Liu Wanwan started imagining her future, but for some reason, the more Zhou Heshan listened, the more uncomfortable he felt. Something about it just didn’t feel right—and it even made him feel a bit embarrassed.
“I’ll go submit the marriage application tomorrow,” Zhou Heshan said, then headed into the kitchen. “My mom doesn’t want to cook this afternoon, so let’s just make something simple ourselves.”
Liu Wanwan didn’t refuse.
They weren’t married yet, so anything could still change.
Even though Liu Qingyue was about to marry the deputy regiment commander, Liu Wanwan couldn’t worry about that now. She had to secure what was in front of her first. With everything that had happened, no one else would want her anymore.
If she went back to her hometown and tried to find someone new, the match would definitely be worse.
So for now, she decided to endure.
Once they officially got married, she could use her pregnancy as an excuse to avoid doing any work.
If Yang Su told her to do chores, she would just cry— Heshan would definitely feel sorry for her.
Maybe because the situation had become such a big deal, their marriage approvals came through very quickly.
Even though Zhou Heshan and Liu Wanwan submitted theirs later, both couples’ approvals were issued on the same day.
Lu Fengting and Zhou Heshan went together to collect their marriage approvals.
They ran into each other outside the office. Lu Fengting walked in first.
Watching his back, Zhou Heshan clenched his fists.
He convinced himself that he had made the right choice. Liu Wanwan was the one truly suitable for him—Liu Qingyue was not.
Back in the village, Liu Qingyue worked hard, but she didn’t seem very smart. Even though she showed some cleverness this time—using public opinion to her advantage—it was probably just luck.
She wouldn’t be that lucky again.
Lu Fengting marrying her? That would only bring him trouble.
Besides, Liu Qingyue used to like him. Even after marriage, she’d probably still think about him. Their relationship would definitely be unhappy.
By the time Zhou Heshan entered, Lu Fengting had already received his approval.
With a smile, Lu Fengting said to the officer,
“When I get married, I’ll invite you to the wedding!”
The officer laughed.
“I’ll be waiting! Your parents must’ve been anxious for a while, huh?”
“Yeah.”
After a short chat, Lu Fengting left.
The officer then handed Zhou Heshan his approval and said plainly,
“This was expedited by the leadership. Your partner’s documents are fine, but don’t let something like this happen again—it will seriously affect your career.”
After that, he went back to work without saying anything else.
Zhou Heshan gritted his teeth.
Wasn’t this just because his rank was lower?
He believed he would rise eventually. At most, he’d be overlooked for a year or two. Once leadership changed, he’d have another chance.
He trusted his own ability.
After getting the approval, they went home.
Recently, Liu Wanwan had been trying very hard—cleaning the house every day and cooking meals on time.
Even though her cooking wasn’t great, at least there was hot food ready when they got home. Gradually, Yang Su stopped complaining as much.
As soon as Zhou Heshan returned with the approval, Liu Wanwan saw it and got excited. She grabbed his hand tightly.
“We can finally be together!”
“Heshan, I’ve dreamed of this day… I can’t believe it’s finally here. I really want to be with you!”
She hugged him tightly.
They agreed to register their marriage in a couple of days.
As for Lu Fengting, the first thing he did after getting the approval was go find Liu Qingyue.
She wasn’t surprised at all—it had happened just as quickly in her previous life.
“Get ready. This afternoon, come to my house for a meal. We can talk about the wedding,” Lu Fengting said eagerly.
She nodded with a small smile.
Inside the room, he looked at the approval and rubbed his nose, a bit shy.
“Now that the approval’s out… no backing out.”
Liu Qingyue laughed.
“You’re the one who shouldn’t regret it. I won’t. I should actually thank you—if it weren’t for you, I’d have to go back home and face everyone’s gossip.”
They joked—but both were speaking honestly.
After staying a while, Lu Fengting returned to the base. He planned to pick her up later after training. He had already told his mother, and she would prepare dinner.
Back at training, Lu Fengting led his troops as usual—but he was a bit distracted.
A few soldiers close to him noticed and came over during a break.
“Deputy Commander, what’s going on today? You seem distracted. You’re usually very focused—today it feels like you just want training to end quickly.”
Since they were close, Lu Fengting didn’t hide it. He said seriously,
“My marriage approval came through.”
“Next is the process… then we’ll register the marriage.”
The soldiers immediately smiled.
“Congratulations, Deputy Commander!”
“We thought you’d stay single for a long time—who knew you’d be getting married so soon? We’re definitely coming to your wedding!”
“Of course! All of us have to go. You’ve worked so hard training us—we should at least come meet our future sister-in-law!”
“Hey, didn’t the other couple also get their marriage approval today?”
“Seriously? Why bring that up now?”
The soldiers chatted noisily among themselves. Lu Fengting just smiled lightly.
“When the wedding happens, I’ll invite all of you. Now hurry up and get back to training!”
The group laughed and headed back to the training ground, joking around with each other.
Because Lu Fengting was so eager for training to end, time felt like it dragged on forever—like an entire century—before it was finally over.
As soon as training ended, he rushed straight to find Liu Qingyue.
After he left earlier, Liu Qingyue went into her little storage space and looked around. She picked out a beautiful outfit:
A white floral dress and a pair of small leather shoes.
She had bought this outfit a long time ago after saving money, originally planning to wear it when going out with Zhou Heshan—maybe for dates or when registering their marriage.
But she never got the chance to wear it.
Now, it finally had a purpose. It was elegant, simple, and made her look gentle and refined.
She remembered that in her previous life, when she married Lu Fengting and visited his family, she didn’t make a particularly strong impression. Still, because his parents were eager for him to marry, they gave a bride price of 888 yuan.
This time, she wasn’t expecting much. This was already enough.
After all, she had come back to fix her regrets.
She checked herself in the mirror, made sure everything looked right, then stepped out of the space.
Not long after, Lu Fengting arrived.
He called out at the door. She quickly tidied herself and stepped outside.
The moment their eyes met, a flash of amazement crossed his face.
“You look really beautiful in a dress,” he said seriously.
“Next time we go off the island to shop, let’s buy you a few more.”
She smiled but didn’t say anything. Then the two of them walked toward his house.
Since everything was on the same island, it didn’t take long to arrive.
At the door, Liu Qingyue nervously adjusted her clothes.
She actually knew a bit about his parents—they were educated people, and in her previous life, they had been kind and understanding toward her.
But precisely because they were so good, she felt even more nervous.
“No need to be nervous,” Lu Fengting said gently. “My parents are really looking forward to meeting you.”
He knocked on the door.
The door opened quickly.
Xu Yunjie pulled it open, saw her son, and immediately pushed him aside.
“Move over! Don’t block me—I want to see my future daughter-in-law!”
As soon as he stepped aside, she saw Liu Qingyue in her long dress.
Just like her son, she was instantly impressed.
She stepped forward, warmly took Liu Qingyue’s hand, and said,
“You must be Qingyue. Come in, come in! I’ve already prepared the meal—just sit and eat.”
Liu Qingyue walked in politely and sat at the table. She saw Lu Fengting’s father, Lu Mingsheng.
“Hello, Uncle.”
She greeted them properly.
Xu Yunjie really liked polite girls, and Liu Qingyue’s gentle, refined appearance made a great first impression.
She felt immediately satisfied.
See? My son’s taste isn’t bad at all!
While eating, Xu Yunjie spoke kindly,
“Qingyue, I’ve heard everything from my son. You’re a strong girl. In the future, my son will take good care of you.”
She was straightforward and spoke her mind openly.
Liu Qingyue nodded. She had seen this side of her in her previous life too—only back then, she had been too foolish to appreciate it.
“Auntie, I understand.”
“I originally came here because of a marriage arranged by our families. I didn’t have strong feelings for him,” she said honestly.
This wasn’t a lie. After living a second life, she understood her own feelings better now.
Back in the village, she and Zhou Heshan barely interacted anyway.
Even if someone tried to spread rumors, they wouldn’t hold up.
Hearing this, Xu Yunjie felt relieved and smiled brightly.
“You and my son will have a good life together. He’s never liked anyone before.”
“No matter how you came together, we hope you’ll understand and support each other.”
Liu Qingyue listened seriously, earning even more approval from them.
After dinner, the conversation wrapped up.
Xu Yunjie and Lu Mingsheng went into another room for a moment, while Lu Fengting and Liu Qingyue chatted casually in the living room.
When his parents came back out, Xu Yunjie sat beside Liu Qingyue, held her hand, and took out a prepared red envelope.
“Even though your parents aren’t here, we still need to follow proper traditions.”
“Since it’s too far to meet them, this is our bride price for you—1,888 yuan.”
Hearing the amount, Liu Qingyue was stunned. Her hand trembled slightly, and she quickly shook her head.
“No, Auntie, that’s too much. You don’t need to give so much. We chose to be together—we’ll work hard and live a good life.”
In her previous life, they had only given 888 yuan.
This time… it had increased by another 1,000.