"Building a family," Gu Qingqing rested her chin on the girl's shoulder and thought for a moment before saying excitedly, "Before that, we need to get our marriage license, then have a wedding. I want the ceremony to be held in the snow. And, what about a baby? If we want one, we can adopt from an orphanage!"
In a world plagued by frequent disasters, there were many children who had lost their families. Given their status, adopting a few wouldn’t be too difficult, and the conditions could be relaxed for them.
"Really? Really?" Xu Ziyin jumped a few times in the snow, her white hair fluttering up and down.
Smiling, Gu Qingqing tightly hugged her shoulders. After the girl stopped being playful, Gu Qingqing reached out and pinched her cheek:
"Don’t get too excited. All of this is based on you reaching adulthood first, little one~"
"Baby, I’m so happy," Xu Ziyin hugged Gu Qingqing’s soft thigh tightly, then suddenly thought of something, "But why do you want the wedding to be in the snow?"
Gu Qingqing buried her face in Xu Ziyin’s neck, tilting the umbrella so that large, gentle snowflakes covered both of their heads. She whispered softly, "Because our lives won’t be very long… I don’t know if I can grow old with you… But at least, at the moment of our wedding, from lovers to newlyweds, we’ll be together… until our hair turns white…"
...
Hospital.
Su Ze lay on the operating table, the lights somewhat harsh. Slowly, he lost consciousness and fell asleep.
He didn’t know how long it had been when he woke up groggily, his head throbbing with pain and his memories jumbled. Just as he frowned, trying to sort through his thoughts, Shen Qingsheng’s mischievous grin appeared before his eyes, "You’re awake? The surgery was a success. You’re now a qualified Valkyrie!"
"..." Su Ze was stunned for a while, then his lips moved slightly, "I’ll deal with you sooner or later, you ungrateful brat. Ninety pounds of rebellion and twenty pounds of rotten flesh, that’s what you are."
"Holy crap!" Shen Qingsheng exclaimed, "That’s it! That shameless, annoying vibe! He’s got his memory back!"
Su Ze’s memories were still a bit jumbled, so he didn’t retort.
He only felt a gentle tug, and when he turned his head, he saw a small, silly girl with slightly parted lips and eyes sparkling with joy.
Su Ze didn’t say anything but instead pulled the little girl, who was squatting by the bed, into his arms and gently stroked her long hair.
Everyone was momentarily stunned, but they seemed to understand something and remained silent out of unspoken agreement.
The one with the most complicated feelings here was undoubtedly Uesugi Chigenki.
Akizuki liked Su Ze, and Su Ze cherished Akizuki deeply. This was exactly what their mother wanted to see.
It seemed… they needed to go back and discuss their sister’s lifelong matters with their mother.
But… would Su Ze really be willing to marry into their family?
Uesugi Chigenki had a good understanding of Su Ze’s character—domineering yet gentle, intelligent yet calm.
He might lack principles and have a bottomless pit of shamelessness, but he still had his own code of conduct.
The only question was whether that code would change due to his lack of morals…
Su Ze’s surgery wasn’t a major one; it only required the assistance of a healing-type ability user.
What everyone had worried about was whether Su Ze’s memories would return after the shard was removed. Now, it seemed their worries were unnecessary.
Su Ze sat up, his head still throbbing. The shard had acted like a dam, blocking his memories. Now that it was removed, the memories flooded back like a tidal wave.
"Thank you all," Su Ze said, holding his head as he looked around at the many friends and brothers who had come to see him, feeling deeply grateful.
Cang Yu, who had his spine broken, stood nearby with a cane, smiling. Zhi Xu, whose hand was broken, had his arm wrapped in bandages that hadn’t been removed yet, and he supported his boyfriend with his other hand.
If it hadn’t been for these two, Su Ze felt he would have died.
Suddenly, Su Ze fell silent as a new memory surged into his mind.
When he had been in dire straits, a young man had saved him, only to be pierced through the neck and chest by a monster, pinning him to the ground.
Su Ze’s memories hadn’t fully recovered, and there were still gaps here and there.
This condition had persisted since he woke up from the surgery at noon and only gradually improved by evening.
Back at Huaxia University.
Su Ze lit a cigarette on the balcony of his dorm, trying to adjust to the sudden influx of memories.
After a moment of silence, he put out the cigarette and went to cook.
The sun was setting, its brilliant afterglow the final blaze of the day.
The evening wind blew through the open window, and Su Ze closed it, shutting out the sunset and the breeze.
The little silly girl sat on the couch, hugging her knees and staring blankly at the ceiling.
Sometimes she was as lively as a cute little rabbit, and other times she just sat there, dazed, like a fool.
"Such a little airhead," Su Ze chuckled as he walked over, "Silly girl, it’s time to eat."
Su Ze reached out to pick her up, and she pouted slightly, seemingly dissatisfied, but still cooperated by wrapping her arms around Su Ze’s neck.
After a while, she looked into Su Ze’s eyes and said in a soft, resentful voice, "...Not silly."
Su Ze was momentarily stunned, then laughed, "That’s right, my little silly girl isn’t silly at all."
The little silly girl smiled and nodded, agreeing with Su Ze’s words.
What a silly little cutie. Su Ze affectionately patted her head.
After the disaster, everything started anew.
Attending classes was unavoidable.
Class 214 was Su Ze’s class, a top-tier class.
Looking at the class assignment list, Su Ze felt a bit melancholy. Uesugi Akizuki, on the other hand, had been assigned to Class 213, an ordinary class.
The top-tier classes were assigned based on performance during the disaster, while the ordinary classes were randomly assigned.
At Huaxia University, classes had resumed two days after the disaster.
Early in the morning, Su Ze took the little silly girl to class by the hand.
Their classrooms were close to each other.
Interestingly, Shen Qingsheng was in the same class as the little silly girl.
His combat strength at the mid-Candle Realm level was considered mediocre during the disaster.
"Don’t worry, Brother Ze! I’ll definitely take good care of my sister-in-law!" Shen Qingsheng thumped his chest confidently.
Uesugi Akizuki spent most of her class time sleeping, and after class, she would run to Su Ze for a hug.
The teachers didn’t say much. After all, those who could get into Huaxia University were all geniuses. Their self-discipline was unquestionable, and they didn’t need to be managed or pushed.
The teachers didn’t need to worry about whether the students were paying attention in class. Once the lecture was over, they would leave, and the students would dissect and absorb the knowledge on their own.
Although Uesugi Akizuki barely understood anything in class, her time at school wasn’t entirely without gains.
In the classes on energy manipulation and weapon usage, the teachers quickly noticed her situation. The motto of Huaxia University was "teaching without discrimination," so they patiently started teaching her from the basics.
Their job was to educate, not to question why a silly girl like her had been admitted to Huaxia University. That was the dean’s responsibility.
The teachers also grew fond of this silly yet earnest girl.
Though Uesugi Akizuki was a bit slow, she was very diligent. Her learning pace wasn’t fast, but it wasn’t slow either.
Moreover, she had exceptional talent, having unlocked her genetic potential and reached the mid-Candle Realm level right away.
This was the same level Shen Qingsheng was at, and the teachers had high hopes for her.
Some of the female teachers, while teaching her, couldn’t help but reach out and pinch her adorable cheeks.
This went on for a month.