DLRAS Chapter 92

Chapter 92: This is because both parties A and B agree.

By the time they were working on their second cup of coffee, Huo Niansheng arrived.

A simple prenuptial agreement, stipulating that their respective premarital properties belonged to each individual and remained under their separate ownership, was incredibly quick to execute.

Lawyer Zhu handed the A4 sheets to his boss. Huo Niansheng scanned them casually without looking too closely, picked up a pen, and signed his name.

Chen Wengang stood nearby, watching his brushstrokes map across the page. The very first sentence on the paper read: “Whereas Party A and Party B are mutually suited in affection and intent…”

It carried an almost playful, trivial sensation.

Just like that, the prenuptial agreement was signed and finalized in black and white.

The names of the two individuals were joined together—Chen Wengang’s script was in neat, formal characters, while Huo Niansheng’s was a wild, sweeping cursive, with the final stroke looking as if it were about to fly off the edge.

Lawyer Zhu asked, “Is there anything else to add?”

Chen Wengang actually recalled something—the property Zheng Bingyi intended to transfer under his name, whether it was a luxury flat or a villa, didn’t carry a low valuation by any means; the only difference lay between expensive and even more expensive. He hadn’t truly wanted either of them and had been dragging his feet, so the paperwork hadn’t been fully finalized yet.

Huo Niansheng, however, didn’t treat it as a big deal. Unable to wait around and listen to Lawyer Zhu break it down, he stated he still had things to take care of, pulling the other man around to head out the door.

“Go find Lawyer Cao first to complete the property transfer. If someone is willing to give it, you just accept it. It’s not like I’m going to rob you of it.”

“I just don’t want it,” Chen Wengang looked at him with a troubled expression. “Soft fire makes sweet malt, but accepting handouts makes one beholden. It feels meaningless.”

“You’re turning down a benefit that’s right in front of you?” Huo Niansheng pinched his waist teasingly.

“Having you means I have everything,” Chen Wengang whispered a line of sweet dialogue.

“Your adoptive father certainly doesn’t look at it that way. A house or two is nothing to him. Conversely, now that you’re leaving, he has to settle you properly so others can see he hasn’t mistreated his old friend’s son—this is to fulfill his own reputation. Just take it.”

Chen Wengang walked down the steps with him, and Huo Niansheng planted a kiss on his face just as the driver pulled the car up to the curb.

Huo Niansheng opened the car door for him. “I’ll have you dropped off home first. I’m heading back to Yushui Bay tonight.”

Chen Wengang didn’t ask why he was staying overnight at the Huo residence. “Are we setting off next week?”

“Yes, check your passport again when you get back. Is your leave approved?”

“I took four days off, which gives us six days total including the weekend.”

“Perfect,” Huo Niansheng squeezed his hand. “I can take you around over there for a bit. Have you been to the US before?”

“Once. Back in high school, I joined a study tour summer camp and visited a few renowned universities.”

Chen Wengang got out of the car at the entrance of Jiangchao Street, and the driver waved goodbye to him as he watched Huo Niansheng’s car recede into the distance.

Standing at the intersection, he reflected for a moment. The house was running low on ingredients, so he needed to pick up some groceries to cook dinner.

There were no massive supermarkets nearby; the residents relied on a traditional street market. The moment he stepped inside, the briny, gamey scent of poultry, fish, and dried seafood rushed over him. Vegetables and fruits were laid out in rows across the stalls, with grandpas, grandmas, and housewives bending down to pick through them with canvas bags slung over their shoulders.

“Chen…” someone suddenly called out hesitantly from behind him. “Chen Wengang?”

“You are?” Chen Wengang turned around from the vegetable stall.

“It really is you! I almost didn’t dare recognize you!” The speaker had a square face, a broad mouth, and a booming voice. “I’m Cheng Bo! We were classmates in primary school—I sat in the very back row, and you sat in the front!” He slapped his forehead. “You transferred schools early, so you probably don’t remember us.”

“Not at all.” Chen Wengang instinctively went to shake his hand, but desisted since the other man was clutching two stacks of red paper. Still, he managed to pull this person from his memory. “Of course I remember. It’s been a long time.”

“What are you up to these days?” Cheng Bo asked.

“Still studying.”

“No wonder, a top student! I remember everyone saying you transferred to some elite school. Unlike me, I just drifted along and now I’m running a business with my family.” Cheng Bo possessed a natural familiarity. “By the way, talk about a coincidence—I’m getting married this weekend.”

“Congratulations, congratulations.”

“Look at that, meeting after so many years—isn’t this just a massive twist of fate? You absolutely must come have a drink at the wedding feast when the time comes. It’s a promise.”

Cheng Bo fumbled around his pockets but hadn’t brought any physical invitations along, so he insisted on adding Chen Wengang as a friend to forward him a digital invitation.

This brand of excessive enthusiasm was something Chen Wengang wasn’t adept at handling, so after some back-and-forth, he gave a nod of assent. On his way home, he used one hand to click open the link, realizing only then that the banquet venue was right at the Wanghai Restaurant. Just at that moment, he happened to run into Lu Chenlong.

When the topic shifted to Cheng Bo’s wedding, Lu Chenlong turned out to be aware of it, slapping his thigh. “The kind of person who hasn’t reached out in eight hundred years and opens his mouth just to invite you to a feast is doing it purely to squeeze another wedding gift out of you! Why did you agree?”

Chen Wengang kept an open mind, even cracking a joke: “The fertile water doesn’t flow into an outsider’s field; in the end, this money still gets earned by you.”

Lu Chenlong didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Don’t even get me started. People are incredibly shrewd nowadays. When he came to book tables with me, he spoke as if he were going out of his way to look after my business. Fine, for the sake of our old school ties, I gave him every discount I could manage. As it turned out, he really knew how to exploit an acquaintance—the more he calculated, the more ridiculous it got. Later on, he even wanted me to host a two-thousand-dollar banquet on a one-thousand-dollar budget! I told him, ‘Why don’t you just beat me down to a fracture instead?'”

Chen Wengang couldn’t help but smile, casting a glance at his thick, robust arms. “You actually said that to his face?”

Lu Chenlong adopted a slightly rogue demeanor. “I was definitely a bit more tactful when saying it in person. At any rate, one side always has to compromise—either him or me. I’m not running a business at a loss. All his friends and relatives have already been notified; if he wants to change venues, he can go right ahead. I’m not the one who’s anxious anyway.”

The two shared a warm chat, and Chen Wengang, carrying his groceries, headed straight to the Lu household to hitch a meal.

After moving back to Jiangchao Street, he enjoyed this added perk—a distant relative isn’t as good as a near neighbor, and they could meet up anytime coming or going.

The meal at the Lu house was simple: white congee with side dishes, paired with fish skin dumplings brought back from the restaurant.

Xiaobao wolfed down a few bites from his enamel bowl before hurrying off to watch television.

Holding his bowl, Chen Wengang retracted his gaze from the TV screen, only to find Lu Chenlong looking at his hand.

After a brief thought, he decided not to keep it a secret. “Actually, there’s something I haven’t told you. I’m getting married too.”

Lu Chenlong received a major shock. “Ah… what? You? Married? How?”

Chen Wengang admitted, “We’re heading to the US next week. In truth, it isn’t recognized domestically; this is merely for psychological comfort.”

It took Lu Chenlong a full twenty minutes to wrap his head around it. He grumbled that Chen Wengang hadn’t told him sooner, treating him like an outsider.

Ultimately, he still nodded. “That’s fine too… since America recognizes it, then you guys just go to America.”

Xiaobao turned the volume of the cartoon up so high it shook the room. Lu Chenlong, looking somewhat distracted, walked over to turn it down, and Chen Wengang brought his words to a halt as well.

For ordinary households, a man marrying a woman was a massive undertaking that required mutual effort from both sides. Just like Cheng Bo—the bride price, the dowry, booking tables, the wedding banquet—every single element had to be organized, gathering friends and relatives under one roof. That was the official process.

After washing the dishes in the evening, Chen Wengang prepared to return to his own house but was stopped by Lu Chenlong.

Lu Chenlong unearthed a scrap of red paper left over from Lunar New Year from inside the room and wrapped a red envelope. “I don’t know what kind of customs people abroad have for weddings. Just take this. If you’re going to the US, there’s no way I can make it, but the gift money is settled, and the sentiment is there.”

Chen Wengang took a deep breath, feeling a decently thick stack of bills tucked inside.

As he went to refuse, Lu Chenlong scratched his head, offering a faint smile once more. “It’s a bit old-fashioned, but this is how we do things for weddings around here—just consider it as keeping up appearances for the occasion. Though I still feel you’re being quite hasty; how can marriage be something settled just like that? Still, you’ve always been a level-headed person; just make sure you don’t get tricked. If you hold a ceremony domestically in the future, I’ll attend.”

Xiaobao ran over, wrapping his arms around Chen Wengang’s leg.

Chen Wengang stroked his short, bristly hair, speaking to Lu Chenlong: “Thank you.”

Saturday was the date stamped on the invitation, and Chen Wengang attended Cheng Bo’s wedding.

He contributed a gift of two hundred dollars and followed the crowd inside. Chen Wengang knew the layout of the Wanghai Restaurant like the back of his hand, but the coordinator responsible for greeting guests, fearing he might wander off, hurriedly walked ahead to guide the way. The friends and relatives of the bride and groom weren’t familiar with him, so he was ultimately arranged to sit at an inconspicuous table in the corner.

This entire table consisted of distant connections who didn’t know one another, maintaining their distance as they ate and drank, turning their heads to watch the ceremony on the stage.

Cheng Bo and his wife had met through a blind date, coming together because their practical conditions matched. The master of ceremonies was building up the atmosphere on stage, asking them to share their romance storyline. Cheng Bo offered a few sentimental words, prompting a wave of cheering from below. The MC proceeded to initiate a mini-game: “What is her absolute favorite food?”

Cheng Bo pondered for a long time before putting on an exaggerated expression: “Pork braised with pickled vegetables.”

The crowd below burst into laughter, and the bride made a playful motion to hit him. “You’re the one who loves braised pork!”

The MC teased, “It seems the groom doesn’t know that losing weight is a woman’s lifelong career—especially for the bride. To fit into this pristine white wedding dress, how could she possibly touch something like braised pork?”

The friends and relatives below grew even more animated, exchanging banter. Chen Wengang offered a brief smile, turning his head back and ceasing to look at the stage.

A moment later, the bride went to the back to change her outfit and makeup, and the newlyweds stepped down from the stage to toast each table.

When they toasted Chen Wengang’s table, the group rose to their feet. The bride’s eyes lit up, and she covered her mouth with a laugh. “My goodness, Cheng-zi, turns out you have such a handsome classmate. Why didn’t you say so earlier? Our bridesmaids are still single; go introduce them.”

Cheng Bo pulled a face, pinching her backside. “On our big day, you’re going out of your way to praise another man—do you still respect your husband’s authority?”

Returning home in the evening, the suitcase was still laid open on the floor. Chen Wengang performed a final check on his items and closed the case.

For the past two days, Huo Niansheng had been spending his nights at the Huo residence. Chen Wengang slept lightly; there was no need to leave a light on, and in the middle of the night, someone slipped into the bed.

Half-asleep, he heard Huo Niansheng lean in close to his ear to ask, “What did you do today?”

Chen Wengang woke up, letting out a yawn. “Attended a classmate’s wedding.”

“How was it? Fun?”

“It was alright… the banquet was decent, just incredibly noisy.”

“What else?”

“The groom is a bit macho. He was my classmate in primary school; actually, back then he was exceptionally mischievous in class—pulling girls’ braids and stuffing caterpillars into their pencil cases. All the girls in class steered clear of him, so seeing him get married feels a bit strange.”

“Stop thinking about him, go to sleep.” Huo Niansheng raised his eyebrows, patting his back. “We still have our own affairs to take care of.”

A day later, the driver dropped the two off at the airport.

Day and night alternated outside the cabin window. The moment they stepped off the aircraft, the dry air of the desert climate baked against their skin.

Palm trees and neon signage: Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas. They had arrived.

Accompanying them on the trip was Lawyer Zhu; after all, they required a witness to the marriage, and having a reliable person of their own around was far more convenient than dragging a random helper from the street. Their luggage was delivered to the hotel, and Huo Niansheng was in high spirits, handing out tips with a very generous hand.

The server, full of delight, recognized that they were a same-sex couple. “I wish you both a wonderful time in Sin City.”

The corner of Huo Niansheng’s mouth turned up slightly. “You can also wish us a happy marriage.”

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