In early October Slovenia, the climate was still not too cold.

At dawn with the morning light glimmering, Sheng Sui came to the window to pull open the gauze curtains. Through the exquisitely wood-grained window frame, she looked down at Lake Bled in the distance.

Thin mist rose gently from the lake surface. Through the swirling white gauze, among the large clusters of dark green and deep orange foliage, only the tip of the bell tower could be seen emerging.

This island isolated by the lake looked like a fairyland from afar.

“…This is ridiculous. It’s not like it’s the first time attending someone else’s wedding. I’ve been a bridesmaid three times, so why am I so nervous when it comes to you?”

Behind her came Xiao Ming’s anxious muttering. Sheng Sui turned back to comfort her, only to see her friend quickly step forward and urge: “Don’t just stand there foolishly. The makeup artist will be here soon. Hurry up and change clothes.”

At 6:30 AM on the wedding day, Zhou Shiyu went first to Bled Island’s church—the wedding venue—to arrange and set up, while the leading lady Sheng Sui and Xiao Ming prepared at the hotel.

Seeing her best friend pacing back and forth, Sheng Sui found it all too familiar and smiled with her eyes curved: “Why are you so nervous?”

“I don’t know either. It feels like I’m the one getting married.”

Xiao Ming was also amused, randomly grabbed her hair, took Sheng Sui’s hand and said softly: “Although you two have been together for a long time, seeing you have a wedding is a different feeling.”

“It’s like, I’m really seeing your happiness with my own eyes.”

The atmosphere suddenly became sentimental. Seeing Xiao Ming’s eyes mostly red, Sheng Sui sighed lightly and hugged her, hearing her childhood playmate lean on her shoulder and say half-chokingly:

“You must always, always be happy, do you hear me?”

“I know,” her long lashes trembling as she lowered them, Sheng Sui obediently answered, “Thank you for always staying with me.”

“We’re both being so mushy. Anyone who doesn’t know would think we’re acting in a TV drama.”

“Yes.”

“…”

Fifteen minutes later, a young woman carrying a small makeup case pushed the door open, her delicate eyebrows curved.

“Miss Sheng, you’re in such good condition. Your bone structure and skin condition are better than the A-list female celebrities I usually work with.”

The makeup artist was twenty-seven years old with a talkative, naturally friendly personality. Her hands moved quickly while her mouth was even busier: “How do you usually take care of your skin?”

“Don’t ask. She usually just moisturizes and uses sunscreen, doesn’t even use anti-aging or anti-wrinkle products.”

While frantically taking photos, Xiao Ming lamented the unfairness of heaven: “We’re the same age of thirty, so why do some people get called auntie all the time while others still look like college students?”

Sheng Sui laughed softly at the compliment, then heard her phone on the table vibrate with a message notification.

It was a message from Zhou Shiyu.

【Zhou Shiyu: Xiao Ming told me you look especially beautiful today.】

【Zhou Shiyu: Suisui, I’m very much looking forward to seeing what you’ll look like in the wedding dress I designed for you】

Sheng Sui looked up to see Xiao Ming secretly glancing at her. She pressed her lips together with an upward curve and lowered her head to type: 【Zhou Shiyu, I think I’m a little nervous.】

The dialog box showed “the other party is typing,” and soon a new message jumped onto the screen:

【Zhou Shiyu: Understandable.】

【Zhou Shiyu: Because I’m nervous too.】

Thinking of how she discovered her husband wasn’t beside her in the middle of last night, but was at the desk with the light on all night writing diligently, Sheng Sui couldn’t help but tease:

“So that’s why someone got up in the middle of the night last night to secretly write a wedding speech?”

“…”

【Zhou Shiyu: Yes.】

【Zhou Shiyu: You even discovered this.jpg】

The kitten emoji completely inconsistent with his actual temperament was particularly jarring. Sheng Sui smiled and asked a couple more questions about Sheng Yi’s situation, then put down her phone with peace of mind.

Then she met two pairs of meaningful gazes in front of her.

Xiao Ming’s expression was disgusted as she clicked her tongue: “This sour smell of love.”

The makeup artist was quite touched and nodded deeply in agreement: “Isn’t it just?”

“…”

Bled Island was surrounded by water on all sides, an isolated natural island separated from the city. There was a church on the island, and the only way to get there was by boat.

Considering the weight of the wedding dress and other issues, Sheng Sui set off after getting her makeup done, planning to change into the wedding dress after reaching the island.

As the small boat swayed on the lake surface, Sheng Sui watched the fairyland island grow larger before her eyes, the little rabbit hidden in her chest becoming increasingly active.

Bled Island had a very small area—cycling around the island would only take about an hour and a half. The only scenic spot, the church in the center of the island, stood at the highest point of this fairyland, wrapped by layers of dense forest.

“…My god, the hundred-step staircase looked okay in the drone photos, but I didn’t expect it to look so magnificent in person.”

As the boat docked at the small island, Sheng Sui listened to Xiao Ming’s exclamation as they climbed the steps together. Her footsteps paused as she looked up at the seemingly endless stone steps leading to heaven before her, and the brick and tile buildings pressed down by the surrounding forest.

Before coming, Sheng Sui had read introductions about the steps in front of her and the tower reaching 52 meters high. Last night while gazing from the hotel corridor, the enthusiastic landlady had told her a legend:

—It was said that as long as lovers walked hand in hand through these 99 stone steps and then rang the bell in the church, their love would be blessed and their affection would last forever.

However, her attention at this moment wasn’t on the steps or the legend itself, but on the snapdragons tied to the stair railings, clustered together in abundance.

The light pink petals and stamens swayed in the wind. The sea of flowers blooming out of season from bottom to top in large patches attracted the curious attention of other tourists climbing the island.

The surrounding railings, directional signs, and even the open window sills of the brick buildings halfway up the mountain—everywhere the eye could see was filled with snapdragons that were vibrant even in deep autumn.

Not only that, but on the open flat ground in front of the steps, there were six or seven children carrying flower baskets, with bunches of fresh flower branches in the bamboo-woven baskets.

The eight or nine-year-old children had brilliant smiles. When they saw people, they would run forward with big steps, take out a bunch of flower branches from their baskets, and hand them to travelers from all over the world passing by, saying something in their mouths. You could only see both parties with curved eyebrows and eyes.

A gentle breeze brushed across her face. Sheng Sui watched the children dancing and giving out flowers one by one, her eyes infinitely gentle.

“…Please wait!”

Just as Xiao Ming and the makeup artist were urging her to go change clothes, Sheng Sui heard a tender, clear call from behind.

She turned around to see one of the flower-giving boys running toward her with big steps, stopping only when he was two or three steps away, breathing rapidly.

Steadying his beret, the boy very gentlemanly bowed to her, then like a little adult took flowers from the basket in his hand.

But this time, unlike with other tourists, the boy took out dozens of flowers from the basket and handed them over, showing his white teeth with a smile:

“A gentleman asked me to give this bouquet to the lady if I saw his beloved.”

The boy with pure European bloodstock had deep features and spoke in standard British English, fluent and pleasant.

At some point, all the children giving out flowers in the square had gathered around, pairs of clear big eyes staring fixedly at Sheng Sui. Among the joy and delight in their eyes, there were also two mischievous children who whistled long and loudly when they saw Sheng Sui accept the bouquet.

In the open space, at the bottom of the steps, strange passersby turned to look at the sound. A few seconds later, from the upper part of the path leading to the church, someone could be seen raising the flower branch they had received high up, cupping their hands around their lips, and shouting:

“Happy wedding!”

“Congratulations! Happy wedding!”

“…”

For a moment, this isolated island echoed with endless blessings, mixed together so you couldn’t hear clearly or distinguish whether it was various incomprehensible languages or just too many congratulations at once.

With the faint floral fragrance surrounding her nose, Sheng Sui lowered her head and gazed for a long time at the snapdragons blooming endlessly in her arms. Without warning, her eyes suddenly became moist.

She suddenly remembered that shortly after their marriage, Zhou Shiyu had told her the flower language of snapdragons.

—Please notice my love.

It might sound pretentious, but even after being married for four years, when Sheng Sui recalled her lover’s once-hidden love, remembering those years accompanied by loss and despair, the snapdragons that were planted again and again only to die, she still felt sad.

Time passed and could not return. The missed encounters due to misunderstandings were still too difficult to make up for with later happiness.

She felt sorry for Zhou Shiyu.

And this regret might be compensated today, after being buried deep in the heart for many years, finally able to confess to the whole world that unknown but overflowing emotion.

The leisurely bell sound came from overhead. Sheng Sui came back to her senses, collected her tears, bent down to gently rub the boy’s head, and answered in English: “…Thank you.”

The children cheered joyfully. After completing their task, they busily went back to giving flowers to the people coming and going on the island, never tiring of it.

Sheng Sui took a detour instead of climbing the steps, going up from another side path to the pre-arranged place to change clothes.

The stylist was waiting early in the dressing room. When she went with the makeup artist to get the wedding dress, Sheng Sui sat alone in the empty, unoccupied reception room, looking into the distance through the window bars.

Regarding the wedding arrangements, she and Zhou Shiyu had reached some unspoken understanding.

—Rather than complicated procedures and repeatedly rehearsed ceremonies, they were perhaps looking forward to something different.

Therefore, Sheng Sui still didn’t know the specific wedding arrangements, and Zhou Shiyu, even though he had personally designed the wedding dress, had never seen Sheng Sui in white gauze.

The phone on the table vibrated again. This time Zhou Shiyu called directly.

The background noise was somewhat chaotic. You could faintly hear Qiu Si and Liang Xubai’s voices, followed by the low, gentle male voice.

On this joyous day, Zhou Shiyu’s words carried obvious amusement: “Someone just told me you really liked the flowers I sent.”

“Mm, I liked them.”

Just hearing his voice, Sheng Sui’s lips curved into a smile, and she also noticed footsteps in the corridor outside.

Before anyone came in, she turned around, her lips pressed against the bottom microphone, and said softly: “I like the flowers, but I like the person who sent them even more.”

“…”

The indulgent low laughter from the receiver was deep, tickling her ear. She heard the person on the other side ask her: “What are you doing now?”

“I’ve finished my makeup and am waiting to put on the wedding dress—”

“—We’re about to meet soon, and you still have to be lovey-dovey and spread dog food during this little bit of time?”

Xiao Ming’s timely complaint rang out. Sheng Sui held her phone and turned back with a smile, seeing the costume designer and three staff members carefully move in a model wearing the wedding dress, with Xiao Ming behind them.

And what Xiao Ming was holding by the hand… was Sheng Yi, who had been brought by Zhou Shiyu’s side since morning.

On the day her parents held their wedding, their daughter was naturally also dressed up. In a little dress with black leather shoes, she was led into the room by Xiao Ming’s hand, well-behaved yet lively.

Seeing Sheng Sui, the little pink bundle’s eyes widened immediately. She let go of Xiao Ming’s hand and ran toward Sheng Sui while calling “Mommy.”

“…Mommy, Mommy—”

Amused by her daughter’s short legs running back and forth, Sheng Sui bent down and scooped up the little bean who was hugging her right leg, still holding her phone in her left hand.

But the little one wasn’t well-behaved once picked up, twisting her body and looking down for something.

“Don’t move around, you’ll fall like this,” Sheng Sui patiently dissuaded, looking at the phone in her palm.

“Mommy is talking to Daddy on the phone. If Yiyi isn’t good, Daddy will know too.”

“…”

Mother and daughter looked at each other. Sheng Yi rarely disobeyed and tried to grab the phone again, whimpering and pouting, her eyes seeming to hold tears, looking pitiful.

Sheng Sui had no choice but to laugh helplessly and hand over the phone. Then she saw the little girl struggling to hold the phone and call out crisply.

A one-and-a-half-year-old child couldn’t use a phone. She only knew that Daddy was on the other side of the rectangular iron plate in front of her, so she held the phone up high, facing herself.

“Daddy, Daddy,” after calling out, Sheng Yi tilted her head to look at Mommy, looked back and called out again. After three rounds, she finally pursed her lips and managed to say:

“Mommy is beautiful! Daddy kiss! Kiss!”

“…”

Remembering that her lover never felt comfortable letting others watch the child but today let Xiao Ming take Sheng Yi away, Sheng Sui squinted slightly, thinking of another possibility:

“A certain Mr. Zhou, you didn’t specifically send Yiyi over, did you?”

“Yes, I sent her to ‘scout ahead.'”

The man admitted frankly, his smiling tone unhurried: “After all, knowing yourself and your enemy leads to victory in every battle.”

Xiao Ming over there urged the costume change again, so Sheng Sui could only hang up first: “Then, see you later.”

“Okay, see you later.”

Perhaps it was psychological, but Sheng Sui actually heard a few traces of rare nervousness in Zhou Shiyu’s final response.

“Suisui,” the man murmured her nickname, then paused for a moment, not knowing if he was talking to himself: “Don’t rush.”

“I’ll always wait for you.”

“…”

When the deep bell sound rang again, Sheng Sui had just finished arranging her makeup, wedding dress, and accessories.

The long bell chimes echoed for a long time, mixed with faint human voices, making Sheng Sui curiously look out the window several times.

Just as Zhou Shiyu had said, this wedding only concerned the two of them, so there was no big fanfare. Plus, few people specifically came to Europe to attend the wedding, so they only invited fewer than ten people including Xiao Ming, Qiu Si, Liang Xubai, and others.

Sheng Sui didn’t know Zhou Shiyu’s specific arrangements, and she knew they couldn’t be too ostentatious outside the church. This place was close to the main church and bell tower. Although opening the window only revealed layers of green forest, you could indeed hear continuous human voices.

It was probably approaching noon, so there were more tourists coming to visit the small island.

Taking a deep breath to calm her slightly tense mood, Sheng Sui looked up at herself dressed formally in the mirror.

At this moment, the stylist was fixing the diamond platinum crown on her head, ensuring it wouldn’t fall off no matter what happened later. She wanted to remind Sheng Sui several times to be careful but hesitated to speak.

Having been in the fashion industry for many years, she had some status. The man who hired her at a high price was no small figure. The only thing he had instructed was not to mention how much this wedding dress and accessories were worth.

Fortunately, Sheng Sui didn’t care much about these things, otherwise she wouldn’t let the pink bundle in her arms occasionally use her hands to pick at the diamonds worth millions on the wedding dress hem.

She didn’t understand the world of the wealthy. The woman pressed her lips and decided to keep quiet, just asking Sheng Sui to stand up, bend over, so she could arrange the dress hem.

The wedding dress from the current most authoritative designer MichaelJ was indeed extraordinary—the woman thought silently—but she also heard that the man with the terrifying background seemed to have participated in the design as well.

“…Do you think this is okay?”

A slightly tense voice pulled back her thoughts. The woman looked up into Sheng Sui’s gentle, soft eyes and saw Sheng Sui smile: “You might not believe it, but I’m a little nervous.”

The pure white veil fell like a waterfall from the hair accessory, draping over the equally pure white train dress. In the still warm and gentle noon temperature, the spaghetti strap and lace see-through design not only appeared lighter and more ethereal, but also highlighted Sheng Sui’s curvy, graceful figure.

“What’s unbelievable about that? My friend was nervous as hell when she held a makeup wedding after being married for more than ten years—being nervous shows you care a lot!”

The woman’s hearty comfort was very convincing. Sheng Sui took another deep breath, slightly lifted her skirt hem, and prepared to leave the reception room—to get to the inside of the church, she still needed to go through a long corridor and the open space in front of the door.

Before leaving the room, the young makeup artist confirmed one last time: “Miss Sheng, are you sure you want to wear these canvas shoes to the wedding? Really don’t want to change to a pair of matching high heels?”

Sheng Sui looked down at the particularly conspicuous canvas shoes on her feet, so old that even the edges were yellowing, and shook her head with a slight smile:

“No need to change. I’m sure I want to wear this pair.”

When she was little, to save money, her father always bought shoes half a size to a full size too big for her. So this pair of canvas shoes on her feet had accompanied Sheng Sui through the most difficult three years of high school, with extraordinary meaning. Even many years later, she couldn’t bear to throw them away.

And this pair of shoes was also the same pair she was wearing on her feet when Zhou Shiyu was looking for her on the long street in the summer of his graduation year.

Sheng Sui had never told Zhou Shiyu about this.

And in ten minutes, she would wear these canvas shoes that had once step by step taken her away from his life, disregarding the heavy and cumbersome wedding dress, lifting the thick skirt hem, and running toward her beloved.

“…”

Sheng Sui had never thought that she, who had once avoided weddings at all costs, would be so nervous when it was really her turn.

She couldn’t even remember when she became alone, or how she came to stand alone in front of the church door, empty-handed.

The tightly closed church doors opened. Sheng Sui looked at the solemn church interior, and on the rows of long benches decorated with snapdragons, she saw faces that were strange yet familiar.

Strange because she had never met these people, and familiar because these people all held a blooming light pink snapdragon in their hands.

It turned out that each distributed flower branch was not only a wedding gift, but also an invitation to a wedding that wasn’t grand or gorgeous.

At this moment, the children who had distributed flower branches in front of the steps were standing beside the first row of long benches at the very front, excitedly waving at Sheng Sui.

The music was soothing and moving. When she clearly saw the upright man’s face in the center of the church among the clusters of flowers, Sheng Sui suddenly felt her nose tingle and almost shed tears.

She thought, how lucky she was in this life to meet a lover who cherished her so deeply.

Taking a deep breath to suppress her tears, amid the blessing gazes and cheers from travelers from all over the world, Sheng Sui lifted her skirt hem, without anyone’s support, disregarding any solemnity, and started running toward the center of the chapel.

She thought she must be the most anxious bride in the world, unable to wait even a moment longer.

When she lifted her skirt hem, revealing her white leg skin and those old canvas shoes, Sheng Sui clearly saw Zhou Shiyu suddenly lower his head, as if wanting to turn his face away.

Sheng Sui had never seen Zhou Shiyu cry. Even that time with her wrist tattoo, the man had only silently shed tears while nestled in her neck.

“Zhou Shiyu.”

The wedding dress and crown were indeed not suitable for running, plus the weight of the boning. The distance of a red carpet also made Sheng Sui slightly out of breath from running.

“Zhou Shiyu,” only when she spoke again did Sheng Sui realize how badly her voice was trembling, “I promised you—”

She took many deep breaths, and through her tearful eyes, tried hard to force out a smile: “—If I was coming toward you, I would definitely run.”

Zhou Shiyu looked deeply at her. The man who had never lost composure looked deeply into her eyes, his profound eye sockets slightly red.

“Mm.”

Zhou Shiyu’s already low voice was terribly hoarse. He tried several times to make eye contact but failed. Finally, helplessly lowering his gaze, also seeming to talk to himself: “Suisui, I’ve been waiting for you here for so long.”

The man’s chest rose and fell deeply: “…So, thank you for coming.”

From any angle, this was a wedding that could be called “unconventional.”

Not to mention there were no bridesmaids or groomsmen, the guests from all over the world were strangers randomly invited from the street, and even the bride’s entrance was simply outrageous.

Perhaps the only step-by-step ceremony left was reading the wedding vows under the statue of God.

Unable to calm her emotions for a long time, Sheng Sui, with her somewhat disheveled hairstyle and imperfectly arranged dress hem, hastily listened to the minister’s long speech.

Until the entire venue fell silent, even though most people present didn’t share a common language, they were waiting in tacit agreement for what Zhou Shiyu would actually say.

With broad shoulders and a narrow waist, the black suit made the man’s already tall, lean, and upright figure appear even more slender. His hairstyle had been specially styled, and the only thing unchanged from usual was his profound features, carved like a sculpture.

Sheng Sui quietly watched Zhou Shiyu.

“My insistence on holding this wedding, besides making up for past regrets, actually has other selfish motives.”

After a long while, the unmistakably hoarse male voice rang out, though his tone had returned to stability: “Suisui, we’ve been together for more than four years, or rather, in the seventeen years I’ve liked you, there are some words I’ve never found the opportunity to say to you.”

Pausing in his words, Sheng Sui saw Zhou Shiyu finally willing to look up and meet her eyes, with a trace of red still lingering at the corners of his eyes, he curved his lips in a smile:

“So, can you give me a little more patience today and let me finish speaking?”