Slow to mature after marriage

Because he had asked his mentor for a week's leave in advance, Zhou Yu'an stayed in Haicheng for the next few days.

The climate in Haicheng is different from that in northern Beijing.

The wind in northern Beijing is dry and harsh, feeling like sandpaper on your face. The wind in Haicheng is damp and soft, carrying the scent of seawater and osmanthus blossoms; when it blows in your face, it feels like being gently embraced.

She gradually became familiar with her family. At first, they approached her cautiously, afraid of disturbing her. Later, Zhou Yu'an slowly stopped dodging and stiffening up, and would even gently squeeze her hand back when Shen Ruoqing held it.

Every night, Shen Ruoqing always finds various excuses to sneak into Zhou Yu'an's room.

"An'an, Mommy can't sleep because the show hasn't updated tonight."

"An'an, your dad's snoring is too loud, I can't sleep."

"An'an, the moonlight is so beautiful tonight, Mommy can watch it with you."

The reasons became increasingly perfunctory, but Zhou Yu'an would nod each time.

Therefore, the time I used to spend video chatting with Bo Yan every night was drastically reduced.

Another night.

Zhou Yu'an lay on the bed, hugging her large teddy bear, and dialed Bo Yan's video call. The screen lit up, and the man on the other end was wearing a bathrobe, against a backdrop of the hotel's white walls and a warm yellow bedside lamp. He looked down at her, a half-smile playing on his lips.

"How long are you planning to fight me this time? Three minutes, or five minutes?"

Yesterday, Zhou Yu'an and Bo Yancai hung up the phone after only six minutes and thirty-two seconds, saying that "Mom is knocking on the door."

Someone strongly resisted this for an entire day—sending over a dozen periods in protest.

Zhou Yu'an lowered his eyelashes somewhat guiltily, twirling his fingers around the big bear's ear, trying to change the subject.

"Are you not at Muyan Garden? Are you on a business trip?"

"You care whether I go on business trips or not?"

"certainly."

The man gave a soft snort, the sourness in his eyes practically palpable even through the screen. "Is that so? I don't think you care about me at all."

Zhou Yu'an: "..."

She stared at him, remained silent for a moment, and then suddenly asked, "So you won't be able to come tomorrow?"

Tomorrow is the day Bo Yan has arranged to come to the Zhou family to propose marriage.

Bo Yan looked at her, not answering directly, but instead asking, "Do you want me to come?"

Zhou Yu'an didn't quite understand why he asked that, and replied without thinking, "Of course I hope so. Aren't we family too?"

Meeting the woman's sincere gaze, Bo Yan paused for a moment, then curled his lips into a smile.

"Alright. Now, guess where I am?"

Zhou Yu'an stared at the man on the screen, looking at the white wall and hotel bedside lamp in his background, and an answer slowly emerged in his mind.

"You are……"

"Haicheng," he told her, his voice lowered, with a hint of a smile, "I just landed."

"Wait for me, I'll come to propose marriage tomorrow."

-

The call ended half an hour later.

Zhou Yu'an put his phone on the bedside table, but before he could put it away, there was a knock on the bedroom door.

Shen Ruoqing still peeked in cautiously, and whispered, "An'an, can Mommy sleep with you? I watched a horror movie today, and I'm a little scared."

Zhou Yu'an looked up at her, his eyes crinkling into a smile.

"You don't need to watch horror movies to sleep with me."

Shen Ruoqing's eyes crinkled with joy. She strode in, pulled back the covers and tucked herself in, then, as she had done every night before, hugged Zhou Yu'an tightly.

Zhou Yu'an smelled the gardenia scent on Shen Ruoqing, which was gradually becoming familiar to him. He did not resist, but felt a warmth in his heart.

So this is what mom's cooking tastes like.

"Mom, Bo Yan is coming to propose marriage tomorrow. Could you, Dad, and Brother please not make things difficult for him?"

Shen Ruoqing sighed, looked down at the top of her daughter's head in her arms, and spoke very softly.

"An'an really likes Bo Yan, doesn't she?"

Zhou Yu'an pondered slowly, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes.

"What constitutes 'liking'?"

Shen Ruoqing felt as if something had gently pierced her heart.

As for what it means to like a boy, if she is a good enough mother, she will certainly tell her daughter when she is sixteen and begins to experience romantic feelings. She will teach her how to distinguish between attraction and affection, how to protect herself, and how to love someone.

But she missed it. She missed An'an's sixteenth birthday, and she missed all the moments when An'an first fell in love.

But now—she hopes it's not too late.

Shen Ruoqing tightened her arms and told her gently.

"When you like someone, you can't help but think about them. When you're eating, you wonder if they ate well today; when it rains, you wonder if they brought an umbrella; when you're happy, they're the first person you want to share it with; and when you're sad, all you want to do is hide in their arms."

"You'll remember every word he says and pay attention to every subtle expression he makes. You'll be happy when he smiles and tense when he frowns."

"You'll want to be with him, even if you're just doing nothing and quietly being alone, and time will fly by."

"When you think of him, this place in your chest," Shen Ruoqing reached out and gently tapped Zhou Yu'an's chest, "is warm and swollen, it's hard to describe the feeling, but you know it's not sadness."

Zhou Yu'an listened quietly without saying a word.

She thought of Bo Yan.

Bo Yan's face began to appear in her mind.

From the way he lazily leaned back in his chair when they first met at the blind date restaurant, to every night they ate together at Muyan Garden, built Lego together, and snuggled on the sofa to watch movies together. The way he clung to her when he had a fever and refused to go to the hospital, the way he dyed his hair silver at Disneyland and waited for her in front of the carousel, the way he said "I love you" to her every night with such a matter-of-fact tone.

She remembered the way he kissed her, the sound of him calling her "baby," and the certainty in his voice when he said, "Muyan Garden will always be your home."

Suddenly, my chest felt warm and swollen.

Zhou Yu'an suddenly realized and said, "Then I like him. I like Bo Yan."

Shen Ruoqing's tears welled up instantly, but she didn't let them fall. She just smiled and hugged her daughter even tighter.

"Don't worry, An'an, your parents won't make things difficult for the person you like. We'll treat him as family too."

-

The next morning.

Bo Yan came to the door.

Zhou Yu'an stood by the second-floor window and saw a black sedan parked outside the gate in the distance.

Bo Yan stepped out of the car. He wore a dark suit, perfectly tailored, and his tie was tied impeccably. His hair was black—not the silver hair he had at Disneyland that day, but a calm, restrained black that blended seamlessly with his attire. He stood at the courtyard gate, glanced up at the osmanthus tree, and then at the second-floor window.

Zhou Yu'an quietly slipped away.

My heart suddenly started beating uncontrollably fast.

When she came downstairs, Bo Yan was already sitting in the living room. He was holding a teacup, his back straight, his smile polite, chatting with Zhou Shuyan. His tone was unhurried, his words just right, and the conversation ranged from the weather in Haicheng to the current state of the shipping industry, and from the current state of the shipping industry to Yanhe International's future strategic plans—he was measured and neither arrogant nor humble, completely unlike the man who usually lounged on the sofa lazily calling her "Little Machine."

Zhou Yu'an stood at the top of the stairs for a moment.