Since both of Qi Buyan’s hands were tightly held down by He Sui’an, he couldn’t wipe her sweat.
It’s not that Qi Buyan couldn’t break free from He Sui’an; after all, she didn’t have that much strength. The reason Qi Buyan didn’t pull away was that he could tell He Sui’an didn’t want him to move, so he complied with her wish.
He Sui’an thought her little actions could escape her parents’ notice, but they had already seen everything. While she wasn’t paying attention, He Jin took a glance under the table and saw their intertwined hands.
He Jin’s mouth twitched.
The heart of this father split open.
How affectionate must they be to hold hands even in this situation? Holding hands was one thing, but did they need to use both hands? The level of affection was almost comparable to his own first meeting with his in-laws back in the day.
But no, He Jin thought he must be crazy to compare today’s meeting with his own first meeting with his in-laws. It’s normal for young people to have a few relationships, and it doesn’t necessarily mean it will last.
It’s not that He Jin didn’t think well of them, but that’s just how society is.
Some people just drift apart as they go along.
He secretly signaled Yang Jin to take a look under the table as well. Yang Jin subtly kicked He Jin’s foot; her observational skills had always been a notch above his, so she didn’t need his reminder.
Yang Jin pretended to cough lightly, pulling back He Sui’an’s thoughts, who was worried that Qi Buyan might ignore the situation and carefully wipe her sweat.
He Sui’an immediately sat up straight.
For no reason, she looked a bit like a primary school student waiting for the teacher to ask a question.
Since Qi Buyan had been “frozen” for those years, his fingertips were temporarily not as warm as before, carrying a bit of coolness, indirectly cooling He Sui’an down, even though she was still sweating profusely.
Yang Jin, being He Sui’an’s mother, could easily tell her daughter’s nervousness and found it amusing. Why would she be afraid that they wouldn’t agree to her dating Qi Buyan?
Wait, is it because he’s from a minority group…
And his hometown might be far from here?
Not many parents are willing to let their daughters marry far away, even though Yang Jin had an open mind about relationships, she didn’t want He Sui’an to marry far away. So was this the reason she was afraid they wouldn’t agree?
It’s just that his hometown is far away.
Qi Buyan might not even go back to his hometown in the future; he could stay in the big city. Besides, they’re just dating now, no need to think that far ahead. It’s not necessarily going to end in marriage, Yang Jin thought.
Yang Jin and He Jin simultaneously arrived at the same thought, but He Sui’an had no idea what they were thinking, her nerves still tense.
Qi Buyan, however, didn’t have much of a reaction.
If it weren’t for He Sui’an, Qi Buyan’s emotions might have remained as calm as water.
Qi Buyan knew that He Sui’an cared about Yang Jin and He Jin’s opinions, so he had a little more patience. If they disapproved of him being with her and demanded they separate…
He vaguely considered using a spell on them to make them agree immediately.
However, this thought vanished when he saw He Sui’an stammering and trying hard to answer their questions for his sake. Qi Buyan felt his heart soften a bit.
Yang Jin then asked a few more questions, and He Sui’an obediently answered each one. Every time He Jin tried to interject, he failed, indicating his lower status in the family hierarchy. He could only watch Qi Buyan.
He Jin wanted to find some fault in Qi Buyan, but after looking him over, he found nothing to criticize.
Qi Buyan’s long hair and his preference for wearing his ethnic clothing weren’t issues. In fact, they looked quite good. He Jin wasn’t so old-fashioned to think that a guy with long hair was odd.
Qi Buyan didn’t talk much.
He only spoke more when He Sui’an talked to him. Based on his appearance alone, he seemed well-behaved, which explained how he ended up with He Sui’an.
He Jin believed his daughter wouldn’t choose a rebellious guy as her boyfriend.
Having a relationship was good.
After all, they were university students. Given his daughter’s charming nature, it was only a matter of time before she was pursued and started dating. People have to grow up, and so does He Sui’an.
Finding a well-behaved guy was better than dating someone strange.
He convinced himself.
If He Sui’an knew what He Jin was thinking about Qi Buyan at this moment, she would be shocked and speechless, unable to close her mouth in amazement.
Firstly, Qi Buyan didn’t talk much because he believed in solving problems through action rather than words. Secondly, looks can be deceiving; he wasn’t well-behaved at all.
But He Jin didn’t know this.
He continued to observe Qi Buyan.
Qi Buyan ignored He Jin’s gaze, keeping his face slightly turned to the right, because He Sui’an was sitting on his right.
When He Sui’an finished answering all of Yang Jin’s questions, Yang Jin looked at Qi Buyan and smiled, “Sorry for interrupting your date today.” She emphasized the word “date.”
Qi Buyan’s expression remained unchanged.
He Sui’an’s face turned as red as a monkey’s bottom. She had blushed so many times today that it was hard to count. In fact, her face had maintained this color for a considerable time.
She understood Yang Jin’s implied meaning: “So you finally have some nerve. You, who rarely lies, recently lied to us saying you were in the dormitory, but in reality, you were out on a date with a boy.”
He Sui’an truly felt guilty.
After they finished discussing, the food arrived. Yang Jin kindly encouraged Qi Buyan to eat more, and He Jin, having convinced himself, politely echoed the sentiment.
Their thoughts about He Sui’an and Qi Buyan remained at the level of young people just having a relationship.
—
However, a few years later…
Yang Jin and He Jin stood at their wedding, marveling at how time had flown by. The key point was, they really did get married, and it happened not long after graduation.
He Jin, a grown man, cried until his eyes were red. Yang Jin, equally reluctant, was embarrassed by him, wishing she could hold up a sign saying, “I don’t know him; this person isn’t my husband.”
Fortunately, He Jin retained some dignity and didn’t cry out loud, instead burying his face in her shoulder, silently shaking.
But it was still quite amusing.
A man over six feet tall bending over to cry on a woman barely over five feet tall.
It was actually the first time Yang Jin had seen her husband cry, which she found quite novel. She even considered secretly taking a few photos to tease him later.
The wedding was held by the seaside, with relatives from both sides gathering, making it a lively event.
Yang Jin looked at the uniformly dressed Tianshui Village people from Miaojiang, who had traveled a long way to the city for the wedding, and felt something was off, but couldn’t pinpoint what.
Until she saw some Miaojiang children squatting by the sea playing with insects, controlling them.
Did she see it wrong?
He Sui’an called out “Mom” from afar, interrupting Yang Jin’s steps toward the children. She turned and walked towards He Sui’an.
Qi Buyan stood next to He Sui’an, the two of them contrasting in height. He seemed to have grown even taller, and both of them looked strikingly good-looking, as if ready to be photographed for a poster.
He Sui’an called her over just for the sake of calling her mother.
When Yang Jin reached them, He Sui’an opened her arms to hug her. On her right ring finger was a beautiful wedding ring, handcrafted by Qi Buyan, showcasing the exquisite skills of the Tianshui Village people.
Yang Jin gently patted He Sui’an’s shoulder. After exchanging a few words, the mother and daughter parted, leaving the couple alone for a while.
Logically, it wasn’t He Sui’an’s first wedding, but she still felt a bit flustered.
Qi Buyan squeezed her palm.
He Sui’an turned to look at him.
Qi Buyan bent down, gazing at He Sui’an’s still slightly baby-faced, bride-made-up face, feeling immense joy. He smiled with his eyes and lips, saying, “Kiss me.”
Some people’s personalities are unchangeable, like Qi Buyan’s. Even after spending years in the modern world, his nature remained largely the same, as he refused to adopt conventional behavior.
He Sui’an, too, hadn’t changed much and remained as shy as ever.
But she still kissed him.
A brief, delicate kiss like a dragonfly touching water.
Not long after, someone called them over to take pictures. He Sui’an then led Qi Buyan over.
Everyone first took a group photo, then several family photos, and finally, He Sui’an and Qi Buyan had the spot to themselves. The older generation asked the flower girls and boys to join them for a few pictures.
There were two flower children, a boy and a girl, around five years old. They were plump and adorable, like little rice dumplings, each holding a small flower basket, melting everyone’s hearts.
He Sui’an stayed in place.
The flower children, with their short little legs, walked over and each took one of her hands.
The boy stood between Qi Buyan and He Sui’an, lifting his other tiny hand to hold Qi Buyan’s. Children like good-looking people, so he looked up at Qi Buyan.
Qi Buyan glanced down at him.
Just as the boy was about to smile at Qi Buyan, his hand was taken away. He instantly felt aggrieved but didn’t dare say anything or cry.
Qi Buyan raised his head.
The photographer captured this moment: He Sui’an holding the girl flower child’s hand with her left hand, her right hand naturally hanging at her side.
The boy only lightly held onto the fluffy white wedding dress. Qi Buyan, on the other hand, didn’t mind and was holding his hand—the hand he had taken away from He Sui’an.
He Sui’an didn’t notice.
She thought the child had just changed his mind and didn’t want to hold her hand for the picture.
The photographer, who had witnessed everything, hesitated to speak: “…” In all his years of photographing weddings, he had never seen a groom like this. Who would remove a flower boy’s hand to stop him from holding the bride’s?
The reason for having flower children at weddings is for good luck, wishing the couple to have children soon. But this groom almost made the flower boy cry.
The photographer wondered what the groom was thinking.
He looked at Qi Buyan a few more times, deciding to forget what he saw and move on to other shots. He was just there to take photos and do his job; it wasn’t his business.
As soon as the photoshoot was over, the flower boy started crying and wanted to find his mother.
The flower girl happily walked away.
He Sui’an was left confused.
Qi Buyan reached out to fix a strand of hair blown onto her cheek by the sea breeze.
That evening, after the wedding was over.
The frosted glass in the bathroom reflected two indistinguishable silhouettes. He Sui’an’s hand pressed against the glass, leaving overlapping palm prints as the shower continued to sprinkle water, softly pattering down.
Water vapor swirled around. In front of He Sui’an was frosted glass, behind her was Qi Buyan. His long hair, soaked with water, clung to her body.
Qi Buyan’s hand, which held He Sui’an’s waist, had a small blue butterfly on it.
There was also a colorful butterfly on He Sui’an’s waist.
The butterfly was stretched into an arc, rising and falling with the sound of water. It seemed accustomed to its presence, continuously opening itself to embrace it even when it was shaken to the point of collapse.
“Sui Sui…” Qi Buyan called He Sui’an softly, kissing her nape and shoulders. After a long time, he finally gave himself to her.