Later, they registered their marriage in Pingchuan City. As soon as the Spring Festival ended, on the eighth day of the first lunar month, when the civil affairs bureau opened, Lu Xixiao took Zhou Wan to the Pingchuan City Civil Affairs Bureau to get their marriage certificate.

The civil affairs bureau was crowded with people queuing, all with smiling faces.

Zhou Wan remained somewhat dazed, following the process step by step in a trance, and by the time she came back to her senses, she and Lu Xixiao each held a certificate.

“Does this mean we’re married now?” Zhou Wan looked at the red booklet in her hand.

Lu Xixiao chuckled: “If I’d known it was this simple, I should have dragged you here to get the certificate when you were 20, see where you could run then.”

Zhou Wan blinked gently, also smiling: “I won’t go anywhere now.”

In the car, Zhou Wan opened the marriage certificate again, looking at the photos inside.

Neither she nor Lu Xixiao were the type who liked taking photos, so they didn’t have many pictures together. During their school days, there were only a few, and after getting back together, they only took photos occasionally when the mood struck.

This was their first formal photo together.

Red background, both wearing white shirts.

Her hair was loose, half draped over her chest, smiling somewhat stiffly due to nervousness.

Though Lu Xixiao wore the same style of white shirt as her, somehow the same clothes on him exhibited a completely different quality.

One button was undone at the collar, revealing a bit of collarbone and a glimpse of his tattoo, appearing particularly unrestrained and free-spirited.

Very handsome.

At a red light, Lu Xixiao turned his head: “What are you looking at?”

“Lu Xixiao,” Zhou Wan said, “I’ve noticed you haven’t changed much over all these years, wearing a white shirt looks just like when you were in school.”

He laughed, the corners of his eyes and brows tilted upward, looking particularly happy. He took the marriage certificate from Zhou Wan’s hand, took a photo, and posted it on WeChat Moments.

Zhou Wan paused briefly, then also took a photo and posted it.

Soon, these two posts completely exploded on their social media on the first day back to work after the holiday.

That evening, they returned to B City.

Watching Zhou Wan changing shoes at the entrance, he suddenly spoke: “Wan Wan.”

“Mm?”

“What kind of house do you like?”

Zhou Wan didn’t understand.

Lu Xixiao reached out, his fingertip gently lifting her chin: “Now that we’re married, shouldn’t we buy a marital home?”

“I think this place is fine, no need to buy.”

Lu Xixiao raised his eyebrows, continuing on his own: “Do you like having a yard?”

Zhou Wan thought of his small villa in Pingchuan City and nodded.

Lu Xixiao smiled: “Then let’s buy a house with a yard, you can plant some flowers, just like we used to.”

Before Zhou Wan left back then, hoping Lu Xixiao could live in a warm and gentle environment, she had bought many easy-to-grow flowers with long blooming periods.

Only she hadn’t been able to tend those flowers herself.

And now, she had another chance to plant a garden of flowers.

Everything could start anew.

Zhou Wan’s eyes grew slightly misty as she smiled: “Okay.”

Actually, from getting the marriage certificate until now, Lu Xixiao has been quite calm, except for his visible happiness, there weren’t many other uncontrollable emotions.

Until bedtime.

Zhou Wan was made soft all over, stickily sinking into the bed as Lu Xixiao pressed firmly on her pubic bone with one hand, bending down to lick and kiss the tattoo on her collarbone.

As her consciousness was nearly emptied, she heard Lu Xixiao’s whisper in her ear.

His voice was very low, carrying heavy infatuation, as if completely immersed in the moment-

“Wan Wan.”

“You’re mine now.”

*

Because the marriage registration was sudden, many aspects of the wedding ceremony needed to be prepared step by step. Zhou Wan wasn’t good at handling these things, so Lu Xixiao arranged most of it.

In April, they prepared to take wedding photos.

Following the photographer’s suggestion, they decided to take one set of photos at Yangming Middle School, wearing school uniforms, as a commemoration.

Lu Xixiao contacted the school in advance, and on Friday evening, they returned to Pingchuan once again. When Zhou Wan left back then, she hadn’t taken her school uniform with her, and it was still at Lu Xixiao’s house. They went back together to get the uniforms and put them on.

Zhou Wan often heard people later sighing that during school days they thought those uniforms were ugly, but after graduating, looking back, they felt they were the most beautiful clothes, full of youthful vigor and bold spirit.

This was even more pronounced in Lu Xixiao.

It seemed that no matter how much time passed, seeing him still produced the same flutter as in their youth.

Just like how he looked when Zhou Wan first saw him.

…

In the past, the principal used to catch Lu Xixiao and criticize him endlessly, he had been disciplined many times, until later in his senior year when his grades rose sharply, becoming the most memorable student of all those years.

Now when they received his call saying he wanted to come back to take wedding photos, they immediately agreed.

Over the years, the academic pressure at school had become increasingly heavy, and they no longer had full two-day weekends like before.

On Saturday, everyone still had classes, still at school.

Some students saw them return to take photos and kept turning their heads back curiously.

Learning they were taking wedding photos, they became even more excited.

During a break in the photo shoot, a female student came over to ask: “Sister, did you both study at Yangming before?”

“Mm.” Zhou Wan answered.

“Wow, so you were dating during school?”

Zhou Wan’s eyes curved as she nodded.

“That’s so romantic, and that brother is so handsome!” The girl turned to look at Lu Xixiao standing not far away on the phone. “Was he the school prince back then? I feel like our current school prince doesn’t compare at all.”

“Yes.”

Zhou Wan also turned to look at Lu Xixiao’s back view, his shoulder line straight and broad, making even the school uniform look particularly good.

They took many photos together.

In the classroom, on the playground, at the basketball court…

It was sunset, the setting sun had dyed the entire sky orange, warm and cozy. The cherry blossom trees at school were all blooming, with petals scattered all over the ground by the wind.

Everything was as beautiful as a dream.

After the shoot, Lu Xixiao sat casually on the field’s grass, hands propped behind him, eyes slightly squinted against the sunlight, looking carelessly relaxed.

Zhou Wan finished looking at the photos and walked over to crouch beside him.

“Tired?” she asked.

Lu Xixiao shook his head, reaching out to hook her index finger.

Zhou Wan noticed his intimacy and couldn’t help but curve her lips: “What is it?”

“Just feels like I’ve dreamed this exact scene sometime before, the same.”

The most beautiful scene I could imagine is no more than this.

Zhou Wan looked at Lu Xixiao before her, leaning in to lightly touch his lips: “Lu Xixiao, I never dared to even dream of something like this before.”

To her, Lu Xixiao was simply too good.

So good that she didn’t dare hope to have his forever.

Lu Xixiao was quick to take advantage: “Yes, so you have to treat me well.”

“Mm.”

“Treat me well for this entire lifetime.”

“Mm.” Zhou Wan curved her lips, “If there’s a next life, I’ll tell you I like you first.”

If there’s another chance, I’ll use all my courage to love you.

*

After leaving school, they had dinner together and walked back.

Zhou Wan still remembered, that when grandmother passed away, the cherry blossoms along this road hadn’t bloomed yet, but now they were in full bloom, a sea of pink and white.

It seemed everything was getting better and better.

Zhou Wan held Lu Xixiao’s hand, swinging back and forth, in a particularly good mood.

Passing by that old apartment building, Lu Xixiao stopped: “Want to go up and take a look together?”

“Sure.”

They were still wearing their school uniforms, which made them particularly eye-catching on the street, like students in an early romance.

Zhou Wan unlocked the door and entered, took off her school uniform jacket, then took Lu Xixiao’s, walking to the washing machine.

After so many years unused, it surprisingly still worked. She put the clothes in and started the wash.

…

Over all these years, Lu Xixiao had come here several times but had never properly looked at this apartment.

The rooms weren’t large but were extremely neat. Although no one had lived here for years, you could still see how warm and cozy the previous setup had been, with warm-colored carpets and bright tablecloths.

He pushed open Zhou Wan’s bedroom door.

Dust motes rose.

Lu Xixiao raised his hand to wave them away and stepped in.

When Zhou Wan left in such a hurry back then, alone with just one suitcase, she couldn’t take many things with her, including those heavy textbooks.

Lu Xixiao casually pulled out one and opened it.

The notes inside were written with particular care and attention, the handwriting elegant.

All those years of coursework he had missed, he had relied entirely on those few notebooks Zhou Wan left on his desk.

Those notes weren’t ones she had written before and passed on to him, but especially written for him, with each knowledge point recorded in detail, afraid he wouldn’t understand, who knows how much effort it took.

Zhou Wan was always like this.

Did so much, yet never said anything about it.

Lu Xixiao pulled at the corner of his mouth and pulled out another book.

It was a notebook, a very old-fashioned one, with a three-digit combination lock on one side – the kind that had been popular among students during school days.

Lu Xixiao raised an eyebrow slightly, surprised that Zhou Wan would buy such a notebook.

She had never been interested in such unnecessarily fancy things.

Lu Xixiao tried Zhou Wan’s birthday as the three-digit code – 325.

It didn’t open.

He raised his eyebrows and tried his birthday, which also didn’t work.

He didn’t think there would be anything significant recorded in this notebook, just like those school-day notebooks where most people would carelessly jot down passing thoughts, quickly forgotten.

He was just curious about what numbers Zhou Wan would use as a password.

But after trying many combinations, none worked.

After a while, Lu Xixiao suddenly thought of something and turned the combination again.

– 666.

Zhou Wan’s contact name for him had been ‘6’.

Including the tattoo on her collarbone which also had a “6”.

With a “click”, it opened.

The password was related to him, Lu Xixiao gave a light laugh.

Then he casually turned to the first page, at the very top was written – August 15, 2013, Sunny.

Lu Xixiao suddenly paused, his expression growing more serious.

…

August 15, 2013, Sunny.

I met someone.

August 26, 2013, Sunny.

He gave me an iced cola.

September 29, 2013, Thunderstorm.

First photo together.

October 8, 2013, Cloudy.

I learned his name, Lu Xixiao.

December 31, 2013, Rain.

Can’t help but look at you, even though I know nothing about you.

February 3, 2014, Sunny.

Want to be like you, pure, forthright, and sincere, like the world’s freshest wind.

May 5, 2014, Rain.

Could you share a little bit of your light with me?

…

September 15, 2014, Sunny.

They say if you make eye contact with someone twice, they’ll remember you.

September 30, 2014, Sunny.

I quietly reached out toward that fresh wind, opening my fingers.

October 10, 2014, Rain.

I want to fulfill a dream for myself.

A dream no one else will ever know about.

A dream that might be so brief it vanishes in an instant.

November 18, 2014, Sunny.

Lu Xixiao, happy birthday.

Hope you’ll always dare to love and hate boldly, may everything go your way.

…

This was Zhou Wan’s diary.

Or perhaps it couldn’t be called a diary.

The words recorded here were fragmentary and intermittent.

Often just a few words, brief phrases.

But finally, Lu Xixiao saw with his own eyes Zhou Wan’s unknown dream.

That small helpless girl, secretly watching the forthright, sincere, wild, unrestrained, brilliant boy before her,

The girl fell, sinking into the mud.

But in the end, she still walked toward him step by step.