Chapter 32
With everything in place, Zhan Hantao, who had taken matters into his own hands, was predictably nervous. The camera recorded their entire process from entering the door to getting into the pink vintage car. Zooming in, you could even see Zhan Sir's hand holding the flowers trembling slightly—he had never been this nervous even when on a mission!
Iris leaned on Zhuang Zhuoyuan's shoulder, trying not to laugh. Luckily, she had the foresight to bring a tripod; otherwise, with these two people who have low thresholds for laughter filming, the resulting footage would definitely be shaky and make people dizzy.
Things were progressing very smoothly. Although Inspector Zhan wasn't very eloquent and his body language was somewhat clumsy, his sincerity was evident in Iris's eyes, which were already reddening through the camera. They were almost certain that the deal was done! Sister Pauline was all smiles, waiting for her son and daughter-in-law to return hand in hand so the whole family could have a proper meal together. Uncle Chao was also incredibly excited, his thick eyebrows trembling with joy. If his wife hadn't stopped him, he would have burst out laughing on the spot.
The first to speak up was Zhuang Zhuoyuan in front of the camera. He stared at the screen for a long time, then peeked out to look again. He still hadn't seen Zhan Hantao take out the ring and put it on Ding Huihui's finger, so he couldn't help but get anxious: "Why hasn't A-Tao made a move yet?" When it comes to getting married, of course you have to be quick, accurate, and decisive!
"Shh!" Iris gestured for him to be quiet, then patted Zhuang Zhuoyuan's shoulder after a few seconds. Sure enough, Zhan Hantao had already taken out the ring. Her boyfriend's expression immediately turned excited. Iris found it both funny and a little helpless; she herself had never been this excited when she proposed.
"I'm wearing it, I'm wearing it, baby. How about I go home and make a coin to propose to you?"
Iris looked down at the sound and found that Zhuang Zhuoyuan's piercing gaze was now directed at her. She didn't immediately understand what the coin toss meant, and a hint of confusion appeared in her eyes. Zhuang Sir quickly explained, "It's a tradition of our Flying Tigers. Every Sniper flips a coin as a souvenir before leaving SDU. I told you about it last time; Tiger flipped a five-cent coin back then."
"Ah!" Iris remembered, but thinking about it further didn't make sense. She quickly pulled Zhuang Zhuoyuan aside and asked him anxiously, "So you're not thinking of leaving SDU, or waiting until you're about to leave SDU before proposing to me, are you?"
Zhuang Zhuoyuan suddenly felt smug: "So I'm not the only one eager to get married!" He felt like he had missed another perfect opportunity to propose. If he had the ring on him now, Iris might have said "yes" again, but proposing during someone else's proposal would probably make his girlfriend, who values the ceremony, ask him to propose again. Good heavens, it's a never-ending cycle. Zhuang Zhuoyuan suddenly pulled Iris into his arms, enjoying the slightly bittersweet sweetness and joy, when Pauline and Uncle Chao's voices brought new noises: "How could it have failed? Why did Huihui pull her hand back? She's been dating and living with Atao for so long!"
Pauline stamped her foot. Just as Zhuang Zhuoyuan and Iris were about to ask what had happened, Ding Huihui, the leading lady of the night, had already arrived at the door.
"Hui... Hui."
Before she could even say hello, she was already gone. Ding Huihui, before entering, only glanced at Iris and Zhuang Zhuoyuan, who were still embracing, her expression seemingly worsening, before silently walking past the others. Anxious Zhan Hantao followed behind her, equally unresponsive to them, only chasing after Ding Huihui, asking, "Huihui, I can change anything I did wrong, please give me another chance? Can we not break up?"
separate? !
Iris was sure her expression was no different from Pauline's and Uncle Chao's. A perfectly good proposal had suddenly turned into a breakup. Like a bolt from the blue, everyone was stunned for a moment, then became increasingly anxious. Pauline chased after Zhuang Zhuoyuan, asking, "Zhuoyuan, you're usually with Tao and Huihui, do you know what's wrong? Shi, has Huihui said anything to you?"
No, no, no. There's nothing, and I know nothing.
Returning from the Zhan family home, Iris was exhausted, both physically and mentally. A perfectly good matter had turned out this way; anyone would be unhappy in such a situation. Ding Huihui broke up with Zhan Hantao and immediately packed her bags to leave the Zhan family home. Zhan Hantao said he was going to see her off, but even after she and Zhuang Zhuoyuan had said goodbye, he still hadn't returned. The meal was utterly tasteless; the large table of dishes that Sister Pauline had painstakingly prepared was practically just for decoration, and no one could eat a bite.
Back home, she felt a bit better. Before, being surrounded by flowers all over the house had lifted her spirits. Lately, Zhuang Zhuoyuan, worried she might overthink things, had been buying her flowers every day after work. As a result, every vase in the house had been used, and every decorative spot was filled with freshly picked flowers. There were already several plush toys on the sofa. Iris picked up a panda, then, after thinking for a moment, spread out the ones she'd won that afternoon. Gathered together, they looked quite lively and adorable. Zhuang Zhuoyuan came out of the room and, seeing his girlfriend amidst the pile of toys, smiled: "It's only been a few minutes, and our little Shishi has already been promoted to kindergarten principal!"
Iris squinted, leaning against the sofa, not wanting to move. Zhuang Zhuoyuan kissed her, and she returned the kiss, then leaned on his shoulder for a nap. It wasn't until Zhuang suddenly started playing with her left ring finger again that Iris opened her eyes and realized that Zhuang Zhuoyuan was putting an iris-shaped ring on her finger.
"I thought you weren't going to send flowers today," Iris said with a smile.
Zhuang Zhuoyuan then kissed her eyes: "I did want to send it, but didn't you complain that we don't have any room to put it? I was originally thinking of making a flower bed, but when I saw this while shopping, I felt it was more suitable."
Indeed, even the size was perfect. Iris admired Mr. Zhuang Zhuoyuan's aesthetic sense, then looked up and asked him, "Why didn't you propose just now?" Using this ring would have been easier than using a five-cent coin.
"I forgot to bring it just now." Zhuang Zhuoyuan had already regretted his mistake, but Iris's mention of it gave him a sliver of hope: "Can I still beg now?"
Iris, of course, wouldn't let him succeed. She was most afraid he'd try to trick her with sweet talk and charm, so she quickly pulled her hand away, stood up, and moved to the other side: "What's done is done. There's no way you can make up for it now." Her words seemed to perfectly reflect Zhan Hantao and Ding Huihui's current situation. Iris paused for a few seconds, then quickly recovered and started talking about her own business: "I hadn't thought that much about it, but since you brought it up, I think it's a good idea. Let's wait for you to shoot two five-cent coins for us as matching rings, then we can get married. Two at a time! And preferably moving targets!"
Zhuang Zhuoyuan felt as if he had dug a huge pit for himself.
When the Flying Tigers snipers left, they all fired one-dollar coins. Tiger firing five-cent coins was already impressive and arrogant enough. Now, Iris has made a request that no one in the Flying Tigers has ever fulfilled, clearly surpassing "The One" and demanding that he be "Only One."
Mr. Zhuang wasn't afraid of such a challenge. Normally, he would have thought about how to achieve such a shooting target. But now, with marriage being linked to the highest level of challenge, Zhuang Zhuoyuan felt he had to bargain with his girlfriend again. Iris had already anticipated his move. As soon as he came to his senses, she immediately slipped into the bathroom, completely blocking her boyfriend outside: "The water is so loud, I can't hear anything."
"But you didn't even bring your pajamas."
"..."
Iris pressed herself against the door, blinked dejectedly, and reluctantly spoke, "There are towels inside, I'll be able to get out eventually!" She had been so focused on getting the spare key that she had completely forgotten about her change of clothes. Clearly, playing around with romantic gestures is the easiest way to lose your head.
But Zhuang Sheng always felt that he and his girlfriend were similar yet complementary; when her intelligence wasn't up to par, he could often fill the gap. Especially in situations requiring skill, he would use a tool from his girlfriend's dressing table, and with a "click," the door would open. Iris, who had just removed her makeup, stared dumbfounded at the new figure in the mirror. How come she didn't know Zhuang Zhuoyuan had lock-picking skills? Now, the bunch of spare keys lying to the side seemed even more conspicuous.
"You, you, you!"
Zhuang Sheng chuckled, waving the clothes he had brought with him in a flamboyant manner: "BB, I'm ready to take a bath with you, are you ready?"
Iris recalled their last bath together in the hotel room, which turned into a water fight. Looking at this even more cramped bathroom, she felt a thousand times she wanted to refuse. But Zhuang Zhuoyuan had already begun to lure her in with his good looks—abs, pecs, V-line—he had everything, and in a very beautiful way. Swallowing hard, Iris decided to turn around, but the mirror behind her became Zhuang Zhuoyuan's accomplice, making every abs and every line seem even more clearly visible. With the tap turned on, the warm steam and the hazy, almost imperceptible atmosphere made it impossible for her to escape.
Pitched against the sink, Iris had mostly given up struggling. Every seductive little movement Zhuang Zhuoyuan made felt like flipping switches throughout her body, each touch sending shivers down her spine. She acquiesced to his staying, but still had some worries: "I have a few nightgowns here, don't I?"
"Hmm." Not only was her speech becoming unclear, but Zhuang Zhuoyuan's answers were also becoming vague. The timing of a proposal might be difficult to grasp, but for someone as perceptive as her, opportunities for negotiation were always easy to create. By the time Iris finally began to ponder how things had developed to this point, Mr. Zhuang Zhuoyuan had already made all the necessary preparations; he only needed Iris's response: "BB, how about we get married this year?"
Just as Iris was about to say no, Zhuang Zhuoyuan kissed her lips again, as if he wouldn't give her a chance to speak unless she gave the answer he wanted.
Even protests were ineffective.
“BB…”
"Um?"
"BB!"
"Um……"
The response was both meaningful and meaningless, obscuring the content of the conversation. Before meeting Zhuang Zhuoyuan, Iris had never realized she was so easily seduced, and now, her body and soul were indeed bewitched by him. An ancient saying goes: "A man's infatuation can be explained; a woman's infatuation cannot." In many situations, men are indeed more clear-headed than women. As Iris's mind became increasingly hazy and blank, Zhuang Zhuoyuan, not forgetting his trap, leaned close to her ear and whispered in a deeper, more breathy voice, "Is it good?"
Iris didn't hear him clearly, so he repeated, "Okay?"
Like the song of sirens, Iris lost herself in the ebb and flow of the waves. She seemed to be thinking, but in reality, she only paused briefly before throwing herself into the embrace of the ocean: "Okay."
As for what kind of treaty was signed, we'll have to deal with that later.
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