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“Ye—”

“Ye—”

“Hmm?”

“What are you spacing out about? We’re almost at the civil affairs bureau. Cheer up a bit. Did you drink too much last night?” The voice beside him slowly brought Ye Shuang back to reality, and he realized he was gripping the steering wheel.

The traffic light ahead just turned green, so Ye Shuang started the car and continued driving according to the navigation.

“Sorry, I drifted off for a second.” Ye Shuang looked at Chen Qin sitting beside him and spoke softly.

“I heard from Chen Hai that you guys were both drunk last night. Did you not get a good rest?” Chen Qin reached out and gently touched Ye Shuang’s forehead. Feeling that he didn’t have a fever, she relaxed a little.

“Mm…” Ye Shuang couldn’t help but recall what happened last night, subconsciously touching his shoulder. At that time, he hadn’t been fully conscious.

All he remembered was Bai Yuyou grabbing him, but maybe because of the alcohol, he hadn’t reacted much, and it ended without any resolution.

But his body was left with several reddish bruises.

“Hah.” Ye Shuang tried to steady himself, then glanced back at the back seat.

Anshi Yi, their accompanying photographer, was sitting there watching a drama on her tablet. When she noticed Ye Shuang’s gaze, she asked,

“What’s up?”

“Did you bring the camera?”

“Yeah, just focus on driving. Leave the rest to me,” Anshi Yi said.

…

The car soon arrived at the parking lot of the civil affairs bureau. Maybe because it was a weekday and today wasn’t a special date, the place was nearly empty.

“I guess getting married really works better on a day like May 20th, huh?” Ye Shuang remarked.

“It’s fine,” Chen Qin said cheerfully beside him.

“Really?”

“Every day with Ye feels almost like May 20th.” Chen Qin linked her arm with Ye Shuang’s, her affection barely concealed, as if the air around them was turning into pink bubbles.

“So clingy,” Anshi Yi thought to herself.

Most childhood sweethearts rarely end up as husband and wife, largely because they’ve long been desensitized to each other’s quirks. For instance, small gestures from a crush—like an accidental brush of fingers—might make someone’s heart race.

But with childhood sweethearts, you’ve seen everything since childhood. Even sitting close doesn’t feel like much, so it’s hard to feel that spark, let alone become lovers or eventually marry.

Chen Qin, however, seemed to have skipped that process of disenchantment. Instead, their deep bond made their feelings unusually strong.

This was a rare case, probably because Chen Qin had harbored a secret crush on Ye Shuang for a long time.

“There are only two people ahead of us. It’ll be our turn soon.” Ye Shuang had just grabbed a number, while Anshi Yi had already started working with the camera. Incidentally, she had insisted on coming along.

Her excuse was, “Since you paid me so much, I feel bad. Let me give you a free set of wedding photos.”

But knowing Ye Shuang’s understanding of that fish, she was probably just there for the fun of it. Feeling guilty about being paid a lot? Giving out free photos?

No way. Absolutely no way (big orange cat.jpg).

“Yeah, I’m a little nervous.” Chen Qin sat beside him, fidgeting. She glanced toward the door, then picked at her fingers. Today she wore a white top paired with a deep-red, phoenix-patterned skirt. At her waist hung a golden embroidered tassel in the shape of the “double-happiness” character—custom-made, simple yet elegant.

“Don’t be nervous. It’s fine,” Ye Shuang said gently, comforting Chen Qin.

“Getting a license is no big deal. You’ll get the hang of it quickly,” Anshi Yi chimed in, though her words seemed to drift elsewhere.

“Ye, did I forget my household registration book?!” Chen Qin suddenly panicked, as if remembering something.

“I have it.”

Ye Shuang took out a file folder containing the household registration book, ID cards, and copies—all the documents needed for marriage.

“You brought it, Ye?”

“You gave it to me at home, remember?”

“Oh, right.” Chen Qin’s mind was starting to get fuzzy. Whether it was the saying “a pregnancy makes you lose your wits for three years” kicking in, or the sheer happiness of today’s license-overloading her CPU, she couldn’t tell.

“It’s our turn.” Ye Shuang glanced at the big screen. Their number was called.

“Y-Ye, I can’t stand up.”

“Silly.”

Chen Qin was robotically led by Ye Shuang to the counter. The process was simpler than expected. The clerk asked a couple of brief questions, took their documents and pre-prepared photos, and stamped them with a white machine.

When they received the marriage certificates, Ye Shuang stared at the photo and the stamp, momentarily dazed. Beside him, Chen Qin was also gazing at the certificate, her eyes suddenly reddening.

But she was smiling—grinning to show her white teeth, even as tears wet her long lashes. She leaned against Ye Shuang’s arm, crying and laughing at once, as if years of long-distance running had finally paid off.

The clerk, accustomed to such scenes, just smiled and offered her congratulations.

“Ye—”

“Husband—”

Chen Qin wrapped her arms around Ye Shuang’s neck, unwilling to let go. After a long while, she pulled back with a flushed face, still staring at the certificate in her hands with a goofy grin.

“Silly, you’ve made a mess of your face.” Just as Ye Shuang said that, Anshi Yi handed him a tissue. He took it and wiped Chen Qin’s tears.

Chen Qin took countless photos of the certificate with her phone, then asked Anshi Yi to snap a bunch of pictures of them. She immediately posted on her social media to announce it, not even blocking anyone, as if telling the whole world they were married.

Soon, Chen Qin’s feed was flooded with likes and an avalanche of comments—from her classmates, friends, subordinates, partners, and so on.

Meanwhile, Chen Qin’s phone kept buzzing with messages from friends.

Ye Shuang also took out his phone, snapped a photo of the marriage certificate,

and posted it on his social media.

The moment he did, his phone buzzed. He glanced at it—

[Bai Yuyou liked this post]

Ye Shuang: “…”