Shi Wenli was tidying up in the kitchen. Xu Qinghe put on her coat, walked to the kitchen door, and told him she was going home first. Shi Wenli turned around: "Not waiting for me? I'll be done in a moment." Xu Qinghe said, "You don't need to come. I only have two bags to bring here—I can carry them myself." As for the things to be moved to the new house, her father had already arranged for a commercial van. Considering her efficiency in packing was truly questionable, her father had also specifically hired two organizers to sort out her clothes at the new place. Her father's idea was that since today was the happy day when she and Shi Wenli got their marriage certificate, they should enjoy their time together as a couple. He and her mother would handle the move, so they didn't need to run around. Shi Wenli had already moved most of his own stuff a few days earlier. Recently, his surgery schedule had been packed, so Min Ting had arranged for people to help him move. There were still four days until the official housewarming. Xu Qinghe waved: "I'm off, then." This was the lightest she had ever walked the path from outside her rental building to her front door. Two commercial vans were parked in front of her unit. No need to guess—they were there to help her move. Upstairs, as soon as the elevator doors opened, the hallway was buzzing with voices. Xu Qinghe stepped out to see several of her suitcases already lined up neatly against the wall by the entrance. Workers were coming and going inside the house. As soon as she stepped through the door, she heard her father say to her mother: "She's not taking those plastic shoes?" Chi Min said, "…No." "Ahem." Xu Qinghe deliberately coughed twice to remind her parents she was back. Xu Bingduo turned his head abruptly, clearly surprised she had returned so soon. Caught red-handed gossiping about her shoes, he smiled sheepishly. "Dad just forgot what those shoes are called." It was a lame excuse, and even Xu Bingduo couldn't bear it, so he laughed and asked his daughter to forgive him for his momentary slip. Xu Qinghe pretended to be unforgiving: "I see you just have a problem with my shoes. This is already the third time I've caught you." Xu Bingduo burst out laughing. He quickly changed the subject, pulling a red envelope from his pocket and handing it to her: "Here, here—drop some gold coins to make up for it, for you and your Crocs." The envelope was thin; she could tell just by pinching it that it contained a card. "You don't need to give that much. I don't have many places to spend money now." Xu Bingduo said, "Take it. It's a little start-up fund for your new life. It's almost the end of the month—I can't let you get married with nothing in your pockets and not even be able to make ends meet." Xu Qinghe: "…" It was true she wasn't exactly flush with cash, but it wasn't that bad. She gave her father one copy of the access card for the new apartment; he already knew the passcode for the fingerprint lock. Xu Bingduo got down to business, mentioning that Zhao Mingde had called him at noon and said they'd arrange a time to have tea with Shi Wenli's father. Since their families were now in-laws, they had to meet. "Just me, Director Zhao, and Wenli's father. You and Wenli don't need to come." He handed his daughter a bowl of freshly washed cherries: "If you can't finish them, take them to your little home." Then he returned to the previous topic: "Apparently Director Zhao and Wenli's father have known each other for years." Xu Qinghe started eating the fruit: "Mm. The director mentioned that before he went to Shanghai, Shi Jianqin had good relationships with many of the directors at our hospital." Xu Bingduo: "Judging by Zhao Mingde's tone, it seems Wenli didn't tell his parents about getting the certificate. So it's even more necessary to meet. Regardless, I won't be able to avoid contact with Wenli's father from now on." Xu Qinghe wasn't worried about the older generation's affairs: "Meeting first is fine. They have to meet sooner or later anyway." Even if they hadn't met before the certificate, they'd definitely meet at the wedding. If things went well between her and Shi Wenli, they might even hold the wedding this autumn. She had just been looking forward to the marriage certificate, and now she was already looking forward to the wedding... Meanwhile, Shi Jianqin didn't know Shi Wenli had taken the day off. After work that evening, he made a special trip to the hospital, planning to have dinner with his son and have a good talk. A few days ago, his son had rejected the match proposed by Dean Jiang. His ex-wife had argued fiercely with him over the phone about it, blaming him for not taking an interest in his son's marriage. But how could he not care? He had privately asked Dean Liu to recommend a suitable girl for Wenli and had even specifically invited Wenli over for a meal. Unfortunately, Wenli wasn't willing to get married, claiming he was too busy with work and directly turned down Dean Liu's good intentions. Not only had he asked Dean Liu, but he had also asked Yin Zhengqian, the head of hepatobiliary surgery at Wenli's hospital. Yin Zhengqian had replied: I talked to Wenli; he doesn't have any emotional baggage. He's not opposed to marriage. Rest assured. Wenli is a reliable kid; he has his own plans for his marriage. Yin Zhengqian didn't say much more, but before hanging up, he tried to comfort him: Some things can't be rushed. If there's good news, Wenli will definitely tell you. He also felt that matters of the heart couldn't be rushed. But last night, his ex-wife contacted him again, demanding harshly over the phone: "Shi Jianqin, is Wenli still your son or not? Miao Miao is already married, so he doesn't need to worry about her anymore. He still says he doesn't want to settle down. As his father, aren't you anxious at all?" He had wanted to retort that marriage wasn't something that could be solved by rushing and that Wenli would figure it out slowly. But thinking about his ex-wife's state, it would just lead to another fight, so he swallowed his words. Now, every word his ex-wife said to him carried resentment, and any disagreement could spark an argument. He tried to avoid it as much as possible. On the phone, his ex-wife also complained that he was reluctant to buy their son a large, flat apartment with a swimming pool. He listened silently without arguing. He knew that his ex-wife was trying desperately to make up for neglecting their two children over the years, but no matter how much material compensation she offered, both Shi Miao and Shi Wenli—with their research capabilities—would never lack for money in the future. Ever since his daughter blocked her contact, his ex-wife had completely lost her composure, grasping at straws and blaming everything on him whenever things didn't go her way. The fact that the parents' stage appearance had been canceled at his daughter's wedding still bothered his ex-wife greatly... Then a familiar voice brought Shi Jianqin back to reality: "Old Shi? It really is you." Shi Jianqin turned around to see Zhao Mingde approaching. The last time they had met was at a medical conference six years ago. Zhao Mingde sighed with emotion: "I didn't expect that the next time we meet, you'd almost be a grandfather." "…" Shi Jianqin didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "I'm not that old, am I?" "No one said you were old. Wenli is married now. In a few years, won't you be promoted to grandfather?" Shi Jianqin was stunned: "Married? Didn't he turn down all those blind dates?" Zhao Mingde said, "He didn't turn down the one I introduced." Shi Jianqin was puzzled—Zhao Mingde's influence must be significant: "Which girl did you introduce to Wenli?" "My star student, Xu Qinghe." "Xu Qinghe?" The name sounded familiar to Shi Jianqin. Suddenly, he remembered—it was the young woman sitting at the secondary main table at his daughter's wedding. He vaguely recalled: "She and Wenli seem to get along well." "Exactly. Everyone at the hospital knows they get along extremely well. In fact, they got along so well and were both so focused on their work that neither of them ever thought about romance." They had been missing a bridge in their fate—it took an outsider to point it out. Speaking of his role as matchmaker, Zhao Mingde confessed: "I'm on edge every day. Afraid they'll have conflicts, afraid they won't be compatible. Before they got the certificate, I was worried they might break up; now that they have it, I'm scared they might divorce." But compared to Dean Jiang's bitterness over failing to make a match, his own worries were nothing. Shi Jianqin grasped his hand: "I'm so sorry to trouble you. Thank you." Amid his joy, countless thoughts swirled in his mind. "When did they get the certificate? I haven't heard anything from Wenli or Shi Miao about it." Zhao Mingde was blunt: "If they didn't tell you in advance, it's probably because your father-son relationship is too distant. Maybe he's closer to me than to you. How old were they when you went to Shanghai? Four or five? And the other was seven or eight?" Zhao Mingde sighed as he spoke. Looking back, Shi Jianqin couldn't put his feelings into words. Zhao Mingde changed the subject: "Are you here to wait for Wenli or Shi Miao?" Shi Jianqin: "I came to have dinner with Wenli." Zhao Mingde said, "Then you don't need to wait. He swapped shifts today to get the certificate with Qinghe." Shi Jianqin was speechless with bitterness but thanked Zhao Mingde again: "When are you free? Let's sit down together sometime?" Zhao Mingde: "Even if I hadn't run into you today, I was planning to call you. Since the kids have already got the certificate, you and Qinghe's father need to meet. The Spring Festival holiday is coming. I'll arrange for Qinghe's father and the three of us to have tea. Old Xu and I were classmates, and we're close." Shi Jianqin assumed they were college classmates: "Is Qinghe's father also a doctor?" "No, no—he was my high school classmate. Both he and his wife work in integrated circuits, something related to compute-in-memory chips." Zhao Mingde didn't understand semiconductors well; he only knew that his old classmate's team had just achieved a breakthrough in new technology. After parting ways with Zhao Mingde, Shi Jianqin wanted to call his son but was afraid it would be awkward over the phone. Instead, he sent a message: [I just ran into Zhao Mingde and heard that you and his star student Qinghe got your certificate today. Congratulations. Dad wishes you a happy marriage and eternal happiness. I don't have Qinghe's contact info, so please pass this red envelope to her from me—it's a little gesture and blessing from an elder.] When Shi Wenli received the message, he was opening packages for Xu Qinghe. She received one or two parcels on average every day. During their last visit to her parents, her father had described his daughter's parcel volume like this: "If you save up all her express boxes, you could sell quite a bit every month." His phone buzzed. Shi Wenli opened it, surprised to see it was from his father. He hadn't told his parents about getting the certificate today. Between him and his parents, they could no longer share each other's joys and sorrows. Having lived apart for over twenty years, with rare meetings, their affection had long faded to almost nothing. What maintained their relationship over the years was merely the thin thread of blood ties, not familial bonds. Shi Wenli replied: [Thanks, Dad.] The transfer amount wasn't large, so he accepted it. His father knew him well—if he gave too much, Wenli wouldn't take it. He forwarded the red envelope to Xu Qinghe: "My dad's gift for you." "Uncle knows—" Xu Qinghe quickly corrected herself, "Dad knows we got the certificate?" "Yeah. Director Zhao ran into my dad today and told him." Xu Qinghe nodded. So he hadn't told his parents about getting the certificate. Not sharing such a significant joy with his parents must have been painful for him. Often, when you want to share something with someone but ultimately don't, it's because you know you're not that important in their heart. Xu Qinghe accepted the red envelope and tried to cheer him up: "Our director really goes out of his way for me. Knowing my wallet is thin, he finds every opportunity to get me red envelopes." Shi Wenli smiled faintly. He put down his phone and continued opening packages. One bag was only the size of a palm. He picked it up and casually asked, "This is tiny—what did you buy?" Xu Qinghe bought so many things every day that she couldn't remember what each one was. Shi Wenli looked at it and told her: "It's a blind bag." "It's for you," Xu Qinghe half-squatted beside him. "I bought them specially for you to open for fun." Shi Wenli laughed. "I'm how old? Still opening blind bags?" "It's just for fun! Besides, they're only a few cents each." Xu Qinghe had bought a marine life series—fifty in total. She opened them and scooped a handful to show him: "I'll give you a few to open every day. You can keep them on your desk as little desk pets." It was the first time Shi Wenli had heard the term "desk pet." He smiled, casually picked one blind bag, and revealed a little blue whale. Xu Qinghe gestured for him to continue. Shi Wenli took another one. In the past, he had only bought blind boxes for his sister to make her happy. He never imagined that at over thirty, someone would buy him these little blind bags. He opened two more—a starfish and an octopus. Xu Qinghe put the rest into a box, saying she'd open them tomorrow night. Shi Wenli decided to put those three figurines by his computer on the office desk, just as she had said, as desk pets. After all the packages were opened and the entryway was tidied up, it was already dark. Xu Qinghe took out her newly purchased apron and tried it on. Shi Wenli glanced at her and said, "You don't need to cook at home. No need to buy one." Xu Qinghe had specifically bought a long one that could cover both her top and pants. She said, "When you're too busy to cook, I'll step in. But I don't know many dishes. For breakfast, I can only boil you some eggs." As she spoke, she blushed and laughed. Shi Wenli smiled. "Having boiled eggs for a change of pace isn't bad." Xu Qinghe immediately declared, "Then I'll make our first breakfast as a married couple. You'll have to make do." "It's been a long time since I had boiled eggs. That's not making do." Shi Wenli planned to toast a few bagels to go with it. Xu Qinghe took off her apron and went to the bedroom to pick out clothes for the next day. Although she would have to change into scrubs once she entered the operating room, she decided she wanted to start their married life with a little ceremony. She took out the new cashmere sweater dress she had bought. The wardrobe was mostly empty; most of Shi Wenli's clothes had already been moved to the new house. There was plenty of empty space in the large wardrobe, but the few items she had left behind last time were neatly folded on top of a stack of his clothes. She knew the clothes had been put away and folded by the housekeeper—Shi Wenli had told her that. But afterward, he hadn't deliberately moved them aside; they had just stayed like that. After picking out a dress for the next morning, Xu Qinghe grabbed her pajamas to take a bath. Shi Wenli was in the living room replying to messages in work groups. The previous times she had stayed over, he always went back to his room when she took a shower, deliberately giving her space. But this time, he didn't. After he finished replying to messages, the sound of running water from the bathroom stopped. Soon, the drone of a hairdryer came. Shi Wenli stood up and walked into the bedroom, plugging his phone into the charger. He hadn't prepared any surprises for her on the day they got the certificate; everything was arranged in advance, including taking the ID photo. He stood by the bed, ordering a crystal white swan cake while charging his phone, noting that it should be delivered to her office tomorrow at noon. When Xu Qinghe came out of the shower, he had just placed the order. "Still busy?" she asked as she walked toward her side of the bed. "All done." Shi Wenli exited the app, put his phone back on the nightstand, and conveniently spread out the duvet for her. This first night of officially living together made her a little uneasy. She made conversation: "I might hog the duvet when I'm asleep. If I wrap it around myself, just pull it over—I sleep deeply and won't wake up." "It's fine. You won't take the whole thing." Shi Wenli looked at the two pillows on the bed and noticed they were quite far apart. He assumed her worry came from seeing the gap, so he bent down and moved both pillows closer to the center. Xu Qinghe looked at their new positions—they were close enough to suggest an intimate relationship. Shi Wenli took off his ring and prepared to shower. Xu Qinghe went to the windowsill to organize her bag. He knew she didn't carry much—he had put it on the windowsill for her. It was very light, probably just a makeup pouch. Now that they were sharing a bedroom, she couldn't help feeling shy, so she used organizing her bag as a cover. "Qinghe." "Mm?" Xu Qinghe closed her bag and turned around. Shi Wenli walked over and looked at her: "Ever since we've been together, I haven't given you a proper hug." He thought, maybe hugging her would ease her awkwardness. The room wasn't big, and Shi Wenli reached her in a few steps. Xu Qinghe's heart unavoidably quickened: "I was just thinking—today we got the certificate, so I should give you a hug." She had wanted to hug him for a long time. They had been talking without any awkward silences, but the impending fact of sharing a bed inevitably created an air of unease between them. Shi Wenli extended his arms and pulled her into an embrace. One hand rested on her waist, the other wrapped around her shoulder. As he drew close, he caught the scent of shampoo from her hair: "Did the new bottle of shampoo I bought for you go unused?" "I opened it but left it on the sink and forgot to take it in, so I used yours." Xu Qinghe buried her face in the hollow of his shoulder, instantly enveloped by the crisp, clean scent of his white shirt. Held in his arms, her heartbeat no longer seemed her own—completely out of control. Shi Wenli released her: "Check your phone for a while. I'll come talk to you after I'm done." Xu Qinghe nodded, but then remembered: "We haven't had our kiss for today." With that, she tiptoed to kiss him. Shi Wenli lowered his head to meet hers. Originally, it was meant to be just a light peck, but when their lips touched and he gently pressed his mouth to hers, she suddenly didn't want it to end so quickly. Since she had proposed the daily kisses, they had never missed a single day for the past week. At first, they only kissed once a day. One morning, when they arrived at the hospital parking lot, she told him before getting out that she wouldn't see him all day because it was too busy, and she wanted to move the kiss to the morning. He had kissed her then, longer than any of their previous kisses. That evening, when he dropped her off at her building, he still gave her a kiss before they parted, as usual. Since then, they had been kissing twice a day. This time, they didn't stop until Xu Qinghe was breathing unevenly. When Shi Wenli finally ended the kiss, Xu Qinghe steadied her breath. Originally, she had planned to give him her item after his shower, but now the mood seemed better: "I have something for you." She turned to get it from her bag. Shi Wenli smiled lightly and asked, "What fun little gift did you buy for me this time?" "Not a gift." Xu Qinghe handed it over. She had been fussing with her bag because she was actually opening the packaging. Shi Wenli saw it: an ultra-thin condom. Xu Qinghe's cheeks burned: "I figured you were worried about rushing me, and you were also concerned that I might not be mentally ready, so you didn't know if you should prepare anything tonight. We're already husband and wife. It doesn't matter who buys these things. From now on, whoever has time can buy them." She said it all in one breath. Her heart was pounding frantically, as if it might jump out of her chest. Shi Wenli tried to stay calm and quickly acted to ease her embarrassment: "I already had it in my cart, but I hadn't placed the order yet." He said honestly, "I really was worried that you might not be ready, so I didn't buy any today." His original plan was to give her a few days to adjust and wait until they moved to the new house before they consummated their marriage. He hadn't expected her to prepare, even though she was clearly embarrassed. He added, "I was planning to buy them when we moved." Xu Qinghe had been too shy to hand him all of them, so she gave him just one. Hearing this, she handed him the opened box and another unopened one. Shi Wenli took the items over to his nightstand and said to her, "I'll buy these from now on." Xu Qinghe's face was burning red, and since she had just taken a bath, it was pink from her cheeks to her ears. She didn't need a mirror to know she looked like a boiled shrimp. Fortunately, Shi Wenli went to take a shower after putting away the two boxes, leaving her alone in the room. She turned off the bedroom light. The door was left ajar, letting in some light from the living room—just enough to make out the outlines of the furniture. Xu Qinghe still felt hot. There was a medical journal on the nightstand; she grabbed one and fanned herself a few times. If she and Shi Wenli hadn't known each other before the blind date, she wouldn't have any psychological burden about consummating their marriage. Once she lay down on the bed, her heartbeat completely lost its rhythm. She picked up her phone to check the time. At this exact time two weeks ago, she had just learned she would be set up on a blind date with him. And now they were sharing a bed. Her thoughts scattered so much that she didn't even hear Shi Wenli's footsteps in the living room. Suddenly, the room lit up. Xu Qinghe looked toward the door and saw Shi Wenli walking in after his shower. He casually closed the door, and the room plunged into darkness. But Xu Qinghe felt incredibly safe in that moment. Then she realized that without light, he couldn't see his way. "Wait, let me turn on the light." Shi Wenli said it was fine: "My eyes will adjust in a moment." Soon, he made out the silhouette of the window. The curtains weren't fully closed, so a faint light seeped through. He gradually made out the position of the bed and the figure on it. Both of them knew exactly what was about to happen, and they had already mentally prepared, so they were calmer than when Xu Qinghe had pulled out the condoms before the shower. Shi Wenli first grabbed a condom and placed it between the two pillows. For them at this moment, some things couldn't be hesitated over repeatedly; otherwise, they would only overthink and feel like they had to take things step by step. As he lay down, Xu Qinghe scooted closer to him under the covers. She spoke softly: "The living room light is still on." "It's fine." Shi Wenli pulled her over and into his arms, then continued, "We'll have to go out in a bit to hang your clothes." With that, he found her lips in the dimness and bent down to kiss her. Xu Qinghe kissed him back, feeling relief. She had been afraid that he would try to ease the atmosphere with slow conversation to make her feel more comfortable. That would have only made her more awkward. Instead, he directly pulled her close and kissed her, leaving no time for embarrassment. Their breaths intertwined. Neither could tell whose breath was hotter. Shi Wenli pressed his mouth to hers, kissing her as he asked, "When is your period?" He had wanted to ask before they got the certificate but had always considered it inappropriate. Xu Qinghe said, "Mid-month." It was now the end of the month, near her ovulation window. Also known as the dangerous period. Both of them were medical professionals, so they naturally knew that during this phase, estrogen peaks, and physical urges are stronger than usual. It was a physiological response driven by hormones, not psychology. His gentle kiss gradually relaxed her. Xu Qinghe couldn't help but wrap her arms around his neck. Shi Wenli's lips slowly moved down, brushing against the delicate side of her neck. Xu Qinghe shuddered, and he felt his own breathing pause. Normal physical desire wasn't shameful, but the person who was meeting her needs made her cheeks flush with heat. The smoke-gray duvet rustled as it shifted, and the empty plastic wrapper was blown off onto the floor. Sensing her discomfort, he stopped midway. Shi Wenli kissed her again, soothing her with utmost tenderness. There was no more resistance. Xu Qinghe's freshly washed hair developed a thin sheen of sweat. Fully aware of him, she turned her face away, too embarrassed to meet his eyes.