Chapter 67 Extra: The Time Thereafter

Chapter 67 Side Story: Days to Come

"Why do we need two separate ceremonies? Why can't we just get married in one go?"

Fu Xie imagined himself as the center of attention at both the engagement and wedding ceremonies and felt like eloping might be the better option.

Though he’d never actually act on such a reckless idea.

Xi Wenlun handed him snacks while saying, "If we go straight to marriage, would you invite your teachers and classmates?"

Fu Xie shuddered instantly.

That sounded even more like social suicide! As a fresh-faced college guy who hadn’t even graduated yet, getting married so soon did seem a bit rushed.

So Fu Xie gave up, sinking back into the couch. "Fine, let’s just do the engagement first."

"But… do we *have* to invite people? I really don’t want to face a crowd."

Xi Wenlun kissed his forehead.

"No problem. It’s up to you."

Life at the Xi estate was relaxed for Fu Xie. While recovering, he could hardly do anything, but aside from keeping hours like a 1960s retiree, he was quite satisfied.

Since he had previously taken a leave of absence, the school only gave him a month’s sick leave.

But he still had to keep up with his studies, so Fu Xie paid his class rep to record lectures for him.

Days were spent gaming and taking online classes, then cuddling with his handsome husband when he came home from work in the evening.

Life was pretty much perfect.

Fu Xie’s recovery speed was unexpectedly fast—his wounds healed in half the expected time, and he was even ready to get the cast off!

Before he took it off, Lin Yubin sent the paternity test results.

Fu Xie didn’t open it immediately, instead setting it down on the table.

He took a deep breath.

Even though he had only met them once, the past wasn’t so easy to forget.

Fu Xie wasn’t immune to the weight of it either.

But since it was already here, there was no point in overthinking it now.

With a sharp *rip*, he tore open the seal and went straight to the results.

Xi Wenlun walked over with tea, his eyes flicked to the text on the document envelope.

"Results are in? Are you okay?"

Fu Xie’s eyes locked onto "No blood relation" on the paper, his fingers flexing on the paper.

A heavy silence hung in the air.

The outcome was within his expectations—his parents’ odd behavior had all but confirmed it.

But… what if it had been his own parents instead?

Fu Xie was adrift in confusion.

He'd been transmigrated for so long—if his awareness of being a transmigrator was accurate—where the hell was his so-called "main god" or "system"?

A sudden loneliness hit him. Given the circumstances, it seemed he’d either been ditched or forgotten.

If there was something like an "Interstellar Transmigration Bureau," he would definitely report these lazy ass employees!

Fortunately, he still remembered the plot of the novel. If he had been any more forgetful, Xi Wenlun would have probably kicked him out long ago.

"What are you thinking about?" Xi Wenlun noticed Fu Xie's sudden dazed expression—like a cat tucking its paws in and spacing out—and couldn't resist booping his cheek.

Startled, Fu Xie blinked rapidly before relaxing upon seeing it was Xi Wenlun.

He held his arms out to him, pouting, "Hug me."

Xi Wenlun pulled him into a tight embrace.

Human connection was weirdly amazing. Just being enveloped in Xi Wenlun's warmth was enough to soothe Fu Xie's negative emotions.

"If you feel like crying, it's better not to hold it in," Xi Wenlun mumbled into his neck, unable to see his expression, but gently stroking the back of Fu Xie's head.

Fu Xie snorted at that. "I'm an adult. I don't cry."

Truthfully, he didn’t think there was anything worth crying over.

For those from happy families, even being away from home might bring tears. But he had never experienced the warmth of a family—never had a single day free from yelling or beatings.

Living in constant fear, he had believed the outside world was pure chaos. Yet when he finally stepped out, he realized the real storm had always been inside his home—the outside world, in comparison, was practically bathed in sunlight.

That almost got to him.

But Fu Xie clearly had no masochistic tendencies. He felt no attachment to his so-called family and certainly wouldn’t cry over them.

On the contrary, rather than feeling loss, he mostly felt free.

After cutting ties with his parents upon starting university, and now with the DNA test confirming they weren’t even related by blood, it meant those people could beg all they wanted—they’d get squat from him.

"Oh? What about this?" Xi Wenlun took the opportunity to go for Fu Xie’s weak spots.

Fu Xie had an extremely ticklish constitution. In more intimate moments, he’d often burst into laughter halfway through.

Laughing and wriggling, he tried to resist, but he was no match for him. Soon, he collapsed against Xi Wenlun, breathless with laughter.

Fu Xie knew Xi Wenlun was just worried he might be bottling things up and was deliberately distracting him.

"I’m really—*pant*—fine," Fu Xie managed between breaths, pushing himself up before suddenly realizing he was sitting squarely on Xi Wenlun’s lap in a pretty compromising position.

Before he could react, Xi Wenlun had already taken full advantage of the moment—clothes and all.

……

Once his cast was off, Fu Xie returned to school. Xi Wenlun had originally planned for him to move into the newly set-up villa, but Fu Xie had signed a one-year lease with his landlord at the start of the semester. Not up for the moving hassle, he chose to stay where he was.

The only difference was that now a cleaner came daily to clean and tidy up, saving Fu Xie a lot of trouble.

Xi Wenlun wheedled shamelessly to crash there, but Fu Xie—seeing him take a work call after like two words—shut him down cold.

During Fu Xie's recovery period, Xi Wenlun had been accompanying him on time every day, a rarity even during their one-year arrangement.

But work didn’t just disappear, piling up so much that even Fu Xie got fed up and eventually persuaded him to leave.

Going to class wasn’t as laid-back as staying home, and he still had homework and PPTs to finish at night.

Lately, the two had been glued to each other, and Fu Xie feared he might get too comfortable and slack off.

What about his GPA?

Fortunately, he was in university, where academic management was lenient. Some students coasted while others went full tryhard, and Fu Xie, after recovering, could at least maintain a mid-tier performance.

……

Time flew by. Fu Xie was the model student at school, and his hard work paid off—his GPA didn’t drop due to his injury but instead improved slightly.

Meanwhile, Xi Wenlun was constantly flying between City A and Fu Xie’s city. Though remote work saved a lot of trouble, some things had to be done face-to-face.

Xi Wenlun once asked Fu Xie if he wanted to transfer to a university of the same level in City A. While his current school was decent, City A’s schools were a cut above their counterparts in other cities.

After some thought, Fu Xie declined.

He had ties here at his current university—it was where he first altered the course of his fate and, under his original identity, made friends for the first time.

Fu Xie valued his GPA highly, and his schedule was packed with studies, leaving their meetings entirely dependent on Xi Wenlun flying over to see him.

Ironically, when he first transmigrated, he thought he had escaped his old environment and wouldn’t need to compete anymore, believing he could laze around freely in this fictional world.

But once he returned to school, he was immediately swept up in the competitive atmosphere and got sucked into the grind.

The real victim was Xi Wenlun, who had to constantly rack up frequent flyer miles.

Fu Xie felt guilty about this. That night, after their discussion, he pulled Xi Wenlun into his lap and massaged his temples.

“You’re always jet-setting for me.”

In reality, Xi Wenlun merely just traded limos for private planes: “…”

Having traveled globally for business in his early years, he was used to such things.

But Xi Wenlun wouldn’t admit that. Instead, he basked in his partner’s gentle touch while playing up how tired he was.

“As long as I get to see you, I don’t feel tired.”

With his wealth of social experience, Xi Wenlun’s smoldering look was downright deadly.

Fu Xie, lacking much life experience, was no match for him and folded instantly, agreeing to every one of Xi Wenlun’s wild ideas.

Unfortunately, they barely saw each other. Between Fu Xie’s recovery and Xi Wenlun’s work commitments, most of the semester had passed. By the time Fu Xie returned, finals were breathing down his neck, so the things he had promised remained unfulfilled.

Once finals ended, Fu Xie was swiftly bundled onto a jet.

His final grades wouldn’t be out for a while, so he could temporarily pretend they didn’t exist and relax.

Fu Xie gazed out the window at the clouds, now dyed gold by the sunset.

They looked like toasted marshmallows—perfect between graham crackers.

Fu Xie wiped his mouth.

"Do you have to go back to school later?" Xi Wenlun walked over and sat beside him on the large sofa.

"Nope." Fu Xie turned, tugging Xi Wenlun's sleeve. "I wanna roast marshmallows!"

Xi Wenlun snapped his fingers.

Like magic, the cabin crew produced marshmallows, a small grill, skewers, and other supplies.

"Whoa!" Fu Xie’s eyes lit up. "I figured I’d have to wait till after landing!"

Even after rubbing elbows with high society, he still wasn’t used to the way the wealthy could have even the most absurd requests fulfilled instantly.

Fu Xie teased, "Bet you could whip up a zoo on this plane too."

A crew member’s eyebrow twitched, but they maintained a professional smile. "Very funny, Mr. Fu."

His deadpan face said otherwise.

Not actually trying to hassle the staff, Fu Xie instead eagerly turned to roasting marshmallows.

Xi Wenlun helped by skewering the marshmallows one by one, while Fu Xie took charge of roasting them.

The skewers weren’t ordinary metal ones—the handles were wrapped in pink heat-resistant silicone, printed with cartoon kitten patterns.

It was downright hilarious seeing Xi Wenlun, with his serious demeanor, carefully threading marshmallows onto such adorably childish skewers.

Fu Xie bit his lip—then burst out laughing.

"Is it that funny?" Xi Wenlun asked mildly.

Fu Xie wiped away tears of laughter. "You’re like a kid with those."

Xi Wenlun’s gaze turned icy.

A beat of silence.

Fu Xie mentally kicked himself.

The topic of their age difference had always been a sore spot. Xi Wenlun never said it outright, but Fu Xie could tell from his recent obsession with skincare and anti-aging treatments.

After all, the gap between them was undeniable—Fu Xie was practically a kid next to Xi Wenlun’s looming midlife crisis.

Fu Xie suspected the man had severe age anxiety. While Xi Wenlun could fret all he wanted, dragging Fu Xie into late-night "proof of vitality" sessions was overkill.

Oddly, those "proofs" hadn’t lost any steam, leaving Fu Xie somewhat puzzled.

Was Xi Wenlun having another episode?

Lost in thought, he suddenly heard Xi Wenlun call his name.

"You’re burning them!"

Fu Xie yanked the smoking skewer away from the flame and blew on it.

Luckily, Xi Wenlun’s warning came just in time—the marshmallows were only slightly charred, not fully aflame.

"Damn, that smells good!" Fu Xie exclaimed, smushing the toasted marshmallow between chocolate cookies and gently pulling, stretching it into long, gooey strands.

Xi Wenlun just grunted in response and continued skewering marshmallows. Suddenly, something warm and sweet nudged his lips. Looking up, he saw Fu Xie was offering him the gooey s’more.

Xi Wenlun's gaze softened instinctively as he asked, "Aren't you going to try it first?"

"Taste it for me!" Fu Xie grinned, his eyes crinkling into crescents. With his stunning looks, his *sajiao* (coquettishness) was downright irresistible.

Xi Wenlun took a bite. The roasted marshmallow was twice as sweet, its texture wonderfully dense.

"It's delicious. You should try it too."

Fu Xie continued eating from the same spot where Xi Wenlun had bitten, his eyes immediately widening in surprise before locking onto Xi Wenlun with a scorching gaze.

"Mmm, sweeter than I imagined!"

Was he talking about the food—or the ambiguous indirect kiss?

Xi Wenlun averted his eyes and changed the subject.

Time dragged on slowly as they flew through the clouds. Fu Xie watched the sunset fade and the stars emerge.

Only then did he realize that if they were merely flying back to City A, this trip was taking far too long.

Finally, Fu Xie turned to Xi Wenlun for answers, only to receive a mysterious smile in return.

He shrank back, looking up at him with pitiful, puppy-dog eyes. "Chief! Our finances aren’t so dire that you’d resort to selling me off, right?"

The latter didn’t answer. Instead, he tied a cloth over Fu Xie’s eyes and swept him up in a princess carry.

"Eek—!"

Fu Xie was clueless about Xi Wenlun's plans. His yelp sounded terrified, but he wasn’t actually that scared.

Besides, nothing had happened when he ran away before—now that he was back by Xi Wenlun’s side, what could possibly go wrong?

So Fu Xie let himself be carried off the plane without resistance, only stopping when Xi Wenlun reached a certain spot.

Once steadied, Fu Xie dramatically flailed his arms.

"Help! Where are you taking me?!"

Xi Wenlun said exasperatedly, "Alright, enough acting."

He gently set Fu Xie down and removed the blindfold.

Fu Xie blinked rapidly to adjust to the light. "So, where exactly are we going?"

When his vision cleared, his long, peach-blossom eyes widened into saucer-wide circles.

The sky glittered with stars. Rust-red roof tiles layered over Rococo-style brick houses, shrubs trimmed into adorable shapes, gem-bright berries scattered everywhere, and 3D hologram NPCs roaming about.

One of them—a white-bearded, top-hatted sprite—even paused to greet him, though the crackling electric voice kinda ruined the magic.

Fu Xie breathed hard.

This was exactly like the AAA farming simulator he was obsessed with!

In the game, he had built his own house, complete with crop fields and pastures where he raised pigs, cows, sheep, and horses. Fu Xie checked in every day to tend to his virtual world, unwilling to let his hard work go to waste.

He’d always said how wonderful it would be to live inside the game.

Fu Xie clutched Xi Wenlun’s sleeve excitedly. "Wait… is that also…?"

Xi Wenlun clearly grasped the implied meaning in his words and took Fu Xie's shaking hand, pulling him along.

"Come with me."

Fu Xie followed him along a moss-covered path, passing by the seed store, the general goods shop, and the hunter's cabin.

It was practically a life-sized replica of the game's scenery—this was the same shortcut Fu Xie often took while speedrunning the map.

Before long, they arrived at their destination—Fu Xie's farm.

He couldn't wait to rush inside. The layout of the pastures and fields was identical, just without any animals.

After exploring the exterior, he dragged Xi Wenlun inside the cottage.

The interior decor was a one-to-one custom recreation of the in-game model, right down to the furniture mods he had downloaded, now transformed from 2D into 3D.

Xi Wenlun must have gone all out.

Fu Xie's eyes grew red as he reached out to touch the furniture but hesitated and withdrew his hand.

Xi Wenlun took his hand and pressed it into the sofa. "It's fine if it gets dirty. We can always replace it later."

"They're here to make you happy. You don’t have to be so careful."

"I... I..." Fu Xie's eyes welled up with tears as he tilted his head back, trying to keep them from falling.

There were so many words of gratitude he wanted to say, but when it came time to speak, he didn’t know how to begin.

He had never received love from his birth family, yet here he was, overflowing with affection from someone who shared no blood ties with him.

Something that should have been utterly impossible in real life had now become his reality.

Fu Xie even felt like thanking the transmigration system that had dumped him here and abandoned him. If he and Xi Wenlun had never met, their lives might have been completely different.

He might have graduated college, been stuck grinding at some job, marking his 60th at his cubicle, unsure if he’d ever retire.

Xi Wenlun, on the other hand, might have descended into darkness as his condition worsened.

"Really... thank you. And... I'm sorry for rejecting your kindness back then."

Fu Xie wanted to say more, but Xi Wenlun gently pressed a finger to his lips.

"If you cry now, what will you do later?"

The tears glistening in Fu Xie's eyes stilled as he momentarily didn't get what Xi Wenlun meant.

Then, the man before him knelt on one knee, producing a small black velvet box from behind and opening it in front of Fu Xie.

Inside was a perfect replica of the in-game exclusive marriage proposal item—a massive diamond ring shaped like a starry seashell!

"I thought you might be interested in this design, so I had one custom-made."

There was a hint of nervousness in Xi Wenlun's voice.

"This island is just one of my gifts to you. Sorry, I forgot the contract—I plan to transfer fifty percent of my shares in the Xi family business to you, and also..."

Fu Xie, who had been about to burst into tears, suddenly clapped a hand over his mouth, laughing.

"What? Fifty percent's not enough? That's fine, I'll bump it up to sixty."

"You forgot to say the most important words."

Xi Wenlun's sharp features softened with tenderness.

"Fu Xie, will you marry me?"

Fu Xie could no longer hold back his overwhelming emotions. He threw himself into Xi Wenlun's arms, clinging tightly. "I do!"

...—poke—

(Finally ending here) A sensation of fullness, of swelling.

Suddenly, a tilt, followed by a dizzying spin—both of them tumbled down.

After a beat of silence, Xi Wenlun got up to check.

"The bed's leg snapped."

Fu Xie remained silent.

###

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