My Arranged Marriage Partner Has Two Faces 38

Chapter 38

“So, he proposed to you?” You Jiayu was shocked.

He had originally come to settle the score with Xi Shi. The lousy barbershop he recommended was so bad that his hair was ruined, and he ended up having to shave his head into a buzz cut, just like Xi Shi.

Upon meeting, he realized, well, well, this was a deliberate setup.

A big fight was about to break out when Xi Shi calmly dropped a bombshell: “Zhong Er wants to marry me.”

You Jiayu was stunned.

“That doesn’t make sense, you two already got a marriage certificate, why get married again? Are you going to divorce and re-register?”

Xi Shi choked, suspecting You Jiayu’s brain had a hole. “I don’t know what he’s thinking either.”

“Didn’t you ask him?”

“…”

At that time, he was pressed against the mirror, Zhong Yuxiao forcing him to test the “fruits of his labor.” This “test” lasted two hours, and he was completely drained, he couldn’t even think straight.

Afterwards, he lay in bed, next to the crumpled dress, the buttons on the top ripped off. He still remembered Zhong Yuxiao grabbing his pecs and kneading…cough, cough, his thoughts were straying.

Anyway, he only remembered Zhong Yuxiao’s words later.

“I forgot to ask at the time. What do you think he means?”

Xi Shi had been troubled for days, unable to figure it out. Zhong Yuxiao’s thoughts were harder to decipher than the deepest ocean.

You Jiayu observed him carefully and, seeing that his expression was sincere, not a deliberate show of affection, but genuine confusion, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

“Does he want to divorce you?”

“Fuck off!”

Zhong Yuxiao clearly said “marry,” he wanted to marry him!

Xi Shi looked displeased. “Are you so used to being single that you can’t stand seeing other people’s happy marriage?”

Cursing him, he should give You Jiayu a few more haircut cards.

“What’s wrong with being single? Am I eating your rice?” You Jiayu was furious. I, a dignified single nobleman, look down on you love-struck fools. “I mean, he wants to marry someone else, but accidentally said it to you. After all, Zhong Er was very promiscuous abroad, he had no fewer bed partners than you.”

Xi Shi: “…”

You Jiayu was unceremoniously “invited” out of the office by CEO Xi.

The strawberries arrived.

Xi Shi picked out two boxes and asked Zhong Yuxiao to give them to his parents.

Zhong Yuxiao didn’t have classes today and took the strawberries home.

“Xiao Shi is so thoughtful.”

The strawberries were sweet and sour, and after eating two, Zhong Yuxiao thought of Xi Shi.

The young master was even more delicious than strawberries.

“Mom, do you know any good jewelry stores in Lincheng?”

“What are you doing, buying gold?”

Zhong Yuxiao’s tone was calm. “Buying a ring.”

“Oh, buying a ring, go to… buying a ring?!” Zhong Mu dropped the strawberry in her hand. “Did you just say you’re buying a ring?”

“Yes, a ring.”

Zhong Yuxiao was also a bit helpless. “Xi Shi likes gold, I’m planning to have a gold ring custom-made for a proposal.”

The information in this sentence was too much to process. It took Zhong Mu a while to understand. “You and Xi Shi, are you two…”

“Yes, just like you think.”

“Ah!”

Zhong Mu jumped up and rushed upstairs. “Honey, honey! Xiaoyao is going to marry Xiao Shi!”

Zhong Yuxiao couldn’t help but laugh.

He and Xi Shi had only registered their marriage, keeping everything simple. No wedding, no wedding photos, and the two families were also distant. Even now, Xi Shi still hadn’t changed his form of address.

Getting married was a sudden idea, a spur-of-the-moment decision, and Zhong Yuxiao admitted that he was impulsive.

But he truly wanted to have an ordinary wedding with Xi Shi, just like other couples, and then live an ordinary life together.

Not long after, Zhong Fu and Zhong Mu hurried downstairs.

Zhong Mu held a pile of jewelry. “This is the dowry I’ve been saving for you since you were young. When you and Xiao Shi got married, I didn’t know if you two would get along, but now it seems it’s time to give these to him.”

Most of the jewelry was for women. Since Zhong Yuxiao came out, Zhong Mu had started buying men’s jewelry.

She took out a pair of sapphire cufflinks. “What do you think of these? Do they suit Xiao Shi’s style?”

“And these brooches, he can wear them for formal occasions.” Zhong Mu showed them one by one.

Zhong Yuxiao smiled. “Let him choose himself. By the way, you don’t have to give him the women’s jewelry, save it for my sister-in-law.”

“There’s no sign of your sister-in-law yet.” Thinking of Zhong Zhili still being single, Zhong Mu sighed. “You and your brother each have a dowry, don’t worry about your future sister-in-law. These are all for Xiao Shi.”

“Even if you give them to him, he can’t wear them.”

Zhong Yuxiao was amused, picking up a bracelet. “He can’t even wear this.”

“It’s still for him!” Zhong Mu insisted. “Even if he can’t wear it, he can sell it. Whether he wears it or not is your business, whether I give it or not is mine.”

“Your mother is right, this is etiquette.” Zhong Fu said seriously. “You can’t let Xi Shi think we’re neglecting him.”

Zhong Yuxiao wanted to say that the young master wasn’t that kind of person, but he hesitated and closed his mouth. “Fine, give them all to him.”

Xi Shi would get jealous if Xi Chongyang was good to him. He cared about his grandfather very much. Having more family members love him might be a good thing.

Zhong Yuxiao looked at his parents sorting the jewelry together. He had a harmonious and happy family, and if he could, he wanted to share it with Xi Shi.

“Jewelry stores aren’t very reliable. I know a skilled craftsman. Draw the design you want, buy the gold, and have him make it for you.”

“Okay.”

Zhong Mu looked at him gently, holding his hand and patting it softly. “Xiaoyao, I’m so happy you found someone you truly like.”

Zhong Yuxiao had always been independent, seemingly gentle and mild-mannered, but inwardly calm and rational.

Love was an elusive thing. From the moment Zhong Yuxiao decided to do these things for Xi Shi, from the moment he seriously considered not divorcing, love had quietly arrived.

“Xi Shi is a good person, you’re fated to be together.”

Zhong Mu’s tone was melancholic, and Zhong Yuxiao knew she was thinking of Xi Yue again. He patted her shoulder gently and comforted her, “Shi Fengsheng and Xi Le are getting a divorce. Shi Fengsheng cheated, and Xi Le wants him to leave with nothing. He’s suing her for intentional injury.”

He heard this from Xi Shi.

Recently, Shi Chengze had come to Xi Shi several times because of this matter, but was turned away every time.

Zhong Yuxiao watched Xi Shi gradually emerge from the hatred that had plagued him for over twenty years and was genuinely happy for him.

Zhong Mu said angrily, “They’re just dogs biting each other!”

Zhong Fu echoed his wife, “That’s right, they’re birds of a feather.”

Zhong Yuxiao chuckled.

Indeed, Shi Fengsheng and Xi Le would get their comeuppance, and his Xi Shi would start a new life.

Marriage was a big deal. If they were going to do it properly, it wasn’t just about the ring, but also the wedding ceremony, banquet, wedding photos, and other procedures.

Zhong Yuxiao found it troublesome.

A wedding ceremony, wasn’t it just the couple exchanging vows and putting rings on each other? Was it meaningful?

Okay, maybe a little.

He wanted to hear Xi Shi say “I do” to him.

Wedding photos, wasn’t it just the two of them wearing wedding attire, posing according to the photographer’s instructions, taking some useless photos?

They were useless.

But he wanted to see Xi Shi in a wedding dress.

After careful consideration, Zhong Yuxiao decided that the trouble could be overcome, and he started enthusiastically booking venues and contacting photographers.

Meanwhile, Xi Shi was pondering a serious question: was Zhong Yuxiao cheating on him?

You Jiayu’s words had left a mark on his heart.

He observed that Zhong Yuxiao seemed much busier recently, always glued to his laptop and phone except for the two days he had classes, going out for the entire day, sometimes coming home even later than him.

Could it be that Zhong Yuxiao was secretly dating someone else?

This was a big problem, a serious matter.

Alarm bells rang in CEO Xi’s head. He stopped listening to his management lesson and got up to leave.

The assistant was confused. “CEO Xi, where are you going? It’s not time to get off work yet.”

“Don’t stop me, I’m going to…”

“Catch a cheater” didn’t sound very good. Xi Shi thought for two seconds and changed his wording. “I’m going to save my marriage.”

Assistant: “???”

Zhong Yuxiao had a class today, so Xi Shi went straight to Lincheng University, wearing a hat and mask, and stealthily went to Zhong Yuxiao’s classroom.

Teacher Zhong’s classes were too popular, and the classroom number was posted on the school’s confession wall every week.

It was almost the end of class when Xi Shi arrived. The students were taking a quiz, and Zhong Yuxiao stood on the podium, holding his phone, his brow furrowed.

The reason for his distress was that he had found a wedding dress he liked, sent Xi Shi’s measurements to the shop, and only received an ellipsis in response.

He understood that wedding dresses were designed for women, and the sizes were limited, but he could pay extra for a custom-made one.

But after he expressed his willingness to pay extra for a custom-made dress, the shop owner not only refused, but also said he didn’t understand art, insulted his design, and then blocked him.

Zhong Yuxiao stared at the art history textbook on the table, lost in thought.

[Xiao Cao Xi: What are you doing?]

Zhong Yuxiao raised his eyebrows. This was rare, the young master actually took the initiative to message him.

Neither of them liked to chat constantly, and even after their relationship changed, they weren’t like other couples who were glued to their phones all day. Recently, Xi Shi had been busy with work and didn’t even have time for dates.

[Little Sheep Zhong: In class. Are you not busy today?]

Although not clingy, they had started using couple nicknames online.

[Xiao Cao Xi: Not busy.]
[Xiao Cao Xi: Teacher Zhong, are you free for dinner together?]

Zhong Yuxiao was about to agree when he suddenly remembered something.

[Little Sheep Zhong: Not today, I have something to do.]

[Xiao Cao Xi: What is it? Work? Is it more important than having dinner with me?]

[Little Sheep Zhong: Very important.]

Zhong Yuxiao was amused. Since Xi Shi started working at Chenxi International, he had become more and more like a domineering CEO. He sometimes saw Zhong Zhili in Xi Shi, and perhaps soon, a new business prodigy would emerge.

After replying to Xi Shi, Zhong Yuxiao confirmed the time with Qin Yun. He planned to go to the suburbs after class.

He heard from Xi Chongyang that when Xi Shi was young, Xi Yue would take him to pick strawberries every year. There were strawberry farms at the agritourism farms in the suburbs, and he planned to go and have a look.

Words weren’t enough, a proposal needed a sense of ceremony. He wanted to take Xi Shi to pick strawberries and then give him a formal proposal.

After the proposal, the wedding photos, and the wedding ceremony, the little sheep could legitimately eat grass.

They hadn’t gone all the way last time.

They didn’t have anything, they were both tops, and there was no lubricant at home. Doing it dry could easily cause injuries.

Xi Shi in a sailor dress was soft, both in temperament and body. If he had asked, the young master would probably have half-heartedly offered himself up.

But when he hugged Xi Shi and kissed his chest, the rapid heartbeat in his ear, a strong sense of protectiveness suddenly surged through him.

Someone who treated sex like drinking water, for the first time, felt a sense of cherishing.

After hearing Xi Shi’s heartbeat, at that moment, his feelings surpassed his desire.

Even though Zhong Yuxiao regretted it that night.

Every time he thought of Xi Shi blushing in the mirror, wearing a dress, Zhong Yuxiao wished he could go back in time. He shouldn’t have been rational, he should have lifted Xi Shi’s skirt, he shouldn’t have been clear-headed, he should have lifted Xi Shi’s legs, he shouldn’t have felt sorry for the grass, he should have just chewed it up and swallowed it whole.

At least eat it first.

If he missed this opportunity, there wouldn’t be another chance for the young master to willingly wear a dress.

Zhong Yuxiao sighed, he was even more restrained than Liu Xiahui.

After class, Zhong Yuxiao quickly packed his things and went to the school gate. The driver was already waiting, and Qin Yun was with him.

“Second Young Master, Madam asked me to give this to you.”

Zhong Yuxiao opened it and saw a gleaming gold ring.

The old craftsman’s skills were excellent, the patterns on the ring exquisite. Zhong Yuxiao examined it carefully, it was exactly the same as his design.

Stars connected around the outer ring, converging towards the sun.

The inside of the ring was engraved with the letters “nighttime,” a combination of “Night” and “Time.”

Day and night, day after day, night after night, forming the life they would spend together.

Zhong Yuxiao tried it on. Besides being too shiny, it was perfect.

“Does it look good?”

“It looks good.” Qin Yun was puzzled. “Second Young Master, why do you suddenly like gold?”

Zhong Yuxiao was the coolest kid in the Zhong family and never chose such flashy colors for his accessories before.

“Xi Shi likes it.”

“…”

Okay, fine.

There was no reasoning with someone in love. Qin Yun silently closed his mouth.

After driving for almost two hours, they arrived in the afternoon. Zhong Yuxiao hadn’t even had lunch and went straight to the strawberry farm.

Xi Shi followed all the way, almost exhausted by the time he parked.

Why did Zhong Yuxiao come so far for no reason?

Xi Shi stretched his shoulders, adjusted his appearance in the rearview mirror, put on a pair of sunglasses, and then got out of the car.

It was strawberry season, and the owner was with Zhong Yuxiao, enthusiastically introducing his strawberries. “Our strawberries are big and sweet, no ripening agents, try them.”

“I’ve already explained my intentions on the phone. I want to book the entire farm.”

“Really?”

The owner was shocked. He thought Zhong Yuxiao was just casually saying it. “Just pick whatever you want, we have self-picking here. Booking the entire farm, what if you damage too many plants? I won’t be able to do business.”

“When I said book the entire farm, I didn’t mean for a day. I’ll buy all the strawberries you harvest this year.”

“Are you a fruit wholesaler?”

“No.”

Zhong Yuxiao sighed and explained, “My partner likes strawberries. I want to propose to him here.”

He would need to decorate the place and might damage some strawberry plants, so he might as well buy them all.

Zhong Yuxiao’s expression was serious. “Give me a price.”

The owner was stunned by this unexpected fortune and, after a while, happily gave him a price. Qin Yun took out the prepared contract, and they quickly signed it.

“Your partner must be very beautiful.”

The owner looked at Zhong Yuxiao. So handsome and rich, how outstanding must the person he liked be?

Thinking of Xi Shi, Zhong Yuxiao’s eyes softened. “He is indeed very beautiful, especially when he wears a dress.”

Outside the greenhouse, Xi Shi, who was eavesdropping, widened his eyes in disbelief.

Propose?

Zhong Yuxiao said he wanted to marry him when he was wearing a dress.

Beautiful?

Zhong Yuxiao complimented him on his looks when he was wearing a dress.

But he and Zhong Yuxiao were already married.

Could it be that You Jiayu was right, Zhong Yuxiao planned to divorce him and remarry?

Unlikely.

Xi Shi’s expression changed repeatedly, and before Zhong Yuxiao came out, he quickly drove away.

Zhong Yuxiao said he wanted to marry him, said he was beautiful, all when he was wearing a dress. So, if he wore a dress again, he could confirm whether Zhong Yuxiao was talking about him.

Perhaps it was because he had been troubled by this question for too long, or perhaps it was because he had been driving for too long, his mind clouded, but the more Xi Shi thought about it, the more reasonable this method seemed.

As soon as he got home, he started rummaging through his closet.

After that night, he had wanted to throw away the remaining dresses, but Zhong Yuxiao wouldn’t let him and hid them all.

“Strange, where did he hide them?”

He searched the entire walk-in closet, but found nothing.

Xi Shi quickly placed an urgent delivery order for a women’s nightgown and, after thinking about it, also ordered two pairs of stockings.

The items arrived shortly after, and Xi Shi, with a serious expression, took them into the bathroom.

When Zhong Yuxiao entered the apartment, he saw the leather shoes and coat at the entrance and was surprised. “Xi Shi, you’re off work?”

There was no response, only the sound of running water coming from the master bedroom.

So he was taking a shower.

Zhong Yuxiao didn’t think much of it and was about to put away the ring when the bathroom door opened.

Their eyes met, and the bag in Zhong Yuxiao’s hand dropped to the floor with a thud.

Xi Shi panicked for a moment, but his expression quickly returned to normal. He stepped forward, his wet hand grabbing Zhong Yuxiao’s collar and pulling him closer.

“I have a question for you.”