Chapter 73
Fortunately, Wen Yan had a strong constitution. After her stomach had been acting up for most of the night, the bloating, pain, and nausea had completely eased shortly after ten p.m.
After washing up, the two of them curled up on the soft bed in the master bedroom, the warm yellow bedside lamp casting a gentle glow.
Wen Yan nestled in Jin Zijin’s arms, holding her phone as she softly recited the health-exercise mantra Chi Chunxin had sent over, her fingers even following along with the movements.
Jin Zijin wrapped her arms around her from behind, her palm resting on Wen Yan’s lower abdomen as she stroked gently. Her voice was soft as cotton: “Still feeling unwell?”
Wen Yan didn’t turn around. She rubbed against her arm and said in a soft voice, “It’s fine. I stopped feeling bad a long time ago.”
Jin Zijin pressed her lips together, then couldn’t help nagging again. “Stay away from your mother from now on.”
“Her head was already muddled to begin with, and these past few days she’s been acting as your grandfather’s pawn every single day. If this keeps up, she’s definitely going to get herself into serious trouble.”
Wen Yan’s hand on the phone paused. She turned around and looked up at her, surprise in her eyes. “You could tell?”
Jin Zijin arched a brow and lightly brushed the tip of her nose against Wen Yan’s forehead, looking a little smug. “Of course. I’m very smart.”
“Ever since I married you, when has she ever sincerely wanted to bring you anything to eat?”
“The moment she saw your grandfather, she hurried over to the hospital with soup in hand. If it weren’t for your grandfather’s orders, she wouldn’t have had the leisure to do that.”
“Your grandfather knows perfectly well that your mother was unwilling from the start. If the things she brought didn’t suit your taste, she’d definitely offend you.”
“Then when you felt wronged, I’d naturally protect you. The clearer my attitude was, the more he could test how much I cared about you.”
At that, Jin Zijin curved her lips, a trace of coldness flashing in her eyes. “That old fox really does know how to calculate.”
Wen Yan smiled faintly and leaned back into her arms, her fingers lightly twining around Jin Zijin’s hair. “My grandfather has always been like that.”
“When I was little, I used to think he was even better than my parents.”
“Every time I went to the Wang family, he’d give me a big red envelope, praise me for studying hard, and say girls shouldn’t push themselves so much, that I shouldn’t wear myself out.”
“Back then, I really thought he loved me from the bottom of his heart.”
“But after I grew up and saw clearly what kind of situation my mother was in, looking back on it now, he just seems terribly hypocritical.”
“By then he’d already made a fortune in business, and sending two children to university wouldn’t have been a problem at all. But he still insisted my mother drop out after high school and help him run the business.”
“Later, although he opened a company for my parents, anyone with eyes could see he was using the technical core of my family to support the Wang family’s entire industrial chain. Most of the profits went straight into his pocket.”
“Even before the Wang family’s capital chain broke, he was already playing the victim, saying we were one family, and got my parents’ company to take out a guaranteed loan. My mother ended up carrying five hundred million in debt by herself.”
“When they could no longer pay it back and my parents were about to go to prison, he turned around and said to my mother all hypocritically, ‘Dad has found a way to solve the debt for you.’”
Jin Zijin’s fingers stilled. She understood instantly. “The solution was to have you marry me?”
Wen Yan nodded. Her voice was as light as a feather. “Mm.”
She looked up at Jin Zijin, her eyes carrying a trace of wistfulness. “Men really are like that. They seem bland and tasteless on the surface, but in reality they’re hiding poison; and they’re especially good at stirring up conflict between people.”
Jin Zijin nodded in complete agreement, her palm lightly patting Wen Yan’s back to soothe her. “Your mother has never once been favored by your grandfather in her life. The better he treats you, the more she’ll feel like he’s biased toward you, and the more unbalanced she’ll become. Of course she’d end up taking it out on you.”
“In the end, your mother-daughter relationship becomes strained; then your grandfather and uncle come along and show you kindness, and you can only lean toward them. That’s one hell of a calculation.”
Wen Yan reached back and took her hand, her fingers gripping tightly at her palm. She looked up at her, her eyes carrying a hint of pleading. “Same as always; don’t give the Wang family any convenience.”
“My mother, aside from liking to put me down with her words and favoring my brother financially, did at least raise me normally.”
Wen Yan paused, a touch of melancholy in her tone. “That’s the extent of the bond between us.”
“She never received a good education, never truly felt loved by anyone, which is why she turned out with such a harsh and selfish personality.”
She spoke very calmly, but it was somehow heartbreaking all the same. “I don’t hate her, and I don’t blame her... I just don’t have any expectations left for her.”
Jin Zijin immediately understood the implication beneath her words.
It wasn’t that she had no expectations; she just didn’t want to be hurt anymore.
She rubbed Wen Yan’s hair with obvious fondness. “Our baby is so well-behaved. Even like this, you’re still thinking of your mother...”
Wen Yan rolled her eyes helplessly at that and was momentarily speechless.
Seeing her embarrassed expression, Jin Zijin couldn’t resist teasing her. She deliberately sighed. “Sigh, Yan Yan, why don’t we have a child?”
Wen Yan blinked, dazed for a moment. The topic had changed too fast, and it took her quite a while to react. “Why... why are you suddenly talking about that?”
Looking at her bewildered face, Jin Zijin couldn’t help laughing. She pinched her cheek. “I’m teasing you. Go to sleep. It’s late.”
————————
The next morning, Wen Yan had just finished her morning outpatient shift and returned to the doctors’ lounge, exhausted.
As soon as she reached the nurses’ station, she saw a pile of supplements, packed in bags of all sizes, stacked at the lounge entrance.
Wang Jinyu was there with his assistant, barking orders at the nurses as they carried the things inside, putting on such a big show that he seemed afraid no one would notice.
Wen Yan’s expression was calm, with not the slightest surprise. She called out flatly, “Uncle.”
The moment Wang Jinyu saw her, he immediately piled on an overly fawning smile and rushed over. His tone was far too warm. “Yan Yan, I finally get to see you! How are you feeling? Better now?”
Wen Yan sidestepped his attempt to touch her, her tone distant. “Much better. Thank you for your concern. What’s this for?”
“Oh, this is because your grandfather heard you’d been wronged a few days ago, so he specially asked me to come check on you!”
“These are supplements for you. Make sure you take good care of yourself.” Wang Jinyu pointed at the mountain of gift boxes, his face full of ingratiation.
Wen Yan lowered her gaze and gave them a glance. Her voice remained cool. “That’s thoughtful of you, but these things don’t need to be left at the hospital. Send them to my home.”
Wang Jinyu froze for a moment and scratched his head. “Well, I don’t have your home key. I figured I’d put them in your lounge first...”
“The hospital has rules. Doctors can’t accept gifts. Otherwise, tomorrow someone will be filing a complaint that I took bribes.”
Wen Yan’s tone was calm, almost chilly. “Please have someone move them directly to my home. I’ll send you the address.”
Only then did Wang Jinyu react. He hurriedly nodded and bowed. “Yes, yes, yes! I was confused. I’ll move them right away, right away!”
With that, he quickly waved for his assistant to carry everything back out without daring to delay another second.
Wen Yan watched his flustered retreating back, a trace of coldness flashing in her eyes.
Good heavens.
Couldn’t someone from the Hui ethnic group please come and take this idiot away?
Otherwise, she really was going to be killed off sooner or later by these people.
————————
That evening, after returning home, Wen Yan told Jin Zijin everything about Wang Jinyu bringing supplements to the hospital during the day, word for word.
Jin Zijin was in the kitchen cutting fruit for her. Hearing that, she sneered, her tone full of disdain. “They’re really shameless. Seeing that your mother’s no longer a useful blood bag, they immediately want to cultivate you as the new one.”
Wen Yan leaned against the kitchen doorframe and let out a soft sigh. “Mm.”
“I just hope that after my mother is abandoned by them, she can wake up completely, start anew, and gain the freedom that belongs to her.”
Jin Zijin handed her the cut strawberries and shook her head. “That’ll be hard. Your mother has lived under your grandfather’s control her whole life; she lost herself a long time ago.”
“If she really wants to get out of it, she’d need professional psychological counseling.”
Wen Yan bit into a strawberry. The sweet-and-sour juice burst in her mouth. “Do you think she’d go?”
Jin Zijin shrugged, her tone certain. “I don’t think so.”
“Forget it. I won’t get involved in other people’s karma. Let everyone do well in their own lives.” Wen Yan set down the fruit plate, then looked up at Jin Zijin with anticipation in her eyes. “Oh, right. Do you have any plans for New Year’s Eve?”
Jin Zijin arched a brow, amusement rising in her eyes as she teased her on purpose. “Why, does Dr. Wen want to ask me out?”
Wen Yan laughed, her eyes curved with open sincerity and warmth. “Of course I want to ask you out. I just don’t know whether President Jin will agree.”
Jin Zijin wrapped an arm around her waist, her fingers lightly tracing the line of her side. “You’re so busy, and you still have time to prepare a surprise for me? You’re not on call on New Year’s Day?”
“I swapped shifts with a coworker. I have the entire day free on New Year’s Day, specifically to be with you.” Wen Yan looked up at her, her eyes shining. “So, would you spend New Year’s Eve with me?”
Warm expectation rose in Jin Zijin’s heart. She smiled and nodded. “Of course.”
————————
December 31st.
The last day of the year.
At 4:30 p.m., in the headquarters building of Hengxing Group.
The door to the executive conference room opened on time, and Jin Zijin walked out first.
She wore a black double-breasted suit, her long hair loosely draped behind her shoulders. Her expression was as usual, and her steps were composed.
Just then, a faint stir passed through the hallway.
Employees stopped in twos and threes, secretly peering toward the elevator as whispers rolled in like a tide:
“Who is that? So handsome...”
“A celebrity? Or a newly signed endorser?”
“No way, right? Why would an endorser come to this floor...?”
Jin Zijin paused.
She lifted her eyes and followed everyone’s gaze; the moment she saw that figure, she froze.
At the elevator entrance stood a tall, slender figure, leaning casually against the wall.
It was Wen Yan.
She was wearing a sharp, stylish black flight jacket.
The Western cowboy-inspired cut outlined a clean, distinct waistline; her long legs were straight, tucked into a pair of minimalist short boots.
Her jet-black hair was tied high into a ponytail, fresh and dashing. A few loose strands fell by her cheeks, lending a sharp, almost boyish edge to her already elegant face.
Like a freshly drawn blade.
Clean. Crisp. Hidden edge.
She was leaning casually against the wall beside the elevator, holding a vivid bouquet of Scottish green roses in her hands.
Tiny droplets still clung to the petals, glimmering softly beneath the lights.
She looked like a handsome youth waiting for the person she loved.
Jin Zijin couldn’t help the curve of her lips.
Dressed up so flamboyantly; that was rare.
She stepped in her high heels through the employees still craning their necks to look, carrying the cold, imposing aura she still had left from the meeting, and walked step by step toward the elevator.
The instant Wen Yan heard the footsteps, she straightened and looked at Jin Zijin.
At the company, Jin Zijin’s aura was exceptionally cold and commanding, so hard-edged that Wen Yan found her strangely unfamiliar.
That awkwardness from their first meeting surged up again, and Wen Yan grew nervous before she could stop herself.
She immediately became flustered and could only wave awkwardly at her. “Hi.”
She clearly had such a beautiful face, but her movements were clumsy like a grade-schooler on stage for the first time.
A blush quietly rose on her cheeks, spreading from the cheekbones all the way to the tips of her ears.
So cute.
Jin Zijin walked up to her and couldn’t help laughing.
She leaned close to Wen Yan, standing so near that their bodies almost touched. Her breath was warm and fragrant as she asked, “What, did you skip work?”
Wen Yan felt both helpless and amused, like a cat being teased into a frenzy. “Can’t I take a day off?”
She held the bouquet of green roses out to her. The movement was crisp and decisive, but her ear tips were even redder. “Here. Flowers for you.”
Jin Zijin lowered her head and looked at the bouquet she was offering.
Scottish green roses.
Layer upon layer of petals, celadon green, like fresh shoots just emerging on branches in early spring, or ripples of moonlight on a deep pool.
She reached out and took them, then lowered her head to inhale the scent.
There was no strong fragrance, only a faint bitterness, like a bamboo grove after rain.
Jin Zijin looked up, delight shining in her eyes. “You’ve got good taste.”
She paused, then added with unmistakable amusement, “I don’t remember telling you I liked green roses, did I?”
“I figured it out from observing you.”
When Wen Yan said that, her eyes were bright, as if she were showing off some secret accomplishment of her own. “You like green things. Things that are full of life.”
“A lot of Hengxing’s designs also have a touch of green.”
Although most people thought green was unlucky, Jin Zijin simply had a particular fondness for the color.
Jin Zijin looked at the faint blush on her cheeks in the crowd, and at those eyes that kept blinking from nervousness, and her heart itched.
Damn it.
She really wanted to kiss her right now.
She curled her lips and looked meaningfully at Wen Yan. “Looks like... you came prepared.”
Wen Yan didn’t deny it.
She smiled and held out her hand to Jin Zijin, making an invitation. “Then... can President Jin get off work and come with me?”
Jin Zijin lowered her eyes and looked at that hand.
She didn’t hesitate.
She placed her own hand in it, fingers threading tightly between Wen Yan’s.
The moment their fingers interlocked, electricity seemed to rush up from their palms, along the blood, and burn straight into the heart.
“Alright,” she heard herself say, her voice soft as melted cream. “Then I’ll go with you.”
Assistant Xu Ming hurriedly swiped the card and pressed the elevator button.
The doors slowly opened. Wen Yan held Jin Zijin’s hand, and they stepped in side by side.
The instant the doors closed, all curious gazes from outside were cut off.
The elevator began to descend.
The numbers ticked down one by one: 28, 27, 26...
Wen Yan turned her head to look at the person beside her.
Ever since just now, the smile on her lips hadn’t stopped. She looked dazed and silly, like she’d picked up some priceless treasure.
Jin Zijin’s heart softened into a heap under her gaze.
She reached out and gently poked Wen Yan’s cheek. “What are you grinning about?”
Wen Yan awkwardly scratched the back of her head, and that motion instantly made her look like the gentle, shy doctor again. “It’s just...”
She paused and lowered her voice. “I’ve never asked you out in a public place like this before. Is it... a little too high-profile?”
In truth, they didn’t even have that many dates to begin with.
And every time they met, Wen Yan would still get shy no matter how carefully she’d dressed up.
Jin Zijin arched a brow.
She leaned in a little, her nose nearly touching Wen Yan’s chin. “Not at all.”
She huffed, her tone carrying that brazen, possessive confidence of someone stating a business strategy in a board meeting. “My wife specially came to see me on a date. They’re all going to be jealous to death.”
Wen Yan blinked.
Then she asked softly, with a trace of barely noticeable tension, “Really... that’s how you see it?”
“If not, then how else?”
Wen Yan didn’t answer.
She simply lowered her lashes, her gaze falling to Jin Zijin’s lips.
The look was feather-light, like a brush passing over skin.
In a small voice, she said, a little uneasy, “I was afraid you’d think I was too flashy and be unhappy.”
She lifted her eyes slightly and looked into Jin Zijin’s, meeting her gaze. “Otherwise... why aren’t you kissing me?”
Jin Zijin froze for a moment, then laughed.
Her smile spread from the corners of her lips all the way into her eyes, like spring wind rippling across a lake.
She stood on tiptoe and kissed her.
Wen Yan immediately lifted a hand and wrapped it firmly around her waist.
She deepened the kiss; lips and teeth mingled, the tip of her tongue tangling intimately with hers.
Inside the elevator, the only sounds were their slightly quickened breathing and the low hum of the air-conditioning overhead.
After a long while, the two of them finally parted.
Their breaths had fully mingled. Wen Yan breathed in the familiar scent on the other person and at last shook off the shock of her cold, aloof exterior.
Yes, this wasn’t some scary President Jin; this was her wife.
Her lawful wife.
Her intimate wife.
Her wife alone.
Realizing that, Wen Yan’s lips curved.
————————
Ding——
The elevator arrived at the underground garage.
The doors opened slowly.
Jin Zijin looped her arm through Wen Yan’s and stepped out briskly, her mood light.
She turned her head to look at Wen Yan, curiosity all over her face. “Where are we going later?”
“First, dinner.”
Wen Yan led her deeper into the parking area and said softly, “I can’t let you wander around hungry and play with me.”
Jin Zijin obediently followed, letting her lead.
The garage lighting was a cold white, making everything seem crisp and chilly. But her palm was warm, firmly held by Wen Yan, as if she were gripping the warmest stove in the middle of winter.
After a few steps, Jin Zijin soon spotted her own car.
A dazzling Aston Martin sports car, the body a pure obsidian black, gleaming with a deep sheen under the lights. Its lines were sharp and flowing, like a leopard lying in wait.
Jin Zijin started to walk toward it, but Wen Yan stopped her. “Wait a moment.”
Saying that, Wen Yan took out the car key and pressed it.
Beep-beep, two sounds. The two butterfly doors opened like spread wings, elegant and flamboyant.
The moment the door opened, Jin Zijin saw the back seat and was instantly surprised.
The back seat was covered entirely in roses of the same color.
Shades of green, dark and light alike, from mint to celadon, from turquoise to emerald, layered thickly into an entire spring field.
Tiny beads of water clung to the petals, sparkling softly under the light.
Jin Zijin stood there, staring blankly.
She heard herself let out a small “wow,” like a child instinctively gasping at fireworks.
Turning to Wen Yan, she looked at her in astonishment. “Not bad, Dr. Wen. You’ve gotten pretty fancy.”
It was old-fashioned, sure, but she really fell for this sort of thing; what was she supposed to do?
No, no, no. Jin Zijin, you’re doomed. You’ve become lovesick.
Wen Yan looked a little embarrassed. “Clothes make the man, and saddles make the horse.”
She paused, then turned and looked at Jin Zijin seriously. Her eyes were full of hidden anticipation, like a test-taker waiting for a grade. “Do you like it?”
Jin Zijin nodded hard. “I like it.”
After a pause, she added, “I like it a lot.”
Of course she did. Her wife had put so much thought into it; what was there to nitpick or dislike?
Wen Yan lowered her gaze and smiled. The smile spread from the corners of her lips and flowed into her eyes, like a spring lake rippled by the wind. “I’m glad you like it.”
————————
The car pulled smoothly out of the garage.
It was still daytime, but because of the year-end holiday, there were already many cars on the road.
Jin Zijin sat in the front passenger seat, holding the bouquet of green roses, and studied Wen Yan’s side profile.
Her gaze slid from Wen Yan’s brows and eyes to her jawline, then to the long fingers resting on the steering wheel.
“You’re dressed so fashionably today,” she said, her voice carrying amusement and a trace of mischief. “Not your style at all. Confess honestly; who picked it out for you?”
Wen Yan focused on driving, not looking away from the road, but her ear tips quietly reddened. “I... have Chi Chunxin’s contact information.”
She paused, sounding a little awkward, like a student called on by a teacher. “I asked her privately what kind of outfits you might like.”
Jin Zijin arched a brow, her smile deepening. “So she put together this whole outfit for you?”
“No.”
Wen Yan shook her head lightly, her voice steadier now. “My senior sister and Director Ye happened to be there too. They helped me pick through everything...”
She paused and lowered her voice. “And chose this outfit.”
Jin Zijin was even more surprised. “How did Chi Chunxin end up with your senior sister?”
“We were filming the health-exercise video,” Wen Yan explained. “Senior Sister and Song Yao just happened to be free, so Chi Chunxin dragged them along to scout the location. Then that evening at dinner, they ran into Director Ye... and it turned into a group meal.”
Hearing that, a trace of understanding flashed through Jin Zijin’s eyes.
She said nothing, only quietly made a note of it in her head.
Old Ye.
At the end of the year, she’s busy with one meeting after another, and she still had time to join a dinner gathering?
There’s something off about you.
As Jin Zijin was quietly considering what Ye Jianlan might be up to, Wen Yan suddenly turned her head to look at her. “Does it look good?”
Jin Zijin snapped back to attention immediately.
She sat up straight, her tone as certain as if she were making a strategy decision in a board meeting. “It looks good. Especially handsome.”
Wen Yan asked again, her voice even softer this time, as if she were a little uncertain, “Then... do you like this feeling?”
With those two questions in a row, and looking at her slightly red earlobes and lips pressed lightly together from nerves, Jin Zijin suddenly understood.
She wasn’t asking whether the outfit looked good.
She was asking: Do you like these things I did for you? Do you like me trying to become the kind of person you like?
Jin Zijin reached out, gently pinched the hem of Wen Yan’s clothes, then leaned in by her ear and said in a low voice, carrying a teasing hint of intimacy, “I like it.”
She paused, her warm breath brushing Wen Yan’s ear and making it itch. “But I like you even more when you’re not wearing clothes.”
Wen Yan’s face immediately went red.
Red from her cheeks all the way to the roots of her ears, then down to her neck. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but not a single word came out.
Looking at her embarrassed state, Jin Zijin couldn’t help laughing aloud. “Ah, wife, with a face this beautiful, how are you still such a total lightweight?”
She let go of Wen Yan’s clothes and leaned back into the seat, hugging the bouquet of green roses and smiling with arched brows and eyes. “You really are so easy to tease.”
Wen Yan pressed her lips together, embarrassed. She gripped the steering wheel and muttered after a while, “Hmph... you’re not any better.”
“When we’re in bed, if I tease you a little, you just... fall apart completely...”
Jin Zijin’s eyes widened instantly at that. She lifted a hand to cover Wen Yan’s mouth, leaving Wen Yan only able to make muffled whimpering sounds.
————————
Year-end traffic was like a sluggish river.
Even though the two of them had left early, they were still stuck on the ring road. The red tail lights ahead stretched into one long ribbon, like a string of lanterns flowing in the dark.
Wen Yan wasn’t in a hurry.
She simply turned up the music, and the car filled with the electronic synth sounds Jin Zijin liked.
Every so often, she glanced at the passenger seat and found her wife looking down, using her fingers to gently flick the droplets on the petals, so absorbed it looked like she was conducting some great experiment.
How should she put it... it looked kind of sultry...
A strange thought flashed through Wen Yan’s mind; the tender petals, still carrying dew, with a faint sticky sweetness...
At that thought, Wen Yan immediately shuddered. Don’t look. Don’t look.
She was truly too depraved; it wasn’t even dark yet, and she was already letting her mind run wild.
By the time they reached their destination, it was already 6:30.
The sky was completely dark.
Headlights cut through the night, illuminating two rows of silent fir trees. Wen Yan parked the car at the entrance of a secluded farm and turned off the engine.
It was quiet all around.
No city noise, no roar of traffic. Only the sound of wind passing through the trees, and the occasional chirp of insects, so delicate it was like the lightest pluck of a string.
Jin Zijin opened the car door and stepped out. When she looked up at the sky, she froze for a moment. Above her was a complete vault of heaven, the canopy like silk soaked through with ink, black and heavy.
Countless stars were dotted across it, dense and flickering, like someone had carelessly spilled a whole box of shattered diamonds.
She stood there, head tilted up, like a child seeing the stars for the first time.
Wen Yan walked to her side and gently took her hand.
“Did Old Ye recommend this place to you?” Jin Zijin didn’t turn around. Her voice was very soft, as if she were afraid to disturb the stillness.
“Mm.” Wen Yan answered just as softly. “Ordinary people can’t book this place. She helped me make the reservation too.”
Jin Zijin curved her lips. She turned around, hooked her arm through Wen Yan’s, and rested her head lightly on her shoulder. “Looks like my family back home really likes you.”
Wen Yan smiled. “They’re just kind people.”
————————
Following the waiter’s guidance, the two of them passed through a wooden corridor overgrown with vines and walked deeper into the farm.
There, hidden away, was a mushroom-shaped wooden roundhouse.
The moment the door opened, warmth washed over them.
The fireplace was roaring; orange-red flames turned the whole room cozy and bright, and the firewood crackled softly as it burned.
A steaming mushroom hotpot sat on the table; the milky-white broth was still gently bubbling, rich fragrance wafting up through the scents of pine needles and earth.
Jin Zijin sat down in a rattan chair and let out a long breath.
She picked up the ladle and stirred the soup gently. The rising steam blurred her brows and eyes.
“This place really does have the best mushrooms,” she said.
She scooped up a spoonful of soup, blew on it carefully to cool it down, and took a sip. Then she squinted with satisfaction, like a cat having its fur smoothed just right.
Wen Yan watched her without speaking.
She quietly helped arrange the dishes for her, placing the most tender bamboo fungus, the freshest matsutake, and the smoothest morels into her bowl one by one.
Wen Yan smiled and asked, “Ice fishing is too cold. I was worried you’d catch a chill. But in a quiet, deep night like this, sitting together and eating steaming hotpot should still have that feeling... like the world is huge, cold, and lonely, but the two of us are leaning on each other, so neither of us will feel cold, right?”
Jin Zijin lifted her eyes to look at her; through the billowing steam, her gaze was bright. “You understand me that well?”
“You want to marry me?”
Wen Yan laughed and gave her another bite of food. “We’re already married.”
“Don’t eat a couple bites of mushrooms and then start seeing little men dancing in your dreams and refuse to acknowledge our marriage.”
The two of them ate slowly, chatting here and there. The conversation was trivial, but happy.
After eating almost enough, Wen Yan asked, “Are you full?”
Jin Zijin put down her chopsticks and wiped the corner of her mouth. “Full?”
She looked up at Wen Yan, a knowing smile in her eyes. “Is it time for the next activity?”
“Correct.”
Wen Yan stood and pulled Jin Zijin up from the rattan chair beside her. “Come with me.”
————————
Hand in hand, the two of them walked out of the farm.
The night wind rushed toward them, carrying the crisp chill unique to deep winter, along with the moist scent of distant pine forest.
Following Wen Yan’s steps, Jin Zijin crossed a path covered with fallen leaves and quickly spotted the entrance to a forest park.
There, a rainbow-lit archway stood tall; countless strings of tiny lights formed a river of stars, pouring down from the top of the frame like a glowing waterfall.
The lights were gradient in color, from warm orange to cherry pink, from mint green to haze blue, dyeing the entrance into a mesmerizing sea of light.
Wen Yan stood beneath the arch and turned to look at her.
She raised her hand and made an exaggerated “da-da-da-daa” gesture, like she was introducing some astonishing sight. “Welcome to the Adventure Kingdom.”
She paused, then held out her hand to Jin Zijin, her eyes bright. “Come on; let your adventure begin.”
The park had clearly been arranged with great care.
The dim forest was hung with multicolored string lights, like countless stars fallen to earth, hidden among the pine needles, draped from branches, scattered over the fallen leaves.
Every so often along the path, there was a small “checkpoint.”
Some were hidden inside tree hollows, some hung from branches, and some were openly placed right in the middle of the path, as if waiting to be discovered.
And every checkpoint concealed a gift.
Wen Yan stood at the side like a magician in charge of the game rules. “For each checkpoint you clear, you have to play one round of Truth or Dare. Only if you win do you get the gift.”
Jin Zijin arched a brow. “What if I lose?”
“What if you lose?”
Wen Yan tilted her head and thought about it seriously. “Then the punishment is... loving me a little more.”
Jin Zijin froze for a moment, then laughed. “Fine.”
She rolled up her sleeves like she was going into battle. “Bring it on.”
The first checkpoint was hidden in the hollow of a plane tree.
It was a box of niche Lego, a rare, out-of-print Star Wars series set.
The dare: stand on one leg and loudly recite “Goose goose goose,” without breaking character.
Jin Zijin braced herself against the trunk like a teetering red-crowned crane, reciting every word slowly and haltingly, laughing so hard she trembled all over.
Wen Yan filmed from the side, laughing so hard her phone shook.
The second checkpoint hung from the branch of an old locust tree.
It was a delicate Gundam model, painted silver-gray, its lines sharp and imposing.
Truth: When was the last time you cried? Why?
Jin Zijin was silent for a few seconds.
Then she said softly, “Your birthday, I think. When you fell asleep on my lap... I thought you were so cute... but then... I don’t know why... I suddenly teared up...”
Jin Zijin lifted her eyes to Wen Yan. “Maybe it was because I felt too happy? I don’t know. It was just a very strange feeling.”
Wen Yan said nothing.
She only lowered her head and continued opening the next gift. The lighting was too dim to make out her expression.
The third checkpoint was hidden in the crevice of a rock...
They cleared one checkpoint after another, collecting gifts along the way.
Lego, Gundam, figurines, art books, designer collaboration pieces...
None of them were especially expensive; they were all things that could be bought directly offline. But every single one landed squarely in Jin Zijin’s heart.
She knew Wen Yan had definitely done a lot of homework.
She’d asked Chi Chunxin, asked Xu Ming what she’d been paying attention to lately, perhaps spent the long nights while Wen Yan was working overtime alone in front of her phone, searching, filtering, and comparing item by item.
Then, in the shortest possible time, she finalized a plan and had everything delivered here.
Her efficiency was terrifying.
But her sincerity was even more precious than her efficiency.
She really was like a mirror, with a clean and transparent heart. Give her love, and she would give back love. Give her loyalty, and she would give back loyalty.
The kindness you showed her, she would return to you in equal measure, never letting your sincerity end in vain.
She wouldn’t let your effort come away empty-handed.
Even though she hadn’t been loved properly before, once she sensed sincerity, she would work hard to learn how to love you.
So clumsy.
But truly so sincere.
Under the moonlight, Jin Zijin gazed at the multicolored lights reflected on Wen Yan’s side profile, at her focused brows and eyes, and thought: what a great dog knight.
————————
At last, they reached the center of the forest park.
There was an open clearing there, surrounded by tall, straight pines. Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the treetops, casting mottled patterns on the ground.
And at the very center of the clearing sat a helicopter.
Its body was painted a dazzling gold, gleaming brilliantly beneath the moonlight and the strings of lights, like a field of wheat soaked in snowlight.
A phoenix with spread wings was painted across the fuselage; its feathers burned bright, its tail plumes long, as if it might break through the shell the next second and fly into that boundless starry sky.
Jin Zijin recognized it at a glance: Chi Chunxin’s Phoenix.
She stood there blankly, staring at the golden giant bird silently crouched beneath the moon.
Wen Yan held her hand and walked toward it step by step.
The ground underfoot was soft with fallen leaves, each step releasing a faint rustle.
When they reached the helicopter, Wen Yan stopped.
She turned around and looked at Jin Zijin.
Moonlight fell across her face, tinting her brows and eyes with the softness of distant mountains. “This is our last adventure.”
“Congratulations. You’ve obtained the final treasure.”
She paused, then curved her lips. “Crowned as king.”
Wen Yan let go of Jin Zijin’s hand and turned to walk to the side of the helicopter.
There hung a wreath.
It was woven from fresh eucalyptus leaves, their silver-green layers overlapping one another, dotted here and there with a few white preserved flowers; simple and elegant, like the crown an elf would wear in a fairy tale.
Wen Yan took it down, carried it back in both hands, and walked to Jin Zijin. She lifted her arms and gently placed the wreath on top of Jin Zijin’s head.
Her movements were very light, like she was carrying out some ancient and solemn ritual.
Jin Zijin didn’t move.
She just stood there, tilting her face up and allowing Wen Yan to place the leafy crown on her head.
She could smell the cool fragrance of eucalyptus leaves, and feel the soft touch of Wen Yan’s fingers threading through her hair.
Once Wen Yan had placed the crown properly, she stepped back and knelt on one knee.
Under the moonlight, her silhouette was like a sword drawn from its scabbard. Her back was straight, her chin slightly raised, and one warm hand pressed lightly against her chest.
She looked up at Jin Zijin, her eyes holding the reflection of an entire sea of stars. “My master...”
“May I have the honor of traveling the world with you?”
The night wind passed through the pine forest, bringing a faint chorus of insects from afar.
Jin Zijin looked down at the person kneeling before her and teased with a smile, “But I’m not wearing a formal dress today. Will you still serve a princess like this?”
Wen Yan lifted her gaze and met her eyes, smiling as she corrected her, “Wrong. Not a princess; a king.”
She held out her hand again and repeated her plea. “My Majesty, travel the world with me.”
Moonlight spilled over the top of her head. Jin Zijin lowered her eyes and looked at the glittering ring on the ring finger of Wen Yan’s right hand, her mood suddenly bright.
“All right.” Jin Zijin held out her hand and placed her ringed hand into her palm, saying with proud reserve, “Then I’ll agree.”
“Get up, my knight; activate your mecha and take me to roam the universe.”
Hearing that, Wen Yan couldn’t help but laugh soundlessly.
She shook her head and stood up, still trying to suppress her smile, while in her mind she recalled what Chi Chunxin had told her.
She said that Jin Zijin was the most spoiled little princess in the galaxy.
Even if she thought of herself as a queen, at heart she was still just a proud little princess.
She’d been spoiled rotten, so all you had to do was spoil her even more wickedly, indulge her, spoil her until her temper was terrible and nobody could stand her; then she’d definitely never be able to separate from you in this lifetime.
Of course, the key was that you also had to accompany her in dreaming.
Dreaming of roaming the universe.
If she liked you, she would allow you to fly with her.
Pretty childish, right?
But childish was exactly right for Jin Zijin.
TL Note:
great dog knight (狗狗骑士) = affectionate slang for a devoted, loyal partner who happily protects and spoils the one they love.