Chapter 81: End of Side Stories Extra 4 part 1
The coffee on the table was steaming. Lin Zheng leaned back into Gu Lin’s embrace, zoning out.
The annual leave wasn’t over yet.
He had been bored out of his mind these past two days. Every time he tried to go out, Gu Lin would stop him with various excuses. One moment he couldn’t find his clothes and needed help looking for them; the next, he wanted Lin Zheng to watch a movie with him; and after that, he would use delicious food to pin him down.
Lin Zheng frowned. No, I have to find a way to get out today. I’m going to suffocate if I stay in here.
He turned his head. “Gu Lin…”
Before he could even get the words out, a phone suddenly appeared in front of his face, the screen directly in his line of sight.
Playing with Gu Lin’s fingers, he subconsciously read the text aloud: “Huichuang CEO and youngest son of the Gu Group falls in love with unknown ordinary man. The partner’s identity is not yet known. It is reported that the two are expected to marry next month…”
Lin Zheng finished reading and sat in a daze for two seconds before exploding. “What is this? Who wrote this news? How am I an ‘unknown ordinary man’? And how do they know we’re getting married next month?”
Ever since Gu Lin’s mother publicly announced their relationship at the birthday banquet, things had moved quickly. The proposal was considered done, and their relationship was public—at least to a small circle. Since the relationship had been approved, Lin Zheng discussed it with Gu Lin’s parents and decided to put the engagement on the agenda.
As for the wedding, Lin Zheng had considered that their careers were on the rise and suggested waiting half a year. However, Mother Gu insisted that happy occasions should be held sooner rather than later; she would feel at ease once her son was officially handed over. Lin Zheng felt a bit shy at first, but upon hearing her reasoning, a sense of responsibility kicked in. When Mother Gu suggested picking a good date next month for the wedding banquet, Lin Zheng immediately agreed.
But the only people who knew about the engagement were those present at the birthday banquet. Those people were close friends of Gu Lin’s mother. Whether out of respect for their relationship with Mother Gu or fear of the Gu family’s influence, none of them would dare leak it. If it wasn’t one of them, how did the media find out and make such a big deal out of it?
Gu Lin set the phone aside. “You can never predict the human heart. It doesn’t matter who leaked it; what matters now is that you don’t want to stand in the public eye.”
“Definitely not,” Lin Zheng blurted out.
The internet was a place full of gossip and trouble. Given their past experience of being discussed by everyone online, Lin Zheng just wanted to date quietly and live a peaceful life. He didn’t want to become a topic of public conversation again.
After speaking, realization suddenly dawned on Lin Zheng.
So the reason Gu Lin has been acting strangely these past two days and refusing to let me go out is that he’s afraid I’ll be exposed to the public?
But wait a minute…
Lin Zheng looked up at Gu Lin in horror. “Don’t tell me those people have been secretly filming us since last week?”
He suddenly remembered when they came back from outside together last week. Gu Lin had inexplicably shoved a hat on his head and made him wear sunglasses. So… so people were already taking pictures of them back then?
Gu Lin smiled helplessly.
Lin Zheng: “…”
Who was it? Who leaked the news!
Gu Lin stroked Lin Zheng’s back, soothing the man who was puffing up like an angry penguin. “Look on the bright side. At least they don’t know your identity yet.”
Gu Lin knew Lin Zheng’s personality well. He knew Lin Zheng didn’t want to show his face in public, so he had planned to quietly resolve the media situation. But Lin Zheng had been trying every method to sneak out these past two days. If he had been photographed, he would be crying about it later.
“So, does this mean I can’t leave the house for the next few days?” Lin Zheng asked, wanting to cry but unable to shed a tear.
“Although the previous news has been scrubbed clean and the company has kept a tight lid on information, we can’t rule out other situations arising. Before I completely handle this wave of news, it’s best not to go out for now.”
Although he knew in his heart this was the best solution, Lin Zheng still felt a bit sad at the thought of being housebound.
Gu Lin looked at the person in his arms, his voice softening. “Is it really that boring at home?”
Lin Zheng nodded without hesitation.
He missed the fresh air outside. Mostly, he was just too idle. He wanted to drink; he wanted to see his friends.
Gu Lin leaned in closer, his tone dropping lower. “Is it still boring with me keeping you company?”
Lin Zheng looked at the handsome face smiling so close to his own. For a moment, his face flushed involuntarily. He looked away in embarrassment, his ears turning red as he neither shook nor nodded his head.
Gu Lin took the opportunity to kiss the cheek facing him, his tone reassuring. “Don’t worry. Two more days at most. After two days, you can go out.”
Lin Zheng turned back, met Gu Lin’s gaze, and nodded.
If Gu Lin said two days, then it would absolutely be two days.
He believed in Gu Lin.
The news was suppressed very quickly. Lin Zheng knew it—Gu Lin was a man of his word.
A month passed in the blink of an eye.
The custom-made wedding tuxedos for the two of them had arrived.
The wedding wasn’t complicated. Lin Zheng didn’t want anything too elaborate. After discussing it with Gu Lin, they decided to keep everything simple. After all, the meaning of a wedding didn’t lie in its grandeur, but in how close two hearts were.
They invited their close friends and family. To show their sincerity, all the party favors and invitation cards were prepared personally by the two of them.
During the day, they chose gifts together. At night, they stayed up late writing cards. When they were tired, they leaned on each other to rest; when they were hungry, they messed around in the kitchen.
The few days before the wedding were particularly fulfilling for Lin Zheng.
On the final night before the wedding, Lin Zheng was memorizing the information of all the guests attending the next day. Halfway through, with a fruit platter placed in front of him, he turned his head and saw Gu Lin standing beside him.
Gu Lin skewered a piece of yellow peach. He extended his hand, and Lin Zheng ate it in one bite, chewing with relish.
After the yellow peach came apple, then strawberry, and finally orange.
Seeing that Lin Zheng had eaten enough, Gu Lin finally picked up a piece of yellow peach and fed it to himself.
Lin Zheng rested both hands on the table, flipping through the notebook filled with names, and complained to Gu Lin, “You have so many relatives, and their names are so hard to remember. Sigh, there are so many little nephews and nieces too. I don’t know if I’ll call someone by the wrong name tomorrow.”
Gu Lin laughed. “What are you afraid of? I’ll be by your side the whole time. If you can’t remember, I’ll remind you.”
Lin Zheng slumped his shoulders. “But what if you get pulled away to drink?”
Gu Lin patted his head. “If I go to drink, I’ll take you with me.”
Lin Zheng said awkwardly, “That wouldn’t be good. People who don’t know better will think I’m overly clingy with you.”
Gu Lin placed his hand on the back of Lin Zheng’s neck, teasing him with a smile. “Aren’t you? Aren’t you always clingy with me?”
Lin Zheng shrank his neck, dodging Gu Lin’s cold hand. “No way. Clearly, you’re the one always clinging to me.”
Gu Lin chuckled twice, then suddenly scooped him up into a princess carry, admitting freely, “Yes, yes. I am clingy. I’m especially clingy with you. I can’t go a single second without you.”
As he spoke, Gu Lin placed him onto the bed. He looked down at the person beneath him, lowering his voice. “I am feeling particularly clingy right now. I want to stick to you…”
Seeing Gu Lin’s head getting closer and closer, Lin Zheng extended his hand to press against Gu Lin’s chest, firmly saying, “NO.”
Gu Lin: “?”
Lin Zheng wiggled out from under Gu Lin, made Gu Lin lie down, and then snuggled up to hug him. He patted Gu Lin’s back and curled his lips into a smile. “Gu Lin, that is something we can only do tomorrow night.”
Gu Lin paused for a moment to react, then let out a sigh that was both helpless and amused.
He had almost forgotten that sometimes Lin Zheng really obsessed over the sense of ritual in certain matters.
Gu Lin extended his arm to embrace the person in his arms. “Alright. I look forward to tomorrow, my bride.”
“Not bride, Husband.”
“Then… Wife.”
“No! It’s Husband. Hurry up, call me Husband!”
“Call you what?”
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