Sweetie, don't look at him, kiss me.

The person in the mirror was wearing a dress she had designed herself. The sunset-colored skirt spread out at her feet, the waistline perfectly accentuated her figure, and the neckline revealed her collarbone and the pink diamond necklace just right.

She stared for a long time, so long that Fang Shiyang called her name from outside before she came to her senses.

When Lin Qingmian pushed open the door and walked out, Fang Shiyang was sitting on the sofa. Hearing the noise, he looked up.

Then she froze.

"My God..." Fang Shiyang stood up from the sofa and walked around Lin Qingmian again and again, exclaiming in amazement, "This is so beautiful! Baby, you are a genius! The gradient colors, the design, the arrangement of the sequins...it's breathtaking!"

Lin Qingmian felt a little dizzy from being spun around, and laughed as she pressed down on her shoulder: "Okay, okay, stop spinning me, I'm getting dizzy."

"I can't control myself!" Fang Shiyang excitedly grabbed her hand: "When you wear this to the wedding, everyone will be stunned! Our CEO will definitely freeze on the spot!"

Lin Qingmian imagined the scene and couldn't help but smile.

Just then, the sound of a door lock turning came from the entrance hall.

Fang Shiyang's movements stopped instantly.

Lin Qingmian was also stunned for a moment, and subconsciously looked towards the door.

Ji Linzhou pushed open the door and came in, carrying a bag of groceries he had just bought. He changed his shoes, looked up, and his gaze fell on Lin Qingmian, who was wearing a wedding dress in the center of the living room, past the partition in the entryway.

He froze.

The bag of vegetables in my hand tilted slightly, and one of the tomatoes rolled out and fell to the floor with a thud.

But he didn't bend down to pick it up.

He just stood there, staring at her intently, as if he were nailed to the spot by something.

Lin Qingmian felt a little embarrassed by his gaze. She raised her hand to tidy the stray hairs at her temples, her voice slightly tense: "Um... the sample garment just arrived, I'll try it on and see how it looks..."

Ji Linzhou finally made a move.

He placed the grocery bag on the cabinet in the entryway, then walked step by step to her. His gaze traveled from the top of her head down to the hem of her skirt, then back down to her face, as if trying to etch every inch of her into his eyes.

"It looks good," he said.

His voice was a little hoarse, carrying a kind of almost clumsy sincerity that she had never heard from him before.

Fang Shiyang looked at this and that, and very tactfully took a few steps back. He picked up his phone and pretended to reply to work messages, but his ears were perked up.

Lin Qingmian looked up and met Ji Linzhou's gaze: "Is it really beautiful?"

"Hmm." Ji Linzhou lowered his head, his gaze falling on the pink diamond below her collarbone: "It's even more beautiful than I imagined."

He reached out and gently lifted her face, his thumb slowly tracing her jawline: "You look good in anything."

Fang Shiyang finally couldn't hold back any longer and covered her mouth, letting out a suppressed scream.

Lin Qingmian's face flushed red, and she gently pushed his hand away: "Sister Shiyang is still here..."

Ji Linzhou turned his head and glanced at Fang Shiyang indifferently.

Fang Shiyang immediately raised his hands in surrender: "I'm leaving! I was just passing by! I'm leaving now!"

She quickly packed her things and rushed to the door as if fleeing, not forgetting to turn back and give Lin Qingmian a thumbs up: "Baby! Beautiful! You'll definitely stun everyone at the wedding!"

The door slammed shut, and the living room fell silent.

Lin Qingmian stood in front of Ji Linzhou, wearing the sunset-colored wedding dress, feeling awkward and unsure of where to put her hands.

Ji Linzhou looked down at her, his gaze filled with a burning emotion she had never seen before.

"Ji Linzhou," she said softly.

"Um."

"How much longer are you going to watch?"

Ji Linzhou was silent for a moment, then bent down slightly and placed a very light kiss on her lips.

"I'll watch it for a lifetime," he said.

Lin Qingmian closed his eyes, a slight smile playing on his lips, his fingers unconsciously clenching the shirt in front of his chest.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling on the two people and casting their shadows on the floor, overlapping and indistinguishable from one another.

The sunset-colored wedding dress shimmered gently in the sunlight, as if it had worn the entire twilight itself.

The wedding is scheduled for a Saturday two weeks from now.

The date was personally chosen by Old Master Ji from the almanac, who said it was auspicious for marriage, travel, and all other activities. Ji Linzhou originally didn't care much about these things, but since Old Master Ji had unusually agreed on this matter, he went along with the old man's wishes and didn't object.

Lin Qingmian didn't have any objections to the date. She just felt that time was flying by, as if it had only been a few days since the wedding was confirmed, and the calendar had already turned to the eve of the wedding.

The night before the wedding, she stayed at Ji Xingqing's apartment.

This was arranged by Fang Shiyang—she said the bride and groom couldn't meet before the wedding, lest it spoil the joy. Lin Qingmian was skeptical of this old custom, but Fang Shiyang was adamant, so she went along with it.

Ji Xingqing's apartment was much tidier than Lin Qingmian had imagined. The pink sofa, white carpet, and walls covered with dolls all reflected a girlish heart. She sat cross-legged on the carpet, hugging a cushion, and couldn't help but laugh as she watched Lin Qingmian sitting somewhat awkwardly on the sofa.

"Mian, you're marrying my uncle tomorrow, aren't you nervous?"

Lin Qingmian touched the pink diamond necklace around her neck and honestly replied, "A little."

"Just a little?"

"...Actually, there are quite a lot."

Ji Xingqing laughed heartily, scrambled up from the carpet, plopped down next to her, and put her arm around her shoulder: "Don't be nervous! My uncle may seem cold and aloof at times, but he's different towards you."

"Haven't you noticed? The way he looks at you is different from how he looks at others."

Lin Qingmian turned her head to look at her: "How is it different?"

"Hmm..." Ji Xingqing tilted her head and thought for a while, finally concluding, "It's like a hot spring suddenly appearing inside a glacier. It looks cold on the outside, but it's warm on the inside."

Lin Qingmian was amused by her analogy, and the tension in her heart eased a little.

My phone vibrated; it was a message from Ji Linzhou: "Go to sleep early, you'll be tired tomorrow."

She stared at the message for a few seconds, typed "Okay" and sent it, then added: [You should go to sleep early too.]

The reply was a brief "Mm".

Ji Xingqing peeked over and clicked her tongue twice: "Tsk, you two have been married for a year, how come you're still like you're in the honeymoon phase?"

"We..." Lin Qingmian thought for a moment, then said seriously, "We've only been officially together for a little over a month."

Ji Xingqing's eyes widened, and she looked like she had "bumped into something," then she rolled around on the sofa twice while hugging a cushion.

At five o'clock the next morning, Lin Qingmian was dug out of bed by Fang Shiyang.

Makeup artists, stylists, and photographers were already waiting in Ji Xingqing's apartment living room, a scene so large it made her a little overwhelmed. Fang Shiyang, holding a cup of black coffee, energetically directed everyone to their positions, looking like a general on a battlefield.

The makeup process lasted for more than two hours.

Lin Qingmian sat in front of the mirror, letting the makeup artist apply makeup to her face. Her gaze occasionally fell on her own face in the mirror, watching the makeup gradually become exquisite and complete, and the sense of unreality in her heart grew stronger and stronger.

She's really going to marry Ji Linzhou.

It wasn't the cold, contract-like marriage certificate from a year ago.

It was a real wedding, with flowers, a wedding dress, vows, and one that everyone knew about.

"All done!" The makeup artist put down her brush and looked at her reflection in the mirror with satisfaction. "Ms. Lin, are you satisfied?"