When Shao Yinan said it, Wen Yin froze for a heartbeat.
The scene of his proposal still played in her mind as if it had happened yesterday. She hadn't expected him to push the wedding onto the calendar so quickly. Still, she didn't hesitate.
"Alright."
At that single word he finally looked up. For the first time there was something like delight in his face—an expression that cut through his usual composed calm.
"You're... you're really saying yes?"
Wen Yin watched him with a small, amused smile at his nervousness. "What do you mean? You already proposed. Of course I'm going to marry you. Are you surprised?"
"Besides, isn't that the answer you wanted to hear?"
Her ink-dark, deer-like eyes crinkled. He couldn't hide his anxiety from her; it only made her smile more.
"No."
The tension in his face melted, replaced by a bright, almost boyish happiness. He gathered her into his arms, lowering his gaze so their eyes met.
"Say it again," he murmured.
She could hear the joy in his voice and obliged, curling her lips into a smile. "Shao Yinan, I will marry you. I think it's time to start planning."
They were thinking the same thing. Lately he had been pushing himself at work, cutting his hours and doing overtime to free up time for wedding preparations.
"Leave the planning to me," she added. "You just need to pick a beautiful dress and show up on time."
He protested that it sounded unfair—weddings are supposed to be a joint effort—but she laughed. "It's not fair if I slack off."
He took her hand, fingers interlacing with hers, playing with the smoothness of her knuckles. "It's fine. I'm more than willing."
When his voice dropped to a low, husky timbre, she felt heat rise to her cheeks. "Then I suppose I reluctantly agree," she teased.
After that, Shao Yinan did start to look busier than usual. Even at home he'd stay later at his desk. Wen Yin knew he was carving out work hours so he could devote himself to their wedding.
Under her care, Grandpa Shao had also improved. He'd put on a few pounds and no longer looked like a walking shadow. Both Wen Yin and Li Xiangwei were pleased by the change; Wen Yin's mood had brightened noticeably in recent days, and she found herself smiling often.
Li Xiangwei, who'd been visiting, jumped up when she heard the word wedding. "A wedding?"
Wen Yin pressed her back down with a hand. "Why are you so excited? I'm the one getting married."
Li Xiangwei shot her a look. "I just can't believe Shao Yinan proposed without telling me."
Wen Yin's face went warm with guilt. She had meant to tell her friend but had simply forgotten in the rush of things. Li Xiangwei's expression turned mock-pained. "You really forgot, didn't you?"
"So all the planning is his job then?" she asked, stirring her tea.
Wen Yin nodded. "Seems so."
"Then why are you even asking me what I wanted to know?" Li Xiangwei blinked, and Wen Yin explained, asking which designer had made her gown, whether she had any favorite designers to recommend.
Li Xiangwei stared at her. "You're a designer—if you glanced at my dress you'd know who made it. And you have contacts in the industry. If there's a style you like, just commission someone."
Wen Yin bit her lip. "Jiu Jiu's been running the studio recently. There are so many designers with different aesthetics; I couldn't pick one right away."
Li Xiangwei lit on an idea, brightening. "Why don't you design one yourself?"
Wen Yin's eyes widened. The thought seemed at once audacious and utterly natural—the kind of idea that said, of course you'd be the one to do it.
Li Xiangwei shrugged. "It makes sense. Who would understand your taste better than you? But—" she paused, reconsidering, "are you sure you have the time?"
They spent the better part of an afternoon hashing it over and still hadn't made a final decision—but there was no rush. The wedding was more than six months away. The notion of walking down the aisle in a dress she had sketched and stitched herself felt achingly romantic, and Wen Yin couldn't deny that the idea had taken root.
Grandpa Shao noticed the change too. One evening he watched the familiar gentle lift at the corner of her mouth and grinned. "Wen girl, what good luck has come your way? Your smile's been stuck like that for days."
She blushed and tried to deflect. "Don't tease me, Grandpa."
He chuckled and leaned forward. "Come on, tell me. I want to hear a good thing."
Wen Yin blinked at him, deliberately stalling to extend the moment. "I'll tell you once your health is fully back. Promise me you'll keep getting better and I'll tell you everything."
He beamed and made no further demands, content to wait. Though she hadn't said a word about the particulars, he found his imagination wandering. Maybe, he allowed himself to hope, grandchildren were in the cards.
Wen Yin and Grandpa agreed on the menu she would cook for him the next day, then she left for home with that lightness in her step that comes from something happy taking shape.