At the supermarket, the two of them bought quite a lot of things. Besides Shi Nanbei’s daily necessities, Zhao Xunyin also added plenty of snacks and various flavors of yogurt to the cart.
When they reached the checkout counter, Shi Nanbei looked at the overflowing shopping cart, then at Zhao Xunyin’s delicate side profile.
After a long pause, she pulled out her phone and sent a message to her dorm group chat titled “Gorgeous College Girls Chatting Live”:
“I think my wife treats me so well. I’m gonna cry QAQ.”
Wu Lili was the first to reply:
“Your wife? Who?”
Yang Shan replied coolly beneath her message:
“Her blind date. The one her grandma introduced.”
Wu Lili:
“What did I just hear? Her grandma set her up with a blind date?”
Yang Shan:
“Don’t make a fuss.”
The message was apparently too explosive, because within seconds, the other three roommates popped up in the chat.
“Beibei, your blind date? Are you serious?”
Shi Nanbei:
“It’s true.”
After a pause, she added another line:
“Actually, she should be my wife now, because we already got our marriage certificate last week.”
The chat instantly fell into a strange silence.
Just then, Zhao Xunyin finished checking out and pushed the cart toward her. “Let’s go. Time to head home.”
Shi Nanbei beamed, skipping over to her side. She placed her hand over Zhao Xunyin’s on the cart handle and said brightly, “Let’s go home!”
Zhao Xunyin didn’t know why Shi Nanbei was in such high spirits, but seeing her happy somehow made her feel lighter as well.
They went down to the underground parking lot together, loaded the car, and drove home. On the way, Shi Nanbei remembered her phone and checked it—there were already fifty-three unread messages in the group chat, all from her roommates:
“Married? Wait—is it the marriage I’m thinking of?”
“Beibei! Were you forced into it?”
“Oh my god, Shi Nanbei what happened? Did you lose your mind? Why did you suddenly get married?”
“Wow, the guys in our department must be crying right now! What does your husband look like? Send a pic, let the sisters see!”
“@ShiNanbei Where’d you go?”
“@ShiNanbei Don’t tell me you’re out on your honeymoon already?”
Shi Nanbei’s face flushed red as she quickly typed back:
“No, it’s wife, not husband.”
Wu Lili was the quickest to respond:
“WTF, Shi Nanbei, you never said you were into girls! Then why didn’t you fall for my Zhao Xunyin?”
Shi Nanbei: “……”
She glanced sideways at the woman beside her—wearing a mask, still dazzling even under the dim streetlights—and lowered her head to reply:
“I do like her.”
“I’ve always liked Zhao Xunyin.”
Of course she did. Ever since middle school, when she watched Zhao Xunyin’s breakout film Win-Win, she’d been captivated.
Wu Lili, the self-proclaimed big sister of their dorm, was instantly satisfied.
“Nice one, bro.jpg” she replied.
“But seriously—how old is your wife? You two really met through a blind date?”
She never expected Shi Nanbei, who seemed the least likely to date, to be the first one to get married.
Was this how it worked? The prettier you are, the faster you get taken off the market?
Shi Nanbei:
“Yeah. My grandma introduced us. She’s thirteen years older than me.”
The chat fell silent again until Cheng Xue finally broke it with a meme of someone clasping their fists:
“Respect, Beibei. Your grandma’s hardcore.”
Wu Lili followed up with:
“Your grandma doesn’t happen to need another granddaughter, does she? Preferably one ready to get married?”
Shi Nanbei:
“Nope, she’s all set.”
Compared to the unreliable Wu Lili and the teasing Cheng Xue, the studious Yang Shan was more grounded.
“Don’t you think this is too fast?” she messaged. “You’re still in college.”
It was all she could say. After all, Shi Nanbei was an adult—free to choose whom and when to marry.
Shi Nanbei narrowed her eyes and typed happily:
“Hehe, it’s not that fast. I’ve known her for a while. She’s really beautiful, and I’ve liked her for a long time.”
The group fell silent again.
Then Wu Lili finally exploded:
“Shi Nanbei, you’re something else! You actually scored your goddess? Quick! Send a pic of your wife! I need to see what kind of beauty turned you into mush. The campus crush of our university got married in silence—I’m grieving for all the singles!”
Shi Nanbei lifted her head, sneaking a look at Zhao Xunyin beside her.
Zhao Xunyin, still driving, felt her gaze and turned slightly, her tone gentle: “What’s wrong?”
Shi Nanbei raised her phone. “I told my roommates I got married. They want to see your photo. Do you mind?”
That caught Zhao Xunyin off guard—she’d thought Shi Nanbei would keep their marriage a secret for a while.
“You told them who you married?” she asked.
Shi Nanbei shook her head obediently. “No. I didn’t want to cause you any trouble.”
Zhao Xunyin smiled softly. Around Shi Nanbei, her guard always melted away. “You wouldn’t be causing me trouble. I just worry it might affect your life if people find out. Didn’t you say you didn’t want others to know?”
“It’s not that I don’t want people to know,” Shi Nanbei explained after a pause, trying not to sound awkward. “I just don’t want the internet to know.”
“Oh?” Zhao Xunyin asked, amused. “Why’s that?”
She half expected Shi Nanbei to say something like I’m still young, I want to protect my privacy.
Instead, Shi Nanbei said seriously:
“Because if people find out, I might go viral overnight, and then all my embarrassing moments from before will get dug up.”
Zhao Xunyin: “……”
Right. She’d overthought it.
“But my roommates won’t say anything,” Shi Nanbei added, waving her phone and pouting. “They’re really nice. I want to tell them.”
Faced with her wife’s pleading tone, Zhao Xunyin, the “old auntie,” couldn’t bring herself to say no.
She smiled indulgently. “Then go ahead.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Overjoyed, Shi Nanbei sent one of Zhao Xunyin’s professional photos to the group—a photo from one of her studio shoots.
In it, Zhao Xunyin wore a black shirt, a cigarette between her fingers, crimson lips curling into a knowing smile.
When that photo was first released online, it had captivated half the internet. Comment sections were flooded with:
“Please, Sister Zhao, ruin me!”
Wu Lili:
“Shi Nanbei, what’s the meaning of this? Are you here to steal my wife?”
“I’ve already called the cops.jpg”
Shi Nanbei:
“She really is my wife.”
Wu Lili replied mockingly:
“Pfft. Shameless.”
Cheng Xue followed up by posting a picture of her favorite male singer.
“Not gonna lie, I’m married too. Here’s my husband.”
Yang Shan, who rarely joked, joined in and sent a photo of two men kissing in a manga panel.
“These are my two husbands. Don’t laugh.”
The group chat fell silent again.
Shi Nanbei stared at her phone, feeling wronged. She turned to Zhao Xunyin, who was parking the car, and sighed in frustration.
“They’re too much! They don’t even believe me!”
Hmph. She wasn’t going to play with them anymore.
After turning off the engine, Zhao Xunyin glanced over and smiled. “Your roommates don’t believe we’re married?”
“Mhm!” Shi Nanbei nodded, pouting slightly—clearly fishing for a comforting hug.
Seeing her so dejected, Zhao Xunyin chuckled. She took Shi Nanbei’s phone, switched to camera mode, then wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close.
Their heads touched as Zhao Xunyin arched a brow and smiled toward the lens. Click.
Their first photo together.
“Send this to them,” Zhao Xunyin said calmly, handing the phone back. “That should convince them.”
Shi Nanbei blinked, still dazed from the sudden closeness.
Wait, wasn’t she supposed to get a hug, not a photo shoot?
“Come on, we’re home,” Zhao Xunyin said with a chuckle, reaching out to pinch her cheek gently.
“Oh, okay.”
In the end, Shi Nanbei didn’t send the photo. The problem wasn’t that it looked bad—if anything, Zhao Xunyin looked too stunning.
Even in the dim light of the car, she radiated like a goddess. Meanwhile, Shi Nanbei looked like a dazed little fool with wide eyes and a blank stare.
No way she could post that! People wouldn’t even need to say anything—she would already feel embarrassed enough for both of them.
Hmph. She’d have to edit it first and make herself look at least half as good.
But by the time they carried all the groceries into the villa, she had completely forgotten about it—and about the group chat that was still waiting for her to post her wife’s photo.
Zhao Xunyin showed her around the house.
When they reached the basement, Shi Nanbei stood frozen in awe at the sight of the rows of trophies, awards, and shelves of DVDs from Zhao Xunyin’s films over the years.
She was utterly dazzled by the atmosphere of wealth and success—especially when she spotted the high-end projector that looked ridiculously expensive.
“Oh my god, if Lili knew I was in her goddess’s house right now, holding her goddess’s movie collection, she’d die of jealousy!”
Clutching the DVDs dramatically, Shi Nanbei turned to Zhao Xunyin, eyes sparkling. “Can I watch a movie here? Please?”