Chapter 94: N. Sweet Proof

The day after returning to New York, Ning Yixiao took Su Hui to Manhattan City Hall to register for marriage.

The process was a bit more complicated than they had imagined, but the wait was filled with anticipation. A few days after receiving their marriage license, the soon-to-be newlyweds returned to City Hall to collect their marriage certificate.

However, Su Hui hadn’t expected that every couple receiving their certificate would have a tiny ceremony in a small room. Because of this, most of the girls in the queue were wearing white dresses.

He looked down at his own clothes—the simplest t-shirt and jeans. He looked more like a student heading to the city library for self-study.

Su Hui began to regret his overly casual attire.

“Did I dress… too simply?” he whispered to Ning Yixiao. “They said there’s a small ceremony…”

Ning Yixiao looked down at his own clothes and comforted him, “I’m dressed pretty much the same as you. It doesn’t matter. We’ll have our own wedding anyway; it won’t be too late to dress up formally then.”

Su Hui nodded, feeling a bit relieved. But in the next second, Ning Yixiao leaned close to his ear.

“Don’t you think we look like… two college students who are in a desperate rush to get married?”

Those words instantly took Su Hui back to the past. Back when they hadn’t even been dating for very long, he was already thinking about exchanging rings and getting married in Iceland. He had completely pressed the fast-forward button.

He lowered his head, staring at his canvas shoes and Ning Yixiao’s sneakers, and nodded. “A little bit.”

“Student Su, relax.” Ning Yixiao grasped his hand, interlocking their fingers.

Su Hui answered obediently, “Okay, Senior.”

For some reason, this title seemed to please Ning Yixiao. He tilted his head, staring at Su Hui with an expressionless but intense gaze.

Embarrassed, Su Hui looked away. “…I just said it randomly.”

“You can call me that more often in the future,” Ning Yixiao added. “When necessary.”

Before Su Hui could figure out what “when necessary” meant, the staff called their names. Ning Yixiao immediately pulled him up and followed the staff into the small room.

Neither of them had any experience, so it wasn’t until they got inside that they realized they needed a witness. Finding someone at the last minute was difficult, so Ning Yixiao called Carl, who was waiting in the car.

Just like that, Carl became his boss’s witness, feeling both terrified and deeply honored. Standing beside the two of them, he felt his status had taken a massive leap forward.

Given how low-key his boss usually was, he might very well be the first and only person to know that they were registering their marriage today.

This was something he could brag about for a lifetime.

The ceremony was incredibly simple. The staff verified their wedding rings and handed them to the marriage officiant.

The officiant had seen plenty of wedding rings, but upon seeing this pair, they couldn’t help but praise, “The rings are beautiful.”

Carl thought to himself, Of course they are, they’re blue diamonds.

Su Hui was a bit nervous, terrified of messing up his vows, so he spoke exceptionally slowly. Fortunately, the officiant was very patient, waiting with a smile until he finished repeating them.

“Alright, congratulations on becoming each other’s lifelong partners. Wishing you a lifetime of happiness and sweetness!”

“Thank you.”

Ning Yixiao took Su Hui’s hand. When he turned around, he was utterly baffled to see Carl looking somewhat tearful.

“Is the contract sorted out?”

Carl instantly sucked back his tears.

“No, doing it right away.”

Holding the signed marriage certificate, Su Hui’s emotions fluctuated. It all felt like a beautiful dream, and he was terrified that if he blinked, the dream would shatter.

But Ning Yixiao embraced him truly and earnestly, kissing his forehead at the entrance of City Hall.

“Su Hui, this isn’t an illusion.”

It felt as though he was completely seen through by Ning Yixiao.

“I know…” Su Hui held his hand. “I just find it a little hard to believe.”

“What’s hard to believe? It’s real. You can never run away again.”

“When shall we hold the wedding?” Ning Yixiao asked.

Su Hui thought seriously for a long moment. “I don’t know. Will winter be too cold? But summer is already here, so that would be a bit rushed. Maybe autumn?”

“No rush, we can take our time.”

Since returning from Iceland, Su Hui still wasn’t completely used to the fast-paced life of New York. Meanwhile, Ning Yixiao had accumulated a mountain of work due to his vacation. He had originally wanted to stay home and lounge with Su Hui, but under Su Hui’s persuasion, he reluctantly returned to work. Fortunately, Su Hui went with him to the Bay Area, bringing Xuegao along too.

The climate in the Bay Area wasn’t as dry and hot as Southern California; the air was humid, and there was a pleasant breeze. Su Hui loved this kind of weather. From time to time, he would lie on the lawn in the courtyard to read, daydream, or play with Xuegao. In short, he didn’t want to work.

But work matters found their way to him one by one anyway. First, Geisha called to say that the feedback from his first solo exhibition was phenomenally good across all sectors.

“Especially the two pieces Reset1224 and Mama. They’ve become massive check-in hotspots. Go search them on social media; the posts are endless.”

Su Hui wasn’t surprised by the popularity of Reset1224, as it was indeed the most visually grand piece in the entire exhibition. However, Mama was completely the opposite—it was highly personal, and he had never imagined so many people would resonate with it.

“Mama? I thought without knowing the background story, it wouldn’t get much attention…”

Just listening to Geisha’s voice, he could almost picture her beaming with excitement.

“That’s because Chloe Chen posted a photo on her social media. Speaking of which, it even features you and Shaw. This photo is absolutely divine. I’ll send it to you, take a look.”

Soon, Su Hui received a screenshot. The account indeed belonged to Chloe herself, and the likes and comments were staggering.

In the photo, he and Ning Yixiao stood respectively inside the spaces dedicated to each other’s mothers, touching their fingertips through the curtain.

“You have no idea. Once this photo went out, a ton of Chloe’s fans rushed to the gallery to check it out. Plus, everyone was curious about who the people in the photo were, so Chloe replied later.”

Su Hui saw her reply too.

@12berry: Wow, this photo is insane! Who are these two handsome guys?? The vibe is too strong!

@ChloeChen replied to @12berry: The one on the left is the artist who created this piece.

“So many people came just because of this photo, and they even copy your and Shaw’s poses to take pictures. Our staff can barely hold them back. Thank goodness the material of that curtain can withstand being touched, otherwise they would have rubbed a hole right through it.”

None of this was what Su Hui had expected.

He felt incredibly grateful to Chloe, so he immediately composed a message to send her.

Eddy: Chloe, the curator told me your photo brought a lot of exposure to the exhibition. Thank you. I entered a depressive episode that day, so I couldn’t meet up with you guys.

Chloe replied very quickly.

Chloe: Don’t mention it, we’re friends! Shaw told Jingming about your situation, so we all know. Let’s hang out when you’re feeling a bit better.

“Anyway, you’re highly popular yourself now. People didn’t know at first, but later they discovered your modeling gig, which was a huge surprise. Some students from the academy where you used to teach posted photos of you in class, and some even said online that you lost your job because you were bullied by students from another department. Everyone was pretty angry.”

Su Hui explained, “Actually, that wasn’t it. I resigned voluntarily.”

“That’s good too. You need more time and space for creation.” Geisha talked for a long time before returning to the main point. “Because the feedback for the solo exhibition was unexpectedly excellent, all the sponsors have decided to continue their backing to support us in making this a nationwide tour across America. The next step might even be a global tour!”

“That’s wonderful,” Su Hui’s voice was soft.

Rather than feeling overjoyed by success, he felt more relieved. He had been terribly afraid of ruining the entire exhibition because of his own condition, but now it seemed that all the hard work of the staff had not been in vain.

“Looks like our collaboration is going to last for quite a while longer. Let’s meet up in a few days to lock down the locations for the tour as early as possible.” Geisha’s voice carried a smile. “Eddy, you’re going to get better and better.”

Su Hui was deeply grateful for her dedication. “Thank you.”

After ending the call, he felt thoroughly warmed through by the sun. He returned to the room, drank a large glass of water, and began to boil chicken breast for Xuegao.

When opening the fridge, he inadvertently noticed some pork ribs. He remembered Ning Yixiao mentioning in Iceland that he wanted to drink pork rib soup, but they had searched for a long time over there without finding any restaurants that sold slow-cooked soup.

“Let’s give it a try…” Su Hui muttered to himself.

When working at the restaurant in the past, Su Hui had to do every single chore. Even if he couldn’t do it well, he had to bite the bullet and try. It was during that time that he learned how to chop vegetables and how to blanch meat. Although the taste couldn’t be called amazing, compared to his past self who couldn’t even fry an egg, he had made massive progress.

After busying himself in the kitchen for four hours, Su Hui simmered a small pot of corn and mushroom pork rib soup. The entire dining area was filled with a rich aroma. Xuegao didn’t leave his side for a single step, stuffing himself full just from the scraps.

“You can’t eat anymore. If you eat any more, your dad won’t have any left.”

Su Hui warned him verbally, but still picked out a piece of corn and placed it in his food bowl. Xuegao immediately began to gnaw on it in sheer delight.

Su Hui poured the soup into a thermal flask. He also boiled a small pot of yuanxiao (glutinous rice balls), which he had wrapped while waiting for the soup to simmer. They weren’t very pretty, but the taste was decent, so he brought them along too.

At four in the afternoon, Su Hui took a taxi to Ning Yixiao’s company.

This place was even more beautiful and grand than he had imagined. It was also his first time coming here. He hadn’t informed Ning Yixiao beforehand, acting entirely on his own whim.

Su Hui wore a white shirt and jeans, along with Ning Yixiao’s black baseball cap and a face mask, wrapping himself up tightly. Seeing him enter, the receptionist stood up to welcome him. “Hello, do you have an appointment?”

Su Hui shook his head, holding the thermal flask as he stood in place. “I’m here to find Shaw.”

The receptionist showed a difficult expression. “Shaw is quite busy right now. We can only receive visitors with appointments, I’m truly sorry.”

Su Hui expressed his understanding, then asked, “Can you call Carl? He’s his assistant, he knows me.”

The receptionist thought about it and agreed, dialing Carl’s extension.

Seeing the call connect, Su Hui reminded her softly, “My name is Eddy, he knows it.”

Sure enough, hearing Carl’s voice sound as if he were facing a formidable enemy, the receptionist instantly grew alert. She assumed this must be some low-profile, super-VIP client. Hanging up the phone, she very respectfully inquired if he would like some coffee.

Su Hui shook his head. “I can go up now, right?”

“Of course, let me escort you.”

The receptionist still found it bizarre. Just what kind of client was this that made Carl rush down personally to greet him? Thus, in the elevator, she couldn’t help but steal a few more glances.

This handsome guy looks a bit familiarly attractive.

When the elevator doors opened, her appreciation time came to an end, and she reluctantly invited Su Hui to walk toward the top boss’s office.

She knocked on the door for him, and Carl opened it very quickly from the inside, smiling and greeting Su Hui the moment they met.

“Eddy, you’re here.”

Su Hui nodded, his voice gentle and soft. “Good thing I asked for you.”

Carrying the thermal flask, he walked inside, passing directly through the assistant’s suite into Ning Yixiao’s office. This place was so vast it could practically host a game of golf, featuring a 270-degree panoramic floor-to-ceiling view with nothing but the ocean outside.

Ning Yixiao hadn’t noticed him yet, lowering his head to read through documents intently. It wasn’t until Su Hui approached and placed the thermal flask on his desk that he realized.

“Good afternoon, President Ning.”

Hearing his voice, Ning Yixiao suddenly looked up. The eyes behind his lenses clearly betrayed his astonishment, which quickly turned into a smile. He reached out naturally to loop his arm around Su Hui’s waist. “Why did you suddenly come over?”

Su Hui loved the surprise that welled up on his face because of his appearance. He couldn’t resist raising his hand to touch his face, speaking slowly, “You said last time that you wanted to drink soup, so I simmered some. I don’t know how it tastes, why don’t you try it.”

He unscrewed the flask and poured a small bowl for Ning Yixiao. “Inside are pork ribs, mushrooms, and corn. I also put some red dates in it. Anyway, Xuegao liked it quite a bit.”

Ning Yixiao couldn’t help but laugh. “So in your heart, Xuegao and I are the same species.”

“No,” Su Hui immediately defended himself. “He’s just a reference point.”

“Mm, I get it.” Ning Yixiao pulled him to sit on his lap. “Thank you for your hard work.”

Su Hui could see the outside through the glass, feeling a bit uneasy. “There are other people…”

“It’s fine.” Using his phone as a remote control, Ning Yixiao closed the Venetian blinds, leaving only the two sides facing the sea uncovered. “Is this okay?”

Su Hui still didn’t sit completely on his lap. He just squeezed in a bit, sitting together with him on the same large office chair, and then urged Ning Yixiao, “Taste it.”

Ning Yixiao picked up the bowl and took a sip, nodding. “It’s delicious. It’s exactly the flavor I like.”

“Really?” Su Hui picked up the spoon to try a bit, his eyes widening slightly. “It seems it’s actually not bad.”

“There’s also yuanxiao.” Su Hui unscrewed the other thermal flask. “I boiled a lot of these, thinking I could share some with Carl and the others.”

Ning Yixiao was rather reluctant. “They don’t need it, the company has a cafeteria.”

“But it’s my first time here, I can’t just come empty-handed.” Su Hui showed it to him, speaking earnestly, “It’s a full flask, a lot.”

“Alright then.”

Despite being unwilling to share, Ning Yixiao knew Su Hui’s temperament. He scooped out a small portion for himself and let Carl take the rest out to distribute.

Su Hui watched Ning Yixiao drink the soup, enthusiastically picking out ribs for him, using his chopsticks to remove the bone in the middle before placing the meat into his bowl.

Ning Yixiao was very quiet when eating, and Su Hui was the same during his depressive episodes. Yet, amidst the quiet atmosphere, he suddenly heard Ning Yixiao say out of the blue:

“Being married is truly wonderful.”

Su Hui looked up, taking a moment to process it before quickly lowering his head again, a faint flush rising on his ears.

“It’s going to get cold,” he changed the subject indirectly.

Ning Yixiao pulled out a tissue, set down his bowl and chopsticks, and gathered Su Hui into his embrace. “The first time you stayed over at my place, you made me breakfast too, remember?”

Of course Su Hui remembered. He had taken too much medication back then, his entire state was off, and he had racked his brains trying to stay, causing Ning Yixiao plenty of trouble. He even dreamed about him.

“Mm,” Su Hui said honestly. “It tasted terrible. The egg was burnt.”

“But you’re amazing now.” Ning Yixiao cupped his face. “It’s delicious. This is the first time I’ve ever received a heart-infused homemade soup.”

Su Hui nodded, leaning into his chest. “I’ll make it for you again in the future.”

“Thank you.” Ning Yixiao kissed the top of his head, his tone tender. “Su Hui, I feel very happy.”

When Su Hui was in a depressive episode, his emotions were heavily restrained and his thoughts were sluggish; he needed very direct expressions. Whenever Ning Yixiao sincerely and directly validated his worth and gave him positive feedback, Su Hui would feel fulfilled.

“Me too.”

They held each other quietly for a while, then stood up to watch the sunset over the Golden Gate Bridge outside the window, holding hands. Su Hui still habitually rested his forehead against the glass, completely absorbed in the view.

The light gradually scattered, and the sky stained itself into shades of purple and blue. Ning Yixiao pressed Su Hui against the glass, leaning down to kiss him.

Su Hui’s lips trembled slightly, but his hands carefully gripped the back of Ning Yixiao’s shirt, closing his eyes.

The frame of Ning Yixiao’s glasses was cold, occasionally bumping against the bridge of Su Hui’s nose. He took off his glasses after a shallow kiss ended.

“You’ve lost weight.” His waist had thinned by another loop.

Su Hui had barely been eating proper meals, always lacking an appetite, and he possessed a physique that lost weight very easily. But fearing that Ning Yixiao would think it didn’t look good, he instinctively stiffened his upper lip. “No, I haven’t.”

Ning Yixiao smiled, lowering his head to bite his lips gently. “I know the moment I hold you.”

Being bitten like that, Su Hui let out a soft gasp as if in pain, but his lips unconsciously pressed upward and tightened, acting practically like an invitation.

Thus, Ning Yixiao kissed him down once more.

Su Hui’s face grew incredibly hot, and his hands couldn’t find a place to rest. Pressed against the glass window by Ning Yixiao, he felt his lips and tongue slip inside, tender to the point of torment. He didn’t seem in any rush to delve deep, but rather coaxed gently, wrapping and teasing with restraint, gradually awakening Su Hui’s desires hidden beneath the heavy layer of ice.

Feeling his legs begin to go soft, Su Hui regained a shred of rationality. Drawing back slightly, he whispered in a tiny voice, “No… there are people…”

When he spoke, a transparent thread of saliva, sweet as honey, even stretched between his full lips.

“They’ve off work.” Ning Yixiao didn’t give him any more room to breathe, pinning the wrists that tried to evade onto the glass window as well.

The wind picked up outside, the tide surged, and the waves washed away the subtle, intimate sounds.

Ning Yixiao asked “can I” several times, and though Su Hui gave no direct response, his entire being practically melted into his embrace.

The leather sofa had been blown cold by the air conditioner. The moment he was placed onto it, Su Hui trembled all over, but Ning Yixiao’s warmth rescued him very quickly, wrapping around every inch of him.

The depressive episode had lasted for too long, during which they had rarely even kissed. Spending half a month together in Iceland, just quietly embracing each other had felt like happiness. Returning here, Ning Yixiao was busy with work every day, only able to come home after hours.

Su Hui needed him exceptionally during his depressive phases, becoming clingy yet very quiet. If they didn’t see each other for too long, he would lose his sense of security. This thirst for security practically overrode the self-doubt and insecurity generated by his illness, because he needed Ning Yixiao’s soothing too much.

Yet, being in a place like this always made Su Hui afraid. He minded deeply whether the office door was properly locked, and whether someone would suddenly barge in to report something to Ning Yixiao. He fell into a state of sinking amidst this trepidation.

Ning Yixiao nipped at Su Hui’s lips, telling Su Hui to call him “husband” amidst the continuous kisses, but Su Hui couldn’t bring himself to say it; shame nearly swallowed him whole.

“Then let me call you instead, since we already have the certificate anyway.”

He leaned in close to Su Hui’s ear. While kissing him, he mimicked Su Hui’s heavily breathless tone, repeating the words Su Hui could say and the ones he couldn’t bring himself to say.

Su Hui had absolutely no recourse. He kept biting his lower lip instinctively, almost to the point of breaking the skin.

“Don’t bite anymore.” Ning Yixiao leaned over to kiss him, sweat dripping onto Su Hui’s cheek like a tear.

However, soon enough, he was truly crying—physiological tears. His mind wasn’t entirely clear, his head felt as though hot mist had been poured into it, and the tears trickled down completely involuntarily.

The illness would scramble his cranial nerves, making him a chaotic mess, but Ning Yixiao could do the same, and could even more easily make him lose consciousness. He would become incoherent, entirely unaware of what he was saying.

Leaning in Ning Yixiao’s embrace, his eyes drowsily stared at his own tattoo, even guiding his hand to touch it. “It’s raised.”

Ning Yixiao kissed his cheek and laughed softly, murmuring a sentence into his ear.

The air conditioner temperature was set very low. Su Hui eventually fell into a deep sleep, wrapped in a blanket by Ning Yixiao, and they snuggled together on the sofa for a long time.

The sofa was as large as a small, safe beach, warm and cozy. Su Hui took a long while to wake up, turning over to lie face-to-face with Ning Yixiao. He rubbed his eyes, staring at Ning Yixiao for a good long moment.

Ning Yixiao moved closer, kissing the bridge of his nose, asking in a whisper, “Have you taken your medication?”

Su Hui wasn’t fully awake, his mind still in a daze, and he associated it with something strange. “What medication?”

Ning Yixiao was also stunned by his question. What other medication could there be?

“I won’t get…” Su Hui didn’t finish, pausing as his consciousness suddenly snapped back. “Ah, you mean the lithium carbonate tablets. I… I took them, I took them when I came over.”

He stammered.

Ning Yixiao laughed, his head nuzzling into his smooth collarbone, nipping at a small patch of skin on his clavicle. He kissed and nibbled all the way up snugly, right until he reached his ear, making Su Hui shrink back from the ticklish sensation.

“Su Hui, do you want to try again?”

Su Hui felt that he wasn’t clear-headed either, giving him a shove. “What do you mean…”

“What if?”