When the two went back, they fell asleep immediately. Su Lanqiao woke up to see a bunch of missed calls from Yue Xi.
He called back, sounding annoyed by just waking up, "What's up?"
"Congratulations, Mr. Su Lanqiao, you and Mr. Chu are trending again," Yue Xi sarcastically said, "When did you run back to London? Why is Mr. Chu back in London with you? How many things did you keep from me?"
"I came back because my dad passed away in a hurry. I didn't have time to tell you," Su Lanqiao glanced at Cheng Chu, who had been awakened by the noise, and spoke normally, "Mr. Chu is here to help."
Right, help with getting married.
"Ah, then don't be too sad," Yue Xi had heard a lot about his father, so she knew that their relationship wasn't that deep, and didn't offer much comfort. After hesitating for a moment, she asked, puzzled, "So, how did you two end up going to see the fireworks? Oh, I haven't even looked at the trending topic. It's all over the place!"
The phone was loud enough for Cheng Chu to hear it clearly. He casually opened Weibo and saw that indeed, it was a trending topic, with a nine-square grid of pictures showing the two of them looking at each other against a backdrop of fireworks, quite romantic.
Su Lanqiao leaned over and took a quick look, murmuring, "I guess we ran into some Chinese people. How come they could recognize me in the dark?"
"Your online activity has been quite lively lately, yet still considered low-tier." Yue Xi chuckled, "There's no way to suppress this. The company's stance is to let it be."
Su Lanqiao realized that the company was just for show and wanted the situation to become a big deal for publicity. He looked at Cheng Chu and asked in a low voice, "Should we clarify the photos?"
"Friends watching the fireworks together, need clarification?" Cheng Chu absentmindedly scanned the comments, finding it amusing how people were speculating about them.
Upon receiving the directive, Su Lanqiao held the phone confidently, "No need to clarify. I will post some fireworks photos later, openly."
"You're bold and assertive." Yue Xi sighed, "I can't help with anything as your agent, and I don't have any resources. I'm sorry for the trouble."
"Don't be so formal. You're doing great," Su Lanqiao smiled. "That's it for now."
After hanging up, Su Lanqiao logged into his Weibo account and chose a few fireworks photos taken yesterday. He captioned it, "Wishing everyone a Happy New Year. These fireworks are for you."
Netizens gossiped and eagerly awaited a response. They didn't expect Su Lanqiao to be so direct, and the comments quickly multiplied:
"Why not post a photo with Cheng? Waiting to see both of you!"
"Wow, does this imply that you're confirming the trip together??"
"Without a direct denial? Feels a bit ambiguous."
"I feel like my favorite CP is about to become real."
【Holding the banner of the QiaoChu CP, I'm really happy to start off the new year with some sweet moments~】
【It's a shame that Chu Cheng doesn't have Weibo, we could have interacted there!】
【The fireworks are really beautiful, rich people all go to London to see the fireworks, 666】
【Are you two going abroad for New Year's? I don't care, rounding it off is still a honeymoon!】
...
Sulanqiao once again clicked into the QiaoLi CP's fan club, it was truly a heartbroken wail. He slightly hooked his lips, logged into his alternate account, registered as the host of the QiaoChu CP fan club, and posted his first Weibo:
"Happy New Year, may the QiaoChu CP be happy too~"
"You posted on Weibo?" Chu Cheng raised an eyebrow.
Sulanqiao quickly put away his phone, afraid of being caught with these sneaky operations, vaguely replied, "Not responding makes it seem like there's something going on."
Chu Cheng lazily leaned against the bed with him. A little morning light seeped through the curtains, giving the feeling of an old married couple.
Last night, they didn't do anything, and Chu Cheng was too lazy to open another room. Pretentious, but that was how they managed to sleep.
Lying on the bed, just sleeping quietly, not doing anything else, it actually felt pretty good.
As if sensing his mood, Sulanqiao glanced at Chu Cheng's sleeping face and stopped at his lips, sweetly saying, "Good morning, President Chu."
-
The first working day after New Year's Day, the two of them were preparing to register their marriage as agreed.
But Chu Cheng didn't expect Sulanqiao to be so honest. He looked at the contract handed to him, on which his real name, Elvis Jones, was written sincerely as Party A, and Chu Cheng as Party B.
Using his real name, the terms were also generous, giving Chu Cheng a 70 percent share while Sulanqiao only kept 30 percent.
"Wasn't it agreed to split it in half?" Chu Cheng frowned, pinched the pen, and flipped through the contract again to make sure this guy wasn't out of his mind.
Sulanqiao grumbled, "I can't let you lose out. After six months, you would become a divorced man."
"You're already thinking about divorcing me before getting married?" Chu Cheng lightly tapped the arm of the sofa with his fingertip, his voice deepening, "Very well."
"No problem, sign if you're okay with it, I already did." Sulanqiao glanced at Chu Cheng, wondering why he was upset about divorcing. He was hard to please.
"Fine, I'll sign." Chu Cheng flicked open the pen cap with one hand and signed his big name in a flourish.
To him, what the contract said didn't really matter. He hadn't planned on divorcing afterward.
Chu Cheng had indeed come to take a plane specifically to marry him. He had all his documents in order, including his driver's license and birth certificate.
While Sulanqiao was searching for information on what documents were needed for marriage, he suddenly exclaimed, "We also need witnesses. Where can we find them at this moment?"
"Find a couple of staff members to make do for now," Chu Cheng rubbed his brow. It wasn't quite appropriate to let too many people know about this yet, it wasn't the right time.
Sulanqiao nodded, being cautious, and took out a mask from his pocket, “We need to be careful today, there are many Chinese people in London. If someone finds out about us going to register, it would be a serious matter.”
Before, they were being too complacent, standing so conspicuously in the open area, no wonder they got caught.
Chu Cheng grunted, hooked the mask behind his ear, revealing only a pair of sharp eyes, giving off a more forbidding aura.
He didn't want any trouble, they hadn't formalized everything yet, they shouldn't let public opinion mess things up.
With masks and hats on, the two stood in line at the registry hall, and people passing by couldn't help but take a few more glances.
“Why are they all looking at us?” Sulanqiao whispered in a low voice.
Chu Cheng leaned over and whispered back, "It's probably the first time they've seen a marriage registration hidden like this."
Sulanqiao couldn't help but laugh, it was true. People usually come in a happy mood, but they looked so suspicious, concealing themselves. It was indeed strange.
Finally, it was their turn and the two of them entered a small room with their documents, sitting side by side to wait for the procedure to be notarized.
The staff took a glance at the two, a face of incomprehensible confusion, "Take off the masks, are you willingly getting married while hiding like this?"
"Willingly, willingly," Sulanqiao quickly took off his mask, showing a standard smile with eight teeth.
"Only you two, have the witnesses arrived?" The staff checked their documents and asked casually.
Sulanqiao smiled awkwardly, "We decided in a hurry, our friends didn't come, can you help us out, please?"
The staff laughed, "I've never seen anything like this, have you thought it through?"
Chu Cheng leaned back in the chair with a strong air, "We've thought it through, no problem at all."
"Alright, you're in such a hurry that you didn't prepare for a wedding, there's a simple ceremony here at the registry center, you can complete the process over there, and we will confirm the registration here," the staff called over two other people, "You two, help out as witnesses."
They have to hold a ceremony too?
Sulanqiao's heartbeat accelerated; he had always told himself that this was fake, just a contract, no need to invest too much emotion.
But coming all the way here, dealing with the trivial details, it felt more and more real.
The two followed the staff to a nearby chapel, where only a lonely priest was standing inside. The witnesses had just been brought in, and the whole ceremony seemed a bit shabby.
Chu Cheng was also inexperienced, his hands were empty, if only he had bought a bunch of flowers.
He pitied the little kid.
"Will the two new people stand over here, I will now begin reading the wedding vows," the priest looked at the names on the form and said, "Elvis Jones..."
"Just call me Sulanqiao, I prefer that name." Sulanqiao insisted on teaching the foreigner to pronounce his Chinese name.
The text describes a scene in a chapel where two people, Chu Cheng and Su Lanqiao, are asked by a priest if they are willing to marry each other. Chu Cheng, feeling nervous and without any friends or family present, reflects on the haste of the situation and then solemnly agrees to marry Su Lanqiao. Similarly, Su Lanqiao, visibly nervous, eventually agrees as well. The priest completes the ceremony and grants them permission to kiss each other. Su Lanqiao feels uncertain about kissing, as they only do so out of desire, and the thought makes them anxious. However, they are eventually persuaded to kiss, and the brief moment leaves them both feeling intense emotions. The scene ends with a contemplative reflection on the significance of the kiss.
In the following chapter, Su Lanqiao expresses a decision to pursue Chu Cheng, and a conversation takes place between Su Lanqiao and a person named Yue Xi, discussing the nature of their contract and the potential implications of Su Lanqiao's pursuit of Chu Cheng. Despite concerns raised by Yue Xi, Su Lanqiao remains determined to pursue Chu Cheng, asking for advice on courting him.
The conversation proceeds with Yue Xi offering theoretical strategies for capturing Chu Cheng's attention, emphasizing the importance of physical and culinary appeal. Following this conversation, Su Lanqiao resolves to cook for Chu Cheng, and after a few hours of effort, he prepares a meal and informs Chu Cheng of this through a message.
During this waiting period, Su Lanqiao checks a social media platform and becomes irritated by a post suggesting that there is love between the two characters, leading to a swift response from Su Lanqiao to counter this perception.
@Xiao Qiao is Chu's little baby, replying to @Qiao Li a Lifetime of Push: They're all watching fireworks together, wake up, stop daydreaming every day! (Smiling face) (Smiling face)
Didn't expect this person to be online, Weibo reminded the other to reply to a message.
@Qiao Li a Lifetime of Push replied to @Xiao Qiao is Chu's little baby: Oh, the host of Qiao Li CP personally intervened, stay away, do you understand? And Xiao Qiao directly speaking out has nothing to hide, why doesn't he dare to speak about anything related to Xu Zhili?
Sulan Qiao angrily tapped the keyboard, he knew that the other party was just teasing, but he still felt unhappy. How could the fans of Qiao Li CP outnumber the fans of Chao Chu CP!
@Xiao Qiao is Chu's little baby replied to @Qiao Li a Lifetime of Push: You guys just imagine it, we're just friends, why twist the truth... Not speaking to avoid suspicion, right?
@Qiao Li a Lifetime of Push replied to @Xiao Qiao is Chu's little baby: I can still understand, but you don't have any material, don't reply to me.
@Xiao Qiao is Chu's little baby replied to @Qiao Li a Lifetime of Push: We still have photos of watching fireworks together, you can only search with a magnifying glass on variety shows, haha, whoever replies is a loser!
@Qiao Li a Lifetime of Push replied to @Xiao Qiao is Chu's little baby: I will still reply! Don't show up in the super topic in the future, I'll scold you every time I see you!
Sulan Qiao logged off from the small account, rubbed his forehead, feeling mentally and physically exhausted. Arguing with fans is really tiring.
-
When Chu Cheng received the message from Sulan Qiao, he was in a company's top-level meeting, but couldn't help but lift the corner of his mouth.
He slid open the chat box and quickly replied with a single word, [Here].
The slight expression change made the brand director reporting feel frightened, feeling like the smile was mocking. "Chu, is there something wrong with what I said?"
"No, continue." Chu Cheng raised his eyes, returning to his indifferent expression. His sharp gaze made people tremble inside.
The brand director wiped the sweat off his forehead, "Actually, I've pretty much said everything. This is the recent event planned on our end."
"Okay, it's good. Let's wrap up if there's nothing else." Chu Cheng nodded slightly, gesturing for his secretary to pour him a cup of coffee.
Ling Feng saw that Chu Cheng was in a good mood today, so he quickly exchanged glances with others, "Let's disperse."
Chu Cheng stood up and walked into his office, casually asking, "Did you find out about the thing I asked?"
"That thing made it to the news, it's quite a big deal, so it was easy to find information." Ling Feng fetched a pile of files from his desk and handed it to Chu Cheng, "Sulan Qiao's mother is named Su Yun, the accident happened on November 28, 2010, at the Blue Bridge in London. She died in a car accident on the spot, but Sulan Qiao was sent to the hospital by a kind-hearted person and survived."
Chu Cheng took a cigarette and took a puff, then looked through the documents to understand the whole situation before pointing at himself, "I am that kind-hearted person."
"That's quite a coincidence. But thinking about it, you were studying at Cambridge around that area at the time." Ling Feng pondered for a moment, then widened his eyes, "Wait, last time he refused to accept the advertising fee, was it to repay a favor?"
"Repay a favor?" Chu Cheng almost spilled the coffee the secretary had just brought over at this guess. This possibility caught him off guard.
So, was Sulan Qiao deliberately getting close to him, acting obedient and submissive, being a pet and a bed partner, even willing to split property with him, all to repay a favor from back then?
Ling Feng rubbed his chin, looking smug, "Yeah, I told you, his small note operation was pretty mysterious. This makes sense now. You are his lifesaver, huh."
Chu Cheng had nothing to say. After hearing about the accident, he was convinced that the child he had saved back then was Sulan Qiao. At the time, Sulan Qiao was only twelve or thirteen, and had undergone such significant changes in appearance and physique, so it was normal not to recognize him.
But they have known each other for a while now, so why didn't he say anything? It just felt like something wasn't quite right.
"Chu, Mr. Sulan Qiao would like to come in to see you, but he didn't make an appointment in advance," the secretary stood at the door, waiting respectfully for instructions.
"Let him in." Chu Cheng gestured by tapping the desk with his finger, moving the coffee that he had almost knocked over to the side.
Ling Feng took advantage of the opportunity to quickly leave the office. When he met Sulan Qiao at the door, the two of them exchanged a tacit nod.
Sulan Qiao walked in with a bag, looking pleased. He saw Chu Cheng sitting in his office smoking, his black shirt rolled up to his elbows, revealing a bit of bulging veins, showing a masculine physique.
This man always seemed so charming, no matter when.
Satisfied with the view, he smiled at Chu Cheng and laid the food on the table in a leisurely manner, "Can we eat in the office?"
"It's my office, you can do whatever you want." Chu Cheng replied indifferently, his gaze falling on the neatly arranged bento boxes on the table, "Did you make these?"
"Yes, it took me a long time, and I even cut my hand." Sulan Qiao opened his palm, showing four band-aids on his ten fingers.
The neatly trimmed nails sticking out of the bandages looked oddly cute.
Chu Cheng took his hand and looked at it, then gently squeezed it before letting go, "Why did you suddenly decide to cook today?"
"I promised to treat you to something good, but it's my first attempt, so it might not be very successful." Sulan Qiao opened the lid, and the aroma of the ribs wafted out, "To reward your hard work at the office."
Chu Cheng couldn't help but smile, "Do you know what you look like now?"
"What do I look like?" Sulan Qiao casually sat down on the sofa, not caring about his posture.
"Like a young wife waiting for her husband to come home." Chu Cheng said, picking up a chopstick and taking a few bites, "It's quite delicious, aren't you going to eat?"
"I've eaten at home, I'll leave after you finish." Sulan Qiao lowered his head, fiddling with the band-aids, and asked in a low voice, "Chu, what kind of person do you like?"
"Hmm?" Chu Cheng raised his eyes from the food, looking at Sulan Qiao who seemed to have something to say, "Why are you asking this?"
"Just... just asking casually. We won't have any relationship in half a year. In case there's someone suitable, I could recommend them to you." Sulan Qiao became awkward, starting to tug at the strings of his hoodie. The more nervous he got, the tighter he pulled, and the back of the hoodie tightened into a bundle hanging behind his neck, looking a bit comical.
Chu Cheng felt a headache coming on. This guy was being considerate enough to find him a partner?
He replied casually, "No need, feelings are a matter of fate."
Sulan Qiao dejectedly sighed. You want a specific type, what kind of mystical thing is fate?
He suddenly felt that chasing after Chu Cheng might be an arduous task, this person simply didn't have that emotional nerve.
Silence fell in the office, both of them lost in their own thoughts, until the meal was finished.
Sulan Qiao got up to pack the empty boxes into his pocket, "If you like it, I'll bring it again next time."
Chu Chenggang wanted to say, "No need to bother," but hesitated and changed his wording, "Alright, go back then."
Sulan Qiao really came to deliver food, and after tidying up, she quickly left, leaving the spacious office back in silence.
Chu Cheng lit a cigarette, still puzzled about why Sulan Qiao started cooking for him.
Just as Ling Feng had guessed, was it a form of repayment?