LHKE Ch48 (End)

“Cough… Cough… You’re going to propose to Lu Changting?!” Jiang Chifeng choked on his drink, coughing violently.

Du Heng was momentarily surprised, then chuckled, “How are you going to do it? Need any help?”

For so many years, Shen Li hadn’t been able to confess her feelings to Lu Changting. They had always been together because Lu Changting took the initiative… Now, Shen Li wanted to take the initiative for once, and naturally, he supported her.

“I haven’t figured out how to propose yet,” Shen Li said, fiddling with the ring box in his pocket, a gentle smile in his eyes.

He had picked out the ring today, measuring the size when Lu Changting was asleep.

Since Lu Changting came back, he had been thinking about this. All along, his love had been too reserved. He was the one who fell in love first, the one who had loved Lu Changting for so many years. But it always seemed like Lu Changting was the one coming towards him.

It couldn’t always be like this.

He wanted to be brave for his loved one, just once.

He had already decided on the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He wanted Lu Changting to wear this ring, and only Lu Changting.

Jiang Chifeng finished coughing and took another sip of his drink to calm himself.

“It looks like we’ll need to help,” Jiang Chifeng’s tone became excited, “We’ll book the revolving restaurant, have piano and violin music, roses, candlelit dinner, then you kneel down in front of him…”

“Isn’t that too extravagant?” Du Heng, not understanding the ways of the wealthy, suggested, “…Or, how about proposing at the school?”

Although the revolving restaurant was romantic and formal, it was also too extravagant and tacky, something Shen Li didn’t like. And if he invited Lu Changting to the revolving restaurant and arranged a candlelit dinner, Lu Changting would definitely guess that he was proposing…

Shen Li had considered proposing at school before; the small auditorium was very suitable… But there were also memories of Lu Changting and Tang Yao at school. And Lu Changting almost every day would take apart a few stars to look at. Thinking of high school, he would feel like he missed out on Lu Changting. If he proposed at school, Lu Changting would think of these things and feel sad…

Shen Li shook his head, vetoing both ideas at the same time.

“Propose at the bar?” Jiang Chifeng said, “Turn off all the lights. When he walks in, we turn on our phone flashlights or light many candles. Then you kneel down to propose. If he agrees, we spray confetti, if not, we beat him up.”

Shen Li chuckled at his joke, “That’s not a proposal, it’s coercion.”

Du Heng also laughed, “Are you planning to propose to your boyfriend like this in the future?”

“Why should I propose?” Jiang Chifeng held up his glass, taking a sip of his drink casually, “I’ll wait for him to propose to me.”

“I’m a particularly tacky person, I want excitement, I want romance too,” Jiang Chifeng’s tone became casual, “If his proposal isn’t exciting or romantic enough, I won’t agree.”

“Romantic… How about watching the sunrise?” Du Heng came up with a good idea, “Go to the mountains to watch the sunrise, just the two of you.”

Jiang Chifeng agreed, “Watching the sunrise sounds good.” He paused and added, “Propose to him at sunrise. If he doesn’t agree, threaten to push him off the cliff.”

“We could go to Ting Mountain,” Jiang Chifeng joked enough and then gave a serious suggestion, “I heard from my mom that Lu Changting’s parents declared their love at Ting Mountain, and Lu Changting’s name seems to come from there.”

“Changting’s Ting, originally from Ting Mountain?” Shen Li was surprised to learn the origin of Lu Changting’s name for the first time.

“It should be. You can ask him about it,” Jiang Chifeng said, “His parents are a model of love in the high society of S City. They are envied by others. And he, from childhood to adulthood, has always been the typical child of others… Anyway, I’ve been compared to him by my mom a lot.”

Jiang Chifeng muttered softly, “So my dad doesn’t like Lu Shiyuan, and I don’t like Lu Changting either.”

Long-held grudges.

Shen Li smiled, “He is indeed very good.”

Jiang Chifeng looked at him resentfully, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”

Shen Li’s smile curved slightly as he teased him, “In Wei Wenxing’s eyes, you’re also the best.”

Jiang Chifeng opened his mouth, unable to refute, and finally squeezed out a sentence, “Wei Wenxing is also very good.”

Du Heng took a sip of his drink, sounding melancholic, “You two, can you consider the feelings of us single people?”

“No.” Jiang Chifeng looked at him with pride, “My boyfriend is too excellent, I can’t help but show off.”

“You’re off-topic, you’re off-topic,” Du Heng complained, “We’re here to discuss how Shen Li is going to propose.”

The phone on the bar vibrated, displaying a new WeChat message. Shen Li glanced at it, eyebrows raised in a smile. He picked up his phone and stood up, “Changting’s here to pick me up. I have to go back now. I’ll treat you to drinks another day.”

They called him out to discuss how to plan the proposal, and now he was leaving without reaching a conclusion… Du Heng sighed deeply, “Love over friendship.”

Jiang Chifeng, unfazed, waved his hand, “I’ll wish you a successful proposal in advance.”

Shen Li touched the ring box in his pocket, smiling as he walked towards the door of the bar.

Although he hadn’t figured out how to propose yet, it would definitely go smoothly.

…

Days eventually returned to normalcy, but within the normalcy, there were always little surprises prepared by the loved one, shining like beautiful shells hidden in a pile of pebbles, sparkling in the ordinary life.

So when Shen Li asked if Lu Changting had time to go to Ting Mountain to make a vow together on the weekend, Lu Changting resolutely declined his weekend plans, calmly lying, “I’m available.”

Then, while messaging Wan Qing to reschedule the weekend plans, he asked, “What other vow?”

“I’ve visited the Matchmaker’s Shrine before.” Shen Li seemed a little embarrassed when he said this, lowering his head and not looking at him.

Lu Changting glanced at the red string on his wrist, thoughtfully, “It’s time to make a vow.”

One thinking about proposing, the other thinking about his past desire to get a red string, it all seemed to come together in the end.

On Saturday, they went to Ting Mountain, where fallen leaves fluttered on the mountain road. Looking out from the car window, layers of mountains stacked upon each other, the mountains were painted with layers of colors, and swallows bid farewell.

Shen Li looked at the scenery speeding by outside the car window, silently reciting his prepared lines in his heart.

“…I’ve always believed that loving someone should be redemptive.”

“Thank you for saving me from my inferiority, from my misery, for perfecting myself because of it, for the emotional fluctuations because of it…”

Shen Li sneakily glanced at the notes on his phone’s memo again, then started to worry if saying “Thank you for liking me” was too simple…

Saying “Will you marry me?” seemed too official, saying “Marry me” or “Marry you” seemed inappropriate… Shen Li hesitated. Sometimes he felt that his proposal confession wasn’t good enough, and sometimes he thought maybe he should consider Jiang Chifeng’s advice and make the proposal more romantic.

With these thoughts all the way, the car stopped outside the mountain gate, and he took a deep breath before getting out of the car.

The Matchmaker’s Shrine was still the same, quietly hidden in the mountains, the branches of the red bean tree in the courtyard were lush and green, casting a shadow like a canopy, and the branches were hung with red cloth strips, bearing the promises of couples.

Lu Changting and Shen Li entered the Matchmaker’s Shrine and paid their respects.

Lu Changting had visited the Matchmaker’s Shrine a long time ago, but had only looked from outside the mountain gate. This was the first time he knelt on a mat with someone, bowed down, devout like praying to the heavens and the earth.

It was also the first time he drew a fortune stick.

Shaking the fortune stick, the bamboo stick collided, making a clinking sound.

While Lu Changting went to read the fortune stick, Shen Li waited for him under the Acacia tree, sneakily reading the memo on his phone again.

Probably because he drew a good fortune, Lu Changting came back with a smile on his face, one hand behind his back, and walked towards him unhurriedly.

Mysteriously, he said, “I have something for you.”

Shen Li’s heart skipped a beat, feeling a bit dazed and puzzled, he just gave a hesitant “Um.”

“Put your hand out.”

Shen Li extended his hand.

Lu Changting took his wrist and bowed his head to tie a new red string for him.

It joined the red string on his wrist, forming a pair.

Shen Li looked at the red string on his wrist and finally realized what Lu Changting had just done.

After securing the knot, Lu Changting looked up at him and smiled, “With my red string tied on, you’re mine now, you can’t play coy anymore.”

Shen Li took a step back and whispered, “I have something for you too.”

Lu Changting paused for a moment, but accustomed to Shen Li’s little surprises, he didn’t think much of it, still smiling, “Do I need to close my eyes?”

“No need for that.” Shen Li took a deep breath, still feeling a bit nervous. When he pulled out a square black box from his pocket, he almost couldn’t hold it steady.

But he managed to hold it steadily, then knelt down on one knee.

Forgetting all about the proposal confession he had prepared for days, Shen Li only wanted to show him his heart. He looked at Lu Changting, as if seeing him for the first time many years ago, pursed his lips, and gave a slightly awkward smile.

“Do you… want to?”

Like anyone suddenly proposed to by their beloved, Lu Changting stood dumbfounded in place.

Not long after they met, Shen Li had knelt down to him before. At that time, he felt that Shen Li’s posture was almost devout, and it stirred up his heart.

At that time, he couldn’t understand or see through the emotions hidden in Shen Li’s eyes, which were always filled with gentle smiles.

Now, as he looked again, those eyes were filled with love, fervent and passionate.

He took the ring box from Shen Li’s hand and pulled him up.

This kind of response probably meant rejection…

Shen Li lowered his head, forcing a smile, “Did I scare you… I actually, I prepared a lot of things to say… but I don’t know how to say them…”

Lu Changting interrupted him with a kiss.

“I do.”

Lu Changting said, “I’m going to start kissing my groom now.”