The ceremony went off without a hitch.
Su Pu, once again held tightly by Li Jichuan, had spent several days in southern Yunnan; by the time they boarded the plane, his legs were weak from exhaustion.
Li Jichuan, on the other hand, having feasted numerous times, was radiant and content…
Back in Yun City, it was time to prepare for their wedding.
Yes, they had completed all pre-wedding formalities, yet one ceremony remained undone.
Su Pu didn’t care much, but Li Jichuan refused to skip it.
Whatever others had, his Xiao Pu must have too.
With their busy careers, they decided on a small wedding, inviting only close family and friends.
Each picked two groomsmen: Li Jichuan chose his right-hand men, John and Anderson; Su Pu went straight to the Pei couple.
Pei Zhicheng, who didn’t normally care for ceremonies, agreed only because it was Su Pu, and actively helped with the preparations.
The welcome sign would be a comic drawn by him—he could pinch his nose and try to make Li Jichuan look handsome…
Though really, no pinching was needed; just standing there, Li Jichuan radiated charisma. He had gone through several drafts to finally capture Li Jichuan’s essence.
As the wedding approached, Pei Zhicheng helped Su Pu with fittings.
Both the bride and groom wore white, while the groomsmen were in light gray for color coordination.
Being skilled with crafts, Pei Zhicheng took charge of adjusting the fine details of the outfits.
With only three days to go, Su Pu visibly grew anxious. Even with the city’s top wedding planner, he insisted on personally checking every detail.
Pei Zhicheng took him to his rental to fetch the outfits. During the preparations, Su Pu had lost another two kilograms; his waist looked empty.
Pei Zhicheng offered to tighten the outfit for him.
It was Su Pu’s first time in his friend’s space. Perhaps because the air carried Pei Zhicheng’s presence, Su Pu felt an inexplicable familiarity and relaxed.
Pei Zhicheng made him a cup of tea and retrieved the prepped outfit.
By the time he returned, Su Pu had dozed into the sofa cushions, breathing evenly and peacefully.
He dreamt of his childhood:
His mother standing in the kitchen, making dumplings.
Delicate fingers pinched the dough, shaping each plump dumpling.
“Today is New Year’s Eve; Xiao Pu must eat more dumplings.”
“First day of school today; eat enough so you don’t get hungry.”
“To celebrate your perfect score, I learned a new filling from the neighbor downstairs. It’ll be ready soon…”
The images shifted—the woman at the chopping board, Zhao Qing, grew thinner, more haggard.
Yet the dumplings in her hands remained plump, round, and utterly adorable.
“Xiao Pu must eat lots and grow strong!” she said, smiling with blessings in her beautiful eyes.
Su Pu opened his eyes, dazed. Somehow, he had forgotten all unpleasant memories associated with her.
After a major illness, he had consciously filtered and archived his past: joyful memories preserved, painful ones locked away, rarely recalled.
Though a bit like covering his ears to ignore the bell, Su Pu resolved to remember only what brought him happiness.
Catching a faint aroma, he got up and followed it to the kitchen.
Pei Zhicheng stood at the counter, preparing dinner.
“Ouyang wanted dumplings this morning, so I thought I’d make some…”
His hands were awkward, spreading the dough, adding the filling, then pinching gently—
The dumpling closed for a moment, then fell apart.
“…Maybe I should use glue?” Pei Zhicheng bit his lip, thinking.
Snapping back to clarity, Su Pu quickly pressed his hand, “Here, let me do it…”
In the Li Corporation office, two people simultaneously received messages:
[Come back for dinner tonight; Xiao Pu made so many dumplings, they’re delicious!]
[Come eat at the Peis’ tonight; I made dumplings, mustard greens with fresh shrimp flavor 🥰🥰]
Coincidentally, both were in the same meeting and replied around the same time:
[Why did Su Ge make them? I want your handmade love-filled dumplings…]
[Why did you make them? Is this how Pei Zhicheng hosts guests?]
In the kitchen, neither took the messages seriously, sending a simple emoji in response:
[pat pat head.gif]
[kitty kiss.gif]
In the meeting room, they exchanged a glance across the table, eyes shining with “my wife loves me best” pride.
In the evening, Ouyang rode home with the big boss, chatting endlessly, making Li Jichuan’s head buzz. By the time they got out, the aroma of the meal through the door calmed his irritation.
Opening the door, Ouyang saw Pei Zhicheng greeting him brightly, then shifting his gaze, catching Li Jichuan’s eyes, quickly looking away.
“Where’s Xiao Pu?” Li Jichuan asked.
Pei Zhicheng swallowed, pointing to the kitchen, “Cooking dumplings.”
Li Jichuan, expressionless, asked, “Wasn’t he here as a guest?”
Why making dumplings?
Pei Zhicheng hesitated, afraid to argue. Meanwhile, Li Jichuan had already removed his shoes and walked toward the kitchen in socks.
Little socially anxious, Pei Zhicheng instinctively touched his boyfriend’s strong chest for comfort.
“You scared me…”
Ouyang puffed out his chest, “Don’t worry, baby, I’ll protect you!”
Pei Zhicheng blinked, “But isn’t he your boss?”
“He’s… a reasonable boss,” Ouyang defended. “Not stuck-up…”
Pei Zhicheng exhaled, relieved, “Good. I was worried he’d bully you…”
“How could he?” Ouyang straightened, “I’m not afraid of him.”
Then came a steady command from the kitchen:
“Ouyang, come serve the plates!”
“Sure!” Ouyang answered without hesitation, then caught Pei Zhicheng’s exasperated glare.
“I don’t act like this at the office…” he muttered sheepishly.
Pei Zhicheng sighed, deciding to be a bit nicer to Li Jichuan after all.
After all, his boyfriend’s little quirks were now in someone else’s hands!
Meanwhile, Li Jichuan took a bite of a freshly steamed dumpling, praising its taste while exhaling warm steam.
“Delicious… so good… huff huff…”
“Truly the work of my wife! How is it so amazing?”
Su Pu squeezed his hand thoughtfully.
“Jichuan, this place feels so familiar…”
He confessed, “I think I’ve been here before…”