Chapter 104: End of Main Text

Chapter 104: End of Main Text

Chu Hengyi's proposal was so abrupt that everyone present was taken by surprise.

Ye Mingxi, who always loved to stir up excitement, was the first to regain his composure. With a teasing look, he joked with Chu Hengyi, "Isn't this proposal a bit too hasty? No flowers, no ring, not even a candlelit dinner. This just won't cut it!"

Ye Mingxi wrapped his arm around Ye Mingzhao's shoulder and said with a grin, "Although you're my brother, Zhaozhao is also my brother. I won't side with you for such a lackluster proposal."

Ye Mingzhao lowered his gaze, looking at Chu Hengyi kneeling before him, his eyes revealing a hint of confusion and uncertainty.

It seemed he hadn't expected Chu Hengyi to choose this moment to propose.

A ripple of emotion stirred in Chu Hengyi's heart, his overwhelming love spilling from his eyes, wrapping Ye Mingzhao in delicate threads. He pulled out a small velvet box from his pocket, opened it, and revealed a simple yet elegant platinum wedding ring, with his initials engraved inside the band.

Chu Hengyi gazed deeply at Ye Mingzhao, his expression solemn and serious, the sharp contours of his face softened by the overflowing love. "This isn't an impulsive decision. I've been planning this meticulously. Ye Mingzhao, let's get married. I want to be on the same family registry as you, to share a life together, to grow old together, and to spend the rest of our lives side by side."

"Wow!" Ye Mingxi leaned back dramatically, his expression teasing. The Ye family members all stared in surprise, their gazes shifting back and forth between Chu Hengyi and Ye Mingzhao, but no one made a sound.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for Ye Mingzhao's response.

Ye Mingzhao stared at Chu Hengyi for a moment, then slowly reached out his hand. "I agree."

He also wanted to live on the same family registry with the person he loved, to share a life together, to grow old together.

At that moment, it felt like fireworks were exploding in his heart. Chu Hengyi's eyes shone brightly. He trembled as he took Ye Mingzhao's hand, fumbling to put the ring on his finger—as if his hands were shaking uncontrollably, but no one laughed.

Everyone smiled at the two of them, offering their most sincere blessings with the warmth and support of family.

*

The news of Ye Mingzhao and Chu Hengyi's upcoming wedding quickly spread through their circle of friends.

Yu Mingze was the first to call and congratulate Ye Mingzhao. "I knew the two of you would get together. When's the wedding? I want to be your best man!"

Hearing Yu Mingze's cheerful voice, Ye Mingzhao's eyes filled with warmth, his smile reaching his eyes. "My parents are picking a lucky date. Once it's settled, I'll let you know first."

"Then I'll start preparing my best man suit right away!" Yu Mingze laughed heartily, his excited voice coming through the phone. "Zhaozhao, I'm really happy for you."

As he said this, Yu Mingze's voice choked up slightly.

As Ye Mingzhao's childhood friend, Yu Mingze had always believed, over the past twenty years, that his Zhaozhao was an innocent, kind, gentle, and humble prince.

He was the most obedient and intelligent son in everyone's eyes, the most admired academic genius, the most understanding best friend, and the most capable colleague. As long as Ye Mingzhao was around, no one had to worry about things spiraling out of control.

It wasn't that Yu Mingze had a biased view. It was just that Ye Mingzhao had always carefully maintained his image, like slowly building his image over time.

But after Chu Hengyi returned to the Ye family, whether it was due to the unease of having his environment disrupted or some other reason, Ye Mingzhao gradually began to show his sharpness and strategic thinking.

This series of changes made Yu Mingze realize that his friend Ye Mingzhao wasn't a perfect being. He had his own desires, fears, ambitions, and insecurities.

As an orphan abandoned by his birth parents, Ye Mingzhao had always lived in fear that "no one would love him unconditionally." So he worked hard, was obedient and sensible, never caused trouble, afraid that even the slightest issue would make others dislike him...

He had to excel, or people would think he didn't deserve the Ye family; he had to appear unambitious, or risk jealousy and exclusion; he had to be innocent and kind, because no one would accept a scheming and ruthless adopted son. He had always worked hard to integrate into the Ye family and their social circle, to become a true member of the Ye family, and he had done well.

But that didn't mean Ye Mingzhao was happy.

It took Yu Mingze a long time to realize this. For the first twenty years, Ye Mingzhao had lived like a puppet, carefully wrapping his true self in layers of pretense, living more passively than the characters he wrote. Because Ye Mingzhao was always afraid of being easily replaced or abandoned again, he didn't dare to reveal his human weaknesses.

But after Chu Hengyi appeared, Yu Mingze felt that Ye Mingzhao gradually began to live like a real person. He started to show his emotions, no longer suppressing the negative feelings that everyone has, and used various means to achieve his goals. This calculating and vengeful Ye Mingzhao might terrify his enemies, but it also made him seem more alive to his friends.

As Ye Mingzhao's childhood friend, Yu Mingze was genuinely happy for him. He hoped that Ye Mingzhao could live freely and happily in the future, expressing his emotions without hesitation. Whether it was joy, happiness, excitement, or anger, hatred, jealousy... humans are meant to have emotions. It's only natural.

You don't have to be perfect; those who love you will always love you no matter what.

Ye Mingzhao listened to Yu Mingze's excited, babbling chatter and subtly smiled: "Thank you."

Not only was Yu Mingze genuinely happy for him in this lifetime, but also the Yu Mingze from his previous life, who had suffered betrayal from both his lover and family while defending him, ultimately dying of depression in a foreign sanatorium.

The nightmare was over; the little prince had slain the dragon.

In this life, he would no longer allow anyone to harm the family and friends he cared about.

*

Ye Mingzhao and Chu Hengyi's wedding was set for August 8th, six months later. Before that, Ye Mingzhao and Chu Hengyi went to the civil registry office to get their marriage certificate.

That day was also an auspicious date calculated by eight masters invited by Mrs. Ye.

Early in the morning, Ye Mingzhao and Chu Hengyi changed into the suits Mrs. Ye had specially commissioned, got into the bright red supercar gifted by Chairman Ye as a wedding present, with a colorful ball tied to the front by Ye Mingchen, and driven by the enthusiastic Ye Mingxi. At exactly 6:06, an auspicious time, they set off from home and arrived at the still-closed civil registry office an hour early.

For both Chu Hengyi and Ye Mingzhao, it was their first time stepping into a civil registry office in this lifetime and the previous one. They discreetly observed the layout and various service windows, somewhat awkwardly located the marriage registration window, queued for an hour, and after a series of tedious steps—filling out forms, verifying identities, taking oaths, and having photos taken—they finally received their freshly printed marriage certificates.

Ye Mingxi, following behind, recorded the entire process with a camera, happily handing out pre-prepared wedding candies to the civil registry office staff and nearby newlywed couples also waiting in line. The moment they stepped out of the office, Chu Hengyi felt the sky seemed to have brightened since they entered.

"We finally got the certificate!" Chu Hengyi looked at the two bright red booklets in his hand, grinning widely: "Next, we'll move our household register!"

Chu Hengyi held the marriage certificate in one hand and Ye Mingzhao's hand in the other: "Zhaozhao, from now on, we'll share the same household register."

Ye Mingzhao smiled as he looked at the marriage certificate. Though he didn't speak, the joy and contentment he radiated were palpable to everyone.

It was as if a long-drifting seed had finally taken root, nurtured by time and love, growing into a towering tree.

That evening, Chu Hengyi and Ye Mingzhao returned to the Ye family with their freshly printed household register and marriage certificate.

Mrs. Ye had invited her circle of close friends to help sample dishes at home. Seeing her three sons return, she smiled and called them over: "This is the latest round of banquet courses and desserts sent by the hotel. Come and try them!"

Ye Mingzhao paused, subtly hanging back.

Over the past few months, Mrs. Ye had already changed seven or eight hotels and over a dozen rounds of banquet courses. The Ye family of six had been sampling wedding banquet menus every night for months, and now even the thought of it made them feel full.

They truly couldn't eat another bite!

Despite this, Chairman Ye and Mrs. Ye still felt things were too rushed.

"...When your father and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary, we bought an island. Your wedding will be held there."

After deciding on the wedding venue, the next steps involved rounds of selecting chefs for the banquet, service staff for guest reception, public relations firms, and wedding planners for the event...

During this time, they also had to order wedding outfits, choose invitation designs, finalize the list of invitees... In short, Ye Mingzhao and Chu Hengyi only realized after getting married just how many intricate details were involved in what seemed like a simple wedding.

It was even more complicated than organizing the Ye family business's annual gala!

"That's inevitable!" Mrs. Ye poked Ye Mingzhao and Chu Hengyi's foreheads: "The company's annual meeting happens once a year, nothing special. But my sons are only getting married once in their lives, so I must prepare a grand and perfect wedding for you."

Then Mrs. Ye started chattering again.

"The plane to the island has been booked. I plan to have your wedding portraits printed on the plane's exterior... When exactly are you two going to take your wedding portraits?"

Chu Hengyi, with a look of disbelief, couldn't help but ask: "...Do we really need to print our wedding portraits on the plane?" Isn't that a bit too extravagant?

"Of course~" Mrs. Ye waved her hand decisively: "We need to announce to the world just how much you love each other."

Mrs. Ye's close friends also chimed in, smiling: "Not just the plane, but the buses from the airport to the hotel can also feature your wedding portraits."

"When my youngest son proposed to his wife, he even flew several blimps above her company, with 'XX loves XXX' written on them. I found it incredibly romantic!"

Mrs. Ye's eyes sparkled: "That's great! That's great! When we hold the wedding, I also want to fly a few blimps above the lawn..."

"So when exactly are you two going to take your wedding photos!!!!!"

Ye Mingzhao and Chu Hengyi were so harassed by Mrs. Ye that they were scurrying around in a panic, but in the end, they couldn't escape and had to take their wedding photos under Mrs. Ye's insistence.

The photographer for the wedding photos was recommended by Qi Yue, the boss of Starjoy Media. She was a photographer who had just won the Best Cinematography Award at an international film festival, and the post-production team had also won the Best Art Direction and Best Editing awards at the same festival.

The shoot spanned four weeks, covering the world's most famous snow-capped mountains, grasslands, oceans, deserts, and activities including diving, skydiving, paragliding, hot air ballooning, bungee jumping, horseback riding, and experiencing local folk customs. The buzz during the shoot was so intense that netizens and fans, unaware of the truth, mistakenly thought Ye Mingzhao was shooting a new film. They even went to Starjoy Media's official account to ask about the content of the new movie and when *Mandarin Duck Buckle* would be released = =!

Apart from the team members who followed them, Ye Mingzhao and Chu Hengyi even felt like they had an early honeymoon.

However, after all this effort, the final results were indeed stunning even to Ye Mingzhao and Chu Hengyi themselves.

Having been accustomed to manipulating hearts in the steel and concrete high-rises, the two were suddenly thrown into the vastness of nature. They discovered that beyond the scheming and conspiracies, there was such a wilderness where one could abandon all the complexities of numbers and KPIs, and simply use the most basic human body and soul to feel the growth and survival environment of all life on Earth, beyond urban humans.

Many tribes still maintain the most primitive ways of life—bonfires, hunting, fishing, coexisting with wild animals and plants as natural enemies yet part of the same food chain.

It was an extraordinary experience. They share the same planet as Ye Mingzhao and Chu Hengyi, yet lead completely different lives. Unlike the suit-clad urban elites, they follow ancient and savage jungle laws—growing, surviving, aging, dying, and finally turning back into nutrients in the soil, nourishing the Earth.

This is a lifestyle that can be considered harsh, yet it makes one feel the vigorous power of life's origin more than the numb daily grind in big cities.

Ye Mingzhao and Chu Hengyi stayed in these places for a full month as planned. They also wore the traditional wedding attire of various ethnic groups according to local customs, fully gathering materials for their wedding photos and wedding VCR. Ye Mingzhao even personally experienced starting a fire by drilling wood, herding, fishing, and picking cotton...

When they finally returned to Xinhai City, they were both two shades darker and had lost at least ten pounds—Mrs. Ye couldn’t help but envy their weight loss.

But in an instant, Mrs. Ye started arranging a whitening plan for Ye Mingzhao and Chu Hengyi—there was only one month left until the wedding, and she didn't want her two sons to appear as dark as coal at the wedding.

In contrast, Chairman Ye and the eldest brother thought it was fine for men to be a bit darker: "It gives them a more rugged look!"

Ye Mingxi even felt a bit regretful: "Had I known the wedding shoot would be this much fun, I would have gone with you."

He didn't want to be a third wheel, so he didn't go. But then he thought, with the photographer, the filming team, security personnel, and other logistics staff, there were already about ten people, so it wouldn't have mattered if he was there.

So why did he think his presence would be a third wheel?

Chu Hengyi, who had never been pale-skinned and was now even darker, patted his second brother on the shoulder affectionately: "I’ll take you along next time there’s a chance."

Ye Mingxi nodded enthusiastically!

No matter how much Chu Hengyi resisted, in order to maintain a perfect image on the wedding day, he eventually accepted the whitening plan arranged by Mrs. Ye for both of them.

So for the next month, the two were watched by Mrs. Ye, either applying face masks or drinking nourishing supplements. Mrs. Ye's beauty team would appear at the Ye family's house every day with various instruments, ready to torment Ye Mingzhao and Chu Hengyi.

It was like an endless ordeal, to the point where the two even felt like they were being subjected to harsh interrogation.

Ye Mingxi, who had been gleefully watching from the sidelines, didn't last long before Mrs. Ye grabbed him.

Mrs. Ye thought her second son's skin was too rough, worried he’d ruin the photo on the wedding day, so she ordered Ye Mingxi to join the whitening plan as well.

Ye Mingxi, who had recently been obsessed with guest-starring as a hero in a drama: "..."

If he had known, he wouldn't have skipped work to shoot. Working overtime day and night in the office would surely make him as pale as a ghost, like his father and eldest brother.

Chairman Ye and Ye Mingchen, who were working hard to take time off before their son/brother's wedding: "..."

*

Finally, three days before the wedding, Ye Mingxi and Chu Hengyi's skin condition achieved the whitening effect Mrs. Ye desired. Then they were swamped with one formal outfit after another.

"Why are there so many sets of formal attire..." Even Ye Mingzhao, who has a high tolerance, was exhausted from changing outfits, let alone Chu Hengyi, who had been abused for the past twenty years and never wore new clothes—he was already sprawled on the sofa in the dressing room, completely flattened.

"Getting married is really exhausting," Chu Hengyi's head rested on the back of the sofa, his eyes dazed as he looked up at the ceiling, completely drained of energy. "Thankfully, I'm only getting married once in my life!"

*

The day before the wedding, the Ye family arrived at the small island that Chairman Ye and his wife had bought to celebrate their silver anniversary, traveling by their private jet.

Some old friends and acquaintances of the Ye family also flew in together. Among them was Ye Mingzhao's childhood friend, Yu Mingze.

Before boarding the plane, Yu Mingze looked at the two large wedding photos printed on both sides of the aircraft and laughed so hard he nearly doubled over: "Hahaha, the two grooms are really handsome! What are you wearing? Tujia ethnic costumes? They look so wild! The abs and biceps are quite impressive!"

Ye Mingzhao remained expressionless, only the tips of his ears turned slightly red. He hadn't expected his mother to choose this photo to print on the plane.

"This wasn't my idea!" Mrs. Ye's ears twitched as she pointed at Chu Hengyi. "He chose it himself."

Ye Mingzhao: "..."

Ye Mingzhao glared at Chu Hengyi with a deadly glare. "You chose this?"

Chu Hengyi chuckled, slightly guilty. "Doesn't it look good?"

...It was indeed good-looking. It perfectly highlighted Chu Hengyi's rugged and muscular physique. Even Ye Mingzhao, who was always dressed in a suit and tightly wrapped, seemed to exude a bit more wildness and freedom.

Ye Mingzhao sighed in resignation. He had thought his mother would at most choose a wedding photo of them in suits to print on the plane, but he never expected Chu Hengyi's taste to be so wild!

"Come on, don't be so uptight!" Ye Mingxi reached out and put his arm around Ye Mingzhao's shoulders to comfort him. "You and Chu Hengyi worked so hard to take these wedding photos, what's wrong with showing them off?"

"We all think your wedding photos turned out great. When we get married, we'll take photos like this too!"

Ye Mingzhao shook his head helplessly and was the first to board the plane.

Several hours later, the plane landed safely on the island.

The facilities and villas on the island had been refurbished. After getting off the plane, everyone took a bus to the villa area. Along the way, the trees were tied with ribbons and balloons, and in the distance, they could see a few balloon boats hovering over the villa's lawn, still bearing the wedding photos of Ye Mingzhao and Chu Hengyi.

A group of people pressed against the bus windows, admiring the scenery and pointing at the balloon boats above. Bits of laughter drifted to Ye Mingzhao on the sea breeze.

Ye Mingzhao sat at the back with an expression of resignation, having already accepted reality.

Chu Hengyi, sitting beside him, was also excitedly looking up at the sky. After a long while, he murmured dreamily, "This is perfect."

Chu Hengyi turned back, took Ye Mingzhao's hand, and looked at him with fervent determination. "Zhaozhao, we're finally married."

The overwhelming wedding photos repeatedly filled Chu Hengyi's view, giving him an unparalleled sense of reality—he had finally plucked the moon hanging high in the sky.

"Zhaozhao, I will treat you well for the rest of my life."

Ye Mingzhao opened his eyes, looked at Chu Hengyi for a while, and then smiled. "Me too."

The bus circled the island and dropped everyone off at the villa area.

Ye Mingzhao and Chu Hengyi's wedding suite was set in the master bedroom of the central villa. A bright red wedding photo hung above the bed, and the floor and bed were covered with fresh rose petals, filling the room with fragrance.

Ye Mingxi, who had been itching to go, threw his luggage into the guest room, changed into a shirt and beach shorts, and took a group of young people to the beach.

The older folks, lacking energy, just wanted to rest in bed. Chu Hengyi had originally planned to recharge with Ye Mingzhao in the room, but no one paid attention to his good intentions—Ye Mingxi knocked on the door for ten minutes and eventually forced it open.

Chu Hengyi had no option but to follow everyone to the beach.

To make sure the guests enjoyed themselves, the Ye family had prepared many water sports facilities, such as jet skis, water jetpacks, surfing, fishing, and diving...

Everyone had an absolute blast, and even Ye Mingzhao and Chu Hengyi were so worn out that they crashed as soon as they hit the bed.

At eight o'clock the next morning, the two grooms, still deep in sleep, were awakened.

The wedding was set for 11:58 AM sharp, but the grooms had to get ready with makeup and dressing beforehand. Four hours seemed like plenty at first, but they flew by once the preparations kicked off.

Ye Mingzhao felt like a mannequin, getting dolled up by makeup artists and stylists. Fortunately, both of them had acting experience and were used to the rigors of such makeup sessions—at least it beat wearing headgear for period costumes.

At exactly 11:58 AM, the wedding commenced.

Accompanied by the solemn "Wedding March," the Ye family's meticulously raised white doves and countless colorful balloons soared into the sky.

With all their relatives and friends looking on, Ye Mingzhao and Chu Hengyi stepped onto the red carpet and moved forward, step by deliberate step.

The emcee, clad in a crisp white suit, stood in the center of the lawn and solemnly recited the wedding vows.

"Groom Chu Hengyi, do you take Ye Mingzhao to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?"

Chu Hengyi's voice quivered with nerves, but his words came out strong and unwavering: "I do."

"Groom Ye Mingzhao, do you take Chu Hengyi to be your lawfully wedded husband..."

Ye Mingzhao smiled slightly, his voice soft yet firm: "I do."

"I now pronounce you partners for life."

Amidst the applause of loved ones and the cheers and whistles of their boisterous friends, Chu Hengyi and Ye Mingzhao slipped their wedding rings onto each other's fingers.

Chu Hengyi took a deep breath and suddenly spoke: "Ye Mingzhao, although I've never said it before, I must tell you. I love you, and I have since the first moment I saw you." Back then, he couldn't quite grasp what love meant; he just wanted to get along well with Ye Mingzhao and become a family forever.

Chu Hengyi once thought that Ye Mingzhao hated him, and he was consumed by pain and bitterness because of it. He couldn't understand why Ye Mingzhao would betray his feelings and trust. But now, he was extremely grateful for the chance to start over, to show Ye Mingzhao the depth of his love through his sincerity and devotion.

"You're right," Chu Hengyi murmured, stepping forward to kiss Ye Mingzhao's cheek. "We really can't be friends." Because someone who makes your heart race at first sight can never be just a friend.

Tenderness welled up in Ye Mingzhao's eyes as the afternoon sunlight poured into them. He gazed steadily at Chu Hengyi, his eyes shining brightly, with only Chu Hengyi's reflection in his dark, luminous pupils: "We can only be lovers."

Together in life, together in death, through every lifetime, until the end of eternity.

After saying this, Ye Mingzhao hugged Chu Hengyi tightly, as if holding his entire world.

The photographer aimed the camera at the two grooms, and with a click, captured this moment forever.

"End of main text"

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