Together Forever - Chapter 42
Volume 2, Chapter 42: Love Back Then (3)
She woke up late that morning. While brushing her teeth, she heard her grandmother and Gu Pingsheng talking in the living room. The apartment had good sound insulation; even straining her ears, she couldn’t make out what they were saying.
When she finally emerged, she saw him standing on the balcony, gazing out at the scenery.
He was wearing a crisp white shirt and slacks, the sleeves rolled up. She walked over and patted him on the back. As he turned around, she noticed he was also wearing a tie… unusually formal.
She looked at him appraisingly.
“Are you going to the university today?” Was it for early registration?
“To get married,” he said.
“Huh?” Tong Yan was stunned. “Married?”
“It’s a weekday, and…” he loosened his tie slightly. “…your grandmother has given her consent.”
Tong Yan gave a soft “oh,” her gaze drifting from his eyes to the ring on his finger. Her mind went blank for a moment, then she blurted out, “I need to shower!” and dashed back to the bathroom.
It was perfectly normal, perfectly reasonable, yet she spent the entire morning in a flurry of chaotic activity. Just choosing an outfit took an hour. Since her bedroom didn't have a full-length mirror, she carried armfuls of clothes to the bathroom, trying them on, then returning to her room for more, repeating the process endlessly.
Finally, Gu Pingsheng, amused by her antics, entered the bathroom and pointed to a pale pink dress.
She agreed, quickly putting it on.
But once they were in the taxi, looking down at the dress, she suddenly felt unsure. “Is it too… pink? Not serious enough?” Gu Pingsheng looked at her. “No, it’s perfect. You look beautiful, Mrs. Gu.” She smiled, then, after a moment, asked, “Why aren’t you nervous?”
“I am. I’m nervous too,” he said, smiling earnestly. “Really.”
Tong Yan gave him a skeptical look.
Gu Pingsheng held out his hand. “Give me your hand.” Puzzled, she placed her hand in his.
His palm was slightly damp.
“Believe me now?” he asked, his voice and expression serious.
She nodded, leaving her hand in his, then turned to look out the window, a smile playing on her lips.
In her twenty years of life, Tong Yan had never believed someone could smile for so long. How happy could a person possibly be to grin like a lovesick fool? But as she stood in front of the marriage registration office, still smiling, she finally understood. A person could indeed be so happy that they couldn’t stop smiling.
The early summer sun was warm and comforting.
Perhaps because it was a weekday, the office wasn’t crowded. There were maybe ten or eleven couples: some filling out forms at the counter, others consulting with the staff. As they entered, a friendly woman greeted them and directed them towards the premarital checkup area.
Tong Yan paused, looking at Gu Pingsheng.
He had entered after her and hadn't heard the instructions. Seeing her looking at him, he asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Young lady, the premarital checkup is essential,” the woman, seeing Tong Yan’s hesitation, said patiently. “It’s very important. You young people don’t understand.”
“We’re not doing it,” Tong Yan said quickly. “What’s the next step?”
“I still recommend you do it,” the staff member insisted. “Last month, a young couple came to register without having the checkup. This month, the girl’s parents came and complained that the young man had fertility issues. The girl regretted it and blamed us for not being responsible. But these checkups are voluntary now; what can we do?”
Tong Yan shook her head and, taking his hand, led him further inside, looking for the signs outlining the procedures. The woman’s advice was well-intentioned, but she knew his condition better than anyone. Whatever the checkup entailed, she didn’t want anything to spoil their day.
The woman continued muttering about how young people these days weren’t practical, skipping such an important checkup. Tong Yan ignored her, studying the instructions. The process seemed straightforward: take a photo, then register at the counter. She turned to him. “Let’s take the photo in that room, then we can register.”
He agreed, seemingly unfazed by the staff member’s comments.
After paying for the photo and joining the queue, Tong Yan watched a young couple ahead of them, grinning like they had won the lottery. The photographer kept telling them to smile less broadly, their teeth showing too much… They exchanged amused glances, then, after a moment of awkward posing, finally managed to compose themselves for the photo.
As they walked past Tong Yan, the girl apologized for taking so long. Tong Yan shook her head. “It’s okay.”
Now it was her and Gu Pingsheng’s turn.
She finally understood the awkwardness of posing; it was entirely the photographer’s fault.
“The girl’s mouth should curve up more on the right side,” the photographer instructed meticulously. “Don’t smile too widely… No, that’s too forced…” Tong Yan was completely bewildered by his directions.
When the photos were finally printed, she saw his perfect smile against the red backdrop.
Her own expression, however, was… indescribable. A strange mixture of laughter and tears.
“Look at your husband, such a natural smile,” the photographer commented while they were alone.
Trying to appear composed, she cut the four photos apart, carefully placing two in her wallet and holding onto the other two for their marriage certificates.
Gu Pingsheng watched her patiently, then, putting his arm around her shoulder, said, “We’ll take proper wedding photos after your exams.” She gave him a playful nudge, handing him the photos. “Some people are just born lucky.”
“Lucky?” he repeated, mimicking her lip movements.
“Like having cheat codes in a game, making you invincible.”
“A bug in the program?”
“Not exactly.”
And so, as they waited in line to register, they discussed the difference between cheat codes and program bugs. By the time their turn came, they still hadn’t reached a conclusion. They sat down at the counter, ready to get down to business.
Gu Pingsheng took the form and quickly filled in his information. When it was Tong Yan’s turn, her heart pounded. She wrote slowly, carefully considering even the simplest details.
She saw him, seemingly finished, look at her.
Flustered, she accidentally wrote her birthdate instead of her signature…
The woman behind the counter chuckled. “You’re nervous, aren’t you? Completely different from when you were discussing game cheats.” Tong Yan smiled sheepishly, crossing out her birthdate and quickly signing her name.
“Household registration booklet and ID cards,” the woman said, collecting their forms.
Gu Pingsheng handed over his passport and Tong Yan’s household registration booklet, along with her ID card. The woman flipped through the booklet, then looked up, puzzled. “Your name isn’t in here.”
Tong Yan gasped, looking at Gu Pingsheng blankly.
He looked equally confused.
“Did you transfer your household registration somewhere else?”
She suddenly understood. “I think… it was transferred to the university when I enrolled…”
“You’re still a student?” the woman asked, surprised. While university students could legally marry, it was still uncommon.
“So… do I need to get it back from the university?” Tong Yan asked, unsure of what to do. “Can’t I just use my ID card?”
“These days, household registrations aren’t automatically transferred to universities anymore,” the woman explained patiently. “But those from previous years are still under the university’s collective household registration, which is more complicated. You need a certificate from the university. Is your university here in Beijing?”
“No, it’s in Shanghai.”
“Then you’ll need to get the certificate from your university in Shanghai and register there.”
Throughout the conversation, Tong Yan had been facing the staff member, so Gu Pingsheng hadn't been able to follow along. As she turned to explain, he simply smiled and took her hand. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out.”
She nodded, taking back her documents.
They had arrived full of excitement, but their efforts had been in vain.
She stared dejectedly at the traffic outside, while he remained calm, asking if she wanted to go home for dinner or take her grandmother out to eat.
She gave a vague reply, then, after a moment, cautiously asked, “Will it be a problem getting the certificate from the university?” After all, they had met at the university, and he had been her teacher. Although he was moving to a different university, the rumors and gossip, along with her classmates’ attitudes, would have reached the department. Without this… complication, she wouldn’t have hesitated to request the certificate…
“It might affect your graduation. We can register after you graduate.”
She nodded and took his hand. “Let’s eat at home.”
He agreed, hailing a taxi, and they returned home.
Realizing they hadn’t bought any groceries, they stopped at a restaurant near their apartment to get takeout. When they arrived home, they were greeted by a table laden with food, a feast so elaborate it left them speechless. Tong Yan was stunned, unsure how to react to her grandmother’s surprise dinner. Thankfully, he, as always, smoothly explained away the unexpected situation.
Back in her room that night, she couldn't sleep, tossing and turning until past one.
Finally, unable to bear it any longer, she got out of bed, barefoot, and quietly opened her door. The apartment had two guest rooms and a master bedroom. Since the master bedroom had an ensuite bathroom, it had been given to her grandmother, which meant their rooms were next to each other. As she entered his room, she saw him sitting up in bed, reading with a pair of stylish silver-rimmed glasses, still wearing his shirt from earlier that day.
He saw her, put down his book, and held out his arms. Tong Yan climbed onto the bed and snuggled into his embrace. After a while, she looked up, smiling. “Why haven't you showered yet?”
“I’m still feeling a little… defeated after our failed attempt,” he teased, nuzzling her cheek. “What are you doing here so late?” His face was pressed against hers, so he couldn’t read her lips. She nuzzled him back, then pulled back the duvet and climbed under it, finally looking into his eyes. “To sleep with you, of course. Since when do you wear glasses?”
“I need them sometimes, and I’ll probably need them permanently soon,” he leaned back against the pillows, looking at her. “One of the side effects is gradual vision loss. But it’s not a big deal; glasses correct it.”
Tong Yan had suspected as much.
She held up her hand close to her eyes. “I can’t see clearly past this point. I’m nearsighted, 5.0 diopters. I wear contacts, so you can’t tell. Do you know the best thing about being nearsighted?”
Gu Pingsheng smiled silently.
“When you take off your glasses, everyone looks beautiful,” she playfully removed his glasses. “Do you see a very, very beautiful woman lying in your bed, smiling at you?”
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