Chapter 7
Iris brought back several large suitcases, and Zhuang Zhuoyuan helped her unpack them. It wasn't finished until almost dinnertime. The walk-in closet was two-thirds full, and some of the books she had shipped back beforehand were also organized in the study. But according to the little princess, this wasn't all—"The place where she'll be staying for a long time won't be this simple and rustic."
Zhuang Zhuoyuan glanced around the room. Just based on the size of this apartment, it already surpassed the cramped living space of most Hong Kong families. Add to that the decor and location, and even disregarding the hotel's brand value, a night's stay here would cost at least HK$100,000.
Iris was still changing in her room. Ever since she found a box of new clothes Elaine had sent in the walk-in closet, she had been excitedly staying there trying them on in front of the mirror, only occasionally coming out to show Zhuang Zhuoyuan one or two outfits. Seeing her excited appearance, and thinking back to the large garden in Iris's house that he had seen in the video, compared to this place, she certainly had the right to describe it as "simple and unpretentious".
Zhuang Zhuoyuan suddenly felt a lot of pressure. He had originally planned to save up enough money this year to get married, but now it seemed that even with his savings, it wouldn't be enough. He stopped what he was doing and unconsciously fell into his own thoughts. When he came back to his senses, Iris woke him up. His baby squatted down in front of him and asked with concern, "Honey, what's wrong? Why didn't you answer when I called you a few times? Are you tired? It's all my fault. I knew you had training today, and I still made you help pack. Come on, stop doing this. Don't worry about it. Go rest for a while. I'll have someone bring dinner up."
Zhuang Zhuoyuan, feigning weakness, leaned against Iris, letting her help him to the sofa. She then became quite talkative, offering Zhuang Zhuoyuan more and more options: "Do you want to take a shower first? I bought you some new clothes while shopping; you can change into them later. Oh, and there's a massage bed in the bathroom; I'll set it up for you. Dinner will be delivered in half an hour, okay?"
Iris was about to get up when Zhuang Zhuoyuan pulled her back into his arms. Seeing her nestled in his shoulder without saying a word, Iris's heart softened completely, and her voice became even gentler: "What's wrong, Zhuoyuan? Just tell me if you need anything else."
Zhuang Zhuoyuan smiled slightly with his eyes closed, without saying a word, but instead took out a bank card from his wallet and put it in Iris's hand: "BB, this is for you."
"What will you give me?" Iris asked knowingly, though she was secretly pleased but outwardly maintained a haughty demeanor.
Zhuang Zhuoyuan was very serious: "Although I'm not a millionaire, I can't let my girlfriend come here alone and suffer. Here's a card for you. Buy whatever you want and spend it as you please."
Iris's eyes lit up: "What if I max out the account?"
"Then I'll work harder to earn money while keeping track of your credit card balance so you can keep buying things."
"Do you take me for a shopaholic?" Zhuang Zhuoyuan snuggled against her neck, acting coquettishly. Iris, tickled by his touch, instinctively flinched away, laughing as she steadied herself to avoid falling off his lap. At this moment, she fully understood that this cunning boyfriend was just playing the victim! She was truly blinded by concern; otherwise, how could she have forgotten that a dignified Flying Tiger wouldn't be so exhausted from cleaning the room? Especially since Zhuang Zhuoyuan was the best of the best!
Thinking of this, she decisively stopped Zhuang Zhuoyuan's actions, puffed out her cheeks, frowned, and put on an extremely serious expression: "I've decided, I'm going to call Zhan Sir tonight and ask him to give you extra training tomorrow. You're already this tired after just tidying up the room, baby, you can't be like this!"
“BB, you’re making me really sad.” Now that he’d been caught, Zhuang Zhuoyuan stopped pretending and started acting silly with a pained expression. Iris ignored him and pretended to be angry as she slapped the card back into his hand: “Since you were lying to me, you can take the card back.”
"No!" Zhuang Zhuoyuan sat up straight. "This is really for you."
Iris persisted: "I don't want to. I'm just your girlfriend. Why would I take your salary card? I have my own money."
These words sounded like they had a hidden meaning, and Zhuang Zhuoyuan's mind raced, but he wasn't sure if he had misunderstood. So he thought for a moment, then took out his wallet, took out cash, and handed it to Iris: "Hey, you have your own card, but you haven't exchanged your Hong Kong dollars yet since you just got back, right? Here, take this first, and if you need more, just ask me."
Iris was furious with him. She slapped him away and refused to accept it again: "I don't want this!" She pushed Zhuang Zhuoyuan away, lifted her skirt and stood up. She didn't even bother to put on the high heels she had prepared. She strode into the bedroom.
Zhuang Zhuoyuan was now certain of what his girlfriend was thinking. He knew that when she hugged him earlier, she had already discovered what was in his pocket.
"You stinky Zhuoyuan, you stupid Zhuoyuan, you bad Zhuoyuan, you're making me so angry!" Iris pounded on the toys on the bed, then glanced at her carefully dressed reflection in the mirror, becoming even angrier. She reached behind her to unzip her clothes and change. But Zhuang Zhuoyuan was incredibly fast; he rushed from the doorway to her side and put her dress back on.
"Zhuang Zhuoyuan!" Iris didn't turn around, but conveyed her dissatisfaction to the person behind her through her expression in the mirror. Zhuang Zhuoyuan hugged her waist tightly, holding her hands as he hurriedly comforted her, "Baby, don't be angry, you look beautiful in this."
"What's the use of being pretty?" someone asked, oblivious to the charm of the situation.
Zhuang Zhuoyuan chuckled softly at her soft "humph," pulled her close, gave her a peck, and began to caress Iris's fingers. "What are you doing?" Iris tried to pull away, but Zhuang Zhuoyuan held her firmly. He raised both of their hands, so that the backs of Iris's hands faced the mirror, allowing her entire left hand to be reflected in the mirror.
"You have a necklace and a bracelet, but BB, don't you think something's missing?"
“Nope.” Iris deliberately didn’t respond.
Zhuang Zhuoyuan tried to kiss her again, but this time she dodged him. Iris's smugness only amplified Zhuang Zhuoyuan's regret; coupled with her previous lack of cooperation, he was truly heartbroken. However, his bitter expression didn't affect his performance. Without Iris noticing, a ring suddenly appeared in Zhuang Zhuoyuan's palm.
Iris suppressed a smile, turned her gaze away, and deliberately asked him, "What's this now? Are you going to exchange money for me again?"
“Exchange for money is fine too,” Zhuang Zhuoyuan said, holding her hand and carefully observing Iris’s expression. “However, the exchange method is a bit special. You have to wear it and become Mrs. Zhuang, so you can rightfully take over all my assets, hmm?”
"What's with the 'hmm'?" Feeling Zhuang Zhuoyuan tentatively slipping the ring onto her ring finger, Iris bent her knuckles, stopping him abruptly. Who proposes without kneeling, flowers, or even a proper greeting!
Seeing her awkward expression, Zhuang Zhuoyuan knew exactly what Iris was thinking. The large bouquet of flowers was gone, but he borrowed a single rose from the table. As for the rest, after turning his baby around, he immediately knelt on one knee: "Iris, the day you told me you were going back to England, I realized I should prepare a ring. Actually, the first time I saw you in Amsterdam, I had a strong urge to marry you. I've been wearing the ring these past few days, hoping to find the right moment to propose as soon as you return."
Iris interrupted him: "Then what were you hesitating about just now?" She had clearly created so many opportunities for him, but he hadn't seized any of them.
Zhuang Zhuoyuan smiled and said, "I... I was just worried about whether I could provide you with a comfortable life. Your home in England and your place in Hong Kong have shown me the gap between our two families. I don't want you to suffer with me, so I..."
"You're such a big idiot!" Iris didn't want to ruin the atmosphere, but she couldn't help herself. "If I really cared about these things, I wouldn't have chosen to be with you in the first place, and I wouldn't have traveled all the way to Hong Kong to see you time and time again. I like you because I always feel happy and joyful when I'm with you, and that's the most important thing."
“The same to me.” Zhuang Zhuoyuan was moved by Iris’s words; he felt the same way. Just seeing her, just having Iris by his side, filled him with immense joy: “Iris, will you marry me?”
"Mmm." Iris nodded gently, finally putting on her sweet smile again. But when Zhuang Zhuoyuan tried to put the ring on her finger, she still curled her fingers and refused to let go: "I have something else to say."
Although Zhuang Zhuoyuan had doubts, he let her continue.
A sly glint immediately flashed in Iris's eyes. She cleared her throat and said, "You remember I said I wouldn't have a whirlwind marriage? So, your successful proposal doesn't mean we can get married right away, but you can have all the rights of a fiancé, and our relationship will be completely public. Is that okay?"
Since they established a relationship before pursuing each other, it's not unreasonable for them to establish a formal commitment before dating. Zhuang Zhuoyuan nodded, indicating that he had no objection.
Iris moved the ring forward a little bit.
"Secondly, we can stay at each other's homes when needed, but we'll have to wait a while before we can officially live together. I'm not ready yet. Do you agree to this?"
This one is also fine, of course.
Iris then allocated the remaining third of the walk-in closet to Zhuang Zhuoyuan.
As for the third point, Iris had clearly learned the essence of how to make a wish on a genie's lamp: "The third point is that we need to have our own prenuptial agreement before we get married. The specific details will have to be finalized before we get married. I will only agree to hold a wedding with you after you sign it."
"I'll do whatever you say." Zhuang Zhuoyuan answered the password correctly, and the engagement ring slid smoothly to the end of Iris's ring finger. He excitedly stood up, hugged his future wife Zhuang, and spun her around, his joy beyond words. In his eyes, this day couldn't be more perfect.
But Zhuang Tai soon discovered the imperfection—Zhuang Zhuoyuan had brought in her high heels but forgot to help her put them on. So, her first marriage proposal was with her bare feet on the ground? Iris was on the verge of tears and could only add a temporary clause: "I don't care, I don't care! We don't have to buy a ring later, but Zhuoyuan, you have to propose to me again. I spent over an hour getting ready, and in the end, I didn't even have shoes on! It's so inappropriate, waah!"
Zhuang Zhuoyuan found Iris even cuter than his chubby rabbit at home. He suddenly realized that since there was a temporary stay agreement, the rabbit probably didn't need to be sent over, and he could take Iris's unopened clothes home with him. Ah, the anticipated life as an engaged couple was about to begin.
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