At 10:30 AM.

The weather was clear, but the early winter sky looked a bit pale, with a touch of deep blue hidden among the half-gray, half-white clouds. The sunlight was also white, not too cold.

Even though today wasn’t a particularly special anniversary or date, the marriage registration office had quite a few visitors. The chairs in the corridor were already full.

The seats were obviously not enough, so some people had to stand on the side.

Yan Ruoyun sat at the very end of the long bench on the left side.

He was wearing a light coffee-colored long trench coat, with another slightly shorter dark-colored coat draped over his knees, holding a disposable paper cup filled with hot water in his hands.

Additionally, resting on his lap was a kraft paper envelope containing both their registration documents.

Lin Zhu stood beside him, one hand resting on the man’s shoulder, the other hanging by his side, pinching a small piece of paper. Printed on it was a string of numbers, and a small line of text below indicated how many numbers were still ahead of them.

Roughly calculating, they probably had to wait more than twenty minutes.

The temperature today had suddenly dropped several degrees. Lin Zhu, being young, strong, and an Alpha, didn’t feel much difference, but Yan Ruoyun was not the same.

The man’s hands were freezing. His already pale skin looked increasingly snow-white, while his knuckles were dyed a faint pink from the cold, looking like painted white porcelain, absolutely beautiful.

Lin Zhu didn’t have the mind to appreciate the beauty.

Once Yan Ruoyun sat down, he first went to take a number, then walked to the water dispenser in the corner to get a cup of warm water for the man to hold and warm his hands, and also to quench his thirst.

Yan Ruoyun only took two sips before looking up to ask Lin Zhu: “Are you thirsty? We still have to wait a while, why don’t we switch and you sit down?”

Lin Zhu shook his head.

The next instant, he bent down.

Yan Ruoyun subconsciously raised the paper cup to the youth’s lips, tilting it slightly to feed him a sip of water.

He looked at the half-empty paper cup and suddenly said:

“Puppy Lin, you’re getting less and less fond of doing things yourself… When we first got together, you were so independent. Back then, if I just handed you something, you would say thank you several times.”

“Why are you so unceremonious now?”

Lin Zhu pressed his lips to dry the water marks, still not saying a word.

Actually, he was also thinking that he had indeed been spoiled by the other.

His age was clearly increasing day by day, yet he seemed to be getting more and more childish. He wasn’t as independent as he was when he was younger; his whole person had relaxed, no longer wound up tight like a clockwork spring.

Lin Zhu thought seriously for a moment. His heart grew increasingly soft, and even a bit achy, but he opened his mouth and still didn’t know what words to use to describe his feelings at this moment, nor did he want to use polite words like he usually did…

It felt too superficial.

So, in the end, he simply moved the hand resting on the man’s palm slightly, using his warm finger pads to pinch the other’s slightly cool earlobe very, very lightly twice, his movements incredibly tender and lingering.

Yan Ruoyun blinked and silently mouthed a few words.

—Clingy little dog.

Immediately after, he downed the remaining half cup of water in one gulp and tried to stand up: “You sit, you’ve been standing for a long time… I’ll get up and stretch a bit.”

Before he could finish his sentence, he was stopped by Lin Zhu.

He took the paper cup from the man’s hand, stretched out his long arm, and accurately tossed the paper cup into the trash can not far away.

“No need.”

When he turned his head back, Lin Zhu saw a young couple sitting at the other end of the opposite row of chairs. Those two were also both male, looking about the same age. The Alpha was sitting on the chair, while the Omega was sitting on his lap…

Lin Zhu silently cast his gaze toward Yan Ruoyun.

But before he could speak, the man’s thumb and index finger darted over like pincers, pinching his upper and lower lips together, manually muting him.

“This time, don’t even think about it,” he said coolly.

Lin Zhu: “…”

What is it like to have a lover with sharp senses and strong execution skills? Lin Zhu felt this deeply.

He often suspected that Yan Ruoyun had telepathy.

Yan Ruoyun answered right on cue: “How is that possible.”

Looking at the blond youth’s abruptly widened eyes, the man suddenly smiled and added: “Did you know… your eyes are even better at speaking than your mouth?”

After saying that, he unhurriedly let go.

Lin Zhu’s upper and lower lips now had two red marks, looking a bit comical. Fortunately, the man hadn’t used much force, and they would probably fade in two or three minutes.

Right at this moment.

The AO couple opposite them probably noticed the commotion on their side. Watching the interaction between the two, they couldn’t help but chuckle. The Omega among them took the initiative to strike up a conversation:

“You two have such a good relationship.”

Lin Zhu looked up, embarrassedly wiping the pinched red spot with the back of his hand, nodding as he replied: “Mm… you guys too, you look like you have a really good relationship.”

Every movement and gesture carried an air of intimacy and familiarity.

This AO couple looked to be in their early twenties, probably just graduated from university, their aura somewhere between students and working professionals.

Hearing Lin Zhu’s response, the Alpha glanced at his partner and also spoke up: “He and I are elementary school classmates, we grew up together, so we’re getting married right after graduation. You look so young. Nowadays, late marriage and late childbearing are popular, very few people get married early.”

Indeed.

With the perfection of the ABO system decades ago, recent census surveys found that the average age of marriage and childbearing has been getting older and older.

As everyone knows, Alpha pheromones can mark multiple Omegas, but an Omega can only be marked by one Alpha due to physiological limitations.

A significant portion of Alphas would choose to have multiple relationships, waiting until they’ve played enough and are older before finding an Omega to marry.

Even though Lin Zhu’s clothes and hairstyle today were styled to look mature, and his facial features were particularly sharp, the youthful vigor in his brows couldn’t be hidden at all; he looked absolutely no older than twenty.

That Alpha was quite talkative and asked again: “Are you in college right now? Freshman?”

Lin Zhu shook his head and said: “No, I’m a senior in high school.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the two people opposite him froze simultaneously, their expressions showing indescribable shock, “Senior in high school?! So young? Then you must have just finished your secondary differentiation?”

Lin Zhu gave an ‘mm’.

He pondered for a moment, belatedly realizing something, and couldn’t help but glance at Yan Ruoyun beside him, suddenly saying: “We… mm, we’re doing a flash marriage.”

The man’s aura was very strong, his whole body exuding the vibe of someone in a high position. Although the blond youth looked very rebellious, his every movement toward the Omega was extremely considerate… As newcomers who had just entered the workplace, the two opposite naturally avoided looking directly at the Omega, not daring to scrutinize him closely.

But hearing the blond youth say this, the two subconsciously looked at the Omega sitting on the chair. After a short while, they discovered in surprise, “Wow, your partner looks a lot like… that CEO of the Yan Corporation in our city?”

Yan Ruoyun’s trench coat took years off his age, plus he had intentionally let his bangs down today, making him look even younger. It was completely impossible to tell that he was nearly thirty years old.

Lin Zhu took the opportunity to raise his hand, using his fingertips to brush aside the man’s bangs for him, and couldn’t help but rub his eyelashes.

At this time, the number-calling broadcast sounded again.

“Please welcome couple number 012 to enter the photography room…”

Lin Zhu paused his movements and quickly said:
“Ge, we’re number 012, it’s our turn.”

The photography room wasn’t large, and the setup inside was even simpler—a pull-down red backdrop, a reflector standing on one side, and a high-definition camera right opposite.

The photographer was sitting at the computer desk in the corner, exporting photos of the previous couple. Without turning his head, he instructed: “There’s a mirror hanging on the wall next to you, tidy up your hair and collars beforehand.”

A few minutes later.

The photographer sat behind the camera, very skillfully directing the two’s poses and expressions, “Hmm… you can lean your heads toward each other a bit, smile.”

Hearing this, Lin Zhu rigidly tilted his head slightly, while raising the corners of his mouth by five pixels.

“Little handsome guy, don’t be too nervous, give us a smile.” The photographer adjusted the camera, drawing out his voice, “It’s a great day, be a little happier.”

Lin Zhu nervously maintained his expression.
“I am smiling.”

Photographer: “I can see that…” He paused weirdly, and added, “But please don’t glare at the camera.”

Lin ‘Trying-Hard-to-Look-Energetic’ Zhu silently lowered his eyelids by three pixels, “Does this… look a little better?”

Before the photographer could reply, the man beside him chuckled softly, suddenly turned his head, and kissed him on the corner of the mouth, making a soft ‘mwah’ sound.

Mwah, mwah mwah.

At the same time.
The room echoed with the click click sound of the shutter.

A few seconds later, the photographer said again,
“Please look at the camera together, you two.”

Click—

Before long.
The photographer imported the photos into the computer, letting the two pick one of them, while saying:
“From August this year to February next year, there’s an event where we give away a nine-grid collage photo. We’ll print it out together with the others and give it to you in a bit.”

“Are you going to wait outside, or leave it here for now?”

The photographer spoke very fast: “If you haven’t done your premarital checkup yet, I suggest leaving it with me. You can come back to pick it up together when you get your reports.”

The two hadn’t done their premarital checkup yet, so they naturally chose to leave it there.

Lin Zhu and Yan Ruoyun had just done a full set of medical checkups at the Beidu First Hospital not long ago. Coming for the premarital checkup this time, they only needed to make up for a few specific tests.

It wasn’t a big deal for Lin Zhu, mainly for Yan Ruoyun.

He had to make up for two tests: an Omega breast ultrasound and a reproductive cavity ultrasound.

Although it was two tests, the ultrasounds were completed at the same time, the process taking no more than two or three minutes—the man came out of the examination room, but his expression looked a bit uncomfortable.

Lin Zhu was sitting on the chair outside waiting. Seeing him come out, he quickly stood up to meet him and asked, “Ge, what’s wrong?”

Yan Ruoyun tugged at his sleeve, “I feel like the coupling gel got on my clothes, or maybe it wasn’t wiped clean… Tsk, it’s uncomfortable.”

The ultrasound report would take fifteen minutes to come out.

Lin Zhu led the visibly displeased man into the radiology department next door, entering an empty changing room, “Take it off and let me see.”

Yan Ruoyun couldn’t wait to take off his shirt, and indeed found a small amount of coupling gel residue on a certain part of the clothes, which had rubbed onto his skin. It felt sticky and extremely uncomfortable.

Lin Zhu took out a small packet of tissues from his jacket pocket, pulled one out, and quickly yet carefully wiped the man clean.

The weather was cold, and he was afraid Yan Ruoyun would catch a cold.

As he wiped, Lin Zhu noticed that the things dotting the man’s snow-white skin seemed unable to withstand the cold and slowly became prominent. It looked like the thin shirt wouldn’t be able to hide them at all; they could only be covered by the trench coat.

Yan Ruoyun noticed it too, and asked with a subtle expression: “Puppy Lin, when exactly are you going to be weaned? If this keeps up… you’ll have to prepare those kinds of stickers for me in advance.”

He leaned close to Lin Zhu’s ear and whispered:
“Usually, only Omegas who have just given birth and are in their lactation period use those.”

Lin Zhu looked up at him, his hands not stopping, and asked uncertainly: “Do we really need to buy them? Ge, it seems like you usually get easily… mm, visibly prominent. Let me search for it when we get back.”

Yan Ruoyun: “…”

Him speaking about it openly himself was one thing; but having his little boyfriend, who was about to be promoted to his husband, point it out so clearly was another matter.

Yan Ruoyun’s expression twisted awkwardly for a moment, and he quickly said: “No need, the weather is cold now. If I wear a bit more, you won’t be able to see it at all.”

Mentioning the weather, Lin Zhu hurriedly urged him to put his clothes on, but the man stared at the coupling gel residue on the inside of the shirt sleeve, his eyes filled with obvious disgust.

Lin Zhu thought for a second and asked: “Then do you want to wear my clothes? We can swap.”

The man gladly agreed.

After swapping, the originally well-fitting shirt on Lin Zhu became tight and narrow, inexplicably exuding a strong sense of hormones.

When Yan Ruoyun changed into his little boyfriend’s shirt, the shoulder area was slightly broad and loose, which softened his authoritative aura quite a bit, making him look less unapproachable.

Urging the man to put on his coat, Lin Zhu’s gaze shifted downward for a second, then quickly back up, and asked: “Ge, it didn’t get anywhere else, did it?”

Fortunately, it hadn’t.
The tops were fine, but the two couldn’t swap their bottoms.

Returning to the ultrasound room from earlier, they waited a few more minutes. Lin Zhu retrieved the two reports from the self-service printer—the diagnosis on them showed that Yan Ruoyun’s breast tissue and reproductive cavity were very healthy, with no abnormalities.

The images on the first report weren’t obvious, but the text below stated that Yan Ruoyun’s breast tissue volume was higher than the average for an Omega, so his postpartum lactation period would likely be longer, possibly taking two to three months to end.

However, the second report showed a shadow of the cavity, with the length, width, and volume printed below, along with the thickness of the inner wall in centimeters…

Looking at this color-printed paper made Lin Zhu’s face inexplicably hot, and he quickly stuffed it into the kraft paper envelope with the other materials.

It was already noon.
The two found a place nearby to eat lunch.

When the marriage registration office resumed work in the afternoon, Lin Zhu first went back to the photography room to pick up the photos, then found Yan Ruoyun who was waiting in line, and handed in all the materials…

Although the preliminary work was slightly tedious, the actual time it took to get the certificate was very short. In about half an hour, Lin Zhu had two little red booklets in his hands.

From walking out of the marriage registration office until getting into the car, Lin Zhu still hadn’t fully processed it. He opened the two booklets, put them together, and stared for a long time at the red-background photo of the two of them—

In the photo.
The man’s peach blossom eyes were curved slightly, yet couldn’t hide the light in his eyes. His smile was warm, his head leaning toward the blond youth beside him…

Lin Zhu looked at himself in the photo.
His hair had grown quite a bit; the roots were black, which didn’t look bad when contrasting with the blond, but instead made him look sharper.

His features were the same.
But how to put it?
Lin Zhu felt that his appearance or aura seemed to have changed a lot. At least he didn’t look as world-weary and lost anymore; his drooping eyes were lifted slightly, and a light shone in his eyes.

Yan Ruoyun sat in the driver’s seat, not starting the car.

Lin Zhu held up the marriage certificate, turning the inner page toward the man, pointing to his own cheek in the photo and saying: “Ge, I think I’ve grown a little dimple… Look, right here. It looks a bit like yours.”

Yan Ruoyun snorted a laugh,
“I clearly kissed that into existence.”

He tipped a laminated photo paper out of the kraft paper envelope and held it up in front of the blond youth: “Here, the proof is right here.”

It was that complimentary nine-grid collage photo.
From frame one to nine, the man’s expression and movements changed subtly in each one, while Lin Zhu remained completely motionless. Yet his serious, almost fierce expression gradually became warm and natural under the man’s repeated kisses…

By the final frame.
Lin Zhu’s expression was gentle, the smile on his lips very deep.

Lin Zhu took the nine-grid photo and looked at it, then couldn’t resist giving Yan Ruoyun a big kiss in reality.

The two sat in the car for a long time.
It was still early, only past four in the afternoon.

Outside the car window, the sky was bright. The afternoon light carried a hint of warmth, illuminating the fine dust in the air so it shone, and even the shadows were faint, as if refusing to darken.

After a long while.
Lin Zhu asked: “Ge, what are we going to do next?”

Yan Ruoyun leaned back in the driver’s seat, half-turning his face to look at the blond youth. He thought for a moment and answered: “It’s up to you… whatever you want to do is fine.”

“Me, I’m fine too.”
He glanced at the marriage certificates Lin Zhu was still clutching in his hand, and said with a smile, “Whatever we do, it’s legal.”

Lin Zhu’s face grew slightly hot, but he quickly calmed down and said seriously: “It’s… still too early right now. How about we go on a date? We can go home after dinner?”

Yan Ruoyun looked sideways, deliberately asking: “Puppy Lin, does this mean now that you’ve got your hands on me, you’re no longer interested?”

Lin Zhu looked embarrassed and hurriedly refuted: “Of course not!”

“I just think…” He mumbled for a few seconds, then said quietly, “I still have two days off tomorrow and the day after. I’m afraid you won’t be able to handle it.”

Hearing this, Yan Ruoyun subconsciously coughed once, nodding in agreement: “That’s true, let’s just go on a date…”

“Nothing too rowdy,” he added.

The two reached a consensus and drove straight to the commercial district in the city center to watch a newly released popcorn movie. When they came out feeling completely relaxed, the sky outside was already dark.

The mall was brightly lit, bright as day.
This was exactly the time when it was crowded.

Fortunately, they had booked a table at a restaurant before going into the cinema, so they didn’t need to wait in line and could just head straight there.

This seemed to be a very ordinary day—the two of them together, doing whatever was fine, or doing nothing at all was fine too. Even just eating face-to-face made them feel happy.

Lin Zhu had always felt that the emotion of [happiness] was a luxury. He rarely felt happy for no reason; he felt plainness more often, like a pool of still water, not flowing outward, nor ever receiving external springs.

But now. At this very moment.
Just watching the man sitting opposite him eating quietly, his cheeks puffing out delicately, made him involuntarily want to laugh.

It was as if happiness had become cheap.
Even someone not well-off like him could easily grasp it.

Yan Ruoyun lifted his eyelids, glanced at him, and asked: “What? Are you going to get full just by watching me eat? I didn’t know I was that good-looking.”

Lin Zhu picked up some food with his chopsticks and replied softly,
“I think, you are.”

“…”

Lin Zhu originally thought today’s date would pass by peacefully like this, but when the two finished eating and were getting ready to go home—

In the underground parking garage.
He ran into a certain acquaintance.

The high school boy with glasses, wearing a school uniform, spotted him first. The boy held a rectangular gift box in one hand and waved the other high above his head, calling out: “Lin Zhu… deskmate—!”

Lin Zhu was waiting for Yan Ruoyun to drive the car over. Hearing the familiar voice, he subconsciously shifted his gaze over, only to see Huang Canran jogging towards him, saying loudly:

“I went to the next class to look for you today, only to find out you were actually absent… Wow, you’re dressed so handsomely!”

Huang Canran’s tone was full of twists and turns. As he got closer, he pressed further, “Could it be that you specifically took a day off to go on a date? No way, how could a study animal like you do that?!”

Lin Zhu finally managed to get a word in, answering:
“It is a date.”

Huang Canran immediately did a tactical lean back, saying in disbelief: “Holy crap, did you change your personality? Or is it because Sister-in-law was unhappy, so you specially took a day off to coax him?”

Lin Zhu: “…”

Lin Zhu considered himself a low-key person, without any desire to show off his relationship, but for some reason, he couldn’t help replying,
“No, he wasn’t unhappy.”

“Then?”

Lin Zhu paused, trying hard to suppress the curve of his mouth, and said casually: “We went to the marriage registration office to get our certificate today. We just finished our date and are planning to go home.”

Huang Canran’s expression went blank for a second, then he held his forehead, looking pained as he said: “I’m doomed, I’m doomed. I’ve been studying too hard lately, I’m having auditory hallucinations.”

Lin Zhu nodded subtly: “You didn’t mishear.”

Huang Canran: “…………”
That was a lot of information; his brain was about to short-circuit.

After being hard CC’d by Lin Zhu’s sentence for half a minute, Huang Canran faintly came back to his senses, his tone extremely complex—curiosity, shock, envy, jealousy, and hatred; the various emotions could almost form a pie chart.

He asked,
“Then, where’s Sister-in-law? Do I have the honor of meeting him?”

As soon as he finished speaking, the headlights of a car flashed behind Lin Zhu. A red Ferrari slowly drove over and stopped beside the two boys. The window of the driver’s seat was rolled down halfway, revealing the man’s profile.

“Lin Zhu, is this your classmate?”

The next second, Yan Ruoyun rolled the window all the way down. Spotting the school uniform on the boy with glasses at a glance, he leaned his head out and asked.

Lin Zhu nodded, introducing: “Ge, this is my deskmate from my previous class, his name is Huang Canran.”

He turned back to Huang Canran. Before he could speak, he was silenced by the boy’s numb, shocked face, so he had to rephrase:
“This is my partner, you should know him.”

Yan Ruoyun nodded at the right moment, “Hello little classmate, thank you for taking care of Lin Zhu before.”

Huang Canran was stunned, but in his brain-lagged state, he still instinctively replied,
“You’re welcome, Sister-in-law, it’s what I should do!”

Yan Ruoyun: “…”
Lin Zhu: “…Ahem.”

Huang Canran finally snapped back to reality. Realizing what kind of nonsense he had just spoken in front of the big boss of Beidu’s Yan family, he silently raised his hand to cover his face, and shoved the red wine gift box in his hand into Lin Zhu’s hands,

“Happy newlywed life, bro!! I’m leaving first! My dad is still waiting for me! Bye, Sister-in-law!”

After saying that, he turned and ran.

In a daze.
Lin Zhu almost thought he saw a cloud of dust kicking up behind him.

Yan Ruoyun watched in astonishment, then couldn’t help but laugh out loud, exclaiming: “Your classmate… is quite cute, just looks like he’s not very smart.”

Lin Zhu looked at the wine in his hands, then at the man, and asked: “Ge, what should I do with this…?”

Yan Ruoyun was very calm.
“Accept it, treat him to a meal another day.”

Lin Zhu gave an ‘oh’ and silently got into the car.

On the other side.
The middle-aged man circled the underground parking garage twice before finding his dazed-looking son, and couldn’t help but scold: “I almost thought you got lost. How old are you, Huang Canran?!”

“Get in the car!”

When the boy got into the car in a daze, he immediately sensed something was wrong and asked: “Huang Canran, where is the wine I bought? That’s premium stuff, I was planning to give it to a client.”

At this time, he heard his mentally challenged son say faintly:
“I gave it to my classmate as a wedding gift.”

Middle-aged man: “???”
“…Say that again, who exactly did you give it to??”

Huang Canran numbly corrected himself:
“Okay, I gave it to Yan Ruoyun.”

He turned to look at his dad, enunciating every word clearly:
“My deskmate, is a god!”