The Sick Beauty Gave Up Struggling

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Chapter 31 Yes, we decided to get married next year

The last time Shen Boyan came to visit them, it was a special situation. Not to mention giving Shen Boyan a red envelope, it took a lot of psychological processing to recognize Shen Boyan as their son’s boyfriend. But now, the two elders have accepted that their son is gay and has a boyfriend, so what should be given naturally still needs to be given.

“Tell me, how much is appropriate?”

“…”

Xia Shu’an felt funny when he imagined the image of the man receiving a big red envelope from his mom’s hand. He held back his laughter and said, “Then you should put in a thousand.”

“Is one thousand enough?”

“That’s enough. We only have a few small shops now. We are just an ordinary, well-off family. A thousand is enough.”

“Hey.” Mother lamented, “Do you know what Xiao Shen gifted me today? It’s a jade necklace. Your mom also used to be a rich madam, so I know this necklace is worth at least five or six million. How can we just give him one thousand?”

Xia Shu’an said, “Then do you have any gold bracelets or something you want to pass on to your daughter-in-law?”

Mother Xia glared at him. “What are you talking about?”

“Okay, okay, get out.”

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“I know it’s useless to look for you!”

“…”

Xia Shu’an was kicked out of the kitchen again. He now discovered that after he had a partner, his status in his mother’s heart dropped rapidly, almost to the point of being the brat in the family.

Xia Shu’an was pushed out of the door while still dumbfounded. Shen Boyan happened to be walking towards the kitchen. Seeing him come out in a state of disarray, he watched him as if he were watching a good show, but on the surface, he smiled gently and asked considerately, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.” Xia Shu’an looked at his flawless smile and said sincerely, “We just talk about how handsome you are.”

Shen Boyan accepted the compliment with a smile.

Because Shen Boyan planned to stay here tonight, he was free in the afternoon. Although Shen Boyan was “patient”, he couldn’t just let him chat with his parents all afternoon. At around 2 p.m., Xia Shu’an took him out.

“My elementary school and junior high school are nearby. Do you want to go over and have a look?”

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In the car, Shen Boyan fastened his seat belt and said, “Okay.”

“But you can’t go in; you can only watch from the outside.”

“It’s okay, we’ll just take a look.”

Xia Shu’an’s elementary school and junior high school are connected. It’s a well-known local private middle school with a primary school department. In fact, it also has a high school. However, Xia parents believe that studying in the same place in a row until high school is not very good for the child’s social and independence development, so they switched schools for him when he reached high school.

A thick wall blocked the two’s line of sight. They could only see the six-story school building and the big tree that was almost as high as the building. At this point in time, the school was also dismissed, and the campus was empty of people, making Xia Shu’an inexplicably feel a tinge of melancholy.

“I’ve been studying here for nine years, and so has Chu Wenzhi, but we were only in the same class in middle school. I also have a very good friend I’ve known since kindergarten, named Lu Xin, who is now studying abroad.”

“Young Master of the Lu family.”

“Well, he is very nice. I will introduce you to him later.”

Xia Shu’an glanced at Shen Boyan. Seeing that he showed no resistance, he couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Compared to the verbal confrontation with Chu Wenzhi, Lu Xin and Shen Boyan had actually engaged in real combat, hitting each other head-to-head several times, with injuries to their bodies and faces every time. Shen Boyan couldn’t “convince” others with his fists, but he forced Xia Shu’an to give him medicine and even asked him to put a band-aid on his face…

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Um, isn’t it?

Speaking of which, Shen Boyan was a lot taller and stronger than Lu Xin. And he was someone who had been mixed around in society before1以前混过的人 I’m not sure if this term refers to someone who used to be a gangster or do illegal stuff, but I’m leaning toward the former. If anyone knows, please tell me., so why was he beaten so badly by Lu Xin? And every time?

Xia Shu’an was in an absent-minded state when Shen Boyan asked, “And?”

“And? There is also my high school, but it’s a bit far away. I went to a public high school, which is also famous in the local area. I got in on my own…”

Xia Shu’an’s high school also seemed lonely in the cold winter wind. The two of them drove in a large circle, just like non-locals on a sightseeing trip. At four o’clock, Mother Xia called and told them that there was no food at home and what vegetables they should buy.

The two of them went shopping at the supermarket, and it was almost five o’clock when they got home. The sky is already dark and unclear, and street lights are needed to see clearly. Xia Shu’an got out of the car first and watched Shen Boyan take things from the trunk. In the same direction as them, another car drove in.

Xia Shu’an lives in a single-family villa with good privacy, but after living here for more than 20 years, they also have neighbors. At that time, when the Xia family was in trouble, this neighbor also provided a lot of help.

When the car stopped, a little girl came bouncing down the public walkway, followed by a chubby little boy.

“Brother An’an!”

It was a pair of twin siblings. Xia Shu’an used to play with them a lot, and they were obviously happy to see him after a few months.

“Brother An’an!”

Xia Shu’an reached out and touched the girl’s head. “Coming back from school?”

They were still carrying backpacks on their backs, and the girl said sweetly, “Yes, I write a lot today. My hands hurt so much.”

The boy also ran closer: “Brother An’an, the flower you gave me died!”

“It’s because it’s winter, and when spring arrives next year, they’ll bloom again.”

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“Really?”

“Really, but you need to take good care of it so that it can bloom again next spring.”

“Well then, I’ll ask mom and dad to take good care of it.”

Shen Boyan parked his car and walked over. He was tall and had a strong aura. The little girl was so scared that she hid behind her brother.

The boy shouted, “Who is this?”

Xia Shu’an: “He’s my boyfriend.”

“What!” The boy was shocked. “What about Yuan Yuan!”

“We agreed that you and Yuanyuan would get married, and then we could be good brothers for life!”

Xia Shu’an: “When?”

“…”

“Yuanyuan, Hengheng, what are you doing?”

A young couple came toward them, and the woman was startled when she saw Shen Boyan.

“President Shen.”

She quickly glanced at Shen Boyan, then at Xia Shu’an. Finally, her eyes trembled, and she withdrew her surprised gaze.

Xia Shu’an turned around and asked, “Do you know each other?”

Shen Boyan: “Maybe we’ve met somewhere.”

He nodded slightly toward the woman and said, “Hello.”

“Hello, President Shen. So you’re back, Shu’an. Auntie and uncle have missed you a lot.”

“Yuanyuan, Hengheng, don’t make trouble; we should go back.”

The woman smiled at Xia Shu’an again and said, “We’ll go back first. Come over to visit us if you have time.”

“Okay.”

After that, the woman and the man took the children home.

Xia Shu’an slowly turned to Shen Boyan and said, “Sister Fei works for an event planning company.”

Shen Boyan: “Then maybe I’ve seen her somewhere.”

Shen Boyan is a big shot in the business circle. It wouldn’t be strange for anyone to have seen him anywhere. Xia Shu’an did not continue to pay attention to this matter. He took a bag from his hand and walked home with him.

The meal in the evening was also very enjoyable. After the meal, Mother Xia went to clean up a room for Shen Boyan.

Although he and Xia Shu’an are boyfriends, unless there’s no room at home or the two of them are married, in the opinion of Xia parents, the two of them still have to sleep in separate rooms.

Of course, Shen Boyan would have no objection.

In the evening, he and Xia Shu’an watched the video together. Father Xia and Mother Xia cherished his growing-up moments very much. From childhood to adulthood, they would accompany him on important occasions and also record videos. The trajectory of his growth was like scattering flower petals. They appeared light and fluffy, but when picked up, they were already a thick stack.

At the beginning, Shen Boyan said a few words as usual, but soon after the video started playing, he was completely immersed in it.

The two of them were sitting on a blanket on the floor, opposite a huge LCD screen. The man’s eyes are fixedly looking at the flickering screen, his body is in a natural state, and his expression changes slightly according to the emotions of the boy/teenager in the picture. Even at certain touching moments, his eyes will also be filled with a kind of affectionate light.

That kind of concentration is like looking at a treasure.

Xia Shu’an felt a little embarrassed. He used to only feel that it was recording the past, but now he felt as if the barrier called time had been broken and someone was touching his past. He couldn’t tell whether it was discomfort or numbness.

The weak, pitiful, and helpless Xia Shu’an pursed his lips and silently wrapped his legs around herself, shrinking into a ball.

The video of Xia Shu’an’s growth was too long, and it didn’t end until ten o’clock. Xia Shu’an even went downstairs to change the water several times in the middle.

The last time he walked in, he said, “You……”

He said bravely, “It’s time to go to bed.”

Shen Boyan turned to look at him quietly. The greed in the bottom of his eyes was like a thick black fog on a late autumn morning.

Xia Shu’an couldn’t help but take a step back and say, with a tough expression but weak in essence, “It’s past ten o’clock.” He was going to sleep.

Shen Boyan’s eyes slid across his red and swollen eyes due to sleepiness, and then he stood up.

“Okay.” He said in a disappointed tone, “Then bring it back to watch again later.”

“…” Well, this is very Shen Boyan.

Xia Shu’an watched him enter the guest room next door.

Staying at his “boyfriend’s” house was a novel experience for Shen Boyan and for Xia Shu’an as well. At around ten o’clock, the two went back to their own bedrooms, a wall apart, so close they seemed to hear each other’s heartbeat.

Xia Shu’an naturally couldn’t hear Shen Boyan’s heartbeat, but he could feel what he was doing now. Closing his eyes, he could clearly see Shen Boyan looking around the room, and his face was always hazy, with a layer of contemptuous arrogance on it.

Maybe he would also imagine what Xia Shu’an is doing at the moment. After closing his eyes, Xia Shu’an’s face will appear in his mind, and then his brain will continue to cycle through the photos or videos he has seen today.

This was an experience that would never have been possible in his previous life. Xia Shu’an suppressed his novelty and took a breath.

He had a vague feeling that tomorrow would be a sunny day.

The next day, the sun was shining brightly.

Xia Shu’an woke up the latest; when he got up, everyone else was already downstairs. As soon as he finished washing up and went downstairs, he saw that inside the living room, Shen Boyan was chatting with his parents.

Do they have that much to talk about? Xia Shu’an stepped down the last step and heard before he got close:

“Yes, we are going to get married abroad next year—”

! ! ! !

Probably because the expression on his face was too terrified, his mom said in disapproval, “Why are you just standing there? Come here and serve the food.”

Xia Shu’an followed his mom into the kitchen in a daze.

“Mom, what were you talking about just now?”

“Of course it’s about your marriage.”

Mother Xia had an “I’ve been through this” look on her face and said, “Same-sex marriage is not yet legalized in China. Although foreign marriage also doesn’t have any benefit in China, it’s still a proof of sincerity.”

Xia Shu’an: “You don’t think it’s too sudden?”

“How so? It’s not like it’s going to happen immediately. Don’t you two have any plans for the future when you’re dating?” At this point, Mother Xia also became skeptical. She looked at her son with the wise and alert eyes of a person who had been there before. “You guys didn’t plan or think about the future at all?”

“We do.” Xia Shu’an was immediately in awe: “That’s right, we decided to get married next year.”

…….

The two future newlyweds, who had decided to get married next year, each came to the table to eat with mysterious smiles. Fortunately, the two elders were considerate of the new couple’s face and did not mention it again.

Time passed by in the blink of an eye. Shen Boyan received a phone call and seemed to have work to deal with. Father Xia and Mother Xia didn’t keep the two of them anymore and let them go after lunch.

The only surprise occurred before they left.

“That, Xiao Shen.”

Mother Xia suddenly called out to Shen Boyan. They both turned back at the same time. Xia Shu’an perceived something and took half a step back silently.

Mother Xia stepped forward with a loving expression. Shen Boyan has gone through a lot of ups and downs in business circle. He has seen countless people who hide daggers in their smiles, but never like this, had someone put on the loving face of an elder in front of him.

In business, the more someone smiles, the more vigilant you need to be. Shen Boyan couldn’t help but show some caution.

“Xiao Shen.” Mother Xia said slowly, “This is your first time visiting our home. You should come more often in the future.”

Shen Boyan remained vigilant, answering succinctly and cautiously, “I will.”

“This is a red envelope for you. It’s not much, but it represents our thoughts.”

With that said, she took out a big red envelope that is common during the Chinese New Year and handed it to Shen Boyan.

Shen Boyan was stunned, his face showing a rare mix of confusion and bewilderment, as if he had encountered some century-old problem. He turned around and saw that Xia Shu’an had taken a few steps back at some point with an “I don’t know anything” expression on his face.

Shen Boyan narrowed his eyes dangerously. When turning his head back, he had already gathered his composure like a well-behaved junior: “Thank you, auntie.”

“I will definitely be good to Xiao Shu.”

Xiao Shu‘s pupils trembled, but Mother Xia was extremely happy: “Okay, okay, remember to come often in the future.”

“Yes.”

It wasn’t until they got into the car and slowly entered the main road that Shen Boyan asked, “You knew about it earlier?”

Xia Shu’an was still thinking about Shen Boyan’s performance just now. He was amused inside, but his face appeared very natural. “Know what? Red envelopes? This is the custom.”

Shen Boyan looked at his face and narrowed his eyes dangerously again, but for the sake of the heavy red envelope, he decided to let him go for the time being.

But Xia Shu’an became interested: “Hey, how much money is there?”

Shen Boyan glanced sideways at him and threw the red envelope in his pocket at him. Xia Shu’an quickly opened it, and before he could take a closer look, he exclaimed “Wow”.

“A lot of money!”

The exaggerated look made the corners of Shen Boyan’s lips curl up again.

“Let me see how much.”

Xia Shu’an started counting with a serious look on his face. His way of counting money looked very amateurish at first glance, and he even counted them one by one. It took him quite some time to count a stack of red banknotes, and finally he said in an exaggerated tone, “Five thousand2687.31 USD; she gave you five thousand!”

Shen Boyan said with a nonchalant expression on his face, “That much?”

“Yeah. I obviously only asked her to prepare a thousand.”

Shen Boyan’s brows suddenly tightened. “Only a thousand?”

“Well, on average, it should be around a thousand, but she gave you five thousand, which means she’s very satisfied with you.”

“…” It took a while before the man let out a sound from his throat: “Um.”

Xia Shu’an looked at his side profile, which was clearly permeated with a pleasant expression, and thought that he was really easy to coax.

The two people passed this weekend for different reasons, but they were both in a relaxed mood. Shen Boyan had many things he wanted to do, but he was too busy, and before he could implement them, he was called to the company.

The intensive work, with a high degree of concentration, finally ended before 7 p.m. Before getting off work, Assistant Lin handed over an invitation letter.

“This is a charity dinner co-organized by President Zhang of Shengda Group and his wife.”

Shen Boyan’s fingers tapped on the table, as if he were considering something. Suddenly, he asked, “Can I bring someone with me?”

Assistant Lin quickly understood this sentence: “Yes, you can bring a companion with you.”

“Got it. Just put it here.”

1以前混过的人 I’m not sure if this term refers to someone who used to be a gangster or do illegal stuff, but I’m leaning toward the former. If anyone knows, please tell me.2687.31 USD