Chapter 73 She will not let him lose.

Meng Yanxi knelt on one knee, holding a velvet box in her palm, and presented her with a huge diamond ring.

The size of a pigeon egg, its dazzling brilliance reflected in the depths of his dark eyes.

The roar of the helicopter gradually faded into the distance, the sound of the waves softened into a gentle background, and even the wind seemed to slow down, becoming infinitely gentle, brushing against my face like the caress of a lover.

Jin Zhao stared blankly at the man in front of him, the distant sky falling behind him like a meticulously designed background painting.

"Lingling, marry me."

He knelt on one knee in front of her and repeated it in a low voice.

Amidst the crashing waves, Jin Zhao felt as if he were dreaming.

It was a scene she could never have dreamed of.

The boy she liked in her youth was initially aloof, cold, and arrogant, with a bad reputation. Later, she saw a side of him that others didn't know about, and from then on, she liked him. She liked his arrogance and frivolity, but also his tenderness and passion.

Later, she saw more of him. But no matter which side she saw, his back was always straight, and even when he was acting cute and pitiful, there was always a proud look in his eyes, the arrogance that comes with being born a chosen one.

For the first time, he bent his knees, and even the ever-proud light in his eyes turned a deep black.

Jin Zhao saw in his eyes a desperate, humility.

He understood her indecisiveness and hesitation, and had given her enough time, yet she remained hesitant. He perhaps anticipated that she might refuse. But he was like a gambler already deeply entrenched in debt, stubbornly betting that she would agree, even if it meant breaking his own proud spine and presenting it to her.

Jin Zhao once thought he would be afraid of this day coming, just like taking an exam in school. Even if you had anticipated it, you would still feel timid when it was really close at hand.

However, the truth is that from the moment he knelt at her feet, nodding became an instinct.

The roar of the helicopter completely disappeared, and five words written in the clouds floated in the azure sky for a long time.

Tears blurred her vision, and Jin Zhao had only one thought in her mind—she would not let him lose.

If the future is a high-stakes gamble, she wants to win it with him.

She nodded vigorously and held out her hand to him.

It wasn't until she held her hand and slipped the diamond ring onto her soft finger that Meng Yanxi realized her eyes were burning.

The diamond ring was the perfect size, fitting snugly against her finger. Jin Zhao burst into laughter through her tears, and in the next instant, Meng Yanxi pulled her tightly into his arms, spinning her around several times on the beach where the waves crashed.

"Lingling, thank you."

His voice was hoarse, buried in her neck, trembling almost imperceptibly.

From preparation to this moment, only he knows the hardships and anxieties he has experienced along the way.

Jin Zhao was so dizzy from being spun around that all her mixed emotions vanished. She held his head and teased him, "Are you silly, Meng Yanxi? Who says thank you when they propose?"

"Then what should we say?" He chuckled softly, then couldn't help but kiss her again, readily asking, "Say 'I do'?"

Jin Zhao: "..."

This person always pushes his luck and moves at breakneck speed. Every time she just gets over one hurdle, he's already jumped to the next.

"I do" is something you say at a wedding, isn't it?

Jin Zhao scoffed, "I don't know, but I'm not going to say thank you anyway. Just put me down."

Meng Yanxi didn't let go, still holding her in his arms: "But I really want to thank you."

Jin Zhaoqi asked curiously, "What are you thanking me for?"

Meng Yanxi: "Thank you for not rejecting my second marriage proposal."

Jin Zhao: "?"

Wait, when was the first time?

*

Jin Zhao racked her brains but couldn't remember when it was the first time. Suspecting that this person was up to no good again, she warned him with a stern face, "Meng Yanxi, don't try to scam me."

Meng Yanxi was amused by her and said in a teasy tone, "Fine, let's just say it's the first time."

Since he said that, how could she possibly be a virgin?

Later, under Jin Zhao's persistent questioning, the man reluctantly gave a hint: "The three days of torrential rain, at the Jinjue Town Hotel."

This suggestion would have been better left unprovided; Jin Zhao's face went viral instantly.

Looking back on those three days now, all she sees are indescribable images and waves of overwhelming pleasure that engulf her like an irresistible tidal wave, leaving her feeling both alive and dead.

Seeing that Jin Zhao didn't say anything, Meng Yanxi chuckled: "What are you thinking? Before the little dumpling came."

Jin Zhao: "..."

She suspected he was doing it on purpose, pretending to be serious while subtly hinting at the process of her baby's arrival.

That's just how bad this person is.

Jin Zhao, her face flushed, pretended not to understand: "Which 'before'?"

Meng Yanxi: "Think about what I said to you when I first arrived at the hotel and found you."

At that time, she inadvertently stumbled upon her family's scheme and returned to the hotel alone, heartbroken, to lick her wounds in solitude. Meng Yanxi rushed to her side in the pouring rain. She was never one to confide in anyone, but in his warm embrace, she recounted the entire ordeal in fits and starts.

She told him, "I still gave Grandma the money. I returned the money she gave me when I was in England. Now that I've returned it to her, I have neither love nor money left."

Meng Yanxi said, "I have money too."

That's what Rhett said to Scarlett in "Gone with the Wind" when he proposed: "I have money, why don't you marry me? You're going to get married anyway."

Meng Yanxi: "Besides money, I can also give you the loyalty of someone who has never had faith before."

In fact, Jin Zhao had a feeling at that moment, but she wasn't confident enough to take Meng Yanxi's touching words as a marriage proposal.

Unexpectedly, it really was true, and I was even framed for it.

Meng Yanxi: "You're not just any ordinary blockhead, you're the kind of blockhead who rejected my marriage proposal."

Jin Zhao: "..."

She, of course, refused to admit it was her fault, muttering, "You're being so subtle, who could possibly understand what you mean? I thought you were just showing off how cultured you are."

Quotes from Gone with the Wind, poems by Borges. See? President Meng not only knows how to make money, but he also knows how to quote classical texts and synthesize them perfectly.

Meng Yanxi raised an eyebrow, her expression arrogant: "Isn't it a fact that I'm cultured? Do I need to show it?"

Jin Zhao was dumbfounded and speechless.

This person is truly unparalleled in his self-admiration; sometimes she even wishes she could have his terrifying confidence.

As the last rays of the setting sun faded, the warm yellow light of the streetlights illuminated the path in the night. The two walked hand in hand back to the hotel, their steps slow. Jin Zhao bent down to step on their shadows as they walked side by side.

The man beside her suddenly stopped: "Lingling, I promise you."

His tone shifted from casual to serious, and Jin Zhao turned his head in surprise, asking, "What?"

Meng Yanxi looked at her.

Night was approaching, and behind her was a newly risen full moon. The moonlight and the warm glow of the streetlights intertwined on her shoulders, like a layer of soft gauze.

With her dark, peach-blossom eyes fixed on her, Meng Yanxi said, "With me, you will never lose."

*

After returning to the New Year, Jin Zhao received an offer from Cambridge.

Visiting scholar, one year.

Soon, the elderly Dean Wang Shi'an also received the news. As expected of a leading figure in the field, he was well-informed.

Wang Shi'an called her to congratulate her, and the conversation inevitably touched on future plans.

After hesitating for a long time, Jin Zhao said apologetically, "Some things have happened recently, and I may need to think about it some more."

She considered whether or not to tell him about her pregnancy.

She is not someone who likes to mix work and personal matters, but Dean Wang gave her a lot of help in applying for the visiting scholar position, and it was he who initially suggested this path.

Wang Shi'an remained silent for a while, then suddenly asked, "Is it because of Meng Yanxi?"

Jin Zhao was taken aback and blurted out, "How did you know?"

Wang Shi'an said, "I found it online."

When Meng Yanxi proposed, he booked an entire beach, but the helicopter that wrote the message from the sky had such a wide coverage that everyone under that sky could see it, and it was still photographed by nearby tourists. Small islands in the Pacific are always popular with Chinese tourists, and the photos quickly spread back to China, becoming a hot topic on social media.

Wow! Whose son is proposing marriage?

—Is that smoke trails from an airplane? How romantic! How much did that cost?

—I don’t know how much it costs, but it’s said to be Meng Yanxi.

—Holy crap! Meng Yanxi from Yunsheng Group? She's really rich!

—To be honest, is this how marriage proposals are done these days? Even Meng Yanxi needs to propose like this? With his face and physique, what's the point of proposing? I could just take my clothes off and let him have whatever he wants!

Sister, this is not a no-man's land!

—But Meng Yanxi is really something. He's so handsome and so rich. I'd rather kneel down and propose to him than have him propose to me and even give me a dowry!

—I'm so envious of this girl named Lingling!

...

Jin Wenyi only found out about Jin Zhao's upcoming marriage by checking her phone.

The nickname Lingling is not common, but it is not rare either. At first, Jin Wenyi only paused for a moment in her mind, not sure if Lingling was Jin Zhao. It wasn't until she saw Meng Yanxi's name in the comments section that she felt very complicated.

Jin Wenyi later learned about what happened before May Day from her grandmother, and for a moment she didn't know what to say.

On one side were her parents and brothers, and on the other was her pitiful, lonely niece. She couldn't tell either of them; everyone had their own difficulties. It was just a cruel twist of fate that Jin Zhao overheard everything.

From her perspective, caught between Jin Wenhui and Jin Zhao, she was ultimately an outsider, and pretending not to know anything was the best course of action. However, deep down, Jin Wenyi still felt sorry for Jin Zhao. After waiting for two days and struggling with the decision, she finally took the initiative to call her.

The call was immediately disconnected as soon as it was answered.

She left another message for Jin Zhao on WeChat, but she has not replied yet.

Grandpa and Grandma also said that Jinzhao doesn't answer the phone or reply to messages.

Jin Wenyi knew that Jin Zhao was now holding a grudge against the entire Jin family.

Jin Wenyi stopped insisting and told her grandparents to let her calm down.

She then came across the news online that Meng Yanxi had proposed to her.

Jin Wenyi herself had once been in the prime of her youth, and honestly, she knew it would be hard not to be moved by such a grand proposal. She thought that Jin Zhao had probably already agreed.

Jin Zhao is getting married soon, but her relatives know nothing about it; the only information they have comes from netizens. Jin Wenyi feels terrible. She doesn't blame Jin Zhao, but she thinks life is so hard. She wants to pity her, but also doesn't want to offend either side, and in the end, things just don't go as planned.

Jin Wenhui's family is in chaos. Lin Yao's IVF attempt failed, Jin Wenhui caught her cheating on him with a male college student, and the couple is going through a divorce. They're both overwhelmed with their own problems. After much deliberation, Jin Wenyi decided not to tell the rest of the Jin family about this and went to Suiyi alone to meet with Jin Zhao.

She contacted Jin Zhao via WeChat, intending to go directly to Sui Shi's place if Jin Zhao didn't reply. This time, Jin Zhao replied quickly, and the aunt and niece eventually arranged to meet at a coffee shop near Sui Shi's place.

Coincidentally, that coffee shop was the very place Jin Wenyi had arranged for her to meet her blind date last year; it was called Guiqi (Returning Time).

When Jin Wenyi arrived, Jin Zhao was already waiting there. Soft, foreign music played, and the quiet girl sat alone by the window, gazing absently across the street, lost in thought. Hearing footsteps, she turned around, saw Jin Wenyi, and stood up, smiling as she called out, "Auntie."

Jin Wenyi, however, felt a little ashamed in her smile and awkwardly said, "You're not angry with me anymore?"

Jin Zhao asked, puzzled, "Are you angry with me?"

Jin Wenyi was also taken aback.

Yes, Jin Zhao has never been one to take her anger out on others. Back then, because her family felt guilty, they didn't answer her calls or reply to her messages. Jin Wenyi naturally assumed that Jin Zhao was still angry, but forgot to check whether she had actually received the messages.

Did she hang up those calls, or was it someone else?

Jin Wenyi quickly thought of a possibility and asked, "Did you see the messages that my grandparents and I sent you back then?"

Jin Zhao was taken aback, but quickly realized what Jin Wenyi meant.

During her three days at the hotel, Meng Yanxi was both crazy and domineering, giving her no chance to breathe. When she woke up, he was fiddling with her phone, saying that it was waterlogged and couldn't be repaired. Without thinking much of it, she naturally changed the phone and SIM card.

Now, when Jin Wenyi asked this question again, I immediately understood.

Jin Zhao's brief silence was enough for Jin Wenyi to understand.

"Lingling, can you really entrust yourself to a man who lies and hides things from you?" Jin Wenyi reminded her knowingly.

Jin Zhao's expression was very calm.

Even knowing what Meng Yanxi had secretly done, she wasn't angry with him.

She looked at Jin Wenyi, paused for a moment, and then asked, "Aunt, would you choose the hurt of honesty or the protection of scheming?"

Jin Wenhui was very honest; he hurt her honestly.

Meng Yanxi is cunning, yet she has always been protecting him.