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"I couldn't help it."

Ning Yuxuan and Xie Zhiyan looked at each other.

The confession was somewhat sudden, yet also somewhat expected.

From initially asking Ning Shiyue to help probe the situation, to suddenly appearing downstairs at her hotel this morning.

She had told him long ago that she wanted a formal confession, and Xie Zhiyan had gone to great lengths to please her all day, perhaps to pave the way for this moment.

Even though she was mentally prepared beforehand, hearing the man say those words in his usual magnetic and pleasant voice still made Ning Yuxuan feel that in that instant—

Everything around her was silent, except for the sound of her own heartbeat and breathing.

Ning Yuxuan's fingers trembled slightly, then were grasped by Xie Zhiyan's long, well-defined fingers.

Their hands were clasped together, and the diamond ring on her middle finger sparkled under the restaurant lights.

Ning Yuxuan lowered her eyes and looked at the ring for a moment, then smiled slightly.

"It sounds like a marriage proposal," she murmured.

Ning Yuxuan looked up at Xie Zhiyan again.

His gaze remained fixed on her the entire time.

Ning Yuxuan suddenly felt uncomfortable looking at him, and her gaze only met his for a second before she looked away.

She withdrew her left hand from his grasp and squeezed it with her right hand, as if that would help her regain her composure faster.

Xie Zhiyan did not stop her.

Ning Yuxuan turned her head to look out the window. Across the street was one of the most modern technology buildings in Beicheng. Under the lights at night, the glass building reflected a bright light.

“I thought…” she said, “that you would set up a giant screen projection, projecting my photo onto it, along with something like ‘Miss Ning and I are together’.”

Xie Zhiyan remained calm: "I did have a similar plan."

Ning Yuxuan looked at Xie Zhiyan in surprise.

Xie Zhiyan continued, "We had already contacted the building staff, but Shi Yue and I both felt that you might not like this approach, so we canceled the plan."

Ning Yuxuan laughed: "You actually let Ning Shiyue help you come up with ideas?"

She thought Ning Shiyue was just coming to find out her preferences, but she didn't expect Xie Zhiyan to discuss the detailed plan with him.

Xie Zhiyan: "After all, I have no similar experience, so I don't know where to start."

Ning Yuxuan: "You said you canceled this plan, so you mean there are many other plans?"

Xie Zhiyan's tone was calm: "Yes. You want to hear it?"

Ning Yuxuan blinked: "Yes."

She could hardly imagine what it would be like for this man to be so seriously planning his confession, so she became even more curious about what exactly he had planned.

"I'll tell you everything when I have the chance later," Xie Zhiyan said. "Until then..."

Xie Zhiyan looked into her eyes and said slowly, "Xuanxuan, you haven't answered me yet."

His voice was already deep and pleasant, but now it was even lower and softer than usual, as if it carried a hint of seduction.

Ning Yuxuan's emotions, which had finally calmed down, were stirred again by his words.

Xie Zhiyan stared at her intently, as if he wouldn't let her go if she didn't give him an answer today.

Ning Yuxuan picked up the wine glass on the table and took a sip of champagne to ease her tension.

She took a deep breath silently and whispered, "Mmm."

A smile flickered in Xie Zhiyan's eyes: "What?"

Ning Yuxuan bit her lip lightly: "You must have heard it."

Xie Zhiyan: "I didn't hear you clearly."

Ning Yuxuan: "..."

"I said," Ning Yuxuan felt her face tighten slightly, "I agreed."

Xie Zhiyan: "Promise what?"

Ning Yuxuan's cheeks burned as she glared at him angrily: "If you keep asking me questions you already know the answer to, I'm leaving."

Xie Zhiyan finally stopped asking and chuckled softly.

Her reaction seemed to genuinely please him, so much so that a smile appeared in his eyes and his chest trembled slightly.

Ning Yuxuan glared at him angrily: "Why are you still laughing! If you keep doing this, I'm taking back what I just said."

After a moment, Xie Zhiyan stopped smiling: "I wasn't making fun of you."

Ning Yuxuan: "Then why are you laughing for no reason!"

Xie Zhiyan: "Because I'm happy."

His voice still held a hint of laughter, yet sounded incredibly gentle: "I'm glad you finally agreed to my request."

Ning Yuxuan: "..."

She silently took another sip of champagne.

She had already implicitly acknowledged that she and Xie Zhiyan were boyfriend and girlfriend, but now that their relationship was officially confirmed, she felt very uncomfortable.

It seems like I suddenly don't know how to get along with him anymore.

Especially after she had just accepted his confession.

I didn't know what to say, or how to make eye contact with him; everything seemed a little awkward.

A notification sound rang on my phone.

Ning Yuxuan felt like she had found a savior and quickly clicked to check the message.

Ning Fei: [Xuanxuan, are you coming home tonight?]

Ning Yuxuan: "..."

I had intended to ease my embarrassment by replying to the message, but after reading it, my cheeks flushed again.

I don't know whether to say her mother is too understanding or too open-minded.

Ning Yuxuan typed through gritted teeth: 【Of course I'll reply! I'll be back after dinner, before 10 PM!】

Ning Fei: [Okay.]

Ning Yuxuan locked her phone and looked up to meet Xie Zhiyan's gaze.

“…A message from my mom,” Ning Yuxuan explained. “She asked me when I was coming home, and I said before ten o’clock.”

Xie Zhiyan nodded: "I'll take you back before ten o'clock."

Dinner has progressed to the final dessert.

Ning Yuxuan used a small spoon to put a small piece of lemon mousse tart into her mouth, trying to find a topic of conversation: "That jewelry store clerk who recognized me this morning... you didn't arrange that either, did you?"

If it weren't for the salesperson's enthusiastic sales pitch, she probably wouldn't have bought that diamond ring.

Xie Zhiyan laughed: "Of course not."

Ning Yuxuan: "What if I don't go to the jewelry store and don't buy a ring?"

Xie Zhiyan: "I have prepared another gift."

Ning Yuxuan paused, her hand holding the spoon still. "What?"

Xie Zhiyan: "I'll show you after we finish eating."

Ning Yuxuan: "...Still keeping us in suspense."

As I said this, I felt a little more hopeful.

She thought the surprises for today were over, but she didn't expect there to be more.

After finishing the last dessert, Ning Yuxuan downed the champagne in her glass in one gulp.

The two took the elevator downstairs, but did not go directly to the parking garage.

The restaurant is located in the most bustling area of ​​the north of the city, and it's always packed with people on Friday nights.

At this moment, Ning Yuxuan and Xie Zhiyan were just one of the crowd. In the darkness of the night, no one could recognize Xie Zhiyan's extraordinary identity, and no one would disturb them.

In the gentle summer breeze, Ning Yuxuan spoke: "You specially brought me downstairs to enjoy the breeze, now you should tell me what the gift is, right?"

Xie Zhiyan: "Wait a little longer."

Ning Yuxuan glanced at Xie Zhiyan, wondering what he was up to.

However, since it was a surprise for her, she was more patient than usual.

The two walked for another two minutes and stopped in front of a shopping mall building.

Ning Yuxuan looked up and saw a large holographic projection screen on the top of the building in front of her.

She had a vague premonition.

Sure enough, the still image on the screen suddenly changed the next second, and a blue butterfly appeared.

The butterfly is lifelike, with black patterns outlined on its translucent blue wings, giving it a noble yet fragile beauty.

Then the butterfly flaps its wings, and with the 3D holographic effect on the screen, it seems as if it is really about to fly out of the screen.

The crowd in the square gasped in surprise.

Ning Yuxuan was also engrossed in watching, and only when she came to her senses did she realize that her neck felt a little cold.

She reached out and touched her chest, feeling the cool, gem-like texture.

Ning Yuxuan looked down again and noticed that a sapphire necklace had appeared on her chest at some point.

The details were not very clear in the darkness, but it could be identified as a sapphire pendant in the shape of a butterfly.

That's probably why the holographic video also features a blue butterfly.

Xie Zhiyan appeared behind her without her noticing.

Feeling the man's breath near his ear, he said in a deep voice, "This was the gift I originally prepared for you."

Xie Zhiyan's breath was warm, and Ning Yuxuan felt a slight itch on her earlobe, so she subconsciously touched her ear.

A man's deep laughter rang in my ears.

The tingling sensation became even more pronounced, and Ning Yuxuan's breathing quickened as she took a half-step back.

Before she could say anything, a warm touch suddenly landed on her ear.

The strange feeling made Ning Yuxuan freeze on the spot, almost forgetting to breathe.

It took her two seconds to realize that Xie Zhiyan had lightly kissed the skin behind her ear.

Ning Yuxuan stood there, feeling her entire face burning red.

My cheeks and earlobes have never felt so hot.

Why did he launch a sudden attack!

Ning Yuxuan's voice was almost a sob as she accused him: "Xie Zhiyan! What are you doing!"

Xie Zhiyan's voice was not as clear as usual; he said in a hoarse voice, "Sorry, I couldn't help it for a moment."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Didn't we kiss here before?"

That's why I didn't ask for her opinion this time.

It would have been better if she hadn't said that; after she did, Ning Yuxuan's cheeks burned even hotter.

She said in a muffled voice, "Even if we've kissed before, we can't just kiss all of a sudden!"

"Then..." Xie Zhiyan said in a hoarse voice, "is that alright?"

Ning Yuxuan: "..."

My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of my chest.

What's worse, the spot where she and Xie Zhiyan were originally standing was far from the center of the square, and there were hardly any people around.

But perhaps attracted by the holographic video projected on the building's screen, more and more people gathered in the square, and many even jogged over to take videos with their phones.

The two were positioned in the best direction to view the projection, so a lot more people gathered around them in a short period of time.

A child even ran past Ning Yuxuan, brushing against her long skirt and almost bumping into her leg.

Ning Yuxuan lowered her voice: "No! From now on, you are not allowed to touch me... or even speak to me!"

Xie Zhiyan probably guessed why she had refused so firmly.

The people around me were all watching the holographic projection, and the images on the big screen were playing on a loop.

Although these people weren't paying attention to the two of them, having so many people around made it inconvenient to do anything.

Amidst the noise of the crowd, Xie Zhiyan let out a barely audible sigh.

He certainly lacks experience in creating surprises.

Xie Zhiyan took Ning Yuxuan's hand.

Ning Yuxuan subconsciously followed his footsteps and was led by the man to a more remote part of the square, under a street lamp away from the crowd.

It's inconvenient to see the screen from this direction, so hardly anyone passes by.

The heat on Ning Yuxuan's face subsided a little, but her heart was still beating incredibly fast.

I don't know if it was because the effect of the kiss behind my ear hadn't worn off yet, or because I had walked so fast.

Looking up to meet the man's gaze, Ning Yuxuan warned him, "Even if there aren't many people here... you can't do anything else!"

Xie Zhiyan smiled sullenly.

Ning Yuxuan glared at him with dissatisfaction, her eyes conveying her discontent with the man before her.

Xie Zhiyan reached out and gently touched the pendant on her chest.

Ning Yuxuan's body trembled slightly.

Xie Zhiyan: "It's brighter here, would you like to take another look at your gift?"

Ning Yuxuan: "..."

After what just happened, she almost forgot about the necklace Xie Zhiyan had given her.

She looked down and saw that the butterfly-shaped pendant was composed of four sapphires, with delicate silver trim around the gems.

The gemstone is perfectly cut and crystal clear; even in the less-than-ideal lighting, it is breathtakingly beautiful.

It is a calming, tranquil beauty.

Ning Yuxuan couldn't help but say, "It's very beautiful, I like it very much."

Xie Zhiyan: "I originally planned to ask you that question after I gave you the necklace... but now it seems that the impromptu idea in the restaurant just now worked better."

Ning Yuxuan couldn't help but laugh.

really.

If Xie Zhiyan had confessed his feelings to her right after giving her the necklace, he might have been interrupted by the running and shouting child halfway through his sentence.

Ning Yuxuan seemed to remember something and smiled slightly: "So you still used a big screen, only it was a holographic projection."

Xie Zhiyan said helplessly, "Yes, we haven't considered everything thoroughly enough."

Ning Yuxuan actually really likes this format.

Perhaps because she had been confessed to in public more than once since she was a child, she was not very fond of the so-called "if you love someone, you have to show it to the whole world" approach.

That's why when Ning Shiyue sent her the video of his confession in the mall, she said she would rather be a spectator than the person involved.

She might not object to having her photo or name displayed on a big screen, but she prefers this subtle surprise to that kind of public announcement to the world.

Everyone else saw just a video of a butterfly flapping its wings and flying, but only she knew the meaning behind the image.

Ning Yuxuan asked, "Did you have this necklace and that video custom-made?"

Xie Zhiyan: "The necklace is an exhibit at a jewelry exhibition in China next month. I asked your mother what kind of jewelry you liked, and she finally chose this one."

After a pause of one second, he added, "It was supposed to be flown back to China from the UK next week, but I happened to be there on a business trip, so I brought it back myself."

What Xie Zhiyan didn't say was that the box containing the necklace never left his side during the entire flight from London back to China.

"As for the video," Xie Zhiyan said calmly, "it was commissioned after the gift was confirmed. Time was a bit tight, so it's not very long. For the next month, the holographic screen over there will play this video on a loop every evening at this time. You can watch it again if you like."

Ning Yuxuan's heart stirred.

If the video showed her photo or name, and played it on repeat every night for a month, she would be incredibly embarrassed.

But she finds this very romantic.

It was as if every time a butterfly appeared, it was a secret confession from him to her.

Only the two of them knew.

Ning Yuxuan smiled and said, "Xie Zhiyan, I've discovered... you're quite good at preparing surprises."

Xie Zhiyan smiled faintly: "I also want to thank Shi Yue and Aunt Ning for their help."

Ning Yuxuan: "That's true. Speaking of which, all I knew was that Ning Shiyue had become your spy a long time ago, asking me for ages about what I liked. I never expected that my mother had also been bribed by you. How exactly did you talk to my mom and manage to convince her to keep it from me?"

Xie Zhiyan: "Only Shi Yue knows that I am rushing back to China to confess to you. Aunt Ning only found out last night that I was going to Jiangcheng. Before that, she only knew that I wanted to prepare a gift for you."

Ning Yuxuan: "No wonder."

"And another thing," Ning Yuxuan remembered, "why would you put a necklace on someone?"

Xie Zhiyan seemed surprised that she would ask this, and his eyebrows twitched slightly.

Ning Yuxuan touched the clasp behind her neck: "The clasp on this kind of necklace is not easy to operate. When I helped my friends put it on before, I often had to try several times before I could put it on properly. It was dark just now, how did you put it on me when I wasn't paying attention?"

She was still immersed in the surprise and dizziness of being "suddenly attacked" by him, and had no mind to think about anything else.

Now that she'd calmed down a bit, she started thinking about other things.

Ning Yuxuan stared at Xie Zhiyan: "Have you put necklaces on other girls before?"

Xie Zhiyan's tone was helpless: "You just accepted my confession, and now you're interrogating me?"

Ning Yuxuan said matter-of-factly, "This is a normal question I have, which shows that I am quite perceptive."

Xie Zhiyan: "I've only ever put a necklace on you."

Ning Yuxuan didn't really want to interrogate him.

However, receiving this answer still brought her a sense of pleasure.

Her intuition told her he wouldn't lie, but Ning Yuxuan still pressed on: "Really? Then how come you're so skilled at wearing it?"

Xie Zhiyan looked at her and explained in a calm tone, "Before today, I practiced by myself a few times."

Ning Yuxuan stared wide-eyed at Xie Zhiyan, never expecting such an answer.

It's somewhat unbelievable, yet I can't help but laugh.

"Really?" Ning Yuxuan looked at Xie Zhiyan in surprise. "You even practiced beforehand?"

Xie Zhiyan hummed in agreement.

Ning Yuxuan: "Xie Zhiyan, you're actually... taking this so seriously?"

Xie Zhiyan appeared calm and composed: "If you're not sure about something, you should naturally prepare in advance."

Ning Yuxuan, however, sensed a very subtle unease beneath the man's nonchalant demeanor.

You can't tell unless you look closely.

But Ning Yuxuan was carefully observing Xie Zhiyan's expression, which led her to discover a clue.

Ning Yuxuan felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.

She only had to say a few words, but Xie Zhiyan prepared a whole day's worth of surprises for her so earnestly. He not only rushed back to the country overnight to see her, but also practiced putting the necklace on her specially.

Ning Yuxuan blinked her eyelashes.

Suddenly she leaned in and kissed the man on the corner of his lips.

It was very light and very fast, almost like a dragonfly skimming the water, and then it was gone.

Ning Yuxuan acted on impulse, perhaps emboldened by the few glasses of white wine and champagne she drank at dinner.

However, it was the first time she had taken the initiative to do something like this for him.

After the kiss, her heart started pounding.

Xie Zhiyan was taken aback by her action.

Under the streetlights, the man's gaze gradually deepened.

As he leaned forward, Ning Yuxuan reached out and pressed against Xie Zhiyan's chest.

"No!" Ning Yuxuan exclaimed, her heart pounding. "Didn't I just say you're not allowed to touch me?"

Yes, she is just that hypocritical!

She can launch a surprise attack, but he can't.

Xie Zhiyan: "..."

The man's voice was low and hoarse: "There's hardly anyone here."

People on the pedestrian street were drawn to the video on the big screen, focusing on the area where they could see the screen clearly; there were very few people there.

But the place they were in was, after all, a public area.

Ning Yuxuan bit her lip: "That won't work either, people will still pass by, you see—"

She raised her chin, gesturing for Xie Zhiyan to look in a certain direction.

About five meters away from the two people, two pedestrians walked by while talking.

Xie Zhiyan remained silent.

After a long while, he sighed and took her hand that was pressed against his chest.

Ning Yuxuan's hand followed the man's movements, and then his fingers moved and intertwined with hers.

The two had held hands before, but this was the first time they had interlocked their fingers like this.

"Nothing else will do," Xie Zhiyan said. "This should work, right?"

Ning Yuxuan laughed out loud.

Why do I sense a hint of grievance in his words?

Logically speaking, these two characters should have absolutely nothing to do with Xie Zhiyan.

Ning Yuxuan silently returned Xie Zhiyan's hand, as if to say yes.

In the night breeze, the two held each other's hands and walked for a while longer.

Back in the center of the square, Ning Yuxuan looked up from the crowd and began to watch the video on the holographic screen again.

Its wings trembled slightly, and finally it took flight.

Butterflies are beautiful in themselves, but when combined with 3D effects, the visual impact is even stronger.

No wonder so many people stopped to watch the footage multiple times, even though it was only a short clip of a dozen seconds.

Ning Yuxuan looked at it carefully several times before getting into the car with Xie Zhiyan.

The driver had already moved the car to the lane closest to the pedestrian street and was waiting for the two of them.

Ning Yuxuan and Xie Zhiyan sat together in the back seat.

Neither of them said anything, but the driver could still sense that... the atmosphere between President Xie and Miss Ning seemed to have changed.

The driver didn't know everything Xie Zhiyan had done, but he had a general idea: Xie always wanted to prepare surprises for his girlfriend.

"It seems Mr. Xie's date today was a great success," the driver thought.

On the way back, Ning Yuxuan held Xie Zhiyan's hand the whole time.

Several times she tried to pull her hand away to operate the phone, but the man held on tightly and wouldn't let go.

Ning Yuxuan thought to herself, "Childish," but the curve of her lips betrayed her true feelings.

Couples in the throes of new love often exhibit behaviors that may seem childish to outsiders.

Even a man like Xie Zhiyan is no exception.

As the car entered the villa area, the driver wisely stopped at the intersection instead of driving right up to Ning Yuxuan's house.

Ning Yuxuan and Xie Zhiyan walked side by side under the moonlight, neither of them speaking to break the silence.

Whether it was her imagination or not, Ning Yuxuan felt that both of them were walking much slower than before.

But even walking slowly, it's only a hundred meters, so you'll get to your doorstep very quickly.

Ning Yuxuan looked at Xie Zhiyan, waiting for him to speak first.

Xie Zhiyan raised his wrist and glanced at his watch.

Ning Yuxuan hadn't figured out why he suddenly checked the time when everything went dark.

The already dim lighting was blocked by the man's tall and imposing figure.

Xie Zhiyan kissed him.