“City of Joy” by Xia Yi Xiao Tiao [Oneshot]

“City of Joy” by Xia Yi Xiao Tiao

《欢爱城市》by 夏逸小跳

Originally posted: 2021-04-21

In today’s society, the male population was increasing rapidly. To increase marriage rates and reduce crime rates, the government of City H implemented new policies and a series of social welfare measures encouraging same-sex marriages between men, such as apartments for couples in love, exemptions from the license plate lottery, priority adoption rights, and tax reductions. Based on the duration of their marriage, the government also provided tiered subsidies to same-sex couples.

Xia Xi (shou) grew up in an orphanage without parents. At twenty-five, he had no money or influence and couldn’t find a bride in his city. He had never been in a relationship and was not opposed to being with another man. He was drawn to H City after seeing banners everywhere proclaiming the benefits of same-sex marriage and slogans about happiness after getting married.

Guided by someone knowledgeable, he ended up in a popular matchmaking bar, feeling shy and sitting in a corner all evening, curiously observing but receiving no attention from anyone.

As Xia Xi was about to leave, thinking it was too late, a tall, handsome man, Shen Yi Ran (gong), confidently approached him. He matched Xia Xi’s aesthetic preferences and seemed reassuringly secure. The man bought him a drink and then invited him to his place. Xia Xi, feeling a bit intoxicated, followed him there, feeling feverish and weak in his limbs. Overwhelmed by desire, he reluctantly engaged with the man and eventually was left drained by him.

The next day, Xia Xi woke up next to the handsome man with mesmerizing, deep emerald eyes and a robust physique. Xia Xi vaguely remembered what happened the day before, blushing shyly, and coyly asked, “Will you take responsibility for me?”

Shen Yi Ran chuckled, kissed Xia Xi’s cute upturned nose, and warmly replied, “I will.”

Xia Xi fell head over heels into Shen Yi Ran’s charming web, deeply in love with him, wanting to be the man who supported and loved him most.

Shen Yi Ran often invited Xia Xi over because he was a virgin and didn’t need protection. Shen had strong desires, and Xia Xi was exhausted by his antics, unable to get out of bed the next day. Yet, his heart was happy, finally having someone to spend his life with, feeling like he was soaking in sweet syrup.

After blissful months together, one day Xia Xi bought Shen Yi Ran’s favorite pastries and roses, planning a surprise visit to his place. However, at the door, he overheard Shen Yi Ran engaging in intense activities with another man.

Xia Xi couldn’t believe his ears. The pastries and roses fell to the ground… He angrily confronted Shen Yi Ran, questioning why he was with someone else while he was with him. To his astonishment, Shen Yi Ran sneered, saying, “You met at the matchmaking bar, pretending to be innocent and pure? You can find others, too; it doesn’t matter to me.”

Xia Xi’s mind crashed. He never expected genuine feelings from himself, while Shen Yi Ran viewed their relationship this way.

Heartbroken, Xia Xi left, returning to his previous city, City E. Over a month later, he began feeling unusually fatigued, dizzy every day, lacking appetite, feeling nauseated at the smell of food, and noticing a significant increase in his waistline. After a while, these symptoms worsened, and he feared a terminal illness. Upon visiting a hospital, he was shocked to discover he was pregnant. He learned he had a special physiological condition, capable of conceiving.

Terrified, looking at his expanding belly and experiencing daily agony from vomiting, nausea, and body pains, he painfully yearned for Shen Yi Ran.

Due to his declining health and frequent check-ups related to male pregnancy, the exorbitant medical expenses drained Xia Xi’s savings. Being pregnant, he couldn’t find work to support the upcoming life.

Xia Xi made a call after much deliberation, with a slight hope and longing for Shen Yi Ran.

Four months had passed since they parted ways, and Shen Yi Ran never reached out once. Deep down, Shen occasionally thought of him, feeling regretful. He admitted that although Xia Xi wasn’t the most attractive among those he had been with, Xia Xi was the most innocent and adorable. He convinced himself that his attraction stemmed from Xia Xi’s irresistible body, but he was not someone who could develop feelings.

Shen Yi Ran was the heir of City H’s wealthiest conglomerate. His family’s wealth could sustain generations. His father didn’t expect him to achieve much, urging him to marry early and have children to continue the family line.

Shen had been neglected by his family and raised by nannies. Since childhood, he witnessed his father bringing various women home after his mother left and never returned. He resented his father for destroying their family with his promiscuity, but as he grew older, he found himself inadvertently emulating his father. Angry and disgusted with himself, he felt powerless to break free.

After turning thirty, his father incessantly pressured him to marry and have children. He constantly clashed with his family since he was attracted to men who couldn’t bear children. Despite being idle, enjoying a carefree life, and working sporadically in a subsidiary company arranged by his father, he still relied on his family’s financial support and had to maintain ties.

Last month, his family arranged a plump and glamorous heiress from a wealthy family for him and even booked a tropical island for their vacation. While they claimed it was a vacation, the intention was apparent.

Upon reaching the island, Shen Yi Ran left the heiress at the hotel and enrolled himself in advanced scuba diving courses, enjoying himself under the sea for a month. When the heiress returned home, she tearfully complained about Shen Yi Ran’s neglect, leading her family to refuse any further contact between them.

This infuriated Shen’s father, who demanded that Shen bring someone back within three months, or else they would sever their relationship. His father emphasized that the person’s appearance, status, and family background didn’t matter; they just needed to be able to bear children.

At that moment, Shen Yi Ran received Xia Xi’s call, learned about his pregnancy, and promptly brought him home. He intended for Xia Xi to bear a child to appease his father, allowing him to continue his flings outside. However, Shen Yi Ran did acknowledge his feelings for Xia Xi but didn’t want to commit to one person for life.

Moved by Shen Yi Ran’s sweet words, Xia Xi hoped that after having a child, Shen would settle down, and they could live happily together. Shen Yi Ran cared for Xia Xi exceptionally well, hiring three caretakers to attend to his every need. Even when he stayed out all night, he would call Xia Xi to reassure him. Xia Xi felt warm inside, picturing their family being together and eagerly anticipating the fruits of their love.

One evening, eight months into the pregnancy, as the temperature dropped sharply and rain poured outside, Xia Xi, concerned that Shen Yi Ran, working late at the office, might catch a cold, went to his workplace to deliver a coat. However, he unexpectedly walked in on Shen Yi Ran being intimate with a new male assistant in the office. Overwhelmed with grief, Xia Xi suddenly endured unbearable abdominal pain, and there was a pool of blood beneath him. Rushed to the hospital, after several hours of rescue efforts, the doctors regretfully announced that the child couldn’t be saved.

Sitting by the hospital bed, Shen Yi Ran gently reassured the weakened Xia Xi, saying it was okay and to take care of himself, that they could have another child. But Xia Xi’s heart had already died; he nodded obediently, numbly. A week later, Xia Xi vanished from the hospital room.

Shen Yi Ran felt a void in his heart, unable to believe that Xia Xi would leave him so coldly. He frantically searched for him, but he couldn’t find him no matter how hard he tried.

Afterward, Shen Yi Ran discovered from the office surveillance footage that Xia Xi witnessed the miscarriage after seeing Shen Yi Ran with the male assistant. Filled with regret, he immediately dismissed the male assistant. At home, he stumbled upon a diary written by Xia Xi, every word brimming with love for him, envisioning their future, and even naming their child.

Tears streamed down his face without warning. In their interactions, Shen Yi Ran’s icy heart had slowly thawed, being drawn to Xia Xi, deeply falling in love, though he realized it belatedly.

Determined to find Xia Xi and make amends, Shen Yi Ran spared no effort, searching tirelessly until finally locating him. He discovered Xia Xi had returned to the original city, E City, working as a volunteer at an orphanage. From the orphanage director, he learned that Xia Xi had been an orphan there, raised within its walls and that Xia Xi expressed a fondness for children, saying he lost his own and wanted to care for the unfortunate ones there.

Shen Yi Ran appeared before Xia Xi, swearing he wouldn’t seek anyone else, wanting to bring him back home. But Xia Xi no longer believed in him. Shen Yi Ran settled in Xia Xi’s city, silently standing by him, spending lavishly to build an outdoor playground at the orphanage, providing top-notch teachers and psychological counseling for the children, ensuring they lived happily in spacious, bright, comfortable, air-conditioned rooms.

He became the honorary director of the orphanage, dedicating his days to the children while finding ways to get closer to Xia Xi at night. Gradually, Xia Xi, previously devoid of desires and lost in sorrow, began showing signs of vitality; his heart stirred with a hint of a ripple.

On Children’s Day, the orphanage was adorned with joy; the children performed delightful programs. After a song by Xia Xi and the kids ended, the room’s lights dimmed, and the tune of ‘Wedding in Dreams’ filled the air, a beam of light focused on the stage’s center.

Shen Yi Ran, holding a bouquet of roses, walked onto the stage, kneeling, pulling out a ring, and proposing to Xia Xi. Everything happened so suddenly; Xia Xi stood there dumbfounded. He knew Shen’s family had initially accepted him because of his ability to bear children. Still, after the miscarriage, the doctors informed him of the severe damage to his uterus, rendering him unable to conceive.

Xia Xi told Shen his body couldn’t bear children anymore, unable to give him happiness. Shen Yi Ran smiled, kissing Xia Xi’s teardrops away, emotionally saying, “I love you for who you are, not your ability to conceive.”

With teary eyes, Xia Xi said, “I do,” they embraced each other tightly, moving everyone present, teachers and children alike, standing up and applauding the deeply moved, loving couple.

However, because same-sex marriage wasn’t legalized in E City, and both their registrations were in that city, they couldn’t obtain a marriage certificate. It was merely a symbolic marriage. This remained a hurdle in Shen Yi Ran’s heart; he wanted to give Xia Xi the most reliable promise: a warm and complete home.

With Xia Xi’s encouragement and support, Shen consecutively established several orphanages, receiving recognition and support from the E City government. Leveraging his good reputation, Shen started his studio, establishing a thriving business and gradually gaining brand recognition and financial independence, no longer under his father’s control.

The mayor of E City thanked Shen for his outstanding contribution to the city’s economic development, inviting him to dinner. During the meal, Shen Yi Ran proposed to learn from H City, legalizing same-sex marriage, encouraging loving couples to live together openly, and attracting talent. After deliberation, the mayor finally agreed to Shen Yi Ran’s proposal.

On the day the policy for same-sex marriage was enacted, Shen took Xia Xi to the civil affairs office joyfully, like two fools, drawing the attention of passersby.

Shen took Xia Xi on a honeymoon to a tropical island, not the previous one with someone else, but a larger, more beautiful seven-star resort island. They parachuted from a helicopter, kissing in mid-air, dived into the azure deep sea surrounded by colorful fish, and strolled hand in hand in the island’s paradise-like tropical gardens, whispering sweet nothings.

Upon returning to E City, one day after dinner at home, Xia Xi suddenly vomited continuously, expelling all the seafood fried rice prepared by Shen Yi Ran. Panicked, Shen took him to the hospital, where they were told Xia Xi was pregnant for over a month, with twins.

Overjoyed, Shen asked Xia to resign from the orphanage to rest at home temporarily. Xia Xi agreed. The doctor advised Xia Xi, given his prior severe injuries, to rest in bed to ensure the safety of the pregnancy. Shen stayed by his beloved’s bedside, tirelessly feeding him, massaging his swollen legs, soothing his headaches, giving him prenatal education, and alleviating his pregnancy pains. Every day, he’d measure Xia Xi’s belly, kissing it lovingly.

Throughout the pregnancy, Xia Xi was treated like a child—or rather, like a little prince—being cherished and cared for.

Shen’s father visited and, seeing Xia Xi’s rounded belly, was quite pleased. He immediately offered a bank card as a token, but Xia Xi declined. Shen’s father was surprised, telling Xia Xi to ask if there were any needs. Xia Xi thanked him and said to visit the babies often.

In summer, Xia Xi gave birth to a lovely pair of twins, a dragon and a phoenix. Shen Yi Ran named the babies, and upon hearing the names, Xia Xi shyly lowered his head; the names were the ones Xia Xi secretly thought of in his diary.

They held each other tightly, kissing the newborns’ little hands and feet. Shen Yi Ran affectionately kissed Xia Xi, thanking him for bringing them happiness and promising eternal love for him and the babies.

Touched, Xia Xi responded with a kiss, tears of happiness flowing from his eyes. Shen Yi Ran wiped his tears away, teasingly saying, “Don’t shed them all; we need to save some to feed the babies and for… those nights.”

Blushing, Xia Xi pressed the other beneath him…

(End, Happy Ending)