Not far away, there was a small artificial lake. It was summertime, and the water sparkled under the sunlight, with willow branches swaying gently along the shore. The factory’s greenery was well-maintained, making it pleasant to look at. Just the sight of it filled her heart with joy. Unable to hold back, she turned her head and called out sweetly to Zhou Yinghuai, “Come over and look at this!”
Zhou Yinghuai had just finished setting down their things when he hurried to her side. Seeing her radiant smile, he couldn’t help but smile along with her. “Do you like it?”
“Mhmm, I love it.” Cheng Fangqiu nodded without hesitation, her eyes filled with unrestrained delight.
In her previous life, her home had a large balcony as well, but because it was in a high-rise building, she had opted to enclose it with floor-to-ceiling windows for safety reasons, following the designer’s advice. However, deep down, she had always longed for an open balcony. She never imagined she would realize that dream here.
She could hardly believe it—just picturing herself sitting here on an autumn afternoon, sipping tea, reading a book, and occasionally glancing at the lake in the distance—it all seemed so peaceful and enjoyable.
“I want to put a small table here so we can sit and chat,” Cheng Fangqiu said, walking toward the corner and pointing at an empty spot. “And maybe build a wooden trellis—I’d love to grow some climbing roses.”
Her expression was full of life, her bright eyes brimming with anticipation. Most importantly, the future she described included him.
Zhou Yinghuai’s gaze softened, his eyes filled with warmth and deep affection. Indulging her, he responded one by one, “Alright, then we’ll go pick out the table and trellis you like. As for the roses, one of my colleagues happens to have some at home—we can transplant a couple of them here.”
“That’s great!” Cheng Fangqiu hadn’t expected it to be so easy. She had thought getting flowers would be troublesome. Now she was even more excited. She nodded eagerly and immediately wanted to head inside to check out the bedroom.
Just as she was about to step past him, he suddenly grabbed her wrist, pulling her straight into his arms. His breath, warm and gentle, brushed against the skin of her neck, making her shudder involuntarily. Before she could struggle, she heard a low chuckle by her ear.
“Qiuqiu, we can look at it later. Right now, we should go get our marriage certificate.”
At those words, a deep blush instantly spread across Cheng Fangqiu’s cheeks. She shut her eyes briefly in frustration—how could she have forgotten such an important matter?
“Then let’s hurry!”
As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly remembered something and quickly added, “Don’t forget to bring all the necessary documents.”
“I have everything.” Zhou Yinghuai’s gaze held a trace of amusement as he watched Cheng Fangqiu rush out in a flurry. Then, without delay, he followed after her.
The Civil Affairs Bureau closest to the machinery factory was a twenty-minute walk away, but riding a bicycle would cut that time in half. With the summer heat in full force, Cheng Fangqiu wasn’t keen on walking. Fortunately, Zhou Yinghuai owned a bicycle, which was parked in the shed downstairs.
Since he had been in the countryside for over a month, his bicycle had been left unused for just as long and was now covered in a thin layer of dust. It looked a little dirty, but thankfully, he had thought ahead and brought a cloth with him when he left.
With practiced efficiency, he quickly wiped the bicycle down, paying extra attention to cleaning the dust off the back seat.
“Alright, just make do and sit for now.” Seeing that he was about to keep wiping, Cheng Fangqiu quickly urged him to stop. Then, she took the military-green satchel he had guarded all the way from his body. It contained all their documents—losing it would be a huge problem.
Sitting on the back of Zhou Yinghuai’s bicycle once again, the thought of going to get their marriage certificate made Cheng Fangqiu feel a little conflicted. Having lived two lifetimes, this was the first time she was getting legally married. To say she wasn’t nervous would be a lie, but at the same time, she wasn’t overly anxious either.
The breeze brushed against her face, lifting a few strands of her hair, and unexpectedly, she felt calm and at ease.
On the way, they ran into many of Zhou Yinghuai’s colleagues. Those who hadn’t seen her before always had to ask about her, their eyes filled with curiosity and amazement.
Whenever that happened, Zhou Yinghuai would simply smile and reply, “This is my partner. We’re going to get our marriage certificate.”
His tone was even and ordinary, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, but Cheng Fangqiu could clearly hear the subtle pride and joy in the slight lilt at the end of his sentence.
Was he really that happy to be marrying her?
As the wind lifted his clothes, creating small, irregular puffs of air, Cheng Fangqiu tilted her head slightly on impulse. With that one glance, she caught sight of the curve at the corner of his lips. Unable to resist, she smiled too and tightened her grip around his waist.
When they arrived at the Civil Affairs Bureau, everything went smoothly, as if it were the most natural course of events. Yet, even as she walked out holding the marriage certificate, Cheng Fangqiu still felt a sense of unreality.
“Let me see.” Snapping back to her senses, she reached out to take the marriage certificate from Zhou Yinghuai’s hands. But to her surprise, he instinctively dodged backward like he was protecting some kind of treasure. Only when she glared at him did he finally, albeit reluctantly, unfold the certificate and let her take a look.
After she glanced at it for a moment and withdrew her gaze, Zhou Yinghuai swiftly closed it and tucked it into his bag. “I’ll keep it.”
Seeing how he guarded it like a child hoarding a prized possession, Cheng Fangqiu rolled her eyes and playfully scolded, “Fine, fine, you keep it.”
But after saying that, when she looked at him again, she suddenly noticed something in his deep, dark eyes—a glimmer of moisture.
She froze for a couple of seconds before stepping forward. Ignoring the fact that they were still near the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau, she reached out and cupped his face, her expression filled with astonishment. “Zhou Yinghuai, are you crying?”
Her sudden action caught Zhou Yinghuai off guard, leaving him completely exposed. A trace of embarrassment flashed across his face, and his first instinct was to avoid her gaze. But worried about hurting her in the process, he hesitated. After a moment of inner struggle, he ultimately gave in and remained still.
“I’m not.”
After denying it, he lowered his eyes slightly. Seeing her tiptoeing just to reach him, he even bent down a little to make it easier for her to hold his face.
“Crying isn’t a big deal, it’s not shameful. Just don’t cry anymore.”
Seeing through his feigned toughness at a glance, Cheng Fangqiu gently ran her finger over his eyelid, wiping away the dampness at the corner of his eye. After scolding him with a firm tone, she watched as he pressed his lips together—clearly looking aggrieved—but still obediently nodded along with her words.
A ray of sunlight landed on his sharp features, casting a deep shadow beneath his prominent brow bone. His long, lowered eyelashes, his pale thin lips—his coldness and vulnerability intertwined, making her heart skip a beat.
No matter how many times she looked at this man, she couldn’t help but marvel—he was really born with such a stunning face, and every part of it just happened to be exactly to her taste.
A dark glint flashed in Cheng Fangqiu’s eyes. Seeing Zhou Yinghuai like this, she suddenly had the urge to bully him a little.
She swallowed lightly, her mind momentarily clouded. Then, in a moment of reckless impulse, she mimicked the domineering male leads from CEO novels and blurted, “If you keep crying, I’ll kiss you.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted it. What was she thinking? How did she even manage to say something so embarrassing?
But unexpectedly, her words seemed to pique Zhou Yinghuai’s interest. His brows lifted slightly, and in the next second, the tears in his eyes—which had almost dried up—suddenly resurfaced, clinging to his long lashes, making him look pitiful and aggrieved.
“Really?”
Who said tears were a woman’s secret weapon? Clearly, they worked just as well for men.
Cheng Fangqiu’s mouth twitched. No wonder he was the big shot—he could summon tears at will, better than she ever could. Rolling her eyes inwardly, she maintained a composed outward demeanor, casting him a sly, teasing glance before turning to leave. Before walking off, she even left him with a final warning, “Of course not. Do you want to be arrested by the police?”
Flirting in the middle of the street—even as a legally married couple—they would still get called in for questioning!
Zhou Yinghuai was momentarily stunned for two seconds before letting out a low chuckle, straightening his body slowly.
Dare to say it, but not dare to do it.
“Hurry up and keep up!” From ahead, her voice rang out, filled with embarrassment and irritation as she urged him on. Zhou Yinghuai rubbed his forehead, then took a few long strides to catch up. Lowering his voice, he leaned slightly toward her and suggested, “How about we do it when we get home?”
“Zhou Yinghuai!”
“I’m here.”
“Shut up!”
“Alright.”
Instead of heading straight home, the two found a state-owned restaurant for a meal.
Before, Zhou Yinghuai had been living in the bachelor dormitory with his colleagues, which didn’t have a kitchen. He usually ate at the factory cafeteria, so he hadn’t prepared any pots, bowls, or utensils—everything needed to be bought fresh. Until they got everything set up, they would have to eat outside.
The factory’s cafeteria did offer meals, but today was their marriage registration day. No matter what, there had to be some sense of ceremony. So, with the money and ration tickets Zhou Yinghuai handed her, Cheng Fangqiu made a grand gesture and ordered a full table of dishes.
“Comrade Zhou, happy marriage.” Cheng Fangqiu parted her red lips slightly and lifted the soda bottle in her hand toward Zhou Yinghuai, who sat across from her.
Zhou Yinghuai was momentarily dazed, then mimicked her action, raising his own soda bottle. The sound of glass clinking together rang crisply through the air. When their eyes met, they both smiled, a shared sense of satisfaction in their expressions.
As she watched Zhou Yinghuai carefully pick out fish bones for her, Cheng Fangqiu couldn’t help but think—so this is what it looks like when a man of his caliber falls for someone.
But…
If one day he found out why she approached him in the first place, if he learned that she had been deceiving him all along, would he still treat her like this?
Her breath hitched at the thought, and the hand she had carelessly rested on her knee slowly clenched.
No. He wouldn’t find out.
Suppressing the turmoil in her heart, Cheng Fangqiu picked up a piece of pork rib and placed it into Zhou Yinghuai’s bowl. When he looked up, he found her staring at him with her clear, dark eyes, filled with an emotion he couldn’t decipher.
“What are you staring at?” She tapped her chopsticks against his bowl, pouting slightly in discontent.
Zhou Yinghuai came back to his senses, biting into the rib first before resuming his task of picking out fish bones for her. Only after watching her eat the fish did the unease in his heart finally dissipate.
“This place is pretty good. Let’s come back next time.”
“Alright.”
By the time they finished eating, the sky had already taken on a warm amber hue, resembling a vibrant and colorful oil painting, beautiful enough to make people stop and admire it.
They headed to a nearby supply and marketing cooperative to buy some groceries and household necessities before finally going home. While Zhou Yinghuai was unlocking the door, Cheng Fangqiu stood beside him, curiously observing the surroundings in the hallway.
The stairwell appeared to be regularly cleaned—there was no litter or dust. Between the two households on this floor, some miscellaneous, inexpensive items were stacked in the passageway. Even in front of their own unit, a few things had been placed, though most of the clutter seemed to belong to their neighbor.
It looked messy and dirty, even making the staircase difficult to navigate. Didn’t the people living upstairs complain about this?
Cheng Fangqiu furrowed her brows slightly. Just then, the neighboring door suddenly swung open.
“You little brat! You’ve got some nerve, stealing the egg cake I’ve been saving up! Is your mouth that greedy? Get out and stay outside!”
Amidst a barrage of angry curses, a small figure suddenly crashed into Cheng Fangqiu. Caught off guard, she stumbled two steps backward, directly bumping into Zhou Yinghuai. Behind her, their just-opened door slammed shut again.
“Are you alright?” Zhou Yinghuai reacted quickly. Without caring about the things in his hands, he immediately reached out to support her shoulders.