The Civil Affairs Bureau was exceptionally crowded that day. They arrived at nine o’clock and still had to wait in line. By coincidence, there was a couple in the hall filing for divorce, creating a somewhat awkward atmosphere. Li Jinyu and Ye Meng sat silently next to them, playing with their phones while listening to the couple’s cold exchanges. What was once passionate affection had seemingly transformed into weapons of sarcasm.

The woman said, “Your mother must be satisfied now. Let her find you someone younger.”

The man replied, “Is this my mother’s fault? Don’t push all the responsibility onto her. You’re only three years older than me. When we first got married, my mother even said ‘a woman three years older brings golden bricks.’ She treated you like her own daughter, didn’t she?”

The woman retorted, “I think my mother was right. Marrying a younger man does take courage because they’re usually still nursing. Have you ever seriously resolved the conflicts between me and your mother? Your mother is old and careless—she used a foot-wiping towel to wipe our child’s face, causing an immediate bacterial infection. Isn’t that your mother’s fault? When my boss drove me home, your mother feared I was cheating on you and sprayed disinfectant on him. Don’t you think that’s your mother’s fault?”

The man countered, “That boss has a crush on you. You think I don’t know? Why did you ride in his car? Who knows what dirty things you two did in there? Besides, why did you change your underwear when you came back that day? You weren’t wearing that pair when you left in the morning. Can you swear you haven’t done anything to betray me? If you hadn’t been so promiscuous before, would my mother have sprayed disinfectant?”

The woman cursed, “Get lost! Even talking to you pollutes the air.”

Ye Meng couldn’t continue playing on her phone. She stood up and said to Li Jinyu, “I’m going out for a cigarette.”

Outside the civil affairs bureau stood two imposing stone lions with fierce yet somewhat playful expressions. According to elders, these auspicious lion statues were filled with deep affection, blessing newlyweds with eternal love.

Looking at these lifelike stone lions, Ye Meng felt a sense of solemnity. She put her cigarette and lighter back into her bag and stood alone at the entrance, lost in thought for a moment. She then took out her phone and sent a WeChat message to Fang Ya’en.

Lemon Leaf: I’m at the civil affairs bureau now. Fang: You’re awesome. Lemon Leaf: I feel like I’m kidnapping a child. Even though he’s already twenty-seven. Fang: You’re awesome. Lemon Leaf: Can you talk properly? Fang: Fine. Don’t tell me you’re having regrets. Lemon Leaf: No, but my flight is at eight tonight. I’m afraid he’ll make a scene later. Fang: You haven’t told him? Lemon Leaf: We argued that night. How should I put it… we haven’t talked these past few days. He’s probably still angry about me leaving. I don’t even know how to comfort him now. Fang: Can’t you leave a day later? At least get through your wedding night. You could comfort him properly in bed. Lemon Leaf: I can’t. I have a very important client meeting at nine tomorrow morning. I’ve already pushed it to the latest possible time. If it weren’t for him, I would have gone back with Gou Kai last week. Fang: Then I can’t help you. You don’t expect me to comfort him for you, do you? No thanks, I’m too old for that. I’m awkward, and I can’t handle those young girl tactics.

Ye Meng sighed and was just putting her phone back when she looked up to see Li Jinyu leaning against the stone lion, watching her. He put his hands in his pockets and asked, “Weren’t you going to smoke?”

“Is it our turn?” Ye Meng put her phone away and adjusted her bag.

The small town’s morning was filled with thin mist. Li Jinyu was dressed lightly in a simple black tracksuit, the zipper covering half his face, making him look tall and thin. He seemed to attract attention effortlessly. When they were filling out application forms earlier, the staff kept glancing at him. The two stood at the entrance of the civil affairs bureau, each beside a stone lion, separated by a pathway leading to the main hall. People occasionally passed between them—some jubilantly holding marriage certificates, others dejectedly clutching divorce papers.

Ye Meng felt as if she were walking through a lonely sea, with weeds growing wildly in some places and boundless coral in others. And the man before her might be the only comfort in all the stormy, thorny, or sweetly mundane leisurely moments they would spend together in the future.

Li Jinyu, with only his clear black and white eyes visible, stared at her emotionlessly and asked, “Do you not want to get the certificate anymore?”

“No,” Ye Meng checked the time, “Let’s go in. We need to take photos first.”

Li Jinyu didn’t move, still with his hands in his pockets. Ye Meng couldn’t help teasing him, “Or are you reconsidering Liu Yiyi? Her family’s financial situation is much better than mine.”

Li Jinyu gave her a dismissive look and walked inside, saying, “I thought you were jealous.”

They sat side by side for photos against a bright red festive backdrop. They continued their banter, neither willing to give in, especially on the topic of jealousy. Ye Meng declared solemnly, “The advantage of dating an older sister is that she generally doesn’t get jealous of little kids.”

The photographer was adjusting the lens, smiling appreciatively at the handsome man and beautiful woman in the frame—now that was devastatingly good-looking.

Li Jinyu calmly turned to glance at her, “Who are you calling a little kid? You’re only two years older. I’m twenty-seven, don’t make it sound like I’m seventeen.”

Ye Meng also turned to face him, unable to resist teasing: “But you are a little kid in my eyes, the kind I want to dote on.”

The photographer couldn’t capture them in the frame and loudly reminded, “You two, look at the camera! Look at the camera!”

They both turned back to the camera. Li Jinyu scoffed, “Yeah, right.”

Ye Meng smiled at the camera with the standard service industry eight-teeth smile and squeezed out words from her throat: “Being two years older means I’m older for a lifetime. You’ll have to call me sister for life.”

Li Jinyu turned his head to look at her with raised eyebrows, seemingly annoyed. The photographer was even more frustrated, cleverly admonishing: “Hey! Look at the camera, handsome! Are you two faucets or something? Constantly running.”

Li Jinyu turned back, showing a row of clean white teeth with slightly upturned corners—unexpectedly sunny, like a clean, upright young poplar tree in full green. But his words were harsh: “In your dreams.”

After two quick stamps like on an assembly line, Ye Meng still felt somewhat unreal. Sitting in the car, she stared at the red booklet and their photo together for a long time, shocked to discover that Li Jinyu had a dimple at the corner of his mouth when he smiled!

“Isn’t that a Playboy trademark?” Ye Meng lamented.

Li Jinyu sat in the passenger seat, snatched the booklet closed, and tossed it to the back seat along with his own, asking coldly, “Where to?”

Ye Meng rested her head on the steering wheel, looking at him, still processing her emotions, and half-jokingly said, “How about we have a bachelor party? We’re about to enter married life, so let’s each enjoy ourselves one last time. Consider it a formal farewell to the outside world?”

“Or we could get divorced right now.”

Ye Meng laughed uncontrollably, “You really… can’t take a joke.” Her head remained on the wheel, suddenly not wanting to move, and she lazily said, “When I first met you, I thought you were a player, the kind who constantly received confessions from women on WeChat.”

Li Jinyu leaned listlessly against the passenger door, his gaze unfocused as he looked at her. He had grown accustomed to staring at her. Sometimes he wasn’t thinking of anything, but as long as she was there, he liked to watch her. He was extremely tired—he hadn’t slept all night, going to the hospital to get his household registration book and then sitting on the sofa all night. If Ye Meng hadn’t pushed him like this, he might never have put marriage on his agenda or perhaps would have lived his whole life this way. He had no house, no car, no proper job, and an elderly woman at home who needed his care. He hadn’t thought much about it and didn’t dare to think too much. If Ye Meng wanted to be with him, he would accompany her. If one day she grew tired of him, he could always return to his original, uneventful, stagnant life.

“You’re the one with many admirers,” he retorted softly.

Ye Meng still lay motionless on the steering wheel, watching him, her smile gradually fading to just the corners of her mouth. She gazed at him somewhat dazedly. Li Jinyu also leaned against the passenger door, quietly returning her gaze. It was as if spring water flowed silently in the car, and they seemed to be dissolving into each other’s gaze.

Ye Meng crawled over, straddling him, holding his face, and kissing him, “Sister will teach you how to kiss.”

“Mm.”

“Will you come home with me later?” Her voice unconsciously changed tone.

“Mm, to meet your grandmother?” Li Jinyu also lowered his voice, gradually finding each other’s lips in their shared breath.

“Something like that. I haven’t told them yet,” Ye Meng suddenly felt pain, “Ouch, don’t bite me!”

Li Jinyu bit her while also firmly pinching her waist: “You decided this without consulting them first? Aren’t you afraid your grandmother will have a heart attack?”

At the Ye family home, the main door was wide open. The elderly woman, hearing that Ye Meng was bringing her boyfriend today, had instructed her sister-in-law to prepare a table full of sumptuous dishes, comparable to an imperial banquet. Even the presentation was particularly elaborate, with carved garnishes decorating each dish. However, at this moment, the atmosphere was as heavy as if struck by muffled thunder, with no one daring to pick up their chopsticks. It wasn’t that they disapproved of Li Jinyu, but rather due to a casual comment Ye Meng had dropped.

Only one fish on the entire table had been touched, with just a small portion missing. Even the vegetable dishes with their elaborate spiral arrangements remained untouched. Only Ye Meng had dared to put a piece of fish in her mouth, saying nonchalantly, “We’ve gotten our marriage certificate. He’s not marrying into our family. The child will take his surname.”

After saying this, she pulled Li Jinyu upstairs, ignoring the scene downstairs—her grandmother’s face, like thousand-year-old moss, so withered that even flies couldn’t land on it.

“What’s this about marrying into the family?” Li Jinyu asked quietly as she dragged him into the room.

However, as soon as they entered, they saw a packed suitcase on the floor. His expression turned cold, rivaling the grandmother’s downstairs. “When are you leaving?”

“Eight o’clock flight tonight.” Ye Meng kicked the suitcase aside, pulled his hand, pushed him onto the bed, bent her knees to straddle him, and lowered her head to kiss him. “Don’t be angry yet. I have no choice. I have a meeting with that Chinese collector at nine tomorrow morning. I’ve already delayed it as much as possible. My flight is at eight, and I won’t get home until at least two or three in the morning. Please understand, okay?”

Li Jinyu wanted to say, understand your mother. I’m really understanding your mother right now. He turned his head away, not letting her kiss him.

Ye Meng bit his ear, breathing softly: “If you’re not feeling well before I leave, I can help you one more time. Hmm?”

Downstairs, the silent film continued, with no one speaking. The grandmother’s face was ashen, while the Ye family men remained silent, pretending to be absorbed in contemplation. The aunts exchanged glances, skillfully communicating their thoughts with their eyes across the dining table.

Their thoughts were unified. —”Ye Meng handled this damn beautifully.”

But Aunt Gui Fen, the eldest aunt, still solemnly spoke up: “Mom, we support you in this matter.”

“Absolutely,” everyone echoed.

The grandmother’s expression inexplicably softened somewhat. “What’s that boy’s name again, Li what?”

The youngest aunt reminded her: “Li Jinyu.”

The second aunt seized the opportunity to add: “This boy is truly handsome. I’ve never seen such a good-looking young man in this town. He seems very well-behaved too. Ye Meng has good taste. He should be a good kid.”

“Tell them to come down for dinner,” the grandmother declared with finality.

Inside the room, after Ye Meng whispered in his ear, Li Jinyu lay flat on the bed. Outside the window were brilliant lights, with wheels grinding across the road, making a rustling sound in their ears. Those eyes, like calm yet suppressed deer, watched her for a while. In the darkness, he skillfully began untying the drawstring of his track pants, ignoring the approaching footsteps. With an extremely malicious yet cold demeanor, he said something that made Ye Meng want to grab and beat him.

“Fine, use your mouth.”