Chapter Text
Luo Binghe looked around the dreamscape, enjoying the familiar beauty of it. It didn’t take long before Shen Yuan showed up as well, though Luo Binghe couldn’t help feeling somewhat taken aback by the sight of his friend. “A-Yuan, you…” he trailed off, not sure exactly how to put his thoughts into words.
Shen Yuan looked concerned, and reached out to press his hand against Luo Binghe’s forehead, like he needed to check for a fever when they were both asleep. “Binghe? What is it?”
Luo Binghe’s skin felt too warm where Shen Yuan was touching it, so he forced himself to take a step back so that he could have some room to breath. “You look the same as when you’re awake,” he finally said once he was able to put the thought into words.
Shen Yuan glanced down at himself like he expected to see something completely different, then looked back up at Luo Binghe with a shrug. “We spend almost every day together,” he pointed out. “Are you really so surprised that I’ve grown up?”
It had been a few months since they’d met up in the dream realm, since Shen Yuan tended to err on the side of caution and not risk telling Luo Binghe anything that he shouldn’t. Apparently that time apart was enough time apart for Luo Binghe to finally reach see in a way he hadn’t noticed before. He plopped down onto a chair that suddenly appeared behind him. “I guess I somehow never actually expected you to catch up.”
Shen Yuan rolled his eyes. “What? Worried you won’t always be taller than me anymore?”
“I hardly think you’ve grown up that much,” Luo Binghe protested.
Shen Yuan’s snort of amusement showed that he had just been winding Luo Binghe up on purpose. “Well, ta-da, I guess.”
“Is the dream version of you going to grow up more now that your real self is almost caught up?” Luo Binghe wondered.
Shen Yuan shrugged. “I don’t actually know everything,” he pointed out in a dry voice.
Instead of playing along with the usual kind of teasing that they two of them used with each other, Luo Binghe could only stare. Now that he knew that this Shen Yuan looked pretty much the same as the one he saw while awake, he couldn’t help finding himself endlessly fascinated in a way he hadn’t expected.
All of his staring must have made Shen Yuan feel self-conscious, because his cheeks flushed a light pink, and he avoided making eye contact. “Was there something you needed help with?” That was usually the only reason to meet up here instead of in the real world, afterall.
After a moment, Luo Binghe was able to calmly shake his head. “No. I- I just wanted to see you.”
Shen Yuan’s blush got darker, but he didn’t try to send Luo Binghe away. He just nodded and sat down next to him so that they could spend the rest of the night side by side.
,,,
Shen Yuan looked up from his book when he heard someone sit down across from him, and he tilted his head at Luo Binghe curiously. “Aren’t you leaving for a mission today?” He’d even set up a little alarm talisman that would go off around the time that Luo Binghe was supposed to leave so that Shen Yuan would remember to go and see him off.
There was a strangely serious look in Luo Binghe’s eyes as he nodded. “Yes, but I wanted to speak to you first. It’s…” he trailed off, looking uncharacteristically awkward.
Shen Yuan flipped his book upside down so that it would be held open on the right page, and gave Luo Binghe his full attention. “Yes? Is everything okay?”
“It’s just that I’ve had a lot of time to think lately. I’ve noticed that Gongyi Xiao has come by to visit a lot recently,” he added without any build up. Then, like he’d made it a challenge to himself to avoid making any sense, he suddenly asked, “Have you ever given much thought to the idea of marriage?”
Shen Yuan furrowed his eyebrows as he tried to figure out what Luo Binghe was actually asking him. Based on what else had just been said, there was really only one conclusion that could be reached, even if it was one that made no sense. “Binghe, you- you want to marry Gongyi Xiao??” He didn’t think that would work out for multiple reasons- including the fact that Gongyi Xiao was already engaged to the Huan Hua Palace Master’s daughter! Not to mention that marrying a head disciple of a different sect would almost certainly mean that Luo Binghe would have to leave Cang Qiong behind, and then… Shen Yuan shook his head, trying to rid himself of the uncomfortable feeling that rose in his chest at the thought of not being able to see Luo Binghe everyday.
Luo Binghe shook his head, looking somewhat frustrated. He leaned forward to take hold of one of Shen Yuan’s newly freed hands. “No! No. What I’m trying to say is… I like you.”
The last three words came out in a jumble, like Luo Binghe had to speed through them before he could lose his courage. Those words sent a jolt of something traitorously hopeful through Shen Yuan’s chest, but he firmly squashed those feelings down and offered Luo Binghe a very platonic smile, since he knew full well that that was all that Luo Binghe meant. “I like you too,” he easily returned. “You’re my favorite person in this world!” He wasn’t sure what to make of the look on Luo Binghe’s face, so Shen Yuan decided to go with the strategy that usually worked- just keep talking until the uncomfortable subject was forgotten about. “Anyways, it’s been a while since just the two of us have been able to hang out, so why don’t we do something together once you get home from your mission?”
That wasn’t exactly true, about them not having spent time together in a while. In fact, they’d gone on several recent outings into town and in the surrounding area with just the two of them. As much as Shen Yuan liked his other friends, he couldn’t deny that he enjoyed those little trips with just Luo Binghe the best. He was even mature enough now to understand why he felt that way. Knowing he had a juvenile crush on his best friend didn’t make it any easier, though, to accept that Luo Binghe would be moving on someday.
,,,
Luo Binghe had made sure that Shen Yuan was busy helping Ming Fan with one of the younger classes before he dared make his way to the bamboo house. Even after all the time he’d spent here over the years, it still felt strange to be there without Shen Yuan present as well. But Luo Binghe was on an important mission, which meant that he could work past his own minor discomfort for the sake of getting what he wanted.
Shen Qingqiu was idly strumming a few chords to a song Luo Binghe didn’t recognize, and he didn’t stop when Luo Binghe knelt across from him. He kept going until the song reached its natural end, and only then did he gently rest his hand flat on top of the guqin to halt the movement of the strings. “Is there something Disciple Luo needs?” Shen Qingqiu asked in the dry kind of voice that meant he wasn’t going to make things easy for his student.
Luo Binghe bowed and then gave Shen Qingqiu a charming smile, even though he knew that his shizun was immune to such things. “This disciple was hoping to obtain Shizun’s guidance in a very sensitive matter.”
Shen Qingqiu scoffed and shook his head. “No.”
This was to be expected, since Shen Qingqiu was rarely feeling in a particularly helpful mood, at least when it came to anyone aside from his son. Still, Luo Binghe pressed on. “It is regarding A-Yuan. Surely Shizun is concerned about his only child’s happiness and future?”
Shen Qingqiu pulled out one of his many fans as he shook his head again. “There is no need for an explanation. This master is well aware of what Disciple Luo is asking. I have already given you my answer. If you are truly confident in your ability to make Shen Yuan happy, then you must prove yourself.”
Luo Binghe couldn’t help letting out a small sigh. “But he’s just so…” he trailed off.
Shen Qingqiu nodded once. “Indeed.” But still did not offer his help.
Resigned to figure this out on his own, Luo Binghe left the bamboo house, mind racing through all of the different ideas he had. He ended up returning to the dorms and pulling out a piece of paper so that he could keep all of his ideas in one place. The most important thing, he knew, was to make sure that there were no loopholes for Shen Yuan to try and logic his way through.
It took a few hours, but he knew that the effort would be worth it if it meant that Luo Binghe would finally be able to get his point across. He carefully folded his paper once he was sure it was dry, and slipped it up his sleeve before heading out to find Shen Yuan.
Even though it was getting close to dinner time, it wasn’t a surprise to find that he was still working with the baby disciples. Working with the kids was something that Shen Yuan had taken a real shine to. It probably helped that the little ones always fought over his attention because they all wanted to take turns flying around on Shen Yuan’s lion form.
As he got closer to the practice field, he could hear Shen Yuan gently correcting the stance of a girl who couldn’t be older than ten or eleven. “-and keep your shoulders relaxed… Yes, exactly like that, good job!”
The girl grinned over at her friends before turning to bow to Shen Yuan. “Thank you, Shizun!”
Shen Yuan’s eyes widened, and then he held a hand up to try and muffle his laughter. “Don’t let Peak Lord Shen hear you calling me that, or he’ll have a conniption!” he told her, voice too light for the warning to be taken seriously. Then Shen Yuan noticed Luo Binghe standing there, and his eyes lit up. “Now there’s someone who could really show you a thing or two. Binghe, get over here!”
Luo Binghe obeyed, but noticed that the juniors didn’t seem particularly thrilled about his arrival. “But Shixiong, he always hogs you, and then we can’t learn anything,” one boy petulantly explained.
Shen Yuan rolled his eyes like he thought it was ridiculous, but Luo Binghe only felt pleased at the thought that even these little disciples knew who was most important to Shen Yuan in the end. “Actually, I was hoping to steal your shixiong away,” Luo Binghe confessed.
A few of the kids groaned, but they knew that Shen Yuan was going to dismiss them, so they preempted it by thanking him for his help and then hurrying off towards the dining hall.
Once the kids were gone, Shen Yuan turned to look at Luo Binghe with one eyebrow raised in amusement. “You’re going to steal me away?”
Luo Binghe nodded. “Yup. You’re the one who said we should hang out when I get back, remember?”
“I thought you’d forgotten; you got home a couple of days ago and seemed quite busy,” Shen Yuan told him, but did not deny that he wanted to spend time together. Luo Binghe took Shen Yuan’s hand, and led him down the mountain and into town. He’d specifically picked this day, because he knew there was some kind of festival going on, one that involved pretty lanterns and special treats.
Due to the crowd being bigger than normal, they had to keep holding hands to avoid getting separated as they made their way around the festival at a leisurely pace. Even though Luo Binghe knew he could cook things way better than what was on sale, he still bought a treat from each vendor that caught Shen Yuan’s attention, and they shared all of the snacks with each other.
“There should be fireworks soon,” Luo Binghe said.
They finally slipped away from the crowd, heading to a small hill just outside town. It was close enough that they would still be able to see the fireworks, but far enough that they had some privacy. Luo Binghhe felt very nervous as he gestured for Shen Yuan to sit down on the blanket he’d packed. Shen Yuan looked at him curiously, perhaps sensing something different from their usual hang outs. “Binghe?”
Luo Binghe took a deep breath in, then slowly let it out. He closed his eyes for a moment to make sure that he could recall everything he’d written down earlier, since it seemed tacky to actually pull the paper out right now, and then he opened his eyes and looked directly at Shen Yuan. “A-Yuan, please don’t say anything until I’m finished, alright?” Shen Yuan nodded, so Luo Binghe let out a small sigh of relief, and then began. “A-Yuan, I like you a lot- that is to say, I love you. I’m in love with you. In a romantic way. You saved my life and gave me a home, but that home is not Qing Jing Peak, it is you. We’ve been there for each other through all of the happiest and scariest moments, and it has been a privilege to watch you change the world.
“I love how smart you are, and how you are always willing to put in the work and do the research for yourself if there’s an answer you can’t find. I love your kindness and big heart, whether it’s aimed towards a poor boy being bullied in an alley or towards someone who has done harm and would not be given a second chance by anyone else.
“I love how you effortlessly draw everyone into your orbit, and even though it drives me crazy sometimes, I love how you’re not even aware of the effect you have on others. I love your smile and the sound of your laughter and I love a million other things about you too.”
Luo Binghe paused to take a deep breath before continuing. “All that is to say, or to ask, really, if you would marry me, A-Yuan. This is not a practice speech meant for anyone else, this is an honest request, from this Binghe to his A-Yuan. I know you once seemed to think I would marry Ning Yingying, but truthfully I can’t imagine a single person in this entire world that I would like to marry other than you.” He slowly exhaled. “Now you can talk,” he finished quietly.
There was only silence for a moment, and then Luo Binghe smelled the salty tang of tears in the air. He leaned closer to see the tears slowly tracking down Shen Yuan’s cheeks, and he panicked for a moment until Shen Yuan finally spoke. “You really- you really mean all that?”
“Yes,” Luo Binghe assured him, though he was unable to entirely hide his exasperation at the question after all the work he’d put into making sure that his little speech could not be misconstrued. When there was no further response, he hesitantly started to say, “If- if you don’t feel the same way-”
Then Luo Binghe was suddenly knocked onto his back by the force of Shen Yuan launching himself directly at him. There were still some tears on Shen Yuan’s face, glinting faintly in the moonlight, but the wide grin he wore seemed to negate the tears entirely. “Anybody would want to marry Binghe,” he insisted, as he had several times in the past, though there was a new emphasis on the word ‘anybody’ that Luo Binghe hadn’t picked up on before.
Still, he had to be absolutely sure that they were on the same page, given how awful Shen Yuan was at communication. “Anybody, including…?”
Shen Yuan’s cheeks turned pink, perhaps in embarrassment at having to actually voice his feelings, but he did confirm out loud, “I would be lucky to get the chance to marry you. I love you. You’re my favorite person in this world.”
That was also something that Shen Yuan had said many times in the past, but it took on a new meaning now, and Luo Binghe laughed as he wrapped his arms around Shen Yuan, content to remain on the ground where he was. When the fireworks finally went off, the brilliant display of lights had nothing on the dazzling gleam in Shen Yuan’s eyes that left Luo Binghe feeling breathless with awe and joy.
,,,
Shen Qingqiu raised one eyebrow at the sight of Luo Binghe and Shen Yuan sitting across from him, Alaric, Mei Yu, and Tianlang-jun. The boys had requested the presence of the four of them for an ‘important announcement’. From the way that Shen Yuan and Luo Binghe couldn’t stop looking at each other and then blushing, Shen Qingqiu could guess what this was about. But he didn’t say anything, preferring to let the boys sweat for a moment. If they wanted to discuss this, then those two would have to be the ones to start the conversation.
A quick glance at the other adults revealed that they most likely also understood what this meeting was about, but none of them said anything about it either. Alaric cleared his throat and leaned forward slightly. “So what did you two wish to discuss?”
Shen Yuan and Luo Binghe exchanged yet another glance, like that each thought that the other would disappear if they were to look away for too long- it was utterly ridiculous. After a moment of some silent communication between the two, Shen Yuan was the one who blurted out, “We’re getting married!”
“This seems so sudden,” Tianlang-jun commented, as if everyone hadn’t gotten sick of those two boys dancing around each other for years now. “Which one of you got knocked up?”
Luo Binghe scowled while Shen Yuan spluttered uselessly. Mei Yu turned to look at Tianlang-jun with one eyebrow raised scoldingly, but of course the Heavenly Demon was entirely unaffected. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say that he enjoyed getting scolded. It was certainly something that Shen Qingqiu had no interest in learning more about.
Alaric shook his head. “I talked about these things with A-Yuan ages ago, so he definitely knows better than to do anything too irresponsible.”
Shen Yuan’s face turned red enough that it looked like it might catch on fire. “What- of course we didn’t- no one is-” then he cut himself off and a look that seemed to combine dread and curiosity crept up. “But we’re both boys…”
“Plenty of flowers in this world for all kinds of outcomes,” Tianlang-jun cheerfully pointed out.
Shen Yuan buried his face in his hands and muttered, “Oh my god, let’s just elope,” to Luo Binghe.
Mei Yu frowned and looked at the pair with big eyes. “You would deprive a poor mother of the chance to see her only child get married?”
“He was just joking,” Luo Binghe quickly assured his mother. “Of course we’re happy to take any advice our elders may have for us.”
Alaric glanced at Shen Qingqiu as Mei Yu immediately started discussing what kind of flowers would look best, and who would make the wedding robes, and what dates would be most auspicious. “You’ve been awfully quiet,” he said softly.
Shen Qingqiu scoffed. “I’m just thinking about how pleasantly quiet it will be without those two hooligans running around causing trouble all the time.”
Alaric chuckled at that. “As if you’ll be able to keep them away.”
Shen Qingqiu didn’t have to say anything out loud to acknowledge that Alaric was right. He had no doubt that even if they got married and headed out into the world together, Shen Yuan and Luo Binghe would return home often. It was probably for the best. He’d gotten used to their presence over the years, and thought that perhaps it might even be too quiet without them around.
,,,
Shang Qinghua heard the door to his office open, and he heard someone step inside. He knew that there was only a very small number of people his head disciple would allow inside without announcing them, so he felt comfortable finishing up the budget report he was working on before finally looking up.
He offered Shen Yuan a friendly smile. “I heard the news. Congratulations.”
“Thanks.”
Shang Qinghua frowned at the lack of enthusiasm in Shen Yuan’s voice. Most people were a bit more excited than that to get married to someone they’d chosen. “Is everything alright?” he hesitantly asked, not sure that he actually wanted to get involved in whatever drama might exist.
Shen Yuan sighed heavily as he sank down into the seat across from Shang Qinghua’s desk. “Shouldn’t you be the one telling me that something is wrong?” When Shang Qinghua shook his head in confusion, Shen Yuan scooted forward to the edge of his seat. “I know I still don’t really remember all… that,” he gestured to indicate ‘everything that existed outside of the world of PIDW’. “But of the things that I do know, isn’t Binghe supposed to marry like a million other people? I was so happy when he asked me, but now I can’t stop thinking about how I’m preventing him from fulfilling his destiny and being happy like he’s meant to be.”
Ah, now Shang Qinghua understood the problem. At least this was one of the rare times where he might actually be able to do something to help. “He did originally have a large harem,” Shang Qinghua said, quickly hurrying on before Shen Yuan could interrupt. “He was also supposed to lose his mother, spend years being tortured by his shizun, and get pushed into the Endless Abyss. You wouldn’t say you were depriving him of his happiness by preventing any of those, right?”
“No, of course not! But this is different-!”
Shang Qinghua held up one hand to cut him off. “Do you know, even with a hundred wives, even if he’d had three thousand of them, he would have never been truly happy. All he was ever searching for was just one person who would truly love him. If he’d had that, he would have never kept looking. Do you love him?”
Shen Yuan nodded. “Obviously.”
Shang Qinghua nodded as well, satisfied with the conclusion he had helped lead Shen Yuan to. “There you go, then.”
He was just starting to feel quite pleased with himself when Shen Yuan cleared his throat. “There is one other thing,” he said, sounding uncharacteristically hesitant.
Shang Qinghua tilted his head. “Yes?”
“What’s this I hear about flowers that can make anyone pregnant??” He demanded to know, rising out of his seat to tower over Shang Qinghua in a way that made him start to fear for his life. How were the two Shens so similar when there was no actual blood relation between them? And more importantly, what could Shang Qinghua say to defend himself against his most passionate little critic???
He quickly stood as well, grabbing the talisman Mobei-jun had given him to use in case of emergencies. “Ahaha, I just remembered that I was supposed to meet with my king today. I’ll see you at the wedding!” he squeaked out before ripping the talisman and getting whisked away to the northern palace.
,,,
“I am not bowing to that man,” Luo Binghe muttered when the conversation came to the topic of Tianlang-jun. Shen Yuan didn’t even react to that. Probably because he knew by this point that it was said more out of habit than out of any real enmity towards Tianlang-jun. Luo Binghe would probably never actually think of the man as his father, but even he had admitted that the man wasn’t all bad, especially not when he was the one able to make Mei Yu happy.
Shen Yuan motioned for Luo Binghe to turn so that he could see the other side of his wedding robes. Mei Yu had both offered to make the robes, but Shen Yuan had insisted on doing it himself. Luo Binghe was helping by making all of the food, and Shen Yuan didn’t want to be the lazy one who didn’t even contribute to his own wedding. The downside of this was, unfortunately, that Shen Yuan was not particularly talented at needlework.
As he carefully tugged out another tangled thread he’d spotted, Luo Binghe reached down to lightly rest his hand on the top of Shen Yuan’s head. He’d already tried making the argument that Shen Yuan shouldn’t stress himself out so much when it was meant to be a happy day, so he didn’t try saying that again. Instead, he only said, “No matter what the final result looks like, it will be the most beautiful set of wedding robes ever.”
“Yeah right,” Shen Yuan mumbled around the several pins he was holding with his lips.
“It’s true,” Luo Binghe insisted. “We could both be wearing cheap work clothes with holes and stains and it wouldn’t matter because you would look beautiful in anything.”
Shen Yuan felt his face warm up, and he ducked his head down to inspect the hemline rather than meeting Luo Binghe’s face. “Binghe would too,” he mumbled once he had a few less pins in his mouth. “You would look beautiful in anything.”
Luo Binghe glanced down to make sure that he wouldn’t be damaging Shen Yuan’s hard work, and then he reached down to grab Shen Yuan’s arm and pulled him up to his feet for a kiss. “Binghe!” Shen Yuan hissed, not feeling nearly as scandalized as he probably should. He wished he could do a better job of hiding the smile that threatened to break out across his face, because it only seemed to encourage Luo Binghe further.
Luckily (?) they were interrupted by the front door of the bamboo house opening. The thought of getting caught kissing by Shen Qingqiu of all people was more than enough motivation for Shen Yuan to quickly step away and get back to looking busy.
When Shen Qingqiu didn’t say anything, Shen Yuan risked looking up at him, and saw that Shen Qingqiu was staring at Luo Binghe’s half-finished robes. “You did that?” Prepared for some constructive criticism, Shen Yuan bravely nodded. There was another moment of silence, and then Shen Qingqiu said, sounding almost reluctant to do so, “It looks decent so far.”
Shen Yuan grinned at the compliment. Shen Qingqiu wouldn’t lie, so if he thought that the robes looked okay, then it really meant that they weren’t too terrible. “Thank you, A-Die!”
Shen Qingqiu scoffed and then turned to leave again even though he’d just arrived and hadn’t even made a pretense of grabbing something from the house to justify why he’d just shown up. Shen Yuan snorted to himself, then knelt down so he could get back to work. Even if it was true that Luo Binghe would look good in anything, Shen Yuan was still going to do his best on these robes. Afterall, assuming everything went well, Luo Binghe would only have one wedding day, so it needed to be perfect.
,,,
As the day of the wedding rapidly approached, Shen Qingqiu found himself in a strange mood. Personally, he thought that Shen Yuan was far too young to get married, especially when he was slowly working his way towards immortality anyways, and would therefore have plenty of time to make these kinds of decisions. But in the end, Shen Yuan was, shockingly, an adult now, capable of making his own choices. And if Shen Yuan did have to marry someone so soon, Shen Qingqiu could admit, at least to himself, that Luo Binghe wasn’t the worst choice.
He passed by a merchant selling some toys, and paused when he spotted a miniature set of red robes, the perfect size for a particular doll that had not been played with in a while. Sensing his interest, the merchant immediately held up the tiny outfit. “Ah, the immortal master is very wise to recognize the quality and craftsmanship of all of these pieces!”
The quality was truly nothing special, but Shen Qingqiu impulsively bought the robes without bothering to haggle, and then headed back to Cang Qiong. The bamboo house was empty when he got there, so it was easy for Shen Qingqiu to slip into Shen Yuan’s room.
He frowned at how empty the room felt. Most of Shen Yuan’s belongings had already been packed up in preparation of moving to the newly constructed house that could be found in a certain clearing in the woods on Qing Jing Peak. There were still a few odds and ends left lying around, though, including a trunk with some of Shen Yuan’s old things.
He had to dig a little ways through the unorganized contents, but eventually found what he was looking for, and pulled Bingbing free. If he stopped to think about how much the doll resembled an adult Luo Binghe it would drive him crazy, so Shen Qingqiu elected to not think too much about that. Instead, he swapped out the doll’s usual outfit for the one he’d just purchased, and then positioned Bingbing to sit on top of the trunk, where it would immediately be spotted when Shen Yuan next came in.
The next few days passed very quickly, and then it was finally time. Everyone on Qing Jing obediently did whatever Mei Yu and Alaric instructed them to, decorating everything perfectly. Even the emperor himself had probably never had such a beautiful wedding.
There was so much else going on that Shen Qingqiu didn’t want to get in the way, so he sat down and patiently waited for the event to begin. While the rest of the guests filed in, Shen Qingqiu finally caught a glimpse of the two grooms. From where he was standing, he was able to make out the details that had been embroidered into the robes in shimmering golden thread, all manner of interesting looking creatures covering them both. Only Shen Yuan would dare have wedding robes that even depicted something getting its head torn off, complete with little golden drops of blood splattering out. Shen Qingqiu shook his head in disbelief, but didn’t say anything.
Before making their bows, Shen Yuan had insisted that he and Luo Binghe share vows with each other. They spoke words of devotion and promises to care for each other through every hardship and happiness going forward. The words were entirely unnecessary, as anyone with eyes could see the love shared by those two.
Then Shen Yuan and Luo Binghe knelt on the other side of the table where their parents were waiting. Shen Yuan’s hands shook slightly as he lifted the tea pot, and Luo Binghe reached out to steady them so that not a single drop would be spilled as the tea cups were slowly filled. There were six cups on the table, one each for Shen Qingqiu, Alaric, Mei Yu, and Tianlang-jun, as well as one for Su Xiyan and Shen Mei.
It felt like the rest of the ceremony was over too quickly, and then Luo Binghe and Shen Yuan got up and began to dance, beckoning for their guests to join in as well. The music was lively and everyone seemed full of good cheer.
As they spun each other around, Shen Qingqiu felt a warm hand on his arm, and he turned to look at Mei Yu, whose eyes were red. “So even you will cry at a wedding,” she commented lightly.
Shen Qingqiu had not even realized. He reached up to wipe at his cheeks, and found that he had indeed begun to cry. “It’s nothing,” he told her, opening his fan to block his face from view before anyone else could see. Mei Yu gave him a knocking look, but was kind enough to leave him alone.
When he was sure that no one would be paying him too much attention, Shen Qingqiu carefully lifted the cup of tea that had been poured for Shen Mei, and spoke very softly. “A-Mei, do you see your son over there? He’s grown so much since you knew him. He no longer needs your good night song or to be tucked in. He can lace his own shoes and goes on night hunts all by himself. His hurts are no longer as simple to patch with a bandage, and it takes more than a piece of cake to make him happy now. I wish you could see the complicated, kind, strong boy you made. And yet I am cruel enough to be grateful for the chance to raise him, even knowing the cost it came at. Forgive me. I can only hope that he’s everything you’d dreamed he would be. Rest peacefully now, knowing that he will have a good life, and he will be well taken care of.” He held the cup a moment longer, as if making a toast, and then poured it out onto the ground before setting it back down on the table.
He had to brush away another tear when he saw Shen Yuan bounding over to the table. “A-Die!” he called out. “Come dance with me!”
“If I must,” Shen Qingqiu grouched as he stood up and let himself be pulled into the crowd of dancers. The dancing made Shen Qingqiu feel somewhat foolish, but it was worth it, he supposed, for the bright grin it brought to Shen Yuan’s face.
,,,
Shen Yuan felt himself turn red when he and Luo Binghe excused themselves from the feast, as it led to a loud wolf whistle from Ning Yingying, which ignited laughter in many of the younger people present. He grabbed Luo Binghe’s hand and walked away as quickly as possible before his embarrassment could get any worse as he thought about the fact that everyone knew exactly what he and Luo Binghe would be doing together tonight.
To avoid getting his robes dirty, he shifted into his lion form, and Luo Binghe hopped onto Shen Yuan’s back without needing any prompting. He ran through the woods until he reached their new house. It was in the same clearing that held so many fond memories for both of them. It was too bad for Ning Yingying and Ming Fan, though- they would just have to find a new place to hang out.
Inside, Shen Yuan looked around and immediately realized that the design of this house was almost identical to Shen Qingqiu’s. He looked at Luo Binghe questioningly, and his- his husband(!!!) smiled shyly. “I thought A-Yuan would like to be somewhere familiar.”
“I love it,” Shen Yuan told him.
The biggest difference, of course, was that the master bedroom in this house belonged to the two of them. Shen Yuan gently pushed down on Luo Binghe’s shoulders so that he would sit on the stool in front of the vanity. Luo Binghe went along with it, and allowed Shen Yuan to carefully remove the ornaments from Luo Binghe’s hair, and then he oiled and brushed it all out.
Then they swapped places so that Luo Binghe could do the same for Shen Yuan. Their wedding robes were both taken off and carefully hung up in the closet. Even though they were unlikely to wear them again, Shen Yuan knew that they were both sentimental enough to hold onto them forever.
With all of the weight of ceremony removed from them, Luo Binghe offered Shen Yuan a bowl of dumplings he had prepared. “Just in case,” he said with a roguish grin.
Remembering how much he’d wanted to beat up Shang Qinghua after learning about certain plants that existed in the world, Shen Yuan quickly shook his head. He worried too much about what might happen if one of them were to bite into a raw one!
Apparently Luo Binghe had expected that reaction, because he only laughed good-naturedly, and then the two of them climbed into bed together, facing each other nervously. “Have you ever…?” Shen Yuan asked.
Luo Binghe quickly shook his head. “No. Have you?”
Shen Yuan shook his head as well. “No.” Well, it would be awkward, but they would just have to figure it all out together.
Before they could get started, though, Shen Yuan became aware of a strange noise, almost like a low humming, and he pulled away from Luo Binghe to look around in confusion. A moment later, he heard a very strange sounding voice, and a funny blue square seemed to appear out of nowhere. [System activation: successful. Launching all system settings for User_002.]
Between one blink and the next, Shen Yuan could remember everything from his previous life, up to the moment he’d died in a rage about the piece of shit story that he’d been occupying for the past twenty years. He slowly turned to look at Luo Binghe- at his husband!- with a new awareness of what it meant to bend the stallion protagonist the way he accidentally had. When he remembered the way he’d called the Luo Binghe ‘Bingbing’ as a child, he wanted to die of mortification. It was a good thing he was already married to Luo Binghe, because otherwise that was definitely the kind of thing that the almighty protagonist would want revenge for. “I’m going to kill him!” he growled as he fully realized just how much of the bullshit he’d been through could be blamed on Shang Qinghua. Luo Binghe just blinked at him in confusion.
The mechanical voice of the System spoke again. [Catching up on all user notifications. Sorting in order of newest to oldest. Ending achieved: Happily Ever After In a Life of Bliss with the Protagonist! Congratulations, congratulations, congratulations! Character Arc Complete: Reform the Scum Villain! Character points achieved-]
Shen Yuan sighed and flopped down so that his face was pressed against Luo Binghe’s chest. “Remind me to kill that idiot in the morning,” he said, voice somewhat muffled by Luo Binghe’s skin.
Luo Binghe reached up to gently rub his hand over Shen Yuan’s back. “Is everything okay?”
Shen Yuan sighed again as he closed his eyes to better ignore the two decades worth of notifications that were rapidly scrolling by on a floating blue screen. All things considered, now that he truly knew just how bad things could have gone, did he really have anything to complain about? The ‘ending’ the System claimed he’d earned had a cheesy title, but it was also true. “Yeah,” he finally answered before his husband could get too concerned. “Yeah, everything’s perfect.”