Jiang Zhao quickly sat up and said innocently, “Dad, Lin Yuanjin insisted on grabbing the mop himself!”
Lin Yuanjin even nodded in agreement.
Jiang’s Father shot them both a glare and said to Jiang Zhao, “Get up and mop the floor yourself! And later, I’m coming to your room to make sure you tidy up your closet yourself! Lazybones—you can’t even clean your own closet and need someone else to do it?”
Jiang Zhao had no choice but to slowly put on his slippers, take the mop, and start mopping.
“Uncle, how about I—” Lin Yuanjin started, but Jiang’s Father cut him off. “Go on home. What, can’t he even mop a floor?”
Lin Yuanjin had no choice but to leave, looking back every few steps. Jiang Zhao sighed and resigned himself to the chores.
Jiang’s Father was speechless. He could see it clearly now—the two of them were a perfect match: one willing to spoil, the other willing to be spoiled. But right now, their feelings were deep, and his son could act however he wanted. However, as time went on, would that really work?
Jiang’s Father didn’t realize that he had already started worrying about whether his son’s relationship would last.
He walked over to Jiang Zhao, who was mopping the floor with his butt in the air, cleared his throat, and said, “Your dad has been through this. Relationships only last when both sides understand each other. Do you understand?”
Jiang Zhao turned his head, his big eyes shining brightly as he looked at his father. “Dad, are you accepting that Lin Yuanjin and I are together?”
“What acceptance!” Jiang’s Father couldn’t swallow his pride and immediately denied it.
“That’s fine, Dad. You can take your time accepting it.” Jiang Zhao put on a look of understanding. “Either way, whether you accept it or not, we’re still going to be together.”
Jiang’s Father: “…”
His son really hadn’t lost his talent for being infuriating.
Humming happily, Jiang Zhao finished mopping the floor, then tidied up his closet. He wasn’t nearly as meticulous as Lin Yuanjin—he just folded the messy clothes into piles until they looked passable.
Then he propped up his legs and texted Lin Yuanjin, sharing the good news: [Let me tell you, based on my judgment, my dad has probably accepted us being together.]
Lin Yuanjin was overjoyed: [Really?]
Jiang Zhao chuckled smugly: [Of course. How about that? I’m pretty awesome, right?]
Lin Yuanjin: [Really awesome.]
Jiang Zhao sat up again, cleared his throat, and texted: [So, what about Aunt Lin’s side…]
Lin Yuanjin: [My mom… doesn’t care whether I like men or women.]
Aunt Lin had long since noticed her son’s feelings. Knowing that he had finally won the person he liked, she was overjoyed—everything else was secondary.
Besides, Aunt Lin genuinely liked Jiang Zhao. He was lively and adorable—so much more fun than her own quiet, reserved son.
Jiang Zhao didn’t know any of this and just marveled: [Aunt Lin is so open-minded!]
Then Lin Yuanjin asked if Jiang Zhao wanted to come to his house—not like before, but as Lin Yuanjin’s boyfriend.
Jiang Zhao felt a bit nervous about it. Even though he had been to the Lin household countless times, this time was different!
After repeatedly confirming that Aunt Lin truly accepted him being with Lin Yuanjin, he finally agreed.
Since this was his first visit in such a formal capacity, he couldn’t show up empty-handed. The next day, Jiang Zhao and Lin Yuanjin drove out to buy gifts.
Jiang Zhao picked out skincare products and a gold necklace for Aunt Lin. Meanwhile, Lin Yuanjin bought gifts for Jiang’s Father and Jiang’s Mother. Before, they hadn’t come clean yet. Next time they visited, they couldn’t just show up casually.
After selecting the gifts, Lin Yuanjin’s gaze involuntarily fell on a pair of simple wedding bands.
Jiang Zhao had just finished having his purchases wrapped and came over. Seeing what Lin Yuanjin was looking at, he asked in a low, teasing voice, “You’re not thinking of proposing to me, are you?”
Lin Yuanjin snapped out of it and turned to look at Jiang Zhao, who blinked at him.
Lin Yuanjin: “…” He cleared his throat and said, “No.”
“Really? Don’t go doing anything too flashy, you hear?” Jiang Zhao had seen proposals before—crowds of people gathered around to watch. He didn’t like that sort of thing.
Jiang Zhao looked at the simple pair of rings Lin Yuanjin had been eyeing and said, “You have good taste. I really like these rings.”
How could Lin Yuanjin miss the implication in Jiang Zhao’s words? He immediately said to the salesperson, “Please take out the rings.”
Moments later, the pair of rings was placed in front of them. Jiang Zhao eagerly extended his hand toward Lin Yuanjin. Lin Yuanjin held his hand and, with a serious and reverent expression, picked up the ring and slipped it onto Jiang Zhao’s finger.
Jiang Zhao giggled. “I’m just trying on the ring. Why are you so serious?”
“Oh dear, this ring size is a bit big.” Jiang Zhao looked at the loose-fitting ring, feeling a little disappointed.
Lin Yuanjin asked the salesperson if customization was possible. After receiving an affirmative answer, he had Jiang Zhao’s ring size measured on the spot.
“Darling, are you thinking about marrying me?” As soon as they got in the car, Jiang Zhao hugged Lin Yuanjin and looked at him with wide, blinking eyes.
Lin Yuanjin sighed helplessly and pinched Jiang Zhao’s cheek lightly, as if venting. “Can you please stop always exposing my thoughts?”
“If you want to get married, just say so. We can talk about it.” Jiang Zhao felt that major decisions like this shouldn’t be one person surprising the other and then calling it settled. There were plenty of opportunities for surprises in daily life. But something as important as marriage needed to be discussed together.
“Of course I want to. How could I not?” Lin Yuanjin kissed Jiang Zhao’s hand and looked seriously into his eyes, asking for his opinion. “And you?”
“I kind of want to, but I think it’s too soon.” Jiang Zhao thought for a moment and said seriously, “Besides, we’re still really young.”
Lin Yuanjin certainly knew that. But when you meet someone you love to the bone, how could you not want a lasting commitment with them?
That said, he would, of course, respect Jiang Zhao’s wishes on this matter.
“I think us getting married is a sure thing. There’s no rush right now,” Jiang Zhao said. It wasn’t that he thought their relationship was unstable. Honestly, ever since he got together with Lin Yuanjin, he never grew tired of him. In fact, the more he got to know Lin Yuanjin, the more he liked him.
Hearing this, Lin Yuanjin couldn’t hide the smile on his face. He kissed the top of Jiang Zhao’s head. “Okay, no rush for now.”
After returning, Jiang Zhao nervously brought the gifts to see Aunt Lin. When he saw that her attitude toward him was still the same as always—even a bit more enthusiastic—he breathed a sigh of relief.
Jiang’s Father and Jiang’s Mother had also accepted their relationship as a matter of course. The two of them were now officially “out in the open.”
——
One day, Lin Yuanjin suddenly told Jiang Zhao that he wanted to take him to the city to attend a gathering hosted by a client.
“What am I supposed to do there?” Jiang Zhao was wearing his pudgy cotton pajamas and fuzzy socks, his feet dangling off the edge of the sofa.
Lin Yuanjin found him adorable. He pulled him over, gave him a squeeze, and said, “Everyone’s bringing their plus-one.”
Jiang Zhao accepted his role as a “plus-one” just fine. He pushed Lin Yuanjin away and said, “Alright then, I’ll go get myself all dressed up.”
Lin Yuanjin didn’t forget to remind him, “Remember to wear your thermal underwear.”
“I know! You’re so annoying!” Jiang Zhao grumbled.
Just then, Jiang’s Father happened to walk by. Hearing this, he shot Jiang Zhao a glare and told him to speak nicely.
Jiang Zhao: “…” Why does my dad always pop up out of nowhere? He scared me.
After changing his clothes, he headed out with Lin Yuanjin, and soon they arrived at the venue.
Jiang Zhao had seen quite a bit of the world by now. Calmly staying by Lin Yuanjin’s side, he entered a private room and saw several middle-aged men, each indeed accompanied by someone.
One of them, upon seeing Lin Yuanjin, immediately stood up with a warm smile and greeted him. He seemed to think highly of Lin Yuanjin as a younger professional.
“Sorry, we’re a bit late,” Lin Yuanjin said apologetically.
“Not at all. We arrived early,” said the man, whose surname was Chu. It seemed the other executives loosely centered around Mr. Chu, and his attitude toward Lin Yuanjin was quite cordial.
Mr. Chu noticed Jiang Zhao beside Lin Yuanjin, gave him a few curious looks, and smiled. “And this is?”
Lin Yuanjin introduced him. “Jiang Zhao, my fiancé.”
Jiang Zhao blinked: Hmm? Since when am I a fiancé? I didn’t know that.
But on the surface, he greeted Mr. Chu very calmly.
Mr. Chu paused, clearly caught off guard. The change in his expression was obvious—Jiang Zhao noticed it without even looking closely.
Fortunately, Mr. Chu quickly recovered. He cleared his throat, invited everyone to sit down, and continued with a smile. “I didn’t expect someone as young as Yuanjin to already have a fiancé, haha. I thought you were so busy with work that you wouldn’t have time to sort out your personal life.”
Lin Yuanjin explained with a smile, “We grew up together and went to the same school all the way through high school. But we only managed to get together after we started working. Busy as work is, you still have to make time for certain things.”
Mr. Chu: “…” Why do I feel like I just got served a big plate of PDA?
Inevitably, Mr. Chu felt a bit disappointed. He had originally thought highly of Lin Yuanjin’s talent and had intended to introduce his own daughter to him. The purpose of today’s gathering was exactly that—everyone brought a plus-one, and if Lin Yuanjin had come alone, Mr. Chu could have taken the opportunity to suggest the idea.
But the man had brought his fiancé—someone he’d grown up with and shared a stable relationship. More importantly, Lin Yuanjin liked men, so a relationship with Mr. Chu’s daughter was clearly impossible. What a shame.
It was only natural for Mr. Chu to feel disappointed. After all these years, he had rarely come across such an outstanding young professional. Lin Yuanjin was still young, and given time, his achievements would surely surpass Mr. Chu’s.
On top of that, he had good character and kept a clean record. Sigh. What a pity…
Jiang Zhao noticed Mr. Chu’s reaction and popped a piece of apple into his mouth, raising an eyebrow slightly. Looked like this gathering wasn’t just a simple meal. But since he had noticed it, Lin Yuanjin probably had too. No wonder he insisted on bringing me along today. So this is why.
He turned his head to glance at Lin Yuanjin, who gave his hand a gentle pat under the table.
Since his goal was no longer achievable, Mr. Chu steered the conversation toward business. His company was in the construction industry. Jiang Zhao listened with one ear and learned that many famous real estate projects came from Chu’s company.
Although this industry had been affected by the broader economic environment, it had almost no impact on a company like Chu’s, which focused on high-end properties.
After the gathering ended, it was already evening. As Jiang Zhao and Lin Yuanjin left, Lin Yuanjin explained further once he noticed that Jiang Zhao had picked up on something. Of course, he had sensed Mr. Chu’s intentions, but since Mr. Chu hadn’t explicitly brought it up, it wasn’t appropriate for Lin Yuanjin to address it directly.
Moreover, Mr. Chu had been very supportive of Lin Yuanjin. Naturally, Lin Yuanjin didn’t want to embarrass him. Since Mr. Chu had organized this gathering, Lin Yuanjin simply took the opportunity to make it clear that he was not single. And from the look of it today, Mr. Chu seemed to have already dropped his original idea.
“Come to think of it, do people often try to set you up with someone?” Jiang Zhao blinked, leaning in closer. He firmly refused to admit that he was feeling a little jealous.
“What does it matter if they do?” Lin Yuanjin chuckled. “Wasn’t I pining after you ever since school?”
“Ah, what can I say? I’m just too irresistible!” Jiang Zhao immediately perked up and started showing off, his jealousy gone. Sure, Lin Yuanjin was outstanding, and these things were unavoidable. But no matter how much others might wish for him, Lin Yuanjin was still his.
With that thought, Jiang Zhao was in a fantastic mood. Just then, however, he received another task from the main system. Hmm? This time, it was about Mr. Chu.
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