I do

"What, what happened?"

Xie Ci saw that her face was firm, not as dull and doubtful as before, and knew that she had made up her mind. He spoke nervously, secretly expecting the answer he hoped for, but also afraid of being rejected. The young general who was decisive and ruthless on the battlefield was panicked at this moment, not knowing what to do with his hands and feet. He could only straighten his back, as if he was a prisoner waiting to be sentenced to death.

Tong Zhenzhen carefully took the brocade box, then grabbed Xie Ci's hand with both hands and shook it violently a few times:

"I do!!!"

"It's okay, if you don't want to...what?" Xie Ci suspected that he had heard it wrong, and looked up at her in disbelief, but he didn't find any reluctance on her face. Tong Zhenzhen stared at him without blinking, her cheeks slightly red, and repeated it again:

"I said, I do. I think... I like you, too. Thank you."

like

Xie Ci could no longer listen to what was said next. He chewed over and over these two words, which were as sweet as honey, in his heart. The uneasiness and anxiety he had just felt while walking on the rope were swept away by these two words, and were replaced by an indescribable sense of satisfaction. He was stunned for a moment, and then without any hesitation, he pulled Tong Zhenzhen into his arms.

Their bodies were pressed tightly together, without any barrier between them. Tong Zhenzhen could hear his heavy breathing due to excitement. Her whole body froze. They had done intimate things together before, but she hadn't realized her feelings at that time and naturally thought it was nothing. Now that the window paper had been broken, even if she was thick-skinned, the girl's heart that had died for a long time began to beat again.

Her face flushed, but she still rubbed against Xie Ci's arms greedily, buried her head in front of his full chest muscles, and muttered softly:

"Then you can only be my male mother from now on..."

Xie Ci could clearly feel a pair of disobedient hands wandering on his chest and back. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry for a moment, but he let her do whatever she wanted. He just raised his hand and flicked her brow:

"Okay, okay, it's all yours. I don't know what's going on in your little head every day. Who calls their husband mom?"

He slightly pulled away, took Tong Zhenzhen's left hand, and carefully put the jade bracelet on her wrist. Unexpectedly, the size was just right, neither too wide nor too tight. Tong Zhenzhen turned her wrist back and forth curiously, admiring the luster reflected from all angles of the jade bracelet, as if she had found a treasure. Xie Ci watched her fiddling with it with a smile, but she didn't know what she was thinking of. She pursed her lips slightly, raised her hand to take off the bracelet, and whispered:

"But I have to leave eventually. This bracelet is too valuable. I can't..."

After the truce with Gulou, other countries basically all signed a non-aggression pact, and they were not far from the world peace required by the system. This also meant that they would soon have to leave this land.

Before she could finish her words, Xie Ci grabbed her hand and stopped her from taking off the bracelet:

"It doesn't matter. I just want your sincerity. Even if we are destined to separate, I hope you can take it with you. When you see it a few years later, you can still remember that there is an old man named Xie in Linyuan who misses you. That's enough."

Xie Ci stared into Tong Zhenzhen's eyes, as if he had imagined the scene in the future. A trace of bitterness flashed across his eyes, but it was soon drowned by tenderness. He gently stroked his beloved's cheek and murmured:

"So in these last days, just stay by my side. I won't ask for too much. As long as I have the memories of you, it will be enough to support me for the rest of my life."

Every word struck Tong's innocent heart, stirring up waves of sadness. She eagerly shook the trembling hands, wanting to say something comforting, but didn't know how to start. In the face of the established reality, all language seemed so pale. Looking at such a thank you, a strange impulse surged in her heart.

Chen Miao, who had been forced to remain silent for a long time, could no longer hold back and wiped her tears with her handkerchief:

"Damn it mom, I've said everything. I agree to this marriage, and I'll kiss you for real!!"

Tong Zhenzhen suddenly came back to her senses and realized what that strange impulse was. Before he could react, she leaned over on tiptoe and kissed him on the lips.

The breathing of the two people intertwined at this moment and became equally rapid. Time seemed to stand still. Tong Zhenzhen felt his tense body and hot lips, and her mind went blank for a moment.

After kissing, what happened next?

The teacher didn’t teach me that!!!

But at this point, she had no time to ask Chen Miao for help on how to kiss, and Xie Ci was completely motionless, as if he were dead. She could only try hard to recall the couple kissing tutorial she had seen on the Internet before. What was the first step? What was the first step... Oh, right, it seemed like she was using her tongue to draw love in his mouth!

Her rigid brain started to work, and she was about to start practicing, but she found that she couldn't pry open Xie Ci's lips at all. It was as if the boy's lips were glued with 502. She used so much force with her tongue that it became sore, but she still couldn't pry open even a crack.

Tong Zhenzhen was so ashamed and angry that she put her hands behind Xie Ci's back and slapped him a few times. Unexpectedly, he fell straight down. Tong Zhenzhen was so scared that she quickly grabbed him:

"Xie Ci?! Xie Ci, what happened to you? You have a lot of nose bleeding! Someone come quickly, Xie Ci fainted!!!"

After a cup of tea

The relatives and friends of both parties enthusiastically rescued Xie Ci, and told them to have a good date and then they would not disturb him anymore. Then they left, leaving Xie Ci with a cotton ball stuck in his nose and Tong Zhenzhen sitting with her knees hugged, staring at each other on the top of the tower.

It was already night, but Yuandu now had a very rich nightlife, so the lights were still on. From time to time, the sounds of children playing could be heard from below. Tong Zhenzhen glanced at the noisy crowd, wanting to divert her attention, but couldn't help but stole a glance at Xie Ci.

The young man had just lost face in front of his sweetheart, and now he fainted from excitement because of a kiss. There was still something stuffed in his nose, and his face looked unhappy, like a puppy that fell into the water. He looked pitiful, but also made people want to laugh.

Tong Zhenzhen couldn't hold back her laughter and laughed out loud. Xie Ci felt as if his tail had been stepped on, and his hair stood on end. But he couldn't get angry at her, so he could only turn his head away from her in grievance, burying his face in his hands and muttering:

"Don't laugh! Damn your ancestors! This is such a disgrace to us..."

“Hahahaha sorry, I won’t laugh anymore hahaha!” Unexpectedly, Tong Zhenzhen laughed even harder after hearing this, and fell over laughing. Xie Ci’s face flushed, and he gently pinched Tong Zhenzhen’s cheeks with both hands, and pulled them warningly:

"No, Xu, laugh, anymore!!!"

"Okay, okay, I won't laugh anymore!" Tong Zhenzhen raised her hands high in surrender and touched the top of his head soothingly. "As compensation, I can tell you what you've always wanted to know about me."

Tong Zhenzhen winked at him, and Xie Ci immediately realized that it was Chen Miao who told Tong Zhenzhen about the conversation that day. It was not a gentleman's behavior for him to secretly inquire about other people's family affairs, and he felt a little uneasy for a moment:

"…You know everything?"

She nodded nonchalantly, changed to a more comfortable position and sat cross-legged:

"As long as one person in our dormitory 666 knows, it means that all four of us know it - oh, this is not the point, move your stool and sit down, the true god is going to start telling a story, but this story, I don't think it's a good story..."

She patted the ground beside her, and Xie Ci immediately understood and sat over, shaking her fingers:

"It's okay. I want to listen. I want to know more about you, whether it's good or bad."

Feeling the reassuring body temperature in her palm, Tong Zhenzhen smiled happily. As long as Xie Ci was there, she had nothing to be afraid of. She slowly opened her mouth and revealed her unbearable family past in front of him.

Xie Ci had roughly guessed what was going on, but he still felt heartbroken when he heard it with his own ears. He held Tong Zhenzhen's hand even tighter, which invisibly gave her the strength to continue speaking.

"...So, after I graduate from college, I will stay in another place and find a job, and cut ties with them forever. Now that I have the rewards from the system, I can also study for a master's degree and enjoy my own life! Does it sound a bit ruthless? Do you... think I am unfilial?" Tong Zhenzhen said it in one breath, made a simple summary, and then looked up and asked him cautiously.

The thanks were categorical:

"No, I think you're really too kind. If it were me, I would beat him until he screamed... Sorry, am I a little too much?"

Tong Zhenzhen was stunned for a moment, and then decisively gave him a thumbs up:

"Not at all! If I had your fighting ability, I would also beat him until he calls me daddy!"

The two smiled at each other. Tong Zhenzhen leaned her body in his arms with confidence and watched the lively night of Yuandu with him quietly.

The door of her home that was closed to her was finally opened for her by someone.

Xie Ci hugged the person in his arms tighter without making a sound. In his life, he despised those who prayed to gods and never did anything that would make him regret. But now, he actually wanted to pray that he could stay by her side forever.

He has missed her for so long. He failed to show up when she needed him the most and protect her from all the harm that she shouldn't have to endure. Is he going to leave regrets behind?

Even though they had just expressed their feelings to each other, Tong Zhenzhen could tell what he was thinking and raised her hand to play with his long hair hanging on his shoulders:

"Don't be so pessimistic. I'm not going to disappear immediately."

Unexpectedly, upon hearing the word "disappear", Xie Ci hugged her even tighter, as if she would really disappear like bubbles at any time and he would never be able to find her again.

"Okay, okay, I won't say these two words anymore," Tong Zhenzhen laughed and rubbed him lovingly, "I finally have such a virtuous, ahem, gentle boyfriend, I can't bear to throw him away!"

Xie Ci snorted, as if he particularly enjoyed her address, and raised his head unconsciously.

"I mean, there is still hope. Remember when Crispy Shark said he would compensate us? Maybe we can take this opportunity to let it keep the passage between the two worlds."