After their marriage, Shen Yi picked Rong Qian up from work and dropped her off almost every single day.

Rain or shine, without fail — no matter how late it was, Shen Yi would drive out to get her.

On this particular night, Rong Qian had stayed up until two in the morning working overtime on a case. Not wanting to trouble Shen Yi at such a late hour, she splashed some water on her face to wake herself up and decided she would just drive herself home.

But the moment she stepped out of the police station, she spotted a familiar black Panamera parked at the corner of the road — and beside it, a tall, slender figure leaning against the car.

Beneath the streetlamps of the night, the man’s shadow stretched long across the ground. His head was bowed, his attention on a stray cat crouching at his feet.

Rong Qian didn’t even need to look closely. She already knew the expression on her Shen Yi’s face as he watched that cat would be unbearably gentle.

She set off toward him with a light, bouncing step.

The stray cat took fright and vanished in an instant. Shen Yi looked up, and his gaze settled on Rong Qian — who, in the darkness of the night, seemed to glow from within. The tenderness in his eyes deepened by another measure.

“How long have you been waiting?” Rong Qian leaned in, grinning at him.

Shen Yi didn’t rush to answer. Instead, with unhurried gentleness, he reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair from her cheek back behind her ear. Rong Qian noticed and scrubbed her face with her hand a few times, figuring that should take care of it.

The corner of Shen Yi’s mouth curved upward. His voice was as rich and magnetic as always: “Not too long. Just a little over an hour.”

“And that’s not long to you?”

Rong Qian’s heart ached for him. This man — not wanting to disturb her, he hadn’t even called. He’d simply stood out here and waited.

“It isn’t long. After all, I’ve always been rather good at waiting.”

An hour was truly nothing to Shen Yi. He had waited through far longer, far more grueling stretches of time than this.

Rong Qian felt a sting behind her nose. Even though all of that was behind them now, and Shen Yi was right here beside her — whenever she thought of those solitary years he had endured, she still couldn’t stop the sorrow from welling up.

She walked over and hugged him, patting his back softly. “It’s all over now. Don’t be afraid. I’m right here.”

Shen Yi stilled for a moment. Then the corner of his mouth lifted, and he let out a quiet, almost imperceptible “mm.”

Once she was settled in the car, Rong Qian remembered to ask: “By the way — it’s this late. Why did you just stand here at the station entrance waiting without a word?”

“Perhaps I wanted to give you a surprise.”

Shen Yi kept his focus on the road. In the glow of the streetlamps, his profile was intent and serious — gold-framed glasses, a white dress shirt, and his hands on the steering wheel, long-fingered and defined at every knuckle. Every detail of him was distractingly compelling.

The more Rong Qian looked, the further she fell. How could her Shen Yi possibly be this handsome?

“A surprise? Is today a special occasion?” She had been so relentlessly busy that she had lost track of even what day of the week it was.

Shen Yi glanced over at her. “Today is Qixi.”

Rong Qian had already been half-asleep — but at those words, she jolted fully awake. “Qixi?! Oh no, I completely forgot — I promised I’d take you to the sea to watch the sunrise.”

“Yes. I know.”

Rong Qian suddenly realized something. “So — right now — don’t tell me you’re actually taking me to the sea?”

“I am. The hotel is already booked. Go ahead and sleep — I’ll wake you when we get there.” The drive was a fair distance. Shen Yi steered with one hand and reached back with the other to retrieve a jacket from the rear seat, holding it out to her without once moving his gaze from the road ahead.

“It’s rained these past couple of days. The night air will be a little cool.”

Rong Qian breathed in the clean, familiar scent clinging to his jacket, smiled happily, and draped it over herself like a blanket. She closed her eyes — and was asleep.

Almost instantly. She truly had been exhausted.

Shen Yi drove smoothly and steadily, giving Rong Qian the most restful sleep she’d had in a while. She didn’t even notice when the car came to a stop.

Shen Yi didn’t wake her. He lifted her gently out of the car, and when a hotel attendant started to call out a greeting as they entered, a single look from Shen Yi stopped them.

The attendant didn’t say a word, and simply gestured: please, this way.

Shen Yi gave a small nod in acknowledgment.

None of these details would ever reach Rong Qian. She was still fast asleep.

Until, all at once, she gave a startled jolt. In her dream, she had remembered she was supposed to watch the sunrise with Shen Yi — and with that, she snapped wide awake. She opened her eyes — and there, beyond the horizon of the sea, a sunrise was gently, brilliantly rising.

“The sunrise!”

Rong Qian gasped with delight. She turned her head, and only then realized that she was nestled in Shen Yi’s arms. The two of them were sitting together on a mat spread across the sand, wrapped snugly in a thick wool blanket between them. No wonder she wasn’t cold in the slightest.

“You woke up at just the right moment. I was still going back and forth over whether I should wake you.” Shen Yi’s eyes held a smile as he gazed at her, steady and devoted as ever.

Rong Qian hugged his arm and rested her head on his shoulder, watching the brilliant sun climb steadily up from the place where the sky met the sea. She said to Shen Yi: “From now on, every Qixi, let’s come here and watch the sunrise.”

“Does that mean we can only come on Qixi?” He blinked, his tone carrying a faint thread of disappointment, his expression innocently wounded. Who could possibly say no to a face like that?

Rong Qian rushed to correct herself: “Of course not! We can come anytime! Whenever you want to see it, I’ll be right here with you!”

“Mm. Alright then.” Shen Yi couldn’t hold back a low, quiet laugh. His A’Qian — how could she be this adorable?

Perhaps, he thought, this was what it looked like when someone who was deeply loved felt completely, unshakeably secure.

Shen Yi always found himself, without quite meaning to, testing her — wanting to know if she still treasured him. And each time she gave him that instinctive, unguarded flicker of alarm, his heart warmed a little more.

A’Qian — next Qixi, let’s come back again.

Mm. Of course we will!