Si Nian nodded in agreement. "You're right."
It was just as well that the children were still young—changing their names now wouldn’t feel too abrupt.
As for Si Nian herself, her family didn’t seem to insist on her changing her name either.
She didn’t want to change it anyway, because in her past life, she had also been called Si Nian.
Suddenly taking on the surname Lin might feel unfamiliar.
The Si family might not have been good to her, but the name Si Nian was fine.
In this era, changing names was simple—just bring the household register to the police station for registration.
Si Nian followed Zhou Yueshen into the station, where the clerk asked what names they wanted.
Zhou Yueshen looked at Si Nian for her opinion. "Do you have any ideas?"
Si Nian had attended high school—she was the most qualified to come up with names.
After a moment of hesitation, she said, "Keep the characters 'Dong' and 'Han.' A drastic name change might make the children uncomfortable."
Zhou Yueshen gave a slight nod, his deep voice resonating. "Then let’s go with Zhou Zedong and Zhou Zehan. For Yaoyao, we’ll change it to Zhou Xiyao."
The children had originally belonged to his sister’s family, who bore the surname Wang. Their names had been Wang Yuedong and Wang Yuehan before being adopted under Zhou Yueshen, who only changed their surnames.
While many families used the same middle character to denote generational order, Zhou Yueshen was the only son in his family, so there was no such tradition. It was just a coincidence that the new names gave that impression.
After finalizing the name changes, they headed to the civil affairs office to register their marriage.
As they approached the building, Zhou Yueshen suddenly stopped.
Si Nian turned back, puzzled. "What’s wrong?"
Seeing his dark brows furrowed, she grew even more curious.
Was he nervous? This was his second marriage, after all.
She, on the other hand, felt no fear—she had already prepared herself, loved the three children, and had a strong liking for Zhou Yueshen.
Her plans for the future were clear:
1. Get married.
2. Prepare for the college entrance exams.
3. Raise Yaoyao.
After taking the exams, she would take a break from studies until Yaoyao was older, then regain her freedom.
Si Nian no longer wanted to chase fame and fortune like in her past life. Back then, she had pushed herself to the brink just to get into Tsinghua University for the sake of prestige.
Yet after graduation, she became just another corporate drone, working nine-to-five, feeling like a walking corpse.
She had often thought that if she ever had money, she would retire early—get a teaching certificate and become an elementary school foreign language teacher.
Languages were her forte; she had a natural talent. Even in high school, she had mastered several.
She used to dream of traveling abroad once she had the means.
But those dreams of freedom were eventually crushed by the relentless grind of corporate life.
In the future, even a prestigious degree couldn’t guarantee an edge in the cutthroat competition.
Though she excelled in many areas, she despised the scheming and backstabbing that came with fighting for projects in the corporate world.
Every time she told her parents she wanted to quit and rest, they would scold her, asking if she was insane.
After finally landing a job others could only dream of, how could she even think of resigning? She must be out of her mind.
No one understood her...
Perhaps it was her deep aversion to that suffocating life that led her to transmigrate into this 1980s world.
Zhou Yueshen’s dark eyes fixed on her as he asked again, "Si Nian, once we register, there’s really no turning back."
Si Nian was baffled. "What do you mean? Are you going to turn into a different person after marriage?"
Why did he look so afraid she might regret it?
She suddenly recalled that night—the rough grip of his large hand around her neck, the intoxicating mix of breathlessness and pleasure.
A shiver ran down her spine. "Are you going to be abusive?"
Passersby overheard and cast curious glances at Zhou Yueshen.
Taking in his towering frame, sharp features, and intimidating aura—then noticing Si Nian’s stunning beauty and delicate demeanor—they couldn’t help but stare.
Zhou Yueshen choked, his lips twitching before he finally replied, exasperated, "No."
"Then why did you choke me last time?" Si Nian pressed, still wary.
A nearby pedestrian nearly tripped over the steps.
Zhou Yueshen froze, then understanding dawned. His gaze darkened, and to prevent her from saying anything even more shocking, he clarified, "That was different. Did it hurt?"
Si Nian thought for a moment and shook her head.
Zhou Yueshen exhaled in relief. She was still too innocent—his roughness that night had startled her.
He had worried she might resent him for it.
But then Si Nian added, "But don’t do it again, or I’ll get angry."
Everything else about him was fine, except in bed—he never listened to her.
He had been downright wicked back then.
Zhou Yueshen’s voice dropped lower. "Mm."
Si Nian huffed. "If you turn into a different person after marriage, I won’t put up with it. We’ll just—"
"Get divorced!" she declared.
The onlookers nodded emphatically: Yes! Divorce!
Zhou Yueshen fell silent again. He wanted to remind her that military marriages were hard to dissolve, but he couldn’t tell her that yet. He could only nod.
Still, he could promise her this much: No matter what, he would never lay a hand on her.
He couldn’t bear to hurt her anyway.
As for other flaws, Si Nian couldn’t find any. The man was handsome, financially capable, and willingly handed over his earnings.
In any era, he’d be considered a model husband.
She had no complaints.
So she tugged at his hand. "Alright, alright. I’m not scared, so why are you? Hurry up, or the office will close."
Zhou Yueshen looked down at her hand holding his, and in that instant, the weight that had burdened him for so long simply vanished.
The registration process was even simpler. Soon, they each held a small red booklet.
Since they were already in the city, Si Nian asked, "Should we buy anything for the wedding?"
"I’ve already asked Yu Dong to arrange for the wedding supplies to be delivered by truck. You don’t need to worry about that," Zhou Yueshen said.
"But since we’re here, let’s get you some new clothes."
Though he had given her money, Si Nian had only bought clothes for the children, neglecting herself.
Having grown up in the city, she wasn’t like rural folks who made their own clothes from fabric.
Her wardrobe consisted of custom-tailored outfits that perfectly accentuated her figure—undoubtedly expensive.
Such clothes were hard to come by in their small town.
Si Nian considered it and agreed.
Her old clothes were stylish, giving off that classic vintage beauty vibe.
But now that she was married, she couldn’t keep wearing hand-me-downs.
Following the memory of where the original owner used to shop, they entered a boutique specializing in handmade garments.
Inside were exquisite qipaos, delicate dresses, and other elegant attire—all meticulously stitched by hand.
