Chapter 29: The Ring Revealed - The Second Time I Didn't Get a Chance to Propose...

Liang Siyu knocked on the door and entered the study. Richard was sitting on a single sofa.

"Dad, you just said you had some information about new rehabilitation equipment that you wanted me to look at?" he asked.

They returned from their grandmother's house and found their parents chatting on the sofa. Their father asked them to come and help look at some documents. He came over after taking Ada to her room.

“Don’t rush with the documents, take them back to school to look at.” Richard gestured for him to sit down. “We haven’t had a men’s night in a long time, have we?”

Liang Siyu laughed. The last time he attended a men's night was last August. His father was a little worried that he had no interest in girls and had never dated, so he kept hinting that the family would be very open-minded and that he didn't need to hide his true feelings.

Richard also recalled that strange scene from last year and couldn't help but smile. He sighed, "I really didn't expect back then that you'd progress so quickly, and you're already preparing to propose."

Liang Siyu scratched the back of his head, a little nervous: "Do you have any advice for me?"

“A bit of advice from someone who’s been there.” Richard hesitated for a moment, then decided to speak frankly, “Ned, slow down, be careful.”

He saw his son's face suddenly turn uneasy, and he pressed his hands down. "Son, don't misunderstand, I have no problem with Ada. I'm worried about you. Are you really ready?"

“Of course,” Liang Siyu’s voice trailed off under his father’s gaze, “...I’m ready.”

"So you've figured out why Ada didn't accept your proposal last time?" Richard went straight to the point.

Liang Siyu moved his lips, but couldn't say anything. He hadn't even had a chance to propose last time before being interrupted by the breakup.

He guessed the most likely reason was her nightmare, which implied a deeper trauma, but these speculations weren't suitable to share with his parents. He lowered his head and tugged at his trouser seam.

Richard sighed. "Okay, let's not talk about that. Let's talk about what happened this morning. You didn't tell Ada the information you got from David, did you?"

Liang Siyu regained his composure and nodded, "I felt that things were still uncertain, so I wanted to talk to you alone first." To be honest, he had hesitated at the time, and according to his family's usual practice, his father would have given him some space instead of continuing to press him.

"Then why do you think I would ask you this at the dinner table instead of calling you to the study alone, like I am now?"

Liang Siyu took a breath. He had initially thought his father hadn't noticed his subtle hint, but it turned out to be deliberate. After a moment's thought, he realized, "Because Ada is the actual person in charge of the project."

"Moreover, she will be your closest partner from now on. I assume that you should be honest with each other and share information in your shared endeavors."

Richard's tone softened. "To be honest, Ned, I'm a little disappointed that you didn't tell her the latest situation."

Liang Siyu couldn't help but defend herself: "That's because she was sick a while ago and wasn't feeling well. I didn't want her to worry too much."

“She is healthy and energetic now.” Richard stared into his son’s eyes, as if trying to see through everything, until Liang Siyu avoided eye contact.

He patted his son on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Ned, she's not your patient, she's your comrade-in-arms. If you don't understand this, I'm afraid you'll suffer another defeat."

Richard got up and took a bottle of sake from the liquor cabinet. "How about a small glass? Just a little bit, it won't break my vow."

Liang Siyu hesitated for a moment, but still refused: "I'll just have water."

Richard laughed: "David is too serious. He's made you a little stubborn too."

Liang Siyu forced a smile, unscrewed the bottle of water, and took two big gulps: "Dad, you're right, I need to think about it carefully."

“You know what? We talked this morning. Ada is willing to accept the funding, but she plans to take on some algorithm outsourcing projects and make a donation to our foundation before Christmas.”

He didn't know how to bring it up with his dad, and was a little worried that his dad would think Ada was too "boundary-conscious" and not integrated enough; but now, it seems easy.

Richard raised an eyebrow slightly, poured himself another glass of wine, and raised it to his son: "Ned, congratulations, you have good taste."

He was certainly not entirely satisfied, but he didn't want his son to be too nervous or feel pressured by it.

Liang Siyu breathed a sigh of relief. He knew Ada was wonderful enough and believed his parents were friendly, but at this family gathering, he realized for the first time that they were very different.

Richard downed his sake in one gulp, a hint of a smile in his eyes. "However, you'll have to work harder. To be honest, we're still a ways off from her agreeing."

After all that happened today, Liang Siyu knew he had been a bit too hasty. He gave a wry smile: "Dad, it would be good if you could stop gloating like that."

Richard laughed heartily, glanced at his troubled youngest son, and teased him, "Hopefully next time, Ada will accept our support for a young scientist. Remember to tell her that we all admire her, and that a determined person is bound to achieve great things."

In his view, Ada wasn't mature enough either. A mature person can naturally accept the kindness of others and then slowly reciprocate when they are able to, without having to be so cautious.

However, it's quite normal for a girl who works on algorithms to choose to pursue a PhD and research neuroprosthetics over quantitative trading on Wall Street or working for a Silicon Valley unicorn company. It might seem a bit aloof and arrogant.

Judging from this incident, she and Ned are actually quite similar in temperament, so it's understandable that Ned is infatuated with her.

If she were to refuse their help because of this sense of superiority, he would naturally worry about her mindset and adaptability.

But now, the fact that she came up with this method is quite commendable. Although it's a bit straightforward and naive, it seems sincere and endearing to her own family.

Let's get to know each other better in the future. I hope she can relax more and not be so tense.

Before leaving, Richard reminded him again, "Remember to take the documents on the table back with you, and take a look at them for me when you have time."

He had completed his task for the night and could now "report back" to his wife. It seemed Ned was actually quite calm, and his wife didn't need to comfort him further; in fact, that would seem contrived.

Liang Siyu was deep in thought in his study. Tonight's reminder was very timely, but his father was unaware of Ada's occasional "minor problems" and therefore could not understand his uncontrollable protective instincts.

Wait, don't think about that most difficult problem yet; we need to take it slow. First, think about why Ada is keeping her distance from him and unwilling to take things further.

Their frequent disagreements always revolved around money. He often made decisions before communicating, whether it was booking hotels or getting a monitor delivered.

Regarding the project funding, he verbally asked her what she thought, but he already had a preference in mind. As soon as he heard her proposal, he started to find fault with it, which led to an argument. In the end, she came up with a compromise.

He forgot to bring his documents and hurriedly returned to his bedroom, but Ada happened to be in the bathroom.

He sat in the chair, thinking about what he was going to say later. Unable to calm down, he simply started tidying up the table.

Why hasn't she come out yet? He was getting impatient, but when he checked his watch, only five minutes had passed.

His hand groped back and forth on the desk, and as if by some strange impulse, he opened a drawer and pulled out a small velvet box from the depths. He flicked his finger, and the yellow diamond ring sat quietly inside.

Suddenly, the bathroom door opened, startling him. He quickly slammed the drawer shut, forgetting that his right hand was still inside. Suddenly, his finger throbbed with pain.

"Ned!" She took two steps over. "Did you get your hand caught? Let me see."

"No." By the time he realized what she meant, it was too late—she had already quickly pulled open the drawer.

The little box was right there, and even the ring had rolled out, like a little star.

She paused, looked away, and saw two red marks on his right hand, which were already slightly swollen.

She gently held his fingertips: "Does it hurt? What should we do? Apply ice? Apply medicine?"

"Just apply ice. I'll go downstairs and get some ice." He gently pushed the drawer shut and hurried downstairs. How could he be so foolish? He simply didn't know what to say.

She tried to call out to him, but he had already gone out. She quickly changed her clothes and hurriedly followed him. Sure enough, he was trying to hold the ice pack with one hand, but he wasn't very successful.

She gently took it, helped him secure it, and then they went back to the bedroom hand in hand.

She took his hand, looked at the bow she had tied, and couldn't help but smile.

He laughed along with her, but quickly suppressed his laughter and asked nervously, "You saw it, didn't you?"

She looked away and gently put his hand down. "Mmm."

Although he had already guessed that she wouldn't say yes, confirming it in person still left him feeling a little disappointed.

However, he quickly composed himself, since he had always wanted to have a proper talk with her anyway.

“Ada, let’s talk. Actually, I ordered the ring last December and wanted to propose in Seattle.”

Xu Aida lowered her eyes. She wanted to interrupt, wanted to say sorry, but she couldn't say anything.

His voice was calm, and he continued.

"Of course, at that time you suddenly wanted to break up, and you also got sick, so you naturally missed the opportunity."

"Lately, I've been thinking that now that we've made up, we can find a suitable time..."

Her heart ached. She looked up at him, her eyes slightly moist, and shook her head almost imperceptibly. "Stop talking. Don't force me to say no."

Instead, he smiled slightly and said, "Don't be like that, it's okay. Actually, I already sensed it yesterday that you weren't ready."

She was stunned; she hadn't expected this turn of events at all.

He took a breath. "No, to be more precise, it's that I haven't prepared you yet."

She continued to shake her head, her eyelashes wet. No, no, in his past life, he had successfully proposed. He hadn't done anything wrong this time; it was just that he had met her again, and everything had gone wrong.

He instinctively raised his right hand, then realized he had an ice pack attached, so he switched to his left hand and gently stroked her cheek.

"I hurt you again this morning, I'm sorry. But I still don't understand what I did wrong."

Her lips moved slightly; she actually wanted to tell him that she hadn't understood her own feelings during the argument that morning.

It wasn't until she was on the ship that she realized her obsession with financial independence was actually an irrational over-defense mechanism, because she had been hurt in her previous life.

However, he didn't give her a chance to speak: "I just realized that in these things, I always assume that if I want to be good to you, you should happily accept it. That's not right."

He looked into her eyes and continued in a hoarse voice, "Of course you have the freedom to refuse, just as you can say no to a proposal, and that's precisely the point of proposing."

Xu Aida leaned on his shoulder, not daring to look at him anymore. Clearly, she was too greedy; she couldn't bear to part with his tenderness and care, yet she refused his marriage proposal.

“I get angry every time you refuse to pay money. I always feel like I’m giving in, but I don’t think about the fact that you’re also compromising and accommodating me.”

"I don't even want to stop and seriously think about the things you're worried about. It's because I myself don't want to face similar comments."

He took a deep breath before managing to utter a sentence: "I don't like being talked about. I got into medical school with my dad's donations."

Xu Aida suddenly looked up, grabbed his left hand, her eyes welling up with tears: "Ned. Don't say anymore."

She couldn't help but shake her head. That's not how it is. Even those who are jealous of his background cannot ignore his talent and hard work.

He gripped her hand tightly, took a breath, and finished speaking: "Of course you wouldn't like being talked about for getting project funding through your boyfriend. I didn't think things through for you, I'm sorry."

She hugged his left arm tightly, sobbing softly on his shoulder, unable to say anything, only vaguely calling his name: "Ned, Ned."

She tried her best to stop her tears and looked up at him again. Through her blurry vision, she seemed to see him standing on the lawn in a snow-white suit.

No, no, not now.

She leaned on his shoulder, trembling slightly. She was so scared that she would be unable to resist agreeing again, gambling all her feelings on a tomorrow with no known outcome.

-----------------------

Author's note: PS: My hand is fine, just ice it for a couple of days and it'll be fine.