[Extra Chapter ]: Pre-Wedding Matters

With the big decision settled and the marriage certificate already obtained, the wedding arrangements are no longer in such a rush.

This is a big event, and Chen Mo and Su Yuqing both hope that their important family and friends can witness their happy moment together.

However, it's also fortunate that the next big day is in August, which is during the summer vacation.

You can invite all your friends to join us then.

After the New Year, upon returning to university, their roommates immediately learned that the two had registered their marriage.

Everyone was incredibly excited and insisted on attending the wedding.

Hearing that it was during the summer vacation, everyone was even happier, knowing that they would definitely not miss it.

And so, everyone spent half a semester of university life in a state of anticipation for it to end quickly.

After all, everyone hopes to witness that sacred and blissful moment.

The friendship they forged during their two years of university made them treat Su Yuqing and Chen Mo's happiness as their own.

Time really flies; in the blink of an eye, it's already summer vacation.

In late July, Chen Mo and Su Yuqing had just returned to Jiangcheng from their holiday when their families hurriedly began arranging everything.

On her first day back home, Su Yuqing leaned back on the sofa and started sorting through the various red envelopes and congratulatory messages she had received over the past few days. Chen Mo brought over two cups of hot milk and sat down next to her.

The laptop screen on the coffee table was lit, the browser was on the page of a wedding photography studio, and next to it was a wedding planning manual with intricate patterns, which was already one-third of the way through.

Su Yuqing took the milk, leaned on Chen Mo's shoulder, and held up her phone screen in front of him: "Zhou Yue and the others said they went home first and then immediately flew over. They want me to have dinner with them next weekend, as a pre-wedding gathering for the bridesmaids."

"Go ahead." Chen Mo ruffled her hair. "Wang Lan and the others are also clamoring to throw me a bachelor party. It's next weekend, so we can all get together separately."

Su Yuqing smiled and responded, her fingers unconsciously twirling the ring on her ring finger. Suddenly remembering something, she straightened up and looked at Chen Mo: "By the way, have you discussed the wedding venue with your mother? Didn't she say she wanted to have it outdoors?"

Since registering her marriage with Chen Mo, Su Yuqing has fixed how she addresses her two mothers. She uses the single word "Mom" for her own mother, Li Fengzhi, but uses two different words for Chen Mo's mother, Chen Xi.

In fact, in real life, Chen Xi treats Su Yuqing with the same care and affection as if she were his own daughter.

On the contrary, Li Fengzhi felt indebted to her daughter and was somewhat anxious about losing her, so she dared not get too close to her or interfere too much.

Chen Mo took a sip of milk, then naturally put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her back into his arms: "Mom originally wanted to book that popular wedding hotel—Nanhu Resort Hotel, but I thought it was too tacky."

As he spoke, he raised an eyebrow, placed the milk on the coffee table, reached for the laptop, opened a folder, and showed her a few photos. "Take a look at this place."

The photo on the screen shows a traditional Chinese courtyard nestled against a mountain and beside a river, with white walls and black tiles, and a huge ginkgo tree in the center of the courtyard, its branches and leaves lush and verdant.

The courtyard extends to a large lawn that stretches all the way to a small lake, with distant mountains on the opposite shore rising and falling in distinct layers.

Most importantly, the entire venue offers excellent privacy, naturally enclosed by bamboo groves and water features, ensuring privacy from outsiders.

Su Yuqing's eyes lit up: "Where is this? It's so beautiful!"

“Yunqi Manor.” Chen Mo smiled at her pleased expression. “It’s a very low-key Chinese-style manor, not usually open to the public, only hosting a limited number of high-end, private events. I got it through Huang Mao’s connections; that guy really has a lot of connections in the tourism industry. We happened to have some free time around our wedding. Take a good look at this place—”

He zoomed in on one of the photos, which showed a path leading to the lake from a corner of the courtyard. Both sides were planted with hydrangeas, in blue, purple, and pink and white, blooming freely and brilliantly in clusters, like an overturned palette in the afternoon light and shadow.

"See these hydrangeas? They're in full bloom right now. This path will be lined with them, and you can walk right here." Chen Mo's voice was filled with obvious anticipation and care. "Don't you like purple? This place has many varieties of hydrangeas, especially the blue-purple ones. The whole courtyard will be filled with your favorite shade of purple. This place is practically made for you."

Hydrangeas are traditionally associated with weddings, making them a perfect choice for a wedding.

Looking at the tranquil and exquisite Chinese courtyard on the screen, and then at Chen Mo beside her with a "praise me" expression, Su Yuqing felt her heart melt.

She reached out and hooked her arm around his neck, then gave him a big kiss on the cheek.

Chen Mo was taken aback by this sudden initiative, then his eyes darkened, and he pulled her closer, lowering his head to kiss her lips.

It took them a while to separate, panting, their foreheads touching, their breaths mingling.

"Are you satisfied?" Chen Mo asked her in a low voice, his voice a little hoarse.

"Mmm." This time, Su Yuqing wasn't shy and responded softly.

Chen Mo's Adam's apple bobbed, and he restrained himself by pulling her into his arms, taking several deep breaths to calm himself down. Su Yuqing leaned against his chest, listening to the strong heartbeat in his chest, and the corners of her mouth turned up in a wide smile.

The next day, Chen Xi sent the address of the wedding dress studio to Su Yuqing's phone early in the morning, along with a voice message: "Qingqing, I've already made an appointment with them. You and Momo can just go there at 10 a.m. today. This shop is owned by a friend of a friend. They have both Chinese and Western styles, a wide variety of designs, and the craftsmanship is excellent. Go and take a look first, and try on any you like. Don't worry about the price, Mom will reimburse you."

The self-address of "Mom" warmed Su Yuqing's heart. Ever since the moment they got their marriage certificate, Chen Xi had naturally changed her address for Su Yuqing in all her text messages from "Auntie" to "Mom," as if she had been waiting for this day for a long time and didn't want to delay it for even a moment longer.

After reading his mother's message, Chen Mo smiled. The two arrived at the wedding dress studio as agreed. The manager personally came out to greet them, smiling and saying that Mrs. Chen had already spoken to them, and that they could take their time looking around and trying on dresses. They were the only couple they would be serving that morning.

The showroom was filled with all kinds of wedding dresses: white, champagne, nude pink, mermaid, ball gown, A-line. Under the warm lights, each one looked as beautiful as a dream.

Faced with a dazzling array of wedding dresses, Su Yuqing was overwhelmed and didn't know where to start.

Chen Mo was very patient, accompanying her as she looked at each item one by one, occasionally offering his opinions.

"This is too sparkly."

"The slit in the front of this dress is too high, let's change it."

……

"Hmm, this one is nice."

After looking around for a while, he pointed to a satin off-the-shoulder wedding dress. The lines were simple and smooth, without too much lace or rhinestone decoration, but it exuded a low-key sense of sophistication.

Su Yuqing also thought the suit looked good, so she asked the shop assistant to take it down and try it on. Chen Mo also picked out two suits and went into the men's fitting room next door.

With the help of the shop assistant, Su Yuqing put on her wedding dress, zipped up the back, and straightened the hem. When she turned around to face the full-length mirror, she was stunned for a moment.

The satin fabric has a gentle and delicate sheen, and the off-shoulder design perfectly reveals her slender collarbone and long neck. The waistline is neatly cinched, and the skirt drapes naturally. Without layers of tulle, the texture of the fabric makes it look exceptionally noble and elegant, making her look like a fairy from another world.

She looked at herself in the mirror for a long time, somewhat unsure if she really looked that good. The sales assistant beside her exclaimed sincerely, "This dress is practically tailor-made for you, it fits you perfectly!"

The curtain was pulled open with a whoosh, and Chen Mo walked out of the men's fitting room. He had changed into a sharp navy blue suit, his shirt collar open and he hadn't had time to tie his tie yet. His previously nonchalant expression froze the moment he saw Su Yuqing, and he stopped in his tracks, standing straight a few steps away, staring at her intently, his eyes filled with undisguised amazement and emotion.

"Does it look good?" Even though they were an old married couple, Su Yuqing still felt a little embarrassed by her beloved's ardent gaze and asked softly, lifting her skirt.

Chen Mo snapped out of his daze, strode up to her, gently took her fingertips in his hand, looked intently into her eyes and said, "It's so beautiful, this is the one, no changing."

His tone was domineering and self-righteous, but the light in his eyes was so gentle it could drown you.

The sales assistant covered her mouth and laughed, "Sir, you have excellent taste. This is our designer piece this year. It's all handmade and a limited edition worldwide. There's only one in the whole city. Your wife looks absolutely stunning in it."

Ignoring the shop assistant's flattering words, Chen Mo's eyes never left Su Yuqing. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "I really want to take you home right now. I don't even want to wait for the wedding."

Su Yuqing blushed and gave him a flirtatious glare, but her heart was bubbling with sweetness.

In the end, the two of them decided on this dress and also picked out matching wedding shoes, a veil, and men's leather shoes and tie.

After the two had finished confirming, the store manager gestured for them to proceed, leading them through a moon gate-shaped partition into a more private showroom. "Mrs. Chen specifically requested that the Chinese-style dress be ordered at the same time. Please come over here; the Chinese-style dress section is in the VIP room inside."

The layout of this showroom is completely different from the outside.

The warm yellow lights were adjusted to be softer, and several exquisite Chinese wedding dresses hung on the wall: dragon and phoenix gowns, Xiuhe dresses, and modified cheongsams. Each one was displayed there quietly, yet it had its own understated elegance.

The air was faintly filled with the scent of sandalwood incense, and Su Yuqing's steps involuntarily slowed down as soon as she stepped inside.

Her gaze was firmly drawn to a wedding dress on the display shelf in the center.

It was a modernized version of a traditional Chinese dragon and phoenix gown. Unlike the heavy feel of the traditional fully embroidered gown, this one had a modern cut. The waist-cinching design accentuated the bride's figure, while the skirt retained the iconic straight silhouette of the dragon and phoenix gown, but with slightly more room to move around.

The fabric is the finest silk satin, and the base color is not bright red, but an extremely elegant sandalwood with a gold tinge. From afar, it looks dignified and grand, and up close, you can see that the satin is embroidered with delicate phoenix tail patterns in gold thread. Each feather is lifelike and appears and disappears as the light shifts.

"This is a new design this year. The designer drew inspiration from the pheasant-patterned gowns worn by noblewomen in the Song Dynasty, blending the embroidery techniques of traditional dragon and phoenix gowns with the tailoring of modern formal wear." The shop manager approached and introduced softly, "The lapel and cuffs are made with double-sided Suzhou embroidery, and the neckline is adorned with a pair of delicate Chinese knot buttons, dangling with two South China Sea pearls. This entire wedding gown is one of a kind; there are no other branches of this shop in the entire country."

Su Yuqing listened attentively but remained silent.

She stood there in front of the wedding dress, as if looking at a work of art, or as if holding her breath in the face of something of utmost importance.

She suddenly remembered a long time ago, when her grandmother was still alive, there was a wedding in the village, and her grandmother took her to watch the excitement.

Firecrackers crackled and popped, and the red paper scraps scattered on the ground looked like a joyous rain.

Little Su Yuqing was so shocked that she covered her ears, but she couldn't bear to look away and kept looking up at the bride.

The custom of wearing a red veil had disappeared by then, and everyone could see the bride's face directly. The bride, dressed in a bright red wedding gown, was helped down from the flower car. Her appearance in the red wedding gown, coupled with her exquisite makeup, looked absolutely stunning to little Su Yuqing.

Grandma even squatted down and asked her with a smile, "Qingqing, is it pretty?"

She nodded vigorously, looking bewildered and innocent, and asked her grandmother, "When Qingqing grows up, will she be a beautiful bride too?"

"My Qingqing is already thinking about getting married?" Grandma was so happy she was shaking, and she looked at little Su Yuqing with pride. "When the time comes, our Qingqing will only be more beautiful."

Hearing her grandmother's words, little Su Yuqing nodded happily and expectantly. After thinking for a moment, she added, "Then Grandma wants to come and see."

Su Yuqing couldn't quite remember what her grandmother's answer was.

It sounded like he laughed, or maybe he patted her head and said something, but the sound was drowned out by the firecrackers.

Later, her grandmother did not live to see her grow up.

Her mother fell ill, her father passed away, and she moved between two homes. No one ever asked her again if she remembered the little girl who dreamed of being a beautiful bride when she was a child.

Until now...

Chen Mo stood half a step behind her, not urging her, but quietly watching her profile.

He noticed that her fingers, hanging by her sides, curled slightly—a subconscious reaction she made whenever she encountered something truly beautiful, something she herself might not even be aware of.

"Give it a try?" Chen Mo smiled and looked at Su Yuqing softly.

Su Yuqing snapped out of her daze, turned to look at him, and nodded.

This fitting took longer than the previous Western-style wedding dress.

Wearing a traditional Chinese wedding dress is far more complicated than wearing a wedding gown. It consists of three layers, with each petticoat and each tie having its own specific requirements.

With the help of the shop assistant, Su Yuqing put on the outfit layer by layer.

When the last button was fastened, the shop assistant led her to the full-length mirror. Su Yuqing looked up at herself in the mirror and her breath caught in her throat for a moment.

The person in the mirror looked completely different from her usual self.

The sandalwood-colored wedding gown with gold undertones made her skin look like porcelain. The modified waist-cinching cut perfectly outlined her slender and soft curves, and the straight skirt draped down to her ankles, revealing the perfectly round pearl on her embroidered shoes as she walked.

A pair of small, delicate buttons peeked out from her collarbone, and two South Sea pearls swayed slightly with her breath, as if light flowed around her neck.

The gold phoenix tail pattern on the lapel gleams subtly under the light, understated yet impossible to ignore, silent yet possessing its own unique charm.

The shop assistant gently placed an exquisite Chinese phoenix crown in her hair. The crown was small, a modified, lightweight style, combining cloisonné enamel and kingfisher feather inlay techniques, with a few delicate gold tassels hanging down, resting on her smooth forehead and swaying gently. The sound of Chen Mo's footsteps, having changed into a Chinese-style suit, came from outside the curtain. He lifted the curtain and entered, wearing a Chinese-style long gown from the same collection as Su Yuqing's wedding dress.

On the dark sandalwood fabric, the collar and cuffs are embroidered with subtle patterns in the same color scheme, echoing the phoenix tail pattern on her wedding dress, understated yet perfectly in sync.

The stand-up collar design gave him an air of refined elegance, like a young master from a prestigious family who stepped out of an old film set in the Republican era.

He walked in, and the moment he looked up and saw Su Yuqing, he stopped everything.

If Su Yuqing's appearance in a Western-style wedding dress had left him speechless with amazement, then at this moment, seeing her in a traditional Chinese wedding gown stirred an unprecedented feeling within him, giving him an urge to immediately begin the wedding ceremony.

The woman before me possessed a beauty that was understated and gentle, not ostentatious or sharp, but rather reserved and warm, like a piece of warm jade polished to perfection by time, radiating a serene glow under the soft, shimmering light of crushed gold leaf.

Chen Mo suddenly realized that this was what he wanted to see at the wedding—she was wearing a wedding dress full of the cultural heritage of her country, walking towards him step by step, unhurriedly, with all the solemnity of a woman, to keep this once-in-a-lifetime promise.

He walked toward her, his steps slower than usual, as if afraid of disturbing something.

Su Yuqing saw his figure approaching in the mirror, turned around, and the golden tassels on her phoenix crown swayed gently, casting dappled light on her forehead.

"How about this one?" she asked, a hint of nervousness in her voice—she knew her own taste, but she was even more curious about his feelings.

Chen Mo did not answer immediately.

He reached out and carefully straightened a tassel hanging from her phoenix crown, his fingertips gently gliding over the gold thread before landing on her shoulder. He turned her slightly toward the mirror, so that she stood beside him.

A perfect couple in the mirror.

The gold-toned dragon and phoenix gown and the dark sandalwood-colored long robe, with their matching embroidered patterns on the lapel, the gold tassels in her hair and the dark patterns on his collar, one bright and one dark, one soft and one strong, are like two objects that should have been placed together, finally set on the same table.

“This one.” Chen Mo’s voice was not loud, but every word was firm and resolute. “Two sets, one Chinese and one Western. I’ll wear the Chinese set when I pick up the bride and visit my parents in the morning, and the wedding dress when I have dinner and the main ceremony in the evening. It’s just right.”

"Okay." Su Yuqing responded softly, reaching out to place Chen Mo's hand on her shoulder, their fingertips intertwined, their palms warm.

When they came out of the wedding dress studio, the afternoon sun was just right. Although it was summer, the temperature wasn't too high. Su Yuqing walked down the street arm in arm with Chen Mo. She suddenly chuckled softly as she recalled the innocent words she had said to her grandmother when she was little, which she never expected to actually come true one day.

"What are you laughing at?" Chen Mo looked down at her.

"I won't tell you~" Su Yuqing tilted her head, her tone slightly mischievous.

Although Su Yuqing didn't say anything, Chen Mo knew how happy she was. He took her hand, intertwined their fingers, and squeezed it tightly. Then he said seriously, "Whether you tell me or not, as long as you're happy, that's all that matters. I hope you can always smile happily in the days to come."

Su Yuqing paused for a moment, then turned her face away, pretending to look at the scenery on the street, but her ears secretly turned bright red.

This man's sweet words always come unexpectedly, yet are so sincere that they are irresistible.

The two walked out of the shopping street side by side, the sunlight casting their long shadows on the sidewalk, very close together.

Chen Mo was walking down the street holding Su Yuqing's hand when he suddenly sighed.

"What's wrong?" Su Yuqing turned her head to look at him.

"It's nothing, it's just that time seems to be passing too slowly." Chen Mo pulled her closer to him, making way for a passerby who was looking down at his phone. "It will be quite a few more days before I can actually marry you."

Su Yuqing couldn't help but laugh: "We've already got the marriage certificate and moved in a long time ago, what's a few more days?"

“That’s different,” Chen Mo said seriously. “What I want is for everyone to see you walking towards me with the happiest expression on your face. I want everyone to see your happiest moment, including your grandparents. They are probably the ones who most want to see you happy. I want them to feel at ease entrusting you to me.”

Upon hearing these words, Su Yuqing's heart skipped a beat. She stopped and turned to face him.

People were coming and going on the street. She looked up at him with bright eyes, her voice suddenly choked up. She wanted to say something, but couldn't say anything.

Her maternal grandparents were always her last protection and comfort when she was vulnerable. In moments of despair, she would find some strength when she remembered the warmth of being cared for by her maternal grandparents.

This tenderness, buried deep in her heart and rarely touched even by herself, has never been fully revealed to anyone.

During the years when her mother was ill, her father was indifferent, and she lived as a dependent, her maternal grandparents were the only source of kindness in her memory that she could receive without any conditions.

That love across generations was so pure and innocent that every memory of it felt like peeling back the layers of a heart that had been wrapped up, revealing the tenderest part of the flesh, which couldn't withstand any disturbance.

Therefore, she rarely mentions her maternal grandparents on her own initiative, and only mentions them casually to Chen Mo when she is truly vulnerable.

When Chen Xi treats her well, she expresses her gratitude; when Chen Mo dotes on her, she responds with a smile. But the words she wants to say to her grandparents are only uttered silently in her heart late at night, alone, gazing at the moon outside her window.

This sensitivity is like a child who has learned to read people's expressions from a young age, hiding their most precious candy in the deepest corner under their pillow.

It was when her ailing mother unconsciously pushed her to the ground in the Li family home that she could feel those calloused yet incredibly gentle hands with her eyes closed.

That was when the Su family was wounded by cold words and sarcastic remarks, and she could hear those words with a local accent, "Our Qingqing is the best girl," even when she covered her ears.

That was the only constant reference point for her after she had wandered from place to place and moved from one roof to another—no matter where she went or what kind of person she became, her grandparents always looked at her with the same expression of "It's good that you're here. Are you hungry?"

So when Chen Mo stood on the bustling street and said in such a natural tone, as if they were still alive, "They are probably the ones who most want to see you find happiness," the door in Su Yuqing's heart, which had been hidden deep inside and carefully closed for more than ten years, was gently pushed open.

The person who pushed the door open didn't kick it, didn't use brute force, and didn't even shout. He simply stood in the doorway and softly said, "I know what's inside, and I think it's very precious. Would you like me to protect it with you?"

This feeling is like someone who has been holding a faint lamp alone in the dark, suddenly discovering that the person next to them not only sees the lamp, but also reaches out to cover the vent, afraid that it will be blown out.

Su Yuqing opened her mouth, but it felt like something was blocking her throat.

She wanted to say, "Thank you for remembering them," and "They have entrusted me to you in my dreams and left in peace," but all the words stuck in her throat, turning into more and more tears welling up in her eyes.

She was never someone who easily lost her composure.

Having gone through so much, she had long since learned to swallow her tears, hide her weakness behind a smile, and disguise all her "I care" as "It's okay, it doesn't matter."

But the man she loved most gently peeled away her disguise time and time again, without being rough or pitying, but simply telling her tenderly and stubbornly: With me, you don't need to hide.

Today, he precisely touched upon the deepest, most sensitive layer she had hidden.

He didn't say anything presumptuous like "I'm doing this for your grandparents," nor did he offer any empty words of comfort like "Their spirits will surely rest in peace."

He said: I want to put their minds at ease.

The weight of the word "don't worry" can only be understood by those who have truly cared for her.

The thing that my maternal grandparents were most worried about before they passed away was probably their little granddaughter.

Her mother's mental state fluctuated, and her father was indifferent to her. Although the Li family took her in, there was always a distance between them.

When the two elderly people passed away, their hearts must have been filled with worries—Qingqing is still so young, who will take her to school? Who will cook for her when she's hungry? Who will protect her when she's bullied?
Su Yuqing had never told anyone, but she had seen her grandparents in her dreams more than once.

In her dream, they didn't say anything, they just looked at her, their eyes filled with lingering thoughts of her.

Every time I wake up, my pillow is wet.

At this moment, Chen Mo stood before her and, in the most ordinary tone, said the words her grandparents in her dream had been most concerned about—"You can rest assured now..."

This means that the man before her understood the regrets she had never spoken aloud, accepted the weight she had carried alone for over a decade, and told her in an extremely solemn way: What the people you love care about, I care about too. If you want them to feel at ease, I will help you achieve it.

Su Yuqing finally couldn't hold back her tears any longer, and they silently slid down her cheeks, one drop after another, unstoppable.

She thought, how could this person be like this? How could he see every wrinkle in her heart so clearly? How could he find her most vulnerable spot so precisely and gently place it there?

She was even a little annoyed—she had come to try on wedding dresses today, she had just been laughing and joking, and he had said he wanted to see her keep smiling happily, so how did she end up crying over just one sentence from him?

But within this regret lies an overwhelming sense of emotion and the happiness of being understood.

When Chen Mo saw her tears, his gaze softened instantly. He reached out and gently wiped away the tears from her face with his knuckles, saying softly, "Why are you crying? Did I say something wrong?"

Su Yuqing shook her head, sniffed hard, and her voice trembled slightly: "You're not wrong..."

[You're absolutely right] Su Yuqing added in her mind.

She paused, took a deep breath, and looked up to look directly into Chen Mo's eyes.

There was not a trace of impatience or helplessness in those eyes, only focused heartache and quiet waiting.

He was waiting for him, waiting for him to calm down, waiting for him to be willing to speak, waiting for him to gradually reveal what he had kept hidden in his heart for so many years.

Su Yuqing's voice was still soft, but much more steady than before. "I was very young when my grandparents passed away. For many years afterward, I didn't dare to think about them. I would cry whenever I thought about them, and when I cried, I felt sorry for my mother because she was already sick at that time, and I couldn't let her worry anymore. After I came to the Li family, I dared not mention them at all. Even my mother rarely mentioned my grandparents, as if they had never existed... But they were clearly the best people in the world to me."

As she spoke, tears welled up again, but this time she didn't let herself choke up. Instead, she gripped Chen Mo's hand tightly, as if drawing courage to continue: "Later, as I grew older, I got used to talking to them in my heart. I would say it when I got good grades, and I would say it when I was bullied. I would secretly wish them a Happy New Year in my heart during the Spring Festival... I always felt that no one would understand this feeling. If I said it out loud, others might think I was being sentimental, or that they had been gone for so many years, so what was there to remember?"

“But you remember them.” Her eyes were red, but the corners of her mouth curved up. The smile was tinged with tears, yet so radiant that it was impossible to look away. “Chen Mo, you not only remember them, but you also thought of them for me. You said you wanted to put their minds at ease—you even thought of how I should explain things to them.”

Chen Mo listened in silence. When he heard the last sentence, his Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and some emotion surged in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it.

He didn't say anything long or complicated; he simply pulled Su Yuqing into his arms, holding her very tightly, so tightly that Su Yuqing could feel his heartbeat pounding against her cheek through her thick winter clothes.

“It’s not for your sake.” His voice came from his chest, low and deep, with a reassuring resonance. “It’s for my own sake. I’m going to marry their precious granddaughter, and I have to put their minds at ease. I want to tell them—that from now on, someone will cook for her when she’s hungry, someone will add clothes for her when she’s cold, someone will support her when she’s wronged, and someone will wipe away her tears when she wants to cry. She will no longer be all alone, and never will be again.”

Su Yuqing buried her face in his chest, her tears soaking the front of his coat, but this time, her tears were no longer bitter.

The streets were still bustling with pedestrians. Occasionally, someone would glance at the couple embracing tightly by the roadside, but no one stopped or disturbed them.

The gentleness of this city lies in the fact that it gives everyone the right to reveal their vulnerability in public.

It was a very long time before Su Yuqing finally lifted her head from his embrace.

Her eyes were red, her nose was red, and her makeup was a little smudged, but she looked as if she had taken off a burden she had carried for more than ten years, and there was a rare sense of relaxation and lightness in her eyes and brows.

She took out a tissue from her pocket and wiped her face, then wiped the tear-stained areas on the front of Chen Mo's coat, saying somewhat apologetically in a low voice, "I've gotten your hard-to-wash coat dirty."

"Silly girl, what's so dirty about my wife's tears?" Chen Mo smiled nonchalantly, looking down at her. "Feeling better?"

"Mmm." Su Yuqing nodded, then tiptoed and quickly pecked him on the lips. When she pulled back, her cheeks were slightly flushed, but she looked at him earnestly and said, "Thank you for remembering them. I really want to thank you. On the wedding day, I will tell my grandparents—look, this is the one. He is the one I chose. You can rest assured."

Chen Mo's eyes finally reddened. He, who always prided himself on being a tough guy, quickly turned his face away, pretended to cough, and when he turned back, he had resumed his usual lazy smile.

But he gripped Su Yuqing's hand a little tighter than usual.

"Let's go," he said, his voice still slightly nasal. "Let's go home for dinner. Mom said she made your favorite pork rib and lotus root soup today."

The afternoon sun filtered through the branches of the roadside trees, casting dappled light on them.

As Su Yuqing walked, she suddenly looked up at the sky.

The clouds were thin, and the sky was so blue it looked as if it had been carefully washed.

She wondered if it was just her imagination, but the sky seemed exceptionally close and gentle today, as if someone were in the sky, and she finally smiled with relief.

Chen Mo paused for a moment, glanced at the sky, smiled, then lowered his head and kissed her recklessly on the bustling street.

It was as if he was telling someone how much he cherished and loved her.

Su Yuqing's ears turned bright red, but she didn't push him away. Instead, she wrapped her arms around Chen Mo's neck and returned the kiss.

Both of them were demonstrating their current happiness to the person who was secretly caring for Su Yuqing through their actions. (End of Chapter)