Chapter 134 Extra Chapter (Song Zhiyi and Huo Yanli): 9. The Dust Settles Down
Back home, Song Zhiyi changed into comfortable loungewear, and Huo Yanli also took off his suit and put on a light gray cashmere sweater.
Ji Yun and the others arrived one after another. As soon as Ji Yun entered, he exclaimed, "Congratulations! This time it's for real! Where's the marriage certificate? I need to check it out!"
Huo Yanli took out the marriage certificate, which Ji Yun snatched away and huddled together with Zhou Mubai and Shen Yu to look at it.
"Tsk tsk, not bad," Ji Yun commented. "Much better than that last one that looked like a business partner photo."
Shen Yu brought a bottle of fine wine: "To celebrate the proper sense of ritual."
Ji Yun's gift was a set of couple's pajamas with exaggerated cartoon patterns, which made Song Zhiyi frown. "Just kidding!" Ji Yun laughed, then took out the real gift from his bag: a pair of custom-made couple's watches, with their names and the date engraved on the back of the watch face.
Zhou Mubai gave him a set of professional outdoor gear: "I heard you'll be going on field expeditions often in the future, and this will come in handy."
Song Zhiyi thanked them one by one, while Huo Yanli went to the kitchen to serve the dishes. He had ordered dinner in advance from a private restaurant.
The atmosphere at the dinner was relaxed. Everyone chatted about their recent lives and reminisced about the past. No one mentioned the separations and pain of those years; they only talked about the current stability and future plans. Song Zhiyi realized that true sweetness didn't lie in grand ceremonies, but in evenings like this, sitting around a table with loved ones and trusted friends, eating simple food, and talking about ordinary things.
After seeing their friends off, the two cleaned up the kitchen together. Huo Yanli washed the dishes, and Song Zhiyi dried them, working together seamlessly, as if they had been living like this for many years.
"Are you tired?" Huo Yanli asked.
Song Zhiyi shook her head and dried her hands: "On the contrary, I feel very energetic."
Huo Yanli led her to the balcony. The autumn night in Beijing was already chilly, so he took a thin blanket and draped it over her shoulders, then brought over two cups of hot tea.
The two leaned against the railing side by side, looking at the city's night view.
"How are you feeling today?" Huo Yanli asked softly.
Song Zhiyi thought for a moment and said, "It feels reassuring." She turned to look at him and said, "It's like we've been drifting for a long time and have finally reached the shore."
Huo Yanli put his arm around her shoulder and let her lean against him: "This will always be your haven."
The night breeze ruffled her hair, carrying the faint scent of shampoo. The two quietly watched the city lights and listened to the faint sounds of traffic.
After a long while, Song Zhiyi said softly, "Huo Yanli, thank you for waiting for me."
"Thank you for coming back." He lowered his head and kissed her.
The kiss was tender and lingering, carrying the aroma of tea and the cool air of an autumn night. In the distance, the lights of the CBD shone like a sea of stars, but in this small space on the balcony, there was only their warmth and breath.
That night, the two slept in each other's arms. No more words were spoken; they simply shared the same bed and the same dream. In her sleep, Song Zhiyi unconsciously snuggled into his embrace, and Huo Yanli gently adjusted his position to make her more comfortable.
When Song Zhiyi woke up in the early morning, she found herself resting her head on his arm, his other hand loosely draped over her waist. Morning light streamed in through the gaps in the curtains, casting soft shadows on his eyelashes.
She gazed at him silently for a long time, then gently reached out, her fingertips tracing his features in the air—his brow bone, bridge of his nose, and lips. Huo Yanli stirred and opened his eyes. Their eyes met; his eyes were still hazy with the light of waking, yet a gentle smile already bloomed within them.
"Good morning." His voice was a little hoarse.
"Good morning," Song Zhiyi replied softly.
He leaned closer and placed a morning kiss on her forehead: "Want to sleep a little longer?"
Song Zhiyi shook her head: "I'm not sleepy anymore."
"Shall we chat?" He adjusted his position to make her more comfortable.
"What do you want to talk about?"
"Let's talk..." Huo Yanli thought for a moment, "Who will make breakfast every morning from now on?"
Song Zhiyi laughed: "Rock, paper, scissors?"
“Okay.” He said seriously, “but I know you always throw scissors.”
"Then why are you asking?"
“Because,” he pulled her closer, “I like watching your eyes move when you’re thinking.”
As dawn broke, a gentle atmosphere filled the room. The two chatted casually, from breakfast to weekend plans, from work to places they wanted to go together. Their ordinary words wove together the most authentic textures of their lives.
At seven o'clock sharp, Huo Yanli got up to buy breakfast. Before leaving, he carefully tucked her in: "Sleep a little longer, I'll be back soon."
Song Zhiyi couldn't sleep. She got up and went to the balcony. Beijing was shrouded in a thin mist in the early morning. She watched Huo Yanli's figure appear downstairs and walk towards the soy milk shop on the street corner.
At that moment, she suddenly understood what "the dust has settled" meant. It wasn't a grand promise or a magnificent ceremony, but rather, on such an ordinary autumn morning, knowing that someone would buy you soy milk and fried dough sticks, knowing that when you returned home, the blankets would still be warm, and knowing that from then on, no matter where you go in the world, there will always be a place and a person waiting for you to come home.
When Huo Yanli returned, he was carrying a steaming hot breakfast. Seeing her on the balcony, he waved to her.
Song Zhiyi smiled and turned to wash up.
Huo Yanli came in and stood beside her, the two brushing their teeth side by side. Their reflections were in the mirror, the same movements, the same rhythm, as if they had rehearsed it a thousand times.
Spitting out the foam, Song Zhiyi looked at the two people in the mirror and suddenly said, "Huo Yanli."
"Hmm?" He mumbled, his mouth full of toothbrush.
“This time,” she said earnestly, “we’ll keep doing this, won’t we?”
Huo Yanli rinsed his mouth, wiped it, and then turned to face her. He cupped her face in his hands, forehead to forehead, his eyes filled with a solemn promise: "Yes. From now on, every day, every year, until the very end."
Sunlight streamed into the room, and a new day began. Their new life officially started with this simple breakfast of soy milk and fried dough sticks.
This time, there was no contract, no time limit, just two people in love deciding to spend the rest of their lives together.
The mountains and rivers remain, but the journey is not yet over.
But when the dust settles, roses will bloom every year, and the lights of returning ships will forever shine only for each other.
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