Chapter 47: Side Story V

◎Where Did the Ring Go◎

When Cen Mo graduated with her master's degree, Su Xingzhi went to the campus and brought her a huge bouquet of roses. Ninety-nine bright red, dew-kissed blossoms were clustered tightly together, and when she took them, they were significantly larger than her face.

Having just attended the graduation ceremony in the auditorium, Cen Mo held her graduation certificate in one hand and the bouquet in the other. Before she even had time to take off her academic gown, the man pulled her over to the background wall of the teaching building and insisted on taking a photo of the two of them together.

When she reviewed the photo later, she saw her own silly expression—holding the roses with her mouth half-open—which was simply mortifying.

"Delete it, or should we retake it?" she said with a hint of dissatisfaction.

The flowers in her hands were truly too heavy and exceptionally eye-catching. Before she could say another word, some classmates came over to ask for group photos. After the girls giggled and chatted for a while, she completely forgot about the matter.

When she boarded the car to return to City B, she glanced sideways and discovered that this man had actually set that exact photo as his lock screen wallpaper.

"...?" Cen Mo's expression was utterly indescribable.

Unwilling to say anything more, she snatched his phone, deleted the picture immediately, and changed it back to the solid black background he always used.

Su Xingzhi drove while speaking in a leisurely tone, "Why delete it? Our Momo studied for three years and finally graduated, so of course we have to celebrate."

What should have been a perfectly normal sentence sounded unusually aggrieved when it came from him, as if he harbored a deep sense of dissatisfaction.

Turning her head to look indifferently out the window, Cen Mo completely ignored his remark.

She could easily guess that he must have been resentful about her going away to another city, which meant the two of them couldn't see each other often and had left him feeling stifled for quite a long time.

Although it was rather unkind, she thought about it for a moment and said softly, "Um... darling, did you forget? I'm going to pursue a Ph.D. as well."

Su Xingzhi raised an eyebrow, and a rare trace of helplessness surfaced on his usually expressionless face.

Then she continued to add, "And there's a good chance I might go abroad for further studies."

In short, there was no way the two of them could truly be together, right? This state of meeting rarely and parting often would just keep going...

There was nothing to be done about it, though. Who told him to be such a strong supporter of her continuing her advanced education in the first place?

Seeing that he looked somewhat gloomy, Cen Mo shook her head and added with a cheeky smile, "Oh, don't be too upset. You should feel proud instead, right? Having such an academic-achiever girlfriend."

"Mm," Su Xingzhi replied flatly without arguing, though he sped the car up a little.

...

It had been half a month since the two of them last met. Cen Mo had been busy preparing her graduation thesis and simply hadn't had the time for romance.

As a result, as soon as she returned this time, before her suitcase could even be placed in her room, someone hoisted it up to the upper floor.

Facts proved that this man was indeed quite petty, actually finding a way to get back at her over that.

The next morning, she had originally intended to laze in bed and refuse to get up. Having finally earned a chance to relax and sleep in, she was hauled out unceremoniously and dragged off to wash up without any room for argument.

"What on earth are you doing?" Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, Cen Mo spat out the toothpaste foam and asked discontentedly.

"Taking you on a trip," Su Xingzhi said, tidying up her messy hair.

Another surprise attack.

Deep down, however, Cen Mo was very eager to go out and play, especially with the person she loved. How wonderful it would be for the two of them to enjoy some sweet time together.

The plane tickets had already been bought in advance, so all she needed was to grab her passport and set off. The destination was Japan, chosen because it was relatively close, with plenty of delicious food and scenic spots to explore.

After wandering around various places for two days, the spot Cen Mo looked forward to the most was Universal Studios, because it had the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. For a Harry Potter fan, that was quite simply paradise.

Having planned her strategy the day before, she went wild with excitement upon arrival, feeling as if she had returned to the carefree childhood days when her parents were by her side.

She bought a pile of merchandise and, under the guidance of a staff member, even tried casting a spell with a wand. Although she knew the props were artificially manipulated, she was still thrilled to pieces.

There were also various themed restaurants in the park. At noon, the two of them went in to dine and ordered set meals. Sitting opposite each other, Su Xingzhi smiled and asked her, "Are you happy?"

"Mm."

Having been in a relationship for so long, they understood each other's micro-expressions completely. Cen Mo took one look at him and had a lingering suspicion that this man was going to propose.

This was actually a natural progression of events, and she wasn't reluctant at all; on the contrary, she was quite looking forward to it. She just wondered what kind of surprise this man had in store for her.

A public proposal on bended knees? Of course that was impossible, as neither of them liked being flashy. Cen Mo figured the surprise must lie in some minor details.

For instance, hiding a ring inside a cake or something similar. Therefore, she ate her cake with extreme care, terrified of biting down on a hard object, but in the end, she found nothing at all.

Could she have guessed wrong? Cen Mo stirred the bowl of soup in front of her again. Aside from a few vegetables and such, there was still no sign of a ring.

"What are you looking for?" Across the table, Su Xingzhi had already finished eating. The man leaned over leisurely and took away her soup bowl, saying, "If you can't finish, then leave it."

Cen Mo raised an eyebrow suspiciously, though she said nothing more. A moment later, after they walked out of the restaurant, the two strolled slowly among the crowd. Most of the people on either side were young couples with children, creating a very lively atmosphere.

Her hand was suddenly grasped by the man beside her. His voice remained as calm as ever, yet carried absolute certainty: "Shall we get married?"

Why did this man refuse to play by the rules again?

Cen Mo was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Let's get married."

With just this simple word, she had effectively entrusted her lifelong affairs.

If an uninformed outsider had been eavesdropping, they probably would have thought the two of them were discussing something utterly trivial. Wasn't the process a bit too mundane?

On the other hand, a part of Cen Mo felt quite proud; at least her earlier guess hadn't been wrong, and the tacit understanding between them was still quite sufficient.

Noticing her changing expressions, Su Xingzhi raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Nothing," she shook her head. "I was just thinking that I recently thought you'd hide a ring in the meal, so I carefully searched through it for a long time."

"How dangerous would that have been? What if you had choked or hurt your teeth?" Su Xingzhi frowned, lifting a hand to stroke the top of her head. "Why are you so silly?"

"You're the silly one," Cen Mo muttered discontentedly in a low voice.

She had known that with his character always being rigorous, it was simply impossible for him to do something like that. It was just her own wild imagination earlier, and she hadn't actually demanded that he do it.

"Let's go," the man said, glancing at his wristwatch and pulling her to turn back around.

"Where to?" she hurriedly asked.

"Taking you on the Ferris wheel," Su Xingzhi said.

He had basically planned the entire itinerary and travel schedule for their trip to Japan. Cen Mo herself didn't care much for organizing such things, so she only needed to follow him effortlessly—essentially just enjoying the fun without needing to worry about a thing.

At this, she nodded and said, "We're going to the Ferris wheel? Oh right, I remember you mentioning to me that the view is very beautiful."

Filled with anticipation, she followed the man out of Universal Studios Osaka and took a tram to the vicinity of the Tempozan Ferris wheel. This had once been the largest Ferris wheel in the world, and standing beneath it to look up, it appeared quite magnificent.

After grabbing a bite to eat at a nearby restaurant, night had almost fallen. With the city's lights just beginning to twinkle, it was the most picturesque time to ride the Ferris wheel.

The cabins came in two types: one with transparent floors and one without. Cen Mo was bold and not afraid of heights, so naturally she wanted to ride in the transparent-floored cabin, which meant waiting in line a bit longer.

Just as their turn finally arrived, quite uncooperatively, a fine, drizzling rain began to fall from the sky.

As they ascended, a hazy layer of mist shrouded the perimeter of the cabin, making the scenery outside indistinct. It looked like an impressionistic painting with outlines blurred by watercolors, yet it added a uniquely different ambiance, making them feel as though they were placed inside a fairy tale world.

Looking down at her feet, Cen Mo sighed. "If I'd known, we should have just taken a regular cabin. After a whole afternoon, this transparent floor doesn't have any effect at all now."

Judging by that tone, she actually sounded quite regretful.

If it were an ordinary girl, she would have been scared out of her wits by now, yet she was complaining that it wasn't thrilling enough?

Lifting an arm to draw her into his embrace, the two of them sat together on the cabin bench, and only then did Su Xingzhi lower his head to ask, "Do you want a grand wedding?"

Marriage was, after all, a very important matter, and many women hoped to wear a beautiful wedding dress at such a time, walking through a fairy-tale setting to receive the blessings of everyone around them.

If Cen Mo also wished for this, he would naturally do his utmost to fulfill her desire.

To his surprise, however, Cen Mo frowned. "Let's not? I don't like the feeling of being watched by crowds; we can just go get the marriage certificate directly."

Wasn't that far too simple? It sounded as though she didn't attach much importance to the matter.

Although he didn't care much for those grand weddings either, Su Xingzhi still felt a baffling sense of dissatisfaction. "How about holding a small one?"

This man...

Cen Mo uttered a soft sound of disapproval, turned her head to glare at him, exuding a strong aura.

The hair atop her head was gently patted, and the man promptly compromised, "All right, no wedding then. We'll do whatever you say."

Having chatted about it so casually, the marriage of the two of them was settled just like that.

At this moment, the Ferris wheel had reached its highest point, and amidst the misty drizzle, the entire night view of the city unfolded before their eyes.

Under such breathtaking scenery, it would truly be inexcusable not to do something. The two of them exchanged a glance and shared a deliberate, tender kiss.

All in all, this trip was exceptionally complete and delightful.

...

After flying back to City B, the two of them didn't even bother putting away their luggage before heading straight to obtain their marriage certificate.

It wasn't that they were in any particular rush, but rather that it was convenient—all their identification documents were already on their persons, and their return route happened to pass right by the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau.

Since it wasn't any special date, there weren't too many people getting registered. Their turn came quickly, and after a brief procedure, the two little red books were officially in their hands.

Walking out hand in hand and getting back into the car, Cen Mo opened the booklet and stared at it for a long time. "Why do I feel like this photo makes me look a bit silly?"

She didn't know if her hairstyle hadn't been right or what, but she always felt something was a bit awkward. A person could only take such a photo once in a lifetime; how had it turned out botched?

Looking at the man beside her by contrast, he naturally sported a handsome face that was more perfect than a drawing. Was he simply too photogenic? It made her look a bit plain by comparison.