The instant the letter shattered, Jiang Zhuoye opened his eyes in bed.
He stared at the embroidered canopy above. Sunlight filtered through a slight gap in the curtains, but the room remained dim.
It took him a moment to realize where he was.
This wasn’t his high school classroom. This was Bo Yun’s private manor.
He had graduated, no longer the high school student who exchanged letters.
He was twenty, and yesterday he had just had his wedding.
“You’re awake?” came a cold voice beside him.
Squinting, Jiang Zhuoye looked over. Bo Yun stood at the bedside, fastening his cufflinks.
Unlike Jiang Zhuoye’s drowsy state, Bo Yun looked perfectly put together, impeccably dressed, clearly having been up for a while.
For some reason, upon realizing where he was and seeing Bo Yun’s face clearly, Jiang Zhuoye felt a small twinge of disappointment.
Seeing Jiang Zhuoye still lying in bed, Bo Yun reminded him, “You should get up. Some friends and relatives haven’t left yet. After breakfast, we’ll have to entertain them. Once they’re gone, we can finally leave for our honeymoon.”
Honeymoon.
That word, so casually spoken by Bo Yun, felt almost ironic.
Jiang Zhuoye couldn’t help snickering. One hand went to his forehead, his voice a little hoarse, throat dry. Someone unaware might think they had spent a passionate night together.
He laughed, looking at Bo Yun: “Why do you sound like you’re looking forward to this honeymoon?”
He of course knew it was part of the agreement.
The wedding had all its expected ceremonies—betrothal, engagement, the ceremony, and a twelve-day honeymoon.
Bo Yun glanced at him coldly. “Consider it that way. You can’t avoid it, so better go now and get it over with.”
He straightened up. “I’ll head to the dining room first. You’d better hurry too.”
Jiang Zhuoye appeared at the table half an hour later. Unlike Bo Yun’s formal attire, he had changed into casual clothes.
He wore a linen shirt and a sporty watch, sitting casually. When the chef asked what he wanted to eat, he shrugged: “Anything. Just make me a pancake and a soft-boiled egg.”
The table already had many options. He picked up a bowl of yogurt and began eating.
Bo Yun sat opposite, reading the news, seemingly finished with his meal, only holding a cup of coffee.
From start to finish, Bo Yun didn’t glance at him once.
Jiang Zhuoye smirked sarcastically.
He could already imagine that countless mornings in the future would probably look like this.
Lucky for him, he didn’t care.
He pulled out his phone and started watching variety shows.
….
After breakfast, Jiang Zhuoye and Bo Yun reunited with family and friends.
Once the last wedding guest left, the enormous manor fell silent.
Even Jiang Zhuoye’s parents, elder brother, and Bo Yun’s grandfather gradually departed.
Everyone had their own busy schedules. And since Bo Yun and Jiang Zhuoye were leaving for their honeymoon, the elders didn’t bother staying.
At the airport, Jiang Zhuoye said goodbye to his family. Wearing sunglasses, he felt no sorrow, busy teasing his elder brother.
His brother said his floral shirt made him look like a rooster; he replied that his brother’s watch looked like a nouveau-riche accessory.
Liang Jie looked at her two sons helplessly—truly exasperating, each so annoying.
“Alright, ignore your brother,” she said to Jiang Zhuoye. “He can’t help but make a fuss.”
She added, “When you exchanged rings yesterday, he was down there wiping his eyes, saying he felt like he was really giving you away, and it’ll take three years to get you back.”
Jiang Zhuoye almost laughed himself silly, teasing Jiang Xu: “Really? Weren’t you the one insisting I be married off? I almost hung myself in protest. And now you can’t bear it?”
“Eh?” He nudged Jiang Xu playfully.
Jiang Xu rolled his eyes: “Nope.”
But after a few seconds, looking at Jiang Zhuoye’s carefree face, then at Bo Yun nearby speaking to his grandfather with icy composure, he silently sighed and adjusted Jiang Zhuoye’s shirt collar:
“Even if you know this marriage is fake and harmless, your temper… forcing you to get along with Bo Yun is tough on you…”
Jiang Xu glanced at Bo Yun, unsure why, though he had found him agreeable before, now he seemed annoying.
He paused, then said to Jiang Zhuoye: “If you really can’t get along with him, tell me. We can renegotiate this marriage with the Bo family. You don’t have to spend every day with him.”
He only had one beloved younger brother.
He knew this marriage posed no danger; Bo Yun was a gentleman. But seeing Jiang Zhuoye exchange rings and be embraced and kissed by Bo Yun—even knowing it was staged—broke his heart into pieces.
Jiang Zhuoye silently laughed.
His brother’s expression was priceless. Anyone watching might think he’d been sold off to some distant valley.
He teased Jiang Xu: “You won’t take all the profit? The Bo family gave so many betrothal gifts, and your eyes were practically glowing counting them. You’d really give that up?”
Jiang Xu’s expression twisted, almost grim, but he nodded with effort.
“Not that I couldn’t return them…” he said reluctantly.
“Alright, alright,” Jiang Zhuoye laughed with mock tears. “Where’s your sense of responsibility? What about our family’s reputation?”
Anyone unaware might think the Bo family was some dangerous powerhouse.
Fake or real, marriages like this were common in this circle. He and Bo Yun didn’t even sleep together; it was nothing.
Still, hearing Jiang Xu say that, he felt happy. Clearly, his brother still spoiled him.
He raised his arm and nudged Jiang Xu.
“Stop nagging. It’s no big deal. Bo Yun probably feels worse than I do. Don’t be so dramatic.” Jiang Zhuoye said.
He smiled at Jiang Xu, “Besides, I already took three hundred million of your pocket money. I’m not giving it back.”
After saying that, he nudged Jiang Xu and his parents forward. “Alright, stop dawdling here, get on the plane. You’re not in a hurry to go back, but Grandpa Bo Yun is.”
Jiang Xu was being pushed forward, still scolding him: “You brat, you don’t appreciate good intentions.”
Because of this little incident with his brother, Jiang Zhuoye was in a fairly good mood when he boarded Bo Yun’s private plane, heading to the island for their honeymoon.
The flight wasn’t too long—about nine hours in total.
Their destination was a private island in the Pacific, with nine villas, each featuring a private pool and spacious grounds. They stayed in the largest one.
The flight was a bit boring. Bo Yun was busy handling work, while Jiang Zhuoye wore headphones and watched a movie.
He even asked the flight attendant for a bucket of popcorn, munching away, and didn’t notice a bit had stuck to the corner of his mouth.
Everything was going fine until a sea monster suddenly appeared in the movie—ugly as could be, with a sharp sound effect—and it startled him.
His hand shook, sending popcorn tumbling to the floor, rolling across the aisle, and stopping at Bo Yun’s feet, who was sitting alone on a sofa.
The flight attendant hadn’t noticed, but Bo Yun, like he had radar, immediately spotted it across the aisle.
“You’re like a child, dropping food everywhere,” Bo Yun said softly.
Jiang Zhuoye, half-lying on the sofa with a blanket over him, had been a little embarrassed, but Bo Yun’s comment instantly made him shrug it off.
He didn’t hold back at all, grabbing a few more pieces from the bucket, tossing them into his mouth, and curling up on the sofa like a cat.
“This is how I like to be,” he teased Bo Yun. “If you don’t like it, you can turn around and leave now. I’ll behave like this throughout the honeymoon too.”
Annoying.
Bo Yun thought, immature and stubborn—he could already imagine how troublesome the honeymoon would be.
But since it was their “honeymoon,” Bo Yun frowned, glanced at Jiang Zhuoye twice, and didn’t make a fuss. He just gestured to the flight attendant to tidy up, then returned to the merger proposal he was reviewing.
Jiang Zhuoye was pleased.
He triumphantly tossed another piece of popcorn into his mouth and smiled at the crew. “One more Coke with ice and two lemon slices, please. Oh, and a burger too.”
Nine hours later, after finishing a movie and a novel, the plane finally reached the vicinity of the island. They switched to a private route to land on the island itself.
It was nighttime when they arrived. The villa’s butler and staff were waiting. The butler, a Chinese man, had received their registration info and knew they were on their honeymoon, respectfully addressing them as “Mr. Bo” and “Mr. Jiang.”
After settling into the villa, the butler thoughtfully introduced the services available.
As a luxury vacation destination, the island offered a variety of entertainment: golf, squash, tennis, eco-farms, incense burning, meditation exercises, and more.
There was also a botanical garden, a museum, and cultural experiences to satisfy guests’ interests.
Bo Yun wasn’t interested in any of it. He wasn’t a fan of vacations, and in half an hour, he had an international meeting to attend.
Jiang Zhuoye, however, showed a bit of interest. He liked water sports and was flipping through the manual, thinking he might try jetboarding the next day.
Bo Yun said, “During these few days on the island, do whatever you want. Just don’t disturb me—I’m sure you won’t want to see me anyway. But at night, you must return to the master bedroom. According to the rules, we must sleep together a few times each week.”
Jiang Zhuoye paused, looked up at Bo Yun, and closed the manual with a light chuckle. “You really take that pre-marital agreement seriously. Whether we sleep together or not, no one will know unless we say anything.”
“Or maybe,” he teased, tilting his head, “you’re secretly looking forward to sharing a bed with me?”
Bo Yun ignored the rest and said matter-of-factly: “Didn’t you receive the bracelet we gave you on your wedding night? The chip monitors our distance. If we’re too far apart for a month, it will alert my grandfather’s secretary.”
He chuckled lightly, mocking Jiang Zhuoye’s naivety: “You don’t think the Bo family spent all that money, consulted a feng shui master for the date, and would really let you get away with cheating, do you? I warned you—according to my grandfather’s superstition, the closer you are to me, the better it is for me. He will take it very seriously.”
Jiang Zhuoye’s eyes slid to his wrist.
On his left hand was the Nanhong bracelet from Bo Yun’s grandfather, and on his other wrist, a black bracelet, also from the grandfather, with instructions not to remove it.
He had been informed by the lawyer beforehand that during the first year of marriage, he needed to wear the monitoring bracelet, but he hadn’t taken it seriously. Who knew the Bo family was this strict?
Jiang Zhuoye’s expression darkened. “You really are…”
For a moment, he wanted to call his brother and ask if he could still back out of the marriage.
But then he remembered yesterday, sitting with both families and especially Bo Yun’s frail grandfather, smiling and watching them.
Even though his brother spoiled him, neither family could afford to lose face.
He fiddled with the Nanhong bracelet, calming himself. “Fine, I get it. Don’t worry. Aside from at night, you won’t have many chances to see me, just like I don’t want to see you.”
“Good.”
Jiang Zhuoye’s cooperation satisfied Bo Yun.
Bo Yun explained, “Your private room is on the west side, mine is in the east master bedroom. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, we sleep together; other times, you’re free.”
Then he nodded coldly, passed Jiang Zhuoye, and went to the study.
Jiang Zhuoye sat alone in the living room. He could faintly hear the ocean waves outside, making the room feel even quieter.
The butler had discreetly left, making the space feel larger.
For some reason, he remembered Fang Chen joking that maybe Bo Yun would suddenly fall head over heels for him like in a drama.
He thought: Fang Chen should see Bo Yun for himself to avoid having ridiculous fantasies.
Luckily, Jiang Zhuoye didn’t have any unrealistic expectations about Bo Yun. He knew him too well.
He chuckled, got up, and picked a bottle of alcohol from the shelf.
He poured it into a beautiful glass and slowly drank it by the window, watching the moonlight and beach, finishing the entire glass before returning to sleep.