Early the following day, without waiting for Ethan to find Marcus, Marcus took the unprecedented initiative to call him for the first time, and it wasn't through his secretary's transfer; it was on his mobile phone, 'Make an appointment, let's meet up.'
Ethan smiled and said, 'Okay, six thirty, that western restaurant across from your company.'
At 6:30 pm, when Ethan walked into the Western restaurant, he saw Marcus sitting on the seat next to the floor-to-ceiling window, facing sideways with his eyes falling on the glass window, not moving for a long time. The sunshine from the window outlined the contour of his side face, just like a perfect carving; Ethan unconsciously stopped his footsteps. He squinted his eyes lightly until the waiter approached him and asked if he had a reservation. raised his jaw in Marcus' direction,' My friend is over there.'After that, he strides over.
Marcus was still thinking back to the words he said to himself last night after sending Grandpa back to the hotel about his relationship with Ethan. After listening to his explanation, Grandpa misunderstood but sighed regretfully again and again. Finally, he asked him seriously if he could not like a girl. Marcus admitted it frankly, and then Grandpa said he wanted him to get married to Ethan.
This is a ridiculous proposal, but Grandpa says it's to make up for his regrets and fulfill his promise to Ethan's grandmother that he would like to see the two families tie the knot in his lifetime. He says that he wouldn't force Marcus to marry a girl if he already had a lover, but since he can only accept men and doesn't have a partner, Grandpa means that he wants to see him and Ethan together.
Marcus asks Grandpa why he can't renew his relationship with Ethan since he and Grandma Ethan are both widowed. Still, Grandpa says that Grandma Ethan's husband was kind to her back then and lent her a helping hand at the lowest and most challenging time of her life and that she has only been a member of Ethan's family for her entire life. There is no way for her to remarry, so they can only hope to see the continuation of that love for them in the younger generation. It is a continuation of that love from back in the day.
Marcus was speechless. He knew that if he insisted on not agreeing, Grandpa couldn't do anything about it, but looking at the older man's lost look, he couldn't say no.
Ethan's grandmother got married after the husband's name was changed. The husband's family is also prestigious and will protect her very well, so Grandpa, for so many years, has not found her, but nearly fifty years, he has never given up and even got terminally ill, missing only this unfinished wish, in finally found Ethan grandmother to see her one side and insisted on taking the disease across the ocean to come to China. Hence, Marcus is not unmoved by such feelings.
So he agreed; even if things sounded ridiculous and outrageous, he still agreed.
It wasn't until Ethan sat down on the couch across from him that Marcus snapped out of his daze and turned his head, asking what he had to eat and ordering for him after getting a casual answer.
Ethan smiled, 'It's quite a call for Marcus to ask me to meet him specifically today, but I'm honoured...'
'Let's get married.'Marcus opened his mouth, interrupting him and directly dropping the heavy bomb.
Even though Ethan had prepared himself mentally a long time ago when he heard Marcus say these words so calmly and naturally, his hand stirring the coffee still paused momentarily. The smile in his gaze towards Marcus became a few points brighter:'Marriage?'' Marcus, I didn't hear it wrong, right?'
'You didn't mishear, it's us getting married.'
'We?' The corners of Ethan's mouth turned up, 'Marcus is proposing to me?'
Unimpressed by Ethan's teasing, Marcus said blandly, 'Your grandmother should have told you things, to fulfil the wishes of two old people.'
Ethan smiled, took a sip of coffee, and put it down again, 'To fulfill your grandmother's and my grandfather's wishes, so we get married? Does marriage seem like such child's play to Marcus?'
'Do you promise?'Marcus didn't want to talk to him too much and only asked the question he was most concerned about.
'I can't seem to find a reason to say yes,' Ethan looked at the man in front of him, who was still cold and almost expressionless even though he was"proposing" to someone, amused and at the same time a little bit helpless:'My grandma didn't force this matter... My grandmother doesn't force this matter.'
'LK yacht mainland agency,' Marcus is sure he must get his hands on this. Otherwise, he would not be pleased to see himself still repeatedly pestered:'just to fulfill my grandfather's dying wish, he has a terminal disease, not much time left, will not delay you for too long, wait until he is a hundred years, then divorce. He's a hundred years old, then divorced.'
Ethan was a bit speechless. The marriage had not yet been tied, and now we're talking about divorce. 'You alone can finalise that the agency will definitely be given to Lyson?'
'Yes.'
'That's good, sign a contract with Lyson before we get married,' Ethan agreed painfully.' However, you still have to promise me one condition, half a month later my great grandfather's ninetieth birthday, there will be a birthday banquet in New York, you have to go with me to attend.... in the capacity of my fiancé.'
Ethan said with a smile. Initially, Lucas's words just made him a few points on this farce-like thing; what made him make up his mind was last night's email from New York's Great Grandpa, saying that he wanted him to go to New York for two earlier and that he wanted to introduce a particular banker's daughter to him, Ethan then decided that instead of dealing with all these bad things, he should bring someone back directly, as for the man he got back, as Lucas said, based on Marcus's family background, and considering the cooperation with LK, his grandpa should not explicitly oppose it even if he is not happy in his heart.
As long as he can get agency rights, the people on the company board of directors only recognize his interests; they don't care whether he is married to a man or not.
'Good.'Marcus also agreed in one breath.
The matter was settled. Seeing that Ethan's meal had already been served, Marcus left a sentence: 'I've already had my dinner. I'll go back first. You enjoy yourself. ' After which he stood up and wanted to leave, but he was clasped by Ethan's outstretched hand on his wrist.
'We just seemed to be talking about getting married?'
Marcus' gaze slanted downward, looking askance at Ethan,'Are you going to back out?'
'Can't you do me the honour of asking Marcus to accompany me for a piece of dinner when we're even getting married?'
Marcus hesitated for three seconds, then sat and called the waiter to fill his coffee.
Ethan slowly ate the fish and chips that Marcus ordered for himself. He looked at Marcus, silently stirring the coffee before him with his eyes downcast, and smiled and asked him, 'You only eat Western food?'
Marcus glanced at him, 'No.'
'Then how come I heard that you settle for dinner here every night?'
'The company restaurant only serves breakfast and lunch.'
'So?'
'It's close to the office.'
'...'After hesitating, Ethan thought he was at least his"fiancé," so he should always remind himself to eat. This kind of thing is not nutritious, at least also...'
'I'm used to it.'
These four simpler words give Ethan a feeling of self-indulgence; he will not bother to repeat the following words.
By the time Ethan had finished eating and used the after-dinner refreshments, it was already an hour later. They walked out of the restaurant together, and it was raining. Ethan turned his head and asked Marcus, 'Where's your car?'
'I live around here, I don't usually drive to work.'
Ethan remembered that the last time to send him back was not far from here, very helpless:'Let's go, my car is on the roadside.'
Marcus didn't refuse. It was raining so heavily that he did not need to get on his nerves.
The car drove out for a while; when waiting for the red light at the intersection, Ethan saw a large jewelry advertisement on the wall of a high-rise building and suddenly smiled, inclined his head to look at the side of Marcus, who was also looking at the rainy scene outside the window, and asked him, 'Marcus, you don't need to give a ring to ask me to marry you?'
Marcus froze for a moment, unsure if it was because he called him that or what he said, and Ethan laughed as he continued, 'Make it a full-blown show, or how else will people believe we're getting married.'
'Are you serious?'
'Of course I am,' Ethan smiled brightly and dazzlingly,'Even if it's a fake marriage, we still have to do all the superficial things we need to do.'
As he spoke, he parked the car in front of a department store and pulled Marcus out of the vehicle without waiting for him to react.
The jewelry shop was full of all kinds of dazzling diamond rings. Still, Ethan and Marcus, both big men, weren't interested in any of them and ended up picking out a straightforward pair of rings under the slightly curious gaze of the shop assistant.
Ethan raised his hand and looked at the silver ring on his ring finger, smiling with satisfaction. Then he looked at Marcus, who had slightly furrowed his brows and did not make a statement, smiled, and nudged his mouth at him, 'You try it.'
Marcus picked up that tangled ring, pinching it in his hand and rubbing it for a while before slowly setting it on his left ring finger. It was very suitable.
The shopping guide lady smiled and said, 'This pair of rings is not divided into male and female models, it is the main style that we promote this quarter, and it's very suitable for both of you to wear.'
After hesitating momentarily, the shopping guide added, 'It's a perfect match.'
Ethan kept smiling and looked at Marcus. Marcus was silent momentarily and said to Ethan, 'Let's go with this one.'
Then he signaled the shopping guide, 'Open the ticket.'
Ethan asked him, 'Are you buying?'
Marcus said, 'Wasn't it me who proposed to you?'
Ethan smiled without saying anything, and of course, he didn't grab this thing with him, but the ring on his hand didn't take it off; he just wore it. Marcus didn't bother to take it off again, swiped his card, and paid the money, signaling that Ethan could go, but another person's voice rang out behind him.
'Marcus, Ethan, what are you doing here?'