Chapter 10: Rejection Response

Logically speaking, Qi Yingzhu’s immune system should have sounded the alarm on the spot. But at this very moment, discovering Chu Fuxuan leaning in, his mind unexpectedly went blank for a second.

Chu Fuxuan actually felt soft to the touch.

Qi Yingzhu’s mind subconsciously short-circuited. He couldn’t help but have this thought pop up as he bewilderedly sensed the temperature of skin transferring onto his clothing.

Even though he kept saying he didn’t like the same sex, he simultaneously never had any favorable impressions of the opposite sex either. He always paid special attention to avoiding suspicion in interpersonal relationships; apart from necessary official communication, he wouldn’t even walk together with girls when going downstairs to take the elevator.

It could be imagined that Qi Yingzhu was very indifferent towards intimate relationships, evidently reaching the point of self-isolation. Not only was he single and unmarried, but he hadn’t even had any ambiguous entanglements in the past.

Unprecedentedly being this close to someone, to the point of practically being glued together, Qi Yingzhu stood rooted to the spot, his mind wandering as he tried to understand this unfamiliar sensation.

No matter how diverse his surroundings were, the people he interacted with were almost all workplace elites. For them to struggle and stand out from the crowd, their cold and hard natures were often even more predatory. When those of the same kind met, they would scheme against each other on how to attack.

Going further back in time to when he was still in school, whether in the classroom or on the court, the boys in his memory were always restless. It was as if their brains hadn’t fully developed—just a bunch of stiff limbs jumping up and down everywhere, making people prefer to take a detour with their backpacks when spotting them from afar.

But Chu Fuxuan felt very soft to the touch, Qi Yingzhu repeated helplessly in his heart.

Constrained by a sense of propriety, he didn’t respond to Chu Fuxuan’s movement. He raised his palm and then put it back down, finally bending his knuckles impassively.

Qi Yingzhu diagnosed these various feelings in astonishment. After thinking it over, his whole body felt wrong. Did this mean he was actually allergic?

Chu Fuxuan noticed his condition wasn’t right and asked softly in confusion, “Is it uncomfortable just being lightly hugged? There’s a shirt in between us. You really are homophobic.”

After saying that, Chu Fuxuan quietly urged again, “Pretend to be a bit happier, otherwise it really looks like you’re a child groom my family bought.”

Although Qi Yingzhu frequently attended business occasions and dealt with reporters and media from time to time, he usually just went through the motions, and no one would ask him to show a smiling face.

He also rarely smiled in the past. Now that he was assigned this task, he felt it was quite absurd but didn’t refuse to his face, perfunctorily curling up the corners of his mouth.

Unfortunately, having played it cool for so long, a radiant sunshine couldn’t be forced out. This looked even more like he was forced and sold into the Chu family compound; his aloof, arrogant face was just short of having a provocative sign reading “Let me out.”

Chu Fuxuan: “.”

Giving up on his wishful thinking, he respectfully invited Qi Yingzhu to do as he pleased.

Qi Yingzhu quickly withdrew his expression. While being distracted by the touch on his arm, he adjusted and reined in his aura, so as not to look like he was attending a corporate merger.

Their performances were about the same. Although Chu Fuxuan wouldn’t be suppressed when in the same frame as Qi Yingzhu, he was still somewhat unable to let go.

After hesitating for a long time, he finally finished his mental preparation. With curved eyes and brows, he tilted his head slightly towards the other party. He appeared relaxed and happy, but in reality, his back was trembling slightly as he tried his best to fake that the two of them looked like they had some feelings for each other.

The photographer confirmed the angle and pressed the shutter. The flash in the studio suddenly lit up, freezing the scene in front of them.

The marriage process here was slightly different from back in their home country. The documents didn’t require sticking a joint photo, but the application materials did involve their recent photos.

Plus, if they were asked about it later, it would be very abrupt if they couldn’t produce any traces of being a couple. So Chu Fuxuan figured that since they were already here, they might as well complete all the necessary details.

After subsequently finishing taking their recent solo photos, the store owner asked what preferences they had for image processing.

“Your bone structures and skin qualities are very good. Even magnified, you can’t find any bumpy places; there’s nothing to modify.” The store owner felt this money was really easy to earn. “At most, I’ll adjust the brightness; even skin smoothing is superfluous.”

The joint photo was displayed on the screen. In terms of looks, both were exceptionally outstanding. If placed at the entrance as a promotional poster, it would be more than enough to hold the fort.

It’s just that beyond their glamorous appearance, looking closely, they were like hired actors, lacking something naturally revealed between them.

Chu Fuxuan asked with a guilty conscience, “Can you make me and him look a bit more familiar with each other?”

The store owner operated with integrity: “How about we take another one? You two are too reserved. It doesn’t matter if you get a bit more clingy.”

Upon hearing this, Chu Fuxuan felt horrified and immediately stated there was no need to be that cheesy, then turned his head and cast a glance at Qi Yingzhu.

Qi Yingzhu’s rejection response hadn’t healed yet, and he was standing by the wall calming himself down on his own.

Consequently, Chu Fuxuan noticed there were many sample photos displayed over there, among which a commemorative image of a golden anniversary couple was very conspicuous.

Even though they were white-haired, with wrinkles and age spots covering their original appearances, a bystander just glancing over hurriedly could comprehend the sense of happiness of them depending on each other for survival.

That was something settled in their eyes and overflowing between them. Technology couldn’t fabricate the time and true feelings on them.

Chu Fuxuan spaced out for a moment, completely dispelling those thoughts of mechanically applying things. He hadn’t personally experienced it, nor had he even paid attention to it, so how could he possibly replicate it out of thin air to be flawless?

“You guys took a pretty good picture.” The store owner stared at the display screen, and as an onlooker, didn’t feel anything was forced.

“Many people look far worse in front of the camera than you two. Newlyweds, you know, will definitely be nervous. It’s rare for everyone to enter a studio once, so it’s very normal for postures and expressions not to be performed well. The effect of you two is already good enough to be used for an advertisement.”

Chu Fuxuan was half-believing and half-doubting: “Really?”

The store owner stated he was speaking with a clear conscience. If Chu Fuxuan needed it, he could also alter the two’s expressions.

Ten minutes later, Chu Fuxuan looked at Qi Yingzhu smiling carefree on the screen, and his whole person felt as if struck by lightning. He silently chanted “no intention to offend” in his heart once, and then without thinking, chose the original version.

After exporting the photos, he asked Qi Yingzhu which day would be convenient to take care of the upcoming procedures.

“The whole set of steps can be done in one day. We go apply for a marriage license in the morning, take that certificate directly to hold a simple ceremony, and then we can register the official documents,” Chu Fuxuan explained.

He had figured it out over the past few days. The license document could be obtained directly on-site, the materials needed were already properly collected, and the pastor and witnesses required for the ceremony had also been found.

It was just that it was best to make an appointment in advance to get the certificate at the city hall, and there wasn’t much time left for them to choose from.

Fortunately, neither of them was superstitious, so they didn’t need to pay attention to auspicious dates. Even the weather and lighting didn’t matter.

Qi Yingzhu picked a workday without any online meetings. Before setting out in the early morning, Chu Fuxuan reminded him to remember to wear a suit.

It just so happened that Qi Yingzhu had prepared formal wear in his luggage. Originally, it was intended to deal with sudden business occasions, but he didn’t expect it would end up being used for his marriage.

He drove to the downstairs of Chu Fuxuan’s rented apartment on time. The weather forecast had said it was supposed to rain at this time, but unexpectedly, the detection failed. The sunlight that day was very intense, the tree shadows swayed, and not a single dark cloud could be found in the sky.

Chu Fuxuan came out wearing all white. He looked up, noticed Qi Yingzhu’s car, and even waved at him.

Usually, Chu Fuxuan’s style leaned towards trendy and casual. In fact, he looked very eye-catching dressed in a suit and leather shoes, appearing exceptionally spirited.

“I casually bought two one-size-fits-all rings. You won’t have any problem wearing one, right?” Chu Fuxuan explained. “There’s a part where they’ll be needed later.”

Qi Yingzhu tried it on. It was a bit tight around the knuckles, but since they were just going through the motions on the spot, whether the size fit or not didn’t matter.

Chu Fuxuan’s fingers were on the slender side, so the one-size men’s ring was a bit loose on him. But he shared the same thought as Qi Yingzhu: anyway, it was just a prop for going through the motions.

The subsequent procedures followed a step-by-step process. They submitted the materials with their appointment confirmation letter, and before long, they obtained the license.

The city hall was very bustling, filled with joy everywhere. There were quite a few newlywed couples taking commemorative photos. Chu Fuxuan and Qi Yingzhu passed through them and hurriedly had the pastor conduct the vows.

Because the ceremony required witnesses, Chu Fuxuan spent money to hire two agents who specialized in coordinating this. Everything was orderly and matched his expectations perfectly.

The only fly in the ointment was probably when he slipped the ring onto Qi Yingzhu’s finger; the plain band got stuck at the joint and could barely be pushed further.

And when Qi Yingzhu lowered his head to put it on him, it wasn’t much better; the metal thing was almost accidentally flung off. Now neither of them could complain about the other dropping the ball.

Having finished these as if going through the motions, everyone filled in the corresponding information on the license, then one after another signed their names. Before parting, the pastor blessed the two of them for reaching a positive outcome.

Meeting the elderly man’s gratified gaze, Chu Fuxuan couldn’t bring himself to tell the truth and guiltily accepted this goodwill.

Then he felt restless and picked a bone with Qi Yingzhu: “Do you have a scar on your palm? When we touched just now, it felt a bit ticklish.”

Chu Fuxuan described it somewhat euphemistically. In such a serious occasion, suddenly feeling a scar out of the blue couldn’t help but give his heart a start.

He had quite a few minor bumps and bruises himself, but the injuries were relatively shallow and would heal once scabs formed. Qi Yingzhu’s scar, on the other hand, was rough and uneven; the imagery it conjured up was somewhat terrifying.

At that time, being watched by a group of people during the ceremony, Chu Fuxuan couldn’t just turn it over to look on the spot. He merely discreetly shrank his hand back, then reached back out with a lighter touch, as if testing whether a certain substance was dangerous or not.

Qi Yingzhu said coolly, “I thought you were reading my palm, even secretly scratching it twice.”

“Because it’s unbelievable,” Chu Fuxuan wondered. “When I was a kid playing on a skateboard, I fell really hard once and had my knee wrapped in gauze for half a month. Up until now, you can’t even see anything in that spot anymore.”

He had no intention of delving deeper into it, so he turned the page after speaking. The two of them handed the signed documents back to the office.

During this, Chu Fuxuan quietly peeked at Qi Yingzhu several times. He didn’t understand why, but ever since they went to the photography studio, the other party seemed to have an added sense of distance.

Was it because his behavior at the time wasn’t thoughtful enough? Chu Fuxuan didn’t agonize over it alone and spoke up: “Teacher Qi, can we still have the pure friendship of our kindergarten days?”

Qi Yingzhu understood he was referring to holding hands. He looked away and said, “Calling me Boss Qi won’t work either.”

Following this, Chu Fuxuan went “Oh”, and the two subtly deadlocked for a moment.

The electric-shock-like tingling from being hugged still had a lingering aftertaste. Qi Yingzhu was struggling to draw a line with this guy; he couldn’t just supply an answer to every question and listen to whatever was said—he wasn’t the other’s slave.

Meanwhile, Chu Fuxuan thought holding a grudge: What Boss Qi? Putting on leadership airs here? From now on, I’ll just call Qi Yingzhu ‘Hey’, to show that I also have quite a bit of moral integrity.

The official registration documents still needed information confirmation. Chu Fuxuan nimbly filled it out, and finally, the staff member asked if they chose mailing.

With the two of them about to return to their home country soon, they naturally needed transoceanic courier service. The staff member handed out a piece of paper, asking Chu Fuxuan to supplement the receiving address.

Immediately after, Qi Yingzhu saw Chu Fuxuan turn his head, his eyes flickering with a plea for help.

It would be game over if the secret was exposed right under the staff member’s nose. Chu Fuxuan stumbled over his words, trying to use an affectionate address and tone to dilute the absurdity of the question.

“Hubby, where is our home again?” he said affectionately.