After I Stopped Being a Simp, My Husband Fell for Me on His Own - Chapter 5

A few days after returning to classes, Yu Yi attended his own engagement ceremony. It took place on an unremarkable weekend at the Ji estate. For the first time, Yu Yi encountered a home so vast that it took five minutes to drive from the main gate to the buildings. This was in the Upper District, where land was as expensive as gold. It was far more extravagant than the Cheng family home. He wondered if this was one of those legendary households where walking to the bathroom took half a day. It was incredibly opulent.

Yu Yi had expected a massive crowd to watch him like a monkey in a zoo. He had spent the car ride mentally preparing himself, but the actual scene was unexpected. In the sprawling garden, there were only about a dozen guests, including a few members of the Cheng family. Yu Yi wore a white suit chosen by Bai Changfeng. Having never worn such formal attire before, he felt entirely out of place. Perhaps it was the nerves.

The necktie had also been tied by Bai Changfeng in the car. Yu Yi watched awkwardly as those fair, slender hands skillfully fashioned the knot and smoothed the creases of his suit. He found himself wondering if his mother, Yu Qing, would have tied his tie like this on his wedding day if she were still alive. He decided she would not have; she only knew how to tie messy bows.

Interrupting his thoughts, Bai Changfeng said, “The way you look in that suit is very much like your father when he was young.”

Cheng Sui possessed the high-quality genes of the Upper District, so his looks were certainly not bad, but Yu Yi did not consider resembling his scumbag father a compliment. He muttered quietly, “Was he that much like a Beta?”

Hearing this, Bai Changfeng gently tapped Yu Yi’s forehead with a tender smile. “It is that you look like an Alpha.”

If they were not the son of a former wife and a stepmother, the moment would have seemed quite heartwarming.

“I do not think that is a compliment,” Yu Yi grumbled.

“Is it not? I believe it is,” Bai Changfeng replied. “I am not good at praising people, so just take it as a compliment for now.”

“Mhm,” Yu Yi nodded absent-mindedly.

“Are you nervous?”

“How could I not be?” Yu Yi asked. “I have never even met him.” He meant meeting him now that their relationship was officially defined.

“You,” Bai Changfeng started to speak, looking surprised, but the music suddenly began to play before he could continue.

As they both looked toward the garden, Yu Yi’s anxiety spiked. Ji Xingxiao had arrived. He was the legendary future commander, a natural Ability User, and the only son of the Military District’s supreme leader. He had arrived.

Yu Yi looked over with a sense of anticipation. Just as he had seen at first glance, the man had refined, deep-set features. His dark pupils seemed to hold the fragmented light of dawn, making him look melancholic and profound. He was his fiancé with the chosen one script.

Ji Xingxiao frowned slightly while chatting with his family, then turned his gaze toward Yu Yi. Yu Yi’s heart hammered against his ribs. He reflexively gripped the cufflinks on his sleeves. The cool metal grazing his fingertips helped clear his head. He realized these must be incredibly expensive.

As Ji Xingxiao fully turned around, Yu Yi’s heart beat even faster. He was his brilliant and talented fiancé. However, as the other half of Ji Xingxiao’s face came into view, Yu Yi saw a large, prominent black mark extending from his temple to his brow bone. It looked like a small black mask.

Yu Yi wondered if he was being mysterious or if this was a masquerade ball. He recalled serving food at masked parties for the wealthy before. Those people played strange games when they wore masks, as if the disguise made them less than human. Recalling that their first meeting was at the most expensive nightclub in the Upper District, Yu Yi concluded that Ji Xingxiao must also be a heavy partier.

A servant respectfully opened the car door for Yu Yi. He stepped out into the courtyard. The sunlight hit his white suit, making him look as though he were bathed in a holy light, while the red gemstones in his cufflinks sparkled brilliantly. Yu Yi felt he had never looked this respectable in his entire life.

Nearby, Ji Xingxiao wore a pure black suit with gold patterns on the cuffs and hem. Combined with his deep features, he looked understated yet regal.

Wait, what was that?

Yu Yi squinted and froze in confusion. As he drew closer, he realized the black mark on the man’s face was not a mask at all. It was a massive, black birthmark.

He could hardly believe it. In the Upper District, where genes were strictly selected, every Alpha and Omega was supposed to be exceptionally handsome. Even a Beta with average looks would not have an extra mole, let alone a birthmark this size. It almost seemed like a medical oversight. One half of his face was strikingly handsome, while the other was covered by the mark.

After staring for a while, a specific thought popped into Yu Yi’s head: a cow-patterned cat. He looked like the stray black and white cats in the Lower District that were elegant, athletic, and sleek. Yu Yi had always wanted to adopt one, but he could barely afford to feed himself back then, so he had settled for petting them for free.

Perhaps because Yu Yi was staring so intently, the tall man noticed. Ji Xingxiao frowned impatiently, his voice cold and imposing. “What are you looking at?”

Yu Yi realized it was rude to stare at someone’s birthmark and quickly looked away. “Nothing.”

Fortunately, Ji Xingxiao did not press the matter. They stood in an awkward silence, staring at one another. Yu Yi felt uncomfortable everywhere. He was about to be engaged to this man who was two years younger than him but nearly a head taller. By any measure, Yu Yi was getting the better end of the deal, but he wondered what Ji Xingxiao thought.

Regardless of their thoughts, they proceeded to the ring exchange. Yu Yi stared at the ring, which was a simple and plain band that seemed modest compared to the Ji family’s immense wealth. He wondered if he would have received something more expensive if he were an Omega. For a family of the Ji rank, giving a plain band for an engagement seemed stingy.

However, Yu Yi was used to it. Cheng Sui had not visited him since his parents divorced when he was three, and his mother had largely ignored him after finding her new partner. He had never received special treatment and had grown up like a wild weed. This engagement ceremony felt consistent with his overlooked life.

He took Ji Xingxiao’s hand. The man’s fingers were long and elegant, the kind where veins became prominent when gripping something. His hand was cold and stiff as he let Yu Yi manipulate it. Yu Yi slid the band on and smiled at him. Ji Xingxiao watched him during the process, but when Yu Yi looked up and smiled, the man looked away and refused to meet his eyes again.

The ceremony was so simple that Yu Yi was still in a daze when it ended. Afterward, they seemed to be forgotten. Yu Yi wanted to chat with Ji Xingxiao, but the man left quickly.

Yu Yi stood there for a moment, noticing Cheng Sui and Bai Changfeng talking with the Ji family. Bai Ziqi had already gone back to class. Even though he and Ji Xingxiao were the protagonists, Yu Yi felt like a transparent ghost once Ji Xingxiao departed.

He found a dessert and ate it in a corner. His phone vibrated, and he pulled it out while holding a spoon in his mouth. It was a message from the school. He read it and cursed under his breath. The message stated that his payment had failed and the school dormitories were full, meaning there was no spot for him.

He wondered where he would live. Would he live at the Cheng house? The money he had received was enough to rent a decent place nearby. He preferred living alone to staying in someone else’s house, so he began browsing for apartments near the school in a better mood. He felt this was a great deal; the engagement felt unofficial, yet he had a large sum of money.

However, his happiness was short-lived. That evening, Cheng Sui called him into the study. Yu Yi went reluctantly and was stunned by what his father said.

Essentially, Ji Xingxiao was not interested in him. The Ji family had stated they never intended to publicize the engagement and that everything depended on Ji Xingxiao’s wishes. If Ji Xingxiao had no intention of marrying, the ceremony would be considered void.

“What do you mean?” Yu Yi asked, stunned. “Did I not pass the physical exam?”

Cheng Sui looked at Yu Yi’s naivety with exasperation. “Passing a physical does not mean anything.”

“Then what was that ceremony? Were we playing house?” Yu Yi snapped. He thought it was over, but he had still failed to pass.

“Yu Yi,” Cheng Sui said seriously. “I will give you a sum of money. This is the last time. To be honest, the Upper District does not suit you.”

Yu Yi looked up sharply. “What about the Defense Academy?”

Cheng Sui sighed. “Changfeng is right; you are not suited for the Defense Academy. With your talent, it is too much of a struggle.”

“I do not think it is a struggle.” Yu Yi’s eyes sparkled with stubbornness as he stared at his father. “It is only the first semester. Why have you already reached a conclusion?”

Cheng Sui looked at him with a sense of helplessness. Yu Yi tried to explain, feeling desperate to prove himself. “I have been working part-time to earn a living, so I have not had the time or energy to study those things. The Lower District never taught me about mechas, abilities, or pheromones. But if you give me time,”

The pity in Cheng Sui’s eyes suggested the outcome was already decided. Yu Yi felt humiliated and nearly broke down. The beautiful life he had just imagined vanished. “I am not like you people who only have to study these things since childhood. I,”

He paused and sniffed, trying to look calm. He repeated himself: “It is only the first semester. What right do you have to say that?”

“Have you considered what you will do if you cannot graduate and the Ji family does not accept you?” Cheng Sui asked. “If the end is already known, do not waste time pursuing it.”

Yu Yi stood frozen.

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