Chapter 380 I Don’t Need You, I Want You (3)
In the banquet hall of the hotel…
Su Yicheng and Luo Xiaoxi were the focus at the reception that night, so the guests were still excited after Lu Boyan left with Su Jianan.
The company anniversary had become a celebration for Su Yicheng and Luo Xiaoxi’s love. The flood of congratulations nearly drowned Luo Xiaoxi.
Finally, she seized a chance to take a break. Luo Xiaoxi breathed a sigh of relief as if she had just completed a major task and said, “I’m leaving, too.”
Su Yicheng checked the time and said, “You can’t leave now. How about in an hour?”
Luo Xiaoxi used to be wayward, so Su Yicheng didn’t expect her to agree to that. He even began thinking about how to explain it to the guests. However, Luo Xiaoxi smiled and said, “Now that you’ve taken great pains to propose to me, I’ll stay.”
Actually, she knew that Su Yicheng couldn’t leave that early.
Su Yicheng looked at her with smiling eyes, saying, “Come here.”
Luo Xiaoxi stepped closer to Su Yicheng, puzzled. He lowered his head and kissed her eyelids.
It seemed to be something common but it was enough to make Luo Xiaoxi happy and moved.
She sweetly looked at Su Yicheng with deep love, thinking that the grievances and reproaches that she had borne when she had tried to woo him were all worth it at the moment.
Then Lao Luo and Mrs. Luo walked over to them and handed Luo Xiaoxi a small box.
“What’s in it?” Luo Xiaoxi opened it while laughing. “Is it a gift for me because you are glad that I was proposed to?”
Within the box was the residence booklet of the Luo family instead of an expensive delicate gift.
Luo Xiaoxi realized that this meant her parents had agreed to her and Su Yicheng’s marriage.
She was so moved that she nearly burst into tears. She hugged her parents and said, “This is exactly what I’ve been looking forward to.”
“It’s the 20th tomorrow.” Mrs. Luo’s crow’s feet deepened as she smiled. “I heard that harmony is popular among you youngsters, and ’20’ stands for ‘loving you’. Why don’t you go and get your marriage licenses tomorrow?”
“Mom…” Luo Xiaoxi was amused and she said, “You’re so funny. But why do you rush me into marriage?”
Indeed, Mrs. Luo cared about Luo Xiaoxi and she was eager to see her daughter get married. However, she didn’t expect her little girl to say that. When she was about to reprove Luo Xiaoxi, Su Yicheng took the residence booklet and handed it to his a.s.sistant. Then he said, “Auntie, we will do as you wish.”
Mrs. Luo laughed happily at once and said, “You’re so nice! After you get your licenses, I’ll cook for you two!”
Su Yicheng gave her a positive promise. Just then, Mr. Luo suddenly said, “Yicheng, come over here.” His voice sounded quite serious.
Luo Xiaoxi felt somewhat anxious while Su Yicheng behaved calmly and motioned for her to be at ease. Then he followed Mr. Luo to a corner with n.o.body there.
Mr. Luo finally spoke after a long silence. “Yicheng, I don’t mind if you marry Xiaoxi and I’m very glad to be your uncle. What worries me is your father…”
“Uncle, Su Hongyuan and I have broken off relations and he’s unlikely to admit that I’m his son. It’s none of his business if I marry Xiaoxi.” After a pause, Su Yicheng added, “Actually, I’ll marry Xiaoxi no matter if he agrees or not.”
“Do you mean it?”
“My mother pa.s.sed away 10 years ago and my hate for Su Hongyuan has slipped from my memory. So, there’s no need to worry,” Su Yicheng said with calmness, as if Su Hongyuan was a n.o.body.
Mr. Luo sighed and said, “Though he has announced his retirement, I will often encounter him since we are in the same business circle. With your words, I know what to do when I meet him.” He patted Su Yicheng’s shoulder as if to comfort him.
After all, it was more miserable for him to treat his father with hatred than lose his mother.
Mr. Luo was about to walk away as Su Yicheng stopped him. Su Yicheng said with some embarra.s.sment, “Maybe it’s too soon to talk about this. I will want two children if Xiaoxi agrees, and one of the kids’ last names will be ‘Luo’.”
Mr. Luo felt surprised.
When they were young, they just had a daughter—Luo Xiaoxi, because Mrs. Luo had been in poor health. He had been worried that no one could take over Luo Enterprises and he had felt helpless about the continuity of his lineal kinship.
However, before marrying Luo Xiaoxi, Su Yicheng had already thought that over.
It was not that he was being considerate, but that he heartily cared about the Luo family and Luo Xiaoxi.
“Then I want to thank you,” Mr. Luo smiled and said, “for caring about Xiaoxi so much, not for helping keep the continuity of the Luo family’s kinship. Now it turns out to be right that I agreed to your marriage that day.”
Luo Xiaoxi wondered what her father and Su Yicheng were talking about, so she repeatedly looked at them. Mrs. Luo couldn’t help kidding her, “Are you missing him?”
Luo Xiaoxi shrugged and said, “Yes. Just like you usually wait for my father at home!”
“Nonsense!” Mrs. Luo patted her daughter and said, “By the way, do you know why we brought the residence booklet with us here?”
Hearing that, Luo Xiaoxi asked with curiosity, “Did you write the pa.s.swords of your bank cards on it?”
“Nonsense again!” Mrs. Luo poked Luo Xiaoxi on the forehead and said, “That day Yicheng sent you home and played chess with your father in the study, they were talking about it. Your father and I didn’t think that you will decline his proposal, so we brought it here.”
Luo Xiaoxi said, “… Mom, I’m your daughter.”
“…” Mrs. Luo didn’t know what to say.
Just then, Mr. Luo returned to them with Su Yicheng.
Mr. Luo was smiling with great joy. It seemed that he was at the peak of happiness. He put Luo Xiaoxi’s hand in Su Yicheng’s and said, “Your mother and I should leave now. Maybe you will enjoy yourselves here late tonight. Just sleep at your apartment tonight since you’ll be engaged tomorrow.”
They all knew that Mr. Luo meant more than he had said.
Luo Xiaoxi, who had been famous for her cheeky personality, felt embarra.s.sed. She looked down and said, “Got it. Tell the driver to drive slowly on your way home.”
Su Yicheng took his parents-in-law downstairs. After their car left the hotel, he went back to the banquet hall. He said a few words to Shen Yuechuan and then walked over to Luo Xiaoxi.
Luo Xiaoxi had gotten herself ready for another round of a flood of congratulations. But Su Yicheng said to her in a low voice, “Be ready to leave.”
“How?” Luo Xiaoxi looked around, saying, “They won’t let you go that early tonight.” She just heard several guys talking about drinking Su Yicheng under the table…
Su Yicheng took Luo Xiaoxi’s hand and said, “That’s why we can’t stay.”
Luo Xiaoxi followed Su Yicheng out with doubt. All at once, someone took a c.o.c.ktail gla.s.s from the waiter’s tray and handed it to Su Yicheng. The man said, “Bridegroom, you can’t leave tonight until you’re drunk.”
Su Yicheng smiled and toasted, while Shen Yuechuan walked toward them, clapping. He said, “According to the custom, the bridegroom and the bride must play a game.”
The rules were simple: 1. Su Yicheng needed to stand far away from Luo Xiaoxi. 2. They would play rock-paper-scissors. 3. If Su Yicheng won, he would step forward; if Luo Xiaoxi won, she would step backward and Su Yicheng would drink a gla.s.s of wine. 4. The game wouldn’t end until Su Yicheng could reach Luo Xiaoxi and hug her.
If Su Yicheng got drunk before he could reach Luo Xiaoxi, he would have to accept a terrible prank.
Shen Yuechuan snickered and said to Luo Xiaoxi, “Dare to try?”
“Of course!” Luo Xiaoxi ran to the banquet hall entrance and said, “Su Yicheng, I’ll go home if you lose.”
The gossipy crowd yelled again. Xiao Chen, as well as other gentlemen, cheered for Su Yicheng, as the ladies told Xiaoxi that the game could be easy if she looked closely.
Shen Yuechuan, the judge, announced the start of the game.
In the first round, Luo Xiaoxi threw “scissors” and Su Yicheng threw “rock”.
The gentlemen got excited and cheered for Su Yicheng, while the ladies shouted across from them, “You have long legs. A long stride is not allowed, you have to take a normal step!”
Su Yicheng behaved gracefully and he made a step as the ladies had wished. Then came the second round.
Eight minutes later, Luo Xiaoxi had stepped backward to outside the lift. There were only three meters left between Su Yicheng and her.
Luo Xiaoxi felt anxious—she had almost lost all the rounds within the last few minutes as if Su Yicheng had seen through her, while she was still wondering what method Su Yicheng would use.
After another two rounds, there was only a step between them. Luo Xiaoxi was likely to lose in the end.
The crowd around them became breathless with anxiety. Luo Xiaoxi gritted her teeth and threw “paper” with her eyes closed. As for Su Yicheng… Wow, was that “rock”? She won!
However, from Su Yicheng’s expression, Luo Xiaoxi knew she hadn’t won at all.
The gentlemen behind Su Yicheng showed regretful looks, while he just smiled as if already knowing he would lose.
Luo Xiaoxi realized that Su Yicheng had intentionally done that.
She pretended that she would step backward, but at the last minute, she suddenly jumped onto Su Yicheng.
Su Yicheng didn’t expect Luo Xiaoxi to act that way, but he quickly reacted and hugged her at once. The crowd around them began to roar and yell.
He lowered his head and kissed Luo Xiaoxi’s lips.
That was exactly what the crowd was looking forward to, so they yelled more loudly, “Kiss for nine minutes and your love will last forever!”
Su Yicheng just ignored the crowd and held Luo Xiaoxi in his arms, kissing her with deep love. Then the lift reached their floor, and he took Luo Xiaoxi into it while kissing her.
The crowd had thought that Su Yicheng and Luo Xiaoxi were overcome by their feelings. However, when the lift doors closed, they realized it and shouted, “They’re leaving!”
They tried to stop them but it was too late. In the end, they could do nothing but watch Luo Xiaoxi and Su Yicheng kissing and hugging each other in the lift.