In July, City B entered midsummer. In the 2014 college entrance examination, Ji Wei received an offer from Cambridge.

When several of the young men from back then learned this news, they were all extremely happy. Jin Ziyang was incredulous and exclaimed, “Holy shit, Brother Wei actually got in!”

This was Ji Wei’s sixth college entrance examination. He had spent five more years than others, day after day doing the same thing.

While his peers had successively entered society, Ji Wei still carried his school bag to and from school. He’d been laughed at and misunderstood, but in this summer, he had finally achieved his wish.

When Pei Chuan received the phone call, he was in an excellent mood.

Bei Yao asked him what had happened.

She had recently started her internship as a pediatrician and had also become busy. After Pei Chuan explained, Bei Yao was very admiring. “He really has perseverance. After so many years, his dream hasn’t wavered at all.”

Pei Chuan said, “Mm.” He paused. “Heaven does not disappoint those who work hard. Through enduring hardships, three thousand soldiers of Yue can swallow Wu.”

She nodded vigorously.

Pei Chuan smiled slightly. She thought he was sharing life philosophy, but actually Pei Chuan saw himself in Ji Wei.

A person doing something that seemed impossible, year after year, experiencing wind, frost, rain, and snow, simply because he loved it too much. It looked foolish and stubborn, yet he would never give up.

When Bei Yao had just started her hospital internship, Pei Chuan happened to be researching a very important project.

His pupils were pitch black as he looked at her and said, “It’s a state secret project. I might not be able to come home for a month.”

At first, she didn’t think carefully about what this meant. After all, over these many years, the two had often been apart. Bei Yao said with a smile, “Then you take good care of yourself too. Don’t worry about me.”

His eyes flickered slightly with three parts of indescribable complexity, and he responded softly.

And Bei Yao’s internship almost caused a commotion throughout half the hospital.

This year she was breathtakingly beautiful. Her face was fair and delicate, with a pair of clear, limpid eyes like spring water, and eyelashes like two light butterflies.

She was a southern girl. When she spoke, her intonation was soft, like water flowing past the doorstep, like the breeze brushing one’s face in March.

Everyone understood what being an intern meant—just graduated, a tender young woman, possibly without a boyfriend, and even if she had one, graduation often meant long distance and breakup.

Bei Yao was modest, polite, and very approachable.

The entire hospital surged with male hormones.

In the neurosurgery department, there was an enthusiastic lady, Dr. Zhang. Before getting off work on Wednesday, Dr. Zhang pulled Bei Yao aside and said with a smile, “Little Bei, do you know Director Zhou from our department?”

Bei Yao thought for a moment. “I think I’ve seen him once. Is he that very young, tall and thin director?”

“Right, the one who wears glasses.”

Dr. Zhang said, “I think he’s interested in you. He’s been asking about you these past few days. He even asked the young ladies interning with you what you like to eat. Our Director Zhou is not yet thirty this year and is the hospital’s premier golden bachelor. He has a good family background, studied abroad, and is handsome too. So many girls in the hospital like him, but I’ve never seen him like anyone. This is the first time he’s actively inquired about someone. You could consider developing something with him.”

Bei Yao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She said seriously, “Dr. Zhang, I’m married.”

Dr. Zhang’s eyes widened. After a long moment, she said, “You got married so young?”

“Yes.”

Dr. Zhang felt it was a pity. Director Zhou had such good qualifications, and Bei Yao was also beautiful with a good personality. The two looked well-matched. Who knew Bei Yao was already married? She was really curious about what kind of person she had married. But they weren’t familiar enough—it would be rude to ask about family circumstances.

Before long, everyone knew about Bei Yao being married. Director Zhou was somewhat disappointed, but everyone was an adult. He wouldn’t do anything like pestering her relentlessly and could only smile and offer his blessings.

However, Bei Yao’s husband never showed his face, leading everyone to sigh with emotion. Her husband had married such a beautiful and gentle wife yet had never been seen picking her up or sending flowers even once. He wasn’t the slightest bit as considerate as the golden bachelor Dr. Zhou.

During this period, Pei Chuan was busy with research. The nature of their work—after all, they were advancing scientific progress—meant that once a project started, sometimes it simply couldn’t be stopped. These past few days, several researchers would just lie down and sleep for a bit when tired, unable to go home at all. Today the research had made progress, and he finally had some free time.

Outside in August, the heat was scorching. Pei Chuan specially ordered ice cream for her.

Disney princess ice cream, carried the whole way in an ice box. The car’s air conditioning was on, afraid the ice cream would melt.

When he arrived, the hospital hadn’t finished work yet. Someone poked their head out and saw a silver-gray Lamborghini in the distance.

A Lamborghini! A luxury car.

Although the color was low-key, quite a few knowledgeable people recognized it at once.

When getting off work, everyone couldn’t help but peek out.

Before long, the car owner got out—a young man with stern features, wearing a white shirt and black trousers. He looked like he didn’t smile easily, with a kind of aloof coolness.

A very young man.

He raised his black pupils to look up, clearly waiting for someone.

Everyone speculated—who was he waiting for? Before they could discuss and reach a conclusion, they saw the usually gentle and quiet intern Dr. Little Bei from pediatrics bouncing and jumping into his embrace.

“Pei Chuan, Pei Chuan! I missed you so much!”

In that instant, the ice-cold man smiled faintly.

He took ice cream from the car and placed it in her hands. After she sat properly in the passenger seat, he leaned over and fastened her seatbelt for her.

She held the ice cream, and when the man lowered his eyes, she sweetly kissed his cheek.

His smile deepened as he returned to the driver’s seat.

Neither of them knew that many people were secretly watching.

The man’s motion of bending down to fasten the seatbelt was devastatingly charming. Several young nurses watched with flushed faces.

Where was the lack of consideration? Clearly he was doting on his sweetheart!

From that day on, there were no more rumors in the hospital saying Bei Yao’s husband couldn’t compare to Dr. Zhou.

Some people’s affection could be seen in their eyes.

Any superficial liking would lose at first glance to bone-deep love.

Pei Chuan had been exhausted for several days at the research institute. Bei Yao was extremely heartbroken. “You definitely didn’t sleep properly again. When you’re busy, you certainly can’t even spare time to eat.”

He found it amusing. In this world, she was probably the only one who would care about whether he ate and slept like this. Pei Chuan said, “I won’t be busy during this period. I’ll spend good time with you. Are you used to the hospital work? Has anyone bullied you?”

Bei Yao said, “I like it very much. The children are also very cute. The senior staff are quite good and have taught me many things.”

She suddenly said in a small, serious voice, “There’s only one thing I’m not used to—I miss you so much.”

She rarely said such sweet nothings. Earlier when she first saw him, she’d said she missed him, and he thought she was joking. If she said it seriously and earnestly, Pei Chuan was stunned for a moment.

He suppressed his violent heartbeat and asked as if nothing was wrong, “What’s the matter?”

Bei Yao was somewhat bewildered and said with some grievance, “I had a bit of insomnia the past few days. I felt strange. In the middle of the night I was thirsty and discovered there was no cool boiled water by the bed. The blanket fell under the bed. At night I kept remembering ghost stories I’d heard in middle school.”

Actually, there were many, many more things. No one would hold her and tell her about cultures and customs from all over the world. In the morning, no one put socks on her feet. She had to heat her own milk. When she loosely closed her palm, it was only filled with air.

And there was no man who needed her to clumsily yet earnestly tie his necktie, and no one to pick the vegetables she didn’t like from her plate.

One night, she suddenly understood that strange feeling.

That attachment from the bottom of her heart made her feel so aggrieved she suddenly wanted to cry.

In the first year of high school, Bei Yao hadn’t seen him for a year.

At that time, she’d been angry that Cao Li’s arrival meant Pei Chuan had lost his home, but Bei Yao didn’t feel that not seeing him for a year was anything special, because she knew that sooner or later they would meet.

Later, she would occasionally think of him, just a kind of concern, like the concern for her father, mother, and younger brother—the kind of concern where in a person’s life, there didn’t seem to be many things that were indispensable.

However, this past month, unable to see Pei Chuan, several times in the middle of the night she felt so aggrieved she wanted to cry.

This delicate and sudden uncontrollable emotion made her feel extremely unfamiliar.

It was as if he had become an inseparable part of her life. Growing up this far, she understood for the first time the taste of missing someone to the bone.

When Pei Chuan said he wouldn’t come home for a month, she had clearly still been able to smile and cheerfully say goodbye. Now if he said it again, she estimated she could cry aggrievedly on the spot.

How strange.

He pressed his lips together, doing his utmost to suppress the waves in his heart.

He never imagined he would ultimately achieve such a result.

It was truly… satisfying beyond satisfaction.

However, with her current bewildered appearance, if he showed even a trace of amusement, she would probably be annoyed.

Pei Chuan could only say calmly against his conscience, “You won’t be afraid tonight.”

She nodded joyfully and made another request. “Not cool boiled water—I want sour plum juice.”

If she wanted the stars now, he would have to pluck them for her. Pei Chuan said, “Mm.”

Outside in August, the heat was sweltering. Pei Chuan’s time recently hadn’t necessarily been better than hers.

He had numbed himself through work. Now with the person in his arms, so soft and delicate, he cherished her immensely.

A brief separation was better than a new marriage. Outside, the greenery was lush, cicadas chirped in waves, and the metropolis was brilliantly lit.

Now Pei Chuan was much more relaxed. When Bei Yao was at her most playful, she would even want to kiss his incomplete places.

He would often have veins bulging in his arms, helplessly pinching her small face, not allowing her to mess around.

What could he do? He couldn’t bear to hit her or scold her, and he’d spoiled a perfectly well-behaved girl into someone who knew how to be naughty.

She muttered, “Stingy.”

This man had too strong principles. What he had decided upon, he wouldn’t change no matter what.

Just like not allowing her to play with that place—the moment she crossed the line, he became alert, his whole body tense.

The young couple fussed about for most of the night. In the middle of the night, Bei Yao had a habit of drinking water. She crawled up to drink the sour plum juice Pei Chuan had prepared. After only two sips, she woke Pei Chuan with tears in her eyes.

When Pei Chuan woke, he saw a small face full of tears and panic. His drowsiness disappeared at once, and he wiped away her tears. “What’s wrong? Don’t cry.”

Bei Yao felt things probably weren’t good. She said, “My stomach hurts. It seems like I’m bleeding.”

Now Pei Chuan panicked too. Looking, he indeed saw the bedsheet stained red with blood in a small patch.

He hurriedly sent Bei Yao to the hospital. The doctor was both amused and exasperated. “You’re pregnant, two months along. You two… forget it. The baby is fine. Be more careful from now on.”

Pei Chuan hadn’t yet emerged from his fear when a pie fell from the sky.

He rubbed his temples. After a long moment, he held the stunned Bei Yao and said helplessly, “When I wasn’t home and your period didn’t come, you didn’t even know?”

Bei Yao felt somewhat embarrassed. Girls actually sometimes forgot about this, and besides, she’d only been thinking about missing him.

Because she’d bled, she was a bit panicked, always feeling it wasn’t real.

After a long while, Bei Yao gently touched her lower abdomen and revealed a somewhat silly smile. “Pei Chuan, you’re going to be a dad.”

“Mm.” His heart was warm. He was actually so inarticulate he couldn’t say anything.