Daily Life 11
It was summer vacation again.
Before their wedding, Yu Li and Yan Shiting had agreed to go on a honeymoon every year, taking Yuanyuan with them. Since Yu Li had successfully passed his postgraduate entrance exams and started school, the honeymoon trips were always scheduled during the winter or summer breaks.
This summer, when Yu Li asked Yuanyuan where he wanted to go play, he was surprised to hear Yuanyuan say:
“Daddy, I want to stay home with Gege.”
Yu Li was a bit surprised and asked, “Why?”
Upon hearing this, the little guy put down the cat teaser in his hand, ran patter-patter to Yu Li’s side, and leaned on his knee.
“I want to take care of Big Yellow, Little Flower, Little White, Little Red, Little Green, Little Turtle, and Cloud at home. And there are so many small animals at the rescue station too.”
Little White was a white rabbit he had rescued, Little Red and Little Green were the two dyed chicks (now grown), Little Turtle was the turtle, and Cloud was the pony Lu Xuzhi had bought him not long ago. The pony had a patch of white hair on its forehead shaped like a cloud, hence the name.
Yu Li rubbed Yuanyuanās soft hair and said, “You can ask Grandpa He to help you.”
Yuanyuan shook his head firmly. “Grandpa He is already working very hard! And Auntie said we have to save money, or else Big Yellow, Cloud, and the others won’t have any food to eat later.”
He smiled sweetly and nuzzled into Yu Li’s embrace. “Daddy goes to school, and Big Daddy works hard too. You guys go out and have fun, I will be obedient.”
Yu Liās heart softened. He picked Yuanyuan up and kissed his forehead.
“Alright then. Grandma and Auntie will be coming over in two days, so Yuanyuan can play with them.”
“Big Daddy and I will video call you every day.”
Although they had agreed, Yu Li still felt reluctant and worried as the departure approached.
However, when he saw Lu Xuzhi skillfully changing the toddler’s clothes after Yuanyuan woke up from his nap, Yu Li felt slightly more relieved. Lu Xuzhi had already mastered the methods of taking care of the child. Plus, during the summer vacation, Lin Jiarong, Butler He, and Yan Sui would all be there, so there really wasn’t much to worry about.
Yu Li could finally go on a real honeymoon with Yan Shiting.
Before leaving, Yan Shiting went to Yan Sui and told him to go to the Yan Corporation to handle work.
After Yan Sui returned from his own honeymoon, Yan Shiting had taken him to work at the Yan Corporation, supervising his learning on how to manage the company.
Recalling his experiences during this period, Yan Suiās mouth twitched. “No wonder. When I went on my honeymoon, you agreed so readily to help manage my studio. It was a setup.”
Yan Shiting was noncommittal. “If you can’t make a decision, you can ask Jiang Miao, or contact me online.”
Yan Sui no longer had the chance to refuse.
That evening, when Yu Li asked about the company arrangements, Yan Shiting told him about it.
Yu Li was stunned. Laying on Yan Shiting’s chest, he asked, “So you started planning for this day last year?”
Yan Shiting nodded, playing with a strand of Yu Liās hair. “At that time, I was just planning to make more preparations so I could at least take you and Yuanyuan out to play for a few more days.”
Yu Li laughed and rubbed his cheek against Yan Shiting’s chest.
The next day, Yan Shiting and Yu Li packed their luggage and set off for their honeymoon.
The destination this time was an island abroad.
It was already afternoon when they arrived on the island. The two needed to adjust to the time difference, so after taking a shower, they embraced and fell asleep.
When they woke up, it was past five in the morning the next day.
The sky brightened early here. The sound of ocean waves and seagulls outside the window drifted into the bright room.
On the large bed, the raised duvet moved slightly.
Facing the sunlight, Yu Li stretched lazily in Yan Shiting’s arms. He opened his eyes and met Yan Shiting’s gentle gaze watching him.
“Brother. Good morning.”
“Morning.” Yan Shitingās voice was deep and husky as he lowered his head to kiss Yu Liās lips.
After a long kiss ended, Yu Li lay half-propped on Yan Shiting’s chest, his head buried in the crook of his neck, breathing rapidly.
His waist was firmly locked by Yan Shiting’s arm. Even though he was the one lying on top of the man, his breathing, heartbeat, and emotions were all controlled by Yan Shiting beneath him.
Yan Shiting’s breathing was also a bit heavy. The hand resting on Yu Li’s waist couldn’t control the stirring passion, uncontrollably gripping the pajamas on Yu Li’s body.
The veins on the back of his hand bulged as his slender fingers crumpled the poor fabric in his palm. If Yu Li had the presence of mind to look, he would definitely have teased him about it.
But he couldn’t spare the attention.
The large bed offered ample space, yet inside the duvet, it felt very cramped. With their limbs entwined, any slight movement meant touching each other.
Positions were swapped. As Yan Shiting hovered above him responding with a deep kiss, Yu Li realized belatedly that he and Yan Shiting were away on their honeymoon.
No need to rush to get up early, no need to think about today’s schedule, and no need to worry that Yuanyuan would wake up earlier than them and feel sad if he didn’t see his fathers.
As long as he was hugging and kissing the person he loved, they could do anything.
They lazed in bed until ten o’clock before finally throwing off the covers.
Yu Li yawned. A certain overly intense memory seemed to linger deep in his soul, making it difficult even to move his legs.
Yan Shiting simply picked him up in a bridal carry and took him to wash up.
Afterward, he ordered brunch. The two of them nestled in the room, ate casually, and then started kissing again.
When Yan Shiting took the initiative, he still knew how to show restraint, and Yu Li could barely handle it. But when both of them took the initiative, only one sentence remained in Yu Li’s groggy brain: He shouldn’t have courted death like this.
Fortunately, by nighttime, Yu Li still managed to get a good sleep.
Because tomorrow, they were going out to sea.
Early the next morning, Yu Li, Yan Shiting, and several other tourists boarded a yacht to go out to sea.
In less than a morning, Yan Shiting caught two ribbonfish and a grouper.
They handed the fish to the chef on the yacht to prepare. Yan Shiting borrowed the kitchen and personally cooked braised ribbonfish, which Yu Li loved to eat.
The yacht returned to the island in the afternoon.
That day, Yu Li and the others made friends with several other tourists and agreed to have a barbecue together in the evening. During the day, they had all caught some fish, shrimp, and crabs, which were perfect for grilling.
The other tourists were quite enthusiastic and prepared a lot of alcohol. While eating the barbecue, they pulled Yu Li along to drink.
Yan Shiting helped him drink a little, but seeing Yu Liās shining eyes and high spirits, he put down the hand blocking the alcohol and turned to focus on grilling seriously.
Yu Li was very happy.
Coming out to play with Yan Shiting, enjoying their time together, fishing, making new friends… He was very happy.
Once happy, he couldn’t control himself and drank a bit too much.
His alcohol tolerance wasn’t great to begin with. By the end, he had turned into a soft little fish, lying limply on Yan Shiting’s back.
Yan Shiting put down the skewers in his hand and said to the new friends around the grill, “My partner can’t handle his liquor well. I’ll take him back first. I wish you all a fun time.”
The tourists smiled teasingly and watched as he carried Yu Li away on his back.
On the way back to the booked villa, the moonlight spilled gently on the sea surface, and the waves hitting the shore seemed to be glowing.
The night breeze rippled. Yu Li wrapped his arms around Yan Shiting’s neck and smiled with narrowed eyes.
“Brother, are you happy?”
The corners of Yan Shiting’s mouth lifted slightly. “Happy.”
Yu Li shook his legs. “I’m happy too.”
He suddenly straightened up and pointed to a tree by the roadside. “Brother, put me down quickly. I want to turn into a monkey and pick coconuts.”
Yan Shitingās arms supporting him remained strong and did not put him down. “You are not a monkey; you are my Little Fish. Also, that isn’t a coconut tree.”
Yu Li adjusted his expression and slumped back onto Yan Shiting’s back. “Okay then.”
“I’ll buy you a coconut tomorrow,” Yan Shiting added.
Yu Li rubbed against his neck, finally satisfied. “Good.”
Yan Shiting carried him for another stretch of the road.
There was no one on this road; the scenery was unique and tranquil.
Yu Li seemed to sober up a little and said, “Yes, I’m really so happy.”
Meeting Yan Shiting, being with Yan Shiting, so I am truly very happy.
Yan Shitingās footsteps paused.
He turned his head sideways, his eyes gentle. “Thank you, Little Fish. I am very happy too.”
His life had always pursued extreme minimalism, striving for rationality in dealing with people and things. Yu Li was the only other color that barged in, awakening the emotions scrambling beneath his rationality.
So, every moment spent with Yu Li, he was happy too.
After playing on the island for a week, the two went to other places and saw a lot of scenery.
For the last stop, they went to Country C to see the aurora.
The farthest place reached on this journey was Country C, near the Arctic Circle.
But no matter where they went, the person they loved was always by their side.
Under the brilliant and beautiful radiance, Yu Li said to Yan Shiting, “Brother, I want to go back to Wanting.”
Yan Shiting nodded and said okay.
The day after seeing the aurora, they returned to Y City and went back to Wanting.
The large flat in Wanting was the first place they lived together after getting their marriage certificate.
A true two-person space.
Since the late stages of the pregnancy, the two hadn’t been back here for a long time.
Although the housekeeper would come regularly to clean, on the first day back at Wanting, Yu Li and Yan Shiting still cleaned it again personally.
The quilt was sunned until it was warm and fluffy, the rocking chair by the floor-to-ceiling window was wiped clean, the cushion covers were removed and washed, the clothes in the cloakroom were organized by season, and then the green plants on the bookshelf were watered…
After all the work, Yu Li was so tired he collapsed onto the bed.
Yan Shiting massaged his waist and then carried him to take a bath.
The next morning, Yu Li slept until eight o’clock before waking up.
He stretched and found that Yan Shiting was not in bed.
Getting up and opening the bedroom door, he saw Yan Shiting standing in the living room. His hair was neatly styled, and he was wearing a handmade custom suit, looking down and adjusting his watch.
Catching a glimpse of Yu Li’s figure in his peripheral vision, Yan Shiting raised his eyes. Behind the gold-rimmed glasses, his gaze was refined and gentle.
He turned around, picked up a bouquet of pink roses from the table, and walked up to Yu Li.
“Can I ask you out on a date today?”
Yu Li’s heart beat fast.
The scent of the pink rose bouquet lingered at the tip of his nose. He felt as if he were about to drown in those gentle eyes.
Perhaps love does not follow a step-by-step procedure. Dating and passionate love can be at the beginning, or they can be a little interlude in the middle.
Yu Li smiled, reached out to take the bouquet, and said, “Of course you can, my pleasure.”
Yan Shiting paused, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
Starting with giving a bouquet of flowers, they proceeded with today’s date.
Watching a movie, visiting a museum, strolling through the mall, and finally eating a dinner with a romantic atmosphere in a reserved restaurant.
In the restaurant, piano music flowed slowly.
Under the snowy candlelight, Yu Li looked at Yan Shiting across from him, raised his wine glass, and clinked glasses with him.
When dinner ended and they returned to their home in Wanting, it was already past eleven at night.
Standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, the bustling night view and the dazzling neon lights were all in full view.
Yan Shiting put the bouquet of pink roses into a vase. Turning around, he saw Yu Li standing sideways by the window, his eyes curved in a smile as he said to him:
“Brother, the night view here is very nice. Will you stay with me and watch it?”
Yan Shiting nodded, raised his hand to turn off the lights in the living room, and walked towards Yu Li.
“Okay.”
Translator’s note: I’m very sad to say this story is now over. There are no more extras, I’m so sad to let them go. Huhu.
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