remember what time it stopped at?”
The first pause.
To Zhu Zhixi, that moment was simply unforgettable.
“Of course.” He blurted it out, faster than if he had made it up. “56 days, 20 hours, 5 minutes, and 20 seconds.”
And now, at this very moment, he watched as Fu Rangyi wrote down a line of characters.
56d:20h:5m:20s
Why?
“Please engrave it on both rings. Thank you.”
Zhu Zhixi completely could not understand him anymore.
His phone vibrated again.
Pretty Widower: Mm. There’s no helping it. Who told me I’m super in love?
After reading it, he choked and started coughing.
So vengeful!
On the other side, the store manager led Fu Rangyi out to settle the bill.
She smiled brightly and said, “Your mother is one of our VIC clients. She has already informed us. The two of you may choose whatever you like. She will cover the bill.”
“No need.” Fu Rangyi opened his wallet, took out a card, and handed it to her. “I’ll pay for it myself.”
The store manager was clearly a little surprised, but she still accepted the card with both hands. “All right. Please wait a moment.”
The payment was processed very quickly. When she returned the card, she explained the customization and home delivery process in detail.
“Thank you for your patronage. I must say, you truly have excellent taste. Most customers choose very conservative styles for wedding rings and would not select such a bold design.”
Fu Rangyi was quiet for a moment.
“I don’t understand jewelry. That one looked beautiful on him.”
That was why he had noticed it at first glance.
The store manager smiled. “Indeed. Mr. Zhu really suits richly colored gemstones.”
Fu Rangyi seemed to think of something and suddenly asked, “What is the ring size for his?”
The store manager immediately understood. Smiling, she checked and told him, “Size 15.”
Fu Rangyi nodded.
“Ruby is the stone of love. It has extraordinary meaning. I wish you and Mr. Zhu a happy wedding and lasting happiness.”
He had not thought that much about it. The symbolic meanings of gemstones were all consumerist banners artificially assigned to them. He did not care at all.
He had merely thought that touch of red suited someone very well.
Not far away, Zhu Zhixi was chatting with an Omega sales assistant. There was a smile on his face, and his voice was clear and striking.
“Thank you.” Fu Rangyi curved his lips slightly, his tone gentle. “Also, please send me a copy of the photo from earlier.”
They had only just left the jewelry store when Zhu Zhixi suddenly cried out that he was hungry again.
“That sales assistant said there’s a soufflé pop-up shop in the mall atrium. Today they have candied apple soufflé. It’s a Christmas Eve limited edition!”
For once, Fu Rangyi did not refuse. He followed him.
It was Christmas Eve, and the mall was packed with people. Naturally, the scent of pheromones was also chaotic. The more rational thing to do would have been to go straight home, but he said nothing. Because of what had happened in the past, he still had lingering fear, and he was somewhat avoiding bringing up the susceptible period with Zhu Zhixi.
Meanwhile, the bad bunny was still nagging him about the engraving.
“Why engrave that? You clearly don’t believe me. Didn’t you think this countdown doesn’t exist at all?”
“I never said that, did I?” Fu Rangyi said casually. “I just thought there was something wrong with your mind.”
“That’s even worse, okay? So you engraved it on purpose to humiliate me? Everything I said was true!”
As if annoyed by the noise, Fu Rangyi narrowed his eyes and said nothing.
“You just wait. I’m going to complain to your parents.”
“Go ahead. Let’s see who would believe you’re a dying man.”
Zhu Zhixi felt somewhat despairing.
Indeed, with him sounding so full of life, forget being close to death—even if he said he had caught a cold, no one would believe him.
He raised his hand, glanced at the countdown in his palm, and sighed.
Honestly.
“There are so many people here. Why are you holding out your hand? Trying to be a beggar?”
“Fu Rangyi, were you born with razor blades in your mouth?”
The moment he finished snapping back, his wrist was suddenly caught and pulled down. Just like that, he was dragged forward. But it was only for a few steps. When they reached the entrance of the mall atrium, in front of the revolving doors, Fu Rangyi let go.
At that second, Zhu Zhixi realized that although this person had a sharp tongue, very little tolerance, was nitpicky, and held double standards…
He was indeed upright, with clear boundaries.
Whether it was putting on the ring or pulling him out the door, he had never held his hand.
Some unclear emotions surfaced, only to be pressed back down by Zhu Zhixi.
He followed Fu Rangyi into the revolving door, but he was one step too slow and failed to enter the same compartment. They were like two pastries placed on a rotating stand, leisurely circling once before finally escaping the gorgeous glass dome of afternoon tea.
Only when he came out did he realize that the sky had already grown dark. He raised his head. The surrounding high-rise buildings enclosed a small patch of warm orange twilight. At the skyline, wisps of pink-purple clouds spread and dissolved into the deep-blue sky.
“Where’s the gingerbread house…”
He looked around and soon locked onto the target. It was right at the very center of the atrium garden, in front of the giant Christmas tree—a temporarily built pop-up shop.
The lights in the atrium had not yet turned on, and the Christmas tree was still dark, but many people were already lining up to take photos.
“Found it!”
The moment Zhu Zhixi turned back, he was slightly dazed.
Among the crowd, Fu Rangyi’s noble-looking face was truly too eye-catching. He was so good-looking that it was as if twilight had poured a layer of syrup over him alone.
As long as he did not open his mouth.
“That ugly house?” Fu Rangyi narrowed his eyes. “With this many people? Are they lining up for relief grain?”
When he was silent, he was beautiful enough to seem inhuman. Once he spoke, he became even less human.
Suitable for being turned into a specimen.
“Come on.” Zhu Zhixi grabbed Fu Rangyi’s wrist and squeezed into the crowded flow of people.
As a Beta, there was indeed nothing wrong with enjoying crowds. But for an Alpha—especially an SA whose susceptible period was approaching—this place, with its mixed pheromones, was a high-risk area. Densely populated malls usually came equipped with mediation devices, and the central air-conditioning would also release soothing fragrances, but the open-air atrium lacked these things.
They were too close together. Fu Rangyi was assaulted by all kinds of pheromones right in his face, giving him a headache. He planned to turn his bracelet directly to the highest setting.
The further in they went, the more crowded it became. People were shoulder to shoulder. He reached for his wrist and long-pressed the button, but in the next second, a mother holding a child accidentally fell.
He and Zhu Zhixi reached out to help her at the same time. As a result, the long press became a short press. The bracelet came loose and fell to the ground with a clang.
In the noisy surroundings, Zhu Zhixi keenly noticed the sound.
“Your bracelet fell!”
He quickly lowered his head. Before his eyes were countless pairs of feet walking back and forth, packed densely together, and the silver ring was rolling among them.
Without thinking much at all, Zhu Zhixi immediately ran to pick it up.
“Hey.” His movements were too fast. Fu Rangyi failed to catch him and could only follow after helping the mother and child steady themselves.
Under the giant Christmas tree, the flow of people circled around and around, surging toward the center like waves.
Having been forced to remove his bracelet, Fu Rangyi lost his barrier. In an instant, a chaotic tide of pheromones came crashing toward him. The impact was immense, stimulating him so badly that he felt physically nauseated.
Zhu Zhixi was entirely focused on the bracelet and did not notice that many people around them were turning to look, and some had even stopped in place.
The oppressive force of a top Alpha’s pheromones was very difficult to overcome physically. The vast majority of people here could not do it.
Fu Rangyi did his best to restrain himself. Compared to ordinary Alphas, he had much better control over his own pheromones. But with his susceptible period approaching, his control had greatly weakened.
He reached into his pocket, wanting to take out a temporary inhibitor tablet, but there was nothing inside. Only then did he remember that he had changed coats in the afternoon. He could only return to the car to get the inhibitor.
When he looked up again, he froze.
“Zhu Zhixi?”
He was gone.
Heads moved everywhere. One face after another flashed past. One shoulder after another bumped into him. The person who had been beside him had vanished without a trace.
Fu Rangyi furrowed his brows. While calling Zhu Zhixi’s name, he squeezed toward the very center of the crowd. The further in he went, the worse his headache became, and moving also grew increasingly difficult.
Suddenly, his heart gave a fierce jump. A familiar sensation took control of his body.
The animal instinct he detested most rampaged through him, and everything slid toward the edge of losing control.
This was a full two days earlier than expected. Very abnormal.
Soon, Fu Rangyi’s pores trembled.
A strong scent of Omega pheromones surged over, so much that it was almost overflowing. It was a scent he was familiar with, and one he resisted intensely.
Fragments of some very unpleasant memories flashed through his mind. Reckless approaches, excessively stubborn pursuit, and emails as overflowing as those pheromones.
“Professor Fu? What are you doing here?”
Author’s Note:
Tip 1: If you read the wedding ring selection scene from Little Professor Fu’s perspective, it has a different flavor—a wife who does not seem very invested, and Fu himself, gradually breaking apart but still seriously choosing wedding rings, without knowing why he is being so serious. Little Fu: Maybe it’s because he wanted to comfort me last night, so I’m a little happy.
Tip 2: Little Zhu’s physical contact comes in two types: from the heart, and for the sake of staying alive. Distinguishing between the two is very simple. After the contact, does the countdown appear from his point of view? If not, then it is subconscious clinginess.
A Mini-Theater That Does Not Really Count as a Mini-Theater:
On the day the wedding rings were delivered to their door, Fu Rangyi took off his own ring, held it beside the sleeping Little Xi’s face, and took a photo. The sparkling gem was as bright and red as the mole on his eyelid. That was why the one he bought for himself had a tiny round cut. It was not because he preferred simplicity or disliked large-carat gems. It was simply because it looked alike.
