The day after the wedding was the Lantern Festival.

Big cities didn't make much of the holiday. Some companies even stayed open right through it. Xu Ye and Chen Qingqing went to Yang Lin's place and celebrated it with her family. Four-month-old Yang Wenhao was even cuter now, with round, chubby cheeks and rolls of baby fat on his legs like a stack of hula hoops.

The moment Xu Ye had him in his arms, he laughed and called him a little fatso. Chen Qingqing heard and quickly clapped a hand over Xu Ye's mouth, telling him with a look to watch his mouth.

With the Lantern Festival over, 2017 was well and truly underway.

Tuesday was Valentine's Day, but on Monday, Chen Qingqing made a point of messaging Xu Ye that he didn't need to come on Tuesday. She had two classes Tuesday afternoon, so he wouldn't get to stay long if he came, and she didn't like the idea of him driving all that way and back at night.

Then she said something that really surprised him.

She said, "Valentine's Day is just an excuse. When two people love each other, every day can be 'Valentine's Day.'"

Xu Ye told her she was getting better and better with words.

And Chen Qingqing said she'd learned it all from him.

The second half of February, it seemed to rain every day. Everything was damp, and getting around in the daytime was a hassle, but at least he slept soundly at night.

On weekdays, Xu Ye kept to his usual routine, shuttling every day between three stops: the company, the cafeteria and the dorm. His counselor, Su Tong, kept messaging him to show up to at least a few classes. Every time, Xu Ye turned her down. There was too much going on at the company, he said.

Xu Ye wasn't lying. The company really was busy.

Lü Bin had been back at Zhejiang University less than a week when he got back to Xu Ye. Everyone on his team had agreed.

They chose equity over salary, wanting to build…