Chapter 103 Golden Hook Fishing - Seventeen's Proposal
As the words fell, a handsome man in a suit emerged from behind the curtain. He walked straight to the most dazzling and beautiful woman of the day, and amidst a chorus of astonishment and gasps, knelt on one knee and opened the ring box—
"Marry me."
His gaze was devout, and for the first time, Ah Yu saw twinkling stars reflected in his dark pupils.
"OK?"
This was the first time in Xu Zhiyu's life that a sincere man had knelt down on one knee before her. It would be a lie to say she wasn't excited; her heart pounded. Xing Mian's face seemed frozen in that moment, and the two instantly returned to their first meeting—
The first time, when our eyes met.
His eyes were as still as the cold water in a deep well, dark and detached from the world as he looked at her.
Xu Zhiyu's fingers trembled slightly as they rested on her skirt. Her gaze shifted from her lover's face to the ring in his hand, sparkling brilliantly. Her mind went blank for a moment, and she subconsciously raised her hand to say yes.
only……
"Look! Look! This is outrageous!"
"This young master of the Lin family has only just graduated from high school. He's so young, yet he's already proposing marriage. Judging from the Rong family's expressions, they probably don't know about this. What is he thinking?"
"This is absurd! He's only eighteen and he's already proposing?"
"I heard this girl is quite a bit older than Lin Xingmian, and her family isn't well-off either. Young Master Lin is young and inexperienced; he doesn't know that some women are very clever and have him completely fooled..."
"That's right, there are plenty of women who want to climb the social ladder. Frankly speaking, this kind of woman is quite normal."
"But she really has some tricks up her sleeve, managing to get the young master of the Lin family to propose to her so early on..."
Rumors and gossip reached her ears, and Xu Zhiyu looked around blankly.
What exactly are these people saying?
She glanced around at the faces around her, each one a mocking and disdainful look in their eyes.
No, no! That's not how it is at all! She didn't use any tricks, and she certainly didn't have any intention of climbing the social ladder. Why are they saying such nasty things?
Ayu looked at Xingmian kneeling on the ground, withdrew her hand, and a strange emotion rushed to her head, her eyes suddenly reddening:
"What are you doing? Are you crazy? Isn't today your graduation celebration? Why are you suddenly putting on this show?"
Lin Xingmian imagined a million possible reactions from her sister, but she never expected her to be angry.
His eyes flickered, a surge of panic welling up inside him. He asked, "You don't want to? Could it be... could it be that you have no intention of marrying me?"
Ayu was extremely embarrassed by the surrounding whispers. Without thinking, she impulsively said, "How old are you? What's with all this talk about marriage? We've only been together for a short time, how come we're already thinking about marriage? You made this decision on your own without even discussing it with me. With so many people here today, I don't know whether to agree or not. Marriage isn't a game, you can't be so hasty!"
Lin Xingmian asked incredulously, "I was hasty?"
He looked at the ground covered with lilies of the valley and found it all laughable.
"No matter how old I am, I've already made up my mind about you. Yes, we can't get married right now, but can we get engaged first? I know there are a lot of people here today, and I specifically chose to propose to you today because I want to tell everyone here that there is no room for anyone else in my heart!"
He stood up, angrily throwing away the ring and box he hadn't been able to give away!
"I thought you would be as happy as I was," Lin Xingmian said through gritted teeth.
He was clearly furious. If it weren't for preparing this surprise, he would never have come back to Shanghai to obediently hold any graduation banquet!
From the overall process, scene setup, finding people and locations for greenhouse cultivation of off-season lilies of the valley, to the smallest details such as her dress, her wake-up time, and her breakfast!
He prepared everything with great care!
He was so happy and full of anticipation during this process! Whenever he thought of his sister being touched and happy, he couldn't help but wish that time would pass faster and faster!
Lin Xingmian had already tacitly agreed to marry his sister, assuming she felt the same way. However, he never expected her to get angry at him today after listening to a few words of provocation from others!
And they even said he was careless?
After throwing away the ring, Lin Xingmian turned around angrily and left without looking back.
As he passed his father, he said fiercely, "You can enjoy the banquet, I'm leaving."
Lin Shukai took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and couldn't hold back under everyone's gaze: "This has only just begun, where are you going? You unfilial son!"
The two words slipped out, but then he realized it wasn't the right time to reprimand him, so he had to suppress his emotions and turn his gaze to Xu Zhiyu.
She was the one who said the harsh words, but when Xingmian so easily threw away the ring, Ayu's tears flowed down her cheeks.
"Lin Xingmian, you stop right there!"
As expected, Boss Xu's words worked. No matter who called him, it was no use. When Xu Zhiyu called out, Young Master Lin stopped in his tracks.
Ah Yu lifted her skirt and walked over with difficulty to pick up the ring box that had fallen to the ground.
Lin Xingmian was angry, and Xu Zhiyu was also angry. She had spoken to him a little harshly, but did he really have to throw such a big tantrum in public just for that?
She didn't say she agreed, but she didn't say she was unwilling either.
Xu Zhiyu looked at his back and said, "I've come all this way to attend this banquet and prepared for so long. You should at least have a meal with everyone."
Lin Xingmian retorted angrily, "Whoever wants to eat it can eat it."
After saying that, he continued walking forward.
Xu Zhiyu: "Lin Xingmian!"
Are you sure you want to leave me here and go?
Lin Xingmian stopped again, clenching his fists at his sides. He gritted his teeth and finally turned around and sat back down at the dining table.
Rong Yuzhong had long held a high position in the family, and he knew best what people were like. In this social class, everyone was always waiting to see you make a fool of yourself. Public opinion, ridicule, and hypocrisy were all commonplace.
His anger at the girl named Ma Bowen for speaking rudely was not because he truly looked down on them, but because she hadn't really understood the Rong family before speaking so disrespectfully. She was just a young girl, and Old Master Rong didn't want to argue with her.
There were all sorts of mocking and sarcastic voices on the field. He looked at his grandson's so-called girlfriend and saw that she was indeed simple and kind. It was obvious that she had never heard any criticism, which was why she cared so much about these unpleasant opinions.
He didn't respond to the matter, but just looked at the bickering couple and joked, "Xingmian's temper is exactly the same as your mother's."
Lin Xingmian was still angry and ignored her grandfather's words. She simply crossed her arms and sat motionless in her seat, deliberately avoiding Xu Zhiyu's gaze.
But he would occasionally reach out and press the turntable, and it just so happened that Xu Zhiyu was about to pick up some food.
Ayu thought that she was the older sister, and she was angry, but she still put some of Xingmian's favorite dishes into his bowl, thinking that since she had made such a good impression, he should calm down by now.
The result was that the lunch was extremely awkward. Only Ma Bowen ate smoothly from beginning to end. Everyone else was preoccupied with their own thoughts. Lin Xingmian didn't touch a single bite. After A Yu finished eating, he got up and left.
During the meal, he didn't say a word to her or interact with her at all, which made everyone at the table feel his displeasure.
Ah Yu knew why he was so angry. She watched him walk away, feeling extremely frustrated.
During her meal, she unexpectedly tasted a dish that she really liked, and she immediately forgot all her unhappiness from earlier.
That's just how she is; she gets over her anger quickly and is in a good mood easily. However, seeing his sister's mood improve so quickly made Lin Xingmian even more unhappy!
Ma Bo wiped his mouth and shook his head repeatedly: "This young master's temper is terrible. It's a good thing you didn't agree to the proposal. If he's like this before marriage, what will he be like after marriage! He wasn't this temperamental when he was pursuing you."
Xu Zhiyu: "...No, you misunderstood."
Bo asked, "Hmm? What misunderstanding?"
Ah Yu: "His temper has never been mild..."
...
.
After lunch, the hotel provided an afternoon tea area and various outdoor entertainment activities, but most people stayed in the indoor meeting hall. The main guests of the banquet had already left, and the afternoon was the perfect time for everyone to get to know each other.
Bowen, holding a glass of red wine, mingled among the group. Ayu was now sitting alone on the sofa in the dessert area. The banquet without Xingmian was incredibly boring, and she was thinking that she might as well just go back to the manor.
Just as she was hesitating, a woman dressed in a simple yet elegant style walked straight towards her.
She looked to be in her thirties, with a casual and relaxed demeanor and outstanding temperament. However, since she wasn't wearing a formal dress, she didn't stand out particularly among the group of women in gowns.
"Is this delicious?" the woman asked Xu Zhiyu, who was eating cake, as if the two had known each other for a long time.
"It's alright, mine tastes better." Ah Yu replied casually, as if the two of them already knew each other.
Looking at the other person's simple and light outfit, she immediately felt regret and murmured, "I should have known better than to wear this dress. It's beautiful, but it's not very convenient for moving around."
The woman looked at her appreciatively: "The inconvenience is only for today, but it can make you reach new heights of beauty. So what if you feel uncomfortable for a while?"
Ah Yu: "That's true..."
Woman: "Do you recognize me?"
Ah Yu shook her head.
Woman: "You have a really nice personality. We're so familiar with each other on our first chat. You're very outgoing!"
Ah Yu: "Haha, thank you. Many people say that... People in my hometown know each other quite well, I'm used to it."
Lady: Excuse me, but I'm still curious about something. May I ask why you didn't accept Xingmian's marriage proposal at noon?
Ayu didn't notice how intimately the woman addressed Lin Xingmian. When the woman mentioned what happened at noon, she thought of the unpleasant comments and said, "He didn't discuss this with me beforehand. He was probably a bit too impulsive..."
Woman: "How could that be? We can all see that he really loves you. Don't you know that best? Or is it that you don't love him that much?"
Ayu: "Of course not! We've been through a lot together and have known each other for a long time. Whether in Huainan Lane or Shanghai, we've spent a lot of time together. I've made up my mind to stay with him forever... It's just that what others say is true. My family background is not good enough for him, and there's a big age gap between us. It's not the right time for him to talk about marriage right now."
Ah Yu was actually somewhat surprised when she said these words.
She never imagined she would one day be discussing whether someone was a good match or not.
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