DLRAS Chapter 91

Chapter 91: He had always hoped that Mr. Huo could get married as he wished.

Jiang Cai mulled it over for a moment. “Then what do you think I should do?”

She waited to bring this up until Amanda had stepped out to ask the server for some napkins.

Chen Wengang simply said, “The only thing you can do is study hard—this is for your own sake. Even though they won’t treat you as one of their own, as long as you don’t cause trouble, no one will go out of their way to make things difficult for you. For the rest of it, just take it one step at a time.”

While Jiang Cai was still reflecting on this, she heard him add another sentence: “Later on, when it’s time for you to go to college, they will probably send you abroad to study.”

Just like Huo Niansheng back in the day—sending someone far away across the ocean was the simplest solution; out of sight, out of mind. It also carried the benefit that with the distance being so vast, no matter how much she acted out by then, any negative news wouldn’t easily travel back, saving them from being hounded by the paparazzi.

But Jiang Cai was reluctant; she still harbored lingering fears regarding traveling abroad.

To her, the English alphabet was like a bunch of incomprehensible tadpoles from a celestial book. She was neither cut out for studying nor did she have any interest in it. Forcing her to live abroad for a long period would be worse than killing her. “I don’t want to go.”

Chen Wengang comforted her, “You can stay in a place where Chinese people gather, like Chinatown. You can live perfectly fine speaking nothing but Chinese.”

Yet her reaction was remarkably quick: “But I shouldn’t have to suffer through that foreign hardship in the first place! Why must I go out of my way to look for misery abroad?!”

He asked, “You want to stay in the country?”

Jiang Cai indeed thought this way. “Can you go and help put in a good word for me?”

Chen Wengang said, “Do you remember what I told you before? Providing you with necessary assistance is because you are still a minor. As for you raising other requests, I can consider it, but we still need to establish a three-point agreement.”

Jiang Cai agreed, waiting for him to speak.

Chen Wengang cut straight to the chase: “In terms of blood relations, Huo Niansheng is your brother. Living in the Huo household, people might try to use you intentionally or unintentionally in the future. No matter what others prompt you to do—even if it’s something very small, like asking about his whereabouts or getting you to say something related to him—you cannot comply. Come and tell me when necessary. You must never stand on the opposing side against him.”

Jiang Cai pouted extensively. “I’m just a complete nobody, how could I possibly harm him… If I do this, I won’t have to go abroad?”

Chen Wengang scooped a spoonful of beef into her bowl. “For now, all I can say is I’ll try to help you fight for it.”

“Then I can promise you. I can even write you a letter of guarantee.”

When Amanda pushed the door open to come back in, she caught Jiang Cai asking another question: “By the way, what happened to your hand?”

Following the sound of her voice, she looked over. Chen Wengang’s hand was perfectly fine. He was holding a strainer spoon, and the silver ring wrapped around his slender ring finger was exceptionally conspicuous.

As the hotpot meal drew to a close, Jiang Cai ran off to the restroom.

Chen Wengang settled the bill with Amanda first and walked out the door, waiting for her outside. Only now did the two finally manage to share a private conversation.

Chen Wengang kept their past rapport in mind, even though the two weren’t very close nowadays. “Accompanying him abroad during this recent period must have been hard on you too.”

Amanda’s attitude toward him was also friendly and cordial. “Not at all, my role is originally to help the boss handle matters concerning his personal life.”

She paused for a brief moment, tentatively casting another glance at his finger. “Old Mr. Huo’s birthday is coming up. Do we need to help you select a birthday gift as well?”

Huo Kaishan was lingering on his sickbed, but in a little while, his birthday would be arriving—and it was his 80th milestone birthday at that. According to traditional customs, a milestone birthday of this magnitude had to be celebrated with great pomp. This might very well be his final birthday, so her asking this implied a default assumption that Chen Wengang would be attending as well.

In any case, Huo Niansheng himself never bothered to strain his mind thinking about birthday gifts, leaving his assistants to handle it on his behalf every year. She could just take care of it in passing.

This year, what was sent didn’t actually matter. Aside from playing the role of filial descendants for outsiders to see, how much could Huo Kaishan truly enjoy it? He himself might not even take a single look at it. Throughout a person’s life, nothing is brought into this world at birth, and nothing is taken away at death.

Chen Wengang nodded. “You should ask your boss about it. Also, see what would be appropriate for Jiang Cai to send, and help arrange something for her too.”

Amanda complied. He gently pinched his own left hand.

A ring was an eye-catching accessory, especially for a man.

Many men disliked indicating that they were already spoken for, regardless of whether they were dating or married. Take Huo Zhenfei, for instance—he had probably never donned such an item on his hand outside of his wedding day. Therefore, when they met, he had also discreetly glanced at Chen Wengang’s finger several times without making a scene.

The two were discussing official business in a teahouse, and Chen Wengang once again conveyed Jiang Cai’s wishes on her behalf.

Huo Zhenfei took a sip of tea. “If she can test into a domestic university, I naturally wouldn’t want to spend the energy and time sending her out either.”

Chen Wengang offered a faint smile. “Your arrangement to send her abroad—is it for studying or permanent residency? Do you still intend to let her return in the future?”

Huo Zhenfei put on the demeanor of a family patriarch, looking a full ten out of ten like his father, Huo the Third Uncle. The answer was already self-evident.

Chen Wengang said, “She was never a child who loved studying to begin with. Sending her abroad won’t necessarily transform her into an elite. With no one watching over her, she might not even be able to graduate. You simply don’t want her to cause trouble; you might as well let her off the hook. This is, after all, the place that gave birth to her and raised her.”

Huo Zhenfei’s tone carried a hint of mockery: “My father asked you to serve as a bridge of communication with her, and you certainly seem quite invested.”

Chen Wengang pretended not to catch the underlying meaning. “I have always been very invested in matters concerning Niansheng.”

In reality, the moment he agreed to plead her case, this matter practically had a definitive outcome. Even if Huo Zhenfei refused to back down, Huo Niansheng equally possessed the authority to speak up.

Coming to have a face-to-face discussion with Huo Zhenfei was merely a gesture of communication, demonstrating that they weren’t acting entirely on their own initiative.

The two finished a pot of chrysanthemum Pu-erh tea.

Before Chen Wengang departed, Huo Zhenfei glanced at his slender frame, ultimately asking a question: “Did Huo Niansheng give that to you?”

Following his line of sight, Chen Wengang looked down and flashed him a smile. “Why don’t you guess that it was me who gave it to Huo Niansheng?”

Huo Zhenfei revealed an surprised expression.

He had been so busy for a period of time that he hadn’t seen his cousin, so he hadn’t noticed whether Huo Niansheng’s hand had gained any new addition.

But regardless of whether there was one or not, managing to coax a playboy to settle his heart—was by no means an easy feat.

If he discovered during their next meeting that the other had truly coaxed Huo Niansheng into wearing a ring without letting go, Huo Zhenfei would almost feel a sense of solemn respect.

Sitting upright in his chair, he watched the other’s silhouette disappear down the stairwell.

Walking out of the teahouse, Chen Wengang clasped his own left hand.

If he had mentioned just now that they were engaged, Huo Zhenfei would perhaps have received an even greater shock.

Of course, there was temporarily no intention to share this with anyone; in truth, even he himself still lacked a sense of reality regarding it up until now.

When a ring is first put on, it always feels as though a foreign object is stuck at the base of the finger, but once one grows accustomed to it, all sensation disappears.

He wasn’t certain if marriage operated the same way, but getting married was a major life event for anyone.

Yet when it came out of Huo Niansheng’s mouth, it became a casual, offhand remark—sounding as if they were discussing where to head for a vacation, and then they hurriedly made the decision, completely devoid of fresh flowers, music, or a kneeling proposal.

Fortunately, there were none. If he had truly gone through the entire elaborate routine, Chen Wengang might instead have found himself at a complete loss for what to do.

In the past, Zheng Yucheng used to place a heavy emphasis on these ritualistic forms of romance. For instance, they had to dine at a meaningful restaurant for Valentine’s Day, celebrate how many anniversaries they had reached every year, and he would also envision with great seriousness what kind of wedding they would hold when they were together in the future—whether it would be on a lawn or by the seaside, whether they would wear black or white clothes, whom they would find to serve as the best man, and which guests to invite…

Sometimes Chen Wengang didn’t know whether to describe him as romantic or childish, but unwilling to dampen his spirits, he always cooperatively went along in a gentle manner.

Huo Niansheng was different. It wasn’t that he was incapable of creating romance, but rather that he acted willfully in everything he did, refusing to play by conventional rules.

Just like now—having spoken that single sentence about going abroad to get married, he kept pressing Chen Wengang to set a date.

It was just short of having it written clearly across his face that this was for real.

Upon returning to the country, Amanda immediately began arranging the itinerary for her boss without a single moment of rest. Passports and visas were required, along with various relevant documents.

Once the date was chosen and the flight tickets were booked, it wasn’t until she asked Chen Wengang for his ID number that he experienced a sensation akin to waking up from a dream.

Harboring secret thoughts, Chen Wengang reported to Luo Suwei that he might need to request time off sometime soon to go on a trip.

She agreed but found it a bit strange, given that there were no holidays around this time. “So sudden, where are you heading?”

Chen Wengang didn’t explicitly state the destination. “It’s a sudden decision made with a friend.”

His colleagues started teasing him: “It must be with Mr. Huo! Looking at this, are you guys making new progress?”

Yet no one harbored any suspicions regarding their true objective; their imagination wasn’t daring enough to guess the actual truth.

When Chen Wengang returned to his home on Jiangchao Street, Huo Niansheng wasn’t around. He turned on the lights, greeted by an empty house and a cold stove.

They could originally have stayed at the Cloud Top Mansion where the conditions were superior, but ever since the housewarming last time, Huo Niansheng seemed to have taken a liking to crowding into this place with him. The space was small and more intimate; he could see the other person just by turning around.

Chen Wengang opened his laptop; he had also done some homework on the matter.

Las Vegas was a cliché option—a hotspot for elopements that excelled in being convenient, fast, free, and efficient. Over there, marriage was an industry; once you arrived at the location, you selected a package, got married, and left, making it as simple as a routine, everyday matter.

Of course, in jurisdictions that didn’t recognize an American marriage certificate, this type of marriage might not carry legal validity.

He made an appointment to meet with Lawyer Zhu.

Inside his office, Lawyer Zhu explained some legal common sense and points of attention to Chen Wengang: “There is no need for any materials beyond the valid passports of both parties. You fill out a form on-site and obtain a marriage license. Do remember that the certificate they issue to you carries an expiration date. Getting married within the state of Nevada is what causes it to be protected and valid under US law; don’t forget to register and file it at the city hall.”

Chen Wengang cracked a joke: “Meaning that if the other party wanted to trick me into marriage, they could actually exploit this loophole?”

Lawyer Zhu smiled. “That is indeed correct. For various purposes, they might tell you they are going to get married, but in reality, they skip the official procedures and the like.”

It was only feared that Huo Niansheng truly had nothing left to trick him out of.

Tapping the surface of the paper with his fountain pen, Lawyer Zhu continued, “Furthermore, even if this marriage takes effect in the United States, it remains practically non-existent in places that do not recognize same-sex marriage. That marriage certificate of yours might just be brought back to be admired by yourselves at home.”

“But it is indeed valid locally?”

“Yes.”

Lawyer Zhu waited for him to speak up and clarify his objective. Chen Wengang’s attitude was very polite: “Then I’ll still have to trouble you to draft a prenuptial agreement.”

Lawyer Zhu complied, uncapping his pen as he asked casually, “Your sudden desire to get married—is there some new piece of information?”

Chen Wengang was taken aback. “What?”

Lawyer Zhu was also briefly taken aback. “It’s nothing. I overthought it.”

However, since the words had already escaped his mouth, under Chen Wengang’s gaze, he paused for a brief moment before speaking up anyway: “It’s just a bit of inside gossip—did you know that Old Mr. Huo has frequently modified his will over the past six months?”

Chen Wengang naturally had no knowledge of this.

After a moment of thought, Lawyer Zhu explained, “This indicates that he has been hesitant regarding the distribution of his estate. From what I know, he has always hoped that President Huo could enter a marriage according to his wishes. If President Huo truly gets married, the clauses within the will might turn out to be more favorable to him.”

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