The wind was strong outside, making the windows rattle loudly.

Cheng Wanyue had gone out to retrieve her slippers, wearing only her pajamas, and a chill had settled over her from head to toe. As usual, after waking up, she had several strands of hair flying about wildly.

She nestled closer to Qing Hang, her unruly hair tickling him from his chin to his neck.

The slight itchy sensation disturbed his sleep, and he could no longer pretend to be asleep.

“You’ve got your slippers back, now hurry and sneak back to your room,” Cheng Wanyue poked his waist. “Second Uncle will be getting up soon. If he discovers you sleeping in my room, we’ll both be scolded.”

Qing Hang closed his eyes again. “Would they scold you too?”

“Of course. A’Yu and Cheng Yuzhou lived separately until they got their marriage certificate. Are you going to the hospital today?”

“Yes, for my pre-employment physical.”

“I need to take Meiqiu for her vaccinations today.”

“By yourself?”

“Second Aunt will accompany me. She wants to buy some mother and baby products, and I’ll also prepare some things for A’Yu. Pregnancy is so exhausting—mothers are truly amazing.”

“Are Uncle Cheng and his family coming to Nanjing for New Year’s Eve too?”

“Yes, they are.”

Qing Hang’s clothes were in the room. Cheng Wanyue waited until he finished washing up before opening the door. She peeked outside first, making sure the hallway was empty before letting him out.

Everyone in the family turned a blind eye to their situation. Unless they were caught red-handed, no one would interfere with them.

Cheng Yuzhou drove Zhou Yu to work, which meant he had compromised and given in. Since the weather was cold, Cheng Wanyue suggested that Qing Hang catch a ride with him.

As Qing Hang was leaving, Cheng Yuzhou looked back at Cheng Wanyue standing in the courtyard and teased, “You two made up pretty quickly. All thunder but little rain—not thinking about breaking up anymore?”

Cheng Wanyue tapped her toe against a pebble, muttering quietly, “I wasn’t the one who suggested breaking up.”

Zhou Yu came to her defense, “Stop teasing Wanyue. It’s good that they made up. Wanyue has been looking so unwell these past few days, I was worried…”

Suddenly remembering that Qing Hang was right there, she swallowed the rest of her words and quickly corrected herself, “Worried that she wasn’t eating or sleeping well.”

Cheng Yuzhou understood what she meant. “We’ve already made an appointment with Dr. Zhao. We’ll go for the check-up after the New Year.”

Not far away, Cheng Wanyue pushed Qing Hang into the car. She leaned against the car door, whispering something to him.

Every year before the hospital check-up, everyone would be on tenterhooks, except for Cheng Wanyue herself, who remained carefree, enjoying food, drink, and entertainment without interruption.

During her treatment period, she couldn’t eat many things and wasn’t allowed to leave the hospital. Because of this, her family never restricted her in the following years. Whatever she wanted to do, they let her do it. After her college entrance examination, everyone thought she would want to go abroad or come to Nanjing, but she had obediently stayed by her parents’ side for four years.

Qing Hang’s employment went smoothly. New Year’s Day happened to fall on a Friday, and Cheng Guo’an’s family arrived in Nanjing in the evening. They wanted to wait until Cheng Wanyue’s examination results came out before going back, so they took an extra week of leave. When Qing Hang entered the courtyard, he could hear the lively atmosphere inside the house.

Cheng Wanyue had told him not to bring gifts, so he came empty-handed. But on the way, he encountered someone selling mandarin orange trees and bought a potted one.

Nobody treated him like a guest. His arrival was treated the same as Cheng Yuzhou’s coming home from work. In the past, he had always spent holidays alone, but now the sofa was crowded with people.

Cheng Wanyue found Cheng Yanqing to be in the way, and when he stood up to pick some oranges, she pulled Qing Hang over. She lay down, taking up an extra spot, and Cheng Yanqing took the opportunity to squeeze in next to Huo Zhi.

The fragrance of orange peel spread through the air, and Cheng Wanyue asked him, “Is it sweet?”

“Very sweet,” Cheng Yanqing replied with a straight face, popping another segment into his mouth. “It tastes similar to sugar mandarins.”

Qing Hang immediately saw through Cheng Yanqing’s intentions. He pinched Cheng Wanyue’s cheek and said, “This is an ornamental orange tree. It doesn’t taste good. Don’t listen to his lies.”

Cheng Wanyue turned her head inward, winking at Qing Hang where others couldn’t see, and Qing Hang fell silent.

She deliberately struggled to sit up. “It looks pretty sweet and juicy.”

“Would I lie to you?” Cheng Yanqing picked two more oranges, peeled them, and stuffed them whole into his mouth. “They’re sweet. I could finish this entire tree in minutes.”

Huo Zhi handed him a tissue. “Why don’t you wipe your tears first?”

Cheng Yanqing: “…”

Cheng Wanyue laughed so hard her stomach hurt. Her hair rubbed against Qing Hang’s clothes, creating static electricity, and within moments it looked as if it had been electrified. Cheng Yanqing seized the opportunity to take photos with his phone. Cheng Wanyue pounced to grab it, but after seeing the photos, she abandoned the idea of destroying the evidence.

She was wearing a loose orange sweater, while Qing Hang was dressed entirely in black. The color of the sofa was similar to the flowerpot, and in the photos, the colors of her and Qing Hang’s clothes resembled the orange tree beside them.

Cheng Wanyue sent all the burst photos to her phone.

After dinner, the group prepared to go out for New Year’s Eve celebrations. They went upstairs one after another to change clothes, but Cheng Wanyue remained lying down, so Qing Hang didn’t move either.

“Qing Hang, when you were angry last time, was it just because of Chi Yue? Are you only jealous of Chi Yue, or does it include other men as well?”

Her spending time alone with Chi Yue and him answering her calls was just the fuse. The essence of Qing Hang’s anger was the feeling that she didn’t love him as much as he loved her.

He didn’t speak, only lowered his head to kiss her.

It seemed as though Cheng Wanyue was the one who had eaten the sour oranges. Her whole body felt weak. Meiqiu first stepped on her leg and squeezed between her and Qing Hang, while Nuomi sat at her feet.

As footsteps approached, Qing Hang straightened his posture.

Cheng Wanyue was still resting her head on his lap, her lips showing a natural redness. His fingertips gently wiped across the corner of her mouth, then he bent down to kiss her again.

“You need reassurance, I’ll give it to you,” Cheng Wanyue said, picking up her phone and fiddling with it for a while.

She went upstairs to get her things, leaving her phone on the sofa with the screen lit up. Qing Hang saw the social media post she had just shared.

[In the last hour of this year, I’m with the person I love most.]

Two sentences, four photos.

Cheng Yanqing’s photography skills had been taught by Huo Zhi. His instinctive reaction when opening the camera was to find the most suitable angle. Cheng Wanyue wasn’t wearing makeup, her hair was messy from static electricity, and the background was very ordinary, but she still looked beautiful. In every photo, she was as vibrant as that flourishing orange tree.

Forty minutes later, on the stage, she blazed like a fiery red rose.

Qing Hang held her phone, watching as the likes and comments on her post continuously increased. People sending her private messages also barely stopped, with her phone vibrating every few moments.

Because Zhou Yu was pregnant, they hadn’t chosen a venue with loud music and crowds.

On stage was an electronic screen counting down to the New Year, with just five minutes to go.

When the music started, Qing Hang saw Cheng Wanyue sit down in front of the microphone. She said she wanted to take two minutes to sing a song.

Cheng Yanqing took the lead in applauding, almost as if he would have unfurled banners and held up light boards if he could. Qing Hang had seen her carefree happiness when playing the drums, and had also heard her sing love songs.

The surrounding lights dimmed, with only a single beam shining on her.

“Let’s cancel yesterday; now you’re before my eyes. I want to love, please give me a chance.”

“If I’m wrong, I’ll bear the consequences. I’m certain you are the answer. I don’t fear anyone mocking my extremes.”

“Believe in your intuition. Stubborn people don’t cry tired. Loving you, I won’t retreat.”

…

(There’s no mature content ahead, and nothing upsetting to read. This is all there is.)