Campus Alliance-Never Fall North Star

The hyacinth outside the window was swirling in the wind, and a lavender petal fell on Shen Jiaqi's dressing table and stuck to the hairpin she had just taken off.

Ren Qifeng ran his fingers through her long hair, his fingertips rubbing the curve of the ends of her hair - it was much longer than seven years ago, and now reached her waist.

The sunlight filtered in through the diamond-lattice windows, casting tiny spots of light on his wrist, just like the stars in the night sky of the alliance back then.

"Comb it tighter?" he asked softly, afraid to hurt her.

Shen Jiaqi shook his head and looked at him in the mirror.

"Tell me," she suddenly said, her fingertips running across the dried hyacinth flowers on the dressing table, "If I hadn't woken up that year, would you have found someone else?"

Ren Qifeng paused in combing his hair, wrapped the last strand of hair into the bun and secured it with a hairpin.

He leaned over and kissed her lightly behind her ear, his voice so low it sounded like a sigh: "Have you ever seen someone who is watching the North Star turn around and look at other stars? Cheng Huan waited for Song Chen, Lu Yan waited for Hai Chen, I waited for you, and each of us waited for the other. Even if you can't wake up, I will keep waiting!"

Shen Jiaqi in the mirror smiled, but tears rolled down his face.

Lu Yan stood in the backyard of the Polaris Coffee Shop, the sweat from his palms making the ring box damp.

Xiang Haichen was squatting under a magnolia tree picking flower petals, with the cuffs of his white shirt rolled up.

"Hai Chen."

Xiang Haichen turned his head, the sunlight fell on his eyelashes, so bright that it was blinding. Seeing the swallowtail suit that Lu Yan was wearing, he was stunned for a moment, and suddenly laughed out loud: "Whose groom's clothes did you steal?"

Lu Yan didn't say anything and knelt down on one knee.

Petals of baby's breath fell from the bouquet and landed on his knees like a handful of crushed snow. He opened the ring box, and the silver ring inside was polished to a shine.

"I will finish what I didn't say during the competition," Lu Yan's voice trembled, his eyes fixed on Xiang Haichen's. "I will finish it today."

Xiang Haichen curled up his fingers, his fingertips touching the seam of his trousers, as nervous as when he was waiting for the results at the shooting range. He saw the redness in Lu Yan's eyes.

"I know this is against the rules, I know this is against the world's concept, I know you have shouldered a lot for me!" Lu Yan's Adam's apple rolled, and he handed the bouquet forward, "But I have waited for seven years, and I don't want to wait any longer. Today, in front of all my relatives and friends, I want to tell you, let me protect you for the rest of your life, okay?"

Xiang Haichen suddenly smiled, squatted down and looked him in the eye.

He didn't look at the ring. Instead, he reached out and stroked the fine lines at the corners of Lu Yan's eyes with his fingertips: "Do you remember? Back then you said I was the sun, but in fact you were it."

He picked up the ring and put it on his ring finger. The size was just right. He leaned over and pecked Lu Yan's lips lightly. His voice was as bright as the dawn: "Lu Yan, I promise you. I promised you long before!"

The wind blew the magnolia petals over and landed on the two people's clasped hands.

Lu Yan suddenly pulled him into his arms and hugged him tightly, as if he wanted to fill the gap of seven years.

Xiang Haichen's face was pressed against his suit vest. He could hear his heart beating like a drum, but he tried hard to pretend to be calm.

Everyone standing around them screamed excitedly.

When Shen Jiaqi leaned in Ren Qifeng's arms, her tears were still there. She looked at the two people hugging each other in the yard, her fingertips grasping the corner of Ren Qifeng's clothes: "If Huanhuan and Achen were..."

Before he could finish his words, Ren Qifeng covered his mouth.

He pointed to the photo wall behind the bar, and in the corner there was a yellowed photo of Cheng Huan holding her one-month-old baby, and Song Chen standing beside her, smiling with his fangs showing. "They are here," he said softly, "seeing that we are doing well."

When Lu Yan helped Xiang Haichen in, he saw Shen Jiaqi wiping the dust off the photo with a tissue. Xiang Haichen's eyes stayed on the photo for a long time, and suddenly said: "Cheng Huan always said that when her child can run away, she will bring him here to recognize us as godfathers."

"Yes." Lu Yan held his hand tightly. "Next time we go to see that child, we will tell her that her parents are heroes."

The wind chimes rang, and this time it was Han Fengyang who rushed in holding a gift box with a red ribbon tied around it. "Brother Haichen, Captain Lu!" He put the box on the bar and smiled silly, "I prepared a wedding gift for you!"

When he opened it, it was a handmade photo album. The first page had a photo of Lu Yan and Xiang Haichen from seven years ago, and the rest was blank. "I'll help you remember your story from now on," Han Fengyang scratched his head.

When Xiang Haichen threw himself onto the bed, his hair still had the scent of shower gel.

Lu Yan had just finished reading the document and groaned under his pressure, and the pen in his hand rolled to the end of the bed. "Slow down!" He pinched Xiang Haichen's waist, "The doctor said you can't use your legs."

Xiang Haichen ignored him, leaning on his arm to look at him, his eyes sparkling: "Brother Hui, I want to ask you something serious."

"Hmm?" Lu Xun raised his eyebrows, knowing that what he was going to say next was definitely not "serious stuff".

"Do you like children?" Xiang Haichen suddenly sat up straight, as if he was reporting a task seriously, "I passed by an orphanage today and saw a little girl. She had round eyes like yours, and she would call people 'uncle'."

Lu Yan was stunned for a moment, then he chuckled. He pulled the man into his arms, let him sit on his legs, and scratched his nose with his fingertips: "Why, our Sun wants to be a father?"

"Who wants to be a father!" Xiang Haichen blushed but did not break free, "I mean... look at Jiaqi and the others having children to accompany them, how lively it is. Let's adopt one, and you train him while I take care of the baby, how great." He became more and more serious as he spoke, his hand still gesturing on Lu Yan's chest, "The girl will look like you, the boy will look like me, or..."

Lu Yan suddenly lowered his head and kissed him, blocking the rest of his words in his throat. Xiang Haichen's lips were soft and had a hint of mint. He kissed her gently and slowly, as if he was tasting a lost candy.

"Okay." When they separated, Lu Yan's breathing was a little disordered, and his forehead rested against his, "Adopt one that looks like you and one that looks like me."

Xiang Haichen's eyes lit up: "Really?"

"I'd be a puppy if I lied to you." Lu Xuan pinched his face and suddenly grinned, "But before that..." He turned over and pressed the man under him, his fingers digging into his pajamas, "We have to practice how to 'make' a baby first, what if the policy changes in the future?"

Xiang Haichen's face suddenly turned red. He reached out to push him away, but he grabbed his wrist and pressed her against the pillow.

The rustling sound of the hyacinths outside the window mixed with the two people's laughter and spread over the roof of the bookstore.

Ren Qifeng was passing by with milk in his hand. He heard the noise from the inner room and shook his head helplessly, but couldn't help laughing. He put the milk at the door and turned around to see the hyacinths on the bar in full bloom. The lavender petals were covered with dew, as if saying:

The person you have been waiting for has come back, it's time to bloom.

The result is here.