Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
Advance chapters available for patrons on Patreon. And a chapter can be sponsored by buying me a ko-fi.
“Alright.” Yan Qingchi finished putting on his short-sleeved shirt, looked at Jiang Mochen as he turned around, and pointed to his clothes. “Satisfied?”
Jiang Mochen nodded. “Quite satisfied.”
He pulled Yan Qingchi along, and the two stood together in front of the mirror in the room, looking at each other. Their short-sleeved shirts were similar, both white, except that Yan Qingchi’s shirt had a string of stars on the shoulder; Jiang Mochen’s had a swallow.
Yan Qingchi looked at the very familiar swallow. “You designed this shirt, didn’t you?”
“Clever.”
Yan Qingchi pointed to the swallow on his shirt. “It’s too obvious.”
“That’s the effect I wanted.”
“But why are there stars on my shirt instead of little houses?” Yan Qingchi was puzzled. He felt that according to Jiang Mochen’s instructions, his shirt should have had a house on it.
“Chen originally meant the location of the North Star. So, the little house belongs to the fans, and the North Star belongs to you.”
Yan Qingchi was surprised. “Then am I not very special?”
“Don’t you know whether you’re special or not?”
Yan Qingchi smiled unconsciously and reached out to take his hand.
“Does it look good?” Jiang Mochen asked him, looking at their clothes in the mirror.
Yan Qingchi nodded, closed his eyes, and blew on them, “It looks good.”
“I wanted to wear this with you back in E country.”
“It’s a good thing you held back, otherwise your fans would have exploded if the show aired.”
“Even if I hadn’t worn it, I think they would have been shocked if the show aired.”
Yan Qingchi thought about their interaction and could only feel sorry for the little house sister and himself for a second.
“Let’s go.” Jiang Mochen had seen enough and pulled him outside. “Let’s go outside.”
The two went downstairs together and returned to the beach.
The sun was about to set, its golden rays casting a warm glow on the azure sea, making the entire ocean appear like a gradient of warm-colored silk. Yan Qingchi looked at the sea and exclaimed, “So beautiful!”
“Yes,” Yan Qingchi turned to look at him, “We’ve now watched both the sunrise and the sunset together.”
Jiang Mochen put his arm around him, and Yan Qingchi leaned against him, somewhat wistfully, “Like life,” he said, “From beginning to end, we’ve seen the beginning and the end.”
“What are you thinking about?” Jiang Mochen looked down at him, “You’re still so young, your life is still long. This is just one day’s sunset. Tomorrow, the sun will rise again.”
Yan Qingchi smiled, “Then let’s watch the sunrise together tomorrow.”
“Okay,” Jiang Mochen said.
Yan Qingchi took Jiang Mochen’s hand and walked along the beach. A sea breeze blew by, not dispelling the humid heat of the air, but bringing a touch of coolness. Looking at the beach and the sea before him, and the sun still high in the sky, Yan Qingchi felt a sense of peace. “Let’s take a picture,” he said. “Such a beautiful view, it would be a shame not to take a picture.”
Jiang Mochen had no objection and took out his phone to take a selfie of the two of them.
After taking the picture, the two continued walking forward. The sky slowly darkened. Yan Qingchi was walking and chatting with Jiang Mochen when suddenly they heard a “whoosh.” He looked up and saw a firework explode in the sky, turning into a shower of fireworks that fell into the sea.
Yan Qingchi quickly tugged at Jiang Mochen. “Fireworks.”
Jiang Mochen looked at him with a smile and gently hummed in agreement, looking up at the sky with him.
Soon after the first shower of fireworks, a second and a third shower of fireworks of different colors exploded in the sky, scattering into the sea like shooting stars. Next came star-shaped fireworks of varying sizes, brightly adorning the sky like jewels. Yan Qingchi, with his sharp eyes, noticed a spoon-shaped feature in the sky to his right.
“Is that the Big Dipper?” he asked.
Jiang Mochen nodded. “Yes.”
Before Yan Qingchi could express his surprise, a “bang” was heard, and a pink firework exploded in the air, tracing the shape of candy.
“Beautiful,” he murmured.
Following closely behind were red fireworks, burning across the sky like a sunrise, illuminating the entire night.
Accompanying it was a bright yellow firework, which exploded in the sky, curving out to both sides, forming the shape of a bridge.
“Is it the Magpie Bridge?” Yan Qingchi murmured.
However, before he could figure it out, he heard another sound. He looked up and saw blue fireworks scattering in the night sky, forming adorable swallow shapes. This was the first time Yan Qingchi had ever seen fireworks shaped like swallows. He unconsciously turned to look at Jiang Mochen, his eyes filled with unwavering certainty.
Jiang Mochen smiled at him, gesturing for him to continue watching the fireworks.
Yan Qingchi turned back, and this time he saw red fireworks bloom in the sky, forming a giant heart. Then, other smaller fireworks exploded around it, forming hearts of varying sizes. These hearts, one after another, waxed and waned, illuminating the entire night sky.
Yan Qingchi watched until all the fireworks disappeared before turning back to look at Jiang Mochen. He was about to say something when he noticed that the coconut trees on the island were now covered with star and moon lights, all of them lit up, twinkling brightly, like a fairytale world enveloping them.
Suddenly, a white light flashed. Yan Qingchi followed the light and discovered that small white light bulbs had been buried in the sand, now lit, as if edging the beach with a silvery edge.
Looking at the scene before him, Yan Qingchi couldn’t help but smile. He unconsciously raised the corners of his lips and looked at Jiang Mochen.
Jiang Mochen looked at him and asked, “Is it beautiful?”
Yan Qingchi nodded and said gently, “Beautiful.”
He unconsciously lowered his voice, as if afraid of disturbing this fairytale-like dream.
Jiang Mochen smiled, “Come here.”
He reached out and pulled Yan Qingchi, leading him a few steps forward, then made him stand still.
Yan Qingchi didn’t quite understand what he wanted to do, but quietly cooperated.
Jiang Mochen looked at him, “Stand still.”
Yan Qingchi nodded.
Then Jiang Mochen bent down and turned on the switch hidden under a seashell on the beach.
With a “whoosh,” the entire beach lit up.
Yan Qingchi looked in surprise and saw stars of all sizes shining on the beach. He unconsciously looked around and saw that one spot behind him was different from the other stars— it was the Big Dipper.
He looked at the Big Dipper, recalling the Big Dipper-shaped fireworks that had just appeared in the sky, and also the night he and Jiang Mochen had watched the stars together in the mountains. He had lamented that he had never seen the Big Dipper in his life, and Jiang Mochen had drawn one on the ground and given it to him.
He smiled softly, hearing Jiang Mochen’s gentle voice say, “Polaris is the star closest to the North Celestial Pole. The point where you are standing is about five times the distance along the line connecting the two stars at the opening of the Big Dipper, Dubhe and Merak. That’s where Polaris is, and that’s where I am.”
Yan Qingchi turned to look at him.
Jiang Mochen smiled slightly, then took a step back and knelt down before him.
“I’ve actually been waiting for this day for a long time. Sometimes, I think, maybe I shouldn’t have waited for this day at all. We’ve known each other for so long and been together for so long, so why bother choosing a special day? Why make you wait so long, and why make me wait so long? Telling you sooner makes you happy, and makes me happy too, right?”
Yan Qingchi looked at him, anticipating what he was about to say, and his eyes involuntarily became a little sore.
“But then I felt that it’s unfair to you. How many memorable days are there in a person’s life? When we got our marriage certificate, I didn’t ask for your opinion. I was just focused on getting married quickly and hastily picked an auspicious day for marriage. So, for other memorable days, we should naturally choose a good time, the right time, so that we can be fair to you, right?”
Yan Qingchi smiled and said softly, “I’m not that calculating.”
“I know you’re always very open-minded and easygoing. There are many things you don’t want to care about, and you won’t care about them. But it’s precisely because you don’t care that I want to care for you, otherwise…” Jiang Mochen looked at him, his voice choked with emotion, “Otherwise, I’ll feel sorry for you.”
Yan Qingchi felt his eyes welling up again. He thought of when he had just given birth to Yan Yan. He wanted Yan Yan to take Jiang Mochen’s surname, but Jiang Mochen insisted that Yan Yan take his surname. He said he didn’t care about these things. But Jiang Mochen asked him, “Can’t you think more about yourself?”
What did he answer Jiang Mochen back then? He said, “Isn’t that what I need? As long as you care for me, that’s enough.”
Yan Qingchi smiled, looking down at Jiang Mochen with tenderness in his eyes. “So you chose today, my birthday?”
Jiang Mochen nodded. “This is the most important day for you, so…” Jiang Mochen took out a box containing a ring from his pocket, slowly opened it, and looked at Yan Qingchi with sincere and affectionate eyes. “So, I want to ask you today, Mr. Yan Qingchi, are you willing to marry me and spend your life with me?”
Yan Qingchi looked at him, and for a moment, he was speechless for some reason.
He looked at Jiang Mochen, and countless scenes flashed before his eyes. He seemed to see them at the very beginning— the two of them sitting in a private room, Jiang Mochen then had no feelings for him, and he felt that beneath Jiang Mochen’s gentle exterior lay hypocrisy and indifference.
Their love didn’t start out beautifully; there was no love, only a marriage certificate. But fortunately, in the home built by this marriage, they kept trying to get closer to each other, understand each other, and tolerate each other. They sat on a train that had already reached its destination, yet they started anew from the beginning, wanting to see the scenery they had missed along the way. And now, they had seen it.
It was their own vibrant, blooming beauty, their own colorful, dazzling starlight.
Yan Qingchi felt that if this was the only love and marriage he could have in his life, then he was content, both in the beginning and in the middle of the story.
He liked Jiang Mochen; he had known he liked him for a long time, perhaps he couldn’t remember the exact time, but that feeling of liking had always been buried in his heart.
“Okay,” he whispered, “I do.”
Jiang Mochen reached out and took his hand, slipping the ring onto his ring finger.
Yan Qingchi looked at the ring on his hand. He had realized long ago that besides their marriage certificate, they didn’t have any other symbol of marriage. But he had never liked to force things, so he had never asked Jiang Mochen for one.
At first, he felt it was unnecessary. He thought that if Jiang Mochen was willing to maintain the marriage, he would naturally give it to him without him having to ask; and if Jiang Mochen wasn’t willing, there was no need for him to cling to the marriage. Later, he still felt it was unnecessary, but at that time, his thought changed to: he would definitely give it to him, he just didn’t know when.
Yan Qingchi had thought of many possible times, but he never expected it to be on his own birthday.
It was quite a pleasant surprise.
He reached out and helped Jiang Mochen up. “Kneeling once is enough, why are you still kneeling?”
Jiang Mochen patted the sand off his pants and laughed, “It’s to show my sincerity. Of course, you have to be sincere when proposing.”
Yan Qingchi chuckled and looked down at the ring on his hand. The ring had a unique shape; it was a swallow curved in a semi-circle, holding a star in its beak.
He looked up at Jiang Mochen. “You designed this?”
Jiang Mochen nodded. He handed the box containing the ring to Yan Qingchi, looked at the ring inside that matched the one on Yan Qingchi’s hand, and said gently, “Help me put this on.”
Yan Qingchi took out the ring from the box. He looked inside the band and, sure enough, saw the initials of their names engraved on it. He knew it. Yan Qingchi smiled at Jiang Mochen, took his hand, and put the ring on his finger.
After putting the ring on Jiang Mochen’s finger, he tried to let go, but Jiang Mochen grabbed his hand and kissed his knuckles.
Yan Qingchi suddenly felt a wave of tenderness wash over him, like soft down.
Jiang Mochen looked at him and pulled him into his arms.
Yan Qingchi let him hug her and asked, “How long have you been preparing for this?”
“For a while.”
“What about the ring?”
“I started designing the ring the moment you suddenly appeared in front of me on my birthday that year, and I couldn’t control my heartbeat. I got it last April.”
“Then why didn’t you give it to me last year?” Yan Qingchi asked him.
Jiang Mochen looked at him earnestly and said, “Because when I fell in love with you, you were an individual, and this matter only concerned the two of us. So I hoped that when I confess my love and propose to you, it will only be the two of us, without anyone else, including Yan Yan.”
Yan Qingchi almost instantly thought of his joke from back then— the one he said in the kitchen, “A father’s status depends on his son.” “Is it because of what I said back then?” he asked. “I was just joking.”
“I know.” Jiang Mochen hugged him. “Of course I know you were joking, but for me, I hoped that when I confess my love, you are just you. If it weren’t for the unexpected pregnancy with Yan Yan, under normal circumstances, when I confessed to you, it should only be the two of us, right? We will have countless memories related to our child in the future, so I hope that there will always be some memories that are only related to you and me, not to our child, not to our family, only to you and me, only to love.”
Jiang Mochen looked at him. “This idea might be a bit selfish, but if possible, I even wish all those simulated romances we had from high school to university were real. I wish we could have met earlier, in our youngest, best years, and liked each other from the very beginning on campus. We would have had enough time and enough memories to belong only to us, do you understand?”
Yan Qingchi understood. For Jiang Mochen, love came too late; he only felt its sweetness at 28. Therefore, he regretted the lost time and regretted that they didn’t have a better start. So Jiang Mochen enjoyed and focused on their world together more than he did.
Yan Qingchi reached out and hugged him. “I understand,” he said. “If possible, I would also like to have met you earlier. You’re so outstanding; you must have been a popular senior at school. I might have fallen for you while watching you give your speech.”
“You’re not that kind of person,” Jiang Mochen knew him well.
“How do you know I’m not?” Yan Qingchi looked at him. “I’m not like that to others, but I am to you.”
Jiang Mochen knew perfectly well that he was just saying this to make him happy, but he couldn’t help but smile. He pinched Yan Qingchi’s cheek. “Then I, as your senior, will probably be driven crazy by you every day.”
“I’m so well-behaved, how could I make you angry? It’s you who got the ring a year ago, but you kept it from me for a whole year, even delaying your confession for a year.”
“Are you angry?” Jiang Mochen said softly. “It’s okay, I’ll tell you often in the future anyway. We have a lifetime, you’ll eventually get tired of hearing it.”
“I wouldn’t,” Yan Qingchi retorted. “I’ve always loved hearing things like that.”
Jiang Mochen found his unreserved honesty incredibly endearing. “How can you be so charming?”
Yan Qingchi replied sweetly, “Because I like you. I like you, and that’s why I want you to like me back.”
Jiang Mochen couldn’t help but smile with delight. He hugged Yan Qingchi tightly, feeling incredibly lucky. “Then you succeeded. I already like you a lot, the kind of ‘most like’.”
Yan Qingchi chuckled. “I know.”
The author has something to say:
President Jiang: Confessed, proposed, succeeded, so happy! Don’t ask me how I did it; of course, it’s because I have enough money and patience!
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