Chapter 12: The Twelfth Dimension 1/2

However, tonight didn’t go as smoothly as expected. After flipping through many pages and searching for a long time, he couldn’t find anything that suited his taste. Halfway through the high-tech process, his device suddenly ran out of battery.

Maintaining his lying position, Song Fuzhi lay there for several seconds before letting out a soft sigh. In the end, he reluctantly opened Weibo.

Song Fuzhi had been using his Weibo account for a long time and followed many people from various circles: writers, artists, cosplayers, singers, and gamers. No matter which interest he picked up, he used the same account. Since Song Fuzhi himself didn’t create content, he simply enjoyed watching others, silently giving likes. His Weibo account was like a living fossil, filled with memories from various circles. Some experts had disappeared from the circle without a trace, and some had even deleted their accounts, leaving no trace behind.

It was somewhat sentimental, but that’s how the online world operated—gatherings happened, and then everyone dispersed silently.

Song Fuzhi unconsciously scrolled down for quite a while, relishing a bunch of exciting artworks. During this time, he flipped his phone upside down several times and opened other webpages several times, which was troublesome but unavoidable.

After flipping through multiple times, his enthusiasm waned.

Just as he was about to doze off, the words “Octopus” suddenly awakened him.

Three days ago, Octopus (Zhang Yu) posted a new work with both pictures and videos. He cosplayed several characters from King of Fighters, creating a montage with impressive visuals set to rhythmic music. Each character was faithfully portrayed, showcasing their distinctive features.

Song Fuzhi was particularly drawn to the part where the protagonist engaged in boxing. The brown-haired man in the video threw powerful punches, his side profile partially covered by bangs but unable to conceal his imposing aura.

After watching for a long time, Song Fuzhi finally let out a contented sigh.

Octopus was truly tailor-made for him; this was his comfort zone.

Without anything else, solely relying on Octopus’s videos and some self-sufficiency, Song Fuzhi had a satisfying late-night snack.

A few days later, Shi Zhang informed Song Fuzhi that he had prepared the documents and asked when they could go for notarization. Since the notary office only operated on weekdays, Song Fuzhi checked his schedule and found that Thursday afternoon was the only time he could spare to visit after classes.

“Is Thursday afternoon okay?” Shi Zhang asked.

“Sorry, I only have Thursday afternoon free, and I don’t have any other commitments,” Song Fuzhi said. “If it doesn’t suit your schedule, I can swap classes with another teacher. It’s not complicated to change classes in high school.”

“I don’t have class on Thursday afternoon either. It works for me,” Shi Zhang replied.

“Great, see you then,” Song Fuzhi said, and they ended the call.

After that call, Shi Zhang made another call. “I’m sorry, can we change the time for the recording to next Thursday afternoon?”

“Hello, Octopus Teacher. We can accommodate that. Can we reschedule for Saturday?” The other side responded.

“Sure,” Shi Zhang agreed. After a pause, he lowered his gaze and said, “Sorry for the trouble.”

The girl on the other end immediately laughed and said, “No trouble at all. If you have any needs, feel free to let us know.”

On the appointed day for notarization, the two of them met directly at the notary office.

Both arrived punctually, with Song Fuzhi arriving five minutes early. Within two minutes, Shi Zhang also arrived.

There were few people in the notary office, and they didn’t need to wait in line. The notary officer was a friendly woman who asked for their identification and relevant documents, saying, “Have the two of you already married?”

“Not yet,” Song Fuzhi said. “We are preparing to get married.”

The notary officer spread out various property documents in front of them. The table was filled with cold numbers and red official seals, and she confirmed, “This is the property currently under both of your names, which will be divided as your pre-marital property. In other words, you will not share each other’s property. Is that correct?”

“Still, Song Fuzhi nodded. ‘Okay.’

‘These are the drafted documents. After both of you confirm, please sign on each page.’

The notary pushed the papers with black ink towards them.

Song Fuzhi and Shi Zhang hadn’t exchanged many words or chatted since they entered. It was all business-like, as if they were colleagues. Now, they were both diligently reviewing the documents, as if scrutinizing a contract.

There are generally two types of couples who come for notarization. One type has a good and rational relationship, signing an agreement without affecting their affectionate relationship. The intimate and affectionate state of their relationship is evident.

The other type is purely contractual, either pressured by parents or lacking any emotion, akin to strangers. Marriage for them is like a corporate merger and restructuring, so they need to clearly define the property boundaries.

The latter type of couple not only signs prenuptial agreements but also agrees on post-marital property distribution, specifying that post-marriage assets remain separate. The separation is clear, and they spend what they earn individually.

The current couple, two handsome mature men, each with an independent demeanor, made it difficult even for an experienced notary to determine if they were the first or second type.

So, the notary made a suggestion: ‘Consider whether you want to sign a post-marital property distribution agreement. You can specify that post-marital property remains separate or that only certain properties are individual.’

Song Fuzhi paused his pen.

He hadn’t considered this before because he naturally felt that after marriage, their properties would be combined, earning and spending together. Song Fuzhi looked at Shi Zhang and asked, ‘What does Professor Shi think? ‘

This matter required Shi Zhang’s opinion because Shi Zhang earned more than Song Fuzhi. If income were considered shared, Shi Zhang would be at a disadvantage. So, if Shi Zhang requested keeping finances separate, Song Fuzhi completely understood.

Shi Zhang stared at Song Fuzhi for a moment, then turned to the notary, politely smiling, ‘We won’t sign that; thank you.’

The notary nodded.

After finishing the notarization, the two walked out side by side. Shi Zhang slowed down his steps, and with a gentle smile, he softly asked, ‘Professor Song, who will manage the money after marriage? ‘

Without hesitation, Song Fuzhi said, ‘You can; you earn more.’

‘I don’t have the talent for that.’ Shi Zhang suggested. ‘How about we manage it together, earn and spend together? ‘

Song Fuzhi smiled and said, ‘Sure.’

Marriage for adults is quite dull; they always talk about money. However, Song Fuzhi felt quite grounded. To live together, you first need to get the financial foundation in order. All the romantic fantasies can wait.

Song Fuzhi remembered the notary’s question earlier and found it amusing. ‘The notary sister seems to think we’re in a sham marriage.’