Zhou Zheng’s mind went utterly blank, unable to react.

After a long while, he finally forced out a sentence: “You… you and Li Xiaoyi…….”

Seeing him at a loss, dazed, Lin Shuang felt a bittersweet ache swell in her chest, and she pressed herself to explain: “I haven’t been unfaithful, I haven’t done anything to wrong you, not even the slightest bit.”

Zhou Zheng still hadn’t come back to himself.

“If you’re willing to trust me, I can explain it to you slowly.” She let a sweet smile bloom, like a rose bearing gorgeous thorns. “Zhou Zheng, are you willing to try with me… a new beginning? The Civil Affairs Bureau closes at five-thirty. If we leave now, we can still make it.”

The classroom erupted in a wave of whistling, a sea of dark heads crowded against the doorframe, each more excited than the last.

Zhou Zheng, dazed and dizzy, glanced back at the uproarious classroom, checked the time, and found his weak voice: “Class ends in a few minutes. Wait for me, we’ll talk after.”

Her heart churning with anxiety, she carefully feigned composure: “I’ll wait for you downstairs.”

The two parted ways. Lin Shuang went downstairs, and Zhou Zheng turned back into the classroom, expression blank, urging the students: “Settle down, everyone sit.”

Every student wore a suggestive grin, chattering all at once: “Teacher Zhou, what did our teacher’s wife want with you? If there’s something going on, we can help out!”

“Our teacher’s wife has finally made her appearance, openly acknowledged at last—she’s so pretty, so sweet!”

“Teacher Zhou, when are you and our teacher’s wife getting married? You’ll have to treat us to wedding candy!”

Zhou Zheng looked out over the sea of excited, beaming faces before him, waved his hand, struggling to press down the noise: “Let’s take another look at the solution to this problem………”

His chalk touched the blackboard, unconsciously scrawling a symbol before his pen suddenly stopped, his mind frozen stiff, unable to recall any formula or step. He turned, tossed the chalk onto the podium, and exhaled softly: “Sorry, I have something to deal with. Class is dismissed for today—use the remaining time for self-study, we’ll make it up another time.”

The classroom erupted in a wave of screaming.

Zhou Zheng didn’t even gather his lesson materials. He called the homeroom teacher to request leave and hurried downstairs, stopping at the stairwell.

There was a bulletin board on the ground floor, a bright red banner posted with the rankings from the most recent exam, along with photos of outstanding teachers from each subject. Lin Shuang stood beneath the bulletin board, looking up, facing directly the section with Zhou Zheng’s profile, her finger poking at his photo, tilting her head with a smile, pulling out her phone to snap a picture.

His heart suddenly came alive in that instant—an emotion he couldn’t quite name, sour, and swollen, and aching, and numb, and stifled all at once.

Zhou Zheng walked slowly over, standing beside her, half a meter apart.

“Down so fast?” She tilted her head to glance at him, then looked back up at the bulletin board, pointing at the topmost row of names in the science track. “Was your name often up there before?”

“And then… it moved from the student rankings up top, down to below…….” “Backbone Teacher, City’s Top Ten, Mathematics Subject Advisor—Zhou Zheng.” Her smile turned dazzling, emotions churning within her. “This time, I finally get to see your name.”

She was certain—many, many years ago, her gaze must have swept over his name, only they’d been too distant, their connection too thin, for her to remember him.

But this time, surely, she’d remember it for a lifetime.

Zhou Zheng watched her quietly, his gaze dark and unreadable.

Lin Shuang smiled, and extended her hand to him.

Zhou Zheng’s eyes moved to that slender, delicate hand—her long nails painted a vivid color, decorated with tiny glittering ornaments and pearls, her fingers hanging in a pose meant for him to take hold of.

His half-curled hand shifted, yet hesitated, not extending.

Light stirred in Lin Shuang’s eyes; she arched her brows high, grabbed hold of his cuff, and dragged him toward the school gate.

Her heels clicked hurriedly against the ground—if they dawdled and didn’t move quickly, the whole school would let out and the two of them would become a spectacle.

Zhou Zheng didn’t resist, letting her lead him along.

These past two years, every joy and sorrow of his had revolved around her; he’d sunk into her, and never once been able to refuse her.

Her radiance had always enveloped him; he lived beneath the glow of her wild, unrestrained light.

The car was parked outside the school gate.

“You drive, or should I? Never mind.” Lin Shuang tossed him the car keys, pushing him into the driver’s seat. “I need to fix my makeup, you drive.”

Zhou Zheng gripped the steering wheel, sitting there dazed.

He still hadn’t recovered from this dizzying rollercoaster of a shock.

“Drive.” She urged him. “We’re going home first to get some things.”

His voice came out soft, his whole body still spinning: “Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why do you want to marry me?”

“Then why haven’t you proposed to me?” She accused him without a shred of shame. “We’ve been dating this long, slept together so many times, when were you planning on proposing? Have you even planned to take responsibility for me?”

“………”

What could he say?

Zhou Zheng sat there like a dumb goose, unmoving.

He truly was in a daze, as if dreamwalking, with countless things to do and countless questions to ask her, yet utterly without a clue where to begin.

Lin Shuang grew anxious—the Civil Affairs Bureau had relocated to the new district, not close by, and if they didn’t leave soon it might be too late.

“Get out, I’ll drive.”

She pushed him into the passenger seat and climbed in herself, thoroughly impatient.

Marriage could, of course, be taken slowly, but she, as if resigned to fate, insisted stubbornly on today of all days.

All these years, when it came to love, she’d simply wanted, just once, to throw caution to the wind for someone.

The two returned home briefly. Lin Shuang rummaged through everything to find both their household registration books and ID cards, then went to the closet to pick out clothes for Zhou Zheng.

“Shirt and suit okay? I think that’ll look good.”

He stood still, pressing his lips together, watching her, his voice halting: “What’s really going on between you and Li Xiaoyi?”

“There’s nothing ambiguous between us, no hand-holding, no kissing, no sleeping together, no romance.” She briskly tugged at his clothes. “It was purely conversation, settling the past with him, and incidentally getting back some things from when I was in school.”

“Please believe me on this.” Her gaze was clear as she looked at him. “Zhou Zheng, I have no reason to lie to you.”

He didn’t understand.

But if she wanted to discard him, there was truly no need to go in circles over him—she had everything, while he had nothing.

“But in your heart, he’s different to you.” He lowered his eyes.

“Of course he’s different.” She frowned. “If he’d had even a shred of commitment and responsibility, he wouldn’t have explained so much to me after a chance encounter—were all those years before just dead to him? What good does ‘sorry’ do, putting on that face of deep affection, only to make me out to be the most heartless one in the end. The more I think about it, the more it disgusts me.”

“But you…….” He struggled to speak. “This whole time, toward me you’ve………”

Lin Shuang glanced at him, tugging at his tie to pull him close, kissing his cheek affectionately.

“Am I especially bad?” She asked him gently.

Zhou Zheng’s heart ached; he nodded.

“Can you forgive me?”

Zhou Zheng stared at her, pressed his lips together, and said nothing.

In front of him, she always held the upper hand.

“Remember me at my worst, then find a way to tame me—you’re so good at solving problems, surely this won’t be a problem.” She smiled, sighing, wrapping an arm around his waist. “Zhou Zheng, the title of girlfriend has no binding power at all—we’re still each our own free individuals, a relationship that could end at any time. But wife is different, isn’t it. Want to look forward to it—with a new identity, how will I treat you?”

Wife and husband.

To this day, he’d never dared imagine such an ending.

Zhou Zheng couldn’t help reaching out, stroking her long hair, his feelings complicated.

Willing? Without question—if she was willing to stay by his side, willing to return even the smallest sliver of affection, he was willing to give everything for her.

Lin Shuang stepped back, straightening his clothes: “Call the Civil Affairs Bureau and ask—besides the household register and ID, is there anything else we need? Do we need an appointment or something?”

Her skirt fluttered like a butterfly as she spun away from him, hurrying to change clothes, picking through her wardrobe until she found a fitted, frog-buttoned embroidered qipao that matched perfectly with Zhou Zheng’s outfit, then carefully touched up her makeup, sparing a moment to help fix his eyebrows and hair.

Both of them carried their own private nervousness as they drove all the way to the Civil Affairs Bureau.

The timing worked out—they’d make it in time.

Before stepping through the entrance, Zhou Zheng paused, glancing at Lin Shuang.

Lin Shuang raised her brows.

“Are you really sure about this? You and me?” Zhou Zheng hesitated. “Getting married………”

She smiled, arms crossed: “You don’t want to?”

“I don’t have much money.” He said flatly. “No parents, my family’s in the countryside, just one house that’s not even finished being renovated—there’s not much I can give you. I still owe Zhang Fan a hundred thousand yuan.”

Lin Shuang burst out laughing: “Then let me smoke a cigarette first, take a moment, and think over our financial situation.”

Zhou Zheng stood before her, lowered his eyes and nodded, his mood somewhere between anxious and nervous.

She slowly smoked a cigarette, easing her own tension.

“Do you have money for a ring?” Lin Shuang asked him. “Not much, just a few tens of thousands.”

“I do.”

“Then that’ll do.” She shrugged, unconcerned. “I don’t lack for other jewelry.”

Zhou Zheng looked up at the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau, the large red characters hanging high above—Beiquan Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau, Marriage Registration Office.

“Give you my house and bank card, is that alright?” Zhou Zheng pinched at his own fingertips. “I’ll take on more work these summer months, could bring in a decent income. Once the house renovation’s done, there won’t be much left to spend on, apart from supporting my grandmother—I won’t spend much beyond that. The rest of my savings, all yours.”

“If that’s what you want, then good.” Her eyes and the corner of her mouth lifted. “Get married, and I get a free house out of it too—not bad at all.”

Zhou Zheng let out a breath of relief.

“As for having children, you should think that over carefully too.”

“I know.” His gaze was clear. “I’m fine with… just supporting you.”

Lin Shuang couldn’t hide the smile in her eyes and at the corner of her lips.

“Then let’s go. It’s just getting married, what’s the big deal.” Lin Shuang stubbed out her cigarette, declaring resolutely. “Everyone deserves one impulsive moment in their life—if it doesn’t work, we start over.”

Zhou Zheng’s already-dazed expression suddenly trembled. He furrowed his brow and firmly, deliberately, gripped her hand—tight enough that it hurt her a little.

“Still, I’ve never loved anyone this way before, and this is the first time I’ve wanted to keep going with someone.” Lin Shuang added with a smile, her voice light. “Zhou Zheng, today, I really do love you.”

“Be good to me, alright? Otherwise I might run off at any time.”

“Mm.” Zhou Zheng’s eyes shone bright.

The two joined hands and walked through the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau.

Getting married wasn’t complicated—just follow the signage at the entrance through the process. The two first went to have their ID photos taken, following the staff’s instructions like obedient schoolchildren.

“You two, come closer together, a little closer. Tilt your heads a bit, more intimate. Yes, just like that.”

Zhou Zheng took Lin Shuang’s hand.

After the photo, the rest of the process moved quickly—under the staff’s guidance, they filled out forms and signed their names together.

After several documents, the two set down their pens and exchanged a glance.

“All done. Congratulations to you both—this is your marriage certificate, one copy each, please keep it safe.”

The brand-new red booklets lay on the counter.

Bearing the official seal, still warm, the marriage certificates.

The two had just taken their photo, leaning into each other, wearing the silly smiles of a wedding portrait.

Zhou Zheng.

Lin Shuang.

Two people who had once had nothing to do with each other had become the closest people in the world to one another.

“Groom, bride, please hold your marriage certificates and step up to the oath platform, let me take a group photo of you two.”

“Wishing you both a happy marriage, may you grow old together in harmony.”

The camera clicked.