A perfect life begins with changing the timeline.

"Back then, your sister Weiwei was the dream girl of every boy in school. I remember it so clearly; she was wearing a white dress, white shoes, and a white short-sleeved shirt, and she was practically glowing. And me? Haha, to be honest, I was totally unremarkable."

"So, Brother Da Ming, how did you manage to win over Sister Weiwei?"

"Hehe, we both joined the student council. She herself said that she didn't pay any attention to me at first. Later, maybe because we spent more time together, we became friends. Then... her ex-boyfriend broke up with her, and she was crying on the playground. I happened to be running, and when I saw her crying, I stopped. I didn't get close, just watched her from a distance. The weather was quite gloomy that day, and it started to rain after a while. Luckily, I had an umbrella with me, so she didn't get wet. Just as the rain started to fall, I went over... She looked up and saw me."

"Hey, to be honest, Brother Ming, if you could see the scene in my mind right now, you'd definitely think it's very romantic."

"Haha, I don't need to see, I'm a firsthand witness."

"Haha~"

"Come on, let's have a drink."

Chatting, drinking, and eating spicy hot pot.

Li Mu had a very detailed understanding of the couple's love story.

Hmm.

How should I put it?

He could tell that Dong Huaiming really liked Zhang Wei.

Because his eyes lit up when he talked about their love story.

And she never actively promoted herself, instead giving all the credit to Zhang Wei.

To sum it up in one sentence: I, so ordinary and insignificant, met her, who is always shining brightly.

The story of an "ordinary," "plain" young man who, through his own efforts, care, and tender, considerate nature, won the heart of the school beauty.

It's the kind of story that would be perfect for a novel.

Dong Huaiming remained silent, and so did Li Mu.

Soon, the two finished their second bottle of beer.

Li Mu's lips also turned red.

This hot pot is really spicy, but not the kind that's overpoweringly spicy. It's spicy on the palate, but once it reaches your stomach, it feels warm and comforting. Paired with ice-cold beer, it's especially refreshing and delightful.

With a "hiss," the third bottle of beer was opened, and Li Mu poured a drink for Dong Huaiming.

At this moment, Dong Huaiming took out a box of Yuxi cigarettes from his pocket and asked Li Mu:

"Laigen?"\

"Okay."

Li Mu took the cigarette with both hands, lit it, and Dong Huaiming saw his smoking motion and knew that the other man didn't smoke.

But it didn't matter, he said, with a cigarette between his fingers:

"Xiao Li, let me brag a little, but your sister Weiwei and I have been together since the second semester of our sophomore year, and it's been like this ever since. In these seven or eight years... would you believe me if I said I've never made her cry even once?"

"That's not right."

Li Mu chuckled and shook his head:

"On her wedding day, Sister Weiwei cried a lot."

"Uh... haha. Then I was just bragging."

"Ha ha."\

Amid Li Mu's laughter, Dong Huaiming waved his hand:

"But honestly, in all the time we've been together, although we've argued, I've never made her shed a single tear. When I confessed my feelings, I promised her: 'Weiwei, I will always be good to you. I will never make you sad or cry. I will make you happy forever.'"

Li Mu nodded as he said this.

As I said before, the groom's eyes lit up when he talked about his wife.

Just as he was pondering this, he heard Dong Huaiming across from him suddenly say:

"And you know what, we didn't originally plan to get married because of pregnancy. My initial plan was to propose on March 6th, our anniversary. I had also discussed it with my parents; if the proposal was successful, I would take her to meet them and then formally propose marriage. We aimed to get married in April."

Li Mu was taken aback.

Gradually, I realized something was off about what he was saying.

The groom, who was all smiles just a second ago, suddenly changed his expression.

Strangely enough, despite being... plain-looking, wearing glasses, and even slightly overweight due to a lack of self-care...

But in that instant when his gaze shifted, Li Mu felt a strange chill run from head to toe, dispelling the sweat, the spiciness, and even the lingering effects of the heat and beer.

All gone.

Then, he heard Dong Huaiming's next sentence:

"But I didn't succeed."

"Uh... does 'not getting what you wanted' mean that Sister Weiwei rejected you?"

"No, I just didn't say so. Because she was in a very bad mood at that time."

"..."\

Li Muxin said... "I'm here."

I plan to propose on March 6th.

We definitely need to prepare early, right?

And those days around March happened to be the time when the old director was transferred...

"Xiao Li, do you know why she was in such a bad mood during that time?"

"...I roughly know."

"Oh? You know?"

Looking into the eyes behind the glasses, eyes that had shed their simple, honest demeanor and were gradually becoming sharp, Li Mu nodded:

"Sister Weiwei is in a bad mood, probably because of what happened with our old director, right? I can't think of any other possibility."

"Ha~"

In an instant, that sharp aura vanished.

Dong Huaiming stubbed out his cigarette, adjusted his glasses, and picked up his wine glass:

"Well, Weiwei keeps saying you're really amazing, come on, let's have a toast."

He seemed to have reverted to being just an ordinary person.

After downing a cold beer, he asked with an expression of curiosity, as if listening to gossip:

"So... what exactly happened? Can you tell me in detail?"

"sure."\

Li Mu agreed readily, without the slightest hesitation.

only……\

"But, didn't Sister Weiwei tell you, Brother Daming?"

"She only mentioned it once, after we had a fight, when she apologized to me, saying, 'I'm sorry, I was in a bad mood today. I snapped at you.' When we argue, we have a habit: if one of us wants to end the fight, it ends unconditionally. If we're together, you go back to your room and I stay in the living room. If we're in the car, one of us gets out and walks home… Anyway, we'll talk about it again after we've calmed down."

"I need to learn this habit."

"ha."\

Dong Huaiming smiled and nodded, clearly agreeing with Li Mu's eagerness to learn.

He then continued:

"But when I asked her why she was in a bad mood, she didn't tell me, only saying it was something to do at home. I didn't really think much of it at the time, and even jokingly asked, 'Are you pressuring me to get married?' But she said no… We've been together for so long, Xiao Li. I can tell whether this is a big deal or not, you know? At the time, I felt this was definitely a 'big' matter, but I didn't ask, and instead observed her for two days. I noticed that she was particularly downcast during that period… So, I didn't propose."

At this point, Dong Huaiming shrugged:

"And look what happened, it dragged on for so long, and now it's a shotgun wedding. We didn't even have time to take wedding photos. She said she'd gained weight and didn't want the photos to look bad, so we can only wait until after she gives birth. She even said we could take them as a family of three. But... Li, those are wedding photos, not family portraits. Tell me, am I not angry?"

Although his demeanor had returned to its usual ordinary state, Li Mu still felt a chill run down his spine as he spoke.

"Later, in early March... those were the days my father-in-law was transferred, so I didn't propose. Then, after observing her for about half a month, and seeing that her mood seemed to have improved, I casually inquired about it. That's when I learned that my father-in-law had just been transferred a couple of days prior, from the Southern Metropolis Daily to a small magazine in your group."

"...Yes, *Men's Wear* magazine."

"Then, I tentatively asked her if she was interested in marriage, after all... it's been so many years, right? She didn't refuse, but she asked me to wait, because we were originally planning to get married at the end of the year. Do you know why?"

"Why?"

"Because... she said my father-in-law will probably be transferred again around June or July. And this time, he's being transferred from *Men's Wear* to another magazine of yours. His name is..."

"21st Century Business Herald is positioned as a high-end domestic financial magazine launched by our group. It was launched last year, and although its circulation is not large, it carries significant weight within our group."

"Yes, that's what she said too. And then I waited and waited, and then… the unexpected happened. So, actually, this wedding was very rushed. It wasn't the wedding I had envisioned. I wanted to give her a very romantic wedding. To be honest, I had everything planned out. I even had several notebooks filled with our first movie ticket stubs, concert tickets, travel tickets, and all sorts of photos we took together, which I wanted to put on a slideshow at the wedding… I really racked my brains, but I never expected…"

"Understood."

He didn't finish speaking, but Li Mu had already understood one thing from his words.

That is...

This wedding, rather than being a serendipitous event, felt more like a hasty compromise.

It wasn't "We had a child and got married because of the pregnancy," but rather "Because we had a child, I had to give up my dream wedding and chose to compromise."

Tsk.

For some reason, he felt a pang of emotion.

He forgot where he read it, but it said that in ancient times, even if a county magistrate's sedan chair was traveling down the street and encountered a wedding procession, it would automatically make way for him.

We shouldn't interfere with their joyous occasion.

Just think, even a county magistrate has such awareness.

And this "Big Ming Brother's" family, if placed in ancient times, wouldn't be considered a high-ranking official, but at least a powerful minister.

The eldest son was getting married, which should have been a grand affair, but the wedding was repeatedly thwarted.

One instance of being blocked could be a coincidence.

But if it gets blocked so many times... then it's really just nitpicking.

Most importantly, and most absurdly, it's like he's deliberately walking into the line of fire; every time he tries to "move," something new happens.

Change once, then change again.

In the end, what I envisioned as the perfect wedding turned into a very low-key banquet.

Although he didn't show much expression when he said these things.

But Li Mu heard it clearly; it was the sound of an erupting volcano and the surging undercurrents on the seabed.

The situation has not yet calmed down.