The countdown reached ten seconds. Liu Mao, who had never lifted a woman's skirt in his life, steeled himself and stepped forward. He crouched down in front of the bridesmaid, lifted a section of her dress, and retrieved the shoe tied around her calf.
When he looked up again, the girl's expression remained unchanged, while his face had turned beet red.
The crowd erupted in laughter, shouting, "Success, success!"—though no one could tell whether they meant the bride had been successfully retrieved or that another couple had just been formed.
Xu Huaisong and Ruan Yu's wedding followed traditional customs: an outdoor photo shoot in the afternoon, followed by an indoor banquet in the evening. By the time they finished seeing off the guests, it was already past seven.
Returning to their new home, Ruan Yu—who had changed into seven different wedding outfits throughout the day—collapsed onto the sofa. "Getting married is exhausting. Good thing it only happens once in a lifetime..."
Xu Huaisong carried their luggage into the bedroom before returning to the sofa, letting her rest her head on his lap as he massaged her shoulders. "Rest for a bit, but we still have to go out later. The premiere only happens once too."
Ruan Yu's half-lidded eyes snapped open as she let out a soft "Ah."
That's right.
At the beginning of the year, when both families had chosen this auspicious National Day holiday for the wedding, they hadn't considered any other conflicts. But as luck would have it, the movie's release date had recently been set—for the very same night as their wedding, at 8:30 PM.
They had just an hour left.
"I remembered this morning, but after a whole day of chaos, I almost forgot," Ruan Yu turned onto her side, adjusting herself more comfortably as she looked up at him. "You didn’t secretly collude with the production team to trick me again, did you?"
Xu Huaisong chuckled. "We got married today. You were busy—wasn’t I busy too? When would I have had time to scheme with anyone?"
Besides, the last time he had coordinated with the crew for his proposal, it hadn’t been without reason. The production team wasn’t running a charity—they wouldn’t just comply with his whims. Their cooperation had been based on commercial interests. The filmmakers had planned to include the proposal as a short clip in the movie’s post-credits scene, using the real-life love story behind the film as part of their promotional strategy.
The movie’s success would benefit both Huanshi Entertainment and Ruan Yu, which was why Cen Rongshen had agreed to collaborate with Xu Huaisong.
Ruan Yu happened to think of the same thing and asked, "Should we wear masks when we go later? What if people recognize us when the post-credits scene plays?"
Xu Huaisong lightly tapped her forehead, signaling she was overthinking it. "The post-credits scene was shot from an aerial view—all you can see is the top of your head. Besides, wouldn’t wearing masks just be a dead giveaway?"
She let out an "Oh" and checked the time before struggling to sit up from his lap. "I reek of alcohol. I’m going to take a shower."
Xu Huaisong stood up as well. "Me too."
During the banquet, he had drunk half the toasts meant for her. Though he didn’t show it on his face, he was actually nearing his limit.
The moment Ruan Yu heard his "Me too," she sensed trouble. She pointed a warning finger at him without touching him. "Don’t follow me. If you start something, we’ll miss the premiere."
Xu Huaisong feigned confusion with a soft "Tsk." "Mrs. Xu, if I recall correctly, our house has two bathrooms. Why would I insist on sharing one with you?"
Ruan Yu was speechless.
See, this was the consequence of getting their marriage license early and engaging in frequent premarital activities—on the very first day of marriage, her husband had already lost his... enthusiasm.
With a quiet huff, she turned and marched toward the bathroom without another glance.
Xu Huaisong laughed and caught her hand, pressing a kiss to her earlobe as he murmured, "There really isn’t enough time now. After the movie, we’ll have the whole night."Her ears grew warm as she nudged him with her elbow. "Who's going to do it for you all night!" she said, closing the door.
Xu Huaisong chuckled, then turned and walked into another bathroom. After showering, he brewed some honey tea to sober up and left a cup for Ruan Yu. When she came out, he handed it to her and then dried her hair for her.
While sipping her tea, Ruan Yu picked up her phone and checked Weibo, where she found numerous messages from readers sharing their locations and movie tickets, asking if she would be at their screenings for the premiere.
She didn’t reveal anything but liked a few posts from different regions. When her hair was about seventy percent dry, she was about to put her phone away when Xu Huaishi called. "Sis, you two haven’t left yet, right? Zhao Yi and I already got our tickets. We’re driving over now."
The movie tickets had been bought by Xu Huaishi—four seats in total, two pairs of couple seats side by side.
Since Xu Huaisong had been drinking and couldn’t drive, they had originally planned to ride shared bikes to the nearby theater and meet the other two there. Unexpectedly, the younger pair had been thoughtful enough to offer a ride.
Ruan Yu replied with an "Okay" over the phone, got ready, and left with Xu Huaisong. Downstairs, they climbed into the back seat of Zhao Yi’s car, where Xu Huaishi turned from the passenger seat to remind them, "New driver here, buckle up!"
Zhao Yi clicked his tongue in annoyance. "I got my license almost two months ago."
"Yeah," Xu Huaishi snorted. "And I’ve been entrusting my life to you for two whole months—living on the edge every day!"
"Yet here you are, perfectly fine."
"That’s because I’m tough. But my sister-in-law is trying to conceive—she can’t afford even a scratch!" She glanced back at Xu Huaisong and tentatively asked, "Right, bro?"
Xu Huaisong shot her a look. "Who gave you this assignment?"
So this entire back-and-forth had been a rehearsed script to probe when he and Ruan Yu planned to have a child.
Xu Huaishi faltered and looked at Zhao Yi. "See? I told you my brother would see right through it."
Ruan Yu laughed. "You could’ve just asked directly instead of going in circles."
"Grandma sent me to gather intel, but don’t feel pressured. Mom said—‘It’s up to the couple themselves.’"
Xu Huaisong and Ruan Yu exchanged a glance before he replied, "We’ll let it happen naturally." Meaning they wouldn’t actively avoid it.
Xu Huaishi grinned. "Then it shouldn’t be long now."
Xu Huaisong, Ruan Yu: "..."
Was this kid way too knowledgeable? Where had she picked up this veteran attitude?
Zhao Yi cleared his throat, as if trying to dispel the skeptical atmosphere drifting from the back seat. When that didn’t work, he coughed again.
This time, it was Ruan Yu’s turn to probe. "What are you two doing after the movie?"
Xu Huaishi turned back. "Huh? We’re obviously heading back to campus."
Zhao Yi attended a third-tier college just two kilometers from her Hangzhou University, so the route was convenient.
Ruan Yu glanced at Xu Huaisong, who gave a slight nod, signaling her to continue.
She pressed on. "By the time you drive back after the movie, the dorms will be locked."
"No worries, I’m tight with the dorm auntie. I always bribe her with snacks."
"So you planned ahead for tonight?"
"Not really. I’ve just been late a few times before."
Xu Huaisong cut in. "What were you doing out so late?""I wasn’t doing anything, just hanging out with classmates, singing, eating late-night snacks, and Zhao Yi was always there. If you don’t believe me, ask him."
Xu Huaishi looked utterly innocent, unaware that in her brother’s eyes, Zhao Yi was the danger.
But Zhao Yi caught on. He sighed helplessly and said, "Brother Huaisong, Sister Ruan, if you have questions, just ask directly. Why beat around the bush? We’ve never booked a hotel room. If you don’t believe me, check my booking records."
Xu Huaishi choked. What kind of flimsy sibling bond was this, with all the back-and-forth probing?
Ruan Yu chuckled to smooth things over. "A little trust between people is still necessary."
As soon as she finished speaking, her phone vibrated. It was a message from the film producer, Zheng Shan: If it’s convenient, could you post on Weibo? Show off your wedding ring and movie ticket to tie in with the Easter egg.
Seizing the chance to change the subject, she took the movie ticket from Xu Huaishi and turned to Xu Huaisong. "Lend me your left hand?"
Xu Huaisong extended his hand, adorned with his wedding ring, and let her arrange it as she pleased.
She placed the movie ticket on her lap, fiddled with her phone to adjust the angle, and positioned their intertwined fingers just right before snapping a photo. After blurring out any details that might reveal the cinema’s location, she uploaded it to Weibo with the caption: See you soon.
The comments exploded instantly, flooding the screen with "See you soon" and questions about when Ruan Yu had gotten married.
To align with the producer’s wishes, she replied to one: You’ll know after watching the Easter egg.
The four of them made it into the theater just two minutes before the movie started. The lights dimmed as soon as they sat down, and after a few ads, the film began.
For some reason, Xu Huaishi felt nervous and reached across the armrest to grab Ruan Yu’s hand.
Ruan Yu had been fine earlier, but now, caught up in the movie’s atmosphere, she also grew excited and squeezed Xu Huaishi’s hand tightly.
From the other side of the couple’s seats, Xu Huaisong and Zhao Yi spoke in unison, their voices low and resigned: "Do you two want to switch seats?"
Neither of them answered, their eyes glued to the screen.
The first frame was an aerial shot, zooming in on the school sports day’s track field—a seamless view of the red-and-white rubber track and the green turf.
At the sound of the referee’s gun, the male lead and several other boys burst from the starting line, and the stands erupted in a wave of cheers.
The male lead quickly took the lead, nearing the finish line. Then, the camera cut to a close-up of the female lead in a corner of the stands, watching him intently.
She held a sketchpad and pencil, drawing a simple illustration.
The cheers from the stands faded into the background, while the sound of her pencil scratching against the paper grew infinitely louder, almost deafening.
Her best friend beside her shouted, "What are you drawing?"
The female lead curved her lips into a sly smile. "Come closer."
The scene suddenly slowed to 0.2x speed, the background noise quieting until the only sound left was her whispered reply: "It’s—a secret."
And so, the story began.
(——Extra Chapter End——)
(——Easter Egg Below——)
After the movie’s Easter egg played, theaters across the country erupted in excitement. Many audience members began glancing around, wondering if the real-life couple behind the film was sitting in their screening.Ruan Yu and Xu Huaisong clearly hadn't anticipated this outcome. As the crowd grew rowdy, young girls raised their phones, scanning everywhere as if determined to dig them out from underground.
Someone even shouted from the front: "The author posted on Weibo before the premiere—the movie tickets were for couple seats!"
Xu Huaisong and Ruan Yu, who had already stood up in the back row, tensed up.
Not a single audience member had left yet. At this moment, whichever couple exited first would practically confirm they were the protagonists.
Ruan Yu hid her wedding-ringed hand behind her back and played along, looking around as she said to Xu Huaisong, "Huh, couple seats? Maybe they're in our row?"
Xu Huaisong cleared his throat and tugged her sleeve, signaling her to drop the obvious act—it was like proclaiming "No silver buried here!"
Sure enough, as soon as she spoke, a sharp-eyed girl in the front row turned to look. "Wow, that couple looks suspiciously like them!"
Just as Xu Huaisong was about to facepalm in exasperation, he suddenly saw Zhao Yi grab Xu Huaishi's hand beside them and bolt for the exit.
The crowd's attention instantly shifted. "Ah! Maybe it's them!"
Ruan Yu froze in place as Zhao Yi glanced back, giving Xu Huaisong a look that said: Bro, this is as far as I can help!
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