âPresident Lu, I know Iâm your employee, but could you please care about your workersâ feelings too? Itâs already so late. I just proposed to Zhenzhen a few hours ago and the mood is great here. If it isnât a life-threatening situation, please donât bother me tonight, okay?
Make it tomorrow! Tomorrow I will definitely come up with a spectacular proposal plan to make Ji Qingqing so touched that sheâll cry!â
Lu Lixing fell silent. âWhat if I told you that this is indeed a life-threatening situation. Tonight could youâŚâ
Lin Zhenâs voice could be heard from Chen Shuyiâs end. âShuyi, whatâs wrong?â
âNothing nothing, itâs nothing of concern.â Saying that, he leaned closer to the phone mic and whispered, âIâll talk to you tomorrow. Weâll end it at here today. Iâm hanging up.â
A continuous beeping tone sounded from his phone.
Lu Lixing sighed. He scrolled through his short list of contacts on his phone. But after scrolling for a while he couldnât find anyone suitable. Eventually, his gaze stopped at Grandpaâs number.
He called that number and the other end picked up immediately.
âGrandpa, are you sleeping?â
Old Luâs energetic voice answered him, âNot yet. What brings you to call me at this hour?â
Lu Lixing glanced in the bathroomâs direction. Then he got up and entered the bedroom. Lowering his voice he replied, âItâs like this, I have something I would like to ask you.â
âWhat is it?â
Lu Lixing closed the door and locked it. At this very moment, the Lu Lixing, who had always been swift and decisive, struggled to speak. It was as if there was something stuck in his throat, making him unable to say a single word.
Old Lu didnât rush him. âYou can take your time. If thereâs a problem that is troubling you, run it through and organize the thoughts in your head. Grandpa has a lot of experience. Tell me whatâs troubling you and I can give you some suggestions.â
âItâs like this.â Lu Lixingâs throat tightened. âTonight Chen Shuyi proposed to Lin Zhen.â
âHavenât they been married for so many years? Why did he still propose?â
âChen Shuyi told me that when they just married, he wasnât able to give Lin Zhen a proper proposal. Hence this time he asked me to help him buy a ring from an auction so that he could hold a proposal tonight at the beachâŚâ
Old Lu had gone through many things in his life, so it wasnât surprising that he could tell what Lu Lixing was hinting at.
âYou want to propose to Ji Qingqing?â
âOkay. Grandpa supports you. Towards women, you need to be patient and romantic. Donât worry, just go ahead and do it.â
Lu Lixing fell silent for a moment. After a while, he replied, âAll right â
âThen do you still have any other questions for Grandpa?â
âWell, I donât know how to plan a romantic proposal.â
Old Lu chuckled. âYou donât have to plan meticulously for this. For certain things, just go with the flow and do it on the spot. The ceremony and the way you propose are not important. Whatâs important is whether your heart is sincere.â
Lu Lixing didnât reply.
âGrandpa knows. You want to give Qingqing a spectacular and romantic proposal. Thatâs fine too, but regardless of whether itâs grand or simple, you need to remember that you must be sincere.â
Lu Lixing stood there in silence. After a while, he softly replied, âI know. Thank you, Grandpa.â
âDonât mention it.â
âThen rest soon.â
âMn.â
Afterwards, he ended the call.
Be sincere?
âââThatâs right. I have to be sincere. Regardless of how grand the wedding proposal is, as long as Iâm sincere, nothing is impossible to achieve!â
Lu Lixing took out the ring that he had long prepared from his pocket. He clutched it in his hand and stood at the window side, gazing at the vast and boundless sea. A sea breeze blew in. Suddenly, he turned around and left the room.
When Ji Qingqing came out of the bathroom, Lu Lixing was already gone. After looking around for him, she took her phone and gave him a call. However, no one answered.
He probably was busy with something, right?
When it came to Lu Lixingâs whereabouts and activities, Ji Qingqing wasnât that fixated or concerned about it. After drying her hair, she went to the window to draw the curtains close. While doing so, she suddenly noticed that there seemed to be people on the beach.
The beach was at ground level and right outside the place they were staying. After exiting the hotel and turning left to walk for about 100 meters, you would reach a reef that emerged above the sea surface level and beach. Currently, the reef was illuminated with the glow of some lights and you could hear people talking. With one look, she could tell that those people were from the program crew. However, she didnât know what they were doing.
Maybe the other couples were taking a stroll there?
Ji Qingqing didnât think much of it and went to close the curtains.
It was currently 8:30. When the clock on the wall turned to 9, Ji Qingqing couldnât sit still any longer. She called the program crew and asked where Lu Lixing went.
Surprisingly, the program crew was clueless too.
Thatâs strange.
Itâs already so late. Where could he have gone?
Ji Qingqing waited and waited till it was 9:30 before changing her clothes to head out and have a look. Right after she wore her shoes, the door opened.
Lu Lixing walked in. It was apparent that he wasnât expecting to meet Ji Qingqing in front of the door. He stopped in his tracks for a second.
âWhere did you go?â Ji Qingqing anxiously questioned him. âI called the program crew and they didnât know where you went either. Itâs already this late and youââ
Ji Qingqingâs gaze shifted to Lu Lixingâs hand and she stopped speaking.
âWhat happened to your hand?â After noticing Lu Lixingâs hand, Ji Qingqing realized that Lu Lixingâs appearance seemed a little disheveled.
His pants had prominent creases at the knee area and there was silt on the bottom. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbow and it was pretty obvious that the edges were damp and that both of his arms had cuts from being scratched by huge rocks. The most severe inquiry was at his palm. From the bottom of his index finger to his wrists, there was a long gash that ran across his whole palm. As the wound had been soaked in the sea for too long, the skin around it was curling outwards and it had turned white.
That mustâve really hurt a lot.
However, Lu Lixing seemed unfazed by it all.
âWhere exactly did you go?â Ji Qingqjng grabbed hold of his hand and glared at him. âIâll go ask if there are any hospitals nearby.â
Saying that, she turned to get her phone.
Lu Lixing immediately grabbed hold of her hand. âIâm fine. I was looking⌠looking for a box.â
âItâs already so late. What box are you searching for? Wait first, Iâll go get my phone. We need to go to the hospital! At the very least, you need to disinfect the wound and apply medicine.â
âItâs just a box for storing items.â Lu Lixing inhaled deeply. âIâm fine. I just want⌠to bring you to a place.â
âWhat place is it?â
Lu Lixing used his uninjured hand to grip hers. His heart was tense and nervous. âFollow me.â