Yan Sishi changed the motion of rolling down the car window to opening the car door instead. He stepped out and introduced himself to Jiang Hong with a measure of respectful courtesy: “Hello, Auntie. My name is Yan Sishi. I was Xia Li’s classmate in high school.”

“Hello, hello…” Jiang Hong was still somewhat stunned, then suddenly made the connection. “Yan… are you Huo Dong’s…”

Yan Sishi nodded. “Huo Jizhong is my maternal grandfather.”

Jiang Hong looked over at Xia Li with a hint of helplessness. “Li Li, why didn’t you say something beforehand… the house isn’t tidied up, and I don’t know if I can even find fresh vegetables and meat at this hour.”

Xia Li said, “He just drove me home. He’s not eating here tonight.”

That evening, the dinner table conversation naturally couldn’t avoid the subject of Yan Sishi.

Jiang Hong and Xia Jianyang pressed Xia Li, asking when she had gotten together with him and why she hadn’t mentioned it before.

Huo Jizhong’s many acts of consideration over the past period had certainly left some clues, but they hadn’t dared to truly entertain that possibility — after all, the gap between the two families was far too vast.

They had simply assumed that, being high school classmates both living in Beicheng, Xia Li and Yan Sishi had been in frequent contact, and that he had casually said a few words on her behalf to his family.

Xia Li couldn’t very well say that they had only officially confirmed their relationship that very morning, so she simply said they had been in contact for a while and had gotten together recently.

Xia Jianyang couldn’t help feeling a little worried. His daughter rarely confided in the family, and she did everything according to her own judgment. Whether it was filling out university applications or finding a job, she had always made her own decisions — he and Jiang Hong had rarely been able to get a word in.

As far as he could remember, their daughter had never been in a relationship, or at least had never mentioned one to the family. Now, out of nowhere, a boyfriend had appeared — and he was Huo Jizhong’s grandson, no less.

“Is he serious about this?” Xia Jianyang asked.

Xia Li found it amusing. “Why aren’t you asking whether I’m serious?”

Jiang Hong chimed in: “Men from wealthy families like his — don’t they all like to deceive young girls? They buy them a car and a handbag, play around for a while, and then it’s over. Like that Luo Wei — just because Luo Weiguo has money, he goes around fooling around, and he even got a girl pregnant… I heard she was a freshman in university, a girl who had worked so hard to get into Beicheng from the countryside. It was Luo Weiguo himself who came forward and gave the girl’s family tens of thousands of yuan, and only then did they agree not to cause trouble at Luo Wei’s company.”

Xia Li wasn’t surprised. That Luo Wei had come to this point was entirely predictable.

She only felt a quiet pang of sorrow for that girl.

Xia Jianyang added: “You two are in a proper relationship, aren’t you?”

Xia Li said, “Don’t worry. How could I lack basic judgment?”

Jiang Hong then voiced another concern: “The gap between our family and his is so enormous — Xia Li, won’t you end up feeling wronged in this relationship?”

The details were too complex to fully explain, so Xia Li simply reassured her parents again and again that he was a person of reliable character, and that she would take care of herself.

When Yan Sishi entered the house, Dai Shufang was discussing the evening’s dishes with the household housekeeper. In the soft, warm lamplight, she looked remarkably radiant.

Hearing movement, Dai Shufang glanced toward the door and immediately smiled, stepping forward to meet him. “Did you see your classmate home?”

Dai Shufang touched his arm, where he wore only a shirt. “The weather’s getting cooler now — you should wear a jacket, or you’ll catch a cold.”

Yan Sishi said, “My jacket’s in the car.”

At that moment, Huo Jizhong, who had been in the study, hurriedly ended a work call and came out as well, gesturing for Yan Sishi to come sit, and calling the housekeeper to brew some tea.

Dai Shufang sat down beside Yan Sishi and tilted her head to look him over, barely able to contain her delight. “Until which date are you staying before going back to Beicheng?”

Yan Sishi thought for a moment — Xia Li would certainly not return until after the wedding — and said, “Probably the fifth or sixth.”

“How wonderful. Stay a few extra days and enjoy yourself properly.”

The housekeeper brought tea. Yan Sishi drank it and kept them company in conversation, asking after the health of the two elders.

He called roughly once a week, but chatting in person was always different from a phone call.

Seeing that all was well, he felt a measure of relief.

Yan Sishi lifted the thin-walled white porcelain teacup and took a small sip, then looked upstairs.

His gaze came to rest on the closed door to the right of the second-floor landing.

Dai Shufang followed his gaze, then looked back at Yan Sishi.

She felt his expression was very subdued, revealing little emotion.

Yan Sishi asked calmly, “Has the room been empty all this time?”

Dai Shufang let out a soft sigh. “…Who else would live in it? Neither of us can bear to touch the things inside. We just have someone clean it regularly.”

That had once been Huo Qingyi’s room.

After dinner, Yan Sishi accompanied the two elders for a walk around the neighborhood.

It had just rained, and the air was saturated with moisture. There was a smell of vegetation mixed with earth — a raw, faintly bitter scent.

The elderly walked slowly, and Yan Sishi deliberately matched their pace.

Walking into the shade of a grove of trees, Dai Shufang spoke, her voice a touch softer than usual, with something slightly tentative about it: “Xiao Yan, what made you decide to come to Chucheng this time?”

Since Huo Qingyi had passed away, Yan Sishi had spent most of his time abroad. He had returned to Beicheng twice during that period for business, but had not gone back to the Yan family home.

As for Chucheng — he had not come once.

The previous autumn, Dai Shufang had completed her surgery and, after some recovery, returned to Chucheng to convalesce.

During the Lunar New Year, she had called Yan Sishi several times, urging him to come spend the holiday in Chucheng — he didn’t have to stay at the Huo family home; he could stay at a hotel, and they could even eat the New Year’s Eve dinner at a restaurant.

But Yan Sishi had preferred to stay by himself, and would not come.

Yet this time, he had appeared without warning.

When Dai Shufang had received his call the previous afternoon, she had been both startled and overjoyed.

Now, a branch grazed his shoulder, and he felt cool rainwater from the leaves fall onto him.

After a moment of silence, he said, “I had to come back eventually.”

Xia Li had given him the opening he needed. And when he truly stepped foot in this small city again, he found that some things were not as painful as he had imagined — not so utterly untouchable.

Besides, there was also Mingzhong.

Certain memories connected to Xia Li had formed a kind of psychological safe ground.

Dai Shufang asked no more questions. She said simply, with a trace of quiet feeling: “As long as you’re willing to come back, that’s what matters.”

Yan Sishi said, “Next time I come, I’ll bring someone to the house for dinner.”

Dai Shufang immediately understood. She smiled and asked, “Could it be… the girl with the surname Xia?”

Yan Sishi gave a quiet affirmation. “There wouldn’t be anyone else.”

Dai Shufang felt rather pleased with herself for having noticed something going on as far back as April, and she nudged Huo Jizhong lightly with her elbow. “See? I told you so.”

The following day was Lin Qingxiao’s wedding.

Xia Li and the others had barely slept at all that night, beginning their makeup as early as three in the morning.

Early in the morning, Nie Chuhang and the groomsmen came to fetch the bride — door-blocking games, searching for the hidden shoes — every step of the ritual was carried out without exception.

The motorcade set off for the banquet hotel’s room, where Nie Chuhang’s parents had been waiting for some time. Then came another round of rituals: the tea-serving ceremony and the formal address change.

Lin Qingxiao had never actually liked any of this, but her mother had been insistent. She said that if Lin Qingxiao wanted a destination wedding or a lawn wedding with only close family and friends, she would simply be doing the Nie family a favor, and since they already had a few grievances to pick at, they would only use her simplicity as an excuse to look down on her.

Her mother was firm: every required ritual had to be observed without exception. The hotel had to be the finest in Chucheng. A lavish, festive banquet with guests from all sides — only that would spare Lin Qingxiao any loss of face.

The two mothers had been locked in a long battle of wills over the wedding arrangements. By the end, Lin Qingxiao had grown so exhausted she only wanted to get this wretched wedding over and done with.

She and Nie Chuhang had already planned their honeymoon in Europe — that was the part that truly mattered.

After the tea ceremony, the limited free time before the wedding began was used for photos.

Once the indoor photos were done, the photographer asked everyone to move to the hotel’s lawn.

The bridesmaids gathered with Lin Qingxiao for a group photo. While Xia Li followed the photographer’s directions to pose, she happened to catch a glimpse of someone coming down the corridor ahead.

He wore a light grey suit in a slightly relaxed, casual cut, with a white shirt underneath — unhurried and understated, drawing no attention away from anyone else.

He saw her too, and paused his steps, no longer moving forward. He stood still beneath the covered walkway.

Yesterday’s rain had used up an entire week’s worth of bad weather. Today the sky was clear and luminous. Standing there as he was, he carried an air of crisp clarity — like skies clearing after snow.

“That bridesmaid there — look at the lens…”

Xia Li came back to herself and quickly drew her gaze away from Yan Sishi.

Yet under his watch, she felt her movements grow terribly stiff, as though her joints had rusted. She didn’t know how to arrange herself at all.

Fortunately, they were only the backdrop.

When this set of photos was done, the photographer called for the groom and his groomsmen to step in.

Xia Li gathered her skirt and walked toward the covered walkway.

By now everyone had noticed Yan Sishi and exchanged greetings with him.

Yan Sishi said he had come early without giving notice and hoped he hadn’t caused any disruption.

Lin Qingxiao laughed. “The bridesmaid’s person — how could that be a disruption?”

—In the early hours when they had gotten up, Xia Li had noticed everyone was half-asleep and suggested they chat about gossip to stay awake.

Lin Qingxiao said there was no gossip left — hadn’t they already gone over everything back and forth?

So Xia Li, sacrificing herself for the greater good, bravely made her own confession.

What followed was an inevitable and thorough interrogation.

Xia Li walked up to Yan Sishi and greeted him on her own, “Hey.”

Yan Sishi seemed to find this manner of greeting a little funny, and gave a light laugh, mimicking her: “Hey.”

They had kissed just yesterday, yet seeing him now, she felt oddly bashful — so much so that she barely dared to meet his eyes.

Yan Sishi looked down at her.

The bridesmaids’ dresses were jade-green satin skirts. All four had different design details: one was a halter, one was an off-the-shoulder, one had puffed sleeves, and one was a strapless wrap style.

Xu Ning and Lin Qingxiao’s university classmate had respectively chosen the relatively modest puffed-sleeve and off-the-shoulder styles. Ouyang Jing, who was tall and slender, had taken the ankle-length halter. That left Xia Li in the strapless wrap skirt.

The hemline reached above her knees in a gently flared A-line silhouette, revealing straight legs with a balanced proportion of skin and bone.

Above the waist, her shoulders, neckline, and back were a sweep of pale luminance in the sunlight — flawless, with collarbones and shoulder blades that were defined without being exaggerated.

Yan Sishi took no more than a fleeting glance before pulling his gaze back to her face. “Aren’t you cold?”

“I am, but beauty requires sacrifice.” Xia Li laughed. “It’ll be fine once we’re inside.”

Yan Sishi gave a quiet “mm,” then suddenly raised his hand.

Xia Li blinked reflexively, then felt a faint tickle on her cheek — his fingers had brushed away a strand of hair that had fallen across her face.

“The dress looks very beautiful,” he said in a low voice.

Xia Li unconsciously held her breath for a moment. “…Then should we take a photo together?”

“Sure.”

Xia Li turned to head toward the lawn.

Yan Sishi reached out and caught her hand, interlacing his fingers tightly with hers.

She paused for just a moment, feeling a faint warmth gather in her palm. Yan Sishi led her forward, and she fell into step behind him, still dazed.

When they reached the lawn, Xia Li rummaged through a pile of things and found a paper bag containing her instant camera. She handed it to Xu Ning and asked her to take a shot.

Xia Li looped her arm through Yan Sishi’s, and they stepped back a few paces.

Xu Ning squinted through the viewfinder. “OK.”

After all, it was October, and it had rained the day before. The air was lightly cool, and whenever the breeze passed, skin prickled with chill.

Xu Ning told them to look at the camera and counted down: three, two, one.

At “two,” Xia Li suddenly felt Yan Sishi raise his arm and draw it around her shoulder.

Where her cool skin touched the warmth of his palm, something fine and electric seemed to pass through her in that instant.

The camera spat out a photograph. Xu Ning held it and said they should take one more — one for each of them.

After both were taken, Xia Li walked over to Xu Ning and received one of the prints. She cupped it between her palms, using her body heat to help it develop faster.

She felt a presence close behind her head. She glanced back — Yan Sishi had come to stand just behind her, looking at the photograph in her hands.

A moment later, the image emerged.

Both of them had fair skin; in the frame, they were nearly overexposed.

Xia Li stared at it for a good while, then held it out to Yan Sishi. “This one’s for you.”

Yan Sishi reached his arm past her shoulder and took it.

Xia Li held the other print and said without thinking, “Now we have two photos together.”

Yan Sishi paused. “The first one?”

“After the stage play The Xi’an Incident finished its run, we took a group photo together. You might not remember.”

Yan Sishi thought for a moment. “You were standing in the row behind me?”

Xia Li nodded.

“Does the photo still exist?”

“I have it saved on my phone. I’ll show you later.”

Xu Ning had already had enough of the two of them and their obliviousness to the world around them. She clicked her tongue and walked off with the camera.

By now, the photographer had finished with the groom and groomsmen and was calling for the bride and groom to come together for a large group photo.

Xia Li handed the instant photo to Yan Sishi, asking him to hold onto it for her.

Yan Sishi watched her walk over, then reached into his pocket and took out a black leather wallet. He slipped one of the photographs into the card sleeve inside.

The photos were wrapped up quickly, and Lin Qingxiao had to rush back to her room to change into her main wedding gown and have her hair and makeup redone.

Xia Li had to go up and help. Nie Chuhang told her to go ahead without worry, assuring her he would keep Yan Sishi company.

By the time Lin Qingxiao had changed, the ceremony was nearly ready to begin. Xia Li and the makeup artist escorted Lin Qingxiao down in the elevator to the entrance of the banquet hall, where they met up with the two flower children.

The two of them stayed by Lin Qingxiao’s side every moment, attending to her train and adjusting every detail.

Before long, music swelled from within the hall. The emcee finished his opening remarks and called for the bride to make her entrance.

The doors swung open. Lin Qingxiao held a bouquet of white tulips and walked slowly down the carpet.

Xia Li watched her beautiful figure recede, wreathed in layer upon layer of white tulle, and felt an inexplicable urge to cry.

Once Lin Qingxiao had taken her place on the stage, Xia Li stepped into the banquet hall from one side and found Yan Sishi at the table nearest the main table.

He had saved a seat for her specifically.

After sitting down, Xia Li rested her cheek in one hand and gazed at the main stage.

Yan Sishi glanced at her, then slipped off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

She came back to herself and smiled softly, sliding her arms through the sleeves.

The silk lining of the jacket still carried a layer of warmth.

After all the ceremonies were done, the last item was the bouquet toss.

In a moment, all the female guests near the stage crowded forward.

Xia Li had been busy on her feet all day in high heels and her feet ached. She had been slow to rise, and seeing that the stage was already surrounded three layers deep, she simply gave up.

Yan Sishi asked her, “Not going?”

Xia Li smiled. “Never mind. With so many people, I probably wouldn’t catch it anyway.”

In the end, it was the tall Ouyang Jing who caught the bouquet.

With the ceremony over, the banquet began.

Xia Li was too tired to feel hungry.

She picked at a few bites without appetite, and before long, Lin Qingxiao and Nie Chuhang came around in their toast outfits.

Xia Li and Yan Sishi stood and raised their glasses.

Lin Qingxiao smiled. “I’ll be waiting for an invitation to your wedding next.”

Xia Li laughed. “Please — we’ve only been together for one day.”

“That’s called taking a shortcut, you know.”

Nie Chuhang thanked Yan Sishi privately and invited him to visit Dongcheng whenever he had time.

Yan Sishi accepted.

After the banquet ended, Xia Li went back to Lin Qingxiao’s dressing room, returned all the things she had been keeping for her, received the individual gifts Lin Qingxiao had prepared specially for her bridesmaids, and left the hotel.

There was another banquet in the evening, but Xia Li and the others had all decided not to attend — out of understanding for the exhaustion of hosting both sides of the family.

Yan Sishi’s car was temporarily parked at the hotel entrance.

After Xia Li got in, she leaned the whole of herself back against the seat. Though it wasn’t her wedding, she was exhausted enough to feel like it had been.

She asked, “Can I take my shoes off?”

Yan Sishi said of course.

She kicked off her heels and stepped directly onto the floor mat in her bare feet.

Yan Sishi asked, “Where to? Home?”

Xia Li gave a long, slow yawn. “…I want to sleep.”

Yan Sishi glanced at her. “Then come to my place.”

In the car, Xia Li’s eyelids were already drooping.

Fortunately, the destination wasn’t far. They arrived in less than twenty minutes.

Yan Sishi unlocked the door. The moment Xia Li stepped inside, she noticed a bunch of flowers on the dining table.

White tulips, tied with a lace ribbon — almost like Lin Qingxiao’s bouquet.

She stopped for just a moment, then walked over and picked it up. From the style of the lace, she recognized this was not the same bouquet.

She looked at Yan Sishi.

Yan Sishi explained, “I had it delivered just now.”

She stood there holding the flowers, temporarily at a loss for words.

Here, with him, there always seemed to be surprises that arrived at exactly the right moment.

Beside the dining table there was also a plastic bag.

Xia Li lifted it open to find a toothbrush, makeup remover, and cotton pads inside.

Evidently also just delivered.

Yan Sishi picked up the bag with one hand and, with the other, reached naturally for her hand, leading her toward the staircase.

She followed him step for step — flowers in her arms, his jacket still around her shoulders.

In the bedroom, Yan Sishi walked into the bathroom and set the items on the counter.

Xia Li slipped off the suit jacket, put down the flowers, and went into the bathroom.

Yan Sishi had already turned on the tap and was testing the temperature with his hand. It was an old hot water system — you had to let it run for a while before it warmed up.

Xia Li walked over to stand beside him and glanced at herself in the mirror first.

Her makeup had been touched up partway through the day, so it hadn’t yet smudged — though the lipstick had faded by half, and some shimmer from her eyeshadow had settled in fine specks below her lower lashes.

She didn’t know if it was just her, but she always felt that after wearing makeup for a while, she looked better than when it was freshly applied — and that she looked better in a mirror than in photos taken on her phone.

She peered at her reflection for a moment, indulging in a private moment of self-admiration, then heard Yan Sishi say beside her, “Ready.”

She dipped her fingers under the water and found the temperature just right.

She was about to pull her hand back to reach for the makeup remover when Yan Sishi suddenly reached out and caught her fingers.

Her heart gave an inexplicable lurch.

Yan Sishi stepped closer, leaned in, and braced one arm on the edge of the counter beside her, cutting off any retreat.

He looked down at her. She glanced into the mirror and confirmed that his gaze was fixed on her lips — the half-faded lipstick, the color of a begonia kissed by rain.

He suddenly raised his hand, his thumb pressing lightly against her lips. Then his slender fingers gently tipped her chin upward.

She couldn’t help the faint trembling of her lashes. She lifted her eyes and fell into his deep, dark gaze.

A quiet flame burned there.

He bowed his head, and found her lips again.

Only then did she realize she had been holding her breath for too long, and was nearly breathless.

He pressed his palm firmly against her shoulder blade. She rose instinctively onto her toes, her arms reaching past his straight shoulders and wrapping behind his neck.

The air grew warmer by degrees.

How much time passed, neither of them knew. They both grew slightly starved of air.

Yan Sishi’s fingers pressed into her hair — and then, a moment later, he withdrew several inches.

His breath fell on the tip of her nose.

He paused for just a second.

Then lower — at last — that warm press of lips, settling on her collarbone.

She could feel that kiss as it landed: something that had been held in check for a long time, finally giving way, a hidden undercurrent of restrained excitement breaking free.

Yet in the very next instant, Yan Sishi pulled back.

He reached out to take the bottle of makeup remover and pressed it into her hand.

When he spoke, his voice was slightly rough: “Go wash up.”

With that, he turned and went out.

Had it not been for the fact that his fair skin — nearly as pale and cool as white jade and fresh snow — made any flush of the ears immediately conspicuous, his expression as he spoke would have seemed, by all appearances, perfectly composed.

The bathroom door closed.

Xia Li stood there, still gripping the makeup remover bottle, her heart still pounding fiercely.