The real young master thought he was hated by everyone - Chapter 107

“I feel like you’re dressed really formally today.”

Sitting in the car, Li Heng asked if Xie Duzhi wanted a bite of the roasted sweet potato he’d just bought from the stall near the school gate.

The wind was strong that evening. When he left the school gate, he’d layered a sweater under his coat and tightly wrapped a scarf around his neck, yet he still felt cold.

Xie Duzhi hadn’t arrived yet.

Though he usually made a habit of arriving early to wait for him, this time, he had gotten out earlier.

He bought the roasted sweet potato while waiting for Xie Duzhi. Just as he took a bite, he spotted the familiar license plate pulling up not far from the gate. He quickly walked over and climbed into the car.

To give his family—especially his father and elder brother—ample time to process the situation, they had ultimately decided to go home directly on Friday evening.

“It’s too sweet.” Xie Duzhi leaned slightly over to take a small bite of the sweet potato Li Heng offered, frowning as he gave his critique.

But in his opinion, the sweetness of the roasted sweet potato was still preferable to milk tea loaded with syrups.

“Roasted sweet potatoes are supposed to be sweet; that’s what makes them good!” Li Heng wasn’t planning to let him have much anyway. Seeing that he’d already tasted it, he quickly took it back and muttered.

Xie Duzhi ignored the comment entirely, pretending not to hear it.

Noticing Li Heng sneaking glances toward the back seat, he casually remarked, “There’s no gift prepared.”

“…I know, I just…” Xie Sizhi sat down, visibly awkward, and let out a heavy sigh full of melancholy, as if he were the only sober one in a drunken world. “I just think it’s too early.”

Even without that dream, he still felt this way.

—His younger brother had just turned twenty by traditional reckoning.

Twenty was supposed to be the most energetic, vibrant time of life, a time to live freely and recklessly.

He could suddenly decide to fly to different regions or even countries on a whim, traveling thousands of miles and back without a care in the world. Or, inspired by a documentary, head out to sea to chase dolphins or whales…

At this age, the world should hold no barriers to what he wanted to try. So why was he so committed to this “Xie Duzhi” tree?

Even if this tree was the tallest, straightest tree in the world, it wasn’t exactly brimming with youthful energy!

Xie Sizhi simply couldn’t imagine the two of them on a honeymoon or a romantic trip together.

“Your father and I also got married in our early twenties. If we had waited a few more years, you might not even exist,” Mrs. Xie said with a mix of exasperation and amusement. “There’s no such thing as too early or too late with these things. When it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.”

In response, Xie Sizhi let out another deep sigh.

“Mom, let me think about it some more.”

The mental preparation he had painstakingly built was shattered by Xie Shenzhi’s casual, “When’s the wedding?”

But what was he supposed to do—hope they’d break up instead of get married?

At this thought, some of his usual confidence returned. “Third Brother, I’m warning you—don’t try anything funny with Heng.”

“I know.”

Xie Duzhi cut him off nonchalantly, unwilling to be lectured.

After all, if he let Xie Sizhi lecture him, it would evoke a subtle but pitiful irony.

Given Xie Sizhi’s relatively unsuccessful life and lack of any romantic prospects, it felt misplaced. “I’ve already transferred all my assets to his name.”

“…When did that happen?” Li Heng froze, his heart skipping a beat. At first, he thought he might have misremembered something.

After carefully recalling the details, he realized Xie Duzhi hadn’t mentioned a word about it. Instinctively, he reached out to poke him.

“—I genuinely want to spend my life with him, to give him everything I have,” Xie Duzhi said, his tone sincere.

Li Heng paused mid-action, instinctively lowering his head.

Though the idea of spending their lives together had long been certain, hearing it stated so earnestly still left him feeling embarrassed.

Why was Xie Duzhi so good with words?

He barely registered what else Xie Duzhi said after that. He was too busy holding onto his pinky finger, his mind swirling with chaotic thoughts.

For example, same-sex marriage wasn’t legal in the country yet, so which country should they go to for the ceremony? Or, would it be inappropriate to register before graduating from college?

Thoughts like these.

But no matter where his thoughts wandered, they all eventually circled back to embarrassment.

What snapped him back to reality was Mrs. Xie’s smiling suggestion.

“—Why don’t you two get engaged first?”

“Duzhi transferred his household registration ages ago, so only we know about it in the family.”

She had clearly put a lot of thought into it. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be a formal engagement. Even just making an announcement would be good.”

Same-sex relationships were already not easy to accept for many, let alone between two people who, in the eyes of others, were “brothers.”

Even if the two didn’t mind, as a mother, Mrs. Xie hoped they could receive as many blessings as possible and face fewer criticisms.