Silver lights encircled them as the camera focused in, the background wall adorned with classical, solemn red palace-style paper.
Both women wore snow-patterned satin gowns, their disk buttons facing each other, the crimson tassels of their love knots intertwining.
Xia Zhuxi sported a diamond snowflake hairpin, her gaze drifting sideways to the woman who was about to become her wife. That woman had skin like ice and snow, an ethereal elegance that seemed otherworldly. And yet, this fairy-like beauty lightly hooked her arm, her eyes seductive and playful, flashing only at Xia Zhuxi a coquettish smile.
Spring waves rippled through Xia Zhuxi’s heart, layer upon layer of emotion swelling. Just as she teetered on the edge of surrendering completely to that tenderness, the tall woman holding the camera beyond the set stepped forward. “Not Happy, don’t tilt your head and smile—look over here. Look at the lens.”
Shen Jingsong’s watery eyes were misty. “I want to look at her more.”
Shang Mingrong stepped back, her face twisting in secondhand sweetness that made her teeth ache. “Aiya!” Weren’t they already living together, seeing each other every day? Soon they’d be family, sharing the same bed and blanket—what was the rush to stare like that?
Shen Jingsong gazed up at Xia Zhuxi like an innocent girl counting stars in the night sky.
Little Lulu clutched her unicorn doll and perched on a small stool, watching them with wide eyes. In her soft, childish voice, she asked, “Mommy, are Aunt Shen and Aunt Xia going to have little babies too?”
The child’s innocent words stunned the three adults.
The blush on Xia Zhuxi’s ears spread across her face. She and Shen Jingsong hadn’t even confessed their feelings to each other. Acting on impulse, she’d proposed a trial marriage, fully expecting total social suicide. Instead, fortune had smiled on her—months later, Shen Jingsong had agreed. They’d grown closer and closer, but something like having a baby… that felt far too distant for where they were now.
Xia Zhuxi didn’t dare glance at Shen Jingsong’s expression.
It had been days since she’d eaten those fortune cookies.
The fiery red roses and that massive stroke of luck had left Xia Zhuxi dizzy. Fingering the snowflake pendant at her collarbone, she’d asked if it was real while clutching Shen Jingsong’s hand tight.
Once she had Shen Jingsong in her grasp, she was Xia Zhuxi’s.
Shen Jingsong had been utterly serious. “I’m in earnest.” She’d immediately video-called Qi Peijun to announce they were getting married, pulling Xia Zhuxi into the frame as well. “What do you think, Mom? Is it good?”
Xia Zhuxi had felt a little awkward greeting her over the screen. The last time they’d met, Qi Peijun had asked her to introduce some quality prospects to Shen Jingsong. Now here she was, the prospective daughter-in-law meeting her future mother-in-law.
Easing her ailing mother’s worries was one of the reasons Shen Jingsong had agreed to the trial marriage, wasn’t it?
~~~
Before the red paper backdrop, the two women tied together by their love knots fell silent.
The red-background photo still wasn’t done.
Even someone as big-hearted as Shang Mingrong could sense the awkwardness hanging in the air. She raised a brow and scolded her daughter. “Little ones don’t understand grown-up matters—you can’t just say whatever pops into your head. Lulu, getting married and having a baby are two completely different things.”
Lulu hugged her unicorn doll and huffed. “I do know! You get married and then you have a baby. That’s how Mommy had me. But Mommy won’t tell me who Daddy is. Mommy’s a big meanie!”
Urgh.
Now things were even more awkward.
Xia Zhuxi turned her head awkwardly, only to find Shen Jingsong looking her way. Both wore helpless expressions and shared a wry smile.
Shang Mingrong had a massive headache. She pulled Lulu close, squatting down to ask seriously, “Tell Mommy—who told you all this?”
Lulu shouted at the top of her lungs, “Godmother Lu did! She said Mommy and Daddy had to get married to have me, and she asked who Daddy was.” Tears welled up in her eyes like poached eggs. “But I don’t know either! All the other kids in my class have daddies. I’m the only one who doesn’t!”
“Ah, for real!” Shang Mingrong clutched her head. “Didn’t I tell you your dad didn’t want us anymore? Aren’t things just fine with me and Godmother Lu?”
“Mommy’s a big meanie!” Lulu wailed even louder, clutching her unicorn doll as she bolted upstairs.
Xia Zhuxi: “……”
Shen Jingsong: “……”
Bang! A heavy door slam echoed from the second floor.
Shang Mingrong stared upstairs in silence for a moment, then lowered her eyes and quietly adjusted the camera’s focus. “Sorry about that. I’ll get your photo done right away.”
Xia Zhuxi had felt a twinge of jealousy earlier over Shang Mingrong’s old classmate bond with Shen Jingsong, but after witnessing that scene, sympathy welled up instead. “Why don’t you go coax her first?”
Shang Mingrong shook her head. “It’s fine. Kids throw tantrums now and then—perfectly normal. If I go disturb her now while she’s worked up, it’ll only make it worse. I know my own daughter.”
Since the mother herself said so, Xia Zhuxi let it drop.
Shang Mingrong fine-tuned the lighting and snapped a few test shots. Then she looked up with a smile. “Alright, brides—move a little closer.”
Xia Zhuxi faced the lens squarely, the hem of her skirt brushing lightly. Shen Jingsong’s hand crept over discreetly. Xia Zhuxi curved her lips, spread her fingers, and let Shen Jingsong’s fingertips slot into the gaps between them until their palms pressed warmly together.
The heat from their palms flowed like a warm current into their hearts. Smiles bubbled up from deep within, lighting their faces. Shang Mingrong hit the shutter swiftly—click—and captured that perfect moment of happiness.
The photos came out beautifully.
Shang Mingrong’s room was fully equipped for quick photo printing. She developed prints in various sizes and sent the digital versions to Shen Jingsong.
Xia Zhuxi had little exposure to Shang Mingrong’s line of work. Surveying the room full of equipment and gear—which could easily pass for a professional studio—she remarked, “Sister Jingsong said you’re a model. I didn’t realize you were so skilled at photography too.”
Shang Mingrong trimmed the photos. “Models need a solid grasp of photography.” She slipped them into festive red envelopes. “The real photography expert is Lu Guanlan. This is her house, and all the gear belongs to her. I’m just making do with what I have.”
Xia Zhuxi took the red envelope. “Thank you.”
Their trial marriage decision had come suddenly.
Everything was kept simple.
As public figures, neither of them made a fuss about it. Shen Jingsong had personally designed their wedding attire and ceremony. She’d enlisted Shang Mingrong to take their marriage photos, booked Chu Yun’s private estate for a simple reception with only family and closest friends, and they would spend their wedding night in their current townhouse.
They hadn’t gone out of their way to hide it, but the circle of trust was tight—practically the same as a secret marriage. This approach maximized protection for Shen Jingsong’s privacy and made her work life easier.
When they received their red marriage certificate, Xia Zhuxi was so thrilled she couldn’t sleep that night.
She was in the master bedroom, while Shen Jingsong was in the adjoining suite.
Neither had brought up sharing a bed. With the official wedding still ahead, Xia Zhuxi felt it was premature, both in terms of propriety and their level of intimacy… Not that she knew if Sister Jingsong even wanted to? Ahhh, Xia Zhuxi, get a grip on yourself!
Anyway, take it slow. As long as she was with Sister Jingsong, everything was fine~
Ding ding ding.
Xia Tian’s Jingjing: It’s been three days since you watered our little tree.
Xia Zhuxi blinked. Shen Jingsong had changed her ID again.
This ID…
Xia Zhuxi buried her face in her pillow and rolled around.
Ding ding ding.
System prompt: Your Heart Tree has been upgraded to a Love Tree by [Xia Tian’s Jingjing]!
Xia Tian’s Jingjing: Hurry up and water it.
Xia Tian’s Jingjing: Don’t forget every day, okay?
Xia Zhuxi hurriedly did some self-reflection, topped up her account to make up for missed days, and watered, fertilized, and sunned their little tree.
Ding ding ding.
summer: Watered~
Ding ding ding.
Xia Tian’s Jingjing: Mrs. Shen is amazing.
Those five words leaped onto the screen, straight into Xia Zhuxi’s eyes—and her heart.
That night, someone had burning cheeks as she huddled under her little blanket, rolling from one side of the bed to the other.
Hello, can you see the moon tonight?
Good night, Mrs. Shen.
~~~
The screening schedule for Eight Tones of Ganzhou had changed.
Shen Jingsong received the notice along with a ticket to the advance showing.
“Wow, today’s bento box is different?” Xia Zhuxi returned from her morning workout, fresh from a shower, with damp curls clinging to her bare shoulders amid a haze of steam.
Shen Jingsong caught the familiar scent—their body wash and shampoo were now the same brand.
Shen Jingsong packed the double-layer lunchbox into an orange bento bag embroidered with a little squirrel. “Yeah, it’s been upgraded.”
Xia Zhuxi: “Fancier dishes?”
Shen Jingsong: “Not quite.”
Xia Zhuxi: “Not quite?”
“It used to be Sister’s Bento.” Shen Jingsong sealed the insulated layer and tied a love knot to the handle. She looked up, her gaze soft as water. “Now it’s Love Wife Bento.”
Xia Zhuxi fell silent, but her reddening ears spoke for her: Thank you, Sister.
Thank you… Love Wife.
Shen Jingsong gently untangled the wet strands from her shoulder and dried them with a white towel. “If anyone from Feilian asks who made it…”
Xia Zhuxi perked up her ears.
“Just say…” Shen Jingsong murmured near her neck, “Squirrel Girl.”
In ancient tales, there was the Snail Girl.
Now there was Squirrel Girl~
Shen Jingsong watched the deepening blush on Xia Zhuxi’s face and smiled in satisfaction.
Oh, right—the screening ticket.
But Xia Zhuxi spoke first. “Sister Jingsong, the team notified me that the race schedule has been moved up. Belgian Racetrack, international flight tonight.”
I see.
Shen Jingsong dried her hair with gentle motions. “Alright, I’ll drive you tonight. When will you be back?”
Xia Zhuxi calculated the dates. “Thursday next week, but it’s not finalized yet. I’ll send you the schedule once it’s out.”
Shen Jingsong nodded. “Okay.”
Thursday next week meant they’d just miss it. The screening was on Wednesday.
Shen Jingsong sighed inwardly. This hot-ticket advance screening for Eight Tones of Ganzhou—which no amount of money could buy on the outside—looked like it would go to waste in her hands.
Should she give it to someone else?
Nah. Xia Zhuxi had fought for this role on her behalf. It wouldn’t mean anything without her there to see it.
Oh well~
Night fell swiftly. Shen Jingsong saw Xia Zhuxi off from Shengjing.
A brief embrace, and her sun flew off to Belgium—to warm another sky.
Shen Jingsong watched Xia Zhuxi’s retreating figure and waved goodbye. The love knot and squirrel pendant dangling from Xia Zhuxi’s backpack swayed back and forth. Shen Jingsong whispered to them, “Take good care of my Xiao Xi, please, please.”
~~~
The premiere screening finally arrived.
Xuanyuan Di Chen Holographic Theater.
Every seat was taken.
Aside from the producers and business guests in the front rows, the vast auditorium was packed with internal fans who had scrambled for tickets. They waved light-up signs emblazoned with Shao Wanwan’s name and that of the male lead actor.
The enormous screen projected the multi-character poster for 《Eight Tones of Ganzhou》. Shao Wanwan and the male lead dominated most of the frame, with the other key supporting roles tucked in here and there.
Exiled Fairy Ranran was nowhere to be seen.
The host introduced the cast members one by one. Each actor shared a few brief words, but when Shen Jingsong’s turn came, the host brushed past her with a single line: “The actress who plays Ranran.”
Shen Jingsong withdrew the hand she had extended for the microphone. The camera lingered deliberately on the awkward moment, yet she held her smile with perfect poise.
The host then invited the guests to take their seats, calling out each actor’s name to waves of enthusiastic applause from the fans in the audience.
Shen Jingsong brought up the rear, slipping in like a drop of water into a deep pool—silent, unremarked.
She reached the edge of the second row and scanned for her nameplate. Suddenly, the electronic touch screen beneath her feet bloomed with a glowing rose.
Then two more, three… The roses unfurled into a luminous field, bathing the entire theater in the soft glow of a romantic Eden.
Gasps echoed from all around.
The roses guided their fairy to her seat.
A flicker of surprise stirred in Shen Jingsong’s heart, but she sat down quietly and looked away from the cybernetic roses filling the hall. Abruptly, an enormous “I Love Jingjing” light sign flashed right in front of her.
Shen Jingsong blinked in astonishment. The person beside her, clutching the sign, grinned and tugged off a baseball cap. Vibrant orange hair spilled out in a radiant cascade.
Ah, it’s…
Shen Jingsong’s face lit up with a radiant smile as she reached out to touch the “I Love Jingjing.”
She pouted coquettishly. “Didn’t you say Thursday?”
“The competition isn’t over yet.”
She scolded lightly. “How could you pull something like this?”
“My event wrapped up. I came back early.”
Envious stares converged on them from every direction.
The cyber roses clustering around them shimmered with a gentle light. Shen Jingsong opened her arms wide, letting strands of orange hair brush across her cheeks.
The light sign blazed: I Love Jingjing
Her arms drew tight.
Jingjing loves you.
