Du He arrived early at the dance troupe and waited for Jiang Li.
After Jiang Li met up with him, they took an early flight to the southern part of Xichuan.
It was still raining in Xichuan, light and steady.
When Jiang Li reached the hospital floor where Grandpa Jiang was staying, Shang Huai Zhou was standing by the corridor window on a phone call. His tall figure faced away from her, his fitted shirt slightly wrinkled, though it did not affect his noble and calm presence.
He noticed her gaze from behind and turned around. Their eyes met briefly, and Jiang Li then turned and walked into the ward.
Inside the room, the two elders were lightly bickering as usual. The tension Jiang Li had been carrying all the way suddenly eased.
She entered with a soft smile and said a little playfully, “Grandpa Jiang, you’re in this condition and still have the energy to argue with Grandma Jiang?”
Both elders were surprised to see her.
Grandpa Jiang puffed his cheeks slightly. “You know how dangerous Xichuan has been lately with all this heavy rain. The weather is unstable. How could a young girl like you still come here?”
Grandma Jiang glanced at him. “She’s already here, why are you scolding her? It’s your fault for not taking care of yourself and making her worry. Even if you just had a small injury, how could she focus on work in Beijing?”
“Grandma knows me best,” Jiang Li said softly, hugging Grandma Jiang’s arm. Then she added honestly, “I didn’t come alone. Mr. Du, Assistant to Shang Huai Zhou, brought me here.”
The two elders exchanged looks. Shang Huai Zhou coming here had already made them curious.
Grandpa Jiang smiled and asked directly, “Jiang Jiang, what’s going on between you and Huai Zhou now?”
“What do you mean what’s going on?” Jiang Li was a little confused. Even she wasn’t sure—Shang Huai Zhou’s recent behavior had completely unsettled her thoughts.
Grandma Jiang spoke calmly, seeing Jiang Li unsure. “If you’re just friends, then there’s no need to trouble him so much. Huai Zhou probably hasn’t slept all night. He even took your grandpa for a full check-up this morning and kept running to the doctor’s office. Our families are close, but we shouldn’t burden the next generation too much.”
She continued, “Huai Zhou is a good child. The other young men your grandfather tried to match you with were also decent, but none felt quite right. Compared to them, we do prefer Huai Zhou. But Jiang Jiang, since we don’t have that intention, don’t cross the line.”
Jiang Li nodded. “I understand.”
Grandpa Jiang said he was sweaty and uncomfortable, so Grandma Jiang helped him change and clean up.
Jiang Li left the room first.
Behind her, Grandpa Jiang muttered, “Old lady, I didn’t randomly interfere. The people I picked were all good!”
Grandma Jiang glanced at him. “They were fine, but I didn’t like any of them. Stop trying to arrange things for Jiang Jiang. Relationships depend on fate, understand?”
“Fine, fine. You’re getting more and more talkative in old age,” Grandpa Jiang sighed. Then, with a trace of sadness, he said, “I’m just worried. If something happens to us, Jiang Jiang will be left alone. I don’t want her to be lonely.”
Grandma Jiang was helping Grandpa Jiang get out of bed while saying, “Stop being so stubborn. We might be able to live a few more years.”
The smile on Jiang Li’s face slowly faded.
She walked toward the end of the hallway and looked outside at the wet weather. The wind blew in through the window, bringing a cool and damp feeling.
She had underestimated the rainy weather in Xichuan. She was only wearing a thin chiffon blouse with long sleeves, which was not enough to block the cold wind.
Jiang Li rubbed her arms to keep warm. A warm coat suddenly fell over her shoulders, carrying a faint woody scent.
At the same time, a broad chest pressed lightly against her back.
Jiang Li’s thin back tensed. She quickly turned around, and her forehead accidentally bumped into Shang Huaizhou’s thin lips.
Both of them froze for a moment, their breathing suddenly becoming tense and uneven.
Jiang Li quickly stepped to the side and awkwardly bit her lip. “Sorry.”
Shang Huaizhou didn’t say anything. Jiang Li could feel his sharp gaze on her head, making her feel nervous.
She reached out, trying to take off the coat he had placed on her.
Shang Huaizhou pressed her hand down. “Keep it on first. It’s too cold here. You’ll catch a cold easily.”
Jiang Li’s slightly cold hand was covered by his, and her fingers trembled a little.
Because of the earlier accident, the atmosphere became tense and awkward.
Jiang Li’s heart was beating fast. She tried to look calm, but her trembling eyelashes gave away her nervousness.
Shang Huaizhou looked at her trembling eyelashes and said in a low voice, “Du He said you didn’t eat breakfast after getting off the plane. I bought some. Go eat something first.”
Jiang Li nodded and looked up at him. “Shang Huaizhou, let’s talk.”
“Okay. We’ll talk while eating,” he said with a faint smile.
They went down from the hospital building, walking one after the other. Jiang Li wore his coat and kept a one-step distance behind him.
Shang Huaizhou opened an umbrella in the lobby, and they shared it.
They passed the hospital fountain and entered a pavilion.
They sat on a stone bench. Shang Huaizhou sat across from Jiang Li, watching her. He placed the breakfast in front of her and waited for her to speak.
Jiang Li coughed slightly to ease the atmosphere. “Thank you for last night. You even came in the middle of the night.” She had heard from Du He that he originally had an important meeting today, but he left it to someone else.
He didn’t look sleepy, but there were faint dark circles under his eyes.
Shang Huaizhou looked at her with an unreadable expression, as if he was slightly unhappy and a bit wronged.
Jiang Li felt uncomfortable under his gaze and turned her head away.
Shang Huaizhou finally spoke. “Grandpa Jiang and my family have a close relationship. It’s normal for me, as a junior, to help. It’s just a trip.”
Then he asked, “Is that all you wanted to talk about? Just to thank me?”
“Not only that,” Jiang Li said. After hesitating, she asked, “Do you still have contact with that engagement partner?”
If he did, then she would stop what she was about to say. Like her grandmother said, she should keep distance.
Shang Huaizhou said firmly, “Did you not take what I said before seriously? There is no engagement. There’s no contact.”
Really?
Jiang Li stared at him.
Shang Huaizhou avoided her gaze. “It was just a misunderstanding.”
“???” Jiang Li now stared at him even more directly.
He actually looked a little shy and flustered, even slightly annoyed, which made him look a bit cute and awkward.
He coughed lightly. “There is no engagement with the Ming family. It was just a misunderstanding from my grandfather. You know he’s old and might have heard wrong.”
Jiang Li pursed her lips. “I didn’t hear it from your grandfather.”
Shang Huaizhou froze.
His expression darkened a little. “If it wasn’t my grandfather, then who told you?”
“I don’t know. I just heard people chatting,” Jiang Li muttered.
Shang Huaizhou handed her soy milk. “Then it must be a misunderstanding. Rumors spread differently from person to person.”
Jiang Li still felt it didn’t make complete sense, but she couldn’t figure it out.
In the end, she chose to trust his character. If he didn’t want to say the real reason, he probably had his own reasons.
She wasn’t going to dig deeper.
Shang Huaizhou placed a bowl of rice noodles in front of her. “Try this. It’s a specialty from Xichuan.”
Jiang Li took a bite. It was sour and spicy, and tasted pretty good.
Shang Huaizhou looked at her eating and quickly regained control of the conversation.
“Jiang Jiang, what did you want to tell me? Do you want us to continue being engaged?”
Jiang Li almost choked. After calming down, she looked at him seriously and said, “You’re overthinking it. We were never officially engaged. Don’t say things like that.” She didn’t accept that identity.
Shang Huaizhou’s thin lips curved into an unreadable smile. “Oh? Then let’s pick an auspicious day and officially get engaged. The elders will definitely be very happy.”
“……”
Jiang Li suddenly felt like she had fallen into his trap. “Who said I want to talk about that!”
“Then what do you want to talk about? Say it, I’m listening.” Shang Huaizhou leaned back against the pillar behind him, looking relaxed.
Jiang Li licked her lips and thought carefully for a long time before finally speaking. “Since you’re sure there’s no engagement partner…”
“Then what?” Shang Huaizhou’s heart tightened slightly. His hand resting on his leg curled a little.
Jiang Li took a deep breath. “Shang Huaizhou… why don’t we try it?”
She had thought about it for a long time. Compared to others, there didn’t seem to be anyone more suitable than him.
He treated her well, and also treated her family well. Their families were close, and her grandparents liked him very much.
She didn’t dislike him either, and she didn’t have anyone she liked.
After considering everything, it seemed better than going on blind dates with strangers.
When Shang Huaizhou heard her words, his back straightened slightly. He looked at her deeply, his thin lips lifting in a faint smile, his eyes slightly raised.
“Try what?”
He was clearly pretending not to understand.
Too much.
She had spoken so seriously, thought it through for so long, and he still had the mood to tease her.
Seeing that Jiang Li was getting a little annoyed, Shang Huaizhou stopped teasing her and said seriously, “Jiang Li, I don’t plan to ‘try’.”
Not planning to try—did that mean he was rejecting her?
Jiang Li looked at him in confusion.
Shang Huaizhou met her gaze, his expression serious. “My idea is to go straight to the point.”
Straight to the point!
Was he talking about marriage?
Jiang Li wasn’t sure. “You mean… get married?”
“Yes.” He answered firmly.
“……Isn’t that too fast?” She had never even been in a relationship, and now she was going straight to marriage? And with Shang Huaizhou of all people—she had never even seriously thought about it!
Shang Huaizhou seemed to see through her thoughts. After finally getting her to loosen up, he wasn’t going to miss this chance. He said calmly, almost logically.
“Jiang Li, you lived in our house for three years, right?”
Was that even a question?
She moved into the Shang family house the summer before starting middle school.
Seeing her silent agreement, he continued, “We were together for three years, weren’t we?”
More or less.
They went to school together, sometimes went shopping on weekends, watched stage plays together.
Their rooms were next to each other—so in a sense, they really were “together” most of the time.
Jiang Li nodded slightly.
A trace of satisfaction flashed in Shang Huaizhou’s eyes. “Three years of peaceful coexistence, mutual understanding. Marriage is perfectly suitable.” He paused and looked at her for a long time before speaking again.
“Jiang Li, I’m not young anymore.”
Well… that was true.
He was over four years older than her—twenty-eight now, almost twenty-nine next year.
“What are you thinking about?” His eyes carried a hint of mischief.
“Your age,” she answered honestly, smiling faintly.
“……”
His handsome face darkened.
“I still think it’s too fast. Let’s think about it more,” Jiang Li said. “You’re not young anymore, but I am. I just graduated last year. I haven’t even prepared myself for dating yet, let alone marriage.”
Shang Huaizhou’s tone was firm. “There’s nothing for me to consider. I already agreed to this when I was young—it’s time to fulfill it.”
Jiang Li thought of what he had said before—he really did value promises.
He continued, “It’s better to settle it directly. We already know each other well enough. There’s no need for more understanding, whether personally or between families.”
“After marriage, I will fulfill my responsibilities as a husband. You don’t need to worry about your freedom being restricted.”
“And you don’t need to feel pressured. I will respect all your requests—and the things you’re afraid of won’t happen.” At least, not for now.
Jiang Li’s heart trembled slightly.
The vague “things you’re afraid of” he mentioned… did he mean that there would be no physical relationship after marriage?
A marriage of convenience?
He continued, “After marriage, you can still perform wherever you want. Your life won’t change much.”
“And you’ll also be able to avoid all the blind dates arranged by Grandpa Jiang.”
He looked at her and asked softly, “What do you think?”
His voice carried a rare hint of uncertainty.
That part was indeed tempting.
Over the years, she had already experienced countless arranged meetings.
Jiang Li’s thoughts became chaotic.
She thought about her grandparents… and about everything she had experienced with Shang Huaizhou.
The mornings he went to buy her breakfast.The photos of her father and uncle he had carefully helped find.The strangely shaped jade he had spent time polishing.The night he dropped his work and came all the way to Xichuan.
He really was… quite good.
Maybe they didn’t have deep romantic feelings yet, but as a husband, he would probably be decent. He wasn’t the easiest person to get along with, but he wasn’t bad.
According to him, marriage would likely just mean living their own lives separately.
That… might be acceptable.
After a long silence, Jiang Li looked up at him calmly and nodded slowly.
“Okay.”
“But I have one condition. Let’s tell the elders later.”
She had just rejected the marriage arrangement before, and now suddenly agreeing felt embarrassing.
Also, she wasn’t mentally prepared yet. She still needed time to think about what married life with Shang Huaizhou would actually be like.
Shang Huaizhou finally relaxed. The tension in his body eased, and the smile at the corner of his lips couldn’t be hidden.
“Alright. I’ll listen to you.”
Jiang Li suddenly thought of something. “So what you said earlier… does that count as a premarital agreement? Like an arranged marriage contract?”
“?”
Shang Huaizhou looked slightly surprised.
He hadn’t even thought about anything like that at all.
This is just a temporary measure.
He was going to say no—but what if she refused?
After thinking for a moment, Shang Huaizhou casually replied, “Mm.”
Fine then. That works too.
She also didn’t really know how to deal with Shang Huaizhou yet, so this arrangement was okay for now.
Right after they finished talking, Jiang Li’s phone rang. It was Grandma Jiang.
Jiang Li hung up and said, “I’ll go upstairs first. Grandma’s looking for me.”
Shang Huaizhou responded softly. His eyes looked a little tired as he lowered his head and pressed his brow.
Seeing that he hadn’t rested, Jiang Li said, “Du He already booked a room. Do you want to go to the hotel and rest a bit?”
Shang Huaizhou looked up. His refined face showed no sign of exhaustion—on the contrary, he looked quite energetic, even in a good mood. A faint smile lingered on his lips.
“I’m not sleepy. I’ll go up with you.”
The rain had already stopped.
On the way back to the hospital building, an ambulance with sirens blaring sped past under the tree-lined road.
With fallen leaves and puddles on the ground, water splashed up as it passed. Shang Huaizhou quickly pulled Jiang Li into his arms. Dirty water splashed onto his long legs, soaking his straight black trousers with droplets.
A few seconds later, Jiang Li’s tense expression relaxed. She stepped out of his arms, but he was still holding her slender wrist.
Her heart tightened. Her fingers trembled slightly.
In that moment, Shang Huaizhou’s fingers slipped between hers and firmly intertwined with them, locking their hands together—and he didn’t let go again.
Along the forty-to-fifty-meter tree-lined path, they walked hand in hand. More precisely, Shang Huaizhou held the back of her hand tightly. Neither of them spoke, and the atmosphere was quiet and warm.
From behind, their silhouettes looked harmonious—the tall, upright man beside the slender girl wearing his coat. His dark shirt matched the coat she wore, making them look unexpectedly well-matched.
Five days later, the doctor approved Grandpa Jiang’s discharge. The weather in Xichuan was unusually clear.
Shang Huaizhou was handling the discharge procedures.
Jiang Li and Grandma Jiang were packing.
She acted a little spoiled. “Grandma, after you and Grandpa go back this time, don’t travel anymore.”
Grandma Jiang replied, “I don’t plan to anymore. I’ve been wandering long enough. Your grandpa getting injured this time turned out to be a blessing in disguise—it finally stopped his restless heart.”
Jiang Li smiled. “Grandpa is just keeping his promise. When he was young, he was too busy with work and couldn’t accompany you. The mountains and seas he promised you back then couldn’t be fulfilled. So for more than eight years, he’s been trying to make up for it.”
“Who told him to make those promises on his own!” Grandma Jiang said, though her face was full of happiness she couldn’t hide.
They had almost finished packing when Shang Huaizhou returned.
He opened the door, his usually cold eyes softened as they briefly lingered on Jiang Li before he walked in.
“Everything’s done. Let’s have breakfast, then go straight to the airport.”
At that moment, Grandpa Jiang—who had been pushed out for a walk in a wheelchair—was brought back in by Secretary Zhou and happened to hear him.
“You young people are all busy. Just send us to Xichuan Airport, no need to go all the way back to Hangzhou. It’ll waste your time.”
“It won’t waste time,” Jiang Li and Shang Huaizhou said at the same time.
Their eyes met again.
Her heart skipped a beat. She quickly looked away, her eyelashes trembling as she avoided his gaze.
Shang Huaizhou, however, remained calm, as if nothing had happened.
Grandpa Jiang sighed again. “How is it not wasting time? Especially Huaizhou—you’ve already delayed so much for this old man.”
Shang Huaizhou smiled slightly. “My company hasn’t been busy lately. I just happened to take a short break.”
No one else might know, but Jiang Li did.
He was never not busy. Even at night, he was in the spare hospital room attending video meetings. She even told him to go back to work, but he only said:
“I’m basically your grandfather’s grandson-in-law now. Of course I should stay and take care of things here.”
Jiang Li couldn’t help but admire how natural he was. She hadn’t even gotten used to their relationship yet, but he seemed completely comfortable with it.
During those days, he took Grandpa Jiang for walks in the morning, played chess with him in the hospital garden in the afternoon. Even other patients were envious, saying how amazing this “grandson-in-law” was and how well matched he was with Jiang Li.
Grandpa Jiang only smiled awkwardly and didn’t explain, though a faint regret lingered in his eyes.
Shang Huaizhou often said to Jiang Li, “Look, even Grandpa, Grandma, and everyone at the hospital already think we’re a couple. Should we make it public? Make the old man happy?”
But Jiang Li refused every time. She wanted to wait until Grandpa Jiang’s injury healed first.
Otherwise, he would worry too much and might delay recovery.
Jiang Li and Shang Huaizhou sent the two elders back to Hangzhou and didn’t stay long.
They returned to Hangzhou International Airport right after. Jiang Li’s flight to Beijing was one hour earlier than his.
Before she entered the gate, Shang Huaizhou handed her suitcase to her.
“Don’t go back to Dali yet. Wait for me in Beijing.”
“Okay.” Wait for him… for what?
Just as she turned to leave, Shang Huaizhou stepped forward. He cupped her small face in his hands, leaned down, and gently pressed a kiss on her forehead.
His gaze was slightly unsettled, his voice low. “Go in. Message me when you land.”
The kiss was very light—just a brief touch—before he let go.
Jiang Li stood frozen for a moment, then turned and walked quickly toward the boarding gate.
After he could no longer see her, she instinctively touched the spot on her forehead where he had kissed her.
It felt a little strange.