The drumstick that he had been gripping in his hand earlier was now lifting her skirt. Lin Qingye’s heart pounded heavily as she pressed down on her skirt.

Lin Qingye ignored her resistance. His slender index finger continued to press against the stick, pushing it upward.

Left with no choice, Xu Zhinan grabbed the drumstick again and frowned slightly. “Lin Qingye.”

Not “Qingye-ge” anymore.

Lin Qingye smiled, maintaining his usual casual, languid demeanor. If you only looked at his face, you’d never guess what indecent thing he was doing right now.

“Is this okay?”

Xu Zhinan neither said it was okay nor refused.

Lin Qingye exerted force with his hand and pulled her directly into his embrace. His movements weren’t as frivolous and unrestrained as before. Instead, he tilted his head up and touched her nose, their lips brushing against each other.

“Ah Nan.” His voice grew hoarse.

Xu Zhinan’s legs weakened from his actions, and her voice trembled slightly. “Hmm?”

His arm encircled her waist, at first just holding her, but later applying more pressure, kneading slightly—both painful and ticklish.

Lin Qingye took a deep breath. “It feels different from before.”

“What’s different?”

He smiled and said, “Now you’re finally mine.”

Xu Zhinan’s black eyelashes trembled in disarray as she said softly, “I’ve always been yours.”

Willingly and sincerely.

Lin Qingye laughed again. The heat of his lips moved down her neck, and his scorching breath fell upon Xu Zhinan’s body. He pulled her to sit on his lap.

Just as she was about to move backward, her leg hit the drum set, causing a series of clanging sounds.

She was about to dodge when she suddenly heard Lin Qingye’s low, hoarse voice: “So you’re my wife now?”

Xu Zhinan paused and stopped moving.

It was the first time Lin Qingye had so formally used this term. He seemed to find it interesting, savoring it before seeking her lips again for another kiss.

He smiled, his tone strangely gentle: “I have a wife now.”

For some inexplicable reason, Xu Zhinan’s heart melted completely at this sentence, and she went along with his wishes.

…

The consequence of going along with Lin Qingye’s wishes was an unabashed special concert in the music room.

Xu Zhinan felt she never wanted to enter this room again.

The first time Lin Qingye brought her to this apartment, he had given her a phobia of the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room. Now, on their wedding night, she developed a phobia of the music room as well.

She was exhausted. In the end, Lin Qingye carried her out of the music room.

After a simple wash, Lin Qingye put on a bathrobe, loosely tying the belt around her waist. Her shoulder was exposed, revealing a patch of the white locust flower tattoo.

Lin Qingye lowered his eyes and gently brushed them with his fingertips.

Xu Zhinan was extremely sensitive to touch at this moment. Even though she was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open, she still instinctively dodged.

The young woman’s eyes were crimson at the corners, looking pitiful. Lin Qingye soothingly stroked her hair, fixed her bathrobe, and carried her back to the bedroom.

In her hazy state, Xu Zhinan thought that Lin Qingye always seemed to be like this—he had her figured out and knew exactly how to bewitch her into indulging him.

It was like this when he tricked her into getting the marriage certificate the day after proposing, and it was the same with that “wife” just now.

He simply knew her character too well and acted willfully.

Too cunning.

These thoughts lingered in her mind only briefly before Xu Zhinan fell asleep.

Lin Qingye took another shower before coming out wearing only pajama pants, his upper body bare, revealing the large tattoo pattern on his back. His hair was still wet, flowing down his neck onto his back.

His hair had grown quite long. Since Xu Zhinan was already asleep, he couldn’t use the hair dryer. Instead, he towel-dried it halfway, then walked to the window to let the breeze dry it further.

The October evening breeze was pleasant, cool, and gentle.

Lin Qingye looked at Xu Zhinan on the bed, then his gaze fell on the two little red booklets not far away. He picked them up again, opened them, and his gaze gradually softened.

No matter how rough this life had been, at this moment, he felt that everything had been worth it.

That night, close to midnight, Lin Qingye posted another Weibo.

It was the wedding photo that everyone online had been clamoring for all day.

[Lin Qingye V: My lifelong wish.]

Below was the photo from their marriage certificate.

Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!

What a divine-looking couple!!!

I can’t wait to see their children, with those genes they’ll be so beautiful!!!

Is this even real? Can humans look like this???

Pingchuan University might be the biggest winner—they could just put these photos on their recruitment website and countless people would apply.

Wuwuwuwu brother must be happy for life!!!

This really is a lifelong wish, a girl he’s admired for so many years.

The couple’s wedding photo circulated widely online. Even Lin Qingye’s “lifelong wish” caption became popular for a period, and for a long time afterward, many people announcing their marriages would include these four characters.

After obtaining the marriage certificate, Lin’s father and Xu’s mother prepared some traditional marriage customs. The two in-laws met several times.

The betrothal gifts prepared by Lin Guancheng were an astonishing sum. Just the jewelry given to Xu Zhinan for wedding preparations was incredibly expensive.

Later, when some gossip outlet reported this, people finally recognized Lin Qingye’s identity as a rich second-generation heir.

At the beginning of the year, during the Golden Melody Awards ceremony, people learned that Lin Qingye was Lin Guancheng’s son, the little prince of the Minsheng Group. But this title was just a useless label on him, and there had been no other opportunity to showcase it until now.

[Lemon][Lemon][Lemon][Lemon][Lemon][Lemon][Lemon]

I was just envious that Xu Zhinan could marry Lin Qingye, then jealous she could marry into a super-wealthy family, but now I realize I should be most jealous that both father and son in the Lin family love Xu Zhinan so much!!!

Ahhhhh I’m so envious, these jewels are too beautiful!!!

Wuwuwu fairy-tale love!

The subsequent wedding preparations and wedding dress photoshoot were prepared by the couple together.

Xu Zhinan had grown up with the love and companionship of her parents. When she was little, Xu Yuanwen would tell her various fairy tales before bedtime, so naturally, she had her yearnings and fantasies about weddings.

But considering that Lin Qingye wasn’t the type who enjoyed being fussed over and surrounded by crowds, Xu Zhinan thought a simple ceremony would be fine too—just go through the process, since their life together was what mattered.

She didn’t expect that during this process, the one with a girlish heart would be Lin Qingye.

They didn’t go to a regular photo studio for their wedding photos. Later, Lin Qingye had met many independent photographers through magazine shoots and new song covers, so he hired a photographer himself.

Xu Zhinan originally wanted to shoot just one set, but Lin Qingye dragged her into shooting three sets.

After they finished, the photographer stood at the computer selecting photos and joked, “Thanks to you, I’ve never had such a smooth time shooting Lin Qingye before.”

Xu Zhinan, having changed back into her clothes, asked, “What was he like?”

“Cold-faced. Though his photos generally have that style, he was cold both in front of and behind the camera. Every time I photographed him, I had to add more clothes.”

Xu Zhinan went over to look at the photos. The photographer showed her what they had just shot and couldn’t help saying, “But your wedding photos have such a high success rate, even easier than professional models I’ve photographed before. More importantly, they hardly need any editing. It’s too easy earning money from Lin Qingye.”

“…”

The photographer asked, “How many wedding photos do you plan to select?”

“Can we print all of these?” Xu Zhinan asked.

“All of them?”

“Yes, they all look good. Then we can pick a few for frames later.”

“Sure.” The photographer agreed readily. “I have the machine right there. I’ll print them out for you shortly.”

They had taken about a hundred wedding photos in total. The photographer printed them all, put them in a bag, and gave them to Xu Zhinan—a very thick stack.

After returning home from the wedding photoshoot, Xu Zhinan took out a photo album from the bedroom drawer.

She had promised Lin Qingye before that they would take many photos together in the future to fill up the album.

But since they took that one Polaroid during the New Year’s Eve celebration, they hadn’t remembered to take more. Now, they could add plenty at once.

Xu Zhinan placed the hundred or so wedding photos one by one into the album, quickly filling the entire book. She then happily took the album to show Lin Qingye.

Lin Qingye flipped through it, saying with a smile, “This is my first photo album.”

Xu Zhinan paused. “There will be many more in the future.”

He curled his lips. “Mm.”

“In the future, we’ll have not just these, but also photos of our family of three.”

Lin Qingye’s gaze froze slightly, his Adam’s apple moving up and down smoothly. In Xu Zhinan’s words, a future life unfolded before him—a completely different life he had never imagined.

He grabbed Xu Zhinan’s fingers, held them in his hand, and played with them gently before leaning in closer.

Xu Zhinan thought he was going to be inappropriate again in broad daylight, but Lin Qingye only kissed her on the lips, his movements gentle and restrained. He nibbled on her lips, even his breathing unusually careful. After a good while, he softly said, “Okay.”

Although the subsequent wedding preparations were done by both of them, it was Lin Qingye who put in more effort.

For this wedding, Lin Qingye pushed back all his work arrangements. Except for a few previously confirmed shows he couldn’t refuse, he spent the rest of his time preparing for the wedding.

Since their relationship became public, business at Xu Zhinan’s shop had improved considerably. She often had major appointments that kept her busy for half a day.

By the end of the year, Lin Qingye and Xu Zhinan’s wedding finally arrived.

The wedding guests were probably the most eclectic mix. Besides some relatives, Lin Qingye invited many friends from the entertainment industry.

Counting from his comeback, he had been in the industry for over a year now and had met many people in the circle. Current entertainment industry stars like Shen Linlin and Chen Die all came.

On Xu Zhinan’s side, she invited many tattoo artist friends and several customers who had become friends. Each had various tattoos on their bodies.

The large group was quite eye-catching when they appeared.

It had been a long time since Xu Zhinan had applied such meticulous makeup. Her skin had a good foundation and wasn’t suited for heavy makeup; even a light application made her look beautiful.

She changed into a wedding dress with a long train.

Zhao Qian and Jiang Yue waited outside. Jiang Yue was still pursuing her doctorate but already had a boyfriend, while Zhao Qian had moved fastest, giving birth to a little princess two months ago.

When they saw Xu Zhinan come out, both looked at her wide-eyed.

“You look amazing, Ah Nan! Has Lin Qingye seen you in a wedding dress? He’ll be stunned!”

“He saw me during the wedding photoshoot, but I wasn’t wearing this one. It was similar, though, not as elaborate.”

The wedding dress had a cutout design on the back, faintly revealing Xu Zhinan’s tattoo.

Xu Zhinan found a bottle of locust flower-scented perfume she had bought before but never used. Today was the first time she wore it.

Zhao Qian quickly noticed the scent. “Didn’t you used to be unable to stand this smell?”

“I’ve been fine for a long time now,” Xu Zhinan smiled. “It was trauma from that incident. Now that I’m not afraid anymore, it doesn’t bother me.”

Zhao Qian also remarked, “That’s wonderful.”

As the three chatted, the makeup room door opened, and Gu Congwang walked in, now also considered part of Xu Zhinan’s family.

Since he went to study at an overseas branch company over a year ago, Xu Zhinan hadn’t seen him. Before leaving, he had confessed his feelings to Xu Zhinan, but things weren’t awkward between them.

After going abroad, he also got a girlfriend. Xu Zhinan had seen photos of the girl on his social media.

“You’re here,” Xu Zhinan said happily.

Gu Congwang smiled. “Of course I came. I took a red-eye flight to get here.”

“Did your girlfriend come too?”

“No, she still has work.” Gu Congwang joked, “Besides, I’m afraid if she knew about my past feelings, she’d make a fuss when we got back.”

From his tone, it seemed he had completely moved on and could now bring it up as a joke.

…

At the auspicious time, Xu Zhinan entered holding her wedding dress.

The lighting was soft and dreamy, the entire wedding venue was decorated exceptionally romantically, even more beautiful than she had imagined from fairy tales.

The crowd below watched with smiles.

At the end of the red carpet stood Lin Qingye.

Xu Zhinan wore a veil, her gaze fixed determinedly on the man in a suit at the end.

Originally, this ten-meter-long red carpet should have been walked on with her father holding her hand, leading her there. But now, Xu Zhinan could only walk toward him alone.

When Lin Qingye saw Xu Zhinan, he was momentarily stunned.

It was even more shocking than when he saw her in a wedding dress during their photoshoot.

Under the lights, her eyes were clear, her white dress purer than moonlight.

For an instant, Lin Qingye seemed to return to that snowy night when he first saw Xu Zhinan. He felt then as if there was a dividing line between them—his side dark, filthy, and chaotic, while hers was clean and clear.

But at this moment, she was smiling, gentle and stunning.

Lin Qingye smiled too, watching her lift her dress and slowly walk toward him step by step.

That dividing line was completely shattered.

Xu Zhinan’s light had spread to him.

Lin Qingye’s smile widened, and he couldn’t help but step forward toward her.

Originally, this path should have been walked with Xu Yuanwen holding Xu Zhinan’s hand, placing his daughter’s hand into Lin Qingye’s.

Now, they walked toward each other.

Xu Zhinan was affected by the atmosphere, her eyes moist.

Before, it was Lin Qingye who helped her finally overcome the nightmare of the fire where Xu Yuanwen died, and now he still wouldn’t let her walk this path alone.

Between them, no one would stand in place waiting; they would always use everything they had to rush toward each other.

Xu Zhinan was like this.

Lin Qingye was also like this.

It’s just that the path they walked toward each other was full of thorns.

Xu Zhinan had never imagined having this moment with Lin Qingye before, and neither had Lin Qingye.

But at this moment, all beautiful dreams and fantasies finally came true.