16: eve

Time passed quickly amidst the hustle and bustle, and the weekend arrived in no time.

After breakfast, the final version of the wedding invitations was delivered. After multiple revisions to the details, the finished product perfectly matched Yan Zhuohua's aesthetic.

Several thick stacks of invitations were brought into the house. Yan Zhuohua planned to practice calligraphy with Yan Qinghe today to send them out as soon as possible.

A week ago, Yan Zhuohua had claimed he had a shortcut for rapid practice, but that wasn't actually the case. Calligraphy cannot be mastered without long-term, bit-by-bit accumulation and practice.

However, since the two of them only needed to write invitations, the word count for each was low and the repetition was high, which was why Yan Zhuohua dared to make such a guarantee. He only needed Yan Qinghe to trace the fixed sentence in the invitation—about twenty characters—while Yan Zhuohua would write the different names himself. This would perfectly achieve their goal.

Yan Qinghe's handwriting was actually quite good; after all, he was a top student who had been praised by teachers for years. Moreover, after returning to the Yan Family, he had consciously practiced a bit.

With the two of them practicing together, the study became somewhat inconvenient, so they went to the calligraphy and painting room on the first basement floor.

Although the calligraphy room was underground, there was a sunken garden outside the floor-to-ceiling windows and a glass dome above, so the lighting wasn't much affected.

As the two entered the calligraphy room, Yan Zhuohua suddenly recalled Yan Qinghe saying he had seen his handwriting that day and couldn't help but laugh. Yan Qinghe turned back, saw him smiling, and asked, "What are you laughing at?"

Yan Zhuohua said, "I remembered you saying you'd seen my handwriting that day."

Yan Qinghe gave a gentle smile. "Yes, I spent quite a bit of time practicing here when I first came back. When I saw that excerpt from the 'Tang Records' of 'Zizhi Tongjian' hanging on the wall, I thought it was written by some grandmaster. It wasn't until I asked Eldest Brother that I found out it was your work."

Yan Zhuohua didn't like leaving his name on his calligraphy works; usually, he would just stamp them with a Peach Blossom Seal he had carved himself.

Once they had prepared all the materials, Yan Zhuohua asked Yan Qinghe to write a few characters first so he could take a look.

Yan Qinghe picked up the brush and wrote the part of the invitation he would be responsible for. It was clear he had indeed practiced for a while, though it still lacked a bit of artistic charm.

Yan Zhuohua imitated his brushwork and transcribed the characters several times, picking and choosing until he finally produced a set of characters that looked the most natural and grand for Yan Qinghe to emulate.

Yan Zhuohua pulled Yan Qinghe to his side, lowering his head to earnestly and carefully explain the key points of these characters. Yan Qinghe listened very intently. Their heads gradually drew closer until their ears were filled with each other's clear voices, and they could distinctly feel the other's breath with every inhalation.

Yan Zhuohua's face flushed slightly, but seeing Yan Qinghe's focused expression, he felt that he was being too impure and was too easily stirred. Fearing that pulling away suddenly would be too obvious, he gritted his teeth and decided to keep going. 'If Yan Qinghe isn't affected, I can do it too.'

Yan Zhuohua adjusted his breathing and focused more intently on the characters before him. He didn't notice the look Yan Qinghe gave him when he turned his gaze back to the paper.

'He gets embarrassed so easily. Forget it, I won't tease him anymore.' While listening to Yan Zhuohua's explanation, Yan Qinghe looked at the person beside him with an affectionate gaze. He had originally planned to have him teach him character by character, hand-in-hand, but thinking better of scaring him away, he could only regretfully give up on the idea.

It's fine. Once the wedding is over and they're on their honeymoon, it'll just be the two of them on the island. At that time... Yan Qinghe immediately cut off his train of thought to avoid being unable to hide his expression.

He'd have someone send some calligraphy and painting supplies over first to prepare in advance. Yan Qinghe was delighted internally while remaining composed on the outside.

Yan Zhuohua suddenly felt something was off, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was. He just felt like he was being watched.

Yan Qinghe withdrew his gaze and refocused his attention on practicing the characters.

The two stayed in the calligraphy room all day, not leaving except for lunch and bathroom breaks.

Spending the whole day in the same room in close proximity, while there were no outward changes, the familiarity in their gestures made their closeness immediately apparent to anyone.

Yan Qinghe felt that today had not been wasted.

With the practice mostly done, they finished writing the invitations the next day, Sunday.

There weren't many special invitations that required their personal touch; they were mainly for very close family, friends, and guests of special status. Everyone else received a different set of invitations that only required Yan Zhuohua to fill in a name.

By evening, all the invitations were packaged by the family and sent out under the direction of Uncle Ye, the butler.

Having finally finished one task, everyone was a bit tired. However, some were still full of excitement and energy—specifically, the three women.

They were currently having a heated discussion about the wedding photos.

The outfits for the shoot were ready, and an internationally renowned photography team had been hired. Logically, there was nothing left to do but wait for the weekend to fly to H City in the southwest for the shoot. However, women's control over details is often much more meticulous.

The group had been discussing the jewelry accessories for that one outfit for several days. Yan Zhuohua became the biggest victim of this, forced to constantly change clothes and accessories like a character in 'Miracle Nikki.' He estimated he'd lose several pounds if this continued for a few more days.

Seeing their discussion grow even more intense, as if they were about to make him change clothes for them right then and there, Yan Zhuohua decisively pulled Yan Qinghe upstairs and fled the scene.

The people downstairs watched their retreating backs as they left together, and the bustling noise gradually died down.

As observers, they were always clearer about the situation than the two involved, Yan Zhuohua and Yan Qinghe.

When Zhuohua first returned, the atmosphere between the two was that of 'unfamiliar relatives.' Thus, it was easy for everyone to guess that their marriage was for other reasons rather than a normal romance. To that end, Yan Zhuoyang had even spoken with Yan Qinghe on behalf of everyone, wanting to protect Yan Zhuohua as much as possible.

But after everything that had happened these past few days, it was clear that the atmosphere between them had gradually shifted from 'unfamiliar relatives' to 'people who just met on a blind date,' until now, where they finally looked a bit like 'people in love.'

This change allowed everyone to feel more at ease. After all, if they truly weren't happy, no matter who got hurt, the family members would be very sad.

However, behind everyone's relief, Yan Zhuoyi and Yan Zhuoyan exchanged a glance. The two shared a knowing smile, understanding each other's thoughts, and then took advantage of the group's renewed argument over whether or not to wear earrings to sneak out one after the other.

In the waterside pavilion of the small garden in the courtyard, Yan Zhuoyi waited for the arriving Yan Zhuoyan.

As soon as Yan Zhuoyan sat down, he asked, "You noticed it too?"

Yan Zhuoyi nodded. "It's a bit too obvious. I suspect Mom, Uncle, and Aunt have also realized it to some extent. It's only Zhuoyue and Yan Zhuoyang, those two without a romantic bone in their bodies, who are still there worrying and celebrating at the same time."

Yan Zhuoyan gave his older cousin a look of agreement and then asked with a slight frown, "What I can't figure out right now is how Qinghe fell for Zhuohua. The two of them really didn't have much interaction."

"That's why I didn't dare to be certain for the past couple of days. Qinghe's behavior suggests he knows Zhuohua very well, and his emotions are clearly displayed; looking at it all together, it's a clear case of love growing over time. But Zhuohua went from having zero feelings at the start to just now showing a few sparks. No matter how you look at it, it's strange. If I didn't know Qinghe's character and history well enough, I'd suspect he was using Zhuohua as someone's substitute," Yan Zhuoyi said, still unable to wrap his head around it.

Yan Zhuoyan couldn't figure it out either. "I also once suspected I was wrong, but the facts are just that magical."

After speaking, Yan Zhuoyan seemed to have a mischievous idea. He peeked at Yan Zhuoyi, then leaned in with a well-behaved and expectant face, saying, "Why don't you go ask Qinghe? Aren't you curious, Cousin?"

Yan Zhuoyi gave him a speechless glare. "If you're curious, go yourself. I'm not curious."

Yan Zhuoyan pursed his lips and gave up on the idea of causing trouble.

A cool breeze blew, and a small koi suddenly leaped out of the water and splashed back down, creating a series of ripples.

Yan Zhuoyi admired the nimbly swimming koi for a moment before suddenly speaking, "How long do you think it'll take for Qinghe to achieve his goal with his methods?"

Yan Zhuoyan propped up his head and dropped a few grains of fish food into the water. "He's already got the person; is getting the heart really that hard? Isn't it practically in the bag? And do you think Zhuohua would refuse him?"

After speaking, Yan Zhuoyan wiped the fish food residue off his hands. "Besides, look at his step-by-step methods. To have this much progress in just a few days... it makes me wonder which one of them is the person the family spent over a decade grooming."

Yan Zhuoyi also stood up and said, "There's no helping it. Zhuohua is indeed a bit dense when it comes to emotions, and he's naturally unguarded against Qinghe. Even if you gave him a few more years, he might not be a match for Qinghe. But when it comes to other non-emotional tactics, Zhuohua still has the upper hand."

"Isn't that obvious? Zhuohua was raised for this since he was a child, after all, and his talent is better than Qinghe's." Yan Zhuoyan followed his cousin back, then suddenly took a quick step and grabbed his arm. "Hey, Brother, what if I told Zhuohua all about Qinghe's tactics? If they started playing each other, who do you think would win?"

"Don't go looking for trouble, Yan Zhuoyan. Have you had enough of a peaceful life?" Yan Zhuoyi vetoed the idea immediately.

Yan Zhuoyan's second attempt at causing trouble failed, and he followed back dejectedly.

Time flew by during the busy days. July ended, and more than half of August had passed. With only a few days left until the wedding, most matters had been handled. Yan Zhuohua's injury had long since healed, leaving no trace behind.

Early this morning, Yan Zhuohua was woken up.

Yan Family weddings usually take place after being added to the genealogy. Since Yan Qinghe was the next Clan Leader, he had a specific ceremony, while other members' entry into the genealogy was simpler. Because the timeline for his and Yan Qinghe's wedding was indeed tight, the genealogy ceremony was scheduled for three days before the wedding. Today, the main relatives of the family arrived early to prepare for the process, with the ceremony set for 8:00 AM tomorrow. Yan Qinghe was still busy working at the company, so the job of entertaining relatives naturally fell to Yan Zhuohua, who was confined at home.

Fortunately, his kind-hearted Second Brother and Older Female Cousin proactively stayed behind to help entertain; otherwise, he would have been worked to death.

While the elders of each branch were chatting in the living room, Zhuoyue used the excuse of making juice to pull her two younger brothers into the kitchen for a break.

"Is this job even meant for humans? The three of us are running around in circles. I don't know how Mom and Aunt managed back then." Zhuoyue felt deep admiration for the two mistresses of the house just thinking about it.

As the protagonist, Yan Zhuohua hadn't rested from beginning to end. Besides arranging for the guests, he also served as a part-time conversationalist. He had been talking from morning until noon, and his throat was parched. He tilted his head back and gulped down a large glass of water, only then feeling the fire in his throat subside slightly.

Yan Zhuoyan was also exhausted. He slumped in a chair and spoke weakly, "I really didn't know our family had so many relatives. Those who came today are just the elders of various branches. When everyone shows up for the New Year, I'm afraid the house won't even have room to stand."

"Luckily, this job will belong to Zhuohua from now on," Zhuoyue said with a mischievous grin, looking at Yan Zhuohua. "Isn't that right, our Yan Family's next Matriarch?"

Yan Zhuohua didn't want to talk and just rolled his eyes at her.

Yan Zhuoyan's interest was piqued. He loved causing trouble, and seeing as Yan Zhuohua's throat was too sore to want to speak, this was the perfect time to strike. "Zhuohua, Zhuohua, my precious little brother, tell your brother quickly—how does it feel to go from being the heir to suddenly becoming the future Matriarch?"

Yan Zhuohua spat a "Pah!" at his face.

Zhuoyue added fuel to the fire from the side. "This is like going from Crown Prince to Crown Princess Consort, from Prince Regent to Empress, from General to Princess Consort, from the eldest legitimate son to a child bride... Hahahahahahaha!"

Yan Zhuoyan and Zhuoyue jumped up and high-fived, while Yan Zhuohua felt like pouring the juice in his hand over their heads.