First, then, love.

The two stopped in front of a restaurant called "Old Chen's Casserole Stir-fry".

The store was completely full.

Business was booming, the place was bustling with noise, and shirtless men were drinking and playing drinking games.

The proprietress came out to greet us, draped in a towel.

"Hey, Captain He's here! We've saved you your usual spot! And who's this?"

The proprietress had sharp eyes and immediately spotted the pretty girl He Zheng was holding hands with; her eyes widened in surprise.

"Wife," He Zheng said succinctly.

Shu Yao looked at him in surprise.

"Oh my! Beautiful! So beautiful! Captain He is so lucky!" The proprietress couldn't stop smiling. "Please sit down! There's air conditioning inside."

They were led to a folding table in the corner, which was covered with a disposable plastic sheet.

He Zheng pulled out a plastic stool, took a few cheap napkins from the side, and carefully wiped the stool surface twice.

Then he gestured for Shu Yao to sit down.

He sat down opposite her with an air of superiority.

"Let's order." He Zheng pushed the laminated menu in front of her.

Shu Yao glanced at the greasy menu.

All the dishes were stir-fried with strong flavors.

She frowned.

"I don't eat spicy food, and I don't eat carbs after 7 p.m. because I'm afraid of gaining weight."

He Zheng took the menu back and turned to call out to the proprietress.

"One serving of stir-fried shredded lettuce, and one serving of steamed pork ribs. Less oil and less salt," he ordered the two dishes.

He glanced at himself again and said, "Another serving of stir-fried pork intestines, another serving of dry-fried beef, three large bowls of rice, and two bottles of iced cola."

The proprietress made a note of it.

"Okay! Just a moment!"

It was very noisy around.

The old-fashioned ceiling fan overhead made a creaking sound.

Shu Yao adjusted her skirt somewhat awkwardly.

She is quite particular about her meals.

She hadn't set foot in such a small, run-down restaurant for many years.

She looked up and sized up the man opposite her.

He Zheng was also looking at her.

Having spent a long time in the military, he always maintains an upright posture.

Even sitting on this cheap plastic stool, he looks like an unshakeable statue.

"What are you looking at?" Shu Yao felt uneasy under his gaze.

He Zheng picked up the kettle on the table, poured a cup of hot water, and used the boiling water to rinse the bowl and chopsticks in front of Shu Yao.

The movements were skillful and natural.

"Because you're pretty." After rinsing the dishes, he poured the water into the trash can at his feet and pushed the clean tableware in front of her.

Shu Yao was speechless.

We can't talk today.

The dishes were served quickly.

He Zheng ate quickly, swallowing large mouthfuls.

His decisive and efficient style is ingrained in his bones; he can devour a bowl of white rice in just a few big mouthfuls.

Stir-fried pork intestines glistening with red oil.

He ate until he was sweating profusely.

Shu Yao picked up her chopsticks and slowly and methodically picked through the stir-fried lettuce in front of her, putting each stalk into her mouth one by one, thinking to herself: This shabby little restaurant actually tastes pretty good.

The two ate at completely different paces, yet surprisingly harmoniously.

After finishing his second bowl of rice, He Zheng put down his chopsticks, picked up an iced cola, and chugged half a bottle.

The Adam's apple moves up and down, making a swallowing sound.

He pulled out two napkins and casually wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth.

Then, I just leaned back in the chair.

He crossed his arms and watched Shu Yao eat quietly.

Shu Yao couldn't swallow her words under his gaze.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" She put down her chopsticks and took out a wet wipe from her pocket to wipe her mouth.

"Eat more." He Zheng's gaze fell on her slender waist. "You're too thin, it feels rough to the touch."

Shu Yao's face instantly turned bright red.

Despite the clamor of voices around them, his vulgar remark still landed squarely in her ears.

She grabbed an empty crumpled piece of paper from the table and threw it at him.

"He Zheng, have you no shame?!"

The crumpled paper hit He Zheng's solid chest and fell to the ground.

He didn't flinch; a clear smile played in his eyes, as if he were teasing a kitten.

The meal took more than an hour to eat.

He Zheng listened most of the time.

Shu Yao was complaining.

She complained about how difficult the kids were in class today, how the air conditioning in the art center was blowing directly on her, and how disgusting Wang Kai was.

He Zheng listened quietly, occasionally interjecting with a word or two.

This kind of mundane, yet vibrant daily life.

It made him feel incredibly at ease.

When paying the bill.

He Zheng took out his phone and scanned the QR code on the table.

Walk out of the alley.

A night breeze blew by, taking away some of the summer heat.

The SUV was parked downstairs in Shu Yao's residential complex.

The streetlights cast a dim yellow glow, and a few flying insects circled around the lampshade.

He Zheng turned off the engine, pulled out the car key, unbuckled his seatbelt, opened the car door, got out, and walked around to the passenger side.

Open the car door.

Shu Yao sat in the car and looked up at him.

A stray cat in the neighborhood meowed from the bushes in the distance.

He Zheng braced one hand on the top of the car door and the other on the edge of the car frame, trapping her in a small space.

He lowered his head slightly, bringing them closer together, and stared at her.

His eyes were as deep as a bottomless well.

"Let's go up," he said, his voice sounding even deeper in the night.

Shu Yao gripped the bag strap tightly. Her heart started racing again, much to her dismay.

She nodded, preparing to get off the bus.

But He Zheng didn't move aside; he remained blocking the car door.

He looked at her, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"Nine o'clock tomorrow morning," he said calmly.

"Bring your ID card."

Shu Yao paused, then looked up and met his gaze.

He Zheng took a deep breath.

"I'll come pick you up, let's go early."

*

It's 11:30 p.m.

Shu Yao lay on the big bed, turned over, and rolled the quilt into a ball and hugged it to her arms.

Can't sleep.

A dim reading lamp was lit on the bedside table, and a thin second-generation ID card lay in the center of the lamp.

The photo on her ID was taken when she was in her early twenties. Her eyes were clear, and she had a delicate air about her that she hadn't experienced the harsh realities of society.

Tomorrow morning at nine o'clock.

She was going to use this plastic card to exchange for a red booklet with an official seal at the Civil Affairs Bureau.

Shu Yao stared at the ID card, her heart rate increasing rapidly, feeling as if a stone was pressing on her chest, making it difficult to breathe.

Pre-wedding jitters.

Qiaoqiao said on WeChat that this is a normal phenomenon.

Most women experience a seizure the night before they get their marriage certificate.

My mind will uncontrollably play out movies, rehearsing all the worst possible outcomes.

Shu Yao's condition is more severe than that of the average person.

Because it was too fast, as fast as a car race without brakes.

From blind date to engagement, and then to going to the Civil Affairs Bureau.

It took less than a week, all in all.

Her understanding of He Zheng was limited to the fact that he was a special police captain.

He comes from a wealthy and powerful family, has a strong temper, can fight, and knows how to fix plumbing...

The rest is blank.

It's not that she's never been in a relationship.