Unable to bear the ticklishness anymore, Song Yu let out a couple of moans and initiated further tongue action with him. Despite the added intensity, he upped the ante and kissed her with more vigor.
Her lips were swollen and tingly due to his sucking. When he finally broke away from her lips, he was still holding her hand and massaging it gently.
His thin lips were barely an inch away from hers, and he gazed upon her moist red lips. A gentle peck followed soon after and he resumed his seat.
“No one’s ever poured out their heart for me.” Qi Chengzhi said as he fiddled with her fingertips using his slender and well-defined fingers.
Song Yu felt an acrid taste in her throat. She grasped his hand and kissed each finger segment. His finger joints were distinctly visible when his finger was bent slightly, and it made for an extremely handsome sight.
“I’ll pour out my heart more and more for you in the future.” She cupped his handsome hands in hers. “I’ll always be by your side in the future. Every birthday and every celebration too, I’ll spend them all with you. If you are busy, I’ll wait for you. Even if I have to wait until the last second of the day, I’ll celebrate it with you as long as we’re together.”
Qi Chengzhi’s captivating black pupils glimmered with flashes of happiness. “Are you asking me to marry you?”
Song Yu’s face turned red, and she found it impossible to avoid his gaze.
The way he looked at her was as though he was teasing her for being so thick-faced. It was beyond any ordinary woman to make such a promise so eagerly.
In fact, she did not give much thought to it, and her words were simply a reflection of what was on her mind. She did not foresee that her words would hint at something deeper, and in hindsight, it did look like she was too eager to marry him and chain him to herself.
Song Yu grumbled irksomely. She attempted to retract her hand, but Qi Chengzhi kept a firm grip on it.
“It’s understandable that you want to get married to me. What’s there to be ashamed about?”
“I don’t mean it like that!” She blushed. “I didn’t think much of it when I said it, it’s not that I want…”
Her sentence was interrupted by the waiter serving up their dishes. Qi Chengzhi finally let go of her hand and stopped teasing her.
…
…
After dinner, the couple went back to the car, but Song Yu noticed that it was not heading toward the hotel.
“We’re going somewhere,” Qi Chengzhi explained.
“Where?” Song Yu asked curiously.
Qi Chengzhi did not elaborate further, merely kneading her hand before saying, “You’ll know when we get there.”
The car eventually stopped by the side of the road. Qi Chengzhi brought her down from the car and passed through a busy street where both sides were lined with restaurants and bars.
Small round tables were set up outside, with people gathering together for a meal or a chat over some wine.
It looked crowded and hectic because it was a very narrow street.
Song Yu followed him until the very end, to which a church appeared right in front of her eyes.
Astonishment and awe were inevitable for Song Yu. It was the kind of pleasant surprise that was similar to Tao Yuanming’s Peach Blossom Spring, a poem which talked about the wonder that was invoked upon by walking through a small tunnel and discovering an ethereal utopia.
“This is…” Song Yu looked at Qi Chengzhi incredulously, but he dragged her swiftly into the church.
Not a single person was present inside, and the spacious yet empty pews appeared solemn under the gaze of the Virgin Mary.
Qi Chengzhi continued walking her, stopping only at the front. His face was very serious when he turned and looked at her, further enhancing the intimidation that was ever-present on the stern contours of his face.
“I insisted on bringing you with me because I thought you forgot that my birthday was on this date, while I’m in France. If you were back home, we wouldn’t be able to spend it together. Surprisingly you remembered, and I’m really touched because of that. I never intended to remind you actually, because I’ve already prepared a birthday gift for myself.”
Song Yu’s breathing became erratic because deep down, she seemed to know what he was going to say and do.
She then watched him take out an exquisite-looking square box. She gulped out of nervousness but noticed that Qi Chengzhi appeared to be more nervous than she was.
His hands were shaking as he presented the box to her.
Even though his hands were positioned firmly in front of her, the trembles did not go away.
It scarcely occurred to Song Yu that Qi Chengzhi would have his moment of anxiousness. She saw him take a deep breath and focus his energy into opening the box.
Inside was a simple but unique diamond ring. The diamond that was nestled in the setting was square-shaped, and it flickered with resplendence under the light of the church.
Song Yu’s misty eyes looked up and stared at Qi Chengzhi’s handsome face, noticing that the stern creases on his face were a direct result of his anxiousness.
Song Yu felt as though her stomach was tying itself in a knot. This man—who on most days was so self-confident and fearless—turned into a mess because he wanted to ask for her hand in marriage.
“I don’t believe in God, but I believe that there must be a certain amount of solemnness in such a revered place. It’s the same as when we bought our couple rings, I told you that wedding rings are a more solemn affair, and when it comes to asking for your hand in marriage, it is only right that it is even more solemn.
“Song Yu, one girl has been in my heart since forever. I’ve been watching her since she was a baby, up until she grew up into a beautiful woman. I taught her how to write. I watched her fall down when she learned how to walk—she got up, patted the dust off her hands and her knees, then continued walking stubbornly again. I saw her wearing Jixia High School’s uniform, looking as nervous as a little girl when she first stepped foot into the school.
“I watched her grow from that little girl into a beautiful woman, and I’ve seen men the same age look at her with infatuated eyes, which she was oblivious to. I’ve seen the helplessness in her eyes when she looked at me, and I’ve also seen her cry because she was terrified of being helpless. I didn’t know when, but I’ve slowly let her into my heart. Deeper and deeper she went, and it came to a point where I don’t even know how deeply she was embedded in my heart. There’s no way I could ever remove her from my heart. I wanted to wait until she grew up because I want to marry her, but when I finished studying in America and came home, she was already engaged to my little brother.
“Back then I was still young. I didn’t have any say in anything, and I didn’t have any way to stop it from happening. Up until some years later when her family went bankrupt, I wanted to help her, but knowing that she was stubborn and would not accept any form of help, I watched her lead a normal life, and I watched as she disappeared from mine.
“During those years when she wasn’t in my life, I felt like I was the one who let her slip away. I set foot on a complicated road, and I did everything I could just to find her again. Then suddenly, I bumped into her last year, and I told myself that I had to marry her.
“I used my company’s business to get closer to her. I made her flustered and I made her blush. I like seeing how red her face became when she was in my arms; I like the feeling when I kiss her soft skin; I like the warmth I feel when she’s in my arms; I like the softness of her lips; I like how dazed she looks after I kiss her, and I like her little temper when I tease her too much.
“I like that she poured out her heart just to prepare for my birthday; I like that she’s so thick-faced and was brave enough to sing a love song for me right in front of all those people; I like when she can’t help but blurt out things that are usually said by men.
“I want her to be in my arms forever, to be beside me for every birthday, every celebration, and every last second of my entire life. I want her to stand behind me so I can protect her, so she’ll never have to suffer any kind of harm or suffering ever again.”
“Song Yu, will you marry me?”
By then, Song Yu was speechless; she had no idea that he liked her for so long.
What kind of man was able to love a woman for so long? For years, that love never changed, and he did all sorts of things in secret just so he could one day be with her.
She felt as though he had cast the most intricate web—one that was capable of expanding its surface area bit-by-bit—just so one day he could catch her back and have her for himself.
If another man did that to Song Yu, it would strike fear into her and make her feel as though she was being lied to.
That the man was Qi Chengzhi formed the sole reason she teared up for him, knowing that it was exactly the kind of thing he would do. It was a perfectly normal thing for Qi Chengzhi to do, and yet there was no diminishing the emotional impact it had on Song Yu.
Never before was there ever a moment where he felt like letting go of her.
Qi Chengzhi looked at her anxiously. At the very beginning, his confidence was there, since he felt that Song Yu’s love for him was so deep that she would nod enthusiastically and say yes.
When it came to the crux however, his anxiousness was unparalleled.
Song Yu was finally unable to restrain her tears and she threw herself into his embrace. His love was so deep and unwavering that she wondered how long he had been liking her. Was it ten years? Twenty?
It felt as long as time immemorial.
“Song Yu?” He hugged her gently. His voice had turned hoarse due to the anxiousness he felt, and it rang above her head with underlying tones of uncertainty.
“Yes! Yes!” She wrapped her hands around his neck tightly, with no shortage of appreciation and gratitude “Why didn’t you look for me sooner? Why didn’t you tell me a few years earlier? All those years wasted, shortening the time we could spend with each other.”
Song Yu lamented that they met and fell in love so much later than what could have been.
She could never him love enough, not even in her entire lifetime.
A man as magnificent as him was a rare find. Love hid itself well in someone as special and remarkable as he was.
She must have been lucky to cross paths with a man like him during her lifetime. Luckier still was the fact that he fell in love with her.
Even if she loved him with all her heart, she worried that it might not be enough to repay all the care and affection he gave to her.
Why in the world was she ever afraid of him when she was younger?
Things might have turned out much better if she knew that he was the one who saved her when she was thirteen-years-old.
In that way, at least she was able to love him for a few more years.
Qi Chengzhi’s hand went behind his neck and he pulled her left hand down so he could put the ring on her. He interlaced his fingers with hers and grasped it tightly; he was more than pleased to see an engagement ring on her ring finger when he looked down.
He rubbed away the tears on her face and looked at her with loving eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t look for you a few years earlier, and I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you all this earlier. I’m now thirty-five, and I’ll do my very best to live until I’m ninety or a hundred. I want to live until you get tired of me, but even if you do get tired of me, I still want to be with you and live for as long as I can.”
Song Yu’s tears began gushing out from her eyes. She thought about how the duration of their life together would amount to fifty or sixty years at most—she regarded it as being a really short period of time, one that was scarcely enough for her.
“I won’t get tired of you. Even if you have wrinkles all over your face and you can’t open your eyes, or even if your teeth all falls out, I’ll never get tired of you.” She tilted her head downward, pulled his interlacing fingers, and kissed the back of his beautiful hand, all while her tears were falling drop-by-drop onto it.
She never would have imagined that she would one day love a person so strongly that she did not know how best to love him properly. She was afraid that the love she gave him was lacking by even a tiny fraction.
Her only hope was to love him more and more, to give him the best that she could insofar as it was practicable for her to do so.
Although Song Yu was not religious or anything like that, being in such a solemn place—a Catholic church with magnificent art on the ceiling, with the beautiful and compassionate Virgin Mary standing guard—prompted Song Yu to sit down and lace her fingers in prayer. She closed her eyes and prayed that she and Qi Chengzhi would live the rest of their lives with an abundance of love and happiness.
When Song Yu opened her eyes, Qi Chengzhi stretched out his hand to her. “Come, let’s have a wedding ceremony now, just for the two of us. When we get back to B City, we’ll make an even bigger one.”
Song Yu was puzzled, but she put her trust in him and allowed him to bring her to the altar.
Qi Chengzhi held her hand and used his thumb to caress the ring on her ring finger. He then began speaking in complete solemness, “I, Qi Chengzhi, take you, Song Yu, to be my wedded wife. For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, I will love and honor you for all eternity.”
Though he spoke softly, the emptiness of the hall amplified the clarity and resolve in his voice.
Qi Chengzhi eyes gazed warmly at Song Yu after he finished his sentence.
Song Yu looked up at him and said softly, “I, Song Yu, take you, Qi Chengzhi, to be my wedded husband. For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, I will love and honor you for all eternity.”
The absence of a priest saying ‘you may now kiss the bride’ did not hinder Qi Chengzhi from kissing Song Yu. He pulled her into his embrace and kissed her with all his might.
…
…
Although a private exchange of vows in the church did not bind them legally to each other, Song Yu was already feeling as though she and Qi Chengzhi were really married.
In the car, she hugged his arm and asked, “Mr. Qi, can you try calling me Mrs. Qi?”
Qi Chengzhi smiled at her. Even his usually cold eyes were curved and their corners were wrinkled.
“Mrs. Qi, can you try calling me hubby?” He said with a smile; his entire face was practically beaming with happiness.
He initially thought that she would blush and be embarrassed. The blush did manifest, but she looked up at him with all smiles and rested her face on his shoulder, whispering in his ear, “Hubby.”
Her words sent an electrifying numbness from the top of his head to the bottom of his soles. The warm breath that accompanied her words crashed into his ears, making them feel ticklish.
All of a sudden, he pulled her into his embrace and placed his still-smiling lips onto her ears, saying, “If you say this to me when we’re on the bed later, I’ll come immediately.”
His sudden and unexpected lewd teasing made Song Yu blush even harder. Her ear felt scalding-hot due to his rubbing, and it was as if it would go up in smoke under his lips.
At the same time, his warm breath landed on her ears, making her tremble.
“Shameless!” Song Yu could not help but chide softly.
Qi Chengzhi’s lips curled into a smile and he let out a teasing chuckle. His lips then went forth and came in contact with the tip of her nose.
“Qi Chengzhi…” Song Yu called out but was immediately halted by his kneading hand.
“Weren’t you supposed to call me hubby?” Qi Chengzhi brushed against her lips and moved his head to the side. He could not resist kissing the corner of her lips.
His kisses rendered her weak, causing her to lean unstably on his shoulder.
The way she called him ‘hubby’ seemed rather innocuous on the surface, but in truth, she felt extremely embarrassed to say it out loud. She found it too cringey and far less natural than if she called him Qi Chengzhi.
“I’m still…not used to it,” Song Yu whispered.
She had a loving expression despite her befuddled mind and was completely unable to get angry at him; she simply melted under his gaze and felt unable to part ways with him.
“If you call me that more often, you’ll get used to it. I like it when you call me ‘hubby’, and I love to see how red your face becomes when you call me ‘hubby’.” His elegant and masculine palms were incredibly warm when he cupped her face in them and caressed her cheeks.
“You look so young, just like a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old girl. I feel proud to have such a young girl call me ‘hubby’.”
Song Yu could sense the pride in his manner of speaking.
“It’s not like you’re old,” she grumbled while tightening her grip around his waist.
Qi Chengzhi chuckled, “Oh, so I’m not old anymore? I thought someone once said that I was old?”
Song Yu paused and called out lovingly, “Qi Chengzhi.”
He dropped the ‘hubby’ issue and answered firmly, “Hm?”
“When do you want to have children?” She tilted her head up. The lighting in the car was not very good, but it was able to showcase the beauty of his handsome eyes.
“You want one already?” He hugged her tighter.
“It’s not that I really want one. I just feel that it’s something we have to talk about since we’re going to get married.” Her chin rested on his shoulder and she observed his masculine jaw. Tiny bits of stubble was already emerging.
“I’ve told you before.” If you want one, I’ll let you have one. And also, there are times where I’ll imagine how it would feel to be pregnant with your child.”
The brightness in her face was as though she was already pregnant with his child. She was brimming with happiness and love. Qi Chengzhi chuckled and said, “Let’s try tonight then.”
…
…
The car stopped in front of the hotel and Qi Chengzhi helped Song Yu down. He held her left hand and felt the ring on her ring finger.
“Big Brother Chengzhi.” A soft voice was heard just as they entered the lobby. The childlike pamper that could be heard made Song Yu’s hair stand on end.
To their surprise, Yu Keyao was there. She wore a simple windbreaker and a silk dress that reached her knees. Her feet were supported by high heels, and she looked exceptionally stunning.
Song Yu’s first reaction, however, was disbelief: ‘You’re wearing high heels in Paris? Do you no longer want to make use of your legs?’
Qi Chengzhi did not pause in his stride as he held Song Yu’s hand and ignored Yu Keyao. It was like he did not even hear her call his name—Yu Keyao was nothing in his eyes. He continued leading Song Yu to the staircase.
“I heard you’re on a business trip and it coincidentally falls on your birthday. You’ll be alone out here, celebrating your birthday by yourself, so I wanted to come visit you.”
Yu Keyao looked at him with rather lustful eyes and smiled shyly at him. Her fingers gracefully tucked a strand of hair behind her ears.
Qi Chengzhi was the only person in her eyes. Apparently, Song Yu was invisible to her because she did not even have the courtesy to say hi to Song Yu.
“May I ask for your courtesy not to say that in front of my fiancée? Even if I were to stay here alone, it’s very inappropriate for you to come looking for me, Miss Yu,” Qi Chengzhi continued coldly, “I only spend my birthdays with my loved ones. Go home, Miss Yu.”
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