Cheng Wanyue knew Cheng Guo’an’s temperament well. Sure enough, by breakfast the next morning, his attitude toward Qing Hang was already different from yesterday.

Just as Yang Huimin had said, a godson becoming a son-in-law was still family, and they’d even become closer. There was nothing wrong with that.

He wasn’t worried about other issues, but there was one practical concern: if Qing Hang stayed in Beijing, the long-distance relationship might affect their feelings for each other, and Cheng Wanyue would likely go to be with him.

Although transportation was convenient nowadays, and it was still early to talk about marriage, he had never wanted his daughter to marry far away.

They returned to Beijing in the afternoon. Cheng Wanyue and Qing Hang took a flight, while Cheng Yanqing would stay in Nanjing until the end of the holiday, returning to work only after seeing Huo Zhi off. He would drive back, with Meiqiu accompanying him.

Cheng Guo’an drove them to the airport but never asked Qing Hang if he had any thoughts about relocating.

He felt it was still too early and didn’t want to put so much pressure on Qing Hang just yet.

With Cheng Yanqing still in Nanjing, Cheng Wanyue would be living alone with nothing to eat or drink, so after getting off the plane, she took her suitcase directly to Qing Hang’s place.

Cheng Wanyue had flexible work, while Qing Hang was always busy, but he spent all his free time with her.

They seemed to have returned to when they first met, sometimes getting upset over small things, but always quickly making up.

On the day Qing Hang was invited back to his alma mater for an academic presentation, he didn’t go to the hospital in the morning. He started changing clothes only after Cheng Wanyue returned from the studio. He dressed very formally.

Cheng Wanyue watched as he tied his tie and then bent down to pick up the watch from the bedside table to put on his wrist.

His figure was tall and straight but not thin or weak. When he wore only a black shirt, he had a youthful air, but once he put on a jacket, he looked mature and steady. When he turned to walk toward her, the look in his eyes behind his glasses easily made her imagination wander.

But he had important business to attend to and probably wouldn’t have time to attend to her.

“Half an hour for the lecture, half an hour for questions, altogether it will end in a little over an hour,” Qing Hang came up to her. “Want to come with me?”

Cheng Wanyue’s eyes lit up. “Can I?”

“No one said you can’t. It’s in the student auditorium. I’ll save my seat for you.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll stand.”

“Such a professional topic—I won’t understand it.”

“Many students won’t understand either. Most just go to listen casually, to earn credits. You’ll look like a student sitting among them. If you get bored, you can play on your phone. The time will pass quickly.”

Cheng Wanyue had been to many places since coming to Beijing, but she hadn’t yet visited Qing Hang’s alma mater.

She didn’t have anything important to do that evening, so going to see it wouldn’t be bad. “If other teachers or your junior schoolmates ask you who I am, how will you answer?”

Qing Hang replied without hesitation, “Family member, girlfriend.”

“Then I should change into something more formal,” Cheng Wanyue wasn’t taking photos today and was dressed very casually.

“You look great like this,” Qing Hang said, lowering his head to kiss the dimple on her cheek. “You accompany me for an hour, and after it’s over, I’ll go get a tattoo.”

There was a bite mark on his chest that she had made last night.

This was how Cheng Wanyue ended up being taken to the university by Qing Hang. It was around six in the evening, and there were many students on campus, probably just finishing dinner.

High school had strict rules, forbidding this and that, but university was much freer. As soon as Cheng Wanyue entered the campus gates, she saw several couples. If she and Qing Hang hadn’t separated, perhaps they would have been like these students, dating on campus.

A young man ran up to them, a staff member from the student union who had come specifically to meet Qing Hang.

Qing Hang was very familiar with the school and didn’t need a student guide. Cheng Wanyue listened as Qing Hang introduced which path was called what, which statue was of whom, what significance each monument held, and which food stalls in the cafeteria had the best food. It was as if they had walked through the entire campus.

Li Yu rushed to the auditorium after having a quick dinner following her class. In front of the auditorium was a large lawn. Cheng Wanyue was crouching under a tree playing with a cat, with Qing Hang beside her holding his laptop and her bag.

“Qing Hang, you’re here.”

Qing Hang turned around. “Senior.”

Cheng Wanyue greeted Li Yu first. “Hello.”

Li Yu nodded to her. “Let’s go in together. It’s about to start.”

Qing Hang needed to go backstage to set up his PowerPoint. He first led Cheng Wanyue to her seat. The reserved seats are all in the first row. You can sit next to my senior.”

“Sure, I can sit anywhere,” Cheng Wanyue sat down in the seat to Li Yu’s left. “You go prepare.”

Before going backstage, Qing Hang left his phone with Cheng Wanyue. He habitually set it to silent mode, and she did the same with her phone.

Li Yu was in charge of this semester’s academic lectures, and Qing Hang had been invited by her. She would introduce the event at the beginning and moderate the Q&A session afterward.

The lights on the stage were ordinary, but Qing Hang, standing on stage, was radiant.

The applause in the auditorium echoed. Cheng Wanyue took out her phone, and just as she opened the camera, Qing Hang looked in her direction. She captured the moment when he smiled.

Li Yu suddenly understood Qing Hang. People didn’t need to stand together to be in the same world.

Cheng Wanyue had no hostility toward her, never had. When she first saw the jade pendant, she was merely angry but hadn’t said anything to belittle or mock her. Just now, she might not have understood what Li Yu was saying, but she still applauded for her, acknowledging and appreciating her.

Although she still didn’t know exactly what Qing Hang liked about Cheng Wanyue, she was certain that she hadn’t lost too badly.

When people lose to someone inferior to themselves, they always feel reluctant to accept it.

Qing Hang said, “Wanyue hasn’t eaten yet. Senior, we’ll go first. Thank you for your hard work today.”

“You’re the one who worked hard,” Li Yu stopped walking and looked at Cheng Wanyue. “Wanyue, I owe you an apology. Last time, I didn’t handle things well. I’ve reflected on it—those words were too narrow-minded.”

Cheng Wanyue smiled. “I’ve already forgotten about it.”

“Qing Hang is excellent, and I did have feelings for him.” Li Yu’s expression was candid. “After you two got together, I only saw him as a friend. I hope you don’t think less of me.”

“Of course not,” Cheng Wanyue took out a brooch from her bag. “By the way, here’s a small gift to thank you for taking care of Qing Hang.”

Li Yu accepted the gift in the end.

The evening breeze was cool. As they walked out of the auditorium doors, Qing Hang took off his jacket and draped it over Cheng Wanyue’s shoulders. He asked her when she had bought the brooch.

Cheng Wanyue hummed softly, not telling him.

She had gone shopping with a colleague yesterday and bought it because she thought it looked nice, but it didn’t suit her clothing style. When Li Yu was moderating the student Q&A session, the pearl on her brooch fell off, which reminded Cheng Wanyue of the brooch in her bag.

After the lecture ended, many students walked out of the auditorium.

Cheng Wanyue heard the noisy laughter and looked back. Qing Hang was an outstanding graduate from his class who had also assisted his advisor in teaching lab courses before graduation, so it was normal for students to recognize him.

A few male students ran past them, teasing as they asked Qing Hang, “Senior, is this your girlfriend?”

Qing Hang answered with a smile, “Yes, she is.”

“Many seniors come back to take wedding photos at the school. Will you two come back for your wedding photos?”

“That will be up to her.”

As they discussed which places had beautiful scenery, Cheng Wanyue listened and suddenly felt that past regrets didn’t matter anymore.

Qing Hang took her to eat at the cafeteria, and then they went to find a tattoo shop.

In the dim evening light, the bite mark on Qing Hang’s chest was no longer clear. The shop owner, probably used to such things, directly asked Cheng Wanyue to bite him again.

While the shop owner was sterilizing the tools, Cheng Wanyue—who had no concept of “shyness” in her dictionary—pulled open Qing Hang’s clothes and leaned in, but stopped before biting.

“What if someday you regret it?”

“I won’t regret it. Go ahead and bite.”

“There’s no atmosphere for it. I can’t bring myself to do it,” Cheng Wanyue had been nicknamed “Cheng Little Dog” in high school, but she didn’t have the habit of biting people randomly. “How about… I put on some lipstick and made a lip print instead?”

The shop owner lifted the curtain and went inside to find something.

Qing Hang took the suit jacket from Cheng Wanyue’s shoulder and draped it over her head, completely covering her face from behind, before lowering his head to kiss her.

She had just drunk a bowl of osmanthus wine rice, and her mouthwash also had a floral fragrance.

The kiss was not gentle, but its purpose was direct. Cheng Wanyue pushed Qing Hang away only when she couldn’t breathe anymore, then bit him on the chest.

The shop owner came out with the supplies. Qing Hang unbuttoned his shirt and walked over to sit on the sofa.

The bite mark was fresh. During the tattooing process, Qing Hang didn’t make a sound, but Cheng Wanyue asked many questions. The shop owner said this kind of pain was like being pricked with needles.

She thought it must be quite painful.

During that year, she was hospitalized, she had many injections, switching from her left hand to her right hand, and then from her right hand back to her left.