This was the first time Xu Sui and Zhou Jingze completed a rescue mission together.

With that first time, accompanied by that G350, they would have countless more first times.

The adaptation process was actually quite difficult. The pace of work at the base was different from the hospital – even faster, with greater intensity. You never knew when the emergency call would come.

Xu Sui had been woken in the middle of the night, quickly splashed her face with cold water, and rushed off on missions. She’d also experienced 72 hours of continuous high-intensity work, rescuing people in earthquakes, curling up in her seat to grab precious moments of sleep.

Sometimes she really couldn’t hold on and wanted to quit, but then she’d glance up and see that blue figure in the distance, injured but still fighting on the front lines, persisting in saving lives.

Her man was indeed quite impressive. Thinking about it that way, the hardships she endured weren’t really anything.

And so she found the motivation to keep going.

During summer, it often rained heavily. Since the base was near mountains, bugs would frequently fly over after the rain. Xu Sui got bitten by a bug and broke out in allergic reactions all over her body. In the middle of the night, the itching was unbearable. She scratched her neck until it was covered in marks, crying from the itch: “What kind of awful place is this?”

Zhou Jingze held her in his arms, gently kissing the tears from her eyelashes, patiently coaxing: “My girl has been wronged.”

Life at the base couldn’t compare to the prosperity of the city, but Zhou Jingze happened to be a man with a sense of romance. He handcrafted a vinyl record player to listen to music with her in the room on rainy days.

Xu Sui liked sitting on the carpet playing games, so Zhou Jingze made a snack rack to place beside her, purely for his girl’s convenience.

Zhou Jingze also planted tomatoes and jicama that Xu Sui loved to eat in the courtyard. Worried she’d be bored, he brought Lord Kui and 1017 to the base to keep her company.

Zhou Jingze was like this – always making Xu Sui feel that he was a man who provided great security.

At the end of July, Zhou Jingze and Xu Sui arranged their leave together and returned to their home in Amber Lane. On the weekend, they cleaned the entire house together and took the German Shepherd out for a walk in the evening.

Lord Kui was an old dog. After walking for less than half an hour, he began panting. Xu Sui went into a convenience store to buy a bottle of mineral water. When she came out, she unscrewed the cap and poured water into her palm, and Lord Kui immediately came forward to drink.

Zhou Jingze stood to one side smoking with one hand, exhaling smoke from his thin lips, his eyes lowered, thinking about something. He removed the cigarette from his mouth and looked up at Xu Sui, who was crouched nearby giving Lord Kui water.

Dusk spread across the sky like warm-toned oil paper spilling down to earth. Xu Sui’s profile was beautiful, light falling on her face clearly showing fine down, her eyelashes thick, her skin milk-white, as gentle and well-behaved as always.

“Yiyi.” Zhou Jingze called out to her.

“Mm?” Xu Sui looked up at him.

Zhou Jingze looked at her, his tone pausing: “I want to take you to meet Mom.”

“Sure.” Xu Sui looked at him and smiled, nodding without any hesitation.

Zhou Jingze felt relief in his heart. He threw the cigarette butt on the ground and crushed it, then reached out to grab her elbow, pulling her up from the ground, his voice low and light:

“Let’s go home. If you keep crouching, you’ll get low blood sugar.”

When they went to pay respects at Zhou Jingze’s mother’s grave, it happened to be a rainy day. The man wore all black, holding a black long-handled umbrella as he led Xu Sui to his mother’s grave.

He stood before the grave for a long time, holding a white rose in his hand.

The rain fell heavily, hitting the black umbrella fabric and spinning into flower after flower. Water splashed onto the man’s brow bone and eyelashes, making his dark eyes glisten.

“Mom, I’ve come to see you.” Zhou Jingze spoke after a long silence.

“I’m doing quite well now, and I have someone I want to protect,” Zhou Jingze smiled, his finger hooking Xu Sui’s pinky, speaking earnestly, “Her name is Xu Sui.”

“After meeting her, I no longer want to die.” Zhou Jingze looked at the woman in the tombstone photo, his tone slow.

In soil that had once been rotten, gloomy, desperate, fallen and dark, a winter jasmine had suddenly bloomed.

Xu Sui looked at the woman in the tombstone photo. She was very beautiful with a gentle smile and elegant, graceful bearing. That smile was forever frozen in the photograph.

“Hello, Auntie. My name is Xu Sui, and I’m Zhou Jingze’s girlfriend,” Xu Sui’s tone was somewhat nervous, her previously prepared speech completely blank in her mind.

Until the man squeezed her hand tightly, a warm and reassuring strength flowing through, Xu Sui relaxed and looked again at the photo on the tombstone, speaking earnestly:

“Auntie, please be at ease. I will definitely love him well and give him a complete home. We will marry and have children, who will grow up in a healthy, happy family.”

Whether boy or girl, their parents would love each other deeply. There would be no domestic violence, no arguments or disagreements, and they would give the child abundant love.

Zhou Jingze pressed his thumb against the back of her hand, his eyes fixed tightly on the woman beside him, his heart surging with bittersweet waves.

The rain gradually lessened until the sudden shower stopped and the sun came out again. Zhou Jingze bent down to place the white rose before her grave, his hand stroking the name on the tombstone as he smiled and spoke:

“Mom, I’m leaving now. Be happy over there.”

From now on, I’ll live well and protect the person I love.

Before they knew it, August had arrived in the blink of an eye. Xu Sui always felt time was like water, flowing silently, passing in a flash. It was only when tearing off a calendar page that she discovered the next day was Valentine’s Day.

Xu Sui was quite looking forward to this holiday. In her memory, this was the first Valentine’s Day she and Zhou Jingze would celebrate since getting back together.

She wanted to celebrate it properly with him.

The next day, when Xu Sui was ordering delivery at home, her thumb paused on the pink bubble-filled app interface as she hinted:

“Hey, it seems like there are holiday discounts when buying things today.”

Zhou Jingze was nestled on the sofa, his gaze never leaving his mobile game screen for a second, his magnetic voice responding:

“Really? Then buy more. If it’s not enough, use couple’s payment.”

“…” Xu Sui.

She ordered a bunch of daily necessities and a week’s worth of food, finally adding scented candles to her order.

When the time came, seeing the candles should make him understand what this meant, right?

The delivery person arrived half an hour later. When Zhou Jingze heard the doorbell, he went to open the door and took the two large bags from the delivery person.

Zhou Jingze carried the items to the dining table, opened the refrigerator door, and put everything away piece by piece, the white plastic bags making rustling sounds.

Finally, he picked up the scented candles from inside, raised an eyebrow, and asked with his head tilted:

“What did you buy candles for?”

Upon hearing this, Xu Sui rested both her lotus-root-like arms on the top of the sofa back, lying there as she emphasized:

“For special days!”

Zhou Jingze examined the candles in his hand for a while, tugged at the corner of his mouth, and commented:

“Quite romantic.”

That’s it? Just that? Xu Sui complained inwardly.

After Zhou Jingze finished organizing everything, he called out to his girl:

“Xu Sui, come with me to the National Observatory tonight to pick up some documents.”

“Oh.” Xu Sui’s voice was muffled.

Today was Valentine’s Day. Did he really not know, or was he pretending not to know? His mind was still occupied with work.

In the evening, Zhou Jingze drove Xu Sui out. As their car reached the city center, looking through the glass windows, the entire street was filled with Valentine’s Day flower vendors.

There was even a huge sign that read – “Valentine’s Day Special: Give Her Flowers.”

Now he should be able to see it, right? Xu Sui thought silently to herself.

Zhou Jingze did indeed see it. He merely glanced away indifferently, his knuckled hands gripping the steering wheel as he turned right, driving the car out of the main urban area toward the suburbs.

So he knew today was Valentine’s Day but didn’t care about it at all.

A wave of disappointment surged in Xu Sui’s heart, but she said nothing.

She had no idea where the National Observatory Zhou Jingze mentioned was located. After driving for over an hour, they still hadn’t arrived.

Dusk had long since faded, a long beam of headlights stretching ahead, unknown insects flying around the floating light.

The road wound on, tree shadows retreating on both sides. The sky was curtain blue, and around them, the sound of frogs could even be heard.

The car drove farther and farther until finally, Xu Sui fell asleep in the passenger seat.

When they reached their destination, Zhou Jingze woke her, and they got out of the car. The man led her up the path to the observatory on the hillside.

When Zhou Jingze brought Xu Sui up, someone was specifically waiting at the entrance, leading them familiarly all the way to the top floor.

The National Observatory was built against mountains and facing the sea. Standing on the top floor, one could overlook most of the mountains and sea of Beijing North.

Under the floating night scenery, both mountains and sea displayed a magnificent beauty.

“Why did we come here? Weren’t you supposed to pick up documents?”

Zhou Jingze walked over to stand before the telescope, adjusted the lens, his voice carrying over the wind:

“I’ll get the documents later. Come watch the stars for a while.”

Xu Sui walked over. Zhou Jingze adjusted the angle and had her lean in.

Xu Sui gripped the lens and looked through it. The stars under the astronomical telescope were clearly visible.

The man embraced her from behind, leaning close, his warm breath brushing her ear:

“Do you see the brightest star? On the southeast side.”

Xu Sui followed his pointed direction and looked through the telescope, finding that star among the Milky Way.

Because it was extremely bright, twinkling and glowing, its right corner shining so brilliantly it seemed to have a diamond embedded in it, making the surrounding stars pale by comparison.

“What a beautiful star!”

“Do you like it?” Zhou Jingze asked her.

“Mm, it’s very pretty.”

“It’s yours.” Zhou Jingze’s voice carried light laughter, as if he was talking about the most ordinary thing.

“Mine?” Xu Sui hadn’t reacted yet, looking somewhat confused.

Zhou Jingze was both amused and exasperated by this girl’s memory. He pinched Xu Sui’s cheek:

“Didn’t you ask me to pick a star for you back in college?”

With Zhou Jingze’s reminder, Xu Sui remembered. She recalled that during college, one year on her birthday, Zhou Jingze had to participate in a flight competition that day and thus missed her birthday.

When his plane landed and he returned to Beijing North, it was already 12:10 AM, long past her birthday.

After Zhou Jingze got off the plane and returned to school, he messaged Xu Sui, telling her to come down immediately.

After receiving the message, Xu Sui hurriedly threw on a jacket and ran downstairs as fast as she could.

Running to the first floor, Xu Sui saw Zhou Jingze from afar wearing a black flight jacket, smoking, the fire flickering, his silhouette rugged yet clean.

Xu Sui secretly begged the dormitory aunt to let her out, and after much coaxing, the aunt finally agreed to let her out for twenty minutes.

Once she ran out, Xu Sui sprinted all the way into Zhou Jingze’s arms.

The little girl ran too forcefully, and when she crashed into his embrace, the impact made Zhou Jingze stagger back two steps.

He dropped his cigarette, wrapped his arms around her waist, buried his face in her neck, nuzzling that soft flesh, his breath filled with irrepressible muffled laughter:

“Did you miss me?”

“Yes!” Xu Sui obediently answered.

Zhou Jingze loosened his hold slightly, gripped her chin, and lowered his head to kiss her. He had just been drinking, his tongue still carrying the cool taste of alcohol foam, melting into her lips and teeth like snow.

Her hem was lifted, hands somehow finding their way inside. Xu Sui only felt heat, her oral cavity’s air stolen away, her brain gradually lacking oxygen.

Xu Sui was kissed dizzy when she suddenly felt a chill at her earlobe. She instinctively reached up to touch it and discovered Zhou Jingze had somehow put a pair of small pearl earrings on her.

“Happy birthday, baby.” Zhou Jingze released her, his voice hoarse.

“Sorry for missing your birthday.” Zhou Jingze’s tone was serious.

Xu Sui blushed and wrapped her arms around his neck, saying: “It’s okay, I’m already very happy.”

Zhou Jingze was determined to compensate her, saying: “Is there anything you want? I’ll make it all come true for you.”

Zhou Jingze had come to see her the moment he got off the plane and had compensated with a gift. Xu Sui was already very happy, but since he insisted she name something she wanted, Xu Sui casually said:

“Then next time, pick a star for me.”

After saying this, she hugged Zhou Jingze again. The man was momentarily stunned, seeming to murmur with a laugh:

“A star, huh? That’s a bit challenging, but I can try.”

Xu Sui’s casual joke – she never expected Zhou Jingze to remember it for so many years.

He had bought her a star. Just thinking about it felt romantic.

The gloom and disappointment in her heart dissipated. Xu Sui brightened completely, fondly touching the telescope again to look at her star.

At this moment, someone came up and handed Zhou Jingze a document, saying: “Mr. Zhou, your documents.”

Zhou Jingze took the pen and signed his name with flourishes at the bottom of the document. Finally, the staff member handed him an envelope.

After the staff member left, Zhou Jingze reached up to gently tug her ponytail. Xu Sui turned to look at him.

“Don’t you want to know what it’s called?” Zhou Jingze’s tone was casual.

“What’s it called?” Xu Sui asked with wide eyes.

Zhou Jingze smiled, his tone slow and deliberate:

“It’s called the Xu Sui Project.”

“Bang” – fireworks exploded in Xu Sui’s ears. She felt somewhat ethereal, her heart as if coated with a layer of honey.

This star was actually named after her.

“Open it and see.” Zhou Jingze handed her the envelope.

Xu Sui took it and looked inside to find a blue astronomical star authorization certificate. Grantor: Zhou Jingze. Grantee: Xu Sui. Star name: “Xu Sui Project.”

She inadvertently glanced down and discovered that Zhou Jingze had bought this star exactly in the year she graduated from her fifth year.

An uncertain guess formed in her heart. Xu Sui looked up at him: “This is?”

“A graduation gift.” Zhou Jingze looked at her and said.

After their breakup, Zhou Jingze had still secretly bought a star named after her in her graduation year, called the Xu Sui Project.

Falling in love with her was an accident; determining it was her was a lifelong project.

Xu Sui’s heart felt sour and swollen, as if filled with countless bubbles, making it somewhat hard to breathe.

Her eyes were a bit sore. She continued looking down and discovered a new card pasted on the back of the authorization certificate.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Yiyi.” Zhou Jingze said gently.

That card was Zhou Jingze’s reply to her years of affection. He was a man of few words, never using a sentence when two words would suffice.

Zhou Jingze wasn’t good at lengthy speeches, but on the background of hand-drawn red roses, he had written one sentence – the best response to his years of secret love for Xu Sui.

He shed the casual expression from his face, seriously repeating the sentence from the letter, his eyes locked tightly on her:

“Xu Sui, you are not dim. You are my star.”