Bone-Attached Disaster - Chapter 58:
Chapter 58: Epilogue
“Mmm… faster, we’re going to be late.”
“Really? You want me to go even faster?”
The person behind him was compliant, and the frequency of the impact immediately intensified several times. The splashing sound grew more choppy, making the listener’s ears turn even redder.
“No, no, no, slower, slower…”
Fu Jia’an pleaded, momentarily forgetting the possibility of a delayed flight. His knuckles were pale red, and the raised veins converged on the back of his hands, leading up to his tightly grasped wrists.
His hands were crossed and pressed against the bedroom carpet. He couldn’t help but claw around, only managing to grab at some fabric of clothing in futility.
How exactly did it come to this?
Fu Jia’an and Lu Jie had moved into a new place a week ago, which was another rented apartment. Since the house they had just bought in Beiding Mansion was still being renovated, and both of them had decided they wanted to move out of their current place, they rented a temporary apartment in a building not far from Jiang Yan’s apartment.
It was spacious, and the decor was exactly to their liking. It felt cozy and comfortable, and, of course, there was no chance of being casually interrupted.
This freedom allowed them to be even more unrestrained in certain matters.
Lu Jie loved physical contact—kissing, hugging, and naturally, he favored the negative-distance kind the most. However, for the long term, and to be considerate of Fu Jia’an’s physical exhaustion, he would try to exercise some restraint.
The unfortunate thing was that when Lu Jie occasionally intended to hold back, it was often when Fu Jia’an desired it the most. As he gradually understood Fu Jia’an’s body better, he realized that Fu Jia’an seemed to be more aroused by pain. The more it hurt, the more he wanted it to continue.
This resulted in Lu Jie, who had just managed to calm down, constantly being overwhelmed, indulging in his desires, and giving in to Fu Jia’an’s instigation.
They had been up quite late last night, too, forcing Fu Jia’an to leave his luggage completely unpacked. To catch the flight, Fu Jia’an had deliberately set an alarm to wake up on time. However, when the alarm rang, he had only slept for two hours, clearly lacking sleep and immediately falling into a morning temper.
Lu Jie was sheepishly kicked out of bed early in the morning. He had to climb out first to help Fu Jia’an pack his luggage, meticulously placing clothes, toiletries, power banks, and chargers. Only then did he return to the bedroom to coax Fu Jia’an out of bed.
Then Fu Jia’an continued to be angry. Then Lu Jie continued to coax him. Then Fu Jia’an asked Lu Jie to dress him. Then Lu Jie helped him dress. Then Fu Jia’an intentionally picked a fault, saying he didn’t like the outfit. Then Lu Jie found him another set. Then Fu Jia’an still didn’t like it.
Finally, Lu Jie took it all off.
Not a single thing was left on.
Fu Jia’an naturally enjoyed the pain, but his body’s capacity for endurance was limited. He was already exhausted, sleepy, and his whole body ached as if it were about to fall apart, yet Lu Jie was still…
He recovers too quickly. The madman.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take you there.” Lu Jie lowered his head, his voice imbued with a mysterious allure. It was a seemingly ordinary sentence, yet in this particular context, it sparked vivid imaginations.
Where? To the airport, or to hell?
They reached the peak simultaneously. Lu Jie let out a long breath, then leaned down, pressing himself completely against Fu Jia’an, kissing his neck in the afterglow.
“Can you go to Berlin by yourself first?” Lu Jie’s tone was lower than usual. “I will follow as soon as possible.”
Jiang Yan’s proposal was successful, but he didn’t plan to register their marriage abroad. Instead, under the guise of a vacation, he was holding a small ceremony in Berlin.
As for why Berlin… it was because Dai Yaoxi was going to Berlin for a two-year exchange program, and Lu Jie was taking him to school and planned to bring Fu Jia’an along for a rest. Unexpectedly, as soon as Jiang Yan heard about it, he immediately called and booked a small garden, setting the ceremony right there.
It sounded a bit casual, but Jiang Yan said he planned to have three ceremonies in different countries, and the first one was just a rehearsal, so it didn’t need to be so formal. Regarding Jiang Yan’s blind optimism, Shen Rufēi smiled and said: “I won’t be attending the next two. Let him play both parts himself.”
Shen Rufēi and Jiang Yan would leave earlier. Fu Jia’an had already resigned, so his time was free, and he would naturally join them to help with the ceremony preparations.
Lu Jie, however, had to stay in the country for another week, waiting to travel with Dai Yaoxi.
“It’s okay. I won’t turn off my phone. You can call me when you get there.” Fu Jia’an couldn’t hold on and just lay on the carpet to rest. Lu Jie allowed him to rest for a while, then carried him to the bathroom to clean up. If they didn’t hurry, they would truly miss the plane.
The showerhead hissed, and the two of them were separated by a layer of rain. Lu Jie’s expressive and handsome eyes were cast down. As he meticulously helped Fu Jia’an wash up, he suddenly said, “They all say being too clingy is not good.”
“Who said that?”
“Just the girls in our lab. I heard them complaining about their boyfriends.”
“Oh dear,” Fu Jia’an said, pretending to be very hurt. “It sounds like you think I’m too clingy?”
Lu Jie looked up. “Of course not, I’m talking about myself. Do you feel tired being with me? Do I send too many messages?”
“Lu Jie,” Fu Jia’an used his wet hand to touch the side of Lu Jie’s face. “I like every part of you. Just like you tolerate my willfulness.”
“I’m going to miss you very much.”
“Me too,” Fu Jia’an kissed his big dog, blinking. “But we really need to hurry. We have to leave in five minutes.”
Jiang Yan and Shen Rufēi’s ceremony only invited a dozen guests. The most important friends were just a few, and few could spare the time to fly to Berlin. Besides Lu Jie and Fu Jia’an, Ye Mingyan was the only high school classmate who came. Surprisingly, Tang Ningxue was also in Berlin. She was now a full-time social media influencer, often traveling and living in different countries.
Of course, there was Dai Yaoxi, who came to crash the party for free food and drinks, as well as a few of the two grooms’ college friends. That was all.
The ceremony procedure was simple, but Jiang Yan was so nervous the night before that he couldn’t sleep. He only managed to write the first two lines of his vows. During the ceremony, he started crying from the first word he read. Shen Rufēi held his hand and laughed, but if you looked closely, you could see a hint of tears in his curved eyes.
The rings were placed on the wrong hands, and opening the champagne wasn’t smooth. In short, everything was different from what was expected.
However, the weather in Berlin was beautiful that day. The bright sunlight refracted in the dew, and flower petals were sprinkled over the heads of the couple in love. Everyone offered their sincere blessings, and everything was as beautiful as a dream.
Later, at the after-party, Jiang Yan raised his glass and gave a few words of thanks. The young master, who seemed to have grown up without constraint, spoke emotionally to his few close friends, and tears started to flow again.
As evening approached, everyone remained in the garden, listening to the violin and chatting casually. Since everyone was slightly tipsy, the atmosphere was relaxed and natural.
Jiang Yan finally asked Tang Ningxue a question he had been curious about for years: “Who did you actually like back then, my brother Lu or little Jia’an?”
Twelve years had passed, and the awkwardness of the past had long become a trivial joke. Today’s Tang Ningxue was even more beautiful and mature, looking charming as she swirled her wine glass. She brushed her hair back. “I liked both at different times. What about it?”
Everyone couldn’t help but laugh. Tang Ningxue’s queenly statement just now sounded as if she were saying, Men? Just move on when you get tired of them.
After speaking, Tang Ningxue turned to look at Fu Jia’an and Lu Jie, her expression becoming slightly more serious than before. “Back then, I think I used the method of liking a more outstanding person to motivate myself, like climbing a higher rock face during a mountain climb. With a foothold, it’s easier to exert force. It seems I caused you trouble though. I apologize.”
Looking back, Tang Ningxue had indeed used this method to get close to one excellent potential partner after another whom she could access at the time, then gracefully moved past them, walking further and further away, never being tethered by anyone.
However, she no longer needed this method now.
“Why apologize? There’s nothing wrong with liking someone, and you’ve always been so courageous. I’m honored to have been your rock.” Fu Jia’an voluntarily tapped his glass against Tang Ningxue’s.
Lu Jie also tapped his glass and added with a smile, “Hello, I’m the rock that was a little earlier than him.”
People gradually dispersed until only the four of them remained. Shen Rufēi was the first to get drunk. Jiang Yan and Fu Jia’an took him back to the room to rest. Lu Jie was in the garden, holding his wine glass alone on a long bench.
He looked up at the stars in the night sky, his gaze distant.
“What are you thinking about?”
Only Fu Jia’an returned, sitting down next to Lu Jie.
“Jia’an,” Lu Jie turned to look at him, his voice slightly choked. “My father started painting again.”
He thought about the moment Lu He picked up the paintbrush again, wondering if it was like a long-awaited reunion. After going in circles, the thing that could make his heart race in this lifetime was still the very first one.
“That’s wonderful,” Fu Jia’an’s eyes dimmed slightly as he thought of something. “But it would be great if people knew the end point from the very beginning. Then all those years in between wouldn’t be wasted.”
Lu Jie asked, “Jia’an, what if you only met me for the first time when you were 28? Would it be too late?”
“No,” Fu Jia’an said firmly. “I would still fall in love with you just the same.”
“So then,” Lu Jie kissed the side of his face. “We just have the memory of that one year in high school more than other couples who met at 28. Those years of separation in between were a necessary period of overcoming and refinement. Perhaps the long enough blank space was just so that the not-yet-mature person would cherish it more when they finally received it.”
“That makes sense,” Fu Jia’an agreed.
Both of their phones vibrated a few times simultaneously, and many news alerts popped up.
Fu Jia’an had anonymously published a fully documented exposé of evidence online this morning. Those in Berlin hadn’t had time all day to pay attention to the storm that article was about to unleash back home.
Of course, Fu Jia’an and Lu Jie were too lazy to look at their phones right now. Everything about returning to reality could wait until tomorrow.
Fu Jia’an swayed his legs on the long bench, leaning on Lu Jie’s shoulder. “What do you think the ending would be if our story were a novel?”
“If it were a novel, all good things would happen by the end. We’d reconcile with all our families, you’d defeat the villain, and I’d win the Nobel Prize in Biology, ha-ha-ha.”
Lu Jie grew more exaggerated, and after a moment, his smile faded. He looked at Fu Jia’an tenderly.
“Or perhaps, the occurrence of miracles is rare, and having someone you love in your heart for a lifetime is enough.”
He kissed his lover.