I sincerely promise you
Driving back to the concert hall we just passed, the magnificent neoclassical architecture often makes people overwhelmed.
The waiter led the two to the private room. Yu Ran gestured to her, and the lights on all sides dimmed one by one. The velvet chair beneath them felt as thick as the bottom of a red wine bottle. The surging music intoxicated all five senses. Thoughts, just soothed by the piano, were immediately pierced by the clarinet. The musicians on stage were even more engrossed than the two below. As they plucked the strings and keys, they frowned, squinted, and tilted their shoulders and necks to the left. It was as if their instruments were being played by invisible hands from above.
This was originally a medium-sized concert hall, seating several hundred. Yu Ran had reserved the venue, and the program had been meticulously adjusted. With a continuous flow of drinks and snacks, Jiang Liu closed his eyes and enjoyed the performance, completely mesmerized. He didn't notice the people around him leave, and he didn't even notice the lights in the hall were turned off.
The sound of Teresa Teng's "I Only Care About You" rang in his ears. The difference was the saxophone version. Jiang Liu slowly opened his eyes. The figure on the stage was familiar yet unfamiliar, so unfamiliar that falling in love with him was taboo.
With his blond hair tied up high and dressed in a suit, a saxophone dangling from his mouth, Qu Yi's brass instrument resembled a golden snake, coiled docilely in front of him.
Yu Ran moved with ease, dancing to the cascading melody of trumpets. The tender female voice of "I Only Care About You" transformed the melodious melody, a confession from the performer. Jiang Liu's mind revolved around past romantic memories, flashing back to them. The music, along with his thoughts, filled the room endlessly. Even the tables and chairs, accustomed to the classics of the classical era, and the ivory-white carved pillars, wept for the stories of youth.
When the song ended, Yu Ran bowed gracefully. Jiang Liu wiped his tears and went to greet him. Yu Ran waved him to sit down, then continued to puff out his cheeks and whistle out six or seven syllables.
Jiang Liu thought he was just playing and didn't hear the hidden meaning.
Yu Ran slowed down and blew it again.
It seems to be the tone of speech.
"'I'? Are you talking?"
Yu Ran gave a thumbs up.
"...What? I can't understand that. Um, is it the word 'will'?"
Next, Jiang Liu heard the word "you", and the rest of the words were vague and difficult to distinguish.
Yu Ran put down the saxophone and picked up the microphone, carrying with him the impulse of youth and the primitive throbbing—
"I will make you happy!" The voice shook the sky.
Yu Ran came over slowly, took out the warm small box, knelt on one knee and opened it.
"Jiang Liu, I will make you happy. By the way, I was going to play 'Will you marry me?' and practiced for a long time, but you beat me to it. It was indeed very rusty just now, but my heart was sincere. Oh, you are not allowed to laugh. No, no, you have to laugh, and you should always laugh like this. I want to see you laugh, and I want to see you laugh because of me, because you feel happy and satisfied. For your smile, I am willing to devote my whole life. Of course, everything else, everything you have, please give it all to me."
The ring named happiness was slowly pushed into the base of Jiang Liu's finger, but she shed tears. Yu Ran kissed away the tears, and the tears did not taste salty at all.
The two leaned together and admired the splendor on the back of their hands.
"Let's choose the same wedding rings in the future." Yu Ran said.
"Then, by then, all three rings on my hand will be related to you."
"This is the best way. No one else will covet you. You can only be mine."
Jiang Liu laughed foolishly for a while, and then thought of important things in the quiet atmosphere.
"Then let me ask you something. On the eve of the competition, when we were at that post office in Country A, what was written on your letter?"
The reason was simple: Jiang Liu had written some cheesy words, including a proposal, so he had been trying to hide it. Now, he recalled Yu Ran's unnatural expression that day, and the owner's meaningful smile after reading the letter, suggesting that their tacit understanding could be traced back to when the idea first emerged.
Yu Ran couldn't help but feel shy. Although there were confessions, proposals, and physical intimacy, that kind of long and heartfelt speech was more suitable to be expressed in the form of a love letter.
"Don't say you forgot."
"Then I'm also curious, what did you write?"
Jiang Liu was speechless, his face flushed. After a long while, he said impatiently, "Then I'll write it to you tonight, and you can write it tomorrow."
"Why?"
"It's your birthday today, I don't want you to be too tired."
Yu Ran looked at him and gave a frivolous answer after much thought, "Then you may not have time to write tonight..."
…
Jiang Liu was awakened by the ring on the back of his hand. He got out of bed, put on his clothes, and looked out from the terrace. The blue and gloomy world turned out to be a big stove. It cooled down overnight and slowly warmed up with the first dawn of midwinter.
It was so cold that his eyes turned white. He lost his sleepiness and went to the study to get paper and pen to write down the contents of the letter.
"Smoldering, my dear:
Writing these words brings me back to the days when we were in college. Including this one, I've only written you two letters in my life. In that one, I replied with three letters: "YES." But in this one, I'm asking for a "I do."
At that time, correspondence was too slow, and you couldn't wait and called me to confess your love. I agreed on the phone, but when I actually held the letter in my hands and read it, I felt that you had many selves. You were shy and rarely nervous on the phone; you were sincere and precious in the letter; you were so meticulous and cute on WeChat on weekdays.
All of your incarnations love me, and every emotion points to love, so I have to respond to them one by one.
By the way, will you marry me? I'm sure the answer is yes. Just the thought of it is enough to drive me crazy. I've planned a proposal location: our studio, a booked movie theater, or anytime we're traveling. I'll pull out this diamond ring I've been preparing for. Ultimately, I think I'll just pray for you to spend the rest of my life with me in the snow.
I was dark, timid, and selfish, with a dysfunctional family and a life of worthless living. It was you, with your silent yet radiant care, who taught me courage and the art of love. Your love, like the sun's radiance, transformed my flaws into shadows. From then on, I was able to fully mature into a human being, walking the world with integrity.
Thank you all the time, Yu Ran, my best friend, my family, my boyfriend, my husband.
At the same time, I hope that by standing shoulder to shoulder with you, I can be your support. I want to give you more than just a red book. Even if there are still some shortcomings now, I will work hard to achieve them.
My heart can see it.
Your admirer, Jiang Liu."
Jiang Liu's letter ended with some reservations; the original version should have read, "My heart is clear, and I thank every messenger for their testimony."
Putting down his pen, Jiang Liu folded the letter and placed it diagonally under his computer keyboard. Turning back, his wrist struck the copy of "What is the Crime of the King?", sweeping something from its pages out. Jiang Liu picked it up, unfolded it, and saw it was Yu Ran's letter.
I probably wrote it last night while I was taking a shower.
As soon as he read the greeting, he felt a sinking sensation on his back. The warmth from the smoldering chest was so lingering on Jiang Liu that he felt like he was about to fall asleep.
"You discovered..."
"I've finished writing mine, too."
"Let me read it to you."
Yu Ran still maintained the hugging posture, holding the letter paper high, and the light shining through the paper made the words and emotions overlap.
“Baby…” Yu Ran muttered as if no one was around.
"Baby, my love:
Although I'm thinking of you as I write this, I'm not sure if you'll ever get to read it in person. So if anyone else happens to see it, please don't use my nickname for it.
With this in mind, I feel it's only right to introduce myself to readers everywhere. My name is Yu Ran. In my early twenties, I suffered a car accident that left me with amnesia. I lay at the bottom of my life, begging for a chance. I finally made it out, and since then, my lover has shared half of his life with me, filling my world.
I love my mother and sister, I love writing, I love flower arrangement, I love my readers and all kinds of customers. If I had to rank my loves, Jiang Liu would definitely be the one.
He's both rational and emotional, powerful and delicate. He approaches everything like a genius, without airs. At most, he's a bit insincere, but I have to go along with him. His temper is the most endearing, and I have to cherish him. There's no way to describe his good qualities enough, and if I continue, I'm going to cry. Oh, and he's incredibly beautiful and elegant, with that long hair that haunts me.
Well, readers, please stop here. The next question is what I asked him.
My beloved, first I have to ask you: are you willing to marry me? If by the time you see this letter, I've already proposed, or if we're already married, then what I care about more is: are you happy? Have I given you the life you dreamed of? If I'm an old man by the time you find this letter, will you still choose me in your next life?
Jiang Liu, I'm both anxious and eager for your answer. Please keep smiling and saying "yes," just like you promised me when you first confessed your love to me.
I love your unchanging smoldering love for this life."
In fact, there is another sentence at the end of the original manuscript, which he did not mention in the reproduced letter:
"By the way, if anyone has read my confession, please also find Jiang Liu's. Once you find it, be sure to place it next to mine. There's no need to tell me what he wrote, because I've always known about that love. Stranger, we also wish you happiness."
Jiang Liu couldn't stop sobbing after hearing this, but his tears fell, and his body and mind felt warm.
Yu Ran finished reading Jiang Liu's letter, the ink still wet, and went out to buy red paper and gold ink. He was fine with a quick, sloppy brush, but when writing with lots of words like this, the space between the lines narrowed, and the gold ink often spread out like a gold ingot. Jiang Liu didn't mind, taking the brush and continuing to write carefully.
I copied it twice and framed it in a walnut frame. It will be perfect to hang in the wedding room in the future.
The weather remained beautiful, and the newlyweds walked hand in hand to the studio to sort through their backlog of orders. Most of the orders were for Lunar New Year flowers, with the exception of one for a wedding gift. As usual, Jiang Liu personally learned about the customer's story and, out of personal preference, prioritized this order. They didn't want to clash with other orders; they were working within their free time on weekdays.
The two of them were arranging flowers while discussing future matters.
After preparing all the documents, I needed to fly to Country A to get the marriage certificate, so I decided to spend my honeymoon there as well.
As for the wedding, it requires long-term planning.
After a long while, Jiang Liu said seriously: "Baby, we don't need a wedding."
Yu Ran instinctively protested, but ultimately held back. On reflection, Jiang Liu's proposal made sense. First, a same-sex wedding would inevitably take place in a different country. They could travel the world, but watching the proceedings unfold in a foreign country would be exhausting. Holding the ceremony in Country A, while convenient, would inevitably keep Jiang Chun's eyes and ears open. If the eldest son understood the source of his hatred, and the youngest son completely switched sides, the old man would undoubtedly harbor a grudge, and there was no telling what kind of chaos would ensue.
"Well, I'll do as you say..." Yu Ran was unwilling to give in, but it wasn't just because of the wedding. He also had to bear the brunt of all the suffering Jiang Liu had endured over the years, and he couldn't repay him for it all just yet. He could only hold him tighter, and wait until Jiang Liu had a firm foothold before settling all the issues.
Jiang Liu smiled and said, "Alright, alright, don't be so indecisive. Actually, there's one more thing. If the emcee calls us both the grooms at the wedding, the guests won't be able to tell us apart. If he calls either of us the brides, who among us will agree?"
"I agree." Yu Ran answered readily. After all, he held the real power and didn't care about this small verbal loss.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
