Chapter 68 Proposal

The river swayed and rocked, moving slowly but steadily. Zhan Lintian and Wu Zhou reached their hands out in mid-air several times, then quietly withdrew them.

Zhan Lintian gazed gently at his retreating figure. Jiang Xia had always been like this; life seemed difficult, yet he always managed to move forward steadily, never letting his life go astray.

Wu Ming was once a ray of light in his life, but he never depended on the Wu family. Now that he has severed ties with Wu Ming, his life will not be completely ruined...

Jiang Xia was still too conservative and cautious, so even though he knew it would be difficult, he still wanted to find the most suitable solution between Wu Zhou and Zhan Lintian.

Perhaps their gazes were too focused, almost solidifying, because Jiang Xia felt uncomfortable under their stares. His foot slipped, and his body leaned backward...

Wu Zhou supported his waist with one hand, turned his head to look at him, and lowered his voice: "Be careful..."

Zhan Lintian then put his arm around Jiang Xia's back and breathed a sigh of relief: "Are you alright?"

"It's nothing." Jiang Xia said thank you, looking a little embarrassed, and then just kept her head down and continued walking forward.

The area outside the shop was bustling, but most of the people there were locals.

Because there are many shops selling local specialties in Haijiang County, some of which are deceptive and like to invite online influencers to visit their shops, many tourists from other places have been tricked away.

This shop was personally recommended by Jiangxia's colleagues, and its reputation speaks for itself.

The shop was small, and the owner was still busy in the shop late at night. When he saw Jiang Xia, whom he didn't recognize, he saw that she walked into the shop without queuing to get a ticket. Then, recalling the phone call earlier, he realized that Jiang Xia had mentioned her attire in advance.

Dark-colored long down jacket, dark blue scarf.

"These are the ten deluxe gift boxes you ordered, right? Here you go."

Before coming to Jiangxia, I saw pictures and it didn't look very big. But when I got there, I realized I could barely carry it.

As soon as the boss raised his hand, General Manager Zhan and General Manager Wu behind him took the opportunity to take five portions each.

The boss was full of praise for the young man's foresight: "I was worried you wouldn't be able to get it by yourself, but it turns out you found a friend."

Zhan Lintian said, "I got it for my girlfriend."

Before the boss could react, Jiang Xia felt a little embarrassed, so Wu Zhou spoke up for Jiang Xia: "Hurry up and leave."

In the end, Jiang Xia was unable to snatch his gift box back from them...

After shopping, the three of them strolled slowly along the street, where the hills on both sides formed a unique landscape under the cover of night.

Some people are terrified of such a colossal creature, but Jiang Xia felt inexplicably at ease, which reminded him of his hometown, Duliang, where low mountains also surrounded the town, and under the cover of night, the layered hills cradled the town.

Jiang Xia said softly, "This place is similar to Duliang, only a bit colder."

Zhan Lintian asked curiously, "If possible, I'd like to go and take a look at Duliang."

"There's nothing fun there." Jiang Xia lowered his eyes, a sense of inferiority about his hometown lingering in his mind. It was a wonderful place, the place that had given him birth and raised him, but…

Zhan Lintian chuckled: "You won't be bored if you come with me."

Jiang Xia clenched his fist and coughed, but said nothing.

Wu Zhou frowned with concern: "Have you caught a cold?"

Jiang Xia's face felt hot. He shook his head. What was the current situation?

Why aren't General Manager Wu and General Manager Zhan leaving with angry expressions? If either of them left, the atmosphere wouldn't be so awkward.

As night deepened, a few people followed the crowd to a pedestrian street.

Hanging from the trees were lotus-shaped gauze lanterns in shades of pink and white, their halos swirling and reflecting on the ground. Jiang Xia couldn't help but turn around and point to the lanterns in the trees: "This place is beautiful. I've seen it online, but it looks even better in person."

Jiang Xia smiled, and General Manager Wu and General Manager Zhan echoed him.

The seemingly peaceful atmosphere was shattered after the three returned to the hotel.

After placing the gift box on the table, neither of them showed any intention of leaving.

The two looked at Jiang Xia together, waiting for him to speak first. Jiang Xia was so embarrassed that he wished there was a crack in the ground so he could crawl into it and hide.

Zhan Lintian spoke first: "Jiang Xia, I want to talk to you."

Wu Zhou followed suit: "Me too."

Jiang Xia took a step back and waved his hand awkwardly, "It's getting late, you should all rest first, we can talk about it tomorrow..."

Zhan Lintian walked forward, forcing Jiang Xia to retreat again. Jiang Xia's calf hit the edge of the bed, and he fell down and sat on the edge of the bed, looking up at him.

The man bent down, bracing himself with one hand on his right side, and held Jiang Xia in his arms: "Can I spend the Spring Festival with you this year? Can I attend your birthday party?"

Jiang Xia smiled and waved his hand: "I don't have birthday parties, that's how it is in previous years..."

His words trailed off, and then Zhan Lintian clicked his tongue: "You spent time with Wu Ming, right?"

Wu Zhou, standing behind him, looked increasingly grim.

Zhan Lintian glanced back at Wu Zhou, whose face was as black as water.

Wu Ming's presence is felt throughout Jiangxia's life over the past decade or so—his shadow can be found everywhere, from eating and drinking to holidays, studying, and working.

Rather than whether Jiang Xia loves or hates Wu Ming, the two of them hope that he can completely let go of Wu Ming and forget him.

For Jiang Xia's birthday this year, Wu Ming started making plans early again, preparing to fly back to China temporarily.

Wu Zhou had long ago sent people to keep an eye on him, determined to find out his plans to return to China and nip them in the bud...

Because of Wu Ming, neither of them dared to push Jiang Xia too far.

President Zhan straightened up and waved his hand: "Let's talk about this later. It's getting late, so goodnight?"

Jiang Xia said softly, "Goodnight." Finally, after seeing the two living Buddhas off, Jiang Xia closed the door, washed up, changed into his pajamas, and then heard a knock on the door.

He had just called for turndown service and thought it was a waiter, so he instinctively opened the door, only to find Wu Zhou standing outside.

Wu Zhou closed the door behind him and grabbed Jiang Xia's thigh with one hand.

Jiang Xia was taken aback as the tall man in front of her easily lifted her up slightly.

Wu Zhou kissed him forcefully.

Jiang Xia wanted to get his footing on the ground, but each time Wu Zhou would gently lift him up.

As their lips brushed together, their tongues intertwined, Jiang Xia gently pushed him away, noticing the water droplets break...

Jiang Xia touched his mouth, avoiding the other person's burning gaze: "You're being a pervert..."

Wu Zhou's voice was deep: "Jiang Xia, I said before that I would kiss you, hug you, and do more intimate things with you in the future, making you so shy that your toes would curl up. We would even get married and have a wedding night. You know what that means. You should have hit me and scolded me back then, and not let me take an inch."

Jiang Xia was about to retort.

Wu Zhou frankly said, "It's too late. You... have feelings for me. My behavior and tone were less like being a scoundrel and more like..."

In the quiet room, his voice was deep and magnetic: "Jiang Xia, I'm flirting with you."

These words struck a nerve with Jiang Xia. He shoved Wu Zhou away forcefully and stared at him in shock.

Wu Zhou wiped the water from the corner of his mouth and whispered, "Goodnight."

Mr. Wu never drags things out; after disturbing Jiang Xia's peace of mind, he decisively left.

His room is right across the street...

Jiang Xia barely slept all night, tossing and turning, unable to find anyone to discuss things with.

No one told him what to do, or how his parents would help him choose if they were still alive.

Jiang Xia lowered his eyes; in truth, he didn't intend to choose anyone.

If he couldn't stay with this person until the end, he feared he would never be able to leave...

But those two refused to back down, and Jiang Xia couldn't bring himself to argue with them or call them hooligans.

Unable to sleep, Jiang Xia tossed and turned until dawn, remaining in a daze until he returned to Mengcheng, worked half a day, and received a stack of documents before snapping out of his daze.

There are so many important and personal matters to attend to, and my phone keeps buzzing with messages.

The event was a great success in Haijiang County, generating a surge in online buzz, and Jiangxia was even featured on Douyin (TikTok).

He watched as marketing accounts used his voice to create marketing videos and gain traffic, garnering hundreds of thousands of likes.

Jiang Xia understood immediately: No wonder someone wanted to hire him as a sales translator at the Canton Fair, but the contract was strange.

The price offered by the other party was clearly not in line with industry standards, and the contract also included strange additional clauses, clearly indicating that they were an influencer company trying to ride on his popularity.

Jiang Xia only wanted to cooperate with manufacturers he was familiar with, so he declined other offers.

He had been busy all day, and as soon as it was time to get off work, Wu Ming called him from his post.

"Jiang Xia, there's a drone show on the riverbank tonight. My friend organized it, but I'm not in China. Could you record it for me as a souvenir?"

“I remember you have a camera, help me take some footage.”

Jiang Xia lowered her eyes and thought of the "friend" he mentioned. Her recent friends... were nothing more than some rich second-generation who indulged in eating, drinking, and having fun. She directly refused: "I'm very busy tonight, no need."

He'd rather go home and sleep than film something so boring.

Wu Ming was still not giving up: "Jiang Xia, Xie Shinuan is going to propose to his girlfriend, so please take a picture for me."

Jiang Xia was stunned for a while when he heard the name. Normally, he might not have remembered it, but he had just talked about Xie Shinuan with Wu Zhou not long ago.

Jiang Xia clenched his fingers and finally said, "Okay, I understand."

He actually wanted to apologize to the other party in person. Back then, he was young and confused, which made the sensitive young master Xie feel unwarranted and bizarre malice.

Perhaps the other party no longer cares, but this matter still weighs on Jiang Xia's mind.

Jiang Xia looked at his phone screen.

Wu Ming always laughed at him for being superstitious about cause and effect, but life is unpredictable.

His parents died in a car accident, and some relatives and friends always gossiped behind his back, saying that this was fate.

After Jiangxia's enlightenment, if praying to Heaven is effective and doing good deeds will bring him and those he cares about more blessings in the future, then he is willing to do so.

Since junior high school, apart from the hardships he suffered in his love life, he considers everything else in his life to be smooth sailing.

Wu Ming came to his side and saved him from dire straits. Sometimes Jiang Xia felt that everything was unreal, and that someone would come to help him every time he was in trouble.

Perhaps... God really did hear my prayers. When people are lonely, having someone to comfort them makes them feel much better.

Although Xie Shinuan's incident was caused by Wu Ming, it was Jiang Xia who ultimately caused the harm...

Jiang Xia gripped her phone tightly and said softly, "Okay, I'll go."

He immediately packed his things, ready to leave work. He went home to get his camera first, and as he went downstairs, he declined dinner invitations from both Wu Zhou and Zhan Lintian.

Zhan Lintian was rather blunt: "Can I take that as you making excuses?"

Jiang Xia replied, "I really do have something to do."

Zhan Lintian posted a sad emoji.

Finally, he said helplessly, "Can I ask you out tomorrow?"

He added, "I really miss you."

In fact, he thought about it every minute and every second, and every night when he lay in bed, he felt that Jiang Xia should be lying next to him.

Jiang Xia replied: "I heard that Xie Shinuan proposed to his wife by drone by the river, so I went to film it."

Zhan Lintian sent a "I understand" emoji.

In fact, he rarely sends pictures or emojis when communicating with other friends.

But Jiang Xia is different. General Manager Zhan considers Jiang Xia to be a few years younger than him and a working professional, so he must be surrounded by young people, which is why he prefers this kind of youthful expression.

After sending the message, Zhan Lintian put down his phone and pondered Jiang Xia's words.

Didn't Xie Shinuan propose to me a long time ago?

Currently, in Montreal, only a few companies with personal connections can quickly obtain approval for large-scale drone shows.

Zhan Lintian made a phone call to ask someone.

He took out a cigarette but didn't smoke it: "Hey, can I ask you something? Is there a drone company going to hold a drone show by the river today?"

The voice on the other end of the phone said, "Yes, Mr. Zhan, but it wasn't my company. I heard it cost over a million."

Zhan Lintian felt a little better; it seemed Jiang Xia couldn't bear to lie to him.

He asked one more question: "A proposal?"

There was a pause on the other end of the phone: "I don't know, but it doesn't seem like a marriage proposal."

Zhan Lintian's expression suddenly changed.

Xie Shinuan should be Wu Ming's friend, so why would Jiang Xia be lied to by Xie Shinuan and called to the riverbank after he cut off ties with Wu Ming?

It seems that Wu Ming was the one who lied.

Zhan Lintian snorted coldly, leaving the person on the other end of the phone bewildered: "President Zhan?"

"Nothing, I'll hang up now, I have something to do." Zhan Lintian's tone was icy.

He hurriedly hung up the phone, grabbed his keys, turned and walked outside, driving to the riverside venue for the drone show...

Jiangxia arrived at the scene in the evening, where many people waited to watch the performance, while the drone team was preparing to take off in a nearby park.

Jiang Xia took out his camera and walked through the crowd, trying to find the Xie family's young master, whose memory had become hazy, but he couldn't find him.

After searching for a while and getting tired, he messaged Wu Ming: "Are you sure it was Xie Shinuan who proposed?"

Xie Shinuan and the others were nowhere to be seen... It didn't look like a marriage proposal at all.

Wu Ming said mysteriously, "Just watch."

As night fell, the drones carrying colorful lights flew into the sky, and Jiang Xia retreated behind the crowd to get better shots.

A note from the author:

Wu Ming knew about this because Xie Shinuan had complained to him: What bad things did you say about me to Jiang Xia?

Jiang Xia asked Wu Ming several more times about Xie Shinuan's contact information, but to no avail, so Jiang Xia kept this matter in mind.

Wu Ming also knew that if Xie Shinuan used fishing in the Yangtze River Gorge, the fish would definitely come out.

The problem is that he's brainless, he only lies, and he doesn't ask Xie Shinuan to come over, which makes Jiang Xia really angry because he really wants to apologize to Young Master Xie in person.

Jiang Xia could tolerate Wu Ming using a drone to confess his love, and he could just turn a blind eye, but since Xie Shinuan didn't come, he had made a wasted trip.

*

Small theater.

Jiangxia was somewhat superstitious, a fact that Zhan Lintian and Wu Zhou only learned later.

When Jiang Xia went to the temple to draw lots for the two of them, he initially drew a very unlucky lot, but he could pay to draw another one for fifty yuan. In addition to drawing a lot, he could also get a handmade wooden figurine from the temple.

It's like getting a fortune-telling opportunity for free when you buy a wood carving.

If you draw a good fortune stick, it means you feel that his "sincerity" has been manifested.

Mr. Zhan and Mr. Wu watched as their usually shrewd wives stared at the terrible fortune slip with grim expressions, and without hesitation, they swept up the money.

"Draw again!"

Then, that day, Jiangxia spent 500 yuan to get a good fortune stick for each of them before he walked down the mountain with his hands behind his back and a bag of wood carvings in his pocket, completely satisfied.

At present, Jiangxia's superstition is limited to tricking him into spending a little money. He just has a slight belief in fate, and he is not stupid.

So after Zhan Lintian broke his vow of celibacy, he wanted to have more, for example, he lied to Jiang Xia by saying that kissing her twice every morning would bring more luck, but Jiang Xia didn't believe him at the time.

James was always somewhat frustrated.

However, the next morning before he left, Jiang Xia gently tugged at his clothes and kissed his lips twice, their breaths mingling.

Jiang Xia blushed slightly and said gently, "If you want this, you can just say so..."

Of course, Wu Zhou wouldn't be so subtle about his needs; he'd just run over to his wife and shower her with kisses, then, unable to contain his emotions, kiss her all the way to bed, before coaxing Jiang Xia to unbuckle his belt. [Sunglasses]