Chapter 92 Chapter 92

Lu Ye's violent words were quickly met with a severe reprimand from his father and mother, who despised him greatly.

Father Lu said sternly, "What's there to hide between family members? Being transparent about your assets is both your duty and the law. You're a law major, but you've wasted all those years studying."

Mother Lu's tone was more mocking: "Property? What kind of property do you have? This is all the joint property of the couple in the reserve state! It's such a small thing, and you're still hiding it. Yue'er might not even appreciate it."

Lu Ye was scolded so hard that he couldn't even lift his head. But what Lu's mother said was right. The things in his family were not enough for An Jiuyue to take seriously.

Lu's parents were very poor and had been living on their wages for many years. They also often sponsored several students. The most well-off person in the family was Lu Ye himself.

After hearing Mother Lu's last words, An Jiyue glanced at Lu Ye with some embarrassment, but she saw him calmly shaking his head. Only then did she feel relieved.

Lu Ye hadn't revealed An Jiyue's true situation to his parents. Though the two elders were enthusiastic, they were also very polite. They had clearly stated their family's importance since their arrival, yet they hadn't asked her a single question.

An Jiuyue and Lu Ye thought at the same time: There is no problem in being frank, and it is easy to find out the assets of the Lu family, but finding out the assets of the An family is not something that can be solved with just a few words.

Father Lu seemed to want to rebuild the family tradition, fearing that his unpromising son would tarnish his image. He sat upright and said to An Jiyue seriously:

"Don't worry, Xiao An. We're all family from now on. I won't hide anything from you about our family situation. I can make the decision on this matter, so don't worry."

Mr. Lu's words were sincere and serious, but Chief Lu, who was always calm, was a little overwhelmed at this moment.

He always wanted to stop his parents from talking too deeply. Of course, it was not because he was thinking about his own savings, but the most important reason was that he did not want to put pressure on An Jiuyue.

Although meeting his parents was his preparation for the next step in advancing his work, could An Jiyue handle being treated as his future daughter-in-law on their first meeting?

He quickly refilled tea for his parents, took the first cup, and introduced An Jiyue:

"This is this year's Mingqian tea. It might not taste as good after being stored for so long, but it's still much better than ordinary tea. Your family likes Jin Jun Mei and Gan Pu'er tea, so you might also want to try our green tea. It's light on the palate and has a nice aftertaste."

It was noon, and Mr. and Mrs. Lu had already booked a nice restaurant, but the weather was bad, and they were worried that the two of them would be tired from the journey, so they simply asked the restaurant to prepare the food and deliver it directly to their door.

An Jiyue stared at the mountain of food in her bowl with embarrassment, feeling that it could be used as a feast in itself.

Mother Lu wasn't overly dramatic, simply using her serving chopsticks to scoop the best bits of each dish into An Jiyue's bowl. Everything that went into her bowl was boneless spareribs, shelled and skinless seafood, and even the stir-fried bok choy was a vibrant green leafy vegetable, carefully selected over and over again.

After the meal, An Jiyue rubbed her belly quietly, went to the kitchen and tugged at the sleeve of Lu Ye who was washing dishes.

"You haven't been spoiled like this since you were a child, have you?"

Lu Ye rolled his eyes mercilessly. How could he deserve such treatment? His parents' attitude towards him had always been: Eat if you like, eat if you don't, go hungry if you don't.

It would never be like today, where I asked about An Jiuyue's taste and hometown in advance, and asked the restaurant chef to make a few Minnan dishes that suit her taste.

He curled his lips, said something sarcastic to her, and raised his hand in front of her: "Help me hold it."

An Jiyue had just pulled on his shirt, and the sleeves of his shirt that had been rolled up to his elbows had fallen halfway down, almost getting stained with dishwashing foam.

An Jiyue quickly fixed his hair, patted it smooth, and even fed him a cherry - which had just been washed by Mrs. Lu and stuffed into her arms with the basin, asking her to hold it and eat it slowly.

It's quite warm.

She glanced at Mr. Lu who was wiping the table in the restaurant, and Mrs. Lu who was carefully checking for any oil stains.

It seemed like she was the most relaxed person. An Jiyue was holding a bowl of cherries, feeling a little ashamed.

Although she was a guest, the uncle and aunt treated her with respect and care, and they didn't have to be too strict about the custom of not doing any work on the first visit. She decided to help out with some small things within her ability.

But the progress was not smooth.

An Jiuyue soon discovered that she had been inexplicably elevated to the status of a "future daughter-in-law", but was being treated like a "biological daughter".

They called her the "future daughter-in-law" because not long after noon, a group of former students came to visit the two teachers. When introducing An Jiyue, Mr. and Mrs. Lu openly called her "This is Jiyue from our family."

When the young students looked at her and Lu Ye with ambiguous eyes, Lu's father and mother smiled in agreement without further explanation. They just ordered their son to serve tea and water, while letting An Jiuyue sit quietly.

The reason why she was called her "own daughter" was that not long after the students left, An Jiyue yawned inadvertently, and when Lu's mother caught her, she began to persuade her to go to sleep for a while.

Mother Lu was considerate and thoughtful: "Go to bed, I've prepared the bedroom. I'll call you when it's almost time for dinner."

An Jiyue was so frightened that she kept shaking her head. It was already three o'clock in the afternoon. She would feel guilty if she slept all afternoon at her own home, so how could she openly sleep for half an hour when visiting someone else's house?

And she even slept until dinner... Eat and sleep, sleep and eat, what has she become?

Lu Ye lowered his head and calmly packed the tea utensils, his cool face expressionless and without any hint or suggestion. An Jiyue was at a loss as she continued to listen to Lu's mother's constant reassurances.

"Yue'er, don't force yourself. Just go to sleep if you're tired. What's there to be nervous about in your own home? Your uncle and I take a nap every day, but we had guests today, so we're a little late. Just pretend we just finished lunch, okay?"

An Jiyue was finally ushered into the guest bedroom prepared for her. The blue and white floral sheets were clean and smooth, soft pillows lay quietly at the head of the bed, and a silky summer quilt was spread on the bed. A small bottle of aromatherapy was placed on the bedside. An Jiyue lifted her small nose and sniffed, and it was the refreshing scent of lavender.

"In case you forgot to bring anything, I even prepared an extra set of cotton pajamas for you." Mother Lu said to her with a smile, "The bathroom at the door to the guest room is one your uncle and I don't usually use. Relax, take a shower, change into comfortable clothes, and lie down to rest."

The door was gently closed. An Jiyue sat down on the edge of the bed, her nose aching.

It seemed like she hadn't been cared for as a "daughter" for a long, long time.

She went to the bathroom with a towel in her arms, dried her hair, and changed into pajamas. The tiredness that followed her relaxation washed over her. An Jiyue half-lay on the head of the bed, then slowly slid into the pillow.

She had a long and distant dream. In the dream, she was still a little girl, with a healthy family and loving parents who also loved and protected her.

When she was in middle school, she suddenly wanted to help her favorite shop continue to run. Her parents did not stop her. Her father personally taught her how to sort out the business model of opening a shop, and her mother taught her little by little how to look at problems in financial statements.

An Jiyue, who just started high school, was worried and troubled by the complicated reports. Her mother didn't get impatient at all. She brought her some sweet and delicious fresh juice and then continued to explain the numbers to her one by one.

Amidst the gentle sounds of spring breeze and drizzling rain, An Jiyue's headache gradually eased, and the numbers on the spreadsheet gradually became clearer in her eyes. Meanwhile, her mother beside her seemed to be fading away. An Jiyue tried to turn her head, opening her eyes wide to search for her mother, and suddenly cried out:

"Mother?"

It was dark. In a daze, a pair of soft hands supported her shoulders and handed the cup of water to her lips.

An Jiyue opened her lips and took a sip obediently. It wasn't juice, but warm water.

However, it was just as warm and thirst-quenching. She couldn't help but drink a few more sips before returning to her confusing report.

The moon is bright and the stars are sparse, and the rain is falling heavily.

When An Jiyue woke up again, Lu Ye just happened to push the door open quietly. The tall and handsome man stood by the door, and An Jiyue called out uncertainly:

"Lu Ye?"

"woke up?"

Lu Ye turned on the night light on the bedside, put the warm purified water in his hand aside, and helped her sit up.

An Jiyue rubbed her eyes. The blackout curtains blocked out the light from outside the window. The entire guest bedroom seemed like an isolated rest cabin, allowing her to have a good sleep.

"What time is it?" she asked guiltily.

There was a smile in Lu Ye's eyes: "It's almost ten o'clock."

An Jiyue was stunned for a moment, then continued to cautiously test the waters: "Evening, or morning?"

Lu Ye was speechless: "In the evening."

Lu Ye asked again: "Are you hungry? Let me take you out for a midnight snack."

An Jiyue covered her face and nodded. How shameful! She didn't expect someone who slept until ten to be allowed to stay for dinner.

But Lu Ye quickly added: "My parents had left some food for you, but I took it out to feed the cat. I told them you would rather go out for a midnight snack."

All right. An Jiyue had nothing to live for, so she didn't bother to care.

Lu Ye touched her head and stood up to go out, but was stopped by An Jiyue: "Wait a minute!"

She held up the hard object beside her pillow, bewildered. "What is this?"

Lu Ye turned around and took a quick look, trying to suppress the corner of his mouth: "You don't even recognize this? Red envelope."

An Jiyue was anxious: "Everyone knows what a red envelope is, but isn't this a bit too much?"

The red envelope was bulging, difficult to seal, and would burst open with the slightest movement. Inside was a thick stack of banknotes, neatly stacked like a small brick.

Lu Ye said in a serious tone, "This is how it is for our first meeting, Jiyue. When in Rome, do as the Romans do."

He wouldn't tell An Jiyue that this was the result of Mother Lu rushing out that afternoon to withdraw a large sum of new money to add to the price. The gift had already been prepared, but as soon as he brought in a glass of water, Mother Lu rushed out the door in a hurry, saying that she had to add a fee for changing her story.

Lu Ye had his doubts, but he didn't intend to stop his mother. His parents, who had always upheld the idea of raising their son in poverty, were rarely so generous. He had to earn back what he lost.

-

An Jiyue and Lu Ye rushed back to City S on the weekend afternoon. The trunk was full and it took nearly an hour to load and unload.

Lu Ye felt very satisfied: "These messes are enough to eat for a long time."

An Jiyue glanced at him and said, "As someone who travels on business every day, these things are enough to last you forever."

On the way back, An Jiuyue, who had had a good sleep, took the helm. In order not to distract her, Lu Ye could only smile slightly and did not refute.

Although her daily life and work schedule was flexible, she was not idle, so she did not pay much attention to Lu Ye's increasingly less frequent business trips recently.

In fact, although Lu Ye had deliberately cut many business trips, his own schedule was much more busy than that of his colleagues. In the two weeks since returning home, he had barely spent more than two full days in City S.

An Jiyue usually understands this very well, but after such a long time, she still can't help but feel depressed.

Over the video call, Lu Ye accurately recognized the unhappiness of his private VIP client. Her almond-shaped eyes drooped slightly, her eyelashes fluttered, and her cherry-like lips pursed unconsciously as she listened to him explain his plans to fly to another company for research the next day.

Lu Ye pursed his lips and said some big but empty words to comfort her.

On the other side, he was clicking on the reservation confirmation email of a high-end riverside restaurant in City S.

After saying goodnight to each other, they hung up the phone. Lu Ye stood up, stretching his stiff back muscles, and walked over to his suitcase, which was spread out on the luggage rack. In the corner of the suitcase, in a velvet box, his custom engagement ring lay quietly.

That was a sketch drawn by Lu Ye himself. The main diamond was transparent and clear, and could reflect a very faint yellow light at certain angles. It was cut into a thick three-dimensional crescent arc, and was dotted with broken aquamarine around it, like a bright moon rising from the sea.

He was a person who believed in the facts before his eyes, but he couldn't help but imagine the scene of the ring passing through her slender white fingertips, going all the way down, and getting stuck on her fingertip.

She has always been able to take every situation calmly and calmly, but will this time be different?

Lu Ye preferred her bright and calm smile, but he also liked to see her eyes dancing with surprise. He hadn't revealed a single detail of his plan to her this time.

However, despite being so flawless, half of Lu Ye's arrangements were leaked in advance.

The next evening, An Jiyue, who had been busy all day, sat cross-legged on the carpet, moved the computer aside, and stretched.

S City had officially entered its rainy season, with intermittent rain lasting for over a week. An Jiyue, aside from visiting her father, stayed home. She was starving and ready to find something to eat in the refrigerator.

The phone rang and An Jiyue turned on the speakerphone.

"Good evening, this is Jimu Jiangge Restaurant. May I ask if you are Miss An?"

"I am."

"Hello, Miss An. Of the dishes you and Mr. Lu ordered tonight, the ingredients for one dish have just arrived. After inspection, we feel they don't meet the standards. We'd like to discuss whether we can adjust the menu for you two."

An Jiyue was stunned for a moment, and only reacted when the other party called her repeatedly. She hurriedly answered the phone, and then her email dinged. The restaurant had efficiently and responsibly sent the adjusted dishes.

Jimu Jiangge is the top restaurant in City S, and Lu Ye even booked a top-floor private room that is only for two people.

Although An Jiyue had lived a life of luxury since childhood, her parents never deliberately spoiled her. The three of them preferred to enjoy a hot pot meal together rather than a restaurant. She rarely visited places like Jimu Jiangge unless invited by friends or to check in to try something new.

Even Lu Ye was left alone. Although such a restaurant was a leisurely pastime for him given his financial resources, he had no time to spend the money he earned. He traveled extensively throughout the year, spending half of his time being treated to business banquets by clients and the other half eating in the factory cafeteria.

When they are together, they love to explore some promising small restaurants, just like they did in college, or cook together, which is endless fun.

He suddenly booked such a place without telling me in advance. What was he going to do?

An Jiyue suddenly didn't feel hungry anymore. Some bold ideas gradually came into her mind.

The absence of a sign is the most indicative sign, and being caught off guard is the prerequisite for a surprise. Could it be, is it, is it possible, that something is about to happen?

She was flustered, but she ran uncontrollably into the bathroom and began to dress herself.

While fixing her hair, An Jiyue suddenly paused. She suddenly realized something was wrong: if Lu Ye was the one who made the reservation, why would Jimu Jiangge suddenly call her?

An Jiyue hurriedly dropped her curling iron and checked the flight information based on the destination Lu Ye mentioned the night before. She found that the flight Lu Ye was suspected to be on had been delayed for a long time and had just taken off half an hour ago.

An Jiuyue's watery eyes flickered and she smiled. In return, she also wanted to give Lu Ye a surprise.

So, the woman with delicate makeup and hair style took out the lotus-white ink-wash cheongsam from the closet, straightened her hair in front of the mirror, and her eyes unconsciously revealed a shy look.

She patted her face, repeatedly forcing herself to take deep breaths and calm down. Then she took the elevator downstairs, drove all the way to the airport arrival hall, and sat down at the exit.

In the busy airport, many people still noticed this gentle and graceful smiling figure.

She had a fair complexion and delicate features, her bright and generous eyes radiating with spirit, as if filled with genuine joy. Her hair, half tied up in a bun at the back of her head, was gentle yet not old-fashioned, a white jade hairpin nestled securely within her hair. The lotus-white cheongsam she wore seemed tailor-made for her, framing her curves perfectly, creating a well-proportioned yet not overly flattering look.

She sat there cheerfully but calmly, as if waiting for someone, but unlike the other people who came to pick her up, she didn't look at her watch impatiently over and over again.

Flights landed one after another, and waves of passengers came and went.

An Jiyue, who had been sitting demurely, finally lost her composure. She pulled out her phone and confirmed the restaurant's email confirming her reservation was successful. It was definitely for tonight, not just an illusion.

Then, why hasn’t Lu Ye come yet?

Could it be that he has other plans and other surprises prepared?

An Jiyue was stunned for a moment, exited her email, switched to the flight monitoring screen, and her heart suddenly shrank.

The flight had a red exclamation mark on it at some point, and its status had been updated to lost contact. The scrolling notification bar announced the reason for the loss of contact: suspected thunderstorm encountered mid-flight.

How is that possible?

She exited the interface, re-entered it, and refreshed it several times, staring at the screen without blinking.

The exact same result is hanging there, unchanged at all.

An Jiyue stumbled towards an airport ground staff member, grabbing the other person's uniform with trembling hands, and barely managed to stand steady.

"Really? Is this true?" she asked, holding up the message on her phone screen.

The ground crew said solemnly, "We were supposed to land half an hour ago. They should still be trying to contact us. Do you have any relatives or friends on this plane?"

An Jiyue's face turned pale, and her cell phone fell to the ground with a bang, leaving a bruise on the back of her foot.

The ground crew quickly consoled him, "Don't be so pessimistic. Thunderstorms combined with geomagnetic storms could indeed affect aircraft communications, but that doesn't mean the plane has crashed. There's no news at the moment, and no news is also a form of good news."

He picked up An Jiyue's phone and reached out to help her sit back in the chair. This slender girl seemed to have come alone. She shouldn't have to face such a situation alone.

An Jiyue broke free from him and walked away in a daze. Before she knew it, she had walked out of the arrival hall and into the outdoors.

The heavy rain immediately soaked her through.

Her meticulously styled hair clung to her forehead and the back of her neck, her perfectly applied foundation was patchy, a touch of smoky eyeshadow smudged into a single, larger patch. Even her meticulously applied rosy lipstick was beginning to dry out.

This shouldn't be the case. She wiped her face.

This shouldn't have happened. Lu Ye had carefully selected a top-notch restaurant and booked a table. She also got the news by accident and came dressed up.

Their story tonight should be dreamy and beautiful. Her makeup should be smudged by tears of emotion. Her skirt should be soaked with the sweet sweat of passion.

They should be dancing and entangled under the glass windows before the rainstorm, instead of spinning and getting lost in the rainstorm like they are now.

An Jiyue walked step by step to the edge of the airport. The rain gradually subsided. She squinted her eyes in the fine rain and watched the planes that had been circling for a long time land one by one.

She looked down at her disheveled appearance and wondered if she should go back and wait, or go home first. If she continued to wait at the airport, would she really receive bad news?

An Jiyue looked up blankly, continuing to watch the planes take off and land, turning herself into a signal light.

After standing there for a long time, she finally heard hurried footsteps behind her. Well, An Jiyue knew that she was behaving like a mentally ill lunatic, and finally the ground staff came to take her back.

The next second, her body, which was almost unable to hold on, suddenly fell into a familiar and broad embrace.

Lu Ye was holding up his coat, his dark eyes flashing, and he was looking down at her angrily.

"An Jiyue, what are you crazy about?"

He called her as soon as he landed, but the person on the other end of the phone said he was an airport ground staff member from City S, and the owner of the plane had just run out and got caught in the rain!

God knows how anxious he was. He was the first one to rush off the plane as soon as the jet bridge was built. He threw the suitcase in the corner of the arrival hall and ran out alone to look for her.

The ground staff said that she ran out and got caught in the rain, but he still didn't believe it. Lu Ye had never seen An Jiuyue do anything stupid that would hurt herself.

But the woman in front of him, whose lips were pale and her face was pale from being drenched, but who was looking at him with surprise and crying with joy, wasn't she?

"I thought something would happen to you..."

An Jiyue sobbed and wiped her tears, then threw herself into Lu Ye's arms as if relieved. Lu Ye was still angry at the moment, and his embrace was as hard as a rock, but she held on to him and refused to let go.

"Fool, what are you guessing? I wasn't on that plane. Besides, the missing plane has already restored communications and is diverting to another airport."

Lu Ye hugged An Jiyue tightly. He noticed that she was trembling, but he couldn't bear to blame her anymore. He reached out and scratched her nose.

"You are always so calm and composed. Why didn't you wait patiently for news this time?"

An Jiyue's cheeks regained some color, but it was hard to tell whether it was due to warming up or blushing.

She muttered in a low voice, feeling somewhat guilty, "For something this big, of course we have to prepare in advance... How can I just sit there and wait for news... What if I don't have any makeup on and am wearing casual clothes by then..."

Lu Ye was stunned. Seeing her suddenly lower her head shyly, he understood and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

She was still somewhat discouraged, but right now, the most important thing was that she didn't get sick.

He draped his coat over her head, put his arm around her shoulders, and prepared to walk into the terminal.

Just after taking a step, Lu Ye suddenly stopped and stood still.

The bulge in his trouser pocket rubbed his thigh. Without hesitation, he took out the box and turned An Jiyue around.

The man took a half step back and knelt on one knee without hesitation.

A few strands of hair on his forehead were dripping with water, but his cold face was full of energy. His wet shirt clung to his body, enveloping the muscular contours of his chest and back.

Lu Ye looked straight into An Jiuyue's surprised brown eyes in a not-so-clear vision, as serious and confident as an athlete preparing to start a race.

The rain suddenly intensified, hitting me with a slight pain. Everything around me blurred and distorted, as if I were being swept into a raging apocalyptic torrent.

However, Lu Ye's gaze was burning, as if it wanted to warm and wet both of them, and a hot and humid white mist was floating in front of their eyes.

"Jiyue."

"Look, this rain is falling like the end of the world."

"I originally booked a top-notch restaurant and prepared flowers and music. But just now I suddenly realized that if we were to be drowned by the apocalyptic flood in the next second, the thing I would regret most would be not having the time to ask you to marry me."

"Because, before the end of the world, I want to put this ring on your finger, and then, holding your hand, I want to face everything calmly and confidently."

He spoke quite fast, but An Jiuyue automatically slowed down each word in her mind and then engraved them in her memory one by one.

She recorded it bit by bit, and her reaction was so slow that Lu Ye became a little anxious.

He took her hand and rubbed her middle finger. His tone was no longer cold, but gentle and affectionate.

Lu Ye's question rang out through the rain: "Will you marry me?"

An Jiyue was already choking with sobs, tears and rain mixed together and fell on her face. She nodded. Hai Shengmingyue's ring slipped onto her slender fingertips and slowly fell into the base of her finger.

At the tower, the controller, who had just directed a large number of circling flights to land, was exhausted and thirsty, and finally waited for his colleague who was to take over the shift.

The controller stood up, relieved, but accidentally misaligned the auxiliary telescope. The monitor screen trembled for half a second before finally coming to a soft stop on a corner outside the airport.

In the video, a young couple stood at the edge of the airport in the pouring rain. The young man knelt on one knee for a moment before finally rising and hugging the slender young woman for a few seconds. Then, both of them, their coats draped over them, trotted back to the terminal.

Every flight carries the farewells and reunions at the airport. As controllers, they have seen so much that they often joke with each other, saying that everyone is the matchmaker today and Fahai tomorrow.

Proposing marriage is a very rare thing.

"Hey," he nudged his colleague who had just sat down to change shifts, "I've accumulated a lot of merit today."