1.3

We went to university in ’03. At that time, people had just begun paying attention to domestic real estate and the cost of housing rose very steadily in this year.

The second year after we graduated, the housing market prices in first tier cities all over the country reached its first peak and Wei Min and a few of his seniors had been working on this industry since early on.

Wei Min came to Shanghai after graduation, partly because of me- I was studying for my master’s here- and partly because there were many opportunities here.

He and his seniors accumulated a lot of contacts while they were in school. They came to Shanghai together and started from the bottom up. When the housing market hit its first peak in ’07, they also welcomed the first peak in their business.

In ’07, the entire real estate industry reached an unprecedented level of achievement. Commercial housing investment accounted for more than seventy percent of real estate development investment.

If the market is big, many people will get in on it. Simultaneously, the resources that the market gets will decrease. After the formation of the housing security system gained more attention from the government, Wei Min and the others began to shift gears. From commercial housing investment before to investment in economically affordable housing and low-rent housing.

This decision allowed them to smoothly make it through the financial crisis of ’08 and their company also became the one of the few “golds” left by the upheaval.

Wei Min’s career was at its peak. He had also collected enough money for his grandmother’s surgery long ago. On the day the company entered the market, he went and sat at his grandmother’s grave for a day.

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This was clearly a newly constructed house, I didn’t know why Wei Min would be having a meeting in this kind of place. The door was half closed and Wei Min told me to go straight in.

I pushed open the door. The lights were off in the house. On the huge floor to ceiling windows were rose petals arranged into the shape of a heart, and in the middle of the heart were photos of me and Wei Min.

And outside the window, far far away, were two buildings in construction. That was Wei Min’s kingdom.

My slow reflex finally got the signal.

The whole room was filled with a romantic atmosphere that belonged only to Wei Min. I even saw morning glories in three different colors on the table.

I felt glad that it was roses that he stuck on the window, otherwise I might fall out with him.

Wei Min was dressed very formally. Black suit with a white shirt, leather shoes polished til they shone, his laces still tied in the way I can’t figure out.

He walked to me with roses in hand and slowly knelt down.

There weren’t many sweet words, I knew he couldn’t talk like that. I also knew what he wanted to say. I only cried, silently watching him.

“I couldn’t fulfill the promise of two years that I promised you in the beginning, but marrying you has always been my goal in life.”

Wei Min placed the roses in front of me and only then did I see that there was an open ring box placed in the middle. Except inside the box was not the diamond ring I imagined, but a key.

I couldn’t bear to make him kneel for too long and took the key: “Why is it a key?”

“You said before that you want a home¹The word (家) means both home and family. I used family earlier because that scene was centered around the death of his relatives, but home here since it involves the physical aspect. with me.” Wei Min remained kneeling on the floor. He took out his second piece of sincerity: “Baobei, will you marry me?”

In the dusky light, the pure diamond ring still brilliantly scattered rays of light, yet it was still far from the expectant light in Wei Min’s eyes.

I had no way of rejecting Wei Min in my life.

“Yes.” I cried so much I became a person made of tears, but what surprised me even more was that after Wei Min helped me put the ring on, two people came out by the bedroom on the south side.

I cried even more fiercely, coming out from Wei Min’s arms and going over to them: “Dad… Mom…”

Mom was also very moved, she smiled as she wiped my tears: “It’s a happy thing, don’t cry.”

Wei Min came over and Dad looked at him, then said to me: “He went back and asked us to come over. He also said that if we didn’t come, you wouldn’t agree to marry him. It doesn’t look to me like it was so hard for you to agree.”

I stopped crying and laughed. Though I was still not good at acting spoiled with my parents, I was still much better than before: “Dad, don’t laugh at me.”

I knew my parents wouldn’t agree so easily. Wei Min must have said a lot to them, done a lot of things for them.

Our wedding was set for the last day of that year.

When taking wedding photos in the Netherlands, I couldn’t resist and asked: “Why are you in such a hurry? It’s not like I’ll run away.”

Wei Min fixed my veil for me: “I want to live a life with a family sooner.”

The photographer was looking for a lens nearby, allowing us to talk naturally like this. I thought back to the day of the proposal: “Then why did you decide to propose on that day?”

Wei Min hugged me. He kissed me on the forehead through the veil: “Because that day was the first day of school for No. 8 High School and also the first time I met you.”

“You mean the start of the first year?” I had no impression.

Wei Min simply said two sentences: “I picked up your student ID at the registration area. When you came to get it, I was just about to leave. You didn’t see me.”

Probably because there was a lot going on the day school started, I still didn’t have any impression. Wei Min laughed: “It’s not important, what’s important is the future.”

I smiled as I agreed.

Under the blue sky and white clouds, I lifted my skirt and ran across the grass. Standing on the vast open grassland, I shouted at the far off sunset: “Wei Min!”

He chased after me, stopping behind me: “I’m here.”

I turned around to look at him. At that moment, the light of the setting sun shone, falling on his slender, tall, and straight figure. I thought of that evening without others, the figure of him leaning against the wall outside my classroom.

I smiled as I shouted at him: “Wei Min!”

He replied: “Here.”

“I love you!”

Wind came from a faraway place, delivering my love to him.

I watched Wei Min’s lips move.

He was calling me—

Baobei.

He was saying to me—

I love you.

I smiled at him.

At that moment, I thought we would have a very good future and a very long life together.

After coming back from taking wedding photos, we decided on hanging the one of Wei Min kissing me through the veil in the bedroom, and I picked a few to place in my office and developed a copy for Wei Min as well.

After Wei Min selected the pictures to use for the wedding ceremony, he obtained a copy of all the photos and videos from the Netherlands for keeping.

Our wedding was grand and warm, and we went to the Netherlands again for our honeymoon, I like the atmosphere and desserts there.

After our honeymoon, Wei Min was busy for half a year. He left early and returned late every day. I went to the company to accompany him for overtime on my time off.

Year after year, we lived simply and serenely, yet very happily.

I thought, if it were not for that accident, Wei Min and I would probably have a very satisfying life.

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[1] The word (家) means both home and family. I used family earlier because that scene was centered around the death of his relatives, but home here since it involves the physical aspect.