Applaud for Happiness - Chapter 46

 

Chapter 46: End of Arc

Shen Qi didn't know what the future holds, but as of now, Zhao Huaiyu was the first person to reach a happiness level of ninety-nine before the plot's end, which persisted after his wedding and never faded.

The next day, Zhao Huaiyu ventured out, carrying Shen Chuanshun on his shoulders, something Shen Qi would absolutely not attempt. He introduced his son to everyone they met, with Shen Chuanshun sitting on Zhao Huaiyu’s shoulders, his face glowing red, his eyes full of excitement.

Observing this, Shen Qi followed along, with a smile on his face.

The negotiations went smoothly. Japan realized the tide had turned and did what had to be done: sign papers, pack up, and retreat with a group of crippled soldiers back to the homeland.

Less than an hour after the negotiations ended, numerous newspapers and radio stations began releasing news. The country rejoiced, with coastal provinces, especially Eastern Three Province and Lu Province, setting off firecrackers in celebration.

Shen Qi didn't stay long in Lu Province, and returned to the capital a month later. He greatly appreciated Zhao Huaiyu, who now held significant importance to him. But they both had more critical tasks at hand. They loved each other, yet possessing their own personal endeavors they wished to achieve.

Of course, the couple didn’t spend much time apart. Before the year ended, Zhao Huaiyu returned to the capital, celebrating the New Year at Jia Yuan with the Shen family.

Through this war, Zhao Huaiyu firmly grasped control of the Lu army and, along with Shen Da-ge , split control of the Eastern Three Province. Thus, he became the third-largest military faction leader aside from Shen Da-ge and Commander Qi.

Shen Da-ge is the biological son of President Shen, and Zhao Huaiyu is President Shen's "daughter-in-law". Considering the recent events, President Shen's prestige amongst the people reached an all-time high. The situation was clear; other military faction leaders, those who were insightful and tactful, chose to pledge allegiance. Seeing this, those still resisting finally gave up.

Of course, to entirely unite these military leaders would need time, especially those in regions far from the capital. These leaders were akin to local kings. They might have shown temporary submission, but uprooting them wouldn't be an easy task.

This was Zhao Huaiyu's second New Year's celebration with the Shen family. The first time he left in a hurry; this time, as a real part of the Shen family, he received enthusiastic hospitality. Especially Shen's nieces and nephews, who had seen his news reports, adored him and constantly gathered around him to hear his war stories.

As for why they weren't crowding around Shen Da-ge, he maintained his father/uncle's dignity by always being serious with the younger ones. Plus, his years in the military created a certain aura, making the children, even his own, slightly fearful of him.

Zhao Huaiyu was different. His ability to play the role of the innocent and obedient sweetheart, along with his new-found openness, easily won the children’s favor.

Shen Chuanshun watched as his little father was surrounded by his cousins and was quite jealous. He rushed over to hug Zhao Huaiyu, repeatedly crying out: "This is my dad, mine..."

Zhao Huaiyu chuckled as he held him up onto his lap, quickly pacifying the young boy, who soon got along well with his young family members.

When Shen Qi passed by and saw this, he teased Zhao Huaiyu that night, "Mother was right. I did well marrying you. If not a virtuous wife, at least you're a good mother."

Zhao Huaiyu raised an eyebrow and replied, "In that case, I guess I have to work harder; I need to become the virtuous wife you approve of."

With a mischievous smile, he pounced on Shen Qi, pinning him underneath: "Don't worry, my love. I'll make sure you're satisfied."

With various methods employed, Zhao Huaiyu finally carried Shen Qi in front of the bathroom's full-length mirror. Their entwined figures reflected brightly in the mirror.

"How about it? Am I qualified now?"

"Am I virtuous enough?"

"Come on, call me 'my love'. Call it and I'll let you go..."

________________________

Shen Qi was so provoked that he lost his senses. He himself didn't know what he was calling out, but every word excited Zhao Huaiyu to the point that he couldn't take it. It wasn't until dawn that they finally ended.

When Shen Qi woke up the next day, he was quite annoyed.

And then he realized this was just the beginning.

Zhao Huaiyu was very respectful of him in public, performing perfectly as a wife. However, the better he played his part outside, the harder he was on him indoors when he closed the door.

Shen Qi was initially uncomfortable, but after some heart-to-heart reflection — understanding the ego of men — he thought that since Zhao Huaiyu was willing to submit to him in front of everyone, it wouldn't matter if he was more sycophantic towards Zhao Huaiyu behind closed doors.

However, he thought Zhao Huaiyu was being a bit of a beast. Every morning when Shen Qi woke up, he felt an odd sensation that he couldn't bring his legs together.

Thankfully, he had been taking medicine and dietary therapy. Otherwise, he really wouldn't have been able to cope.

Given Zhao Huaiyu's limited time in the capital, President Shen and the First Lady decided to hold their wedding after the Lantern Festival. Everyone in the family was busy, preparing things that would usually take an ordinary family one to two months in just half a month.

The wedding of two men, and men of a certain status at that, immediately attracted everyone's attention when the news was announced through the newspapers and radio.

For the obstinately conservative people, this was tantamount to the sky falling down, bemoaning the destruction of traditional rites and etiquettes, and decrying moral degeneration... Anything derogatory was said, and the rhetoric was so exaggerated that one might think the end of the world was coming.

On the other hand, for the progressives, their reaction was completely opposite. Especially after seeing the attitude of the conservatives, the more the conservatives opposed, the more they supported.

In fact, the majority of the people were indifferent to the matter, as it wasn't affecting them personally and didn't harm them. Why bother to oppose? Hence, the majority were neutrals.

Furthermore, their engagement three years prior had already cushioned the shock. Those who fervently opposed were after all in the minority.

For Shen Qi and Zhao Huaiyu, that was enough.

Moreover, their unique status meant that any alternative viewpoints couldn't reach them. After seeing the public's genuine reactions, Shen Qi quickly called his publicist, Chen Ding. Shen Qi was an expert at dealing with public opinion.

He began by educating everyone about historic tales of same-sex love, then proceeded to use scientific arguments to demonstrate that being in love with someone of the same sex is perfectly normal, not a disease, and not done just for the sake of being fashionable.

What surprised Shen Qi was that after the publication of this speech, it was actually seen and endorsed by some authoritative scholars from abroad. It's worth noting that in some countries, same-sex relationships were once considered a serious threat due to religious reasons and were punishable by death if discovered.

In this era, everyone is advocating for innovation and advancement. While there still exist stubborn traditionalists, progress continues to move forward in literature, technology, and other areas, including changes in attitudes toward sexual orientation.

Although some countries still reject and oppose this perspective, others choose to accept it. Neither Shen Qi nor Zhao Huaiyu ever imagined that a simple wedding could spark a monumental movement for change, rivaling the women's liberation movement of the past.

Regardless, this is good news for Shen Qi and Zhao Huaiyu.

As more and more people accept new ideas, there are also some negative impacts. For example, many people openly embrace their sexual orientation, finding same-sex partners. However, the deeply ingrained idea of carrying on the family line persists, leading them to still marry and have children with a spouse of the opposite sex.

Shen Qi is quite helpless in this situation. This mindset has been rooted in people for thousands of years, making its immediate removal impossible. In modern times, Shen Qi has experienced societies with advanced medical technology for surrogacy, yet people still deceive others into marriage. This is even more challenging in the current era.

Change needs to come gradually; through public opinion and education, people's thoughts can slowly evolve.

Of course, not everyone will follow this path. Some people firmly refuse to marry, opting for adoption or inheritance.

Individuals vary, and each person has their own thoughts. Shen Qi cannot influence everyone according to his will; he can only make the most significant impact possible within his limited capacity.

Consequently, their wedding was held extravagantly, solemnly, and grandiosely. An entire film crew was hired to document the event. President Shen made a personal speech at the wedding, and not only President Shen -- the First Lady, Shen's elder brothers, nephews and nieces, even Shen Chuanshun were present.

They turned the entire wedding into a movie and offered it for free viewing at national cinemas. They later began producing films about deceptive marriages to influence people's thoughts.

It's safe to say that it had some effect. At least when people would hear about someone intending to marry under the pretext of perpetuating their lineage, they would raise eyebrows. If Shen Qi and Zhao were not adverse to adoption despite their immense family fortunes, what justification could others possibly have to harm another person for the sake of inheritance?

Of course, it's another story if there had been an agreement made with the woman involved.

However, this is indeed a prolonged process. It could take decades to subtly earn widespread acceptance.

Returning to the topic of the wedding, after the final vows were made and the rings exchanged, Zhao Huaiyu's happiness value reached 99. Shen Qi was taken aback since his mission was to maximize his target's happiness. Once that was reached, his task would be complete. He had just married Zhao Huaiyu, and his happiness already hit ninety-nine — it was both startling and alarming for him.

He was uneasy for quite a while. It was not until he was sure that this value wouldn't change soon that he finally breathed a sigh of relief and developed a faint understanding of something.

In this world, Shen Qi and Zhao Huaiyu would walk together.

Before turning 33, Zhao Huaiyu and Shen Qi lived separately most of the year, spending at most two months together annually.

However, their affection didn't diminish over time or distance. They were not the type who would lose their love due to separation. Perhaps, after avenging on Zhao Huaisen, Zhao Huaiyu was a bit lost and regarded Shen Qi as his sole goal. However, after that battle, he found his own aspirations and tasks to fulfill.

Both of them worked hard for their respective goals and grew together.

After Zhao Huaiyu turned 33, President Shen who had come back to power successfully disbanded troops and established a new governance system, bringing him back to the capital to reunite with Shen Qi.

An older Zhao Huaiyu seemed more mature and alluring from years of living among the navy, even more so than the luxuriously living Shen Qi. He was more approachable compared to the solemn Shen Qi, who would always be serious due to his status. His charm caused quite a few distractions over the years.

Despite the well-known fact of his marriage, no one could stop others from expressing their admiration due to the principle of equality. No one would be arrested just because they made declarations of love.

Thus, Shen Qi had no choice but to grit his teeth and show off their love in public every time they reunited, marking his territory.

Zhao Huaiyu would always cheerily go along, and once the doors were closed, he claimed his own territory in bed.

At the age of 38, Shen Qi first participated in the elections, which by then were open to all citizens. With the foundation built over many years and the presence of President Shen, he easily won.

Three years later, President Shen passed away, and two years after that, the First Lady too passed away due to illness.

With Shen Qi, Shen's elder and younger brothers, the Shen Family remained prosperous and thriving.

Twelve years later, Shen Qi and Zhao Huaiyu died in a plane crash over the sea during a trip abroad. The news led the entire nation into mourning.

Indeed, Shen Qi and Zhao Huaiyu were not particularly upset. Perhaps they had some regrets, but at the last moment, looking at each other's intertwined hands, these regrets didn't seem to matter.

They had been in this world, fought hard, left marks, and perhaps it wasn't beautiful at the start, but they had everything they could have afterwards: a lifelong lover, compassionate family, obedient child, loyal brothers, faithful subordinates...

Even at the last moment, there was someone by their side.

"In life we shared our blanket, in death we share the grave", this life was good enough for them.

"Happiness value +1."

"Happiness at its fullest."

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