Side Story 4: Operation Proposal
Jiang Zhao had always felt that everything between him and Lin Jun was perfect, except for a lack of "ritual." Especially after seeing that Jiang Qi, that reserved guy, actually propose to Su An first (although the way he did it was very "Jiang Qi"), he couldn't sit still any longer. He secretly resolved to plan a spectacular and extremely romantic proposal that would move Lin Jun to tears!
He secretly created a group chat called "Proposal Think Tank (kept secret from Jun Ge)," which included Su An, Jiang Qi, and a few of his best friends who were tight-lipped. In the group, he passionately outlined his plan: renting the rooftop terrace of a high-end restaurant, hiring a violinist, using a drone to drop the ring, kneeling down on one knee, and making a heartfelt confession…
Jiang Qi replied with only one word: "Vulgar."
Su An tactfully suggested, "Perhaps Brother Lin Jun... doesn't quite like such a flamboyant approach?"
His close friends cheered, "Brother Zhao is awesome! Let's do it!"
Jiang Zhao ignored Jiang Qi's cold water, thinking that Su An didn't understand romance. Full of confidence, he began to make preparations, booking restaurants, contacting bands, testing drones, and even specially ordering a pair of diamond-encrusted platinum rings, bling bling, dazzling to the eye.
The proposal was set for their fifth anniversary. Jiang Zhao had been restless for days beforehand, rehearsing his confession lines and almost saying them in his sleep, which drew several questioning glances from Lin Jun.
On their anniversary, Jiang Zhao lured Lin Jun to that upscale restaurant under the pretext of a "company team-building event." The terrace was decorated in the most romantic way imaginable, with rose petals lining the path, candlelight flickering, and the city lights glittering in the distance. A violinist played a melodious tune nearby.
Lin Jun raised an eyebrow at the scene but remained silent.
Jiang Zhao took a deep breath and, as planned, gave a hand gesture. The drone carrying the ring box was expected to slowly rise and fly towards him…
However, the drone did take off, but it spun erratically in the air, and then... it crashed straight towards the violinist!
"Watch out!" Jiang Zhao shouted in fright.
The violinist reacted quickly, nimbly dodging the attack. The drone crashed to the ground with a thud, its propellers still spinning helplessly. The box containing the expensive ring detached from the drone, rolled a few times, and landed... in the nearby landscape fountain.
The scene was deathly silent. Only the rushing water of the fountain seemed to mock them mercilessly.
Jiang Zhao's face instantly fell, and he froze completely. He could almost see the ring sinking to the bottom of the water, and Lin Jun's expressionless face.
Just then, Lin Jun chuckled softly. He walked up to the stiff Jiang Zhao, bent down, and scooped up the wet ring box from the edge of the fountain (luckily the water was shallow).
He opened the box, looked at the pair of rings inside that shone even brighter in the candlelight and water, then looked up at Jiang Zhao, who looked utterly dejected, and his smile deepened.
“Jiang Zhao,” he began, his voice tinged with obvious pleasure, “is this the ‘surprise’ you prepared?”
Jiang Zhao was on the verge of tears: "I...I didn't mean to...the ring...it's ruined..."
Lin Jun took out one of the rings, wiped the water off it with a tissue, then pulled Jiang Zhao's left hand and slipped it onto his ring finger without a word. The size was perfect.
"Alright," Lin Jun said casually, as if the farce had never happened. "I agree."
Jiang Zhao was stunned: "Huh? But... the ceremony... the confession..."
“I don’t need any of that.” Lin Jun looked at him, his eyes deep and gentle. “You yourself are the biggest ‘surprise’.” He paused, then added, “Although it’s usually more of a ‘shock’ than a surprise.”
Jiang Zhao looked at the sparkling ring on his finger, then at Lin Jun's smiling eyes, and suddenly felt that those meticulously planned ceremonies didn't seem so important anymore. His nose tingled, and he hugged Lin Jun tightly, stammering, "Brother Jun! I...I will definitely be good to you! Forever!"
Lin Jun hugged him and patted his back, as if comforting a large dog.
"Yes, for a lifetime."
Later, Lin Jun carefully kept the ring she retrieved from the fountain. Although Jiang Zhao's "proposal operation" ended in complete failure, it became their most frequently mentioned and happiest memory. In Lin Jun's words, "Compared to a perfect ceremony, I prefer this unique proposal that belonged to Jiang Zhao." Of course, that is, provided that Jiang Zhao doesn't pull any more "surprises" in the future.
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