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Psst! We're moving!
Mid-June, the capital had gone many days without rain, and the weather was hot.
At noon, the art studio was stuffy and hot, so Luo Mingjing simply took off his shirt, moved the long table and chairs to the doorway, and worked with the windows and air conditioning on.
Shi Min returned from work. Through the glass door of the art studio, she saw Luo Mingjing, his hair tied up high, shirtless, pencil in his mouth, cutting a small golden dress.
Shi Min took off her sunglasses, paused, and watched the man’s physique with a smile for a moment before pushing the door open.
The wind chimes jingled, and Luo Mingjing lifted a smiling face, took the pencil from his mouth, and said, “There’s food on the stove. You sit here, I’ll bring it to you.”
“Don’t go yet.” Shi Min reached out and touched him, letting out a satisfied sigh.
Luo Mingjing chuckled: “Shi Min—the woman legally entitled to touch me wherever she pleases.”
“Have you been doing this all day?”
Shi Min pointed to the piles of doll clothes and a magnificent miniature castle filling the art studio.
“Toys for Yueming,” Luo Mingjing nodded. “I’ve made three sets. Now I’m working on an evening gown, it’ll be done soon.”
These past few days, he had made countless baby clothes for his daughter, complete with matching hats and socks. If Shi Min hadn’t stopped him, he might have continued until the child went to school.
Various sizes, various styles.
The first time Shi Min tried to stop him, Luo Mingjing just smiled and then went on to make her several maternity dresses, matching the style of some of his daughter’s baby clothes—clearly mother-daughter outfits.
He declared: “I haven’t forgotten about you!”
Shi Min raised an eyebrow: “You think I’m jealous?”
Luo Mingjing hugged Shi Min and kissed her, sweetly saying, “How could you be? I have another idea, wait until I finish it.”
Seeing the expectant father’s overflowing joy and boundless energy, Shi Min’s heart softened, and she let him be for three days.
When she returned on the fourth day, she found his excitement hadn’t waned. This time, he had even made hair ornaments and small handbags that the child might wear in the future.
Shi Min said, “That’s enough. You should rest. I’m afraid you’ll get too tired.”
“I’m not tired!” Luo Mingjing replied.
Shi Min: “Clearly, you’re tired to the point of being foolish.”
________________________________________
With the CEO’s directive, Luo Mingjing had to stop, but he still couldn’t suppress the urge to create something for his daughter. So, he bought a batch of toy dolls, dolls of various sizes and styles, and began making clothes, shoes, and houses for them. He even outfitted the houses with light fixtures and electricity.
“Your hands are truly skillful,” Shi Min genuinely exclaimed, looking at the exquisitely crafted handmade castle, complete with tables, chairs, chandeliers, and stairs inside.
Luo Mingjing sewed on sequins, dressed the doll in an evening gown, styled its hair, and placed it in front of the castle.
“There’s one thing I’m very confident about,” he said, looking at the fruits of his labor, “Whatever Yueming wants to wear in the future, I’ll be able to meet her demands.”
“And there’s one thing I’m very sure about too,” Shi Min said, resting her chin in her hand. “Your daughter will definitely win first place in a competition for whose doll has the most clothes.”
Just as they were speaking, they heard a voice at the door: “Dearest brother and sister-in-law, I’m here.”
Xu Qianqian pushed open the door with her hip, carrying a large box.
Luo Mingjing asked, “What’s in there?”
“Toys for my niece,” Xu Qianqian opened the box and took out a pile of oddly shaped but beautifully colored plush toys.
“...You won’t find these kinds of toys on the market,” Luo Mingjing’s mouth twitched. He said, “Did you design them?”
Xu Qianqian added, “And made them by hand.”
The plush toys were very cute, like a group of adorable little monsters living together.
Shi Min chuckled and softly praised, “Designers are truly versatile.”
“How is it, Brother? I brought them to consult you. If you approve, it proves my aesthetic is alright, and I plan to register a trademark.”
Each little monster had a small tail behind it, with their respective names sewn on the tail.
Luo Mingjing carefully examined the color scheme and nodded. Xu Qianqian rubbed her hands, nervously saying, “Brother, turn them over and see their names.”
Luo Mingjing was familiar with her expression; it seemed there was a hidden meaning in the names.
Luo Mingjing put on his glasses and pulled the tails of these little monsters.
“...Qianqian?”
“Mm, the big-eyed, silly smiling one,” Xu Qianqian nodded, then pointed to the blue and pink patchwork, big-eyed little monster, “This one is tall, the tallest in the monster family. Look at what it’s called.”
Luo Mingjing: “Are you saying this is me?”
Sure enough, the name “Jingjing” was embroidered on the round tail.
“...Is there a CEO?” Luo Mingjing searched among the other ugly-cute monsters.
“Hehe, this one,” Xu Qianqian quickly pointed to the expressionless, gold and silver monster with dragon horns among the dolls.
Shi Min silently picked up the doll and looked at it, letting out a small chuckle. Xu Qianqian carefully distinguished the light laugh, realized it was a happy one, and breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Of the remaining two, one was a glasses-wearing plush monster named Xixi, referring to Xu Qianqian’s boyfriend He Xi. The other was a small, sweet-smiling gold and pink color-blocked monster, with “Yueyue” embroidered on the tip of its fluffy tail.
“This is my daughter?” Luo Mingjing held the soft little monster in his palm and suddenly chuckled foolishly.
“How is it, Brother!” Xu Qianqian rubbed her hands together. “If it’s okay, I’ll start looking for channels!”
“What are your plans?”
“First, open a Taobao store!” Xu Qianqian said. “It’ll be custom-made orders, just for family customization. The general appearance of the little monsters won’t change, but we’ll add unique features of each family.”
“Go do it,” Luo Mingjing said with a comforting smile. “Do you like it?”
“Of course, I like it!” Xu Qianqian said. “This is much easier than my graduation project. I finished it in one go, no snags at all!”
Luo Mingjing examined the little monsters. Shi Min saw his eyes start to sparkle again and promptly patted him, stopping his thoughts.
Shi Min: “Rest, no more making clothes. Not even for dolls.”
“Eh? How did you know?”
“The moment I look into your eyes, I know what you’re thinking,” Shi Min said with a confident smile. “Luo Mingjing, you have no secrets from me anymore. I understand you too well.”
Luo Mingjing’s gaze met hers, his smile as sweet as honey. Xu Qianqian cleared her throat loudly: “Um, Brother, there’s something else I need to tell you.”
“Hm? What?”
“...” Xu Qianqian squirmed for a long time, then suddenly blushed and mumbled incoherently, “Never mind, I’ll tell you later.”
Luo Mingjing: “Talking halfway is no fun.”
Xu Qianqian pondered for a long time, still unable to speak. Shi Min asked, “Are you pregnant?”
“No, no, no...” The girl was startled into a string of “nos.” “He Xi hasn’t even graduated yet, it’s too early, too early.”
Until she left the art studio, Xu Qianqian still hadn’t revealed what the matter was.
________________________________________
On June 28th, Luo Mingjing woke up early, washed and tidied himself, put on the shirt he had ironed the night before, took a deep breath, and looked at Shi Min.
Shi Min lay in bed, watching him with a smile, and softly said, “It’s still early, what’s the rush?”
“Today... I’m getting married.”
His expression was complex, caught between nervousness and joy.
“Congratulations, congratulations,” the CEO stretched lazily, slowly got out of bed, and said, “Coincidentally, I’m getting married today too.”
Luo Mingjing: “Today, I’m not only getting married, but also graduating.”
“Congratulations, I’m graduating today too.”
“...You’re graduating?”
“Graduating from dating, entering the marriage stage,” Shi Min looked in the mirror, slowly took off her pajamas, and continued, “Ending one relationship, entering another more intimate one. Today, I legally own you. Mr. Luo, can I graduate from the course of love with a perfect score?”
Luo Mingjing whispered, “Perfect score, CEO. I’ll never be able to compare to you, the terrifying all-A student, who can even get a perfect score in a love course.”
“As long as you’re satisfied.”
________________________________________
There were quite a few people applying for marriage licenses at the civil affairs bureau today. As soon as Luo Mingjing and Shi Min appeared, they caused a small commotion.
Some stared at Shi Min’s belly, others at Luo Mingjing’s long hair.
Because of the hot weather, the two weren’t holding hands. Shi Min also wore sunglasses, her expression unreadable.
Several soon-to-be-married couples had various melodramatic soap operas playing out in their minds.
However, their internal dramas hadn’t finished unfolding when a beautiful girl at the front of the line let out a shriek, injecting fresh material into the melodrama.
Shi Min was startled enough to take off her sunglasses, then pursed her lips and smiled.
Xu Qianqian, in a white shirt and exquisite makeup, stood frozen with her hand over her mouth, while beside her, He Xi extended his hand and meekly offered a greeting.
Luo Mingjing finally came to his senses and shouted, “What are you two doing here?!”
“Brother, what are you doing here?!”
“I’m getting my marriage license!”
“You’re only getting your license now?!” Xu Qianqian seemed to have discovered a new continent.
“...Shi Min said we should pick a good day.”
Xu Qianqian: “...So you dragged it out until today? Oh my goodness! I thought you had already gotten your license with the CEO.”
Shi Min asked her, “Are you and He Xi getting married today too?”
Xu Qianqian’s face turned completely red, and she stomped her foot in embarrassment and indignation.
“It’s actually on the same day...”
Luo Mingjing slapped his forehead, remembering the important matter, and sternly asked, “What’s going on?! Why are you two getting married today? You just decided to get your license without telling me? What are you trying to do? Are you ready to get married?”
“Today is our one thousandth day of dating, He Xi and I,” Xu Qianqian said righteously. “Anyway, it’s him, so might as well get married.”
“What do you mean ‘might as well get married’?! Have you thought clearly about how you’ll live afterward? What kind of work will you find? What about him? Will he develop back home or here? Where will you live? What will you eat?”
He Xi immediately said, “Big Brother, I have it all figured out. Tonight, I’ll treat Big Brother and Sister-in-law to dinner, and we can talk it over at the table. Brother, it’s reliable...”
Xu Qianqian took the opportunity to counterattack: “Why did you choose the same day as me?”
Luo Mingjing lightly coughed: “...I’m graduating today.”
Xu Qianqian couldn’t help but let out a little “Pfft... cough, it’s okay, Brother, it’s good that you’re graduating.”
He Xi poked her, and Xu Qianqian immediately straightened her face and said, “Going back to school this afternoon? I’m going back to get my graduation certificate too. He Xi and I will help you take pictures and take care of Sister-in-law!”
The term “Sister-in-law” made Shi Min’s eyebrows subtly twitch.
Luo Mingjing rubbed his forehead: “No need.”
To end up having the same marriage license date as his younger sister, and the same graduation day...
________________________________________
When taking their wedding photos, Luo Mingjing quietly told Shi Min, “If you’re not satisfied with the photos, after you give birth, we can pretend we lost the marriage certificate and retake them.”
Shi Min chuckled slyly: “Luo Mingjing, I want to play a big one.”
“Hm?” Luo Mingjing didn’t hear clearly.
The photographer said, “Okay, this couple, look here. Groom, don’t look bewildered. It’s a big day, give us a smile, one, two, three!”
Shi Min suddenly lifted her head and kissed Luo Mingjing.
The photographer’s jaw dropped with a click.
After kissing, Shi Min slightly raised her chin, enjoying Luo Mingjing’s flustered expression.
Photographer: “The bride’s love is passionate, good, good, let’s hurry, one more shot, front view, front view.”
Shi Min’s smile was confident. As the photographer pressed the shutter, Luo Mingjing suddenly grinned widely, all teeth and no eyes.
When the photos were developed, the two burst into laughter.
“Luo Mingjing.”
“Aye, Sis, what are your instructions!”
“I really like you.”
“Coincidentally, me too!”
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