At the factory, Fei Ni had been containing her excitement, but upon seeing Fang Muyang, she could no longer hide it. Usually, she would immediately hop onto the bicycle’s back seat when she saw him, but today she seemed to forget about going home, standing at the factory gate describing to him her emotional journey of receiving the acceptance letter. As she spoke, she kept looking up at him. She had always found Fang Muyang handsome, but today he seemed especially pleasing to the eye; seeing him, she had no interest in observing the sky or clouds. Her every word was light and lively, almost unlike herself.

Others at the factory, even those who didn’t know the man facing Fei Ni, could guess he was her husband. Even those typically insensitive to emotions could read the feeling in Fei Ni’s eyes—the person opposite her had to be either her husband or her lover, and in this clear world, no one would dare look so openly at a lover. Such a gaze might seem excessive to others, but Fei Ni was young and beautiful in a dignified way, and the person she was looking at was also a clean-cut, handsome young man. Those who didn’t know them might have thought the film studio was shooting a scene at the factory gate.

If not for her workshop colleagues greeting her, Fei Ni might have forgotten she was at the factory entrance. She smiled at her coworkers and got onto the bicycle’s back seat. On the way, recalling her behavior at the factory gate, she felt somewhat embarrassed—even the memory made her self-conscious. She had wanted to embrace Fang Muyang, but since it wasn’t fully dark yet, her hands could only properly hold the bike seat.

They went to a restaurant, where Fei Ni showed unusual generosity, ordering too many dishes until Fang Muyang had to stop her. When the food arrived, she didn’t eat, just watched Fang Muyang. Noticing her gaze, he looked up at her, and they stared at each other until Fei Ni couldn’t hold back her smile, joy spilling from her eyes. Aware of others around them, Fei Ni felt foolish sitting there not eating while just staring, and would have been mortified if anyone noticed. She lowered her head, urging Fang Muyang to eat, constantly picking up food for him, then unable to resist watching him again.

Fang Muyang looked up at Fei Ni and smiled: “Am I that good-looking?”

Fei Ni lowered her head again and picked up some food with her chopsticks, bringing it to her mouth.

Only after biting did she realize she’d eaten a red chili pepper. It was so spicy it brought tears to her eyes, and Fang Muyang asked what was wrong.

Fei Ni didn’t speak, her eyes just reddened.

If not for Fei Ni’s increasingly red lips, Fang Muyang might have thought she was crying from happiness. He hurriedly got her some water.

As Fei Ni sipped the water, Fang Muyang watched her lips and smiled, making her lower her head shyly.

Fang Muyang had never seen Fei Ni so happy before, like a child during a festival.

He rode the bicycle home with her, pedaling quickly as if someone were chasing them. With no one on the night streets, Fei Ni held Fang Muyang without restraint, holding him so tightly it almost hurt, like a child with their first doll, unwilling to let go.

Fei Ni was grateful Fang Muyang was in front and couldn’t see her foolish smile; only the moon could see it.

Fei Ni specially bought chocolates from the Friendship Store to share with her workshop colleagues, who commented on her generosity, noting that others only distributed mixed candies at their weddings. Since Sister Liu had always looked after her, Fei Ni gave her an extra package of chocolates.

The hat factory had new leadership who encouraged workers to attend university. Employees who were accepted had their names displayed on the bulletin board and repeatedly announced over the broadcast system, with Wang Xiaoman as the announcer. Although Wang Xiaoman wasn’t particularly close to Fei Ni, she often mentioned her in conversations, saying her former close neighbor had been accepted to such-and-such university, as if sharing in the glory.

Everyone at the hat factory knew Fei Ni had been accepted to a prestigious university.

The cafeteria cook would give Fei Ni extra servings, draining the soup to give her more solid food, as his child would be taking the college entrance exam next year and he hoped to borrow Fei Ni’s notes.

Mother Fei was overjoyed that her eldest son, younger daughter, and son-in-law had all been accepted to university. Her happiness couldn’t be contained, showing not only on her face but spilling over into every interaction, even while shopping for groceries and greeting people, only regretting that not enough people knew the good news. She had always regretted that Fei Ni didn’t have a wedding banquet, and now she finally found an opportunity for a celebration. She wanted to host a college acceptance celebration for the children. When Fei Ting heard this, he quickly excluded himself, telling his mother not to make him the third wheel, though he would help arrange a proper wedding celebration for his little sister. Mother Fei thus decided to organize a wedding banquet for her daughter and son-in-law before the school term began.

Fei Ni wasn’t entirely comfortable with the idea—they’d been married for over a year, and having a wedding banquet now seemed strange. But since her mother had suggested it, showing it was important to her, she didn’t want to dampen her mother’s enthusiasm. When she told Fang Muyang about her mother’s decision, he strongly approved.

“I want everyone to know we’re married, and it’s a chance for your colleagues and relatives to get to know me.” He’d had enough of being called Director Ye, even once was too much.

Fang Muyang voluntarily took charge of organizing the banquet and contacting the chef and kitchen helpers. The head chef was an old acquaintance who had just retired and rarely accepted private events, but made an exception for Fang Muyang. The chef not only did Fang Muyang this favor but wanted to enhance his reputation, even including “Water-Boiled Cabbage” on the menu. Fang Muyang told the chef not to make such technically challenging dishes or those requiring elaborate carving; he drafted a menu of home-style dishes. The chef scoffed at the menu, saying they didn’t need him for such simple fare. Fang Muyang replied that simplicity was where true skill showed. Hearing this, the chef said, “Alright, you understand the craft.”

Once the guest list was set, Fang Muyang began preparing invitations, drawing simple sketches on each one, depicting himself and Fei Ni in different poses, and showcasing creative variety. After finishing the drawings, he had Fei Ni write the text. Fei Ni couldn’t help but laugh at his drawings—they were too lively, almost improper. To balance this informality, she wrote the text very seriously. While each invitation had a different drawing, the writing looked identical, even maintaining consistent spacing.

After sending out the invitations, Fang Muyang began decorating their marriage room. He bought red paper, and Fei Ni cut out “double happiness” characters following his designs, then cut silhouettes of two people. Fang Muyang had planned to ask others to help with the cutting, but Fei Ni said she could manage. He was considerate of her lack of paper-cutting experience and drew rough outlines, yet she captured their essence perfectly. The three silhouettes each had their character, with the final one showing Fei Ni’s barely concealed love for Fang Muyang—something the usually reserved Fei Ni kept well hidden.

Fei Ni told Fang Muyang that the revealing silhouette should only be displayed in their bedroom, as it would be embarrassing for others to see.

Though Fei Ni had initially resisted having the celebration, once decided, she prepared for their wedding banquet as meticulously as she had for the college entrance exam, leaving no detail to chance.

The banquet was held in their small courtyard, with parents from both sides attending. Usually, the parents’ speeches wouldn’t take long, but Old Fang doubled the time, extending the guests’ wait.

Old Fang had regained his former status, with many requesting him to speak, though he declined most invitations. The outside attention had misled him into thinking his son also enjoyed hearing him speak.

Old Fang mentioned none of his rebellious son’s shortcomings, only discussing how well-matched the couple was while sharing his vision for their future. When he became emotional, his eyes reddened, as if he were giving away his son for the first time.

Yet the son being “given away” showed no attachment, eager to rush toward his new life.

Fang Muyang had just declared his married status to everyone, yet was about to live like an unmarried man.

Fei Ni’s university was far from their current home, while Fang Muyang’s was nearby, allowing him to return home anytime.

Fang Muyang suggested Fei Ni live with his parents, closer to her school, where he could visit her anytime. If she lived in the dormitory, they could only meet on weekends. After consideration, Fei Ni said she needed to live in the dormitory at least for the first year.

Seeing Fei Ni’s determination, Fang Muyang could only agree, turning his attention to preparing her dormitory supplies. He bought so much that the bicycle couldn’t carry it all. Although Old Fang never used his official car for work, he offered to have it take Fei Ni to school. Fei Ni thought this would draw too much attention and insisted on using Fang Muyang’s bicycle as their sole means of transport.

The day before school started, Fang Muyang cycled Fei Ni to the university for registration.

He first took her to the dormitory, where her roommates had already arrived—she was the last one. Though there were other married female students in the dormitory, she was the only one whose husband came to help arrange her bed. Fang Muyang took over all of Fei Ni’s tasks, leaving her to watch. Remembering she had chocolates in her bag, she offered them to everyone.

Her roommates guessed Fei Ni was around twenty, and Fang Muyang seemed about the same age. Though they didn’t look alike, they were both attractive. They seemed a bit young to be married—surely they must be siblings, and seeing how attentive he was, he had to be her brother.

One girl told Fei Ni: “You’re so lucky to have such a brother.” Handsome and considerate.

Fei Ni had to personally verify Fang Muyang’s identity: “He’s my husband.”

Thus, before classes even began, everyone in Fei Ni’s dormitory knew she was married, her husband was called Fang Muyang, he was very good to her, and would even make her bed.

Fang Muyang had bought so many things for Fei Ni that after getting her settled, he returned home for the remaining bags. Just as he reached the university gate on his bicycle, a reporter stopped him.

The reporter thought Fang Muyang was a new student at this university, and since he appeared spirited, fitting the reporter’s ideal interview subject, he stopped Fang Muyang as he headed toward the women’s dormitory, asking for his thoughts on being accepted.

Fang Muyang told the reporter he wasn’t a student here—his wife was, and he was just delivering her things.

He pointed behind the reporter, “My wife is right there.”

The reporter turned to see a beautiful girl smiling, with the university gate as her backdrop. To him, it was a smile full of hope, and he quickly captured it with his camera. What luck—he had his front-page photo, effortlessly obtained.

Fei Ni had told her roommates she wanted to look around downstairs but went to wait for Fang Muyang. Seeing someone taking photos, she was momentarily startled. The surprise didn’t last long; when Fang Muyang approached, her smile returned.

The reporter came over to introduce himself. He was from a major newspaper and wanted to interview Fei Ni.

The next day’s newspaper proved the reporter hadn’t lied—Fei Ni appeared on the front page as a hopeful, vibrant new university student, her smile particularly striking. The article also mentioned her husband who would be studying at the Art Academy. However, her husband only occupied half a line, with the rest focusing on her previous yearning for the college entrance exam and her outlook for the future. Most readers of the newspaper wouldn’t know her husband’s name, only that this young woman was exceptional.

Fei Ni’s name even reached the Art Academy. On registration day, Fang Muyang repeatedly heard students speculating about which new student was Fei Ni’s husband, with various guesses. Someone clever even included him among the candidates.

As Fang Muyang walked along the path, listening to nearby suggestions, Xu Hui ran toward him waving an envelope, “Fang Muyang, your painting passed the initial selection for the art exhibition!”