As the night deepened, He Shou Zheng, being a child, began yawning repeatedly. Soon, he dozed off on He Su Ye’s shoulder. Shen Xi Fan, noticing his peaceful state, kept quiet, and the three of them walked silently along the long main road of the neighborhood.
Suddenly, He Su Ye broke the silence. “What do you like to eat?”
Shen Xi Fan looked at him in surprise. “Why do you ask?”
He smiled. “The day after tomorrow, they’re all coming to my place for dinner. Didn’t Su Shan tell you?”
Shen Xi Fan finally remembered. “I forgot.” After thinking for a moment, she added, “I hate cilantro, but I’m fine with most other things. I like sweets and am generally easy to please. By the way, the buckwheat noodles tonight were delicious. Can you make those, He Su Ye?”
Unexpectedly, He Shou Zheng woke up, rubbing his eyes. “Uncle, I want some too. Where are they?”
He Su Ye responded with mock annoyance, “Kid, all you think about is food. Do you want some chestnuts too?”
Feigning innocence, He Shou Zheng stretched out his arms toward Shen Xi Fan. “Sister, carry me!” His antics made Shen Xi Fan laugh uncontrollably. “This little guy is definitely going places. He acts all sweet and charming with you, stays silent with Qiu Tian, and bullies Li Jie.”
* * *
The next day, Shen Xi Fan received a wedding invitation from a university friend.
Sighing over her bad luck, she lamented to herself. A husband? I don’t even have a boyfriend yet. The thought made her increasingly believe that a happy, loving family was far more important for a woman than a successful career.
But what could she do? At midnight, she found herself slicing apples in front of a mirror and consulting online fortune tellers—a futile attempt to comfort herself.
The wedding was in a neighboring city, at its grandest hotel. Shen Xi Fan rode there in her mother’s office car. In the bridal lounge, she reunited with an old friend she hadn’t seen in years. Time had distanced them, and they didn’t know where to begin, so they merely exchanged smiles.
The wedding was extravagant—half the vehicles were government or military cars. The groom appeared stiff, while the bride wore a faint, casual smile that lacked Su Shan’s genuine happiness. It struck Shen Xi Fan as detached, almost indifferent.
Perhaps this is yet another unhappy marriage, she thought, recalling Gu Ningyuan, a bold, vibrant woman who had also been trapped within the confines of marriage. What is the delicate relationship between marriage and love?
A tap on her shoulder startled her from her reverie. She turned, exhaling in relief. “You scared me, Young Master! Couldn’t you pick a better time and place?”
Ling Yu Fan snorted dismissively. “It’s just a marriage alliance. What kind of occasion is that? If it weren’t for the family’s connections with mine, I wouldn’t have bothered showing up.” His disdain was palpable.
She smiled, gesturing toward the bride. “Is this what wealthy marriages are like? Diamonds and flowers everywhere?”
Ling Yu Fan lowered his gaze and remained silent for a moment, murmuring the word “marriage” as though tasting it. “Either you commit to one person for life, or you play around. Marriage? For people like us, it’s just diamonds and flowers wrapped around power and profit.”
Shen Xi Fan nodded knowingly and smiled. “I hope the man I marry loves me, and I love him—not for money or power, but simply because I’m me and he’s him.”
She remembered the first time she saw Su Shan, so radiant with happiness that even her eyes smiled. It reminded Shen Xi Fan of her former self, once seeing only one person in her world, that person being the end of her gaze. No matter how far, she would follow.
The happiest thing in the world is when the one you love loves you back.
But how many marriages are truly built on love alone?
Forget it. Marriage seemed too far away. All she had now was a vague past love, a new crush that felt one-sided, and the hope of an overseas study offer, which should arrive today.
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