In the April spring, the warmth of summer had already arrived ahead of time.
Bei Yao wore a white coat with a few pale pink cherry blossoms embroidered on the cuffs. Her wrists were pale and slender, her fingers long and delicate.
He lowered his gaze and gently took her hand.
Bei Yao was somewhat surprised. There were people around, and she had thought that, given Pei Chuan's personality, he wouldn’t get too close to her. She had never held hands with Pei Chuan in public before. She wasn’t used to it and felt a bit of a girl’s shyness.
Pei Chuan’s body temperature was always high throughout the year, but today his fingers were a little cold.
Bei Yao was quite well-known at school. At that moment, everyone saw a man holding her hand, and she hadn’t pulled away. The students secretly glanced over.
After all, not long ago, there had been rumors at school that Bei Yao’s boyfriend was… a disabled ex-convict.
The man holding Bei Yao’s hand had an unfamiliar face. Human curiosity often works this way—as they walked along, everyone couldn’t help but glance at his calves beneath his trousers.
Bei Yao paid no mind to what others thought. She looked at Pei Chuan beside her and asked softly, "Where are we going?"
Pei Chuan’s lips were somewhat pale. He had thought it would be easy to say what he needed to, but now he realized how difficult it was.
He was afraid of seeing shock, disappointment, and resistance in her eyes.
Any of those would feel like a slow, torturous death to his heart.
In truth, he understood—this was not honorable.
Not honorable at all.
Some people’s lives are stagnant, their futures clear at a glance. He was one of those people. The year he went to prison, he knew that it was almost impossible for him to be with her in this lifetime.
But on that cold New Year’s Eve, she had come—a soft, warm girl who had playfully left a lipstick mark on his neck.
The dam in his heart had burst, and his eyes had stung with tears then.
How he longed to love her, to be with her for a lifetime.
If he could love her for a day, it would be a day; if he could have a year, it would be a year.
Yet when she asked how much longer she would have to wait for him, he finally said eight years.
He hoped that during those long eight years, she would see the world in all its splendor and experience everything life had to offer. If, in the end, she still didn’t despise him, then he would accept it—he would cling to her desperately, no matter what.
But there were too many uncertainties in life, and now he had cut off her chances to choose or regret.
She didn’t even know how coldly he had watched Huo Xu threaten her parents.
The better she was, the more Pei Chuan feared the backlash in the future.
The beauty she gave him was so profound that even the slightest crack would chill his heart to the core.
Now, how could he tell her where they were going?
Pei Chuan opened his mouth, then finally said, "How about I take you on a date?"
She reached out to touch a branch, her cheek slightly flushed, pretending as if nothing were out of the ordinary. "Sure."
Pei Chuan pressed his lips together.
He hadn’t slept at all the previous night, and his thoughts had been straightforward then. He would explain the pros and cons to her directly. Even if she felt disgust or resistance, she would still have to agree to get the marriage certificate. But now, he was too afraid to say it.
He also lacked the composure he had when facing Aunt Zhao and the others. Every heartbeat brought dizziness and a sense of helplessness.
But then the question arose—where was he supposed to take her for this impromptu "date"?
Pei Chuan’s life was devoid of any romance, and Bei Yao knew it.
When she saw the large gate in front of her, she held back her laughter and didn’t say a word.
Pei Chuan silently took out his keys and opened the door.
He had brought her home.
It was the new apartment he had bought in City B. Before opening the door, Pei Chuan pressed his lips together.
Bei Yao had been about to laugh, but when she saw the apartment, she was stunned.She remembered visiting Pei Chuan's former home in City C during a high school Spring Festival. Back then, the entire house was decorated in black, white, and gray—a stark, minimalist style devoid of any warmth. She had even needed to wear Pei Chuan's slippers. But now...
The apartment faced the sun, with sunlight pouring in generously. It was spacious—a luxury in City B where real estate remained exorbitantly priced. The curtains were soft, warm-toned.
The balcony was filled with evening primroses, spider flowers, peonies, and a large patch of roses.
A floor-to-ceiling window had been specially installed in front of the balcony, with a floral vine swing before it.
The carpet was beige, and the sofa was adorned with many small, cute throw pillows.
At the entrance, there were now women's slippers, decorated with a silly-looking pink rabbit.
She couldn't process it all. If Pei Chuan's key hadn't opened this door, she would have thought she'd stumbled into a mansion some tycoon had bought for his little princess.
Pei Chuan stayed silent, not even daring to look at her expression.
All his intentions were laid bare in this "home." The apartment wasn't far from B University—he knew she still had to attend classes.
Bei Yao said, "Your home is so beautiful."
He replied softly, "Mm."
This year, Bei Yao was only twenty-one. Marriage was the last thing on her mind. The most she dared to imagine was that Pei Chuan, knowing she might visit, had built her a small swing.
Well-behaved and polite, she didn't wander around. Instead, she looked at Pei Chuan with eager eyes and asked, "Can I sit on the swing?"
The floral vine swing was truly exquisite.
Pei Chuan nodded.
She didn't need anyone to push her, finding the novelty delightful. One advantage of a large home was space—unlike their cramped old place in City C, which couldn't even fit a rattan chair, let alone a swing.
Seeing her happiness, Pei Chuan gritted his teeth and forced out the difficult question, "Do you want to see the bedroom?"
Bei Yao leaned her head against the floral vines, her delicate face even more enchanting than the roses behind her.
She didn't understand what could be so interesting about someone else's bedroom, but the man's dark eyes held an indescribable hope. Softly, she asked, "May I look?"
Of course.
He opened the bedroom door.
Bei Yao froze.
If she hadn't noticed anything amiss earlier, even a fool would understand now.
Pei Chuan lowered his gaze, his lips slightly pale.
The red bedsheet featured a modern-style "mandarin ducks playing in water" design, embroidered with a subtle double "happiness" character. The curtains were also red.
The master bedroom was exceptionally large, complete with an ensuite bathroom.
Hydrogen balloons and decorative flowers hung from the ceiling, with colorful ribbons draping down. Bright red pillows and a carpet stretched all the way to her feet. A pair of small red fish ornaments dangled from the wardrobe, with tassels and a love knot beneath.
It was a bridal chamber.
This "date" had taken a startling turn. Bei Yao could hardly believe it. She tugged gently at his sleeve and asked in a soft voice, "Pei Chuan, who decorated your home like this?"
Pei Chuan clenched his jaw, unable to meet her gaze.
Bei Yao thought her inner speculation was unlikely. Her thoughts were pure and simple: dating Pei Chuan, and if he could eventually accept being together, they would find a way to make her parents accept him.
After all, there would still be proposals, engagements, and so on—it would take a long, long time to progress step by step.
She couldn't process it, worried that Pei Chuan's home had been mistakenly decorated as if he were getting married.
Maybe that was why it ended up in this style? Or perhaps Pei Chuan had bought a pre-furnished apartment—one the previous owner had originally prepared for marriage?
Her tone was so innocent and natural that Pei Chuan knew: in Bei Yao's heart, she had never once considered marrying him at this point.
She was somewhat frightened, so much so that she didn't dare step inside.Luxury was luxury, yet so festive... so auspicious. One could see the "master's" careful thought and importance placed on it, even his profound expectations. Bei Yao didn't dare take another step forward, afraid of ruining this heartfelt gesture.
She didn't dare move forward. He closed his eyes lightly, knowing there was no avoiding it.
Pei Chuan looked into her eyes—clear, with some trepidation about the unknown, reflecting his image: "Yao Yao, it's just as you guessed. I want to marry you."
She opened her mouth as if to say something.
But Pei Chuan didn't dare hear anything from her. He was terrified. This situation had been achieved through every possible scheme, and he almost immediately continued: "Huo Xu has someone he likes, named Shao Yue. The Huo family is very chaotic. The family head, Huo Ran's ex-wife Jiang Huaqiong, has a son named Huo Nanshan. Huo Nanshan died in City C five years ago. Jiang Huaqiong suspects that Huo Ran's illegitimate son, Huo Xu, killed her own son. In anger, she divorced and seeks revenge against Huo Xu. Huo Ran sent Huo Xu abroad, and he only returned two years ago to take over the Huo family. But his influence is no match for Jiang Huaqiong's. He's afraid Jiang Huaqiong will harm Shao Yue, who helped him leave City C back then, so he's pursuing you."
Bei Yao was momentarily dazed.
Hearing these words, she finally connected them to the notes that had existed since her childhood.
The notes said Huo Xu had someone he liked, but at that time, her future self hadn't had time to write the whole story clearly. So this was how it was.
Pei Chuan's knuckles turned white: "He will harm you, and has even started pressuring your parents to have you engaged to him in May. You only..."
Every word that followed was excruciating for him to say. Pei Chuan said: "Only by getting married, making Jiang Huaqiong believe you're innocent, can you be safe. So we must get married within these two days."
Bei Yao listened in a daze. She subconsciously said: "But if we find Jiang Huaqiong and explain the situation, wouldn't that also ensure safety?" If Pei Chuan chose to marry her, what if he didn't want to? How unfair to him that would be. Moreover, making Pei Chuan marry her would force him to confront Huo Xu—how dangerous that would be.
Pei Chuan's face instantly turned as pale as paper.
Yes, he knew they could directly approach Jiang Huaqiong.
If Bei Yao could think of it, how could he not? But he... in this lifetime, this was his only chance to rightfully have her. One step forward meant the whole world; one step back meant the abyss.
His heart kept sinking. After a long time, he looked into her eyes and said softly: "Huo Xu has been interfering with Jiang Huaqiong for over a year. Jiang Huaqiong is uncertain now, and even if we tell her, she's suspicious by nature and would likely think you're the one Huo Xu likes."
After all, in this game of chess, truth and falsehood are intertwined.
She thought about it and found it somewhat reasonable.
Yet she still didn't relent.
Pei Chuan bit the inside of his cheek. The spreading taste of blood made him uncomfortable, but it couldn't suppress the slight pain in his heart.
He was desperately afraid she would refuse. Forcing a smile, he said: "Don't worry, it's just... a marriage. We won't tell anyone, not your classmates. You can continue studying well. I won't touch you either. If later..."
If you meet someone you like, we can divorce amicably, and I'll tell him we were completely innocent.
These latter words felt like cutting flesh from his heart. Pei Chuan's lips moved, but no matter what, he couldn't voice them.
He pressed his lips together and finally said: "Later, you can do whatever you want."She tilted her head and thought carefully, "Will you be in danger after we get married?"
He shook his head and quickly said, "No."
"Oh," Bei Yao replied. She had wanted to ask, since we're already married, then... why hasn't he touched her?
But as a girl... she simply couldn't bring herself to ask such an utterly embarrassing question.
This year she was 21 and indeed hadn't experienced any physical desires yet. Looking at the man's pale lips and dark eyes, she suppressed her shyness and slowly said, "Then... shall we go get married?"
After thinking for a moment, she added anxiously, "My parents won't agree."
Pei Chuan didn't speak, but took out her family's household register and showed it to her.
Bei Yao: "..." It seemed she couldn't say anything more, though she really wanted to know - did her mother really give the household register to Pei Chuan? That couldn't be possible!
She felt both shy and extremely surprised. Bei Yao asked softly, "When should we get married?" Having never been married before, she didn't know how these things worked.
Pei Chuan couldn't quite describe what he was feeling. To compromise, his heart had sunk low into the dust, yet even though she understood nothing and had simply agreed to marry him, his eyes still uncontrollably shone with brilliance.
Pei Chuan's Adam's apple moved as he said, "Now."
2013 - the turning point where their destinies changed.
April 18th, Wednesday afternoon at three o'clock, the Civil Affairs Bureau was open.
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