Chapter 80

“…What certificate?” Wen Jiuze was momentarily stunned.

“The ‘just a formality, nothing important’ kind of certificate,” Xue Ling said, her smile deepening. Suddenly, she exclaimed, “Oh no, it’s so late! The Civil Affairs Bureau might be closed. Maybe we should forget it.”

She pretended to leave, only for Wen Jiuze to hook his arm around her neck and pull her back.

“Marriage registration is also handled by the management bureau. They’re open 24/7.” Wen Jiuze dragged her back into the building.

Of course, Xue Ling already knew this. She had checked beforehand and knew that welfare benefits, medals, and marriage registrations were all managed in this building.

Their back-and-forth entry and exit naturally attracted attention.

Earlier, Wen Jiuze had been bent over, dragged out with Xue Ling covering his mouth. Now, he had his arm hooked around her neck, dragging her back in.

“Relax. You’re making it look like you’re forcing me into marriage. The staff might think I’m not consenting,” Xue Ling teased, pinching his iron-grip arm.

“There are no staff. It’s all self-service now.”

This surprised Xue Ling; she hadn’t had time to check that detail. “Is it as simple as using an ATM?”

“No, there’s also an exam,” Wen Jiuze said.

Xue Ling: “…” Do you think I’d believe that?

“Wait!” Xue Ling broke free from his arm, cleared her throat, and said, “Before that, I have something for you.”

“I don’t have anything good to give away right now, so I want to give you what I just got as a gift.”

Wen Jiuze immediately guessed her intention. “You want to give me your Heart of History medal?”

No wonder she had insisted on collecting the medal first; it was to exchange it with him.

Xue Ling pulled his hand and, like performing a magic trick, retrieved an item from her clothes and placed it in his palm.

A small red velvet box. It was too small to hold the Heart of History medal.

Wen Jiuze: “…”

“You once gave me a necklace, but I lost it. After I woke up, I never saw it again. So, I got this to replace it.”

“So, it’s a necklace?” Wen Jiuze’s expression was odd.

“Open it and see,” Xue Ling said, holding back a laugh.

Wen Jiuze’s large hand made the box look tiny. He opened it to reveal two rings.

“I bought them earlier at the mall while you were arranging for the delivery,” Xue Ling said, shaking his two fingers playfully. “Do you like them?”

Wen Jiuze glanced at the rings, then placed his hand on the back of her head, pulling her into his chest.

Suddenly, a voice full of suppressed excitement rang out nearby, “Come quickly, the rebellious member of the first abnormal team has been proposed to and accepted right here at the registry office!”

“Really, I’m not lying, come on…”

Xue Ling and Wen Jiuze turned to look, and the staff member quickly realized their voice had been too loud. Embarrassed, they awkwardly walked away holding a communicator.

However, there were plenty of others around with communicators, their faces full of gossip.

Wen Jiuze let go of Xue Ling, frowned, and punched his chest lightly. With an irritated expression, he muttered, “Quiet down. What are you jumping around for?”

The talking around them immediately quieted down.

Xue Ling thought to herself, I don’t think he’s talking to you.

She also secretly placed her hand over her chest and took a deep breath.

“Not feeling well?” Wen Jiuze immediately noticed and placed his hand on her chest.

He sensed the heartbeat through her thin chest, pulled out a syringe from his bag, and expertly administered the injection.

“Tell me immediately if you’re uncomfortable. Your body is still weak since you just came back to life.”

“What about you, is it fine for you?” Xue Ling worriedly touched his chest.

“Doesn’t matter.” Wen Jiuze dismissed it with a shrug, “If it blows up, I’ll just grow another one.”

Xue Ling: “…”

Don’t say such terrifying things!

Wen Jiuze nonchalantly pushed her toward a machine, opened the marriage registration page, scanned their IDs, and submitted their marriage application.

Then Xue Ling realized that his earlier comment about “having to take an exam” wasn’t nonsense—there really was an exam?!

“Wait, we really have to answer questions? What if we fail?” Xue Ling, still in student mode, instantly got anxious and grabbed Wen Jiuze to ask.

Wen Jiuze glanced at her nervous look, the deep creases on his eyelids deepening as he smiled, “There’s no way we’ll fail.”

The “exam” was filled with many questions, including “Are you aware of the other’s health condition?” and “Do you know the other’s debt and credit situation?”

There was also a portable “application inquiry” button, property notarization, and a marriage agreement template.

Even questions about whether both parties agreed on having children were included.

Of course, they were not yet in a position to have children.

At the bottom, there were reminders that the questionnaire would be archived, and any future marriage disputes could be verified with it.

Scrolling down further, there were more detailed daily questions, such as “How and where did you meet?” and “What are the others’ likes and dislikes?”

Once this part was filled out, the couple would exchange scores.

If the scores were too low, a reminder would pop up asking if they wanted to reconsider.

Xue Ling was feeling dizzy as she looked through the questions. She turned to see how fast Wen Jiuze was filling it out, only to find he had already completed most of it.

“Already done? You didn’t even look at the questions, just randomly checked the boxes?”

Xue Ling hated sitting next to someone like this during exams—she was still reading the questions, and her neighbor had already turned the page.

She hurriedly got back to filling out the form.

After both of them finished, they exchanged and reviewed their answers. Xue Ling noticed that Wen Jiuze had selected “shared property” and immediately scrolled to the bottom, giving full marks for the scoring section, before signing off.

Xue Ling: “…You didn’t even read it.”

Wen Jiuze: “What’s there to read? Whatever you write, I’ll give full marks.”

He even urged, “Hurry up, stop dragging it out.”

What’s the rush? Do you think I can run away?

Xue Ling quickly wrote her name and saw the successful registration page pop up on the screen.

“Is this all?” Xue Ling pointed at the “Congratulations” text on the screen.

Wen Jiuze took her finger that was pointing at the screen and smoothly slid a ring onto it. “Now it’s official.”

“And mine, should I put it on myself or will you do it?”

She asked knowingly. Xue Ling pulled his hand and complained, “Do you know how hard it is to pick a ring for such thick fingers?”

Luckily, the ring she hastily selected fit decently.

The plain band fit snugly on his finger, covering the faint scars. The shiny new ring looked a little out of place on his hand, like a wild leopard in the grasslands wearing a collar.

But Wen Jiuze seemed satisfied, pushing the ring deeper onto his finger.

“Let’s go, we’re heading back.”

The items the shopping mall delivered had already been neatly arranged by the smart housekeeper. The couple was greeted with a tidy home filled with life.

As the lights came on, a large bouquet of flowers in the living room caught their attention.

“Did the smart housekeeper prepare these flowers?” Wen Jiuze asked.

“I prepared these flowers for you,” Xue Ling replied.

Wen Jiuze’s expression shifted awkwardly, and he didn’t seem very happy. He even looked slightly suspicious and cautious.

He took her hand, observed the ring on her finger, then leaned in to smell her scent. His gaze swept around the unfamiliar home.

Xue Ling was confused by his behavior. She patted his arm and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Who reacts like this when receiving flowers?

Wen Jiuze didn’t answer. Instead, he pulled out his communicator and contacted someone.

“This morning, I picked up Xue Ling from your place. That’s correct, right?”

The voice on the other end sounded hesitant, “Yes, that’s right. Why? Is something wrong with Xue Ling’s health?”

Wen Jiuze hung up the call and dialed again, “Earlier, Xue Ling and I registered our marriage at the office, did you see?”

“Of course I saw. My office is next door. So, are you contacting me to share the good news, or did you want me to send a gift?”

After confirming, Wen Jiuze hung up the call.

His tense body relaxed a little, and he turned back to Xue Ling. “Why are you suddenly being so nice to me today? You haven’t been angry all day, you even suggested we register our marriage and then gave me a ring and flowers?”

Xue Ling was speechless. “Do you think you’re dreaming?”

“I just felt you’ve had a hard time finding me all this time, so I wanted to give you a gift. Is that too much?” Now he was even suspicious.

Xue Ling was speechless but couldn’t help laughing. She felt a little sorry for him, so she gently pulled his head down and kissed his cheek.

“What were you thinking? I’m standing right here, alive and well. How could it be fake?”

“……”

“Wen Jiuze, have you gone a little crazy?”

“Yeah, my brain was eaten by you.” Wen Jiuze hugged her and sat down on the new sofa. “If it’s not fake, then let’s continue.”

Now it was Xue Ling’s turn to be suspicious. “You’re not pretending to be pitiful, trying to make me take the initiative, are you?”

……

Wen Jiuze seldom sleeps. For a thawed person, using special drugs to maintain energy is a more convenient and quicker way than restoring physical strength through sleep.

However, occasionally he would return to a house where he didn’t often stay and sleep in the dark.

Usually, these naps were long and lasted until someone from his team reminded him it was time to go on a mission.

Long sleep could sometimes cause confusion in his memory. Occasionally, he would think he was still in the post-apocalyptic world from years ago, still searching for Xue Ling.

When he woke up, his mind would instinctively think of unfinished tasks and people he hadn’t found.

So, even before opening his eyes, his brows would furrow in response to the urgency.

For a few seconds of disorientation, light filtered through the white curtains and pierced the small gap in his eyelids.

It wasn’t the usual dim light. Wen Jiuze raised his hand and rested it on his forehead, feeling a cool sensation against his brow.

When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the ring on his finger. Suddenly, he became fully awake, turned his head, and looked beside him.

There was someone lying next to him, their back to him, with black hair scattered across the pillow.

It was Xue Ling.

She was back.

They had done a lot together yesterday.

Newlyweds.

Yes, it was real, no need to search anymore.

Wen Jiuze confirmed it to himself again, his shoulders slowly relaxing as he settled back into the bed.

Xue Ling was still sleeping soundly. From Wen Jiuze’s angle, he could only see her ear and cheek, with tiny hairs on her cheek gently rising and falling with her breath.

After staring at her for a while, Wen Jiuze leaned in and wrapped her and the blanket in his arms.

Xue Ling, woken by his embrace, squinted her eyes, disturbed by the bright indoor light. She buried her head under the pillow.

After a moment, she suddenly sat up. “Wait! What time is it? Aren’t we supposed to visit Sister Yi’s grave today?”

She turned to look at Wen Jiuze and found him peacefully with his eyes closed.

“Wen Jiuze? Wen Jiuze, wake up. Stop sleeping. Get up.”

She called out several times, but Wen Jiuze didn’t respond. Pulling at his ear and pinching his face didn’t work either.

“Are you still pretending?”

“I’ve never heard of anyone visiting a grave on their second day of marriage,” Wen Jiuze said with his eyes still closed.

Xue Ling sat up, the blanket shifting as the wind sneaked underneath. She leaned closer to Wen Jiuze and flicked his eyelashes. “Get up, come on, get up.”

Wen Jiuze smiled and opened his eyes, seeing her sitting near the bright light of noon. She was leaning toward him, her skin glowing like smooth, rich cream. Her hair hung in front of her chest, with a hint of red peeking through.

He couldn’t help but slide his hand up her smooth shoulder and back. Wen Jiuze bit the end of her hair.

“Let’s not go out today, okay?”

Xue Ling yanked her hair back from his mouth and stepped over him. “No.”