Brother! This is the adoption certificate. I don't want your sister-in-law!

Once Su Xiao's identity was revealed, the school approved it faster than he had expected.

The next morning, he was dozing off in the political education classroom when his phone vibrated.

It was Zhang Fan calling, his tone much warmer than yesterday: "Su Xiao, the shop contract has been drafted. Are you free this afternoon to come and sign it?"

Su Xiao agreed, hung up the phone, leaned back in his chair, and glanced at Wu Mengmeng next to him. She was engrossed in copying notes and didn't notice him at all.

Su Xiao didn't say anything, she just turned her phone over and placed it face down on the table.

In the afternoon, he went to the administration building alone, pushed open the door of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Department, but Zhang Fan was not there.

A middle-aged man in a striped polo shirt was sitting in the office, looking down at a document.

Su Xiao was stunned for a moment before recognizing that this was her counselor, Wang Bowen.

Wang Bowen also looked up and glanced at him, probably remembering him: "Su Xiao? What are you doing here?"

Su Xiao nodded politely: "Hello, Teacher Wang. I'm here to apply for the shop and sign the contract."

Wang Bowen frowned immediately. He put down the materials in his hand, leaned back, and said in a serious tone, "You're a freshman, why aren't you focusing on your studies? What kind of business are you trying to start? Do you think starting a business is a joke?"

Su Xiao opened her mouth, wanting to explain.

Wang Bowen didn't give him a chance and continued, "Do you know that the best shop on campus was taken by a student yesterday? Do you know how outstanding that person is? City-level commendation, a model of youth entrepreneurship, a key support recipient from the Jingcheng industrial and commercial system. Do you think you're that person? You're only a freshman. Can't you calm down and focus on your basic courses instead of thinking about all that nonsense all day?"

He rambled on and on for a long time.

Su Xiao stood there, her face expressionless, but she secretly wanted to laugh.

Just as Wang Bowen was about to speak again, a series of hurried footsteps came from the corridor.

Zhang Fan pushed open the door, carrying two cups of milk tea. When he saw Su Xiao, his eyes lit up, and he almost threw the milk tea away: "You're here! Come, come, sit down. I've prepared the contract."

He rushed to his desk, opened a drawer, pulled out a bound document, slammed it on the desk, and then pulled over a chair for Su Xiao to sit on.

Wang Bowen watched from the side, completely bewildered.

He looked at Zhang Fan, then at Su Xiao, and asked, "Minister Zhang, what's going on here?"

Zhang Fan then noticed that there was another person in the office.

He turned to look at Wang Bowen, then at Su Xiao, and asked, "Do you two know each other?"

Su Xiao coughed and said, "Minister Zhang, this is my counselor, Teacher Wang."

Zhang Fan's expression changed slightly.

He nodded to Wang Bowen, his attitude more polite than before: "Hello, Teacher Wang. Su Xiao is the one I told you about yesterday, the one who applied for the shop."

Wang Bowen was stunned.

He opened his mouth, his expression shifting from confusion to shock, and then from shock to a subtle embarrassment.

He looked at Su Xiao, then at the contract in Zhang Fan's hand, and after a long while, he managed to squeeze out a sentence: "He...he's that outstanding young man?"

Zhang Fan nodded: "Yes. It was a city-level commendation, a model of youth entrepreneurship. The business administration system in Jingcheng personally called to recommend it."

Wang Bowen was silent for two seconds.

Then he stood up, walked up to Su Xiao, and his expression had changed completely: "Su Xiao, don't take what I just said to heart. I knew you were an outstanding child; I could tell you were different from others the moment I saw you."

He patted Su Xiao on the shoulder, his tone full of warmth, "If you need any help in the future, just tell your teacher. I will definitely help within my ability."

Su Xiao's lips twitched slightly.

Looking at Wang Bowen's enthusiastic face, and recalling what he had just said about "what kind of business freshmen should start," he sighed inwardly.

People in university are all incredibly shrewd.

But he still smiled and agreed, exchanging phone numbers with Wang Bowen.

After signing the contract, Su Xiao stood at the entrance of the administration building and looked at the contract with the red seal over and over again.

We've secured the shop; the rent is more than half the price of what we'd pay elsewhere.

He went to the building materials market again in the afternoon to select materials and set a construction schedule. He was busy until it got dark before returning to his dormitory.

……

A few days later, good news also came from Li Xuan's side.

He oversaw Su Xiao's case from beginning to end, and the process of terminating the adoption relationship went smoothly.

That morning, Su Xiao and Su Wan Ning arranged to meet at the entrance of the police station.

Su Wan Ning arrived early, wearing a light pink light jacket and with her hair tied in a low ponytail, and stood on the steps waiting for him.

Upon seeing him, she jogged over with a smile on her face, but there was a hint of tension in that smile.

Su Xiao reached out and straightened her bangs, which had been ruffled by the wind, and led her into the hall without saying anything else.

The procedures were completed quickly: signature, stamp, and data entry into the system.

Finally, the staff member handed out two household registration books through the window with a complicated expression.

One is for Su Xiao, and the other is for Su Wan Ning.

Su Xiao opened her notebook; on the homepage, below his name, there was no space.

The column that used to say "younger sister" is gone.

Su Wanning also opened her book.

A thin little notebook, household head page, household head's name: Su Wanning.

She was all alone.

After leaving the police station, Li Xuan stood to the side, put the documents into his briefcase, and smiled at them: "Congratulations to you two, you've finally become a couple. Once you reach the legal age, you can go to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get your marriage certificate."

Su Xiao closed the household registration booklet, stuffed it into her pocket, and extended her hand to Li Xuan: "Thank you for your hard work, Attorney Li."

Li Xuan shook his hand, glanced at Su Wan Ning who was standing silently to the side, and left without saying anything more.

Su Xiao breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look at Su Wan Ning.

She kept her head down and didn't say a word. Only then did Su Xiao realize that her eyes were red.

"What's wrong?" He quickly turned his head to look at her face.

Su Wanning sniffed, her voice muffled: "Brother, I regret it."

Su Xiao was taken aback: "Regret what?"

Su Wan Ning looked up, tears welling up in her eyes: "I shouldn't have done it so quickly. Now... now I have my own household registration book, and it only lists me."

She clutched the household registration booklet tighter, her voice trailing off, "You and I aren't on the same booklet anymore..."

Su Xiao felt extremely distressed seeing her like that.

He reached out and pulled her to sit down on the bench next to him. He took the household registration booklet from her hand, opened it, then opened his own and placed them side by side.

"Look," he said, pointing to the two household registration books, "this one is yours, and this one is mine. They're not together now. But when we get married, they'll be combined. Then, your page will say 'wife,' and mine will say 'husband.' We'll be in the same book, together forever."

Su Wan Ning sniffled, looked at the two small notebooks placed side by side, and finally tears fell.

Su Xiao reached out and wiped it away for her: "We'll get married after we graduate from university. Then, I'll personally add your name back to my household registration. Don't cry, okay?"

Su Wanning looked up at him.

Her eyes were wet, like flower petals dampened by rain.

But after hearing his words, she finally gave a soft "hmm".

That sound was very soft, but it felt like a stone that had been hanging in my heart for a long time was slowly put down.