TSBDRA 76: I Do

The filming of Bitter Summer didn’t take long. It was only two months but Xu Xishuang was very familiar with the scenery around the town and recognized it at a glance.

The town was located in the south, with scorching summers. Though it didn’t snow in winter, the wind could still be biting cold. Xu Xishuang cracked the car window open to get a better look, but the cold wind blasted him in the face and woke him up completely. He quickly rolled the window back up and turned to ask Yan Yushan, “Are there any tourist spots around here?”

“Not really sure,” Yan Yushan replied calmly, switching off his phone screen.

Back when Xu Xishuang had shown him the Weibo post announcing Dr. Xiao Ji and dancer Xiao Li’s marriage, Yan Yushan had already made up his mind—he was going to propose to Xu Xishuang. He had been planning it for days now.

The hardest part of the whole preparation was choosing the proposal location. After thinking it over again and again, he finally decided to do it in the very town where he and Xu Xishuang first met, during the filming of Bitter Summer.

It was in this place that he and Xu Xishuang first crossed paths. Even though that night wasn’t exactly a perfect beginning, and there had been misunderstandings between them at first, he knew very clearly that it was here he started falling for Xu Xishuang—and that feeling only grew deeper over time.

A proposal was a big deal, so Yan Yushan decided to let his family know. He wasn’t entirely sure Xu Xishuang would say yes, and he didn’t want to put any more pressure on him, so he turned down Fei Yuan’s suggestion to livestream the moment for the audience. For now, he only told Yan Jingmo and kept it from their parents.

When Yan Jingmo heard the news, he was uncharacteristically stunned for several minutes before finally saying, “Alright, but you’ve only been together for a month, right? Isn’t this a bit rushed? What, afraid he’ll run away?”

Yan Yushan couldn’t answer right away.

He really was in a hurry.

The closer it got to Xu Xishuang’s due date, the more anxious Yan Yushan became. Even though he never brought up the surgery, he knew very well that Xu Xishuang’s chances of surviving it weren’t high. He had to prepare for the worst.

If—if something really did happen to Xu Xishuang… then Yan Yushan wanted to make sure they were married before that. He didn’t want to be left with any regrets. If they could have one more day together, he would cherish it. He wanted to be united with Xu Xishuang in the eyes of the law, to have something that could proclaim their relationship to the world.

When the car stopped, Yan Yushan got out first, opened the door for Xu Xishuang, then carefully helped him down. Together, they walked along the riverside road that ran through the small town.

Some memories came rushing back with the familiar roads and scenery. Xu Xishuang thought of the wrap party on the last day of filming. That night, he was in a bit of a sulky mood because he didn’t get to eat any cake. He stepped out of the hotpot restaurant to clear his head, and then Yan Yushan came out looking for him with a piece of cake. He had wanted the cream so badly that he ended up licking the whipped cream off Yan Yushan’s finger…

Looking back now, that might’ve been the first time he blushed in front of Yan Yushan. It was an unexpected moment that made the world feel more real to him.

Though winter break was over and school had resumed, today was a day off. Xu Xishuang saw plenty of energetic teens on the street. They walked together in small groups, laughing freely whenever something funny came up, making plans to grab a hot milk tea at a café, or deciding whose house to go to for gaming. The air was thick with the vibrancy of youth.

Xu Xishuang spaced out watching them. When he came back to himself, he realized that Yan Yushan had led him to the school building they had used during the movie shoot.

Xu Xishuang was just about to say that the school would be closed for the holidays and that security wouldn’t let them in, when he saw Yan Yushan nod at the guard by the gate and, without hesitation, walk hand-in-hand with him.

The classroom they had used for filming was behind the main building. As they circled around it, Xu Xishuang instinctively glanced back—only to realize that the cameraman had somehow disappeared, and the other guests were nowhere to be seen. The path ahead and behind was completely quiet. It was just the two of them.

Xu Xishuang realized belatedly that Director Fei Yuan hadn’t shown up today to make his usual presence known, nor had he assigned them any sort of task to check off.

Something clicked in his mind. His heartbeat started to race, and his palms grew warm. He instinctively tightened his grip on Yan Yushan’s hand, slowing his steps. A wave of nervousness washed over him, and he found himself suddenly hesitant to go any farther.

Sensing his hesitation and unease, Yan Yushan laced their fingers together more tightly, holding him close, and with a firm, unyielding grip, led him forward again until they reached the classroom they had used during filming. They stopped beneath the large tree where Xu Xishuang often sat to rest between takes.

Suddenly, Yan Yushan let go of his hand. Xu Xishuang panicked a little, reaching into the air instinctively, wanting to grab his hand again. When he didn’t find it, he slowly drew his fingers back and looked at Yan Yushan standing across from him. At that moment, he already knew what Yan Yushan was about to do.

Xu Xishuang swallowed hard, his nerves spiking.

In truth, Yan Yushan was even more nervous than Xu Xishuang—but the more nervous he felt, the calmer he appeared on the outside. No one would’ve guessed that his heart was pounding and that the hand in his pocket, clutching the ring box, was trembling.

He took a deep breath, steadying his voice, looked earnestly at the person standing across from him, and slowly said, “Xu Xishuang.”

Ever since they made their relationship official, Yan Yushan hadn’t called him by name again—instead, he always used “Teacher Xu.” That only made Xu Xishuang even more nervous. He managed to squeeze out a quiet “Mm” from his throat.

Hearing Xu Xishuang’s response, Yan Yushan continued, “I love you.”

Xu Xishuang’s breath caught for a second. He stared as Yan Yushan suddenly knelt down on one knee in front of him, his hands trembling as he opened a deep blue ring box, revealing the simple band inside.

It felt like his entire body had been hit by a wave of shock. Blood rushed to his head. Xu Xishuang stared blankly at the ring, his thoughts slowing to a crawl. His heartbeat thundered in his ears, overlapping with Yan Yushan’s voice.

“When we were filming Bitter Summer, at first I didn’t understand why I felt uncomfortable seeing you getting close to other people—why I wanted to be closer to you myself, to touch you, to protect you, to care for you. Later, I finally realized… I had already fallen for you back then. It was love at first sight.”

Xu Xishuang’s heart went numb. He felt like his heartbeat had surpassed what his body could handle. He covered his chest with a dazed expression, trying to calm the wild thumping in his heart.

“I want to marry you,” Yan Yushan said, lifting the ring box higher. “I want to spend the rest of my life loving you in a different role. I promise, I’ll do everything I can to give you everything you want—whether material or emotional. I’ll do whatever it takes to make you happy, to make you smile, and to love and protect you always.”

“Will you,” Yan Yushan paused nervously, “marry me?”

Xu Xishuang looked down at Yan Yushan, who was kneeling on one knee, gazing up at him with eyes full of tension and hope.

The ring sparkled under the sunlight. Xu Xishuang knew it wasn’t just a ring—it marked the beginning of a new chapter between him and Yan Yushan. If he accepted the proposal, they would become legal partners, share everything with each other without holding back, take responsibility for one another, and spend the rest of their lives together.

The rest of their lives.

Xu Xishuang’s lashes trembled slightly.

He suddenly thought of the ending of “Xu Xishuang” in the novel’s plot, thought of the child growing inside him, thought of the C-section surgery with less than a ten percent success rate.

His mind drifted. He had considered what would happen after his death. The will had already been notarized, and the only thing left was the farewell letter he’d written to Yan Yushan.

He had even planned out Yan Yushan’s future life—hoping he would slowly forget him, come out of the grief, find someone else to love, and raise the child he left behind with care.

In this moment, as Xu Xishuang looked into Yan Yushan’s eyes, looked at the ring in his hand, all those thoughts that had always made him deeply uncomfortable shattered instantly. It turned to dust and was swept away clean.

Xu Xishuang thought, no, he was going to cling to Yan Yushan for the rest of his life. Even if he died, Yan Yushan would only be allowed to remember him, never fall for anyone else, and never find a “stepmother” for their child.

Love was possessiveness.

Xu Xishuang understood that now.

From the start, he had been indifferent to this fictional world. It felt that a few more months of life were enough and didn’t care about anyone’s words or feelings. But then he fell for Yan Yushan. He started caring about online comments, started wanting to survive childbirth, to live on for Yan Yushan, to avoid making him grieve… He no longer wanted to leave.

Once you have something—or someone—you truly treasure, you begin to fear losing it. That was exactly what was happening to Xu Xishuang. His former detachment had turned into longing. He had become selfish, greedy. He wanted to be with Yan Yushan forever, to always have his fierce, unreserved love.

And now, Yan Yushan was the one offering him that chance—holding out the ring, giving him his promise. So, what reason did he have to say no?

Under Yan Yushan’s increasingly anxious gaze, Xu Xishuang reached out his hand.

One word at a time, with solemn clarity, he answered, “I do.”

The weight lifted from Yan Yushan’s heart. Hands still trembling, he quickly took the ring from the box and slipped it onto Xu Xishuang’s ring finger, as if afraid he might change his mind. Then he stood up, still holding Xu Xishuang’s hand, and pulled him into a hug.

Just as Yan Yushan finished putting the ring on him and the two embraced, the quiet surroundings suddenly erupted with screams and cheers. Startled, Xu Xishuang lifted his head from Yan Yushan’s chest—only to be hit in the hair by a flower tossed down from the second floor.

By the railing upstairs stood the other guests, who had disappeared after getting out of the car, along with Director Fei Yuan. They held bouquets and streamers in their hands, showering them down while smiling warmly with sincere blessings.

Beside them were Xu Xishuang’s manager, Zhao-jie, and even Xiao Wang, who had stayed back at the villa—they were both there too, eyes red and brimming with tears.

Next to them, Chi Siyuan and Yan Yao were crying even harder. Yan Yao was so choked up she couldn’t speak, and Chi Siyuan was sobbing as he clapped furiously, shouting through tears, “You two have to be happy!”

Looking at the original novel’s protagonist shou, Chi Siyuan, crying from being so moved—Xu Xishuang: …

He kind of wanted to laugh, but before he could even curl his lips, Yan Yushan, still holding him, leaned in and kissed him. The cheers and applause from the second floor instantly grew louder.

By the time the kiss ended, Xu Xishuang’s hair was covered in petals and streamers. He leaned against Yan Yushan’s chest, catching his breath, and asked a rather unromantic question, “Do we have to clean all this up ourselves?”

“No,” Yan Yushan turned and kissed him lightly on the cheek. “I already paid the security guard a cleaning fee. He’ll take care of it.”

Xu Xishuang responded with a quiet “Mm,” then asked, “Where’s your ring?”

Yan Yushan caught on quickly. “In my coat pocket.”

Xu Xishuang reached into Yan Yushan’s jacket and pulled out the other, slightly larger ring. He lifted Yan Yushan’s hand and carefully slid the ring onto his ring finger, admiring it for a few seconds before looking up and saying, “It looks go—mmph…”

The moment everyone else saw the two of them kissing again, they tactfully slipped away, leaving the space just for the two of them to be alone together.

Meanwhile, the audience still waiting for the show’s surprise ending was completely confused. They flocked to Fei Yuan’s Weibo and the official program account to ask what was going on, but got no response—feeling thoroughly played.

Then the next day, they finally found out what the “surprise” really was.

At 13:14 in the afternoon, Xu Xishuang and Yan Yushan posted on Weibo at the same time, sharing a photo of their marriage certificate. No caption, nothing extra—just the photo.

Shocked netizens: …

One minute later, it shot to the top of the trending list.