My Arranged Marriage Partner Has Two Faces 46

Chapter 46

Two years, 730 days, 17,520 hours. He and Zhong Yuxiao were only that far apart in age, but it felt like there was a generation gap. He was starting to lose touch with how young people flirted these days. Was this how they did it now?

Xi Shi’s expression was stern as he adjusted his beloved floral shirt. “You young people are so troublesome.”

After changing seats, the earphone cord had more slack.

Little Apollo was no longer gloomy, a smile almost unable to be suppressed, yet he still acted reluctant, clearly taking advantage of the situation while acting innocent.

Zhong Yuxiao didn’t expose him and obligingly said, “Indeed, then I’ll have to trouble my guardian to be more patient.”

Xi Shi snorted in response.

The bus eventually arrived at its final destination, Sunrise Bridge.

The bridge spanned across the bay, and in the early morning, you could watch the sun leap out from the sea, the brilliant sunlight gradually turning the seawater orange.

They arrived late and had long missed the sunrise. There were only a few pedestrians on the bridge. Zhong Yuxiao and Xi Shi got off the bus.

“Seriously, why did you want to come here?” Zhong Yuxiao took off his hat and put it back on.

The bus only went to Sunrise Bridge. Saying he was just trying his luck was a joke. He wanted to know why Xi Shi had chosen this place out of all the attractions.

He didn’t think that Xi Shi would do anything without a reason. After choosing the sweet-flavored alcohol and getting on the bus at the right time, if he didn’t ask Xi Shi for the reason, he would start to believe that fate had secretly arranged their meeting.

“Maybe it’s because of my competitive spirit.” Xi Shi sighed.

It all started with the flirting last night. When he got back, he tossed and turned, unable to sleep, replaying Zhong Yuxiao’s words over and over again in his mind, like a review.

Among the many attractions, Sunrise Bridge was the first place Zhong Yuxiao mentioned.

People’s first reactions likely carried personal feelings, so he took a gamble to see if they were fated to be together.

Saying he was just trying his luck wasn’t wrong.

When he saw the familiar young man in the back row of the bus, Xi Shi knew one thing: he was very lucky.

In other words, he and Zhong Yuxiao were fated to be together.

“Because when you mentioned Sunrise Bridge, your eyes lit up, like the sunrise.” Xi Shi said affectionately.

Zhong Yuxiao was momentarily speechless. “Are your pick-up lines always so…direct?”

Xi Shi shrugged. “It’s about adapting to the local customs.”

Zhong Yuxiao was speechless.

Foreigners were mostly passionate and unrestrained, daring to express their feelings. Love confessions were more intense and sweet. When they loved someone, they wanted to say all the sweet nothings in the world.

Chinese people were more reserved, and a single “I miss you” needed to be brewed for a long time. If expressed, it would be done indirectly, with different phrasing.

He and little Apollo clearly represented these two different styles of expression, even their flirting styles were one restrained and one direct.

He was the restrained one, so he would quietly lay down the bait and wait for the other to take the hook.

But Xi Shi was more aggressive, taking the initiative to invite him for a drink, asking him to share his headphones, complimenting his eyes, and even reaching out without warning, completely breaking the social distance between them.

And now, little Apollo was still trying to radiate his charm, like a male peacock spreading its tail, trying to seduce him with its beautiful feathers.

Zhong Yuxiao leaned against the railing by the bridge, the long earphone cord wrapped around his wrist, like tangled vines, spreading densely from his body.

“Apollo, have you heard the legend of Sunrise Bridge?”

Xi Shi raised his chin. “Tell me more.”

“Legend says there’s a mysterious creature in the bay that seduces people into falling in love with it. At first, it was just a game, but the creature unexpectedly fell in love, and they were mutually attracted to each other. However, there was an insurmountable gap between them, and they were destined to be apart.”

“An insurmountable gap, does that refer to reproductive isolation?” Xi Shi asked curiously. “If so, can they engage in reproductive activities?”

Zhong Yuxiao choked.

Reproductive activities, to put it plainly, meant doing it.

“Is that all you care about?”

“That’s the most important part.” Xi Shi said matter-of-factly. “Putting aside being together forever, if they want to be together, they have to be compatible in that aspect. Otherwise, why would someone fall for a mysterious creature of a different species? Is it just for the novelty?”

“…It could be pure love.”

“Love can’t be pure. Physical intimacy is the most important part of a relationship.”

Xi Shi hooked the dangling earphone cord with his finger and pulled. “Just like you coming to me, was it because you wanted to have a platonic relationship with me?”

Zhong Yuxiao was speechless.

Of course not, he wanted to shoot the sun, to pull the beautiful sun god into his embrace.

As for a relationship, heh.

“Then what about you? You came here, was it b—” Zhong Yuxiao made a turn, the earphone cord suddenly pulled taut, and Xi Shi’s hand was pulled closer, their fingertips almost touching. He swallowed the rest of his words, changing them to, “—ecause you wanted to drink again at Amore?”

He wasn’t one to give up or bow his head, and he was a little jealous.

Xi Shi didn’t know what he was thinking.

Everything that happened today far exceeded his calculations. Zhong Yuxiao was right, he had come here for more than just to ask Zhong Yuxiao out.

Xi Shi couldn’t explain it either.

It was as if something had taken root quietly, and perhaps one day, it would bloom into an unexpected flower.

The tense atmosphere was broken, and Xi Shi narrowed his eyes, leaning closer. “What if I said I not only have physical desires for you, but I also want to have a relationship with you? Night, would you agree or refuse?”

Xi Shi never dreamed that one day, the words “have a relationship” would come out of his mouth.

The discussion sparked by the legend of Sunrise Bridge stopped. They were at an impasse, as if whoever gave up their control first would lose.

This wasn’t just a discussion, it was a contest.

Zhong Yuxiao smiled appropriately. “If this is your confession, then of course I would refuse.”

He held the earphone cord, and also Xi Shi’s hand, very affectionately. “So, are you confessing to me?”

Tsk, he wouldn’t let Xi Shi get away with it so easily.

“…”

Xi Shi’s expression changed, and he squeezed out a “yes” through his teeth. “Boyfriend, please advise me.”

Zhong Yuxiao: “…”

Wait, they were in a relationship now?

Zhong Yuxiao tried to make sense of it. They were talking about the legend of Sunrise Bridge, how did they end up with him having a boyfriend?

The two looked at each other, and Zhong Yuxiao saw the same confusion in Xi Shi’s eyes. The other man clearly hadn’t realized it either.

Having sex before starting a relationship, this was a bit too ambiguous.

Zhong Yuxiao instinctively felt that this wasn’t right. “Wait, about what just happened, maybe we should—”

“What, are you scared?” Xi Shi’s smugness was overflowing.

Zhong Yuxiao chuckled. “What I meant was, should we buy a love lock, engrave our names on it, and hang it on the bridge? Do you dare?”

Xi Shi: “…”

He couldn’t say he didn’t dare at this point. Xi Shi took a deep breath. “Let’s go buy one now, I’ll pay.”

The shop owner spoke fluent Mandarin. “What kind of lock do you want? Different styles have different prices and different effects. The cheapest one only guarantees love in this lifetime. This most expensive one, once locked, guarantees love for eternity.”

The owner smiled. “You two are a match made in heaven, how about an eternal love lock? It’s only a little more expensive, no other downsides.”

Did they really need an eternal love lock for their relationship?

The two looked at each other. Zhong Yuxiao didn’t say anything, and Xi Shi slowly nodded.

He didn’t want an eternal love lock, but in this situation, if he said he wanted a cheaper one, wouldn’t that be embarrassing? What if Zhong Yuxiao thought he was stingy?

Forget it, it was just a superstition.

The laser engraved two English words on the lock, “Night” on the left, “Apollo” on the right, with a heart in the middle. On the back of the lock were eight large characters: “One life, one love, never apart.”

Xi Shi: “…”
Zhong Yuxiao: “…”

Xi Shi: “Hehe, it seems this thing is from our hometown.”
Zhong Yuxiao: “Made in China, a great cultural export.”

After hanging the lock on the bridge, the two fell into an awkward silence again.

Xi Shi couldn’t stand this feeling and asked awkwardly, “What was the rest of the story about Sunrise Bridge?”

The lock with their names was right in front of them, and Zhong Yuxiao stared at it for a while, sounding both helpless and amused. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”

He had made up the story about Sunrise Bridge, originally planning to use this fictional story to flirt with little Apollo. But before he could finish the story, they had somehow ended up in a relationship.

Now that things had come to this, the ending of the story no longer mattered.

Zhong Yuxiao comforted himself inwardly. It was just a relationship, it wasn’t like they were getting married. And even if they got married, they could still get divorced. What was the big deal?

“Boyfriend, do you want to eat tanghulu?”

After convincing himself, Zhong Yuxiao quickly got into character.

Besides selling love locks, there were also vendors selling candied hawthorns and sausages near Sunrise Bridge. After the weather turned cold, roasted sweet potatoes and roasted corn were also available.

Xi Shi shook his head. “Tanghulu is for kids.”

“Your boyfriend is a 27-year-old kid.” Zhong Yuxiao said righteously, buying a strawberry tanghulu, the red strawberries coated in a layer of crispy sugar.

He took a bite, the sugar coating cracking, the sweet and sour taste of the strawberry bursting in his mouth.

Xi Shi’s nose twitched, and he subconsciously swallowed.

Shouldn’t tanghulu be made with hawthorns? Why were there strawberries?

Zhong Yuxiao crunched on the tanghulu, eating it with relish. He had only had a bowl of noodles this morning, which was easily digested, and now he was a little hungry.

Xi Shi couldn’t take it anymore, his heart aching. “Is that how you treat your boyfriend? You’re eating alone?”

Zhong Yuxiao slowly typed out a question mark. “I asked you, and you said you didn’t want any.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t want any, I said it’s for kids.”

Zhong Yuxiao raised an eyebrow. “So?”

“So you should feed your little boyfriend a strawberry.” Xi Shi said seriously, as if he wasn’t asking for food from his boyfriend, but rather participating in a negotiation. He said reasonably, “29 is only two years older than 27. Technically, I’m also a kid.”