The engagement was with the younger brother, but I've fallen for the older brother.

He Sichen spent a full week in Boston this time.

Because of the incident where a milk carton exploded in the microwave, He Sichen was worried that she wouldn't be able to take care of herself on her own.

Before he returned to China, he arranged a housekeeper and driver for her. The housekeeper specialized in spicy Sichuan and Hunan cuisine, and all the meals were prepared according to her tastes.

Two years have passed faster than I imagined.

He Sichen kept his word, coming to Boston for four days every month before returning home.

The people of Yu'an only know that General He travels frequently on business trips, but no one knows where he goes.

He compressed all of Yu'an's work into his spare time, turning the Beijing-Boston route into his second commuting route.

Unwavering, rain or shine.

Even during the snowy season when flights were canceled on a large scale, he still had to transfer twice and spend an extra nine hours to arrive.

During those four days, he accompanied her to do everything that couples do.

The sunset on the Charles River, the whale watching boats in the harbor—all the things she had wanted to do but felt were pointless to do alone, he made up for them all.

He doesn't talk much, but he's never absent.

She walked ahead, looking around, while he followed behind, shielding her from the crowds and the wind.

He doesn't smile when taking photos, but he will squat down to find the right angle.

After the movie, she was yawning from sleepiness, so he took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders.

In just two years, though it hasn't been a long time, he's accumulated enough frequent flyer miles to circle the Earth twice.

Her passport had eight more pages, with their boarding passes sandwiched in between.

In spring, enjoy cherry blossoms in Kyoto; in summer, roast chestnuts in a wooden cabin at the foot of the Alps; in autumn, feed pigeons in Prague Square; and in winter, see the Northern Lights in Iceland.

She returns to China during winter and summer vacations, but never to the Si family home.

He Sichen's Guanlan 2701 became her secret base.

During the day, he was at work, and she occupied his study to write her thesis.

He came home in the evening, and the two of them ate dinner, watched a movie, and did [something].

Occasionally, I'll stay home all day, oblivious to the difference between day and night.

All these things piled up together made two years seem as short as two months.

The world is so big, no one knows that the eldest son of the He family and the young lady of the Si family have been secretly having an affair for two whole years.

After living like this for a long time, she would occasionally have the illusion that they were an ordinary couple who naturally got married after graduation.

June in Boston is just the right amount of hot, with sunshine filling the entire campus and the grass exuding a fresh, grassy scent.

Si Yimian stood in the graduate line, surrounded by classmates dressed in the same black robes, the tassels on their graduation caps swaying wildly in the wind.

After the event, the lawn was full of people. Si Yimian was looking around with her certificate in her arms when suddenly someone grabbed her wrist from behind.

She was pulled backward and stumbled, the back of her head hitting a hard chest. Turning her head, she met He Sichen's downcast gaze.

He looked down at her, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Congratulations on your graduation.

He reached out and straightened her slightly crooked graduation cap.

She tilted her little face up and angrily pushed him.

You're late.

"Go buy this."

He Sichen pulled out a bouquet of flowers from behind him, wrapped in misty blue paper.

"There's a line at the flower shop; the first six people are all here for their graduation ceremony."

He paused, then added.

"I didn't expect it to be this chaotic today."

Si Yimian laughed, took the bouquet and hugged it to her chest, then tiptoed over and pecked him on the corner of his lips.

Just then, a voice came from behind.

"Si Chen?"

He Sichen turned his head and saw a woman standing a few steps away, looking at him.

She wore a light beige dress, her hair was loosely tied in a bun, and she exuded a relaxed and elegant air.

Si Yimian, holding the bouquet, glanced back and forth between He Sichen and Ning Jingzhi.

The two look very alike, especially the line from their brow bone to the bridge of their nose; they're practically printed from the same template.

Their eyebrows and eyes are seven parts alike, but their temperaments are like two different seasons.

One is a frozen lake in the depths of winter, the other is a stream in late spring.

He Sichen's coldness had been softened by time, becoming gentle and clear on her face.

"mom?"

He Sichen's tone also carried a hint of surprise.

Ning Jingzhi nodded and took two steps forward. His gaze naturally fell on Si Yimian, looking her up and down before returning to He Sichen.

"What are you doing here?" He Sichen asked casually.

Ning Jingzhi tilted his head and raised his chin in the direction of a foreign professor.

"David, my partner, is an economics professor. Today, his students are graduating."

She looked back at him and smiled gently.

"And you? When did you get involved with MIT?"

He Sichen made no attempt to hide his true feelings, saying, "I'm here to attend my girlfriend's graduation ceremony."

He released his hand from Si Yimian's wrist, instead wrapping his arms around her lower back and pulling her closer to himself.

"Si Yimian, my girlfriend."

Upon hearing this name, Ning Jingzhi's eyes widened slightly. He took two steps forward and carefully examined Si Yimian.

"Mianmian?"

Si Yimian, holding the bouquet, looked up at her with a sweet and obedient smile.

"Hello, Auntie, it's me. You still remember me?"

"How could I not remember? The last time I saw you, you were only this tall."

Ning Jingzhi raised his hand to indicate the height.

"Your grandfather brought you to the old He family house. You had two little pigtails, all pink and tender, and you were super cute. When I teased you, you called me 'Auntie' in your baby voice."

When she smiles, there are a few fine lines at the corners of her eyes, which don't make her look old, but instead make her whole face look lively.

"You've grown up so much in the blink of an eye, and you're even prettier than when you were a child."

Si Yimian was a little stunned; she had absolutely no recollection of this memory.

Ning Jingzhi's smile deepened as he looked at her bewildered expression.

"It's normal not to remember; you were only two years old then."

Just as Si Yimian was about to reply, a shout came from the other side of the lawn.

"Mian! Hurry! We're taking a group photo! We're just missing you!"

She glanced back, then turned back.

"Auntie, I have to go over there."

"Go."

He Sichen released his grip, his hand sliding from her waist to her palm, giving it a gentle squeeze before letting go.

"I'm waiting for you."

"it is good."

Si Yimian ran a few steps with the flowers in her arms, then turned back. Chong Ningjing waved to her, then jogged across the lawn toward the group of graduates in black robes.

Ning Jingzhi watched her run away, then turned his gaze to He Sichen.

"She looks exactly the same as when she was a child, with round, bright eyes and a smile that's as sweet as honey."

He Sichen didn't reply, his gaze still following Si Yimian's back as she was pulled into the crowd by her classmates.

Ning Jingzhi looked at him for a while, then suddenly laughed.

"Alright, stop looking. The person isn't going anywhere."

He Sichen looked away: "I didn't look."

Ning Jingzhi didn't pursue the matter further. She took two steps to the bench next to her, sat down, put her bag on her lap, and patted the seat next to her.

"Come sit down for a while."

"It's rare for us to meet, and it's even rarer for me to stumble upon you dating."

He Sichen hesitated for a moment, then walked over and sat down.

The wind on the lawn carried the scent of grass and sunshine, and the laughter of graduates drifted intermittently from afar.

Ning Jingzhi tilted her head and glanced at him: "When are you getting married?"

She waited two seconds, but didn't get an answer, so she asked again.

"What, you haven't thought about it?"

"I've thought about it."

This time, He Sichen answered very quickly.

"I'll get married when I return to China."