That night, Xia Yang was genuinely seduced…
He admired his husband’s physique, touched everything he could, and there wasn’t a single inch he was dissatisfied with. He almost wanted to write “Excellent” in the comments.
However, when he felt a particular part of his husband that men take pride in, his senses were indeed profoundly impacted.
“Um…” Xia Yang curled up under the blanket, rubbing his sore wrist. He glanced at his hand, noticing that the skin in his palm was reddened from friction.
After a while, he gently pushed away the large hands tightly holding his waist. Looking up, his doe-like eyes filled with mist, he said, “Ahem, well, your request has been approved, but I have a few conditions.”
“What conditions? Tell me,” Han Yi’s long eyes looked down at him, a soft light flickering in his gaze.
He pulled the blanket up, covering Xia Yang’s back. They had just sweated a lot; he couldn’t let him catch a cold.
“It’s just…” Xia Yang’s cheek pressed against him, his eyelashes fluttering slightly. He felt a bit shy saying the words, suddenly losing the boldness he had when teasing Han Yi earlier.
After hesitating for a while, he pursed his lips and whispered, “Just, from this to that, I still need some time for psychological preparation.”
“Oh?” Han Yi raised an eyebrow, chuckling softly. “From what to what?”
“Stop it,” Xia Yang muttered, his ears turning pink as he lightly kicked him under the blanket.
Han Yi understood everything but pretended to be clueless.
What a mischievous man.
Han Yi took in his appearance, smirking slightly. He rubbed Xia Yang’s soft hair and said, “I didn’t say no; I’ll listen to you. But if this preparation process takes too long, I might have to hurry it up.”
Xia Yang: “…”
“Alright, let’s sleep,” Han Yi turned off the bedside lamp, giving him a goodnight kiss on the lips.
Xia Yang said “goodnight” and snuggled closer into his arms, closing his eyes.
Before drifting off to sleep, he added a new task to his mental to-do list for tomorrow: research how to make the first intimate experience between husbands more enjoyable and harmonious.
* * *
Soon it was New Year’s Eve. As instructed by his manager, Xia Yang planned to host a live stream from home to send New Year wishes to his fans.
His assistant arrived early to help set up the equipment. Once everything was ready, Xia Yang handed him a prepared red envelope.
“Happy New Year! Just a small token, looking forward to working well together next year.”
The hefty envelope surprised Xiao Jun, making him feel like he was holding a brick.
Xiao Jun felt awkward, “Brother, I’ve only been in your studio for a few months. This big of a red envelope doesn’t seem appropriate.”
“This is actually from my husband,” Xia Yang smiled, nodding toward the man emerging from the study.
Han Yi walked over, having overheard their conversation.
“Thank you for taking care of Xia Yang these past few months. You deserve it,” he said to Xiao Jun.
The young assistant looked up at the tall, handsome man before him, swallowing nervously, tongue-tied.
“Thank you, Mr. Han! You’re too kind. Taking care of Brother Yang is my duty; I’ll work even harder from now on!”
“Good,” Han Yi nodded, instructing the household driver to take the young assistant home.
“See you next year! Wishing Brother Yang and Mr. Han a happy new year and a sweet life together!” Xiao Jun waved goodbye, the car gradually disappearing down the road.
Returning to the villa, a few household staff members were hanging lanterns on the porch lights. As the couple passed by, Han Yi helped a shorter staff member hang the last lantern.
“Thank you, sir!” the staff member exclaimed in surprise.
Xia Yang watched the scene, his lips curling into a smile.
“Impressive, evolving quite nicely,” he patted Han Yi’s shoulder in praise.
“?”
“My ice sculpture at home is finally starting to live among mortals!”
Han Yi: “…”
True love really can make people better versions of themselves. Xia Yang felt he had truly witnessed this.
* * *
At 6 PM, the live stream began on time. As soon as the screen came on, fans flooded in.
[Happy New Year, Xia Bao!]
[Woohoo~ So happy to see you during the holidays!]
[Visual overload! I took a screenshot; I’ll show this to my parents when they nag me about marriage. This is my boyfriend~]
[Aww, the sweater looks so festive, all fluffy. I want to pet it!]
[Link, please!]
Xia Yang wore a bright red sweatshirt with short, fluffy sleeves, soft to the touch, like petting a cat. The chest had a heavy embroidery of a cat, part of the matching New Year’s outfits he and Han Yi had bought together.
However, Han Yi’s version didn’t have the fluffy details; it was just a regular design, fitting his straightforward taste.
“Happy New Year, everyone! This sweater was a gift; there’s no link available,” he adjusted the collar of the sweatshirt, inadvertently revealing a small red mark on his fair neck.
Immediately, sharp-eyed fans filled the screen with rapid comments.
[What’s on Xia Bao’s neck?]
[Whoa, whoa, whoa? What did I just see!!! What’s that mark on Xia’s neck?]
[Who bullied our baby? Show yourself!]
[Bitten by a mosquito? But those critters are extinct in winter, right??]
[A strawberry?]
[That’s from our date yesterday [shh][doghead][doghead]]
[Aaaah, I saw it too! Is it what I think it is? Am I overthinking this!!]
Xia Yang cursed himself for tugging at the collar, mentally blaming the culprit for leaving such a noticeable love mark.
“Ahem,” he touched his neck, forcing a smile, “Yesterday, a woodpecker flew into the house. It pecked at me while I was sitting on the couch playing games. I got pecked by it.”
[LMAO, sorry, I know I shouldn’t laugh, but I can’t help it]
[Poor Xia Yang~~]
[What kind of pervy bird is this!]
[Oh my, this bird should be plucked. It pecked Xia Yang’s neck red.]
[To be fair, it’s quite artful, like a strawberry mark~]
[Wait, something feels off here…]
Xia Yang used the bird analogy, subtly hinting at something while keeping things ambiguous, leaving fans guessing.
In a way, this was a small prelude to their public announcement. Some smart netizens would surely deduce what the woodpecker and strawberry mark signified.
After interacting with fans for a while longer, Xia Yang shifted topics, closing this chapter.
“Don’t forget to watch my variety show debut on the fifth day of the New Year! Mango TV’s ‘First Time in the Workplace,’ Season 3, airing simultaneously online. I’ll be watching with you all, see you in the comments!”
[Of course, we’ll watch! After seeing the promo photos, I’ve been so excited!]
[Ahahaha, my two favorite handsome guys on one show, can’t wait]
[The most visually pleasing “workplace CP” ever [flying kiss][flying kiss][flying kiss]]
[Yes, everyone must watch! The domineering CEO and beautiful assistant, two hotties, absolutely thrilling!]
[Just from the promo photos, I can tell it’s going to be great [doghead]~~]
The planned 15-minute live stream had already extended to almost half an hour. The fans were too enthusiastic, and the ending time kept getting pushed back.
“This time, I really have to go; the guests are all here…”
Before he could finish, a loud voice suddenly shouted from outside the door.
“Sister-in-law—”
The next second, the study door, left ajar, swung open, revealing Han Yi’s childhood friend, Liang Yue. He paused, seeing the live stream, and quickly apologized, “Sister-in-law… oh, you’re live? Sorry to interrupt.”
The door clicked shut again.
Everything happened in a matter of seconds, and Xia Yang didn’t have time to react before it was over.
The comments on the screen started scrolling rapidly.
[Lol, the guy was like: live streaming? Okay, I’ll leave]
[Wow! The guy who barged in seems pretty handsome too, I’d guess he’s around 185 cm]
[As expected, handsome guys only hang out with other handsome guys. All the men around me are short, poor, and ugly]
[Wait, what did the guy who barged in just say? Sister-in-law?????]
[OMG, did I hear that right? Does this mean we have a sister-in-law! Aaaah!]
Seeing this, Xia Yang quickly clarified, “No, no, no, you won’t have a sister-in-law.”
With Han Yi’s image and aura, calling him sister-in-law would probably scare everyone, including himself.
But calling him “brother-in-law” might actually fit.
However, that’s a story for another time. For now, the cover needed to be maintained.
“Um, my friend was calling me by my nickname, Suosuo,” Xia Yang improvised, giving Liang Yue a new backstory, “He has a bit of a lisp and isn’t a local.”
A string of “???” scrolled across the screen.
The live stream ended with a subtle yet suspenseful atmosphere.
Looking at the time, it was almost 7 PM. Xia Yang quickly got up and rushed downstairs. The chef had already prepared the New Year’s Eve dinner.
Han Yi’s two childhood friends, Tang Siming and Liang Yue, were there, along with Tang’s grandmother. Everyone was sitting on the couch chatting, the living room lit by dozens of European-style crystal chandeliers, casting a brilliant light on everyone’s smiling faces.
At the dinner table, they all raised their glasses together: “Happy New Year!”
“Wishing us all better days ahead, health, and safety!”
“Wishing Grandma a long life and a hundred years of happiness for Brother Yi and Sister-in-law~!”
After a round of New Year’s blessings, Xia Yang put down his wine glass and turned to ask the staff to bring out the small gifts he had prepared in advance.
“Today is New Year’s Eve, and it’s my first time spending it here as a family member. I have gifts for everyone,” he said, his bright doe-like eyes twinkling, his face flushed as he handed out the gifts to his closest family members.
“This is for Grandma,” he handed Tang’s grandmother a bracelet made of ice flower hibiscus jade, “I’ve heard that soaking your face in water with this jade bracelet can keep your skin young and radiant.”
Grandmother Tang smiled as she accepted the bracelet. The pinkish jade was translucent, with cloud-like white patterns, looking like pieces of torn ice, exceptionally beautiful.
“Thank you, Yang Yang, so thoughtful!”
Xia Yang smiled, then continued, “These are for Brother Siming and Brother Yue.”
He gave Tang Siming and Liang Yue two safety bracelets. One of them was always traveling for filming, and the other had just taken over several branches of his father’s company in other cities, so safety was essential.
“I wish Brother Siming and Brother Yue safety and success.”
The two accepted the gifts with surprise and delight.
“Oh my, thank you, Sister-in-law, I’m going to cry.”
“Thank you, Sister-in-law, you’ll always be my sister-in-law.”
“And finally, this one is for Han Yi.” Xia Yang presented a delicate heart-shaped box made of black velvet, luxurious and vintage.
His eyelashes fluttered, and he didn’t call him Brother Yi or Little Yi; he seriously and solemnly called him by name.
“You should already know what’s inside,” he pushed the box towards Han Yi. Just as the latter was about to open it, Xia Yang stopped him by the wrist, “Let’s look at it later when we’re back in our room; let’s eat first.”
“Alright, listen to Sister-in-law!” Liang Yue patted Han Yi, agreeing, and then topped off everyone’s drinks, “Private gift, save it for your private time!”
After a lively and joyful New Year’s Eve dinner, Tang Siming and Liang Yue left for other engagements. Xia Yang and Grandmother Tang stayed in the living room watching the Spring Festival Gala, while Han Yi went upstairs alone.
He held the heart-shaped box Xia Yang had given him. Upon opening it in the room, he found a black and gold ring with a lively diamond set in it. The inside of the ring box was embossed with the words “Always and Forever,” indicating the ring’s series.
Han Yi’s fingers gently traced the outer edge of the ring. The platinum felt warm as if melting into his fingertips.
He swallowed hard, his chest rising and falling. As he moved his fingers, he suddenly found something at the bottom of the ring box.
He moved his hand and looked down to see a small card written by Xia Yang himself.
As his eyes scanned each word, a glimmer of moisture sparkled in his eyes.
The card read:
“Whether it’s the curling smoke from a village, a small alley, the majestic mountains, or the great rivers, I hope we can always stand in the same place.
“I may not give you many grand gestures, but I’ll be with you for a long, long time. Yours, with love—Xia Yang.”
Author’s note :
There are probably two or three chapters left to finish, my dears~
Keep me fueled with caffeine! Support me on Ko-fi! It helps a lot ! Thank you so much ♡(´･ω･)(･ω･`)♡
