The bridal shop looked somewhat familiar. Zhou Tingzhao remembered that he always passed it on his way to work, but he never imagined that one day he would bring her here.

She went to the inner room to try on wedding dresses, while the staff brought over a suit for him to change into.

The gears of time rotated, making everything wonderfully surreal.

He had originally thought that falling in love with her, since the heart-fluttering days of their youth, was already a blessing from fate. Who knew that with just the slight flutter of a butterfly’s wings, their destiny would merge forever.

Perhaps intense joy is always accompanied by pain. When those memories that originally didn’t belong to him suddenly flooded in, the pain spreading from within was several times more intense than when he had returned to the past and received those memories.

But it was always pleasant.

Love had turned him into a strange person who enjoyed pain.

Zhou Tingzhao changed into a black and white suit, waiting outside with Li Chenfei and Yang Fan for Sang Ru to emerge.

This inadvertent journey back in time had brought two couples together. As Li Chenfei waited, she couldn’t resist trying on wedding dresses herself, with Yang Fan following closely behind, ready to respond to his beloved’s inquiries at any moment.

Their conversation continued uninterrupted, and it was noisy outside too, but Zhou Tingzhao felt that time was very quiet.

The vibrant high school years had ended just half a day ago, and it seemed like they had all been buried in their studies one second, then discussing marriage the next.

Sang Ru thought it was too fast, and he understood that perfectly. But his emotions were uncontrollable; the desire to have a more intimate relationship with her had long become a wish deep in his marrow. There was no reason to refuse such an opportunity.

Everything his soul had originally experienced was a long pursuit, lonely vigilance, and festering desire. But when the timeline changed, the memories that first flooded into his mind felt like another person’s life, unrelated to him.

However, as time passed, the new memories seemed to etch deeper into his mind. The third-person perspective gradually shifted, becoming everything he saw before him.

The alternate ten years slowed down, as if his soul had branched. On that extended branch, he had received her response at the first sign of affection, bearing fruit.

The curtain of the fitting room slowly opened, and his princess stepped out of a dream, adorned in white lace.

He heard others’ praises, calling her beautiful, calling her radiant. Those voices tangled and intertwined in his ears, becoming hollow background noise.

All the scenery retreated; he could only see and hear her.

Sang Ru’s curved lips were always beautiful. She tilted her head and looked over, gazing at his soul through the cracks of time.

“Does it look nice?” she asked, lifting the hem of her dress.

“It does,” Zhou Tingzhao answered.

Her brows furrowing coquettishly, even her expression was extremely adorable. Sang Ru said, “Then why don’t you come over?”

Consciousness surrendered to her command, making one willing to be her servant.

Zhou Tingzhao walked over, left hand behind his back, extending his right palm to her with a gentleman’s courtesy. The little princess cooperated perfectly, raising her chin with feigned arrogance as she placed her hand on his.

Zhou Tingzhao led her to the mirror, where the reflection showed a floor-length gown with a shoulder-level neckline, the formal attire seamlessly matching her beauty.

As Sang Ru stood with him, she suddenly said, “You look handsome too.”

“Thank you.”

The shop assistant covered her mouth and smiled, seemingly never having seen a couple who were so polite to each other. She displayed her professional expertise by lavishly praising and emphasizing how meticulously handcrafted the wedding dress was. Sang Ru didn’t take much in, only hearing the phrase “really matches well with your husband.”

Sang Ru looked at her “husband,” and Zhou Tingzhao looked back through the mirror. Their gazes intertwined, as if confirming his earlier words that they were “a match made in heaven.”

The white of the wedding dress was too pure. As Sang Ru bent slightly to look at the decorations on the hem, faint red marks became visible from her chest.

Zhou Tingzhao gripped her hand tightly: “Stand up straight.”

Sang Ru asked, puzzled, “What’s wrong?”

Zhou Tingzhao stared at her, and after a few seconds, moved closer to adjust her neckline, saying, “It’s my fault.”

Sang Ru lowered her gaze following his movement, finally realizing what was amiss. She pushed his hand away gently but firmly. The little princess’s face flushed with annoyance as she scolded, “You’re like a dog.”

The formal attire was thus decided, and Mr. Zhou swiped his card without a second word.

Sang Ru looked at him and said, “Weren’t you supposed to be kept by me?”

Zhou Tingzhao was silent for a moment, then said, “I’ll hand over my salary. It’s still yours, all the same.”

Sang Ru smiled: “You didn’t use to be so good at saying sweet things before. You were always making me angry.”

Their relationship had been mislabeled from the start, adding a pretense of indifference on top of affection, leading to some insincere actions that caused misunderstandings for the recipient.

Zhou Tingzhao took the package and held her hand, saying, “It won’t happen again.”

Li Chenfei and Yang Fan had other plans and parted ways with them at the shop entrance. Before leaving, Li Chenfei once again gave thorough instructions in a motherly tone.

Sang Ru sat back in Zhou Tingzhao’s car, suddenly not knowing where they should go.

Zhou Tingzhao seemed to feel the same. After fastening his seatbelt, his movements paused until Sang Ru voiced the question: “Where are we going?”

They each pondered, then simultaneously spoke: “School?”

School naturally referred to their high school, the starting point of everything anew.

Learning they were about to be newlyweds, the guard softened and let them in to revisit their old grounds.

It was the weekend, and the usually bustling campus was quiet. The two walked and looked around; many places had been renovated, but they could vaguely recognize the original appearance.

Two student-like faces approached, casting curious glances at them. Upon noticing their joined hands, both students awkwardly turned away.

Sang Ru watched with amusement and said to him, “Look, the school is here year after year, but the people are different every year.”

Before Zhou Tingzhao could respond, Sang Ru added, “No, perhaps there isn’t much difference after all.”

“Hmm?” Zhou Tingzhao turned his head to look at her, leading her around a roadblock.

“In high school, it was endless classes, endless homework,” Sang Ru paused, glancing at him before continuing, “and people you couldn’t catch up to.”

Zhou Tingzhao didn’t speak for a long time, then finally said, “Now you’ve caught up.”

As they talked, they reached a familiar building. The original iron gate was gone, and the teaching building appeared before them with a younger facade.

Remembering that chaotic night, Sang Ru couldn’t help but laugh: “If I had known back then that you were you…”

Zhou Tingzhao understood which moment she was referring to and asked, “What?”

“When you climbed up to the building, I would have laughed even louder.”

Zhou Tingzhao fell silent, then couldn’t help but smile.

They climbed to the third floor. The sun was gentle, softly enveloping them. Within their sight was a peaceful campus filled with vibrant life.

It was too quiet and beautiful for words. Neither spoke until Zhou Tingzhao thought of something and suddenly said, “We now have two sets of ten years.”

Sang Ru turned to look at him. He looked back and continued, “I’ve gained more.”

“Are you satisfied with just that?” Sang Ru smiled, tilting her head up to kiss him gently, like that fluttering butterfly.

She said, “We will have many more decades together.”

“Is that a promise?” Zhou Tingzhao asked.

Sang Ru blinked and said, “It’s a covenant.”

Zhou Tingzhao smiled: “Good.”

A covenant to be fulfilled in the days to come. For now, everything had come full circle, returning to the proper track where they could advance side by side.

The two stood amid their youth, remembering the incense-filled air when someone had told them:

“When destiny is ripe, good things are approaching.”

-The End.