Qingqing felt a wave of panic as he looked around the quiet street. Most of the neighboring shops were closed and many of the lights were already off. He slowly approached Wen Shu, trying to appear calm. “Is something wrong?”
He braced himself for the worst. “Did he… cause trouble for you?”
That punch had been hard, and Qingqing knew Cheng Yanzhou’s temper well enough to expect retaliation.
Wen Shu didn’t deny it. “Yes.”
Qingqing’s anxiety spiked. “Did he… do anything excessive to you?”
Wen Shu shook his head. “My boss helped smooth things over.”
Qingqing sighed in relief, his tense expression softening. Wen Shu then pulled a small box from his pocket and handed it to him. “I came to see you this late because I wanted to give you this.” He scratched his head with his other hand, looking slightly embarrassed. “I actually intended to give it to you during our last date.”
Qingqing was stunned and murmured, “Why would you still give me a gift? Don’t you already know?”
Wen Shu looked at him, his voice gentle. “Honestly, learning about your past was tough. I struggled with it for days and even considered giving up.”
Qingqing felt a deep, aching pain in his heart, like he was being slowly cut to pieces.
“But the desire to see you every day was so strong that it felt unbearable not to,” Wen Shu continued, his tone earnest. “So I seriously thought about our future again. Qingqing, I don’t care about your past anymore. I love you, and I want to marry you.”
Qingqing’s mind went blank. Every nerve seemed to lose its response, and he stared at the man in front of him. Wen Shu’s confession wasn’t as romantic as Qingqing had imagined; it was painfully honest, but it moved him to tears, making his heart race.
“I even considered what that man said,” Wen Shu said, looking into Qingqing’s eyes. “I believe I can meet all your needs, so will you marry me?”
The box lid gently opened, revealing a diamond ring. The band was silver, and the diamond was large and dazzling, even in the dim light.
Qingqing was stunned and after a long moment, he asked, “Do you give a diamond ring on a first date?”
Wen Shu smiled shyly and, like a magician, pulled another small box from his pocket, opening it to reveal a blue gemstone. “This was actually meant to be the gift for our date. I asked Senior Lin for advice, and he said you’d probably like it.”
The blue gemstone looked like a rare and expensive piece.
“But this time, I wanted to propose, so I thought a ring would be more appropriate,” Wen Shu explained, his voice a bit hoarse. “Qingqing, will you be my partner?”
Qingqing found Wen Shu’s appearance and the image of him as Mayor Huo’s secretary quite imposing. One might assume he was smooth and sophisticated, but in reality, he was straightforward and serious, almost naive in his approach.
Qingqing, still moved but slightly more composed, couldn’t help but ask, “How did you get the job as Secretary to Mayor Huo? It wasn’t through connections, was it?”
Wen Shu was taken aback. “Huh?”
Qingqing blushed. “You skipped the whole dating part and jumped straight to proposing?”
Wen Shu, clearly flustered, his large frame looking awkward, asked, “Is that… not right?”
Qingqing whispered, “It’s a bit too fast…”
Wen Shu understood and immediately smiled. “We can start by dating first.”
Qingqing refused to accept either the ring or the gemstone, but he agreed to start dating. Having never been in a serious relationship, he didn’t know what dating entailed and felt too embarrassed to ask his parents, so he turned to his only friend, Ye Zhi, for advice.
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