Su Jin Yue looked at Gu Jing Shen.
It was only a simple sentence, nothing particularly special about it, yet for some reason, it made her heart tremble ever so slightly.
Perhaps it was because, ever since she was a child, she had grown far too accustomed to promises that were made so easily.
And yet this man, after making her wait for thirty minutes, had rushed over in a state that left him with none of his usual composure, simply because he intended to keep a promise he had made.
She said nothing, merely turned and walked inside.
This time, Gu Jing Shen walked beside her.
Together, they completed the marriage registration procedures.
When the staff member asked them to sit side by side for their photo, Su Jin Yue instinctively adjusted her hair.
Gu Jing Shen straightened up beside her as well.
They were close enough that she could feel the warmth radiating from his body.
“Look at the camera.” They both raised their heads.
“Smile.” Su Jin Yue curved her lips into a faint smile.
Gu Jing Shen’s lips lifted slightly as well.
Click!
The camera shutter sounded.
When the two marriage certificates were handed to them, Su Jin Yue lowered her eyes and stared at the words printed on the document for a long time.
The feeling was so strange that even she could not put it into words.
Just yesterday, they had been two complete strangers sitting across from each other in a restaurant.
Today, their names were written side by side on the same document.
Su Jin Yue turned to look at Gu Jing Shen.
“We’re officially husband and wife now.” “Mm.” “Don’t you regret it?” Gu Jing Shen looked at her, his voice calm yet firm.
“No.” “You really are decisive.” “So are you.” After completing all the formalities, the two of them suddenly realized something rather amusing.
They had officially become husband and wife, yet they did not even have each other’s phone numbers.
Su Jin Yue took out her phone first.
“We haven’t exchanged numbers.” Gu Jing Shen took out his phone as well.
“Read yours.” Su Jin Yue recited her number.
Gu Jing Shen saved it and made a test call.
Her phone immediately began to vibrate in her hand.
She glanced at the screen before saving his name.
Gu Jing Shen saved her number as well.
Then he asked, “Should we add each other on WeChat too?” Su Jin Yue nodded.
The two of them opened WeChat at the same time and sent each other friend requests.
Su Jin Yue looked at his profile.
His avatar was a simple landscape photograph.
Without thinking, she asked, “Did you take this photo yourself?” “Yes.” “It feels so peaceful.” “This is the view from my hometown.” Gu Jing Shen’s gaze lingered on the screen of his phone.
There was nothing particularly remarkable about the photograph.
It showed a narrow road winding between rows of green trees, with the faint outline of an old tiled roof nestled against the hillside in the distance.
The golden light of the setting sun bathed everything in a soft glow, creating such a tranquil scene that it seemed to exist beyond the noise and bustle of Dongcheng.
Su Jin Yue looked at Gu Jing Shen curiously.
“Where is your hometown?” “A small county south of the city,” Gu Jing Shen replied.
“My grandmother still lives there.” The moment he mentioned his grandmother, his voice unconsciously softened.
It was only a subtle change that might have gone unnoticed by anyone else, but Su Jin Yue was perceptive enough to catch it.
She remembered Gu Jing Shen telling her that his parents had passed away when he was young.
His grandmother had raised him, and the two of them had depended on each other until he grew up and left his hometown to study and work in the city.
“Do you go back to visit her often?” Gu Jing Shen was silent for a moment before answering, “My work is quite demanding.
I can’t go back as often as I’d like.” He spoke calmly, but Su Jin Yue could still detect a trace of guilt in his voice, something he made no attempt to hide.
The man who was always so rational and composed in front of her seemed to become nothing more than an ordinary grandson when he spoke of his grandmother, carrying a quiet sense of regret over not being able to spend enough time by her side.
Su Jin Yue looked at the landscape photograph on his phone for a while longer before asking softly, “Does your grandmother live alone?” Gu Jing Shen nodded.
“I still send money back.
There are people who help her take care of things around the house.
It’s just…” He paused, his gaze darkening slightly.
“Money can’t replace being there for her.” Su Jin Yue froze for a moment.
Those words touched a place deep within her heart.
She had once thought that Gu Jing Shen was a man who did not value emotions.
He spoke of marriage as a partnership, said that love was unnecessary, and had even bluntly declared that being rational allowed people to make fewer mistakes.
Yet at this moment, as he spoke about his grandmother, Su Jin Yue finally realized just how much he loved her.
Listening to Gu Jing Shen talk about his grandmother reminded Su Jin Yue of someone who had long since disappeared from her life.
“Actually…” she began slowly.
“I was raised by my grandfather too.” Gu Jing Shen turned to look at her.
Perhaps he had not expected her to voluntarily speak about her family.
Su Jin Yue had never been someone who liked talking about personal matters.
But for some reason, under his calm gaze today, she felt that she did not need to be on guard as she usually was.
“My mother passed away when I was young.
My father was always busy with work and spent most of his time away from home.
So back then, my grandfather took me in and raised me.” The corners of her lips curved into a faint smile, carrying a trace of nostalgia.
“When I was little, whenever my father scolded me, my grandfather would secretly buy me something delicious.
Once, I broke a vase my father really liked.
I was so frightened that I hid behind the house for an entire afternoon.
In the end, my grandfather found me there.
He didn’t scold me.
He just sat beside me and told me that everyone makes mistakes sometimes.” Gu Jing Shen listened quietly.
Su Jin Yue fell silent for a moment, her gaze drifting into the distance.
“He loved me very much.
Perhaps he was the person who loved me most in this world.
But he’s been gone for a long time.” Gu Jing Shen looked at her but said nothing.
Su Jin Yue had thought she could speak about it calmly by now.
After all, so much time had passed.
She had grown accustomed to no longer having someone waiting for her at the door when she came home, no longer having someone secretly slip a piece of cake into her bag after her father had scolded her.
Yet when she finally spoke those memories aloud, there was still an emptiness in her heart that was difficult to name.
“After my grandfather passed away, I realized…” She gave a faint smile, but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes.
“When the people we love are still beside us, we always think they’ll be there forever.
It’s only after they’re truly gone that we realize how much emptiness one person can leave behind in our lives.” Gu Jing Shen looked at her for a long time.
He did not offer empty words of comfort like “Don’t be sad” or “Everything will pass.” He simply remained quietly beside her, giving her enough space to sit with her memories.
Su Jin Yue turned to look at Gu Jing Shen and said sincerely, “If your grandmother is still healthy, you should go home and visit her more often.
Work can wait, and money can always be earned again, but family is different.” Gu Jing Shen nodded slightly.
“If I had known then that it would be the last time my grandfather would be with me, I would have spent more time with him.” After saying that, Su Jin Yue fell silent for a few seconds before letting out a quiet sigh.
“Unfortunately, there are no ‘what ifs’ in this world.” Gu Jing Shen did not answer.
He simply looked at her, his gaze deeper than before.
Perhaps this was the first time he had seen a different Su Jin Yue from the cold, strong woman who always acted as though she needed no one he had known before.
She had people she loved too.
She had memories that could never return.
She had regrets buried deep within her heart.
After a moment, Gu Jing Shen said slowly, “If we get the chance, I’ll take you back to my hometown to visit my grandmother.” Su Jin Yue looked up at him.
“She’ll be very happy to see her grandson bring his wife home.” Su Jin Yue froze slightly.
“Wife?” Gu Jing Shen raised the marriage certificate in his hand.
Su Jin Yue had no idea how to argue with him.
In the end, she could only laugh.
“You’ve adapted to your new identity pretty quickly.” “Could that be considered one of my strengths?” “Definitely!”