On Saturday, Zhou Zhuofei broke her usual habit of sleeping in and got up early. As she was preparing to leave, she bumped into Xiao Wang returning from his workout.
He looked surprised. "You're up this early? Have you eaten breakfast?"
Zhou Zhuofei waved the paper bag in her hand. "I packed some to eat on the way."
"Do you want me to drive you?"
"No need, the school is pretty far." Her words sped up as she glanced at the clock on the living room wall. "Oh no, I'm running late—gotta go!"
She pressed her hands on Xiao Wang's shoulders, gave him a quick peck on the cheek, and said, "See you tonight!" before rushing out the door.
Zhou Zhuofei had recently taken on a small gig—though "gig" wasn’t quite the right word since it was unpaid.
Du Yu’s company was hosting a grand 10th-anniversary comic convention in City K this year. Alongside inviting renowned "big names" from various circles, they had also organized several activities.
One of them was a stage play competition, which had attracted many participating teams—including the anime club from Zhou Zhuofei and Du Yu’s alma mater. Since Du Yu had stayed active in the community, she’d kept in touch with the club. Not long ago, she’d shared some news with Zhou Zhuofei.
The current students were planning to put together a stage play for the competition, but they were still short a few roles.
So, Du Yu asked Zhou Zhuofei if she’d be interested in filling in.
"It’s not a major role—just buy a costume and attend a few rehearsals."
After graduating, Zhou Zhuofei had gradually drifted away from the scene, but she’d always kept her passion for the ACG world alive.
At first, she felt a little awkward, thinking it might seem odd for someone who’d been out of school for years to join a bunch of college kids.
But when Du Yu mentioned that other alumni had also agreed to help, Zhou Zhuofei suddenly felt the whole thing take on a deeper meaning. So, she happily agreed to join.
Later, through Du Yu’s introduction, Zhou Zhuofei met the new president of the anime club. After a quick discussion, she picked a role, ordered a costume, studied the script, and started attending rehearsals.
Since her character didn’t appear often, she didn’t need to join the regular practices—just the full-group run-throughs.
Weekends were reserved for these full rehearsals. Zhou Zhuofei had already attended two, and everything had gone smoothly. Today was the final rehearsal before the competition next week.
The venue was at their old university. Zhou Zhuofei drove from downtown to the outskirts, parked, and walked toward the rehearsal hall while finishing her breakfast.
Seeing the students coming and going, surrounded by familiar scenery, Zhou Zhuofei felt like she’d been transported back to her college days—as if she’d somehow grown younger.
She quickened her pace and entered the rehearsal hall.
"Good morning, everyone!"
A chorus of voices replied, "Morning, Mumu-jie!"
During the first rehearsal, Zhou Zhuofei hadn’t been used to the noisy environment, but she’d gotten accustomed to it—even started to miss it.
After all, back in the day, she’d been one of the loudest in the club.
Once everyone was in place, they began the rehearsal. Zhou Zhuofei’s role was minor, so she spent most of her time waiting backstage, chatting with others about anime and games.
It had been ages since she’d had the chance to talk offline with so many like-minded fans, and she was thoroughly enjoying it.
Everything was proceeding smoothly when Zhou Zhuofei suddenly spotted Du Yu at the entrance.
She was the first to notice and stood up. "What brings you here?"
"I was just reviewing a performance at the medical university next door and thought I’d drop by to see how you guys are doing."
Du Yu was a familiar face to many in the group, so quite a few people came over to greet her.
It took her a while to respond to everyone before she finally pulled Zhou Zhuofei aside for a private chat.
"So, how does it feel? Like you’re back in college?"
"Absolutely. Lately, I keep remembering how we used to rush back to the dorms right before curfew after rehearsals—especially in winter, when the cold wind felt like knives on our faces."
Even though the memory wasn’t exactly pleasant, Zhou Zhuofei couldn’t help but smile.
"Back then, we poured so much time and money into these performances, all out of pure passion. It was so intense."
"You’re still plenty passionate now—coming back to help the juniors even after graduating." Du Yu patted her shoulder encouragingly. "That’s what you call staying true to your roots."
"How long are you staying? Want to grab lunch with us later?"
Post-rehearsal group meals had always been a tradition in the anime club, one that hadn’t changed over the years.
"I’ll leave after seeing you perform. I’ve got other things to attend to."
Du Yu stayed just long enough to watch Zhou Zhuofei deliver her lines before saying her goodbyes and heading out.
Rehearsals continued until noon. Those who were free ate together, while minor roles like Zhou Zhuofei could head home, leaving the main cast to polish their performances.
By the time she got back, Zhou Zhuofei felt like a drained battery—utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally.
She dropped her things on the floor and collapsed onto the sofa, not wanting to move an inch.
So. Tired.
"Back already?" Xiao Wang emerged from the study at the sound of movement and found her in this state.
Zhou Zhuofei responded weakly, "Mhm."
"Tired? Want to rest in bed?"
She weakly waved a hand. "Can’t move. I’ll just stay here."
Xiao Wang walked over, ruffled her hair, and set a glass of water on the coffee table before returning to his work.
After resting for over half an hour, Zhou Zhuofei finally started to recover. Just then, her phone buzzed—a message from the anime club president.
[Mumu-jie, the organizers gave us some complimentary tickets. We saved one for you!]
[Oh, you don’t have to! Give it to the others—I don’t really have anyone to invite anyway.]
[It’s fine, we have plenty. This one’s for you—thanks again for helping out, senpai!]
[Alright, thanks then.]
Still, Zhou Zhuofei wasn’t sure who to give the ticket to. Logically, it should go to Xiao Wang, but he’d never shown much interest in these things.
She walked to the study door and tentatively asked, "Do you have plans next weekend?"
"Saturday or Sunday?"
"Sunday."
"Isn’t that the day of your competition?"
"Yeah. My junior just told me they have a spare ticket. Would you like to come?"
Xiao Wang paused, swiveled his chair to face her, crossed his arms, and leaned back with a knowing look. "Well, do you want me to come?"
"Uh… it’d be nice if you could, but if you’re busy, it’s no big deal."
"Let me check my schedule."
Xiao Wang turned around, clicked the mouse a few times, then said to Zhou Zhuofei, "I have something to take care of, but I’ll try my best to make it before your competition. I remember it’s at three o’clock, right?"
Zhou Zhuofei was overjoyed and immediately threw herself at Xiao Wang, hugging him tightly. She cupped his face and planted kisses on both cheeks. "You’re the best!"
Xiao Wang simply smiled without a word, one arm wrapped around Zhou Zhuofei while the other discreetly closed the schedule on his desktop—making sure she didn’t notice the note he’d already marked for next Sunday.
Though the competition was on Sunday, Zhou Zhuofei had been swamped all week. She and her team had to finalize costumes, makeup, and run a full rehearsal with all their gear.
As a result, Zhou Zhuofei had been rushing to her university right after work every day, while Xiao Wang had also suddenly become extremely busy. The two of them often only reunited late at night at home.
But exhaustion left them with little energy for conversation, and after exchanging a few words, they’d collapse into sleep.
Zhou Zhuofei sensed something was off about Xiao Wang’s demeanor. She assumed it was work stress, but with her own hectic schedule, she didn’t have the bandwidth to address it. She decided she’d talk to him properly after the competition.
Before she knew it, the day of the convention arrived. The event started at 10 a.m., but Zhou Zhuofei didn’t need to be there that early. She had lunch at home before driving to the venue.
Inside, the convention was buzzing with energy. Zhou Zhuofei hadn’t experienced such a lively atmosphere in ages. If she hadn’t been part of the competition, she would’ve loved to explore.
She found her club members, all gathered and making final preparations. Zhou Zhuofei changed into her costume, put on her wig and makeup, then helped others with theirs.
By the time everything was ready, it was almost time for the competition to begin.
Only then did Zhou Zhuofei realize Xiao Wang still hadn’t arrived. Had work held him up?
She pulled out her phone to message him. He responded immediately—still on his phone—saying he’d be there in ten minutes.
So work had delayed him after all. Zhou Zhuofei replied, telling him to head straight to the stage when he arrived.
After that, she couldn’t spare any more attention for her phone. They were about to go onstage, and all personal items had to be handed over to the backstage crew.
While waiting backstage, Du Yu slipped over to see her.
"Interview time! How does it feel to be back onstage after so many years?"
"Not bad. Less nerve-wracking than company meetings."
The remark sent both of them spiraling into nostalgia.
Back when they’d first competed, they’d been so nervous their hands and legs shook, relying on each other for encouragement.
Now, years later, neither of them was still the type to lose sleep over excitement or stage fright.
Zhou Zhuofei sighed. "I just never thought I’d get another chance to perform."
"Go for it. I’ll be watching from the audience."
"Shouldn’t you be working? Is slacking off to watch the show really okay?"
Du Yu winked. "How could I miss your grand return?"
"Oh, by the way—Xiao Wang’s coming later. Keep an eye out for him, will you?"
Du Yu agreed without hesitation, then studied Zhou Zhuofei’s face and reminded her to touch up her lipstick.
"Got it. Now go on, shoo."
After a long wait, it was finally their turn to take the stage.
Zhou Zhuofei wasn’t nervous at all. Compared to the pressures of the workplace, this was nothing.
She moved through her performance calmly, executing every step just as they’d rehearsed.
After the main storyline concluded, there was a final segment—a runway-style showcase where all characters would appear one by one before gathering for a group bow.
Each character was paired with another, usually based on their relationships in the story.
Zhou Zhuofei’s partner was the love interest of her character in the original work, played by a quiet underclassman from the university. Most of her scenes had been with him.
According to the script, they were supposed to enter from opposite sides of the stage, meet in the center, and strike a pose.
But just as Zhou Zhuofei was about to step out, she glanced up and noticed something odd about the figure across from her.
She wasn’t particularly close with her co-star, but after so many rehearsals, she’d grown familiar with his appearance. Though the costume obscured his face, his build seemed… different.
Before she could dwell on it, a stagehand nudged her forward, signaling her to go on.
Zhou Zhuofei walked out, matching her steps with her partner’s to ensure they met in the center at the same time.
Then, abruptly, the upbeat music cut off. After a few seconds of silence, a different song began playing.
It was Zhou Zhuofei’s favorite song.
She froze, assuming it was a technical error. But even with the wrong track, the show had to go on. Just as she prepared to continue as planned—
Her partner broke script, dropping to one knee.
The audience, thinking it was part of the act, erupted into cheers.
Zhou Zhuofei caught a glimpse of his profile beneath the hood. A wave of familiarity washed over her.
Why did he look more and more like Xiao Wang?
At that moment, he pulled a small velvet box from his pocket, opening it as he lifted his head and pushed back the hood.
Xiao Wang gazed up at her, holding out a diamond ring, a smile playing on his lips.
His voice echoed through the speakers.
"Beautiful lady, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"
