It was nearly midnight, and the tiny bakery smelled like vanilla and ambition.
Tianxin sat at a small table, flipping through pages of her business sketchbook. Colorful doodles of sundaes, snow cones, and ice cream characters danced across the margins.
The space beside her was piled with napkin blueprints, scribbled calculations, and leftover cake crumbs.
Jiasheng sat across from her, legs stretched out, tapping something into his laptop. He wore his usual hoodie and looked way too awake for someone who claimed he hated work.
"You're supposed to be the tech guy, not my co-dreamer," Tianxin muttered, sipping a fizzy soda.
Jiasheng looked up. "You said you wanted an ice cream shop with a built-in ordering system. I'm just making the app. Also, I renamed your flavor 'Choco Volcano Boom.' You're welcome."
She squinted. "That's the worst name I've ever heard."
He grinned. "Exactly why it'll sell."
Their quiet banter slowly melted into a peaceful silence. The air was calm, except for the soft buzzing of the neon ice cream sign Jiasheng had helped her hang last week.
"…Hey, Jiasheng," Tianxin suddenly said.
"Hm?"
She hesitated, eyes fixed on a sketch of her dream shop.
"What if I fail?"
He didn't speak immediately. Then he leaned forward, voice softer than usual.
"Then you try again. And I'll still be here, stealing your samples and breaking your oven."
She blinked at him.
"Don't get all dramatic now," he added quickly. "You're allowed to be scared. But you're the girl who turned flour explosions into dessert art. You've got this."
For once, she didn't tease back.
Instead, she quietly smiled, resting her chin on her hands.
"Thanks…"
He got up, stretched, and casually walked over. Without warning, he flicked the end of her ponytail.
"You're getting all mushy."
She threw a spoon at him.
Later that night, Tianxin dozed off at the table. Her sketchbook lay open, half-colored, and her cheek rested on her arm.
Jiasheng, noticing, closed his laptop gently. He grabbed a blanket from the nearby couch and draped it over her shoulders.
As he looked at her sleeping face, a flicker of warmth crossed his expression.
He sat down beside her, leaned back, and whispered with a small smile:
"You'll be great, Tianxin."
Then, in the quiet of the bakery, two sleepy dreamers sat side by side — one dreaming of ice cream empires, the other guarding that dream like it was his own.
🌸 The Next Day…
The seaside was wrapped in golden light as the waves kissed the shore gently.
Zhou Rui stood on the soft sand, her white dress flowing in the breeze, as Junxi knelt in front of her, holding a delicate ring.
Her eyes were wide with surprise, then filled with tears of joy as he said,
"I promised you once I'd take you around the world — now I want you to be mine for a lifetime."
He opened the box. Inside, a silver ring glimmered — simple, elegant, and perfect.
Zhou Rui nodded, tears streaking her cheeks. As he slipped the ring onto her finger, applause burst around them. Tianxin screamed from the crowd, hugging Jiasheng tightly in joy.
As the sun dipped lower, Junxi wrapped his arms around Zhou Rui, their foreheads resting together — two people who had waited patiently, now finally standing hand in hand at the beginning of forever.