White delicate flowers hung from above the chapel hall. Bei Yao’s hand, covered in white gloves, was placed by Bei Licai into Pei Chuan’s hand.

Pei Chuan couldn’t help but grip it a bit tighter.

Fate could sometimes be quite wonderful. The year Bei Yao was reborn, she had never thought about being with Pei Chuan. Back then, she only thought about his kindness, living according to her heart’s wishes. But thinking about it again, it seemed like something that had happened a very long time ago.

The “auspicious day” that Zhao Zhilan had chosen was indeed a good day. When the wedding vows were exchanged, the weather was clear. After Bei Yao and Pei Chuan exchanged rings, it began to rain outside.

This wedding was incredibly low-key. The Bai and Pei families had a total of just over forty people attending, making it somewhat like a “secret marriage.”

The wedding ceremony was very simple—after the vows and exchanging rings, it was complete.

Jin Ziyang sat in the guest seating area, feeling somewhat emotional: “So many years have passed in a flash—Brother Chuan is already married.” And he married the girl he had been thinking about since his youth.

To say he wasn’t envious would be a lie. After all, to meet someone you like and then marry her home required a lot of accumulated fate.

Zheng Hang nodded. His gaze didn’t linger on the delicate bride, only glancing once before looking away.

Jin Ziyang said: “Haha, who do you think among us will be the last to get married?”

They silently cast their gazes on Ji Wei.

Ji Wei: “……”

Ji Wei was still in his senior year of high school—his sixth senior year in this lifetime.

People often laughed at him, and some pointed fingers behind his back. Actually, over these years, he had made progress every year. When someone occasionally asked out of kindness why he hadn’t gone to university even though he could now get into a decent one, Ji Wei would shyly answer: “Because I’m not good enough for Cambridge yet.”

Jin Ziyang chuckled quietly for a while. The wedding was just going through the motions and ended quickly. Zheng Hang and the others weren’t quite clear on the reason, but Jin Ziyang understood perfectly well. Brother Chuan wasn’t lacking money—this hasty wedding must have left him with regrets.

However, this wedding that left Pei Chuan with regrets would require him to pay a great price after marriage to achieve.

In the evening, it started to rain. Pei Chuan had the wedding cars send the relatives back.

The first car was a black Bentley, and those behind were also luxury cars. While the wedding was low-key, everything else was quite particular. When Bai Yutong got into the car, she felt both angry and regretful. Compared to Pei Chuan’s wealth, what did Uncle Pei’s money amount to? Unfortunately, she and her mother had never established a good relationship with Pei Chuan.

In the end, Uncle Pei’s money was all donated to the country. After all these years, she and her mother had gotten nothing.

And Bei Yao, whom she thought was blind…

Bai Yutong rolled down the car window and leaned out to look.

Outside the church was a very long outdoor rose carpet. It was now wet. Bei Yao’s wedding dress was very long—how to cross the red carpet and get to the car was a problem.

Under the spring rain, Zhao Zhilan was a bit anxious. It was all her fault for choosing this weather. The daytime had been fine, so why did it rain in the evening? Going over in the wedding dress would probably ruin it.

Zhao Zhilan patted Bei Licai’s arm: “You carry our daughter.”

Bei Licai nodded, but before he could step forward, Pei Chuan bent down to arrange Bei Yao’s dress hem, then picked up Bei Yao.

Everyone was stunned.

Jin Ziyang stammered: “Bro… Brother Chuan…”

Bei Yao was also startled. She instinctively hugged his neck, her eyes filled with worry.

The light rain was misty. Pei Chuan said: “I’ll do it.”

Today she was his bride.

He stepped into the rain, the spring rain drifting down. Zhao Zhilan was dazed for quite a while before chasing after them to hold an umbrella for her daughter and Pei Chuan.

The hem of Bei Yao’s dress revealed her small white shoe tips. She couldn’t help but look up at Pei Chuan.

He noticed her gaze. His pitch-black eyes were full of laughter. Before Zhao Zhilan reached them, he lowered his head and planted a kiss on her lips.

Very light, very quick, as if carrying a man’s indescribable joy. Her fingers touched her lips in a daze. At that moment, with rain falling from the sky, it was quite absurd—this red carpet wasn’t very long, yet for an instant, she seemed to touch an eternal distance.

This time, he had walked these ten meters to completion.

When Pei Chuan placed Bei Yao into the Bentley, his head was covered with raindrops.

Her arms were fair and slender, her eyes very gentle, as she gently wiped away the rainwater from the man’s forehead.

*

After the “simple” wedding, when Zhao Zhilan learned that Pei Chuan was taking Bei Yao back to City B that night, she frowned: “You just got married. Go back tomorrow instead.” They also had a house in City C. The wedding was already very simple—leaving now didn’t conform to custom at all.

Pei Chuan said: “Tomorrow is May.”

Zhao Zhilan thought about it and immediately broke out in a cold sweat. The farther Yao Yao was from Huo Xu, the better. She immediately nodded: “Go, go, hurry and go.”

After all, for them, the original intention of this wedding was to protect Bei Yao. Bei Yao’s safety was more important than anything else in Zhao Zhilan’s heart.

Before they left in the evening, Zhao Zhilan quietly pulled Bei Yao aside and took out a card to give her: “This is your dowry.”

Bei Yao couldn’t help but laugh: “Where would I get a dowry from?”

Zhao Zhilan said: “The betrothal gift Pei Chuan gave, Mom didn’t touch a single cent. It’s all here. Yao Yao, you’ve grown up. From now on you’re someone else’s wife. Whether others treasure you or not, Mom can’t see and won’t know. Keep this money well. If you need anything, you won’t have to ask others. Although Mom likes money, you are the most precious thing.”

Bei Yao’s nose felt sour. She finally understood why daughters who married out would want to cry.

She wanted to say she didn’t need this either, but seeing Zhao Zhilan’s earnest, worried, and reluctant gaze, Bei Yao could only accept it. Seeing her accept it, Zhao Zhilan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

City B was also raining that night, and it was a heavy rain. The heavy rain washed the city, yet the neon lights still flickered and flashed.

When Bei Yao came to her new home again, it was as a bride.

It was only ten o’clock at night. Outside, the wind and rain were raging, but inside their home it was warm and cozy.

She changed into her little rabbit slippers. Her hair was slightly damp, but her body wasn’t wet.

Pei Chuan had held the umbrella the whole way, always protecting her. His body, however, was almost completely soaked through.

Pei Chuan put away the umbrella and touched her hair: “Go wash up. Don’t catch a cold.”

She wore a bright red spring outfit with Republican-era frog buttons. Her little face was fair and tender, her eyes like spring water.

Bei Yao said: “You wash first. Your body is soaked through.”

The man was stubborn. She couldn’t budge his hand holding the umbrella even a bit, so Pei Chuan had been drenched by the rain the whole way.

Pei Chuan paused, then said: “There are two bathrooms at home. You can wash in the bedroom. I’ll wash in the outside bathroom.”

She nodded, not feeling anything was wrong.

Pei Chuan lowered his eyes.

Two bathrooms…

In the end, he said nothing and took his clothes to the bathroom. Bei Yao hadn’t removed her makeup yet—she had to remove it before washing up.

She stepped into the bridal chamber and looked at the bright red festive décor, her face slightly flushed. Some things, when you saw the setting, you couldn’t help but think more about them.

She was still removing her makeup when Pei Chuan had already started bathing.

Thunder rumbled outside. After he removed his clothes, the bathroom mirror revealed the man’s strong, broad chest. His years of prison life had actually made him paler than before, but the pectoral and abdominal muscles on his body were from boxing training he’d done long ago.

Pei Chuan paused, lowering his gaze to unbuckle his belt.

His pants slid down. He quietly looked at the ugly residual limb. After carrying Bei Yao for ten meters, everyone thought he was fine—after all, Pei Chuan’s body hadn’t even swayed. But after the residual limb swelled and was then drenched by rain, it looked even uglier than usual.

He closed his eyes and turned on the showerhead to begin bathing.

His heart was truly in turmoil.

An injury caused when he was four years old. Though a child, the bone in the residual limb would still grow. Every inch of bone that grew out had to be ground down smooth again.

He had experienced so much pain, yet tonight his heart was quite unsettled.

After washing, he changed into pajamas. According to his normal living habits, he shouldn’t wear the prosthetic leg at this time, but… tonight there was a delicate wife at home. He quietly put it back on, then walked out and headed to the bedroom, looking at the half-open door before him.

Some of the young lady’s things were placed on the small sofa in the room. He glanced at them without speaking, his heartbeat quickening considerably as he walked in.

Men’s movements were much faster than women’s. Pei Chuan had already finished bathing while Bei Yao had just finished removing her makeup and started washing.

There was the sound of water in the room. The master bedroom was very large, and the master bathroom wasn’t far away. He sat on the bed, listening to the sound of water, his body somewhat stiff.

After Bei Yao finished washing, she spoke: “Pei Chuan, we came back without bringing clothes to sleep in.”

Pei Chuan was stunned for a moment.

Bei Yao wanted to cover her face: “I don’t have pajamas. Could you find me some clothes to make do with?” Before she went in to bathe, she had originally wanted to ask Pei Chuan, but he was bathing and she felt too embarrassed. She was also afraid that looking for things herself wouldn’t be quite right, since everyone had privacy.

Her voice was soft. Pei Chuan said: “Wait a moment.”

He opened the wardrobe and found a white shirt and a pair of loose summer pants to bring over.

Getting closer to the bathroom, he said in a low voice: “I brought them over.”

Bei Yao stepped out of the bathtub. She wrapped herself in a bath towel and opened the door a crack. Her slender arm reached out—that tender arm like a lotus root, stained with a shallow layer of pink from the moisture.

Pei Chuan lowered his gaze and looked away, placing the clothes in her hand.

Seeing there were also summer pants, Bei Yao suppressed a laugh. Her heart felt soft and slightly astringent. She didn’t know what to say about Pei Chuan’s proper behavior.

The marriage was too sudden. Everyone was living with another person for the first time. She also had her usual living habits—for example, not wearing a bra after bathing.

When girls first developed, mothers would educate them that they couldn’t wear bras to sleep at night, or it would be unhealthy.

The long white shirt on her covered her thighs. She had her long damp hair loose and hadn’t put on those pants.

Bei Yao raised and lowered her hand many times, but in the end still didn’t… didn’t wear a bra.

She looked at herself in the mirror.

Without makeup, she had a kind of fresh, natural beauty. With her long hair down, she looked like a siren girl from the sea with bright eyes and red lips.

However, there was also an embarrassing aspect.

For example, Pei Chuan probably didn’t know that white clothes were see-through, and white shirts were naturally no exception. Not only revealing, but also thin, so certain areas… She lowered her head, her face burning hot.

She would never dress like this when living with her roommates in the dorm. Ultimately, people had a process of growing up bit by bit.

Bei Yao had just gotten together with Pei Chuan when he went to prison. Her romance was missing a stepping stone. There had never been any excessive actions between her and Pei Chuan, so suddenly getting married made it difficult for her to adapt for a while.

However, thinking of those two little red booklets, she gritted her teeth and walked out.