This life is fulfilled.

As the night breeze grew cooler, the last embers of the fireworks scattered into the deep blue sky, like the end of a grand dream.

A faint smell of sulfur filled the open space, mingling with the scent of grass and the autumn night. The previously boisterous voices gradually subsided, replaced by satisfied sighs, sporadic laughter, and the rustling sounds of people cleaning up.

Qingran was tired from playing and nestled in Sister Jin's arms. Her eyelids started to droop, and she unconsciously held a charred fairy wand in her hand.

Qin Zhou and Song Yungui walked ahead arm in arm, whispering to each other, occasionally bursting into knowing chuckles.

Xiao Jue and Lin Ye were at the back. Xiao Jue seemed to be excitedly gesturing the shape of a firework. Lin Ye listened with his head tilted to the side, carrying an empty firework box in one hand and naturally holding Xiao Jue's hand with the other.

Qi Shuo didn't move immediately. He remained standing in place, his arms tightly encircling Tan Huaiyu in his embrace.

Tan Huaiyu's emotions had calmed down considerably, but her eyes were still red and the tip of her nose was also red, like a small animal that had been crumpled and then carefully smoothed out.

He leaned quietly against Qi Shuo's chest, his left hand held tightly in Qi Shuo's hand. The brand-new ring on his ring finger gleamed with a restrained yet firm light under the distant streetlights and the remaining moonlight.

The world seemed to be slowed down.

All the noise faded away, leaving only intertwined breaths and the steady, powerful heartbeat in their chests.

Qi Shuo lowered his head, rubbed his chin against Tan Huaiyu's soft hair, and took a deep breath. The breath carried the clean, light fragrance of Tan Huaiyu and the unique, slightly pungent yet reassuring smell of fireworks after the event.

Thirty-six years old.

He silently counted the number in his mind. An age that once seemed unattainable, an age he dared not even hope to reach safely.

At this moment, however, it is like a pebble polished smooth by time, settling steadily in the softest riverbed of my heart.

Those sharp pains, long nights, and bone-chilling loneliness did not disappear; they became imprints deep in the bones, sediment in the eyes, and the arms that unconsciously tighten when embracing.

It has become, at this moment, a silent force that can firmly protect the person in its arms and the bustling tranquility before it.

These are no longer painful scars, but rather the indelible imprint of who he is today. It is precisely because he has experienced the desolation of having nothing that he understands even more how breathtakingly precious everything he has now is.

He was not a lucky one.

Fate has never easily bestowed anything upon him. Every bit of warmth he possesses is something he painstakingly carved out of the frozen earth, something he gritted his teeth and fought back from the edge of a cliff, something he earned little by little with blood, tears, and unwavering waiting.

So when happiness finally arrived, so belatedly, and surrounded him with such fullness, such exuberance, and such undeniable power, he had no other thought but to use all his strength to catch it, to embrace it, and to cherish it.

Tan Huaiyu in his arms stirred, seemingly sensing his long silence, and tilted his head up slightly.

In the night after the fireworks faded, his eyes remained clear, reflecting a sparse moonlight and the lights of distant houses. Within them lay complete dependence, lingering shyness, and a gentle joy that came after everything had settled.

Qi Shuo looked at him and suddenly smiled. It wasn't a loud laugh, just a very faint smile that spread from the depths of his eyes to the corners of his mouth.

He said nothing, but lowered his head and placed a very light, yet incredibly precious kiss on Tan Huaiyu's smooth forehead.

Then, he took Tan Huaiyu's hand, turned around, and walked towards home.

My steps were neither hurried nor slow, my footsteps were steady on the slightly cool ground.

Behind me was the empty space where joy had just faded; ahead of me were windows lit with warm lights, and inside those windows lay a mess of cups and plates, bearing the marks of life, waiting to be cleaned up, and countless ordinary yet precious days and nights to come.

Their story began on a sudden rainy night and ended with a peaceful, warm sunshine.

For Qi Shuo, this life was both long and short.

What's long is the wind, frost, rain, and snow that I endured alone, the days when I toiled in the workshop to make a living, and the thought that I would spend my whole life in the cold concrete jungle, growing old alone.

What's short is that after meeting Tan Huaiyu, all the time seemed to be fast-forwarded. Those long nights that I once thought I couldn't get through now seem like just a blink of an eye.

It seems that he spent his entire life searching.

I'm looking for a sense of belonging, a harbor where my long-wandering heart can find rest.

He once thought it was an unattainable dream, until that person appeared, stumbling and breaking into his life with thorns and scars all over him.

There were no earth-shattering vows between them, only a quiet and enduring companionship.

For him, happiness was never about mansions, luxury cars, or fame.

Happiness is waking up in the morning to find your loved one sleeping soundly beside you, with a comforting scent lingering around your nose.

He would come home in the evening, where there was warm light in the house, hot food on the table, and the little girl who would rush into his arms the moment he felt wronged.

No matter how far you go, no matter what you experience, as long as you turn around, that person is still there, holding your hand tightly, with gentle eyes.

That's enough.

Qi Shuo thought.

In the first half of his life, he walked alone through storms and learned to be strong.

In the latter half of his life, he found refuge in love and learned to be gentle.

A life of hardship and wandering, overwhelmed by countless trials and tribulations.

Finally, fireworks appeared, and a home was established.

Half a lifetime of trials and tribulations, all shattered in tonight's fireworks.

Thirty-six years have passed, and I've stumbled along the way.

Wounds form armor, loneliness brews tenderness.

From then on, regardless of the seasons, they were not afraid of wind or rain.

My loved one is by my side, there is warmth in my hands, and there is a way home ahead.

This is the perfect ending to my life.

Of all the beautiful scenery in this world, you are the only one my heart longs for, and the only destination I will ever return to in this life.

Welcome to our perfect world.

—End of text—