He suddenly laughed. What an intoxicating moment this is!

His entire being seemed to swell, thoroughly and completely. At that moment, not even heaven and earth felt so majestic.

"Brother Donglin... I love you..."

I had believed those words would sound so awkward, so overly sentimental, yet somehow, they just slipped out.

At that moment, he suddenly felt he could give up everything for this. He held her tightly, lost in extreme euphoria, with only one thought echoing in his mind: ’To die among peonies, a romantic ghost I’d be...’ So *that’s* what they meant!

The moonlight gradually sank westward. The heat in the room also slowly began to subside.

She lay in the crook of his arm, her senses filled with his strong, masculine scent that permeated the air. It’s a sense of security.

His voice was incredibly gentle, "Xixi, we should have a child."

The smile on her face spread to the depths of her heart. Yes, it really is time to have a child. After all, we haven’t been taking any precautions lately.

"Xixi, I really, truly want us to have a child. I was always afraid of holding you back, so I never quite dared to bring it up... But now, I suddenly want to be selfish for once... Xixi, let’s have a child..."

She murmured, "If we have a child soon, how will I continue my studies? Sigh... I’m sure I won’t be able to meet the Empress Dowager’s expectations... I’m afraid I’ll disappoint her..."

He laughed. "If we have a child, the Empress Dowager won’t care a bit whether you study or not. She’s desperate for a grandchild. Everything else can take a backseat..."

She paused, then gave a wry chuckle. That’s right, Empress Dowager Liu couldn’t care less where you graduate from. For a seventy-year-old woman, even becoming a Secretary-General wouldn’t be as important as quickly giving her a grandchild—boy or girl, it doesn’t matter. As long as that condition is met, nothing else is a problem.

"Don’t worry about a thing. As soon as you’re pregnant, I’ll stay abroad with you permanently. Even if it delays some of your coursework, I’ll help you apply for a leave of absence. After the baby is born, you can catch up. Xixi, what do you think?"

Food, clothing, shelter, transportation—everything would be arranged. Childcare, household arrangements... I wouldn’t need to worry about any of it... It sounds very tempting, doesn’t it?

She twined her fingers with his, her voice soft and pliant, "Alright, whatever you say. I’ll listen to you."

He was overjoyed. "Fantastic! We should get our marriage registered as soon as possible."

The thought of a complicated wedding immediately makes my head spin. Getting pregnant, preparing for a wedding, and studying... Heavens, it’s not like I have three heads and six arms!

"You don’t need to worry about the wedding at all. We’ll register the marriage first, and the wedding ceremony can be postponed. Besides, the Empress Dowager will naturally see to the preparations; it won’t be much trouble for us."

Only then did she feel a sense of relief. "Actually, I think just registering is fine. Weddings and all that are completely uninteresting to me."

He chuckled dismissively, "Weddings might be a hassle, but for thousands of years, people have gone through with them. Naturally, we can’t break convention."

She mumbled, "It’s all just for show, for other people to see. So what if it’s a grand wedding? People who are going to divorce will still divorce, and those who are going to break up will still break up. I have no interest in ceremonies at all. Anyway, having the marriage certificate as legal proof is what really matters."

He chuckled, shaking his head, "Look at this silly woman, so adorably naive. A wedding isn’t just about the ceremony! Think about it: you can take the opportunity to buy lots of beautiful clothes and expensive jewelry. Even better, just imagine all the red envelopes you can receive... Why do you think people are so enthusiastic about holding weddings? It’s obviously to collect those cash gifts, to make a profit..."