Chu Xi barked loudly a few times as if saying,"Who are you trying to fool!"
Mo Jinxi smirked slightly before clapping his hands toward Chu Xi. "Chu Xi, come here!"
Chu Xi immediately rushed over, its tail wagging vigorously like a helicopter"s propellers before it started rubbing its head against Mo Jinxi"s leg. Mo Jinxi started stroking its little head and the dog closed its eyes in comfort before its head started drooping. Suddenly, it fell to the ground with a soft thump.
Yan Beicheng was the last one to enter. Lin Chu immediately walked up to him and with a pout, he said to her, "They insisted on coming over to wish us a happy new year."
Yan Huaian was distributing red envelopes to the children, which were all in turn collected by the old Princ.i.p.al. After all, these were all merely donations to the orphanage in the name of red envelopes.
The old Princ.i.p.al brewed some tea, to which Yan Huaian and the rest shared a couple of drinks over. As they ate some snacks, Yan Beicheng said, "I still have to bring Lin Chu home to pack."
Yan Huaian was slightly taken aback. He peeled a hazelnut and said, "Are you both going on an outing?"
Yan Beicheng cleared his throat and straightened up his already-straight back, an ambiguous expression on his face as he spoke, "She"s packing her things and moving to Ding City."
Yan Huaian clicked his tongue. "All these public displays of affection, why not just be c.o.c.ky with Han Zhuoli and his gang of bachelors."
Yan Beicheng"s eyes flashed with something unknown, as if he had thought of something, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
He then turned to Yan Ningbai, who was eating broad beans, and said, "Don"t run your mouth when you get home. I"ll speak to the Old Master and Old Lady myself."
"I know!" Yan Ningbai chewed away at the broad beans in his mouth before he washed them down with a mouthful of water. With a sigh, he said, "Do you think I like watching uncle and aunt worry all day long? As an elder, I"m very concerned about you as well!"
Yan Beicheng snorted before replying, "If you"re so capable, then don"t ask me for red envelopes. As your eldest nephew, shouldn"t you be giving me red envelopes instead?"
Once Yan Ningbai heard this, he set the broad beans down to hold his bulging belly. All the red envelopes he had collected today were all tied around his waistband.
He looked towards Yan Beicheng with shock etched into his face. "You… you… are you trying to depend on your elders despite being an a.d.u.l.t yourself?"
Yan Beicheng said nothing in response. "…"
Lin Chu as well. "…"
Yan Ningbai planted his head into Yan Huaian"s embrace. "Father, I... This little bit of money I have is to provide for myself when I age, and yet my eldest nephew is after it too!"
Yan Huaian, too, said nothing. "…"
"Enough with that nonsense!" Noticing Yan Beicheng"s expression getting stormier by the second, Yu Zi bit back a laugh as she carried Yan Ningbai over, almost causing her to sprain her waist.
Once she felt her son"s fleshy b.u.t.t upon her thighs, the weight was more than enough for her to confirm that she would feel numbness in her legs soon.
Yan Beicheng scoffed. "Uncle, you should start losing weight now that you"re getting on in years. Otherwise, when heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol catch up to you, I won"t even be able to do my filial duty towards you."
"Pfft!"
Yan Huaian immediately spat out the mouthful of tea that he had just drunk, not to mention almost causing himself to choke.
"It"s the New Year, so don"t go cursing my son!" Yan Huaian sneered angrily.
Yan Beicheng calmly set his teacup down. "Since we"re all here, follow me back to Lin Chu"s place for a bit and help with moving the luggage. I originally wanted to call Zuo Qiu but since you"re all here, I can save the effort of waiting for him."
"…" Yan Huaian"s mouth twitched slightly before he said. "Not only did you get angry at us because we visited for New Year"s without letting you know beforehand, now we even have to be your free labor."
Yan Beicheng clicked his tongue. "Don"t say it like that. Think of it as helping your grandniece-in-law."
"Very well." Yan Huaian was already standing as he patted away the crumbs on his body. "My grandnephew and his wife are moving today, and although it may not be a new house, they still have a place to call their own now so we should celebrate."
Right as his words fell, he made a call to Han Zhuoli. "Hey, Zhuozi! It"s nothing much, but since it"s the New Year, we should meet up!"
"To Yan Beicheng"s home, of course. From today onwards, Lin Chu is moving in with Yan Beicheng, and we"re on the way to help with moving. Call a few of your sworn brothers along so we can go to Ding City for a housewarming!" continued Yan Huaian.
"No need to get so angry! You just can"t find the one yet, right? You"re still young, not yet forty, so there"s nothing to be worried about!"
After ending the call, Yan Huaian felt like the anger that had acc.u.mulated because of Yan Beicheng had dissipated entirely.
Yu Zi got up and helped Yan Ningbai put his jacket on while sparing a glance at Yan Huaian. "Why are you so mean, going so far as to agitate Han Zhuoli during the New Year"s."
"I was agitated by my grandnephew, so I couldn"t find someone else to release that stress onto." Yan Huaian pa.s.sed Yan Ningbai"s scarf to her as he spoke, to which Yu Zi wrapped up Yan Ningbai tightly in.
As Lin Chu bid farewell to the old Princ.i.p.al and the children, she called Chu Xi over as well.
Lin Chu picked Chu Xi up to carry and Yan Ningbai stared at her before he asked, "My, my grandniece-in-law, can I hold it?"
Lin Chu smiled before pa.s.sing the dog to Yan Ningbai.
Perhaps because it was abandoned by its previous owner yesterday, Chu Xi still harbored trauma in its heart despite its lively exterior. In the car with Yan Ningbai, the dog was listless and dispirited, as if it had completely lost its fervor. Besides, it would even tremble from time to time, its tail folded in between its hind legs and practically stuck to its stomach.
Once they had arrived at Lin Chu"s home and had gotten out of the car, Chu Xi immediately perked up upon seeing Lin Chu. However, it still had its tail between its hind legs as it jogged over to Lin Chu to rub itself against her legs.
"It was extremely down the entire way here, could it be sick?" Yan Ningbai crouched to stroke Chu Xi softly.
Lin Chu cradled Chu Xi into her arms. "Did you think that I didn"t want you anymore? Don"t be afraid, I"ll bring you with me to my new home, I"ll never abandon you. Follow Ningbai first."
Chu Xi wagged its tail and whined softly before it lifted its head to lick Lin Chu"s face.
Lin Chu did not avoid it but before Chu Xi could lick her, the dog was carried away by Yan Beicheng and deposited into Yan Ningbai"s arms. "Carry it properly."
After pouring some water and juice for Yan Huaian and the rest, Lin Chu went into her room to pack up all the things she needed to bring.
Yan Beicheng insisted on helping her pack but Lin Chu adamantly refused.
He did not pack his things himself every time he went on a business trip, so he definitely would not know what to pack. Besides, he might even cause more trouble than help.
Once Lin Chu was done with her packing, Yan Beicheng only saw three boxes—two large ones and a small one.
The two large boxes held her clothes while the small one consisted of her daily necessities, including her skincare products and the like.
"This is it?" asked Yan Beicheng with a raise of his brow.
"I"m only taking a part of my clothes, but all my daily necessities have been packed away. Though this may be a rented house, I did have to buy some small appliances but those can"t be used at your place, so I"m leaving them here. Besides, Moyan isn"t back yet. If I"ve emptied all my things while she wasn"t here, what would she think once she comes home?" said Lin Chu.
She had left some clothes behind because she was worried that Xu Moyan might miss her. If that were to happen, she would discuss with Yan Beicheng to see if she would be allowed to split her stay between here and Ding City.
However, she did not dare to discuss this with Yan Beicheng now for fear of him getting angry.
"Once she comes back on the sixth day of Lunar New Year, I"ll talk to her and move the rest of things." Worried that Yan Beicheng might get angry, this was all Lin Chu could say.
Yan Beicheng merely nodded his head, having no opinion of his own.
Thus, Yan Beicheng could fit all of Lin Chu"s things in his car alone; there was no need for Yan Huaian"s car at all.
Once everyone had arrived at Ding City and Yan Beicheng had gotten off his car, he saw the Range Rover and Bentley Mulsanne, which meant that Qi Chengzhi and the rest had arrived.
He never expected for them to arrive so quickly.
Yan Beicheng walked at the front and just as he entered the door, a figure rushed towards him. An arm hooked over his neck before he was dragged inwards while another hand started squeezing at his throat.
"You"re not loyal enough as a brother! You said that you had a wife now, but why did you need to rub it into our faces!" resounded Han Zhuoli"s angry voice from right above Yan Beicheng"s head.
Lin Chu knew that they were merely joking around so she paid them no extra attention. Yan Huaian and Yu Zi merely helped her with her luggage as well.
Yan Beicheng immediately kicked Han Zhuoli once and the other man instantly loosened his grip.
There was no need to think about it; Old Lady Han must have been pressuring giving Han Zhuoli again.
"When Chengzhi and Chenglin had gotten married, Old Lady Qi had called my grandmother almost every day. She would talk about how good her first granddaughter-in-law treated her one day, and how good her second granddaughter-in-law treated her the next. As if that wasn"t enough, the actual doomsday was when both couples gave birth to children, and now I don"t have the guts to return home anymore." Han Zhuoli was feeling so much bitterness in his heart that even tea was bitter to him. Instead, he asked Aunt Zhuang, "Aunty, do you have any juice? My heart is bitter so I want something sweet for my mouth."
Lin Chu said nothing. "…"
Aunt Zhuang said nothing as well. "…"
Aunt Zhuang expressionlessly poured two cups of juice. One was given to Yan Ningbai and the other to Han Zhuoli.
The odd pairing of an a.d.u.l.t and a child immediately took big gulps of juice before sighing simultaneously, the utter picture of refreshment.
Aunt Zhuang genuinely felt that this Master Han seemed to be regressing in personality as he got older.
"Though it wasn"t easy, but Old Lady Qi has stopped in her antics. Nowadays, she only provokes my grandmother once in a blue moon. Then, Old Lady Yan called my grandmother today and said that you would be bringing Lin Chu home. My grandmother said that even Yan Beicheng had settled down, so why was I still single and available! She even asked if I was waiting for Chu Zhaoyang to find a wife? She even said that if Old Chu managed to find a wife before I did, then I would be a disgrace to the family. Ah!" Han Zhuoli heaved a heavy sigh.
Chu Zhaoyang had already picked up his cup to sip some tea, but once he heard what Han Zhuoli said, he glanced at Han Zhuoli without uttering a word. Noticing Han Zhuoli"s still had half a gla.s.s of juice left, he stretched his hand out and poured his tea into the gla.s.s.
The orange-yellow color of the juice turned brown completely once the tea had blended.
"Old Chu, what"re you doing?" Han Zhuoli exclaimed. His juice!
"Finding a wife for you will be difficult," said Chu Zhaoyang calmly. It was rare for him to say so much at a time.
"I, I"ll fight you on it!"
Lin Chu had no idea how Han Zhuoli would fight against Chu Zhaoyang and before she could find out, Yan Beicheng had dragged her into his room to unpack.
Yan Beicheng watched as Lin Chu hung her clothes up into his cupboard, her clothes slowly being displayed neatly next to his. As he watched her go about her task, Yan Beicheng could not restrain the joy he felt in his heart.
"From now on, buy anything that you like and have it displayed here. If there"s any furniture in the house that you don"t like, we can change it. Now that you"ll be living here, you can arrange things according to your preferences. If there"s some decoration or furnis.h.i.+ng that you don"t like, tell me," said Yan Beicheng.
As he watched Lin Chu set down her skincare products and cosmetics on the dressing table, the empty dressing table that was akin to a dressing table in a model room seemed to come to life with the things that were displayed on it.
Before he met Lin Chu, he had never felt this; he had always thought that his bedroom did feel like home. However, ever since he met Lin Chu, his bedroom stopped being pleasing to his eye. It felt especially empty to him, like n.o.body lived in the room, like a bedroom in a model house.
This feeling was especially heavy when he went to Lin Chu"s house for the first time. Though he saw that her bedroom was small and stuffed to the ceiling with things, it was not messy in the slightest. The dolls that were displayed at the head of her bed and upon the window sill especially showed her femininity.
Lin Chu"s gaze scanned the bedroom; it was truly a bedroom that carried the style of a bachelor heavily. "There"s no need to change the furniture, what"s the point in changing things up so greatly. I like the style of your sheets and blanket too. Once I start buying those little tools that"ll make things convenient at home and bringing them here, the style of the room will slowly change too."
Lin Chu was just about done with unpacking; all that was left was to put her toothbrush and cup next to Yan Beicheng"s.
Yan Beiching walked over to sneak a glance at her before he said, "If you have nothing going on the day after tomorrow, let"s go to the supermarket."
"Why?" Lin Chu was hanging her towel on the rack, right next to Yan Beicheng"s towel when he had spoken. She turned around and asked, her hands stilling with her action.
"This isn"t a pair." Yan Beicheng pointed at her toothbrush and the cup that held it. "We can go get a couple set the day after tomorrow, together with the towels."
He pondered silently for a bit before continuing, "I"ll make a list tonight. Whatever that can be made into couple sets will be changed. That includes the gla.s.ses and coffee mugs too."
Lin Chu could not help smiling at his words, her heart swelling with sweetness. This man was so concerned about tiny details like these.
Yan Beicheng did not hear her reaction, but when he lowered his gaze to see the sweet smile tugging at her lips, as well as her snow-like skin and her clear eyes, he could not help embracing her completely. He pushed her against the wall and captured her lips in a kiss, his teeth tugging at her lips as his tongue rolled against her tongue.
Lin Chu felt a slight tinge of pain at his actions, though it was by no means uncomfortable, his encompa.s.sing emotions towards her overwhelmed her entirely. Her hands wound tight around his neck and she returned the kiss with an equal amount of emotion.
"I"m over the moon just thinking about going to work with you every day and picking you up from work just to come home together from now on," rasped Yan Beicheng lowly.
"I…I feel slightly nervous. We"ll be staying together from now on. It isn"t dating anymore, where we see each other every day but we go back to different homes. We"ll be living together, so all my little quirks and shortcomings will be seen by you." Lin Chu"s grasp on his s.h.i.+rt was tight. "I feel like I can"t hide anything from you anymore, be it good or bad, so…you aren"t allowed to dislike me."
Yan Beicheng smiled at this before a rumble came up his throat and his jade-like laugh resounded from his mouth.
"I won"t dislike you. I like living together, understanding each other, accommodating to each other." Yan Beicheng pecked her once on the lips before he continued, "I want to know all your little habits, your cute hobbies, your tiny quirks. Even if we argue and we get angry and throw tantrums at the other, I"ll like it too. I want to know how you act when you"re comfortable at home, how you look like when you sleep, when you wake up. I even want to see how you act all lazily when you"re at home. I don"t want a perfect lover, all I want is for you to stay with me, for you to continue liking me, for us to share a life and its b.u.mpy roads."
Lin Chu"s heart had been completely turned to mush by his words. Every sentence uttered were like little rocks that were thrown into the lake of her heart, slowly causing light yet unbearable ripples in her.
"I say, it"s obvious that someone like you is bad at saying romantic words like that. And yet you said such nice words one after another like you had a treasure book for it in your mind." After hearing all his words, Lin Chu felt like she was floating on clouds.
Yan Beicheng said nothing in reply. "…"
They had such a good atmosphere going on, yet she had to go and say something like this…
"Eldest nephew, niece-in-law, my dad is asking if you"re done. If you"re done, then we"ll be eating with the other uncles. Chengzhi"s nephew ordered takeaway from w.a.n.g Chao!" Yan Ningbai"s voice rang right outside their door.
Yan Beicheng furrowed his eyebrows and he groaned. "This little brat is so annoying!"
Reluctantly, he let go of Lin Chu.
Once the pair arrived at the living room, they noticed that Qi Chenglin and his family had arrived too. As Qi Youning was still young, still at the age where she only knew to sleep and make bubbles with her saliva, so she was currently at her grandmother"s house. Qi Chengzhi"s son, Qi Youjin, was also nowhere to be seen.
Qi Youxuan was currently playing with Chu Xi while he crouched on the ground. However, because he had been crouching for too long, his small, round belly was making him uncomfortable, so he had decided to simply sit on the ground instead. With his chubby legs folded inwards, he stretched out his small, pale, chubby hands towards Chu Xi and said, "Chu Xi, come, shake hands."