Chapter Four: The Proposal

Su Muci was completely unaware of the man's thoughts beside her.

She was recounting the details of her relationship with Fu Hengzhi: "My boyfriend is a deliveryman. He calls me whenever it rains to make sure I'm home and safe."

“He gave me every penny of his salary. He said that for a man, love is where money is, and he wanted to give me his love without reservation.”

Hearing the happiness in Su Muci's voice, the darkness in Huo Zhan's heart surged forth like a tide.

He blurted out, "What kind of love is it if a woman has to propose to you?"

Su Muci: "..."

For some reason, she sensed that this Mr. Huo harbored strong hostility towards Fu Hengzhi.

But when she thought about the proposal that was about to take place, she quickly regained her softness and warmth.

"Mr. Huo, you are a good person."

Su Muci's soft words, like a beam of light, unexpectedly pierced the darkness surrounding Huo Zhanman in the driver's seat.

A good person?

Does he deserve those two words?

Huo Zhan frowned, a dry laugh escaping his throat: "Is that so?"

"Yes."

Su Muci's tone was so sincere it was almost heartbreaking, "I thought luck only favored those who were outstanding. Someone like me, who has nothing, can't offer you any value, yet you've let me hitch a ride twice..."

“Even considering that we have mutual acquaintances, it is already a blessing for me.”

She called such a small thing a blessing?

Huo Zhan's large hand on the steering wheel suddenly froze, and he glanced at the girl in the passenger seat out of the corner of his eye.

A ray of twilight shone through the car window onto Su Muci's profile, and her upturned lips were as gentle as the most beautiful jade in the world in the halo of light.

A ripple passed through his pupils, and a distant voice suddenly flashed through his mind:

"Mom, I was wrong! I shouldn't have gotten 99 points. I'll definitely get full marks next time! Please let me out, okay? I'm so hungry and so cold... Mom..."

As memories of his childhood imprisonment flooded back, Huo Zhan's face paled slightly.

He was someone who crawled out of the mire, his body stained with darkness that he could never wash away in this lifetime.

It was she who used her warm hands to dispel the chill around him.

But he wanted to permanently bind the only pure light in his life to the darkness and abyss he had experienced.

A chilling sense of unease surged forth.

Damn it, what is he doing?!

At that moment, reason barely managed to suppress the beast lurking in the depths of my heart.

Su Muci was unaware of the complex thoughts swirling within the man beside her.

She watched as the car drove off the overpass and turned around...

Although I was a little confused, I didn't think much of it.

Su Muci gazed at the scenery outside the window, a faint smile appearing on her lips, thinking to herself, "Hengzhi, will you accept my proposal?"

Her eyes were full of anticipation.

The car stopped at the edge of the central square of Jiangcheng.

Su Muci slowly got out of the car and said gratefully to Huo Zhan, "Mr. Huo, thank you for bringing me here."

Huo Zhan didn't look at her; the veins on his hand gripping the steering wheel were already bulging.

"I wish you happiness..."

As the hoarse voice faded, his heart was torn apart by an immense force.

A ferocious beast inside growled: Run!

If he doesn't leave now, he'll lose control and regret letting her go!

Upon hearing this blessing, Su Muci gave him a sweet smile.

Then he turned around and walked step by step towards the center of the carefully arranged square.

Her silhouette fell into his eyes, and he suddenly bit his lip hard until a metallic taste of blood filled his throat…

"Porcelain..."

Huo Zhan's pupils were red with suppressed urges, yet he firmly resisted the urge to rush forward and stop him.

He kept repeating in his mind: I want her to be happy.

As long as she is happy...

...

As the sun sets and the city lights begin to twinkle, the evening glow fades.

Su Muci stood in the central square of Jiangcheng, holding a bouquet of flowers, her cheeks flushed as she waited for her prince.

A large crowd gradually gathered around to watch.

People took out their phones to take pictures and live stream, and even some media came after hearing the news.

Fu Hengzhi didn't appear in sight until 8:05.

He was wearing an elegant suit and shirt that Su Muci had never seen before, and a Rolex watch that Su Muci had never seen before. He walked gracefully and calmly to Su Muci.

"What's the meaning?"

The man's tone was cold, colder than ever before.

The excitement of the impending proposal numbed Su Muci's sensitivity and delicate nature. Holding the bouquet of flowers with a pair of wedding rings in the center in her hands, she said shyly:

"Hengzhi, the reason I asked you to come here today is to tell you that even if we don't have a house or a car, whether we are poor or rich, I am willing to spend my whole life with you until we grow old together."

"I love you, will you marry me?"

The girl's voice was sincere and youthful, filled with beautiful dreams for the future.

The crowd immediately erupted in waves of cheers, each louder than the last.

"What a brave girl! Say yes! Say yes!"

"Together! Together!"

A shadowy figure lingered under the shade of a tree not far away.

The man in the shadows watched as the girl he had longed for for ten years proposed to someone else.

The pain of unrequited love gradually tore away the warmth in his eyes, leaving them cold, somber, and lonely.

Suddenly, a refined-looking man wearing gold-rimmed glasses walked up to him and said in a gentle voice, "Mr. Huo."

This person was none other than Cheng Siyu, the private doctor.

"Congratulations on understanding that true love is not about possession, but about letting go. Your decision is the most important breakthrough in all these years of treatment. I believe you will soon overcome yourself and be completely cured."

"roll!"

Huo Zhan could not suppress the coldness and violence in his heart.

Cheng Siyu felt no aversion to his attitude, because over the years he had been aware of how serious Huo Zhan's condition was and how obsessive and possessive he was of that girl.

At its worst, it was only through electroconvulsive therapy that the condition was brought under control.

He knew that his patient, Mr. Huo, was sacrificing his most desired love with a level of self-control that most people could not possess, to fulfill the wishes of his beloved girl.

As the entire square was abuzz with excitement, Hozan turned away alone.

He ultimately couldn't bear to watch her... walk into another man's arms.

He walked heavily towards the black car parked by the roadside.

Finally, it roared away.

Before leaving, Cheng Siyu took a deep look at the proposal scene in the center of the square, and finally hailed a taxi and followed Huo Zhan in the direction he left!

Meanwhile, in the center of the square, the crowd watching the marriage proposal gradually quieted down.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for the man who had been proposed to to give his answer.

Will he agree?

Will you still refuse?

Su Muci's heart pounded with anxiety, and the hand holding the flowers in her arms trembled slightly.

The lights are blazing, everyone is watching...

Fu Hengzhi's indifferent eyes glanced at the diamond ring in the center of the flowers, and he slowly said as he parted his thin lips—