Chapter 87: Side Story · 1

The next day brought beautiful weather, with gentle breezes and bright sunshine—perfect for heading out.

Ye Chengxing decided to go get their marriage certificate with Li Jia.

Since the two worlds were different in some ways after all, Ye Chengxing had cautiously done her research before bringing it up with Li Jia.

The marriage certificate in this world looked much the same as the ones she’d seen back home, and the overall process was similar enough.

Just apply for registration, bring the required documents, and the certificate would be bound to each other’s ID.

Li Jia hadn’t told her how she’d gotten through those five years, but Ye Chengxing had spotted that photo in the deepest glass cabinet—the one with obvious empty space beside her and the two very familiar snowmen in the background.

She didn’t need Li Jia to spell out her feelings; Ye Chengxing could guess most of them.

And she was right.

Li Jia had asked herself countless times if she regretted it.

Of course she did.

When she’d refused that photo together, she’d only thought they had plenty of time ahead—that they could take one on the day they parted. She truly hadn’t imagined she’d miss the last chance to pose with the person she loved.

She didn’t dare dwell on her refusal back then, or on what Ye Chengxing must have felt when she’d heard it and softly replied, “No problem. As you wish. We’ll take one whenever you want.”

In the countless sleepless nights that followed, it became her sharpest nightmare, the one that pierced her even in her clearest moments.

Those old wounds had been buried deep when Ye Chengxing returned, but only buried—like how she could finally sleep soundly holding her again, only for the nightmares to creep in alongside normal rest. Li Jia would jolt awake, then anxiously check Ye Chengxing’s breathing and press close to feel her warmth.

Ye Chengxing wasn’t blind to it.

So that morning, after they’d finished breakfast together, Ye Chengxing called out to her first. “Xiao Li.”

Li Jia looked up to meet her gaze. The woman was propped on her chin, eyes sparkling with a gentle smile. “The weather’s great today. How about we go get our marriage certificate later?”

She hoped that someday, when Li Jia looked back, her first thought would be of this photo they’d taken together—not that cold winter day and the refusal that had haunted her for five long years.

She would create more beautiful memories for them, filling every lingering regret until it felt whole.

“Good~ You two, scoot a little closer… Yes, perfect, heads right together like that. What a flawless photo.”

From registration to snapping the picture to walking out with the certificate in hand, the whole process had been astonishingly quick.

Li Jia stared at the marriage certificate in her hand, still seeming a bit dazed.

The photo was on a red background.

By some twist of fate, this had become their very first official portrait together.

In the image, the woman beside her gazed with gentle, smiling eyes, leaning slightly her way. The frame cut off at their upper bodies, but Li Jia remembered the warmth of the hand Ye Chengxing had clasped in hers, just out of sight.

Holding the certificate, Ye Chengxing let out a small sigh of emotion. “This is even faster than back in our world.”

Listening to her voice, Li Jia’s fingertip twitched slightly. Without a word, she snapped a photo of the certificate to post on Star Net. Ye Chengxing glanced over just as Li Jia was typing the caption.

It was short—just two words: 【Mine.】

Sunlight streamed through the car window, glinting off the screen. Ye Chengxing paused. “Posting it straight to Star Net like that… you sure it’s okay? Won’t it cause you any trouble?”

She didn’t follow entertainment news closely, but she recalled that celebrities were usually cautious about going public.

“No trouble.” Li Jia finished editing and hit send. From the side, her long lashes shadowed her eyes, her voice soft as a whisper. “…After the bitter comes the sweet. I can’t wait even a second longer.”

Ye Chengxing froze for a beat, then leaned in to press a kiss to Li Jia’s cheek. “Not just sweet—it’s super sweet, extra-extra-extra sweet.”

She repeated the word with earnest emphasis, drawing it out playfully.

“And it’s not just the certificate. We’ll take wedding photos. We’ll have a ceremony. We’ll spend every moment from here on out together.”

Li Jia met her eyes, and out of nowhere, she asked, “Would Sis find it troublesome?”

Ye Chengxing blinked, caught off guard for an instant, and let out a soft, questioning hum.

“If Sis were with someone else, one certificate and one wedding would do—no fuss. But with me… it all gets so complicated.”

Others were like flawless glass; she was a shattered shard. Loving her meant getting cut first, drawing blood from the jagged edges. Loving someone like her was always destined to be far more trouble than loving anyone else.

Ye Chengxing caught on and couldn’t hold back a laugh. She drew Li Jia into her arms and stroked her hair. “But it makes me so happy. Like having two weddings with Xiao Li? That’s double the happiness.”

A few strands of hair fell aside, warm breath grazing her ear. Li Jia’s lashes fluttered.

“I’m yours,” Ye Chengxing murmured, pressing a featherlight kiss to the soft spot behind her ear. “So set me ablaze.”

I’m willing to burn for you.

The words hung in the air, and Li Jia suddenly hugged her back fiercely, her arms locking tight around Ye Chengxing’s waist. “Sis, don’t whisper sweet nothings like that.”

“I really can’t hold back… It’s too easy to get… wet.”