Xu Jialan reached out to take the marriage certificate, lowering her gaze to examine the couple’s photo and the official embossed seal on the document.
She still hadn’t fully processed it.
Had they… really gotten married?
From this moment onward, were she and Shen Xichuan legally husband and wife?
That thin marriage certificate, the moment the seal was stamped, had firmly bound the two of them together.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, they would be spending the rest of their lives hand in hand.
Shen Xichuan glanced at the marriage certificate before turning his gaze to the woman beside him, his eyes unable to conceal their tenderness. “Is it that captivating?”
She had been staring at it since they were filling out the paperwork.
Even after receiving the certificate, she was still looking.
Hearing his voice, Xu Jialan snapped back to reality and shifted her attention to him. “I… we…”
The man chuckled softly, raising his hand to ruffle her hair. “Happy wedding, Mrs. Shen.”
A rare faint pink blush tinged Xu Jialan’s fair cheeks as she softly murmured, “Happy wedding.”
Mr. Shen.
She called him that in her heart.
…
After obtaining their marriage certificate, the two walked out of the civil affairs bureau.
Xu Jialan still held the marriage certificate in her hand as she looked up at the sky.
The weather was beautiful today—a pale blue expanse above, cloudless for miles.
It was a day worth commemorating.
Just as Xu Jialan withdrew her gaze and was about to descend the stairs, she missed a step and nearly fell.
At that moment, a strong hand firmly grasped her slender waist, pulling her close.
Xu Jialan froze, instinctively turning her head.
Shen Xichuan slightly furrowed his brows, tightening his grip to draw her into his embrace.
Xu Jialan found herself staring directly into his profound eyes.
One hand clutched the marriage certificate tightly while the other unconsciously gripped the fabric of his shirt at his chest, her expression clearly dazed.
A trace of helplessness flickered in the man’s eyes. “Mrs. Shen, we just got married. Was it necessary to give me such a big surprise?”
This wasn’t the first time they had embraced.
But it was the first time Xu Jialan had been awake and held in Shen Xichuan’s arms while fully conscious.
Moreover, the distance between them was extremely close.
Even the faint agarwood fragrance from the man’s body continuously lingered at the tip of her nose, refusing to dissipate.
When Xu Jialan saw her own reflection in his eyes, she momentarily lost herself.
She unconsciously tightened her grip on his shirt. “I’m sorry.”
Shen Xichuan looked down at her slightly pale fingertips, sighed silently, and raised his hand to envelop her fingers in his palm.
“Don’t be afraid. I’ll hold your hand as we walk.”
Xu Jialan instinctively followed Shen Xichuan’s steps.
Their hands remained tightly clasped.
While their other hands both coincidentally held a red marriage certificate.
Under the autumn sunlight, those two receding white figures began a new chapter in their lives.
…
Inside the car.
Xu Jialan placed the marriage certificate back in her bag, unconsciously curling the hand that Shen Xichuan had held earlier, lost in thought about something unknown.
Shen Xichuan glanced at her, a slight smile playing on his lips.
“Do you still have to work this afternoon?”
Xu Jialan snapped out of her reverie and shook her head. “No, I took the day off.”
She hadn’t known how long the marriage registration would take.
So she had simply requested the entire day off.
The man nodded and asked again, “If I remember correctly, your apartment is very close to the laboratory.”
Xu Jialan hummed in agreement, relaxing slightly against the seatback as she listened to his deep, magnetic voice.
“I don’t go to the university often. Most of my time is spent at the Laboratory. Sometimes when the Laboratory gets busy, it can be really hectic. Living nearby makes it convenient to go back and rest.”
Shen Xichuan rubbed the steering wheel and nodded slightly, seemingly lost in thought.
Seeing his silence, Xu Jialan asked, “What’s wrong?”
The man glanced at her and calmly replied, “I’m thinking about whether you should move to my place or I should move to yours.”
Xu Jialan froze completely, “?”
Seeing her stunned expression, Shen Xichuan chuckled again, “Are we really going to live separately from the first day of our marriage?”
Hearing his words, Xu Jialan’s face flushed completely red, “No…”
“The place where I live might be a bit far from your workplace, not very convenient. I rarely go home when I’m working, except to rest or during holidays when I go back.”
At this point, Shen Xichuan paused, “So, me moving to your place would be the most convenient option.”
Xu Jialan instinctively asked, “Then where do you stay when you’re working and not going home?”
“There are dormitories at the station,” he said.
Xu Jialan murmured an “oh.”
Shen Xichuan chuckled softly, “Where did you think I stayed?”
“…I didn’t think anything.”
Shen Xichuan smiled and shook his head, not calling her out on it.
“Do you want to go home first, or come with me to pack my things?”
Xu Jialan was momentarily stunned, turning to look at him, “Your things… are all at your place?”
The man hummed in agreement, “Want to go?”
“Is that okay?” Xu Jialan asked.
She was somewhat curious about his place.
“If Mrs. Shen wants to go, of course it’s okay.”
Shen Xichuan looked at her and gently reminded, “Seatbelt.”
Hearing this, Xu Jialan quickly fastened her seatbelt.
Shen Xichuan started the car and drove away from the civil affairs bureau.
…
Half an hour later.
The car finally reached its destination.
It was an upscale residential complex near the city center.
Less than a kilometer away was their fire station.
Xu Jialan glanced at the navigation – this place was at least twenty minutes away from the Laboratory.
Normally it wouldn’t matter.
But when things got busy, it would really be quite far.
The car entered the underground parking garage smoothly.
After parking, Shen Xichuan got out first, then came to the passenger side and opened the door.
Xu Jialan stared at his outstretched left hand for a few seconds before placing hers in it.
Shen Xichuan held her hand and walked toward the elevator.
The elevator didn’t stop until it reached the twentieth floor.
The two stepped out of the elevator.
After opening the door, Shen Xichuan didn’t immediately enter. Instead, he took Xu Jialan’s right thumb and pressed it against the fingerprint scanner to register her print.
Xu Jialan stared blankly at this scene.
“I’ve registered your fingerprint. From now on, you can come directly whenever you want, okay?”
Shen Xichuan’s voice carried a bit more tenderness.
Xu Jialan was still somewhat dazed.
“I can enter your home?”
The man chuckled, pulled the door open, and led her inside, “Starting today, this is your home too. Why wouldn’t you be able to enter?”
As he spoke, he opened the shoe cabinet and took out a pair of men’s slippers.
“They’re a bit big. There are no other slippers at home, so make do with these for now. I’ll buy you new ones next time.”
Xu Jialan looked down at the men’s slippers by her feet and the uniformly male shoes in the shoe cabinet, her lips curling up involuntarily, “Okay.”
She changed into the slippers and stepped into Shen Xichuan’s private domain.
The space here was noticeably larger than her apartment, but somewhat empty.
There weren’t many belongings, and it was quite clean.
It was clear the owner didn’t live here often.
Shen Xichuan walked to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, paused for a moment, then turned back to ask her, “What would you like to drink?”
Xu Jialan looked over at the sound of his voice and immediately spotted a familiar red can in the refrigerator.
Without hesitation, she replied, “Cola.”
The man chuckled lightly, “Alright.”