In the end, they called a designated driver to take them home.

Both sat in the back seat without speaking, just holding hands.

Thinking back, even in high school, they weren’t particularly talkative, and after their long separation, they had even fewer topics of conversation.

Jiang Wang played absent-mindedly with her fingers. The young woman’s hand was soft, warm, and smooth. He looked down at her fingers and suddenly asked: “Why did you come back so suddenly?”

“For graduate school.”

Jiang Wang knew this, and he also knew she had secured admission without taking the entrance exam. Only now did he realize something wasn’t right: “To B University?”

“Yes.” She paused slightly and asked, “What about you?”

“What?”

“Have you been well these years?”

The standard question for reunions after a long separation.

He curved his lips, emotionless: “Just the usual.”

The car arrived at Shi Niannian’s apartment. Jiang Wang originally wanted to get out too, but Shi Niannian gently pushed him back into his seat. He looked up at her and heard her say, “It’s late, you should go home.”

“Alright.” He didn’t insist. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning.”

She was lowering her head to adjust her backpack strap and didn’t immediately process what he said: “What?”

Jiang Wang said in a deep voice: “To get our marriage certificate.”

She opened her mouth, stunned. She had thought Jiang Wang’s marriage proposal referred to something in the future, not that he planned to register their marriage the very next day, when everything was still unsettled.

But looking at those dark black eyes in front of her, she inexplicably said: “Okay.”

Back home, she sat on the sofa in a daze.

The series of events tonight was too bizarre; she still hadn’t fully processed them.

The Class 3 WeChat group had been created after graduation and didn’t include Jiang Wang. Shi Niannian had only been added to it tonight by her tablemates.

Now the group was buzzing with discussion about the shocking scene they had witnessed tonight.

*Holy crap, I’m shocked!! I never thought that at my old grandma age I’d see something straight out of a TV drama!!*

*So it wasn’t Jiang Wang who broke up back then, it was our Niannian! Niannian is so ruthless (cool), what a woman!!*

*No, I was an eyewitness. Mr. Jiang was crying while holding Shi Niannian, and I saw him trembling.*

*Did they leave together? That must be quite a passionate reunion after so long apart, right?*

The conversation was getting more outrageous. Shi Niannian sighed and carefully typed her response.

*He just drove me home.*

*Ahhhhhhh the protagonist has appeared!! So, did you rekindle your old flame?!*

*You two always make headlines, whether in school or at work!*

*Hahaha now Jiang Wang makes headlines with whoever he’s with!*

Everyone circled them as a topic, mostly teasing, without asking any real questions. Nobody understood what was between them, and it wasn’t appropriate to pry into their privacy.

Shi Niannian didn’t join in, just smiled as she watched the chat for a while, then remembered tomorrow’s plans and suddenly felt her heart pounding like thunder.

On his way home, Jiang Wang directly called Xu Ningqing. He had graduated two years ago and was currently away on business. When he answered the phone, there was a lot of noise in the background.

“Did you know Shi Niannian is back?” Jiang Wang asked straightforwardly.

“She’s back? I thought she was coming back the day after tomorrow.”

Jiang Wang looked out the car window, silently closing his eyes.

Xu Ningqing hesitantly asked: “Did you see her?”

“Yes.”

“I could have sworn it was the day after tomorrow. I was planning to surprise you then. But it’s good you’ve met her. You’ve been waiting for so long.”

With his eyes closed, he heard this and curved his lips slightly: “Mm.”

At the villa entrance, the designated driver returned his car keys. Having overheard the earlier conversation between him and Shi Niannian, the driver didn’t forget to say “Congratulations on your marriage.”

Jiang Wang rarely smiled, but now he did: “Thank you.”

Shi Niannian woke up very early the next day. She had already requested leave from her advisor for this matter and had been lectured by the eccentric old professor last night, but fortunately, he had agreed.

She awoke when it was still barely light outside. She hadn’t slept well the night before—her sleep was light, and she had been startled awake several times.

She washed her hair and took a shower, then began to consider what to wear.

Getting a marriage certificate probably meant taking photos, she thought, so she should wear a shirt.

Seeing that Jiang Wang now wore suits daily with a white shirt underneath, they should look good together in photos.

Shi Niannian thought they were truly crazy. The last time they had properly spoken face-to-face was in their second year of high school, and now, after meeting for the first time since then, they were going to register their marriage.

All the crazy things she had done in her otherwise ordinary life were related to Jiang Wang.

She put on a white shirt, sat for a while, then felt hot and rolled up her sleeves halfway, exposing her slender, pale forearms.

Since she had only taken the morning off and needed to go to B University in the afternoon, she also carried a backpack with a few books inside.

Her phone vibrated.

*Are you ready? I’m already waiting downstairs.*

Jiang Wang’s message.

It appeared below the “Happy New Year” text from half a year ago. After so many years, their chat history finally contained ordinary conversation again.

Shi Niannian smiled, pressing her lips together, and replied: *Coming down now.*

She had guessed correctly. Jiang Wang was also wearing a white shirt with the top two buttons undone and sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing an elegant watch. He was leaning against the car door, head lowered, with smooth jawline contours.

Her heart skipped a beat as she gripped her backpack strap and walked over.

A pair of sandals stopped in front of him, revealing slender ankles and pretty feet. Jiang Wang paused for two seconds before raising his head, his gaze falling on her backpack strap.

He reached out, his index finger pressing against her shoulder as he hooked it under the backpack strap, creating an intimate burning sensation. Shi Niannian felt uncomfortable and wanted to avoid it, but he appeared completely composed.

“Why are you carrying a backpack?” he asked softly.

She explained quietly: “I need to go to school this afternoon.”

The explanation felt strange. How odd that Jiang Wang was already dressed formally while she still needed to go to school. It just sounded peculiar.

He curved his lips imperceptibly, took her backpack, and tossed it into the back seat, then turned his head to ask: “Did you bring all the documents?”

“Yes.”

She had searched online last night to check what documents were needed, and fortunately, she hadn’t left them abroad.

They arrived early, and there weren’t many people at the civil affairs bureau.

Shi Niannian stayed behind him the whole time. The man’s back was broad, his posture straight. She called softly: “Jiang Wang.”

He stopped, paused for two seconds, and reached out his hand towards her.

His palm was dry. Shi Niannian looked at it and slowly extended her hand, placing it in his palm, which he then gripped tightly. He rotated his wrist, interlocking their fingers.

They were now both familiar and unfamiliar with each other. Many habits needed to be relearned and adjusted, but fortunately, both were willing to make the effort.

They filled out a marriage registration application form. At the bottom, they needed to sign. Shi Niannian secretly glanced at his signature, which was very different from the name he used to write on test papers in school. It had probably changed gradually over the years from signing various documents.

His handwriting had been good before, but now it was more fluid and elegant.

Ironically, the person seemed to have become steadier, whereas before he had been more casual and free-spirited. The saying “the handwriting reflects the person” didn’t seem to apply to him.

As she was looking and thinking, she heard him say: “Your handwriting hasn’t changed.”

“Ah.” She blinked. “Mm.”

The staff member sitting in front of them couldn’t help but look at the two. They could indeed be described as a perfect match, but their conversation revealed how unfamiliar they were.

Next came the photo. Both in white shirts, they faced the flash of the camera with a click.

The final photos turned out well. They were stamped and placed into two little red booklets.

Jiang Wang looked at them and drifted off for a moment. What was the taste of regaining something lost? What he felt in his heart now was a thousand times more intense.

Not long ago, he had been waiting hopelessly, and now he suddenly truly had her.

“This seems to be our second photo together,” Shi Niannian said with a smile.

He wanted to say something, but his throat felt sour and swollen. His fist at his side clenched and relaxed.

Seeing him not speak, Shi Niannian thought he had forgotten when their first photo was taken, so she explained: “The last time was when we won the first prize in the physics competition and took a photo on the stage.”

His Adam’s apple moved up and down as he desperately tried to suppress the emotions about to surge forth. He spoke as if calmly: “I remember. I secretly took that photo from the bulletin board back then.”

She smiled and asked casually: “Do you still have it?”

“Yes,” he said. “I still do.”

Those memories that had truly shone brightly—memories that neither of them had dared to recall over the years—but now that they were standing together again, those days seemed long enough to look back upon.

Shi Niannian suddenly remembered those times from long ago.

“What are we doing next?” Jiang Wang asked, turning his head as they left the civil affairs bureau.

Shi Niannian said, “I need to go to B University this afternoon.”

He looked at his watch. It was still early. It was midsummer, and the sun outside was strong, making it extremely hot and stuffy.

“If you need to go to your company, go ahead. I can go home by myself,” she said softly, her words revealing a distance she hadn’t even noticed herself.

Jiang Wang frowned slightly. As they walked down the steps, a delivery scooter came speeding by. He grabbed Shi Niannian’s arm and pulled her slightly, but didn’t let go even after the scooter had passed.

Shi Niannian turned her head to look at him.

Jiang Wang said: “Come to my company with me, and I’ll take you to school in the afternoon.”

“Huh?”

He lowered his gaze to look at her and asked: “You don’t want to?”

Shi Niannian hurriedly said: “It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just… won’t people at your company say something if they see me?”

His tone was indifferent: “What could they say?”

So they went to his company together. Jiang Wang’s company was quite close to B University. They could go directly through an underground passage from the B University subway exit, which would also allow them to avoid the fierce sun. Shi Niannian calculated this as she looked at the scenery quickly passing by outside the window.

The two red booklets were hidden in an inner compartment of her backpack.

They had gotten married, without telling anyone. It felt quite strange, unreal.

Shi Niannian thought aimlessly, feeling that their current situation was like those celebrity secret marriages. She couldn’t help but laugh. When the young woman smiled, her eyes seemed to melt like water, glistening with light, beautiful and gentle.

Jiang Wang’s heart stirred with just one glance, his Adam’s apple involuntarily moving.

No matter when, Shi Niannian was the only person who could effortlessly make his heart flutter.

“What are you laughing at?” he asked.

She laughed and said, “We suddenly had a secret marriage.”

Jiang Wang raised an eyebrow: “Secret marriage?”

He had no intention of keeping their marriage secret.

Shi Niannian looked at him, blinking twice: “Isn’t it?”

“No.”

“Ah.” She was stunned, looking down to see the thick textbook in her backpack on her lap. “…But I’m still a student.”

“Can’t graduate students get married?”

“They can, but…”

She felt uncomfortable and didn’t know how to tell her mother and classmates. Everything was too sudden, so sudden that it seemed like an impulsive, irrational decision made by two people who had lost their minds.

Shi Niannian looked at him pitifully, clasping her hands together beside her face, her voice soft and pleading: “Can we not tell anyone yet?”

Jiang Wang looked at her for a while, and after a long moment, he turned his head and smiled: “Alright.”

“Whatever you want.”

The car was parked in the company garage, and they took the elevator up.

Jiang Wang used a private elevator, so they wouldn’t encounter anyone. Shi Niannian felt relieved, as she didn’t know how to introduce herself if they met someone.

The CEO’s old classmate? Girlfriend? Or newly married spouse? Any of these would be strange.

The elevator ascended to the 19th floor. Jiang Wang led her out. There weren’t many people on this floor; it seemed to be where Jiang Wang usually worked.

Just as she sighed in relief, she heard a female voice from the side: “Good morning, Mr. Jiang.”

Shi Niannian was startled. The woman had noticed her, but the surprise on her face was quickly suppressed by professional courtesy. She nodded to Shi Niannian, who politely nodded back.

Jiang Wang explained: “This is one of my assistants.”

Shi Niannian responded with an “Oh” and nodded.

Jiang Wang’s office was very large. The building was located in a bustling area, and the floor-to-ceiling windows offered an excellent view, encompassing the city’s most vibrant districts at a glance.

Shi Niannian curiously stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows for a while, then heard a voice behind her: “Niannian, come here.”

She paused. Jiang Wang had never called her like this before.

Turning around, she saw the man sitting in a chair, his beautiful, bony fingers methodically undoing a shirt button. In his seated position, the shirt that wasn’t form-fitting now outlined the taut muscles underneath. His eyes reflected the depth and darkness that time and experience had carved into him.

For some reason, she couldn’t move: “What is it?”

“Come here.”

From some point onward, the man’s words had acquired an authority that couldn’t be questioned.

So she had to walk over, her heart pounding. As soon as Shi Niannian reached him, he pulled her into his arms.

Her backpack fell to the ground, the heavy books landing with a dull thud. She staggered a step, her bottom resting against his desk. He stood up and lowered his head, kissing her fiercely.

Shi Niannian shrank back, unconsciously half-sitting on the desk, her feet off the ground, her sandal straps loosely hooked around her toes. Jiang Wang pushed between her legs with full aggression, one hand resting on her thigh, his fingertips caressing.

She made a few muffled sounds as his tongue curled around hers. She felt her fingertips burning and her back sweating.

Even their hot breaths intermingled, creating a sensual scene.

He sensed her retreat and pulled back slightly, saying hoarsely: “Be good, don’t run away.”

His voice was deep and magnetic, uniquely masculine, like a bass resonating from his throat.

He kissed her again, gently sucking on Shi Niannian’s tongue, his fingers gripping her chin with barely controlled force. Then he grazed her tongue tip with a light bite, making her tremble involuntarily.

Her hands pressed against his chest, wanting to push him away, but remembering his words, she froze and instead slowly wrapped her arms around his neck, forming an intimate posture.

After so many years, awkwardness and discomfort were inevitable. Jiang Wang was eager to make up for lost time, using every excessive method to compensate for the time they had lost.

“You should do it like this…”

He slowly opened his mouth, his excessively hoarse voice lingering in her ear, like deliberate enchantment.

At the same time, he slowed his movements, using his tongue tip to meticulously trace the shape of her lips, slow and patient like a demonstration, teaching her how to kiss.

Shi Niannian was kissed until her breathing became rapid and chaotic, her face completely red, her thick eyelashes trembling constantly.

She felt the palm pressed against her thigh burning hot, applying slight pressure, squeezing that soft flesh. At the same time, the subtle wet sounds between their lips carved out an unfamiliar sense of eroticism.

She finally couldn’t bear it anymore and struggled violently.

Jiang Wang released her, his eyes dark, his throat hoarse to the extreme, but his words contained laughter and a hint of mischievousness that transcended time and space.

“You still have a lot to learn in the future.”