Chapter 66 Extra Chapter 3: Good Times (This chapter is free)

Shi Meng disliked accompanying Fu Xuanliao to social events.

Strictly speaking, Shi Meng disliked businessmen. They were either cunning or treacherous, glib or shifty-eyed, and their hands were full of the stench of money; none of them were good people.

Except for Jiang Xue.

Fu Xuanliao was also excluded, albeit reluctantly.

Therefore, whenever Fu Xuanliao was busy shuttling between various meeting rooms, making it a luxury to sit down and have a proper meal, Shi Meng would still "reluctantly" accommodate his schedule and wait for him in the company lobby to have dinner together.

While waiting, I took out my notebook and scribbled a couple of lines.

Today I'm drawing a potted plant on the front desk. The newly sprouted leaves shyly unfold half of their leaves. I sketched the outline with a few strokes and was about to refine it when I noticed a gaze cast from the side by myself.

Turning his head, he met that gaze. Before Shi Meng could speak, the young boy who had been "peeking" at his drawing spoke first.

"That's a really good painting." The man smiled, his eyes crinkling. "Are you a student at the nearby art academy?"

Shi Meng paused for a moment, then said, "I've already graduated." After a pause, she added, "You're more like a student."

Perhaps taking it as mutual flattery, the person laughed and said, "I graduated many years ago, and I'm so happy to hear you say that."

The two exchanged names.

Shi Meng thought the other person's name sounded familiar and asked, "Are you a movie star?"

Jiang Ruo's eyes widened: "You've seen the movies I've acted in?"

Shi Meng rarely watches movies; he probably only knew Jiang Ruo's name from Jiang Xue mentioning it to him.

In contrast, Jiang Ruo reacted much more strongly when she learned that he had called her Shi Meng.

"I saw your painting at an auction," Jiang Ruo said excitedly. "You really are a painter!"

Shi Meng said "Oh" and then said, "You're in the investment business."

"No, no," Jiang Ruo said with a smile. "I was entertaining someone at the time and happened to be watching the auction."

Shi Meng suddenly realized: "Then you are too—"

Jiang Ruo replied, "Yes, I'm waiting for someone too."

In reality, Shi Meng is extremely shy, and when faced with strangers who want to make friends, he simply ignores them.

Perhaps it was because Jiang Ruo didn't seem like a bad person, or perhaps it was the intuition of an artist, but Shi Meng didn't refuse Jiang Ruo's conversation, nor did she cover up her sketchbook as usual.

Looking at the plants Shi Meng had drawn, Jiang Ruo exclaimed from the bottom of her heart, "They look even more real than the real ones I have at home."

When asked why plants are art in themselves, Jiang Ruo replied, "Take leaves for example. The fine serrations on the edges are for defense, and the slender leaf tips are for drainage. It took hundreds of millions of years for them to evolve into their current shape."

Therefore, he is willing to spend time using lines and colors to depict a leaf, as if recording a long-standing legend.

Jiang Ruo also remarked with deep emotion, "No wonder every leaf is so beautiful."

They chatted for a while longer until the meeting upstairs ended. The elevator descended to the first floor, and several attendees walked from the elevator car into the lobby.

Jiang Ruo was the first to raise his head, then stood up and went to greet him. Shi Meng saw him say something to a man in a suit and tie. The man looked in this direction and gave Shi Meng a social nod.

As Shi Meng watched the two leave and reached the door, he saw them holding hands without any attempt to hide it from others.

Fu Xuanliao finished his work before going downstairs. Fearing that Shi Meng might be hungry, he quickly took him to a nearby restaurant for a meal.

While waiting for their meal, Fu Xuanliao flipped through Shi Meng's notebook and asked, "Why isn't this plant finished?"

Shi Meng said, "I met someone today and we chatted."

Fu Xuanliao was quite surprised, because Shi Meng's social circle was extremely narrow. He was usually unwilling to go out and make friends, preferring to stay at home and paint.

"A man or a woman, what kind of person is he?" Fu Xuanliao transformed into a parent worried about their child making friends indiscriminately. "Could it be that he's intentionally approaching you to try and get your painting?"

“A man,” Shi Meng glanced at him, “who looks like a better person than you.”

Fu Xuanliao: "..."

Upon hearing that the other party was the same-sex partner of a business partner who came to the company today, Fu Xuanliao remembered: "So it's from President Xi's family. I heard he's an actor?"

Shi Meng nodded.

Fu Xuanliao slapped his thigh: "That's great! You should get to know him better. Once you're familiar with him, it'll be easier to get him to give you more concessions when you talk to President Xi about cooperation in the future."

Shi Meng glared at him, her disdain barely concealed.

“That’s what you call ‘Lady diplomacy’.” Fu Xuanliao was used to being disliked, but he still smiled. “Of course, it doesn’t matter if the diplomacy doesn’t work out. Just consider it as making friends. That way, when I’m busy, I’ll have someone to talk to.”

Meng remained noncommittal on this matter.

But her ears involuntarily flushed red because of the word "Madam" that Fu Xuanliao blurted out.

However, making friends was a bit difficult. They parted in a hurry and didn't have time to exchange contact information.

I saw Jiang Ruo again three months later at an art exhibition.

Shi Meng disliked attracting attention, so he deliberately chose a less crowded route. He stopped in front of a portrait painting, observing the painter's coloring techniques. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the person in front of another painting next to him looked familiar. After staring at it for a while, the person in the back of the painting seemed to sense something, turned around, and smiled at Shi Meng: "We meet again."

This time, the two of them came alone, and after visiting the art exhibition, they agreed to go to a nearby cafe.

Jiang Ruo said that he had just finished filming a movie and wanted to sleep for three days and three nights, but he couldn't sit still after only one day of rest, so he went out and found a random exhibition to kill time.

Shi Meng said, "This is a portrait exhibition."

"No wonder it's all human faces," Jiang Ruo asked. "There don't seem to be any of your works in there?"

"I'm not good at drawing portraits; I can never draw them well."

"I see... I don't know anything about painting, but when we learn to dance and encounter moves we're not good at, as long as we practice diligently, we'll make some progress."

Shi Meng felt comforted and said, "I've been practicing recently, but I can't find a suitable model."

Jiang Ruo asked, "What kind of model are you looking for?"

The models in the art studio are mostly retired elderly people who have nothing to do at home and want to earn extra money. Although art has no limits, painting too much of the same thing will eventually lose its novelty.

There are plenty of people around. Ever since Fu Xuanliao was chosen to be in the portrait painting competition, this guy has become addicted. He has Shi Meng paint him all the time, in a suit, in a bathrobe, and even without clothes... Whenever they are painting, their eyes are drawn together like magnets, and they are like lightning and fire. Once they put down their pens, who would remember about painting?

Suddenly, images that she shouldn't have imagined popped into her head. Shi Meng picked up her cup, took a sip of coffee, and pursed her lips uncomfortably.

"Young people are preferred." After calming down a bit, Shi Meng looked up and said, "Gender, appearance and body shape are not limited, but they should have a story to tell."

Jiang Ruo rested her chin on her hand and pondered: "A sense of story... Some veteran actors in the industry should meet the requirements, but it's more difficult for young people, after all, they don't have enough experience and depth."

Shi Meng sized up the person opposite him for a while: "You do have it."

"What?"

"A sense of storytelling." Shi Meng pointed to Jiang Ruo's eyes. "Very beautiful."

Jiang Ruo was somewhat flattered: "Really?"

Shi Meng nodded: "If you have time, I would like to invite you..."

Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Ruo hurriedly said, "I'm free, I'm very free! When do you want to start work? I'm available anytime, morning, noon, or night!"

It turns out that one of the reasons Jiang Ruo embarked on the path of learning dance was because she saw a dancer leaping in a painter's work.

Jiang Ruo still believes that being able to capture fleeting moments of life in a picture frame and preserve them forever is the highest tribute to a dancer.

Upon learning this, Shi Meng felt inexplicably pressured and emphasized, "I'm really not good at portrait photography..."

"It's okay, I'm not good at modeling for others either." Jiang Ruo casually waved her hand and started pulling at her collar, adopting a posture of sacrificing herself for art even at the cost of her life. "Should I take everything off or just leave my pants on?"

"No, no, no, you don't need to take your clothes off," Shi Meng hurriedly stopped her. "We're not drawing nudes today."

Jiang Ruo couldn't keep her mouth shut; while drawing, she would occasionally chime in with her own words.

Is this expression okay?

"You can laugh even bigger."

"Bigger... Hahahaha."

"It's too big, let's take some... wait, we've taken too much."

During the intermission, Jiang Ruo rubbed her stiff cheeks and let out a long breath: "I've discovered that this profession has something in common with acting. The difficulty isn't in crying and making a scene, but in restrained performance."

For example, the joy and sorrow that are hard to express, and the anticipation and longing that are invisible and intangible.

Meng couldn't help at this point. He was a recorder of emotions, not a producer, but he had an obligation to help the model find the right feeling, so after a moment's thought, he said, "You can think of happy things."

"It's not hard to act happy, the hard part is to keep acting happy." Actress Jiang Ruo said this, but then rested her chin on her hand and fell into reminiscence.

Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, the corners of his mouth turned up, and his pupils dilated with tiny sparkles of light.

This time, I laughed for half an hour, which was enough time for Meng to finish the draft and fill in the lines.

Afterwards, even Shi Meng, who usually doesn't care about others, didn't hesitate to praise: "You smiled very well just now."

“Really?” Jiang Ruo said, “I was thinking about the day he proposed to me.”

"……Proposal?"

"It's actually quite cliché: roses, candles, rings, and things like that."

Jiang Ruo said, feeling a little embarrassed, but her smile remained undiminished. "But it's so wonderful, so wonderful that I'm incredibly happy every time I think about it."

Proposal.

On the way back, Shi Meng's mind was filled with these two words.

He opened his browser, searched for the definition, and then pondered it several times; the word was no longer unfamiliar to him.

I had arranged to have dinner with my mother today. When we arrived, we had soup first. Li Bihan is now a master chef, and she is obsessed with making delicious food all day long. Every time Shi Meng goes to her mother's place, she feels that she has gained at least three pounds.

He was preoccupied with something and didn't pay much attention to the taste. When Li Bihan asked him what he was thinking, he blurted out in a daze, "Proposing marriage."

Li Bihan was stunned for a moment: "Xuan Liao proposed to you?"

Shi Meng was also stunned, and shook his head hesitantly: "No."

"So you're planning to propose to him?"

"...I haven't decided yet."

Li Bihan's expression was complicated: "My mother thinks that as long as two people are happy together, they don't necessarily have to be bound together by marriage."

After all, the binding effect of a marriage certificate is actually very limited. Fate is beyond human control, and her own failed marriage is a bloody example.

Shi Meng knew his mother's worries, but...

"I'm very happy right now," Shi Meng said. "It would be even better if we could get married."

Shi Meng likes to make agreements with people.

In his mind, life is made up of one promise after another, and the process of waiting for the promises to be fulfilled is the most beautiful time.

He used to look forward to Saturdays; now he looks forward to forging a relationship with Fu Xuanliao centered on love.

However, Shi Meng didn't know how to propose, and didn't dare to ask Jiang Xue, so he had to ask Jiang Ruo for advice.

Jiang Ruo perked up immediately: "A marriage proposal is great! The one who takes the initiative will have a higher status in the family in the future."

As for how to propose, Jiang Ruo denied that she hadn't put her plans into action at the time: "Don't make any short videos or PPTs to review our relationship, or it will turn into a work report."

He suggested to Shi Meng, "Why don't you prepare a ring first? When the mood is right, you can take it out and ask for my hand at any time."

The two then drove to the nearest jewelry store. When the saleswoman heard that he wanted to buy a wedding ring, she enthusiastically showed Shi Meng several diamond rings with a very large carat weight, which were so dazzling under the lights that it was hard to open one's eyes.

Jiang Ruo subtly hinted from the side, "His partner is a man."

The saleswoman, being well-informed, immediately brought out several more plain rings.

Shi Meng was almost overwhelmed by the choices. Although he was an artist, he had never had any sense of style when it came to clothing and accessories, and Jiang Xue often complained about his daily outfits.

Jiang Ruo, who was traveling with him, didn't dare to offer any advice at this point: "After all, he's your boyfriend, you know best what suits him."

Shi Meng calmed down and examined each one one by one. Finally, he stretched out his hand and pointed to the ring with the largest diamond: "I want this one."

I chose this ring not because it suits Fu Xuanliao, but simply because it's the most expensive.

Shi Meng answered Jiang Ruo exactly as she thought: "Expensive, he deserves it."

Jiang Ruo admired his unpretentious and simple manner.

When Jiang Ruochong finished work in the evening, he ran into Fu Xuanliao downstairs who came to pick him up. Jiang Ruochong winked at Shi Meng and even made a cheering gesture, almost as if he wanted to hang a banner that read "Wishing Mr. Shi Meng a successful marriage proposal" on his head.

Shi Meng remained calm about this, walking with his eyes straight ahead, still the same unassuming mushroom on a high mountain.

In fact, even when no one was looking, my palms were sweating as I held the velvet box in my pocket.

Fu Xuanliao is acting a bit strange today.

He first took Shi Meng out to dinner, and during the meal he asked about the progress of the figure painting. Shi Meng said it was in the final stages, so he nodded and said nothing more.

Normally, Fu Xuanliao would have made sure he knew exactly how much the models were wearing and what poses they were in. Even if he knew that two zeros wouldn't lead to anything, he would still feel a pang of jealousy and emphasize his "official" status.

After dinner, the two returned home, parked their car in the underground garage, and walked to the surface for a stroll.

This is a habit that has developed since the beginning of autumn, and it is also a task that Li Bihan gave to Fu Xuanliao—to take Shi Meng for a walk twice a day, as a form of exercise.

Shi Meng had been quite cooperative before, but today he seemed preoccupied, taking two steps and then pausing for half a minute, his steps and gaze unfocused, which made Fu Xuanliao anxious.

"It's getting late, let's hurry." He glanced at his phone. "Aunt Li wants to see your WeChat steps later."

Upon hearing this, Shi Meng took out his phone and stuffed it into Fu Xuanliao's pocket.

Fu Xuanliao was both amused and exasperated: "You know how to save trouble. It's still quite a long way from home."

Shi Meng turned her face away and ignored him.

Fu Xuanliao sighed, helpless. He walked up to him, squatted down, lifted him up by the knees, and suddenly stood up.

The movements were fluid and graceful, but Shi Meng was still startled. She gasped and quickly wrapped her arms around Fu Xuanliao's neck.

He lifted the person up slightly, then looked ahead and announced, "Let's go, home!"

Although it wasn't the first time Fu Xuanliao had carried her, it had always been in places where no one was around.

Shi Meng looked around warily, then kicked his leg, saying, "There's someone ahead."

"What's wrong with someone?" Fu Xuanliao asked back.

"It will be seen."

"Then let them see."

Shi Meng remained silent, burying his head even deeper into Fu Xuanliao's neck.

Noticing his movement, Fu Xuanliao asked, "What's wrong? Still shy?"

Shi Meng continued to pretend to be mute.

"You weren't like this when you were flirting with me in bed."

Shi Meng remained silent, only kicking his left leg forcefully to express his dissatisfaction, which elicited a low chuckle from Fu Xuanliao.

“That’s how it should be.” Fu Xuanliao turned his head, a wisp of white mist dissipating into the cool air. “If you’re unhappy, tell me. Don’t keep it to yourself.”

"May you always be happy from now on."

In fact, Shi Meng felt quite happy in the past, even though he rarely reminisced about it.

Fu Xuanliao carried her downstairs. When Shi Meng wanted to get down, Fu Xuanliao wouldn't let her and carried her all the way up to the elevator.

There was a decorative mirror in the sedan chair. Seeing herself lying on top of Fu Xuanliao, Shi Meng felt even more ashamed.

Fu Xuanliao teased, "Look, isn't that my little mushroom who doesn't want to walk in the mirror?"

Shi Meng angrily rebuked him: "You stinky rabbit."

Fu Xuanliao added, "It's a stinky rabbit that picks mushrooms."

Shi Meng: "..."

How shameless.

Finally inside the house, Shi Meng was placed on the bed in the bedroom. Before she could even breathe a sigh of relief, Fu Xuanliao turned around and pinned her down, trapping her in a small space.

Fu Xuanliao braced himself on his sides, his hot breath and the heat emanating from his body weaving a net that firmly locked Shi Meng in place.

Instinctively, Shi Meng felt that what he was about to say was important, so he held his breath and unconsciously clenched his fist over his pocket.

The rumbling sound was the beating of two hearts, though it was unclear whose.

Fu Xuanliao is usually carefree and irresponsible, but once he gets serious, everything he says seems very credible.

He looked at Shi Meng, letting his two tiny reflections fall into Shi Meng's slightly trembling pupils.

"The rabbit safely delivered the little mushroom home," he asked. "Should the little mushroom repay him with her body?"

The two stared at each other for a long time before Shi Meng finally found his voice: "...How can you grant it?"

Fu Xuanliao freed one hand and took a ring out of his pocket.

It was a plain platinum ring with subtle engravings on the band and a few diamonds set in it—a design that was both stylish and understated.

Shi Meng stared at it intently, as if she were frozen in place.

His overly serious demeanor aroused Fu Xuanliao's desire to tease him again.

He asked Shi Meng, "Do you want it?"

Shi Meng paused for a moment, then looked up and fixed her gaze on Fu Xuanliao's face again.

He just stared at Fu Xuanliao with his eyes wide open, neither nodding nor shaking his head, neither saying no nor wanting, as if he were handing everything over to Fu Xuanliao and letting him decide.

His dark eyes held a pool of water, the edges of his pupils seemingly wrapped in a layer of fuzz, which softened Fu Xuanliao's heart and made him feel as if he had melted.

Fu Xuanliao leaned over and took Shi Meng's hand, which was resting on the edge of the bed.

The ring, warmed by body heat, was pushed from the tip of the ring finger to the base, making the finger appear even more slender and long.

"Let's go with it," Fu Xuanliao decisively made the decision for Shi Meng. "Look, the size is just right."

Later, when Fu Xuanliao received the huge diamond ring from Shi Meng, her eyes widened like saucers, experiencing firsthand the feeling of a female celebrity who had married into a wealthy family receiving a pigeon egg ring.

Then he thought the plain ring he bought wasn't presentable enough, so Fu Xuanliao reached out to take off the ring on Shi Meng's ring finger: "I'll get you a pigeon egg diamond ring too..."

Shi Meng covered her hands to prevent him from changing his mind: "Don't change it, I like it."

Little Mushroom rarely says what she likes, so if she says this, she must really like it.

Fu Xuanliao was relieved and continued to examine his large diamond ring. The more he looked at it, the more pleasing it became, and he even felt a surge of vanity.

Fu Xuanliao picked up his phone, opened his WeChat Moments, and posted a new update—a photo of himself wearing a ring and a smug grinning emoji.

Relatives and friends from all over the country came to offer their congratulations. Gao Lecheng gave a thumbs up, and Jiang Xue said he was showing off, even his mother-in-law came. Li Bihan said, "Come over tomorrow if you're free, I need to talk to you." [Smiling]

Nothing much, just going out for a loving meal from his mother-in-law, and to thank her for "tipping him off" and urging him to speed things up.

At the dinner table, Fu Xuanliao, who couldn't handle spicy food, was choked by the abundance of red chili peppers, his nose burning and his throat steaming – the price he paid for taking away someone else's precious son. When the kindly smiling Li Bihan asked him about the details of the proposal, he quickly raised his hand: "The process isn't finished yet, I'll report back to you later."

Even someone as carefree as Fu Xuanliao couldn't resist preparing fireworks, roses, and a band, but he was distracted that day and they weren't used.

Since both of them were free today, Fu Xuanliao took Shi Meng to the restaurant they had visited last time. Standing on the terrace leading outdoors, he snapped his fingers, and soft music began to play. Fireworks burst forth, illuminating the quiet night.

Shi Meng looked up at the sky, and under the colorful firelight, his usually indifferent face became vibrant with color.

The next second, Shi Meng's waist was wrapped around from behind by a pair of arms, and she was thrown solidly into Fu Xuanliao's warm embrace.

Shi Meng let him hold her, commenting on the "marriage proposal" scene before her: "You're so tacky."

“I’ve been prepared for a long time, not because Aunt Li reminded me.” Fu Xuanliao leaned on his shoulder and said in a muffled voice, “If others have it, you have to have it too.”

Shi Meng pursed her lips, a slight smile curving her lips.

Shi Meng, wearing a ring, placed her hand over Fu Xuanliao's hand that was wrapped around her waist. During a pause in the fireworks, she whispered, "I have things that others don't."

It is said that Shi Meng is eccentric and unconventional, and his emotions are not swayed by worldly affairs.

However, no one knew that on the night of the proposal, Shi Meng was so excited that he couldn't sleep. He put on his earphones and listened to music, and even a gentle serenade sounded like a stampede of horses to him.

He was beginning to understand the acting theory Jiang Ruo had mentioned.

I couldn't control myself at all; I wanted to laugh and make a scene.

Shi Meng rolled over in bed, reached for her phone, and opened Weibo.

When Shi Meng heard that Jiang Ruo and his partner had a CP (couple) supertopic that day, he also had the idea and applied to create one that same day.

The name was "Sun Shower," a simple combination of the two names, which Shi Meng was very satisfied with.

Opening the hashtag, Shi Meng typed in the text: "I got proposed to."

Just before clicking send, I thought for a moment, then started a new line and added two words—"happy".

The next day, the post received several replies from friends who had helped Meng when the super topic was first created.

This made Shi Meng feel inexplicably ashamed. He moved his finger and removed them one by one from the Super Topic fan list.

Shortly after, Jiang Xue sent a string of gibberish via WeChat: Mengmeng you……%￥-+》*#·“：《。、\～?？

Jiang Ruo also sent a message: "You're so cruel, painter, you're like a tool that's been used and then discarded!"

Later, the Sun Rain Super Topic welcomed a diligent host who meticulously divided the topic into sections on the very first day. Shi Meng's mood diary, her casual doodles, and old photos were all categorized and stored.

Shi Meng posted a photo in the Super Topic, which showed two faded amusement park admission tickets with the caption "Stolen Time".

The moderator did not have the authority to modify the content of the post, so the next day, Shi Meng saw that a new section called "No" had been added to the super topic, and this post was prominently listed in it.

Shi Meng could hardly describe his feelings at this moment. It was as if a person had appeared out of nowhere and, as he was chewing on the bitterness of his memories alone, loudly and solemnly told him—this was not stolen, this is the good time that belongs to you and me.

An insider once asked Shi Meng, "Don't you feel it's unfair to just forgive someone who hurt you and stay with him like this?"

Shi Meng once heard a saying: Misunderstandings do not need to be forgiven.

He pondered for a moment and replied, "Love cannot be fair."

On the night she was proposed to, Shi Meng silently counted from 1 to 100 in her mind. When she opened her eyes, she saw that the ring on her hand was still there.

Even though the other party had beaten him to it, Shi Meng still wanted to have a go.

He turned back over and faced the sleeping Fu Xuanliao. In the quiet of the night, he put into words the words he had rehearsed countless times in his mind.

"Fu Xuanliao, let's get married."

Unexpectedly, he was caught red-handed.

In the dim light, Shi Meng saw the person who was "sleeping" slowly curl the corners of their lips. Before she could react, her hand under the blanket was grasped.

Suddenly, Shi Meng realized that Fu Xuanliao had been involved in some of the few important moments in his life so far.

"Stop pretending to be asleep, I heard everything."

Shi Meng slowly opened her eyes, saw the bright light in Fu Xuanliao's eyes, and heard his firm reply: "Okay, let's get married."

Yu Cheng:

Shi Meng's inner thoughts: A deafening cacophony of gongs and drums

Shi Meng's appearance: expressionless

----

"Misunderstandings don't need to be forgiven" is a quote from an old Korean drama called "Winter Sonata" (okay, I'm such a corny person).

The free side story I promised everyone is here! *Sigh*—writing side stories is so hard!!!