FIO CH41

Chapter 41: Life’s Major Events

“Go ahead, what’s the matter?” Lu Jingfeng had been wearing a stern expression since he entered the room, seemingly not very welcoming to Lu Fangchi.

Indeed, apart from those two significant days in a year, there was no real need for them to meet.

However, today there was something important to discuss, something about a major life event, and Lu Fangchi believed Lu Jingfeng had the right to know.

Since Lu Jingfeng was being straightforward, there was no need for beating around the bush. “I’m getting married,” Lu Fangchi declared.

This statement was like a grenade, exploding on Lu Jingfeng’s perpetually sour face. He choked on his drink and looked up, asking, “To whom?”

“Someone you haven’t met, an alpha,” Lu Fangchi replied with a nonchalant expression, dropping the second bombshell.

Upon hearing this, Lu Jingfeng’s eyebrows furrowed fiercely. He put down his cup without taking a sip and questioned with evident disapproval, “How long have you been dating?”

Lu Fangchi pursed his lips, not particularly wanting to answer, “Not long.”

“Not long,” and an alpha, at that. Although society had become more open after the evolution of the six sexes, and the law allowed two alphas to get married, it was still rare for two alphas or two omegas to register their marriage. It was not socially accepted under the unwritten rules.

“Foolish,” Lu Jingfeng slammed his hand on the table, scolding Lu Fangchi with a tone of disappointment, “Listen to what you’re saying. Marriage is a lifelong commitment, not a child’s play.”

Lu Fangchi licked his lips and retorted, “I haven’t——”

Lu Jingfeng interrupted him irritably, “What do you mean you haven’t? Last time you came back for the New Year, you didn’t have a partner, right? It hasn’t even been four months, and now you come to me saying you want to get married. Do you want my blessing?” He held up three fingers, indicating a maximum of three and a half months, no more.

Whether it was rough or not, Lu Jingfeng’s tone was harsh, but it was the truth. Anyone who heard it would wonder if it was too impulsive.

Lu Fangchi couldn’t communicate with Lu Jingfeng, so he simply closed his mouth and stopped talking. This was his usual tactic, using silence to avoid arguments.

There it was again. Lu Jingfeng seemed to detest Lu Fangchi’s indifferent attitude. He waved his hand dismissively and mocked, “Fine, do as you please. You’re just informing me, not discussing it. Do whatever you want.”

“But I’m telling you this today,” Lu Jingfeng pointed at the table and emphasized each word, “Impulsiveness always comes with a price. You two will definitely divorce within half a year.”

Lu Fangchi frowned; he didn’t like hearing that.

Lu Jingfeng continued to pour fuel on the fire with a cold laugh, “Your taste is really bad. Your last partner was——”

Lu Fangchi abruptly stood up, the chair legs scraping against the floor tiles with a “screech——” sound, cutting off Lu Jingfeng’s next words.

“Since you already know, I’ll leave first,” Lu Fangchi said, walking towards the door without turning back, shutting out the harsh words behind him as the door closed.

Lu Fangchi strode downstairs in one go, got into the driver’s seat, started the car, rolled down the window, lit a cigarette, and watched the fire and sparks dance between his fingers, the rising smoke blurring his vision.

Marriage did feel a bit like being pushed into a corner, but no one was forcing him. When Zhou Zheng had lowered his eyes and quietly mentioned not feeling safe, pulling out the ring on the necklace around his neck, Lu Fangchi just wanted to agree, to give him everything.

Since they had decided to be together in the future, whether they got married early or late made no difference. But Lu Jingfeng’s words were like a tightening headband, echoing over and over in his mind, making Lu Fangchi feel restless.

He took a deep drag on his cigarette, pulled out his phone to distract himself, and sent a message to the top conversation: “Is your household registration book with you?”

He exited and scrolled down, entering the three-person group chat and dropping a bombshell: “I’m getting married.”

Jiang Mingyi: ?

Yu Yao: ?

Two consecutive question marks appeared, somewhat comically. Lu Fangchi smirked, tapping the ash off his cigarette out the window.

A notification popped up at the top: Zhou Zheng replied, “Yeah, I have my own household registration book.”

Little Zhou: “What’s up?”

Lu Fangchi replied, “Just asking.”

When he switched back to the three-person group chat, it had already blown up, with several pages of messages.

Jiang Mingyi’s triple death questions: “What’s going on? Am I seeing things? Is this a joke?”

Jiang Mingyi: “Did you lose at truth or dare? Got drunk before seven?”

Jiang Mingyi: “What’s the situation? Make a sound, is this on purpose? Leaving a message and running away, not playing by the rules.”

Jiang Mingyi: “@Lu Fangchi @Lu Fangchi @Lu Fangchi”

The screen was filled with his messages, jumping up and down, making it dizzying to watch. Lu Fangchi wondered how someone could type so much in just two minutes.

Yu Yao: “Don’t worry, Little Lu will reply when he sees it.”

Jiang Mingyi: “Wok, I’m about to die of anxiety.”

Lu Fangchi typed: “No, I’m not seeing things, not joking, didn’t lose, not drunk.”

Lu Fangchi: “I want to get married.”

Jiang Mingyi: “I don’t believe it.”

Jiang Mingyi: “I! Don’t! Believe! It!”

Jiang Mingyi: “I refuse to believe it.”

He was so excited. Lu Fangchi shook his head and smiled, typing proactively: “Can’t explain over the phone. Do you all have time tonight? Let’s make a plan?”

Yu Yao: “Sure, I’m not busy today.”

Jiang Mingyi: “Right now, right now, right now!”

Lu Fangchi: “Wait, let me ask him. I want to bring him to meet you guys.”

It was impossible to bring him to Lu Jingfeng, but showing him to his friends for some input was doable.

Yu Yao: [OK]

Jiang Mingyi: “Huh, already bringing the family?”

Jiang Mingyi: “Alright.”

Lu Fangchi switched back to the top conversation and asked: “Can you get off work soon?”

Little Zhou: “Almost, what’s up?”

After returning from City B and ending their long-distance relationship, Zhou Zheng had returned to normal, speaking with a cute tone. The questioning and acting out that seemed like a completely different person before were what he called “not feeling safe.”

If getting married could make him feel safer, Lu Fangchi was willing to do it.

Lu Fangchi: “I want you to meet my friends, Yu Yao and Jiang Mingyi. We were college roommates.”

Little Zhou: “Wow, I can get off work right now. ^ – ^”

The four of them booked a luxurious private room in a KTV, ordered some drinks, turned on the music, and began chatting. The meeting was more harmonious than expected, largely due to Zhou Zheng’s remarkably pleasant demeanor.

“Brother Yao, Brother Yi, let me buy you a drink,” the alpha said, lowering his glass to clink it with theirs before downing it in one go.

Yu Yao smiled and nodded, reciprocating by finishing his drink as well. Jiang Mingyi, however, couldn’t hide his astonishment. His eyes widened as if he’d seen a ghost, and he nudged Lu Fangchi with his elbow, leaning in to whisper, “He’s really intimidating like this.”

Amused by the comment, Lu Fangchi raised the corners of his lips and asked, “What do you mean?”

“The contrast is just too stark. He used to have a bad relationship with you, and even I and Yu Yao got caught in the crossfire. Who would have thought there’d come a day when he’d call us ‘brother’?” Jiang Mingyi crossed his arms and vigorously rubbed them, as if he had goosebumps.

“I told you, he’s not the same as before. He’s very well-behaved now,” Lu Fangchi said, his eyes curving into a smile as he met Zhou Zheng’s gaze.

“‘Very well-behaved,'” Jiang Mingyi mimicked sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

Seeing the two getting too close, Zhou Zheng silently inserted himself between them while pouring drinks, effectively separating them.

Lu Fangchi covered his mouth to hide his laughter, while Jiang Mingyi wore an expression of being overwhelmed by the sweetness.

As the night wore on and they became slightly tipsy, Jiang Mingyi opened up, with the conversation mainly revolving around Lu Fangchi.

“Back in our dorm, Lu Fangchi was the most popular among us,” he said.

Zhou Zheng glanced at the three people in front of him, each with their own unique qualities. Lu Fangchi had a delicate beauty with an Eastern aesthetic, like an ink-wash painting; Jiang Mingyi had a pair of charming eyes that seemed to hold deep affection for everyone he looked at, fitting the current trend of the “player” look; and Yu Yao had sharp features, a mature and masculine charm, exuding the most sexual tension.

So, “Why?” Zhou Zheng was puzzled.

“Our Brother Yu has always had a partner, so naturally, he doesn’t attract any romantic interests. Although he doesn’t have one now,” Jiang Mingyi couldn’t resist teasing, which made Yu Yao unhappy, but he still didn’t remove his hand from Yu Yao’s shoulder. He then pointed to himself, “As for me, I’m just too handsome, dazzling them all.”

How conceited! Lu Fangchi couldn’t help but chuckle, pressing his hand to the corner of his mouth to suppress his laughter.

Yu Yao glanced at him, mercilessly retorting, “Because you’re a playboy with a bad reputation.”

“You’re talking nonsense,” Jiang Mingyi retorted, reaching out to drape his arm over Zhou Zheng’s shoulder again, whispering into his ear, “Let me tell you more about Lu Fangchi back then.”

Zhou Zheng’s eyes sparkled as he sat up straight, all ears, “Go ahead.”

“Our Brother Chi was a block of wood back then. He had good grades, was handsome, had a gentle temperament, and no scandals. He was like a flower on a high ridge that everyone wanted to pick. People pursued him one after another, using all sorts of methods,” Jiang Mingyi was already laughing before he finished, his eyes curved and laughing heartily, “At that time, there was an omega who wanted to get attention. He kept creating opportunities to run into Lu Fangchi, always asking for directions. Normally, people would think he was interested in him, it was so obvious. But Little Chi was different.”

Zhou Zheng was intrigued and asked, “How so?”

Jiang Mingyi opened his mouth and burst into another round of laughter, laughing so hard he bent over and slapped his leg, unable to control himself.

Perhaps it was an old story told too many times, Yu Yao looked exasperated, while Lu Fangchi reached out to touch his burning earlobe, kicked Jiang Mingyi to make him stop.

The KTV was dimly lit, and everyone was sitting close together. Lu Fangchi accidentally kicked the wrong person, letting the culprit go free.

Zhou Zheng, sitting opposite, raised an eyebrow, signaling “What’s wrong?” Lu Fangchi realized he had kicked Zhou Zheng, pursed his lips, and shook his head to indicate it was nothing.

In the end, Jiang Mingyi couldn’t stop his teasing, “On the seventh day of the other party continuously asking for directions, after patiently giving directions, Little Chi asked, ‘Classmate, do you need to go to the hospital?'”

“He thought the person had a mental illness,” Jiang Mingyi burst into another round of thunderous laughter, laughing so hard he almost cramped up.

There was actually a follow-up to this story. The omega, who had become a fan and then turned against him, couldn’t bear it and posted on the campus wall. Originally intending to complain about Lu Fangchi’s lack of romance and stubbornness, it backfired and made him even more famous. Students from neighboring schools came to see him, commenting, “Lu Fangchi is adorable.”

The past was not pleasant to recall. Lu Fangchi’s earlobes burned from the embarrassing memory, and he helplessly covered his face with his hand.

Unnoticed, Zhou Zheng lowered his eyes and muttered softly, as if sighing, “He’s really hard to pursue.”

Jiang Mingyi was a character, finally laughing so hard he almost threw up. He let out a dry heave, “Ugh,” and clung to Zhou Zheng’s arm, asking him to accompany him to the restroom.

After the troublemaker left, the room fell silent. Yu Yao took out a pack of cigarettes, took one out, and put it between his lips, offering it to Lu Fangchi, “Want one?”

Lu Fangchi took one out, and the two leaned in to light the tips of their cigarettes. Smoke danced between their lips and rose with their breath. “What’s your situation?” Yu Yao asked.

Yu Yao’s eyes narrowed from the smoke, and he shrugged mockingly, “Nothing, just broke up.”

Lu Fangchi slowly exhaled a plume of white smoke, “Do you regret it?”

“There’s nothing I can do about it, whether I regret it or not,” the smoke obscured the emotions in Yu Yao’s eyes, which had already returned to calm. He raised an eyebrow and said, “What about you, did you act impulsively?”

“Maybe,” Lu Fangchi lowered his eyelids, giving an ambiguous answer.

“It’s not too late to regret,” Yu Yao advised.

Lu Fangchi squinted his eyes and shook his head.

“Is it that much love?” Yu Yao was incredulous.

“It’s not about love,” Lu Fangchi tapped the red tip of his cigarette, “It’s just……”

There was a commotion at the door, and Jiang Mingyi stumbled in, barely catching himself on a chair to avoid falling.

Yu Yao got up to help him, and Lu Fangchi, seeing no one outside, asked Jiang Mingyi, “Where’s Zhou Zheng?”

Jiang Mingyi, with the help of Yu Yao’s hand, stood up, looking confused, pointed to the door, and scratched the back of his head, “He was just there……Did I remember wrong?”