Chapter 17: Will we have a wedding?

Xu Lin froze.

He didn’t move for a long time, didn’t react. He was like a block of ice, frozen solid, unable to move.

What had he just heard?

What had Ji Jixuan said?

Had he misheard? No, that couldn’t be. The explosion had only burned his face, not his ears.

He’d confessed to Ji Jixuan so long ago, and Ji Jixuan had never responded. Wasn’t that effectively a rejection?

Why was he suddenly saying something as shocking as marriage?

Ji Jixuan’s expression was calm. He sat with his legs crossed, leaning back, hands resting on his knees, his posture relaxed, as if he’d just been discussing what to have for dinner.

Their eyes met. Ji Jixuan’s gaze was direct and unruffled. Xu Lin couldn’t hold it and looked away first.

He didn’t seem to be joking.

Xu Lin’s throat felt dry. He cleared it and murmured, “I… I never thought about it.” That was the truth.

When he’d confessed to Ji Jixuan, he hadn’t expected any particular outcome, let alone something like marriage.

It was a pipe dream, wasn’t it?

“Are you serious?” After a long moment, Xu Lin heard himself ask in a low voice.

Ji Jixuan paused for two seconds. “Yes.”

Xu Lin licked his lips. “Is this… a proposal?”

Another two seconds of silence. “Yes.”

“Why?” This time, Xu Lin was the one asking.

Ji Jixuan said, “I don’t want you to leave Danshi. Is that reason enough?”

Xu Lin pressed his tongue piercing against the roof of his mouth.

A proposal. A proposal. Ji Jixuan was proposing to him. But wasn’t the prerequisite for a proposal…

His heart pounded in his chest. Xu Lin looked up and asked Ji Jixuan cautiously, “…Do you like me too? Like how I like you?”

“Yes.”

Just one simple word from Ji Jixuan.

Xu Lin felt as if his entire body had been submerged in a boiling pot, scalding hot.

How could he describe how he felt right now?

His mind was too overwhelmed to think. The air in the car seemed to have vanished. He couldn’t breathe. He opened the car window and gulped in several lungfuls of fresh air.

The wind rushed in, rustling the rose wrapping paper.

He barely managed to steady his breathing and turned back. Ji Jixuan was still sitting in the same position, watching him.

He was waiting for an answer.

Xu Lin asked one last time. “Are you sure? Ji Jixuan.”

Ji Jixuan gave the same answer. “Yes.”

Hearing this, Xu Lin pressed his lips together and, in the breeze, slowly curved his ink-black eyes into a smile. He said softly, “Alright.”

In just a few exchanges, they had decided on one of life’s most important milestones.

Ji Jixuan asked directly. Xu Lin answered just as directly.

Xu Lin’s reasoning was simple.

He had no reason to refuse.

Because he liked Ji Jixuan, he said yes to the proposal.

And Ji Jixuan was proposing to him—surely that meant he liked him too. He’d even admitted it. No one could force Ji Jixuan to do something he didn’t want to do.

Besides, what great benefit would marrying him bring Ji Jixuan? He had no reason to lie. So…

So it was mutual.

The person he liked, liked him back.

What a wonderful thing that was.

The car still took Xu Lin back to the hospital.

Ji Jixuan followed him into the room.

Xu Lin held a single rose and a box of strawberries in his hands. He was so happy he felt like he was walking on clouds, his steps light and airy.

He sat on the edge of the bed, opened the box, and began eating the strawberries Ji Jixuan had bought for him, one by one. They were sweet. The sweetest strawberries he’d ever had in his life.

After a few, he remembered something important and asked, “By the way, when can I be discharged? I still need to apply for a travel pass in advance. Otherwise, even after graduation, I won’t be able to go back.”

Ji Jixuan frowned. “You still want to go back?”

Xu Lin looked at him, puzzled. “I have to. I told you, I need to bring something back to my teacher.”

Ji Jixuan seemed to want to say something but stopped.

Xu Lin looked at him and understood what he was thinking. He smiled helplessly. “Don’t worry. I’ll come back after I’ve delivered it.”

He said, “I already said I’d marry you. Are you afraid I won’t come back?”

Before, he’d said he wouldn’t return because he knew there was no future with Ji Jixuan. But now that Ji Jixuan had proposed, of course he would stay with the person he loved.

Ji Jixuan still wasn’t reassured. He demanded a promise. “You said you’d come back. You said you’d stay in Danshi.”

Xu Lin smiled and nodded. “Of course.”

Seeing that Ji Jixuan’s expression had softened, Xu Lin asked again, “So when are you going to let me go back to school?”

To his surprise, Ji Jixuan said, “I’ll apply for it for you.”

“Can you do that?” Xu Lin hadn’t been home in four years and had never applied for a travel pass himself. He didn’t know someone else could do it for him.

Ji Jixuan’s expression didn’t change. “Yes.”

Since he said it could be done, it probably could. But still…

Xu Lin kept pushing. “Wouldn’t it be faster if I just went to school and did it myself? It would save you the trouble.”

Ji Jixuan repeated, with a hint of finality, “I’ll apply for it.”

Ji Jixuan was determined to keep him in the hospital. Xu Lin couldn’t argue with him. “Alright.” He added with concern, “But don’t forget, okay?”

Ji Jixuan hummed in acknowledgment.

Xu Lin had eaten about half the box of strawberries when Ji Jixuan got up to leave.

“Ji Jixuan.” Seeing him about to go, Xu Lin suddenly called out.

Ji Jixuan stopped.

Xu Lin swung his legs over the edge of the bed, his lips bright red and stained with strawberry juice. “Tell me you like me.”

Ji Jixuan froze, not answering immediately, as if hesitating.

Xu Lin had expected this reaction.

Some people simply weren’t good at expressing their feelings openly. Ji Jixuan was probably one of them—a man of few words, not skilled at laying his heart bare like Xu Lin could. But since he’d taken the initiative to talk about marriage today, that was already a big step for him.

“Alright.” Since Ji Jixuan wouldn’t say it, Xu Lin didn’t push.

He jumped off the bed, quickly walked up to Ji Jixuan, and without warning, stood on his tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

It was just a light brush of lips, like a feather grazing the skin.

He’d never done anything this intimate with Ji Jixuan before, nor had he ever thought of it. But then again, Ji Jixuan had proposed. They were about to get married. They couldn’t keep acting the way they used to. It was only natural to be more affectionate.

Xu Lin’s ears were burning red. He murmured, “Be careful on the way back.”

Ji Jixuan seemed startled by Xu Lin’s sudden move. He stood frozen for a few seconds before nodding and leaving through the door.

After he left, Xu Lin flopped onto the bed, gazing happily at the ceiling. He grabbed a pillow, pressed it to his face, and rolled around in joy.

In the hospital corridor, Ji Jixuan walked past room after room, his face expressionless. Passing the nurses’ station, he reached over and grabbed a few medical disinfectant wipes from the counter, wiping his cheek as he walked. He tossed the used wipes into the trash.

He stepped into the elevator, his cold face disappearing behind the slowly closing doors.

A month later, on graduation day, Ji Jixuan finally let Xu Lin leave the hospital.

After two months away, Xu Lin returned to school, to the dormitory, and saw Yi Wei.

Yi Wei was shocked by the gauze on his face and urgently asked what had happened. Ji Jixuan must have kept it quiet, because from Yi Wei’s perspective, Xu Lin had just suddenly taken leave during the camping trip, been hospitalized for an illness, and stayed there for two months.

“I didn’t even know which hospital you were in, and I couldn’t reach you. I was so worried.” Yi Wei reached out to touch his face. “What happened to your face?”

Xu Lin pushed his hand down. “It’s just an allergy. The wrapping is a bit dramatic, but I’m fine.”

He’d covered his face thoroughly as soon as he was discharged. Partly not to scare people, but mostly to avoid explaining how he’d been injured—since it involved Ji Jixuan, and Ji Jixuan clearly didn’t want others to know. Xu Lin could only brush it off.

The graduation ceremony was held in the auditorium. Xu Lin was excited this time. After lining up with his cohort and taking the stage one by one to complete the ceremony, Xu Lin finally received what he’d been waiting four years for.

He carefully placed the items in the plastic sleeve he’d prepared. Inside the clear sleeve were his graduation certificate, his degree certificate, the student seal engraved with his name, and Pu Sha’s hopes and dreams.

After receiving their documents, students could leave the school on their own.

Xu Lin and Yi Wei went to the academic affairs office together to pick up their travel passes for returning home. It was the first time Xu Lin saw the physical pass—a white ID card with a barcode of letters and numbers at the bottom. The travel passes used by out-of-district students were all single-use.

Yi Wei picked up his pass without issue. But when it was Xu Lin’s turn, the staff member at the desk, who had been acting normal, suddenly froze while looking at the computer screen. He glanced at Xu Lin and said, “There’s been a problem with your pass. It wasn’t processed.”

Xu Lin panicked. “How is that possible?” Ji Jixuan had said he’d arranged everything.

He asked, “What should I do?”

The staff member said, “You’ll have to reapply.”

“Now? How long will it take?”

“A month.”

Xu Lin left the office in a daze. Yi Wei was worried for him too. “What are you going to do? If you have to wait another month, where will you stay? You’ve already graduated, the dormitory won’t let you stay.”

Xu Lin thought of Ji Jixuan and said to Yi Wei, “It’s fine. I’ll figure something out. You don’t have to worry about me. Go home.”

Yi Wei asked, “Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright then.” Yi Wei said, “I’m heading back. I’ll definitely come visit you in District Thirteen someday.”

Xu Lin smiled and nodded. “Okay.”

After Yi Wei left, Xu Lin immediately went to School A’s garage with his bag. Ji Jixuan had come with him to school today, accompanying him the whole way. His car was parked there.

No one was around Ji Jixuan’s car. As soon as Xu Lin got in, he said to Ji Jixuan in the back seat, “Ji Jixuan, can you help me with something?”

Ji Jixuan was looking at something like a document on his computer, not looking up. “What is it?”

“My travel pass had a problem and wasn’t processed. I don’t want to wait another month. Is there any way I can go back right away?”

Hearing this, Ji Jixuan looked up, seeming surprised as well. “How did that happen?”

“I don’t know what went wrong.”

Ji Jixuan mechanically tapped the L key on his computer and offered a solution. “I’ll have someone take you back. They’ll drop you off and pick you up.”

“Wouldn’t that be too much trouble? I can go alone. Just reapply for the pass for me.”

Ji Jixuan said, “Processing a pass takes time. Even for me, it takes time.”

Xu Lin’s disappointment was written all over his face.

He hung his head. A moment later, a black ID card appeared in his lowered field of vision.

Xu Lin looked up. Ji Jixuan held the ID card out to him. “This is my ID card. Use it.”

Xu Lin was confused. “Can someone else’s card be used?”

Ji Jixuan ignored the rules entirely and promised confidently, “With this card, you can go anywhere without restriction.”

Xu Lin said, “Isn’t this important? If you give it to me, won’t it be inconvenient for you?”

“Yes, so you need to hurry back. Don’t delay on the road. I’ll arrange for someone to pick you up and drop you off, so you can get there faster and come back faster.”

“Alright, then.” Xu Lin had no other options. He took Ji Jixuan’s ID card and carefully tucked it into his inner pocket. “I’ll keep it safe. I won’t lose it.”

Xu Lin was eager to get back to District Thirteen, so the driver took them straight to the airport.

When they arrived, Xu Lin opened the car door to get out but heard Ji Jixuan ask, “How long will I have to wait for you?”

Xu Lin paused. “Soon.”

“How soon is soon? A few days?”

By plane, it would take about a day to reach District Thirteen. He hadn’t been home in four years. He’d wanted to catch up with Pu Sha and his friends, to stay a few nights. But…

Ji Jixuan said, “After you deliver the things, come right back. Arrive tomorrow morning. I’ll pick you up.”

If he was back in Danshi tomorrow morning, he couldn’t stay overnight. He’d have to leave right after delivering the items. He might not even have much time to catch up with Pu Sha.

He didn’t want that. But…

Xu Lin clenched Ji Jixuan’s ID card in his hand. Ji Jixuan had lent him something so important. If he delayed too long, Ji Jixuan would be inconvenienced in Danshi. It was better not to cause him trouble. He gritted his teeth. “Alright.”

Once his travel pass was reapplied for, he’d have plenty of opportunities to visit Pu Sha anyway.

Xu Lin got out of the car and stood outside for a while. Something had been weighing on his mind, and he decided to ask now. He bent down and looked at Ji Jixuan inside the car. “Ji Jixuan.”

Ji Jixuan waited for him to continue.

“You said you’d marry me.” Xu Lin’s voice was small. “Will we… have a wedding?”

His question was quite a leap.

The sunlight outside was bright. Ji Jixuan’s face was backlit, his eyes shadowed and hard to read. After a moment, he said, “If you want one, then yes.”

“When you come back, we’ll have the wedding.”

A heavy weight settled in Xu Lin’s chest. He smiled warmly. “Okay.”

Five bodyguards followed behind Xu Lin, all arranged by Ji Jixuan. Xu Lin had never flown before and didn’t know his way around, so they guided him through the complex airport terminals.

Xu Lin used Ji Jixuan’s ID card to swipe through the verification gate required to leave the main city. The green light flashed. He passed through successfully.

So it really did work…

Xu Lin boarded the plane. Strangely, this plane was different from what he knew—not many seats, but all spacious. The cabin was arranged like a small hotel. The plane had only him and the five bodyguards. No other passengers.

Did no one fly in Danshi?

The plane carrying Xu Lin quickly became a speck in the sky.

Ji Jixuan stood by the floor-to-ceiling window in the terminal, glancing at the time on his wristwatch.

The Ji family’s airport. The Ji family’s plane. The Ji family’s people.

What truly let Ji Jixuan move freely through Danshi was his face, his identity as a high-ranking Alpha, and the fact that he was Ji Jixuan.

A card alone had no real power.