Zhou Zhuofei was practically jolted awake by shock.
"Marriage? With me?"
Before Xiao Wang could answer, she propped herself up and locked eyes with him. "Are you serious?"
Even though she knew Xiao Wang was unlikely to joke about something like this, Zhou Zhuofei couldn’t help but double-check.
After he nodded, she did something else.
She reached out and touched his face, her fingers gliding from the bridge of his nose down to the tip. The sensation was undeniably real—definitely not a dream.
Xiao Wang asked, "Think I’m joking?"
"No, I thought I was dreaming, so I had to test it."
Zhou Zhuofei withdrew her hand and then pinched her own cheek hard.
"Ouch…"
Yep, it hurt. So, definitely not a dream.
Xiao Wang watched as she grimaced from the pain and gently pulled her hand away to inspect the reddened spot.
"Why be so rough with yourself? It’s going to swell later."
But her reaction also made him realize something—she had thought about this before.
"If it doesn’t hurt, how can I be sure I’m not dreaming?"
Xiao Wang sighed softly. "Silly."
His touch grew even gentler, laced with a hint of guilt.
His instincts had been right. Zhou Zhuofei had always accommodated him unconditionally.
What a fool. If he hadn’t come to his senses in time, how much longer would she have waited?
Zhou Zhuofei chuckled, her gaze fixed on Xiao Wang’s movements.
The focused expression on his face mesmerized her, especially knowing she was the reason for it. A wave of satisfaction washed over her.
It wasn’t that she’d never considered marriage.
Even if she hadn’t, someone else would’ve brought it up eventually.
Like Du Yu, who’d casually mentioned it last year after their first anniversary.
Back then, Du Yu had supported their relationship because she believed Xiao Wang’s stability would let Zhou Zhuofei enjoy love without overthinking.
But now, Zhou Zhuofei had experienced romance, overcome her emotional scars—shouldn’t the next step in life be considered?
At the time, Zhou Zhuofei hadn’t given a clear answer because she wasn’t sure herself.
And it wouldn’t be fair to Xiao Wang. Just because she was ready didn’t mean he was.
She couldn’t assume that just because she’d moved past her own fears, Xiao Wang would change his stance on marriage.
That kind of expectation was unreasonable to begin with.
From the start, Xiao Wang had never lied to her or made promises he couldn’t keep. She’d accepted his perspective when they got together.
Maybe he would reconsider marriage for her, but she couldn’t bear the thought of him forcing himself or feeling trapped.
Compared to that, it seemed easier for her to compromise—after all, she didn’t have any strong attachment to marriage itself.
Xiao Wang simply didn’t want to marry, not that he shied away from commitment.
Zhou Zhuofei rarely compared, but in their two years together, Xiao Wang had never fallen short as a partner. If anything, he’d always gone above and beyond.
If that was the case, what did it matter whether they married or not?
So Zhou Zhuofei had been preparing herself for that future.
As for her parents’ nagging? Well, they’d never be satisfied. Even if she did marry, they’d find something else to fuss over.
Rather than worrying about all that, it was better to focus on how she felt.
Xiao Wang bringing this up now, in this moment, clearly wasn’t the result of careful deliberation.
Zhou Zhuofei figured it was because of that dream—the one that had spurred this sudden idea.
So instead of diving into a serious discussion about marriage, the most important thing right now was to reassure him.
To let Xiao Wang know where she stood, that this topic wouldn’t drive her away.
Zhou Zhuofei pressed her hand over his, nuzzling her cheek against his palm. "Of course I’ve thought about it. But I don’t see it as a must-have in life, so I’m in no rush. Still, if I had to marry someone, it could only be you."
"No one else?"
"Of course." Her voice was firm. "No one else."
The idea of stepping into the so-called "marriage prison" with anyone but Xiao Wang was unthinkable. So yes, it had to be him.
"I see." With her answer, the tangled thoughts in his mind instantly settled.
Xiao Wang’s heart steadied.
His negative view of marriage stemmed partly from his parents and partly from himself.
He feared repeating their mistakes—and worse, he didn’t trust himself.
But Zhou Zhuofei had said it: no one else but him. Even if he couldn’t believe in himself, he’d believe in her.
If this was a pit of fire, he’d leap in without hesitation.
Besides, how could life with Zhou Zhuofei ever be anything close to a pit of fire?
"Though I don’t know how marriage would be different from now, just the thought of being with you forever..."
Xiao Wang gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind Zhou Zhuofei’s ear, "makes me happy."
If the worst-case scenario for him was losing Zhou Zhuofei, then as long as he stayed by her side, he would fear nothing.
"I think we can start considering it," Xiao Wang said. "This isn’t to pressure you into a decision, but just to let you know that from now on, we don’t have to avoid this topic anymore."
Meeting Zhou Zhuofei’s surprised gaze, Xiao Wang’s tone grew even firmer.
"I know you’ve always been mindful of my feelings, but now I’m not as afraid of marriage as I used to be."
"While I think this is a good thing, I have to remind you—marriage isn’t necessarily bad, but it might not be perfect either."
Xiao Wang’s eagerness, however, only added to Zhou Zhuofei’s unease.
Their circumstances were just too different.
Xiao Wang had no real understanding of a conventional marriage, while she had grown up in an ordinary family.
She knew what an average marriage looked like, and she worried that Xiao Wang’s high expectations might lead to disappointment.
"I understand, but it’s not marriage itself that I’m looking forward to," Xiao Wang murmured. "It’s the future with you."
In other words, it was only because of Zhou Zhuofei that he could face this challenge without fear.
At this point, what else did Zhou Zhuofei have to hesitate about?
"Well, since you’ve said so..."
She leaned in and kissed Xiao Wang’s cheek. "Let’s give it a try. There’s no rush, right?"
Though they had agreed to no longer avoid the topic of marriage, Zhou Zhuofei could clearly sense a shift in their relationship.
They no longer focused solely on the present—instead, they often found themselves discussing the future.
There were no grand promises or formal plans, but in their conversations, they seemed to have reached an unspoken understanding: their futures were intertwined.
The real turning point, however, came before a holiday.
Zhou Zhuofei had called her parents, as she usually did when she wasn’t going home for the break, to catch up.
Normally, Xiao Wang would discreetly step away to give her privacy.
But this time, he stayed and listened to the entire conversation.
Zhou Zhuofei didn’t understand his intention, but since he made no move to leave, she pretended not to notice and continued talking.
Only after she hung up did Xiao Wang ask seriously, "Does your mom actually know about me?"
"Of course she does." Over the past two years, her parents had constantly nagged her about relationships—until she finally admitted, in frustration, that she was seeing someone.
The moment they heard, the pressure stopped.
Zhou Zhuofei regretted not saying so earlier—it would’ve saved her so much trouble!
But it also made her realize there might have been more behind her parents’ persistence.
Since then, her parents never pried too much about Xiao Wang, only occasionally asking about him in passing—like what he had done for her birthday.
Gradually, Zhou Zhuofei understood this was their way of showing care.
Noticing Xiao Wang’s hesitant expression, she raised an eyebrow. "What? You listened so intently just now—do you want to talk to my mom yourself?"
The conversation had been nothing out of the ordinary—just everyday chatter about household matters, recent purchases, or family gossip.
Yet Xiao Wang seemed fascinated by it all.
To her surprise, he asked, "Would that be okay? But I’ve never properly introduced myself to her—would a phone call be too informal?"
"Wait, you’re serious?"
Zhou Zhuofei froze, but if Xiao Wang was bringing it up, he must have been thinking about it for a while.
"Are you sure?" She didn’t hide her concern. "You’re not exactly great with older people, are you?"
Xiao Wang had, of course, sought advice from married friends. If they were going to get married, he needed to become part of her family.
No matter how strong their relationship was, her parents had been in her life for over two decades—this was a hurdle he had to face.
"We’ll meet them eventually anyway. What do you think?"
Zhou Zhuofei considered it and agreed. Why wait? Since it was just a short break, they wouldn’t even have time to overstay.
"Alright, I’ll let my mom know. You check for tickets."
With their tasks divided, they set off to prepare.
Zhou Zhuofei's mother, Ms. Hu, was overjoyed when she heard her daughter was finally bringing home the boyfriend she'd kept hidden for a year.
Right after hanging up the phone, she immediately called her husband to start planning what dishes to prepare for the occasion.
Meanwhile, Zhou Zhuofei waved her phone at Xiao Wang and said, "It's too late to back out now—I've already told them."
As soon as she finished speaking, her phone buzzed violently twice. Glancing down, she saw two voice messages from her mother, each over a minute long.
She tried converting them to text first, but the system couldn’t decipher her mother’s accent. With no other choice, she patiently listened through them. The two-minute ramble could be summarized in one sentence: Ask Xiao Wang what he’d like to eat.
After listening, Zhou Zhuofei stared at her phone, realizing her parents were even more excited than she’d anticipated.
The last time she’d heard her mother speak with this much enthusiasm was when her college entrance exam results came out.
"Why are you spacing out?"
Snapping back to reality, Zhou Zhuofei handed her phone to Xiao Wang, gesturing at the screen. "Auntie wants to know if you have any dietary restrictions so she can cook you a feast. But I already answered for you—I said you’ll eat anything. And if necessary, you can even cook for them yourself."
