Don’t Ignite It chapter 69
No Need for Regrets
Xia Yu initially jokingly said that Lu Zhao should propose a hundred times, but in reality, he grew tired of it after the eighteenth proposal.
Lu Zhao had been creative in his proposals over the past half year—hot air balloons, underwater, both domestically and abroad, by the sea, in the woods—any place associated with romance had been touched by his proposals.
When Lu Zhao gave the eighteenth engagement ring to Xia Yu, Xia Yu finally lost patience. He snatched the ring away and put it on his own ring finger.
“Alright, alright, I accept,” Xia Yu said. “Stop with the proposals. I’m already fed up, and if you keep going, I might throw up.”
Lu Zhao was kneeling on one knee, but he chuckled lightly upon hearing Xia Yu’s words.
He took Xia Yu’s hand and kissed the square-cut blue diamond ring.
He teasingly said, “But I’ve prepared 82 more confessions. What about those? Are you going back on your word?”
Xia Yu looked exasperated and hurriedly covered Lu Zhao’s mouth with his hand.
He had truly had enough.
During the three years when Lu Zhao didn’t love him, Xia Yu had yearned to hear sweet words of affection from Lu Zhao in his dreams. Now that Lu Zhao was completely devoted to him, and he wanted to propose a hundred times with each proposal painstakingly written out, he found it awkward. He had grown accustomed to Lu Zhao’s reserved and mysterious nature, even finding his silence sexy.
If Lu Zhao started confessing his love openly and frequently, Xia Yu felt like the world would become surreal.
“Alright, alright, I mean it. You can forget about the other 82 times,” Xia Yu said sincerely. “I like it when you’re inconsistent. You’ve known that for years.”
While Xia Yu covered Lu Zhao’s mouth, Lu Zhao chuckled softly a couple of times.
During these years, Lu Zhao had been aloof and cold, to the point where even his former business partners whispered about his lack of popularity behind his back. But ever since Xia Yu returned to his side, the gloom that had surrounded him previously had gradually faded.
He stood up gracefully from his kneeling position and sat down on the couch, placing Xia Yu on his lap. He held Xia Yu’s hand, and the blue diamond ring sparkled in the sunlight.
Their foreheads touched intimately, and Lu Zhao’s voice carried a hint of amusement. “Out of caution, I want to confirm once more, Mr. Xia Yu, are you truly ready to marry me? Are you serious?”
Xia Yu playfully pinched Lu Zhao’s cheek.
“Yes, yes, yes, no regrets.”
Before he could say more, Lu Zhao lowered his head and kissed him deeply.
Xia Yu and Lu Zhao finally set their wedding date for the summer of their eighth year together.
Back when Xia Yu had fallen in love with Lu Zhao at first sight in the library, it was on a summer day filled with the sound of crickets. He was too embarrassed to admit it to Lu Zhao, but during the three years they were apart, he often dreamed of that moment.
The sunlight filtered through layers of tree branches, transparent windows, and landed on Lu Zhao. In the library filled with young students, everyone else became a blurry background, leaving only Lu Zhao shining brightly.
Xia Yu had initially attributed his love at first sight to shallow reasons, thinking that it was because the weather was nice that day, the fragrance of evening jasmine mixed with the breeze was intoxicating, and it disturbed his thoughts, plunging him into a long-lasting unrequited love.
However, after all these years, Lu Zhao hadn’t changed, and Xia Yu’s feelings for him remained the same.
So Xia Yu decided to hold his second wedding in early summer.
He didn’t have many ideas for his second wedding. He thought of inviting close friends and family, having a small and intimate outdoor wedding, and keeping it low-key and warm.
However, Lu Zhao and his older brother had a rare consensus—they insisted on a grand wedding ceremony.
Lu Zhao even emotionally blackmailed Xia Yu, asking if he still looked down on him in his heart, as if marrying him wasn’t as good as marrying Xu Zhan. He even claimed that Xia Yu should at least give him a proper wedding since he had rushed his first marriage.
When Lu Zhao said this, he didn’t show any signs of jealousy or envy. He just lowered his eyelashes slightly, and his expression was somewhat downcast.
Xia Yu: “…”
He had to admit that Lu Zhao had become quite skilled at emotional manipulation. Maybe he had taken some courses in it or had learned from the days when he was someone’s secret lover. Now, Lu Zhao was like a master at it.
“Fine, fine, fine, let’s do it your way,” Xia Yu said helplessly. He didn’t care anymore. During his first marriage to Xu Zhan, he had completely handed over the wedding preparations to the wedding planning company. Now, for his second marriage, he didn’t want to be personally involved and left everything to Lu Zhao.
During the wedding preparations, Xia Jin seemed to develop a bit of a liking for Lu Zhao.
Xia Jin’s attitude was simple—his younger brother deserved the best in the world, and no matter how many times he got married, it should be grand and dazzling, enough to blind onlookers. It happened that Lu Zhao shared the same sentiment.
For the first time in many years, Lu Zhao and Xia Jin had reached a consensus, leaving Xia Yu to listen to their discussions about who should design the wedding invitations. With a twitch of his lips, he turned around and called Xu Zhan to complain.
He had already arranged for Xu Zhan and Jiang Ti to be his groomsmen. However, both of them were less than enthusiastic about the idea. Jiang Ti stared at him for a long time before finally agreeing in a hushed tone.
Xu Zhan, on the other hand, wanted to refuse right from the start. He gently said, “It’s strange for an ex-husband to be a groomsman. It’s awkward and doesn’t send the right message. People will gossip. I’ll just watch from the audience.”
Xia Yu didn’t care. He cared the least about what others thought.
“I don’t care. I want you to be my groomsman,” he said with a mischievous smile. “If you don’t come, it means you don’t love me anymore, and you only care about your little white-eyed wolf at home.”
Xu Zhan helplessly let out a soft chuckle.
The white-eyed wolf Xia Yu mentioned was Qin Sheng. They had indeed gone through a chaotic six months. Initially, after breaking up with Qin Sheng, Xu Zhan thought they were parting ways for good, that they would have no further connections. But things had taken unexpected turns, and in the end, he ended up with Qin Sheng.
After Xia Yu hung up the phone, Qin Sheng acted jealous and caused a scene, almost breaking the bed.
After setting the wedding date, Lu Zhao took Xia Yu to visit his father’s home.
Ever since Lu Yuqing handed over the reins to Lu Zhao and retired to the background, he had been living in a small mansion in the city, as if he had genuinely let go of his pursuit of power and had entered early retirement. He had a daughter last year, and his focus had shifted even further. He had become a regular father who didn’t want to miss his child’s growth.
Lu Yuqing had always given Lu Zhao freedom and didn’t interfere much in his personal life. Even when Lu Zhao had gone through breakups and sought therapy for regrets while abroad, Lu Yuqing had been aware but hadn’t intervened.
But now that Xia Yu and Lu Zhao were getting married, he took the initiative to contact Lu Zhao and expressed his desire to meet his son’s partner.
He said over the phone, “Let’s have a meal, just the three of us. I don’t have any ulterior motives. I just want to meet the person you like. As your father, I can’t be impolite. After a while, I should also meet the future in-laws.”
Lu Zhao felt slightly uncomfortable. He suddenly realized that his father was truly getting old.
In today’s society, Lu Yuqing’s age was far from retirement, and he had taken good care of himself, showing no signs of aging. However, gradually letting go of his ambitions from his youth made him appear more tolerant and compassionate, like an elder.
Lu Zhao didn’t immediately agree but instead said, “I’ll ask Xia Yu for his opinion.”
Xia Yu was actually quite nervous about meeting Lu Zhao’s father. He had met him a few times when he was younger, and while Lu Yuqing seemed mild and refined on the surface, he was extremely cold and ruthless at heart. He didn’t hesitate to cut off family ties when necessary.
This led Xia Yu to instinctively keep his distance from Lu Yuqing, like a sharp-witted creature avoiding traps. However, when Lu Yuqing expressed his desire to meet him, he agreed.
The meeting took place at Lu Yuqing’s small mansion. They sat in the garden, enjoying the mild spring breeze. In the evening, as the sky gradually darkened, the courtyard lights swayed gently, adding a layer of warmth to the dinner.
Lu Yuqing was easygoing with Xia Yu and didn’t ask too many questions. They mainly discussed wedding arrangements and inquired about Xia Yu’s parents’ well-being. He behaved like a kind elder to the younger generation, speaking in a witty and eloquent manner. After chatting for a while, Xia Yu felt less nervous.
After dinner, Lu Yuqing suggested that Xia Yu accompany him for a walk. Lu Zhao initially wanted to join them, but he was sent away by his father in a somewhat dismissive manner.
“Why are you trying to join in the fun? I invited Xia Yu,” Lu Yuqing said nonchalantly. “If you really have nothing to do, go help Mr. Fang with some weeding.”
Mr. Fang was Lu Yuqing’s gardener.
Lu Zhao understood that his father wanted to have a private conversation with Xia Yu. He wasn’t very pleased about it, but Xia Yu shook his head at him and took the initiative to walk over to Lu Yuqing. “Then let’s go, Uncle Lu.”
Lu Zhao frowned but ultimately didn’t insist.
Lu Yuqing led Xia Yu along the stone path in the courtyard, all the way to the backyard. He didn’t rush to talk to Xia Yu about anything; instead, he began talking about Lu Zhao’s mother.
“If Ruan could see you marrying Lu Zhao, she would be very happy,” Lu Yuqing sighed, his expression tinged with a hint of melancholy. “She actually liked you a lot. When you and Lu Zhao were together back then, she told me that it wasn’t easy for Lu Zhao to find someone so dedicated to him. Unfortunately, she left us too soon and couldn’t be here to witness it.”
Although Lu Yuqing and Lui Ruan had entered into a business alliance through marriage and had an open marriage, their years together had cultivated a bit of warmth between them. He truly missed Lui Ruan.
Even though he had everything now, his youthful lover was still by his side, he had an adorable daughter, and Lu Zhao, his heir, was intelligent and never embarrassed him. However, as he walked in the spring evening breeze, he couldn’t help but regret that there was always an empty seat at the table, where Lui Ruan should have been.
He said, “Ruan and I belong to the same category – indifferent and unfaithful. Marriage was merely a transaction for us. You also know our family’s situation; I won’t hide it from you. When I was young, I had the opportunity to marry Shen Rao, but I gave it up, just like Ruan. She had a deep love affair too, but in the end, she abandoned it. We thought Lu Zhao, as our son, would be like us, and it would be normal for him to follow in our footsteps. Life has its gains and losses.”
He gazed at Xia Yu with calm eyes. “But we were wrong. He’s not much like us; he’s more like his grandfather. Unfortunately, being born into our family, influenced by us, he was taught the wrong things and can’t see his own feelings clearly.”
Lu Zhao’s grandfather, Lui Ruan’s father, had gone against the consensus to marry an orphaned girl and remained faithful to her even years after her death, never remarrying.
Lu Yuqing smiled at Xia Yu, his once sharp and cold eyes in his youth now softened with age.
“I’m not saying all this to defend Lu Zhao. I just wanted to thank you on his behalf and on behalf of his mother. Thank you for being willing to give Lu Zhao a chance. I’m not a good father, and I’ve never put my heart into his personal life. But seeing his life now, I feel more at ease.”
That was the extent of his love for Lu Zhao. He wasn’t an affectionate father from a typical family, nor was he a considerate and tender lover. But at his age, there was no room for regrets, and he didn’t need to regret anymore.