Chapter 38 (End of Chapter 38)
Shang Chen glanced at them indifferently, regained some composure, stood up straight, and suddenly became a little nervous again.
"Lingling, I'm going to untie it."
Wen Ling's heart skipped a beat, and she nodded slightly.
Just as her vision was about to clear, the energetic background music suddenly switched to lyrical music. Wen Ling slowly opened her eyes, and what came into view was Shang Chen, who had already occupied her entire field of vision.
She was about to speak.
Suddenly, applause rang out behind me.
Wen Ling turned around and opened her mouth in surprise. The Wen family members, whether they were busy elders or elderly grandparents, were all sitting below the stage, looking at her with loving eyes.
When her brothers and sisters-in-law saw her looking over, they pretended to wipe away tears and reach out their hands, as if they were reluctant to part with her. Wen Ling couldn't help but chuckle. Looking to the other side, she saw that Aunt Qin, whom she had met once before, had also arrived. Standing next to Aunt Qin were two girls. One was Yan Qingli, and the other was someone she hadn't seen before, but with her strikingly mixed-race features, it wasn't hard to recognize her as Song Yinxue, the older sister Shang Chen had mentioned.
There were also several familiar university classmates.
Some belonged to Shang Chen, and some to her.
He invited almost all his close relatives and friends.
After looking around, Wen Ling's gaze returned to Shang Chen's face, which was already glistening with tears: "Are you... planning to propose?"
But she wasn't ready.
They've only been together a short time, and Shang Chen has already thought it through so clearly?
Shang Chen was taken aback for a moment, then shook his head and smiled helplessly. He touched her face and gently wiped away her tears: "Baby, I would never dare to do such a thing, even if I thought it. Your brothers are not to be trifled with."
“It’s not a proposal, it’s a confession.” He smiled gently. “I’ve never formally confessed my feelings to you before, so now that I finally have the chance, I want our family and friends to witness this important moment.”
Wen Ling was a little confused: "But we...we've been together for a long time, haven't we?"
“That’s because the baby is so good,” Shang Chen said. “She agreed to be with me without asking for anything. But as a man, I can’t refuse her. Wen Ling, whether it’s this confession or the proposal and marriage in the future, I will do my best to give you the best for every stage of the ceremony. I want you to have a wonderful memory at every stage.”
Wen Ling was already sobbing uncontrollably.
She had so much love that she didn't care about these so-called rituals. As long as Shang Chen's heart was with her, she was content.
But the starry sky, the red carpet filled with the fragrance of flowers, and the blueberry anthropomorphic dolls everywhere—it would be a lie to say she wasn't moved. She lowered her head and sobbed softly, "You... prepared so much, but I... I didn't prepare anything."
Shang Chen said very seriously, "You only need to prepare one thing."
Wen Ling raised her head blankly.
At that moment, a staff member brought over a microphone. Shang Chen held her hand with one hand and the microphone in the other, his gaze unwavering as he slowly confessed his feelings: "Wen Ling, the first time I saw you was on the first day of freshman year. I still remember the white dress you wore that day, and the fluffy hair clip that held your hair in place. You weren't dressed up very carefully, but I fell in love with you at first sight..."
The applause from the audience was thunderous.
Shang Chen's hands were trembling, and Wen Ling's hands were trembling too. They seemed to be able to see each other, one speaking earnestly and the other listening attentively.
Towards the end, Shang Chen finally asked the question loudly: "Wen Ling, I like you. Will you be my girlfriend?"
Meanwhile, on all the LED screens, big and small, throughout the city, the same sentence was playing repeatedly: Wen Ling, would you like to be Shang Chen's girlfriend?
Wen Ling burst into laughter through her tears, vaguely hearing the cheers of her classmates. Without hesitation, she grabbed the microphone and shouted at the top of her lungs, "I do!"
A drone flew over and landed near Shang Chen.
He took down a necklace from above; it was custom-made, and the pendant was still two blueberries closely together, studded with diamonds that were more dazzling than the stars in the sky.
Shang Chen put the necklace around Wen Ling's neck with trembling hands.
The older brothers in the audience were genuinely moved to tears: "How time flies! In the blink of an eye, Lingling is already in a relationship."
The elders looked at them, smiling but saying nothing.
Only Wenhe sullenly munched on blueberries, not by holding them one by one, but by tossing them up in the air to eat them.
I feel very frustrated, but I can't quite put my finger on why.
Wen Jing laughed at him, asking if he was worried that Lingling would pay less attention to him after finding a boyfriend.
Wen He said no.
He wasn't worried about that at all. Whenever he was injured or sad, his sister would still come, except that there would be an unwanted tagalong following her around.
Wen Jing asked again, "Could it be that you're missing your ex-girlfriend?"
"Tch, forget it." Wen He tossed another blueberry into his mouth. "After all this time, I've long since stopped liking it."
Bai Weiwei is no longer the obedient, studious girl he remembered. Since she went abroad, probably influenced by the open environment, her personality has changed a lot.
Even though she has a boyfriend, she still can't reject other people's advances. They're already arm in arm, and she tells him it's just a game and he should have a game spirit.
Whenever Wen He raised a single question, Bai Weiwei would immediately retort with whether he didn't believe her. After this happened many times, Wen He did stop questioning her, but gradually, his affection for her faded away.
Perhaps because he felt guilty about the first breakup, Wen He always tried his best to make it up to her after they got back together. He thought they could go back to the simple and pure time they used to be. But after meeting and dating several times, he realized that he could no longer find the feeling of being moved back then.
Until their long-distance relationship began, when Wen He called Bai Weiwei for a casual chat, a foreign man answered the phone, speaking fluent English that Wen He couldn't understand. Wen He remained silent for a long time before asking him in his broken English if he was Bai Weiwei's boyfriend. The man replied yes, and Wen He hung up.
Instead of the expected anger, there was a sense of relief, as if they shouldn't have been trapped by a feeling from their youth until now.
About two minutes later, Bai Weiwei made another call, her tone tinged with a hint of probing and panic: "You...you know?"
Wen He nodded calmly: "Mm."
Bai Weiwei pursed her lips: "Don't you have anything to say?"
Wen He retorted, "What do you want me to say? That it's quite comfortable to wear this green hat?"
Bai Weiwei took a deep breath: "I'm sorry, I can explain, I—"
Wen He interrupted her: "You like him a little, don't you?"
“…Yes and no, he’s just one of my suitors, and I haven’t said yes to him yet,” Bai Weiwei said. “You’re still my favorite.”
Wen He chuckled self-deprecatingly, "So, should I thank you for your affection? Bai Weiwei, cheating is cheating. Do I have to see you two sleeping together before it counts as cheating?"
Bai Weiwei frowned: "Wen He, can you please not speak so rudely?"
"Do you know how difficult it was when I first came to this foreign country, knowing no one and nothing? If it weren't for his help, I would have—"
Wen He didn't want to listen anymore. There was no point in continuing to argue and fight. He hung up the phone and turned it off. He felt very relaxed at that moment, as if a burden on his shoulders had been lifted off his shoulders. So he didn't feel sad for long after the breakup and was back to his energetic self.
"Liu Chang! I already said I don't want this, but you still keep putting it on my plate."
The commotion at the next table pulled him back to reality. Wen He turned around and saw Yan Qingli fuming, her bowl piled high with soft, overcooked lotus seeds. Liu Chang smiled and explained gently, "You've been a bit feverish lately, eat more of this to cool down."
"I don't like this." Yan Qingli scooped all the lotus seeds from her bowl into his bowl. "If you put any more in, believe me, I'll beat you up."
Liu Chang accepted the lotus seeds in her bowl with good temper, without being angry at all: "Then what do you want to eat? I'll get it for you."
"I can grab it without you."
"Don't be angry," Liu Chang coaxed her gently. "I'll be more careful next time."
Wen He remained silent and looked away.
I just felt like my mood was getting worse.
…
The number of courses increases at the start of the second year of university.
Sometimes, after class, Wen Ling would stay in the art studio to continue working on her unfinished assignments.
The art studio was located in a teaching building on the far side of the campus, quite a distance from the school cafeteria, dormitory, and academic buildings. Whenever Wen Ling was free and too lazy to go back and forth, she would usually have Shang Chen, who had finished class earlier, bring her food over so they could eat together.
Almost everyone at school knew that the two were together.
Even if she didn't know, Shang Chen never deliberately hid his whereabouts when he came to see her, and he was quite flamboyant. So when a boy from the same major but a different class stood in front of her and said he liked her, Wen Ling's instinctive reaction was: "Don't you know... I have a boyfriend?"
At this time, most of the students in the class had gone to eat.
They would eat and rest for a while before coming back to continue, so besides her, only this boy was left in the studio, staring at her blankly.
"I know." The boy said dismissively, and even pulled up a chair next to her to sit down. "But can you guarantee that he will always like you, or do you think you can always like him?"
"..."
With just that one sentence, Wen Ling realized that she couldn't communicate with him, so she picked up her Bluetooth earphones, put them in her ears, played music, silently picked up her paintbrush and started drawing, waiting for him to leave on his own.
Wen Ling didn't expect him to take action so directly.
When Shang Chen happily pushed open the classroom door, what he saw was a guy groping his girlfriend, taking off her Bluetooth earphones, grabbing Wen Ling's arms to prevent her from moving, and forcibly saying to her, "Wen Ling, I like you, let's be together!"
"Get your dirty hands off me."
Shang Chen picked up a chair and went over.
The man was a bully who preyed on the weak. When he saw the main character arrive, he was so scared that he ran away. Shang Chen had long legs. He took a few steps over and kicked the man to the ground. He grabbed the man by the collar and was about to beat him to death when Wen Ling quickly hugged Shang Chen's waist: "Shang Chen, don't do it. I'm fine."
Shang Chen was visibly violent, with veins bulging on his neck. He looked at the person on the ground with the eyes of someone looking at a dead object: "If I ever see you harassing her again, I'll chop off whichever hand you touched her."
The man knew about Shang Chen's family background. He only relied on his own good looks and thought he could persuade Wen Ling to have two relationships at the same time. After all, no one would refuse to enjoy the goodness of two men at the same time. He just didn't expect Shang Chen to come so quickly.
He fled in a sorry state.
Shang Chen stood up, coldly closed and locked the two doors of the art studio, while Wen Ling stood beside him, coaxing him, "Don't be angry, I'm really fine."
Shang Chen lifted her onto his lap and looked at her arm: "Did you hurt yourself from being pinched?"
Wen Ling knew the most effective way to coax him. Even though it didn't hurt, she deliberately said, "It hurts a little, just blow on it and it will be fine."
Unexpectedly, Shang Chen did not move.
He always had a furrowed brow and looked unhappy: "Who is he?"
Wen Ling sat up straight and honestly replied, "We're in the same major."
"He doesn't know you have a boyfriend?"
"Know."
"Then why would I come here to harass you?"
Wen Ling was completely bewildered: "How should I know?"
Shang Chen inexplicably beat around the bush with her: "Then you didn't say it."
"I really did tell." Wen Ling was speechless with grievances.
"If I had told you, why would I still bother you?"
“…How would I know?” Wen Ling, who had been indifferent, became a little aggrieved after being questioned like this. “I’m not a mind reader, how would I know why he keeps bothering me?”
"Why didn't you ask him when he was here?"
Wen Ling pushed him away, wanting to go downstairs for dinner.
Shang Chen narrowed his eyes, put one arm around her waist, and used the other to hold the back of her head before kissing her. Wen Ling was a little angry now and tried to push him away, saying in a hurry, "No...no, no...kiss me!"
She got so angry she started stuttering again.
The boy was strong, and Wen Ling couldn't push him away at all.
In the midst of their struggle, he easily grabbed both her wrists with one hand. When the kiss ended and Shang Chen pulled away, leaving strands of saliva, he stared at Wen Ling's lips and rubbed them heavily against hers: "Baby, do you regret being with me?"
Wen Ling found his jealousy utterly inexplicable.
But after taking a deep breath, she obediently answered him, "No."
He stared at her without saying a word, but Wen Ling understood what he meant: why would anyone still bother her?
Wen Ling remained silent, while Shang Chen played with her hair, which had grown a little longer: "It seems that I'm not a good enough boyfriend, which makes them think they can take advantage of me."
Wen Ling pursed her lips, cupped his face in her hands, and said earnestly, "Shang Chen, you've done enough."
"Not enough."
Shang Chen stroked her face and kissed her again. This time, Wen Ling did not resist. She could sense that he was really feeling down. She even wrapped her arms around his neck and responded, "Baby, say that Shang Chen is my boyfriend. I want to hear it."
"..."
She felt somewhat ashamed of what she said.
Hearing her silence, Shang Chen kissed her even harder: "So, baby, you still regret it, right?"
Wen Ling had never thought he was being so unreasonable before. Just as she was about to suppress her shame and say those words, Shang Chen suddenly spoke up again: "Do you remember what you said to Wen He during a video call before you were together?"
They had made so many video calls, but Wen Ling had no idea what he was saying. She was so dizzy from being kissed that she couldn't think straight at all.
Shang Chen looked up at her and repeated, word by word, "He's just a strong guy. I will never be with someone like that in the future."
Wen Ling: "..."
"Does the baby remember now?"
If she had known he would hold a grudge like this, she wouldn't have made such outrageous remarks in the first place. Lost in thought, Shang Chen suddenly bit her lightly. The pain brought Wen Ling back to her senses, and she began to struggle again: "You...you, you, um..."
Wen Ling was on the verge of tears. She wanted to explain, but Shang Chen kissed her fiercely, leaving her speechless. Only when she was slightly out of breath did Shang Chen finally release her. His slender fingertips traced her cherry lips as he patiently taught her, word by word, "Baby, Shang Chen is my boyfriend. Read this sentence fluently and completely."
Wen Ling was afraid he would continue kissing her, and the food would get cold, and her classmates would arrive. Seeing her swollen lips, they would surely guess what had happened. She opened her mouth, wanting to speak, but the more nervous she became, the worse her stuttering grew: "Shang Shang Shang Shang Shang Shang Shang Chen, it's...it's my...ooh..."
He couldn't wait any longer and swallowed the rest of his words. Wen Ling was once again pulled into his vortex. In her hazy consciousness, she seemed to hear him saying in her ear: "When you can say this sentence completely, that's when this kiss will end."
"..."
"...Shang Chen, you bastard."
His scolding had no effect whatsoever. By the time it ended, Wen Ling had completely collapsed into his arms, her eyes filled with tears. Shang Chen wiped away the lipstick smeared on her lips with great interest: "Baby, I have a bad memory. You swore back then that you wouldn't be with anyone."
Wen Ling opened her eyes and slapped him lightly across the face: "Shang Chen, you hold a grudge."
Shang Chen smiled, took her hand, and kissed it: "Hmm, now you know who your boyfriend is?"
"I know." She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "Shang Chen, can I tell you a secret?"
Shang Chen lowered his head, appearing to be listening attentively.
Actually, I remembered you the moment I saw you.
Before she even understood what liking someone meant, she had already made an impression on him. Later, she allowed him to get closer because she had her own selfish reasons; she wanted to be friends with him.
Perhaps, she also fell in love with him at first sight.
A two-way journey, that would be truly blissful.
-----------------------
Author's Note: The main story is finished! [cheering emoji] [cheering emoji] Thank you to all the readers who have supported me this far. See you in the next book! [kissing emoji] [kissing emoji]
The extra chapters will be updated every other day. I will update the chapters about Wen He and Yan Qingli first. They are on the "chasing after his wife" route. There should be three or four chapters of that. After that, I will also write about Lingling and Shang Chen's daily life after marriage, as well as about Lingling's stutter. The titles will be clearly stated so that you can skip the extra chapters if you don't want to read them.
My next book is "Sweet Sparrow," which is also a sweet romance novel. The outline is already finished, and it's confirmed to launch on November 11th. If you're interested, you can check out my other author page and add it to your favorites. Thanks for your support, see you next time! [cat emoji][cat emoji]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
