SM Chapter 28

Chapter 28: It’s Like… a Newlywed’s Bridal Chamber

The food Yuan Ling made was so delicious that Ye Lai couldn’t help but take a few extra bites. Yuan Ling, seeing his eagerness, smiled and reminded him to eat slowly, promising to get him more after he finished and to make him something else to eat later that night.

Ye Lai had never experienced such family warmth. The director of the orphanage had always been good to him, but after all, the director was in charge of the entire orphanage and couldn’t focus solely on him, taking care of everything meticulously.

As a child, the first word he understood and learned was “no.” Children shouldn’t be mischievous, people shouldn’t be greedy, and one should learn to be grateful for what they have, and accept not having as the norm.

It had been many years since someone had reminded him to eat slowly and offered to make him whatever he wanted, as if he were still a child who needed to be cared for, nurtured and protected.

Faced with Yuan Ling and Sheng Dehui’s concern, Ye Lai couldn’t help but feel a pang in his nose, almost burying his face in his bowl. He lowered his head, shoveling several mouthfuls of rice into his mouth, his cheeks puffed out, barely holding back the urge to cry.

Then he felt that his actions were too childish and undignified, wondering if Sheng Mingqian would laugh at him for being unrefined, for embarrassing him by bringing him back.

With too much rice in his mouth, Ye Lai swallowed the last bite and still choked a little. He coughed for a long time, grabbing the edge of the table. This time, he didn’t have to suppress the wetness in his eyes; he had a good excuse. A tear slid from his eye socket, and he quickly added, “Auntie, the food you made is really too delicious. I couldn’t help but eat so fast that I choked.”

Ye Lai’s lie was as transparent as a three-year-old’s. Yuan Ling knew that Ye Lai had grown up in an orphanage and felt a pang of pity in her heart. She patted the back of his head, “Silly child, eat more if you like it.”

Sheng Mingqian, who was sitting next to Ye Lai, raised his arm and patted him on the back a few times. Ye Lai coughed again, looking at him with wet, red eyes. The suppressed bitterness surged up again, and he smiled at him through his tears.

“Hopeless,” Sheng Mingqian said softly.

Yuan Ling heard Sheng Mingqian’s words, which sounded to her like a doting little complaint between lovers. She had never seen this side of Sheng Mingqian, and she chuckled, “Eat your food.”

Sheng Mingqian didn’t notice the corner of his lips that he unconsciously raised. He looked away from Ye Lai, but his hand remained on his back. Ye Lai blushed and picked up his chopsticks to continue eating, slowing down his pace, taking small bites and chewing slowly.

Sheng Mingqian’s parents liked Ye Lai’s gifts. Ye Lai had catered to their preferences, and they were very pleased. Yuan Ling had a room dedicated to pottery and spent half the time showing Ye Lai around, displaying her collection and her own handmade ceramics.

Sheng Dehui, who loved wine, happily studied the bottle of wine, grumbling that he would open it tonight, but then felt reluctant to drink it.

Yuan Ling then gave Ye Lai a square sandalwood gift box. She opened it for Ye Lai to see, inside was a piece of jade in the shape of a safety lock, a complete emerald green. Although Ye Lai didn’t know its worth, he could tell that it was a valuable antique.

Yuan Ling pushed the sandalwood box in front of Ye Lai, “Auntie doesn’t have much to give you. This was left to me by Mingqian’s great-grandmother. It’s a safety lock, with the good meaning of peace and safety. You take it.”

“This gift is too precious, Auntie, I can’t accept it.”

Ye Lai couldn’t accept it but didn’t dare to push it back too hard, afraid of dropping the contents of the box. He didn’t know what to do with his hands. He picked it up and put it down, and finally simply grabbed Sheng Mingqian’s hand, who was sitting next to him, and looked at him for help.

Ye Lai thought that Sheng Mingqian would refuse for him, but to his surprise, Sheng Mingqian calmly took the wooden box from Yuan Ling’s hand, closed the lid, and stuffed it into his arms, “It’s for you, just take it.”

Ye Lai had originally wanted Sheng Mingqian to get him out of the situation, but instead, he directly accepted such a valuable gift for him. Gifts were easy to receive but difficult to return. He was just a contractual partner brought back by Sheng Mingqian.

But seeing Sheng Mingqian’s appearance, he had no intention of continuing to decline for him, so he had to accept it for now, thinking in his heart that he must not lose or damage such a valuable gift. He would keep it well and return it to Sheng Mingqian when they divorced.

But the safety lock looked like something that had been passed down through generations. Yuan Ling probably wanted to give it to Sheng Mingqian’s lover. He, this nominal “lover” was fake, only temporarily standing in Sheng Mingqian’s “lover” position. In the future, Sheng Mingqian would give this safety lock to his true lover.

At the thought of this possibility, Ye Lai wanted to be jealous to the point of madness, every nerve in his body clamoring. Holding the sandalwood box in both hands, his fingertips traced the embossed patterns of two dragons carved on the box.

He thought wickedly in his heart, once it’s given to him, it’s his. He wanted to possess it like this, not wanting to return it anymore…

But he was just thinking about it.

–

–

Dinner was the main meal, and Yuan Ling and Sheng Dehui prepared a sumptuous spread. They prepared both Finnish specialties and Chinese dishes and didn’t allow him and Sheng Mingqian to help.

Sheng Dehui finally couldn’t resist opening the wine Ye Lai had brought him. After drinking it, he still felt unsatisfied. One bottle wasn’t enough, so he went to the wine cellar and took out two bottles of his own treasured vintage.

Ye Lai hadn’t been this happy in a long time, and he accompanied Sheng Dehui for a few more drinks. Later, the after-effects of those two bottles of wine were too strong. Ye Lai felt his vision and hearing were declining. The dining table in front of him was spinning, and the red wine in the glass seemed to be experiencing a turmoil.

He knew that he had drunk a bit too much and didn’t want to lose his composure in front of Yuan Ling and Sheng Dehui. His arm leaned slightly on Sheng Mingqian’s shoulder, half-leaning on him.

Sheng Mingqian had a good alcohol tolerance, but he had been on a plane for too long during the day, and a few glasses of wine had also made him slightly tipsy.

After dinner, Ye Lai and Sheng Mingqian strolled in the yard to digest their food and sober up. The Labrador and the kitten were both gentle-tempered and became familiar with Ye Lai in a few minutes, jumping on him and playing with him, licking his fingers and scratching his clothes.

“What are their names?” Ye Lai squatted down, stroking the kitten’s neck. The cat’s fur felt soft to the touch.

“The Labrador is called Duoduo, and the kitten is called Coffee,” Sheng Mingqian said.

“Duoduo, Coffee,” Ye Lai reached out to tease them, “I noticed when I came back in the afternoon, they still remember you.”

“They have good memories and now remember you too.”

Sheng Mingqian took a cat sausage from the cat storage compartment and broke it off bit by bit to feed Coffee. Duoduo sniffed over to snatch it, and Ye Lai broke off half a sausage from Sheng Mingqian’s hand and fed it to Duoduo.

“Mingqian, before coming back, how did you tell your parents about me? Did they misunderstand our relationship?”

“Misunderstand what?” Sheng Mingqian raised an eyebrow at him, his eyes filled with dissatisfaction.

“Misunderstand that we’re a real couple. I’m afraid they’ll be disappointed when they find out the truth. I really like them, and I’m a little reluctant.”

As Ye Lai spoke, he said too much. The fragile part of his heart was like dried leaves after autumn, ready to shatter at the slightest touch.

“Then don’t let them know the truth.”

“Isn’t that deception? Can you deceive them for a moment, or can you deceive them for a lifetime?”

Just as Ye Lai finished speaking, Yuan Ling came out with the hangover soup, telling them to drink it and go upstairs to rest early to adjust to the time difference.

The room Yuan Ling prepared for them was on the second floor, Sheng Mingqian’s bedroom.

Ye Lai was stunned by the arrangement inside as soon as he entered. The room was large, with a private bathroom and a small study. The tea table and balcony were filled with various ceramic vases, filled with large red roses, each bloom vibrant.

The most eye-catching thing was the large bed in the middle. The sheets and quilt cover were a festive red, neatly laid out on the big bed, without a single wrinkle. The pillows were even printed with yellow silk thread embroidered double happiness characters, and red ribbons and colorful balloons hung on the wall.

No matter how Ye Lai looked at it, this room seemed like…

A newlywed’s bridal chamber.

Sheng Mingqian didn’t expect his parents to arrange the room like this, but he only paused slightly at the door, not lingering, dragging the two large suitcases in his hand and walking in. The quiet room only had the rumbling sound of the wheels rubbing against the floor. He put the suitcases by the window, took out his pajamas, and went into the bathroom.

Ye Lai wasn’t as calm as Sheng Mingqian. His heart was pounding, his mouth wide open, silently gasping “wow” several times.

This room was like the new house he had dreamed of with Sheng Mingqian when they got married. Those things in the dream, and the countless times he had imagined in his heart, were now suddenly presented before his eyes.

Ye Lai walked to the bed, bent down, and touched the “happy quilt”. His palm felt the soft and delicate touch of silk and satin, and his breathing quickened a bit.

It must be very comfortable to lie on, Ye Lai was afraid of damaging it, gently withdrew his hand, walked around the bed to the head of the bed, and bent down to smell the roses.

So fragrant.

Ye Lai didn’t miss any corner, carefully looking around. This wasn’t a dream, and he didn’t want to miss any detail.

Sheng Mingqian came out of the bathroom and saw Ye Lai looking at the photos on the bookshelf.

The photo was of Sheng Mingqian participating in a tennis match at school in his second year of middle school, looking fourteen or fifteen years old, with a more slender body than now, full of youthful spirit, with a bit of immaturity on his face. He was wearing a white baseball cap, a black sportswear and shorts, his right hand holding a tennis racket high, his legs straining to reveal powerful muscle lines. The sun was directly facing his face, the brim of the baseball cap casting a shadow on his face, the lower half of his face in the light, a drop of sweat gathering on his chin, about to fall.

That was the Sheng Mingqian that Ye Lai had never seen, and it made his heart itch.

Sheng Mingqian didn’t even dry his hair, holding a towel and walking towards the bookshelf, still carrying moisture on his body. The water droplets on both sides of his slender neck were still dripping down, dripping to the base of his neck, dampening the collar of his pajamas, slowly seeping out a small dark area.

Ye Lai was so engrossed in looking at the photos that he was startled and turned his head when Sheng Mingqian patted him on the shoulder from behind. Seeing the teenager in the photo was already the mature and tall figure in front of him, the collision of time and fantasy made the intoxication in his heart rise once again. His feet uncontrollably moved closer to Sheng Mingqian, raised his arms and hooked Sheng Mingqian’s neck, his eyes filled with a thick, lingering grayish-white mist.

“Mingqian, I like this room so much, it’s like… a newlywed’s bridal chamber.”

Ye Lai tiptoed and kissed off the water droplets on Sheng Mingqian’s chin, his movements careful, as if afraid of disturbing the elves in the room, afraid that they would be unhappy and take back everything now.

The not-so-strong smell of alcohol on Sheng Mingqian’s body was wrapped in the light fragrance of shower gel. In his eyes was Ye Lai’s flushed face. Ye Lai’s frowning expression at the moment seemed very worried that he would disappear.

For a moment, the inexperienced place in Sheng Mingqian’s heart was strummed a few times, making a few old sounds. His eyes seemed to be able to suck people in. He threw the towel in his hand and pinched Ye Lai’s waist with one hand.

Finally lying on the red wedding bed, his body sank into the soft red quilt, which was softer than he had imagined. Ye Lai half-closed his eyes, hooking Sheng Mingqian’s neck even more forcefully.

Perhaps stimulated by the arrangement and furnishings in the room, a sensitive nerve hidden in his heart, perhaps because the big bed under him was too comfortable, Ye Lai boldly told Sheng Mingqian his most straightforward words at the moment.

“Mingqian, I want to do it with you, tonight, right now… in this room…”