I Only Want You chapter 60

Extra 5

Yan Lan and Xie Yun Zhi’s wedding was scheduled for early autumn, featuring a traditional Chinese ceremony. The wedding attire, including the ones they would wear on the day, was specially tailored by Xie Yun Zhi. The two sets of bright red Chinese wedding attire were adorned with dragon and phoenix motifs, with the smaller set for Tiantian featuring intricate floral patterns and auspicious clouds, luxurious and festive.

Yang Xiaole was very interested in Yan Lan’s wedding attire. As soon as he heard that it had arrived, he rushed to Yan Lan’s house after work during the evening rush hour.

The two sets of Chinese wedding attire were neatly packed in boxes with cloud patterns. Yan Lan was about to take them out for Yang Xiaole to inspect more closely when he suddenly grabbed him. “No, no, no, it’s fine for me to see them like this.”

Yan Lan said it was okay, but Yang Xiaole still shook his head.

“I’m good with seeing them like this. Taking them out would be troublesome, and I want to see them in their entirety on your wedding day.”

After a brief glance at the wedding attire, Yang Xiaole asked Yan Lan to put them away. They went downstairs together.

“How is your wedding preparation going?”

Yan Lan typed on his phone: “We went to see it yesterday, and the wedding company has prepared everything well. We are satisfied.”

“That’s good. How many people will be there on that day?”

Yan Lan: “Around fifteen people. Yun Zhi doesn’t have many close relatives, mainly friends he interacts with frequently at work. We’ll have a meal together.”

“That’s nice. It can be awkward when unfamiliar people are invited. A colleague invited me to a wedding before, gave me a few hundred yuan as a gift, and then I sat there like a stick. Everyone around me was a complete stranger, and I didn’t even know what I ate that day. It was so frustrating.”

Yang Xiaole suddenly remembered something and took out his phone, opening the photo album to show Yan Lan a picture.

Taking the phone handed to him, Yan Lan saw a photo of Yang Xiaole and Bian Xianyang standing side by side in front of a full-length mirror. Both were wearing dark red traditional round-collared gowns, with exquisite auspicious patterns on their chests.

Seeing the two of them looking so well-matched in the photo, Yan Lan couldn’t help nodding in approval, giving a thumbs-up.

Yang Xiaole chuckled and took back his phone. “These are the clothes we will wear to your wedding. Aren’t we handsome?”

Yan Lan nodded.

When Yang Xiaole walked into the living room, he saw Tiantian still sticking to his fish tank, looking at it with great interest. He couldn’t help saying, “Tiantian really likes that fish. He was watching it before we went upstairs, and he’s still watching it now.”

Yan Lan looked at Tiantian, who was concentrating on his “girlfriend.” “He really likes it.”

Yang Xiaole walked over to Tiantian, joining him in watching. In the delicately decorated large fish tank swam a fairy-like pure white fish. Its long tail fin floated in the water like a spreading skirt, untouched and immaculate.

“Is this a Siamese fighting fish?”

Yan Lan nodded. “Tiantian’s Niu Niu is a pure white half-moon Siamese fighting fish. Niu Niu is her name.”

“Why did he suddenly start keeping fish?”

Yan Lan: “One time, when Yun Zhi and I took him out to play, we passed by a store that specialized in Siamese fighting fish. He immediately fell in love with this one. Yun Zhi bought it along with the tank for him. He’s been taking care of it for several days now, and the more he looks, the more he likes it.”

Yang Xiaole envied, “Xie Yun Zhi really spoils Tiantian. He fulfills every request. Whatever Tiantian wants, he gets.”

Yan Lan agreed with a nod. In terms of material things, Xie Yun Zhi had never made Tiantian feel wronged.

After the two adults and a half-grown kid watched the fish tank for a while, in just a few minutes, everyone turned around to face the coffee table except for Tiantian, who was still admiring his Niu Niu.

Yan Lan asked, “Will you stay for dinner tonight?”

“Sure, Yangyang isn’t at home, and it’s a good time. I also kind of miss Auntie’s cooking.”

Yan Lan: “Yun Zhi won’t be coming home for dinner tonight either. He has a dinner appointment.”

“Ah, I see. He seems to be quite busy all the time.” Yang Xiaole picked up the teacup and took a sip of the red tea. Looking at the star pattern on the coaster, he suddenly exclaimed, “I remember you have Lin Jianxing’s junior brother’s WeChat. Have you seen his Moments?”

Perplexed, Yan Lan looked at him. He wasn’t accustomed to checking WeChat Moments.

Yang Xiaole, with a gossipy look, said, “He’s in a relationship. His girlfriend is beautiful, a sexy mature woman. I heard she’s six years older, the editor-in-chief of a female-oriented magazine.”

The two hadn’t kept in touch much due to their busy academic lives. They would just nod and say hello if they happened to meet on campus. Yan Lan heard that he had interned at a pretty decent company and hadn’t pursued postgraduate studies. Unexpectedly, he heard the name again and learned that he was in a relationship.

“No wonder he had good conditions, but I never heard of him dating anyone in college. It turns out he likes more mature women. I always thought he was a bit dog-like, giving off the vibe of a little milk dog.”

Yang Xiaole said while showing Lin Jianxing’s Moments, and Yan Lan, after looking at the grid, couldn’t help nodding with a smile: “It seems like they are in a good relationship. Every photo looks beautiful.”

“You and I are on the same page. Just by looking at how well he takes photos, you can tell he really likes his girlfriend. It’s a show-off with a nine-grid.”

In the evening, when Xie Yun Zhi came back, Yang Xiaole had already left.

Yan Lan filled the bathtub in the master bathroom with hot water, and the two of them took a bath together.

Leaning against the edge of the bathtub, Xie Yun Zhi hugged the person in his arms, massaging the right hand that often drew diagrams. Suddenly, he said, “Let’s go on a trip after the wedding, just the two of us.”

Smiling, Yan Lan withdrew his hand, saying, “I don’t think Tiantian would agree.”

Xie Yun Zhi grabbed his hand back and continued massaging. “He’s already grown up, and even if we say we’ll take him with us, he may not feel at ease leaving Niu Niu at home.”

Yan Lan leaned his head back on his shoulder, waiting for him to finish the massage before pulling his hand back. “So, how are you going to tell him?”

“Tell him the truth. Just say that his uncles are going on a honeymoon, and he needs to listen to Auntie while we’re away. We’ll be back soon.”

Yan Lan nodded slowly. “Have you decided where you want to go?”

“Not exactly decided. There are many places I want to go with you. I really need the time to be alone with you, away from work and everything.”

Yan Lan felt a flutter in his heart and nodded in agreement.

On the wedding day, Yan Lan and Xie Yun Zhi wore their bright red wedding attire.

The wedding of the two men was different from a typical wedding. Yan Lan wasn’t a woman, and many details of the traditional wedding ceremony couldn’t be applied to him. Xie Yun Zhi had never treated him as a woman; instead, they were lifelong partners.

Outside the wedding venue’s main entrance, the two held one end of a red cloth each, waiting for the host inside to finish the opening speech.

Seeing that Yan Lan kept his head down, pinching the red cloth in his hands, Xie Yun Zhi knew that he might not be as calm inside as he appeared. He reached out to hold Yan Lan’s wrist, separating his fingers and tightly intertwining their hands, the joints of their fingers turning slightly white.

He didn’t say anything, but magically, Yan Lan’s mood calmed down. Although not as tense as before, his mind was still blank, as if he had thought about many things and yet nothing at all. It wasn’t until the host in the venue called their names that the large doors in front of them slowly opened, and only then did Yan Lan come back to his senses.

The wedding venue was decorated in a traditional and festive manner. In the middle was a path covered with countless flowers. Yang Xiaole and Bian Xianyang, dressed in bright Hanfu, stood on either side of the path.

When they approached, the two picked up flower baskets and scattered petals on them.

Although there weren’t many people present, Yan Lan was still nervous. He held the red cloth with one hand and tightly held Xie Yun Zhi’s hand with the other, fingers intertwined. They followed the wedding procession, crossing the brazier and then the saddle, until they reached the stage, where they kowtowed three times to the heavens and the earth.

As an orphan without close relatives, Yan Lan had no elders to sit in high halls, and Xie Yun Zhi’s parents and brother had already passed away. There were no elderly relatives to face during the second bow, so they faced two empty chairs.

After worshiping the heavens and the earth, there was the bowing to each other and the cup-sharing ceremony.

After Yan Lan and Xie Yun Zhi performed the bowing ceremony, Tiantian brought them two cups of ceremonial wine. His gem-like blue eyes stared at them for a while, then he suddenly pursed his lips, his eyes curved in a smile, tempting Xie Yun Zhi to couldn’t help but reach out and pinch his little face with a hint of remaining baby fat.

Yan Lan, on the other hand, hugged Tiantian’s shoulders, pulling him into his arms and holding him tightly.

On the sidelines, Yang Xiaole teared up, not knowing where he had pulled out a tissue, wiping his eyes while watching Yan Lan on stage.

Bian Xianyang found his reaction amusing, lifted his phone, and started recording. “So touched?”

Yang Xiaole dodged his phone while wiping his tears, scolding him with a teary voice, “Wait until I’m done crying, and you’re in big trouble.”

“It seems you really like traditional Chinese weddings. Then, let’s have our wedding in a traditional Chinese style too.”

“The person who hasn’t proposed yet is talking about dreams.”

“It’s already in preparation. Do you want to look forward to it?”

Yang Xiaole paused, then turned around and hit him, “What do you mean by ‘look forward to it’! Do you understand what a surprise is!”

From the stage back to the table, Tiantian happened to see Yang Xiaole hitting Bian Xianyang. Seeing that it wasn’t too forceful, more like playing, he hesitated for a moment, then walked over to them, pulling Yang Xiaole’s elbow as if trying to mediate, then pointed to Yan Lan and Xie Yun Zhi, who were already off the stage and toasting at the guests. The gesture indicated that it was time to return to their seats.

Yang Xiaole wiped his eyes, then pulled Bian Xianyang and Tiantian back to their table, waiting for Yan Lan and Xie Yun Zhi to approach.

There weren’t many invited guests at this wedding. About ten people were divided into four tables, and soon, the two men toasting at each table came to their table.

Seeing Yang Xiaole’s red eyes, Yan Lan playfully touched his cheek.

Yang Xiaole probably felt a bit embarrassed for crying just now. He coughed lightly to give himself an excuse, “I was just too touched.”

Yan Lan raised a small cup of wine, and Yang Xiaole also picked up his cup, lightly tapping it against Yan Lan’s.

“Momo, I’m genuinely happy for you.”

Yan Lan smiled and nodded.

“I cried just now because I suddenly remembered the first time I saw you. When we entered university in our freshman year, you dragged your suitcase into the dormitory. At that time, I couldn’t imagine that we would become such good friends.” Yang Xiaole stared at the wine glass in his hand for a while. “The rest… is in the wine.”

Bian Xianyang, on the side, couldn’t help but laugh.

Yan Lan also smiled, nodding repeatedly. With a pointed finger, he indicated that his thoughts were also in the wine, then drank it all at once.

Although they didn’t drink much during the wedding toasts, it was enough to make Yan Lan, who wasn’t good at handling alcohol, feel dizzy.

Xie Yun Zhi saw him sitting there just smiling, not picking up the chopsticks, and knew that he was drunk. He smiled and pulled him out to get some fresh air and sober up.

At the end of the corridor outside the venue, there was an open balcony. The night breeze of early autumn was a bit chilly, but fortunately, the clothes they wore weren’t too thin, and standing on the balcony didn’t feel too cold.

Yan Lan’s cheeks were red as he leaned on Xie Yun Zhi’s shoulder, blinking with a slow and gentle rhythm, showing signs of being a little drunk.

Xie Yun Zhi turned his face and kissed his forehead. “Are you feeling dizzy and uncomfortable?”

Yan Lan shook his head slowly.

Xie Yun Zhi raised his hand to embrace his shoulder, their heads leaning against each other. “Yang Xiaole’s words just now also touched me.”

Yan Lan just blinked.

“The first time I saw you, you were still wearing a school uniform.”

Yan Lan fell silent for a few seconds, then raised his face to look at him, eyes filled with surprise and doubt.

Xie Yun Zhi smiled and leaned over to kiss him on the forehead. “At the lakeside of Liuxian Lake, I taught you how to earn money, wished for you to become the ideal person you aspire to be. You did well, you were strong, and I am very proud of you. You are already the ideal person in my heart.”

Tears welled up in Yan Lan’s eyes as he looked at him.

Xie Yun Zhi hugged him tightly. “Yan Lan, let’s live each day well.”

Yan Lan nodded heavily.

“Together with Tiantian.”

Yan Lan nodded again.

“I love you.”

Yan Lan hugged his hand, patting his back, silently responding — “I love you too, very much.”

[The End]