“The wedding?”
Black and White Xu Yinsheng both looked at Zhao Yicheng in unison, exclaiming in surprise.
“Yeah, a friend’s wedding. Little Yins, I’d like to invite you both to the wedding banquet.”
Zhao Yicheng bent down very gentlemanly, a gentle smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
White Xu Yinsheng felt a bit shy, lowering her head, her cheeks flushed red like a ripe apple that made one want to take a bite.
What is a wedding?
One of the most important moments in a woman’s life.
And when a man brings a woman to attend a friend’s wedding, it represents that this man is willing to accept this girl and see her as his future partner.
Thinking of this,
White Xu Yinsheng felt a little nervous, a little scared, and even more expectant.
“I’m not going.”
Suddenly, Black Xu Yinsheng refused coldly.
At the same time, her white-gloved hand pulled at Little Bai, glaring at her fiercely like a little lion.
“You’re not allowed to go either!”
“No.”
White Xu Yinsheng shook off her hand, wrapped her arms around Zhao Yicheng’s arm, and buried her little head in his neck, clinging to him like a sloth.
“I’m going with A’Zhao to the wedding!”
“Then go ahead! If you get screwed over, don’t come back. Find a crooked-neck tree and hang yourself on a southeastern branch!!”
Seeing that her kind words couldn’t persuade a death-seeking dog, Black Xu Yinsheng stopped bothering with her, stood up, and briskly walked toward the bedroom.
“This guy…”
Little Bai stomped her foot in anger.
“Alright, alright. Since Little Hei isn’t going, it’ll just be the two of us.”
Zhao Yicheng wrapped his arm around the girl’s slender waist, pressing his forehead against her smooth and radiant forehead.
“Little Baiyin, I’ll take you to eat something delicious.”
…
A dream.
Another dream.
But even knowing it was a dream, Zhao Yicheng still couldn’t escape this state. Blurry yet clear images kept flashing through his mind.
The night in Bin Hai City, the cool sea breeze, the black-and-white checkered streets, the drunken Xu Yinsheng.
Scenes shifted one after another, then froze on another face.
Slightly flushed cheeks, brown-black short hair, dazed eyes, and that cute, adorably dazed person.
“Thank you, good brother.” “Having you is my luck.”
The memory of embracing Xu Yinsheng, the first time vaguely pouring out his heart, the first time being reciprocated in feelings by the one he loved—all kept flashing through his mind. For Zhao Yicheng, that day, that night, that moment was one of the most beautiful times in his life.
Budding emotions fermenting, love and friendship colliding.
“A’Zhao, do you like me?”
High school-era Little Yin, the good brother who had accompanied him for over twenty years, the one who pulled him out of the depths of his life and brought him his first ray of light—Xu Yinsheng looked at him with hopeful eyes.
“Yes.”
His lips moved, spitting out two clear and firm answers that had never changed.
But the Xu Yinsheng before him slowly lowered her head, the light in her eyes fading, replaced by a hint of hatred.
“No, you don’t!”
Zhao Yicheng froze instantly…
“If you really wanted to like me, then why didn’t you stop me! Drinking harms the body, smoking harms the lungs, lust harms the kidneys!! Why did you let me go wild, why!!! Why!!!”
The bone-deep hatred and roar echoed through the entire world, then Xu Yinsheng’s expression calmed down.
“Zhao Yicheng, why did you bury your feelings for so many years?”
“Because I like you.”
A firm answer, one that had replayed in his mind many times.
Because of liking her, Zhao Yicheng had worked tirelessly all these years to clean up her messes; because of liking her, Zhao Yicheng was unwilling to reveal his feelings, only wanting to silently watch her grow from behind; and precisely because of liking her, Zhao Yicheng understood that companionship was the best strategy in life.
This was Zhao Yicheng’s true feelings.
But,
“Wrong! It’s because you don’t dare!”
Xu Yinsheng’s expression was cold. “You’d rather keep our friendship forever than take one more step forward! You like stability! You like planning! You like doing things according to a plan!”
“But what am I in your eyes? Am I the person you like? Or a boss you need to strategize how to defeat in advance? Your so-called ‘like’ is nothing but cowardice!! A cowardice that refuses to face your true heart!!”
“No…”
“Zhao Yicheng! You don’t understand at all what someone as trashy and pleasure-seeking as me needs! I don’t need money, I don’t need power—what I need is discipline!!”
“How many years have you wasted these past twenty-something years! If you had acted earlier, would I have been able to mess around with those hooligan friends? Would I have drunk until I puked? Would I have been idle, achieving nothing and wasting my prime years to become a good-for-nothing? Would I have dated hundreds or thousands of girlfriends and still not found true love to this day?”
“Zhao Yicheng, if you had spoken up earlier, tied me to your side earlier, disciplined me properly earlier, and subtly transformed me earlier!”
“Then would I be approaching thirty with no career accomplishments? Would we still be looking at each other like bitter enemies with red eyes? Wouldn’t I be the Xu Yinsheng you like? An excellent, virtuous wife, a reliable good brother, someone who achieves great things and brings honor to the family!”
“Why do you like planning things out? Why don’t you change me according to your own ideas? Why do you always have to ask for my consent?!”
“Zhao Yicheng, if you really like me, then ‘discipline’ me properly! Transform me into that flawless, outstanding Xu Yinsheng without a single flaw that you have in your mind!!”
…
“Huff… huff…”
Zhao Yicheng woke up with a start, gasping for air. Everything in the dream slowly faded and became blurry, yet the noise and clamor in his head seemed even clearer.
“Another nightmare.”
He scoffed at himself and shook his head.
At this moment, he was on the double bed inside a luxury airplane, on the way to Tianlin City. His clothes were soaked through with sweat, sticky, and even the bedsheet hadn’t been spared.
Just then, a round little head suddenly leaned in, blinking with big, dark eyes full of concern, and asked:
“A’Zhao, why are you all drenched? Are you running a high fever? Should I go make you a packet of cold medicine?”
“It’s nothing.”
Zhao Yicheng barely squeezed out a smile, touched her soft, snow-white hair, and felt a warmth in his heart. An invisible warmth surged forth, soothing the noise and clamor within.
“We’re almost at Tianlin City, right?”
“Mm.”
White Xu Yinsheng nodded, then pulled out her phone and waved it in front of him, her eyes curving into crescent moons.
“A’Zhao, A’Zhao, let’s play a game.”
“Just like when we were kids.”
When we were kids.
Zhao Yicheng was stunned.
Then, a doting smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
“Okay, whatever my Little Baiyin says.”
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