Li Yixun only realized it was December 22nd, 2022, when she tore off a page from her desktop calendar.
“So it’s been ten years since the end of the world,” she murmured, marveling at the swift passage of time.
She tapped the pinned profile picture on WeChat; the chat was mostly filled with green messages, the few replies from the other end making her one-sided messaging seem rather pathetic.
After much hesitation, Li Yixun finally sent a message.
“Today is the Winter Solstice. Mom said we should come home for dinner. Are you in Shenhai City?”
Knowing there wouldn’t be a reply so quickly, or even any at all, Li Yixun quickly put down her phone and opened her PowerPoint presentation to continue writing her year-end summary report.
But by the time she left work, Li Yixun hadn’t received a single word from the other end.
The office was filled with the sounds of colleagues saying goodbye. Li Yixun glanced out the window at the completely dark sky, the sunset nowhere to be seen, and felt a part of her heart disappear with the setting sun.
Having promised Qi Hui she would go out for dinner, Li Yixun could only force herself to pack her things and leave the office.
Perhaps due to the holiday, the roads in Shenhai City were particularly congested today. It was already past seven when Li Yixun rang the doorbell.
Her aunt quickly opened the door, and the aroma of warmth and mutton soup that hit her made Li Yixun feel slightly dizzy and short of breath.
Li Yixun greeted the relatives on the sofa one by one. Seeing that she was alone, some inevitably asked about Chen Nian’s whereabouts.
Li Yixun had already prepared an excuse: “Chen Nian went on a business trip a few days ago and hasn’t returned to Shenhai yet. Today is the Winter Solstice, and he asked me to greet everyone.”
Qi Hui, sitting on a single sofa, chuckled upon hearing this, stood up first, and walked to the dining room to invite everyone to sit down and eat.
Qi Hui disliked her as her daughter-in-law from the very beginning, and Li Yixun knew it from the start.
Already thirty years old, Li Yixun still felt intimidated by her domineering mother-in-law. She could only obediently find a seat, lower her eyes, and begin eating.
“Xunxun, this mutton soup is very good. Why don’t you try some?” Her uncle kindly pointed to the untouched soup in front of her. “You need to nourish yourself properly in winter. You need to take good care of your health so you can have a baby.”
Sure enough, family gatherings always inevitably involve the topic of marriage and childbirth, as if humanity can only prove its worth through union and reproduction.
“Yes, thank you for your concern, Uncle.”
Li Yixun didn’t have much of a say in this family, and she was even less inclined to answer questions about marriage and childbirth. She could only pick up the bowl of mutton soup, which had cooled down from being left out for too long, and force herself to swallow it.
The distinctive gamey smell of mutton combined with the half-cold, greasy aroma nearly made Li Yixun nauseous, almost causing her to lose control of her facial expression.
Out of the corner of her eye, she vaguely caught a glimpse of Qi Hui’s cold smile.
Without Chen Nian present, Li Yixun ate her meal with great unease.
After all the commotion, Li Yixun finally got home, showered, and fell asleep close to midnight.
She was awakened in a half-awake state by footsteps in her house. She groggily opened her eyes and saw a tall figure rummaging through the walk-in closet, separated from the bedroom by a door.
“Chen Nian?” she asked hoarsely.
“Hmm?” Chen Nian’s voice also sounded somewhat groggy.
“I’m fine, you can go back to sleep.”
Li Yixun struggled against sleep for a few seconds, then forced herself to sit up, rubbing her eyes as she checked on the drunkard in the walk-in closet.
Chen Nian was indeed drunk. His once pale, handsome face was flushed red from the alcohol, and his overly expressive eyes appeared unfocused and hazy. His tie was nowhere to be seen, and several buttons of his black shirt were undone, revealing his delicate and beautiful collarbone without any attempt to conceal it.
Bewitched by Chen Nian’s allure, Li Yixun’s drowsiness was instantly dispelled, and he reached out to support the tall man, who was already somewhat unsteady on his feet.
Smelling the strong smell of alcohol on Chen Nian, Li Yixun couldn’t help but ask, “How much have you drunk?”
Chen Nian had a habit of drinking a little since adulthood, and after starting work, he attended numerous dinners and social events. His alcohol tolerance had always been quite good, and he rarely got so drunk that he couldn’t stand up straight.
“I ran into Kai and the others after dinner today, and had a few too many drinks.”
Chen Nian wasn’t completely drunk, but he took the opportunity to lazily wrap his arms around Li Yixun, letting his weight fall on her. He buried his head in her shoulder, inhaling her unique fragrance.
The hot breath of alcohol from Chen Nian sprayed onto her neck, and Li Yixun felt her skin begin to itch, involuntarily pulling away slightly.
“Then sit for a while, I’ll run you a bath, okay?” Li Yixun knew Chen Nian was a germaphobe and needed to bathe before sleeping, so she coaxed him like a child.
Chen Nian withdrew his weight from her, stood up straight, and stared at her with an ambiguous look.
The look in Chen Nian’s eyes was noticeably clearer than before. A cool smile curved his lips as he loudly rejected her suggestion.
“No.”
The next second, he suddenly picked up Li Yixun and carried her towards the bedroom.
The drunken man possessed brute strength; Li Yixun felt as if his arms were about to be broken by this shrewish man.
Chen Nian tossed Li Yixun onto the soft bed, then his heavy body pressed down on her.
A passionate kiss, reeking of alcohol, assaulted Li Yixun, Chen Nian skillfully kissing the sensitive areas behind her ears and her neck.
“Hey, what’s wrong with you?” Li Yixun’s sleepiness had long since vanished. She didn’t understand why Chen Nian had suddenly become aroused, and she was disgusted by his alcohol fumes, so she struggled unwillingly.
“Stop it.”
Chen Nian ignored Li Yixun’s minor struggles, instead reaching down to touch her, a series of skillful, gentle caresses quickly making her give up the will to resist.
It was already late at night when she fell asleep again.
Li Yixun, inhaling the fresh scent of detergent on the newly changed sheets, drowsily lifted her eyelids to look at Chen Nian, who was just an arm’s length away.
Actually, she hadn’t seen him for a long time.
Due to the nature of his work, Chen Nian was always traveling around for work. When he finally settled in Shenhai City, he would often return late due to business dinners. To avoid disturbing each other’s sleep, Chen Nian would usually sleep in the second bedroom when he came home late. By the time Li Yixun, a typical nine-to-five office worker, left for work the next day, Chen Nian was usually still fast asleep.
By the moonlight in the room, Li Yixun gazed intently at her husband, tracing the deep contours of his face with her fingers.
His short, freshly washed and dried hair was tousled, and he exuded the same fragrance as her after his shower. His long eyelashes, comparable to a girl’s, were obediently closed, allowing Li Yixun to freely observe him without worrying about being captivated by his alluring eyes. A high, straight nose, a defined jawline—despite numerous social engagements, Chen Nian, disciplined in his fitness regimen, showed no signs of weight gain. His thin lips were pursed in a childlike manner, as if even in his sleep, something unpleasant was troubling him.
Chen Nian looked exactly the same as he had ten years ago, as if all the years that had passed between them had vanished.
If it weren’t for the ring on her right ring finger, which had left a deep imprint on it, Li Yixun would have thought that nothing had ever happened between them.
But in truth, what difference did it make?
Ten years ago, she had humbly and unconditionally loved him; ten years later, it seemed there had been no progress. He always avoided answering her questions about whether he loved her.
Aside from their wedding day, Li Yixun had never seen that niche brand wedding ring on Chen Nian’s hand again. She didn’t know if he had deliberately hidden it or if he had accidentally lost it.
Out of pride, she had never asked her legal husband why he wasn’t wearing his wedding ring. She feared his sarcasm, feared his questioning why she acted so nonchalantly if she hadn’t intended to elope, and feared his insistence that the marriage was an accident.
A marriage always requires someone to play their part to sustain it, so Li Yixun had no choice but to wear the wedding ring alone, diligently playing the role of a wife, and taking the marriage seriously on her own.