Chapter 85
A few minutes later, the situation gradually began to spiral out of control.
The two moved from where they had been standing by the model in the center.
Then they ended up by the genuine leather sofa.
The girl’s red dress flowed down the sofa in a long sweep; a butterfly knot in the same hue was tied at her lower back, as if a gentle tug would reveal every sight.
At that moment, her pale wrist was casually grasped by the man; as he lifted it, her translucent fingertips accidentally brushed the edge of the picture frame on the sofa’s rear wall.
“Careful!”
Qin Mang, as if remembering something, opened a pair of moist, affectionate eyes, struggling to free himself from his restraint while turning his head to look.
The cabin interior was exquisitely luxurious, with plenty of Qin Mang’s style.
Above the sofa, separated by a rather conspicuous frame, hung a picture made from large clusters of rubies pieced together into rose shapes, with rare pigeon-blood rubies used as petal shadows—intricate and resplendent up close, yet very realistic from afar.
Qin Mang’s eyes were fixed on that very frame.
She had assembled it with her own hands.
and even brought out his favorite ruby.
It only touched the embossed edge of the frame.
Qin Mang let out a sigh of relief.
He Lengji followed her gaze.
She saw that distinctive ruby rose picture frame and stared at it for a full three seconds before looking back at Qin Mang.
His voice was huskier, tinged with a few degrees of rasp: “You gave it to me too?”
Qin Mang tilted his cheek; his eyelashes blinked several times…
Rarely did he not act tsundere.
She gave a very soft “mm.”
He Lengji propped his arm by her cheek. The man, usually handsome and aloof, at this moment gently twirled the pretty bow at the small of her waist with his fingertip. The depths of his eyes, like shards of ice-blue glass, slowly coalesced into a profound, beguiling oceanic hue. His thin lips parted slightly:
So what about this one—
“Is that a gift too?”
They stared at each other for a few seconds.
Qin Mang couldn’t take it any longer. She clenched the man’s shirt collar with both hands and pulled slightly—
“Playing dumb on purpose.”
..
*
Beicheng, the old Qin family residence.
After bathing, Wu Yuxi stared at the graceful reflection in the bathroom’s full-length mirror; a very short camisole nightgown traced the woman’s well-proportioned figure.
Not a bad body at all.
Sleeping every night with such a gorgeous beauty, Qin Yan surprisingly didn’t have a single lustful thought.
Wu Yuxi felt very insecure.
Qin Mang’s words surfaced in her mind. Wu Yuxi took a light breath and walked toward the study.
At this time, Qin Yan was still in the study, working or reading.
He would only come back after she had fallen asleep.
If it weren’t for seeing the traces of someone having slept beside her every morning, Wu Yuxi would really begin to wonder whether she was sleeping alone in that empty room every night.
The study in the old house was filled with a faint scent of ink and books.
Qin Yan was not working.
He was lazily reclining on the fainting couch by the bed, leafing through a thin ancient book, a white fleece blanket draped over his legs below the knee.
Wu Yuxi had originally planned to knock on the door.
Peeking through the half-open door, she saw Qin Yan and her curled fingers paused.
Wu Yuxi then, barefoot with a pair of lustrous, pearl-like little feet, stepped in slowly, one step at a time.
The arches of her feet landed on the heavy carpet without a sound.
Qin Yan didn’t hear anything and continued flipping through the pages by himself.
The next second.
Wu Yuxi, holding back her embarrassment, sat down in his arms, opened her mouth, wanting to call him something more intimate.
But she couldn’t bring herself to say “husband” to the man with those clear, penetrating ink-black eyes that seemed to see through everything.
She changed it to: “Uncle Qin~”
“Will you keep me company tonight?”
She turned her face
The egg was pressed against Qin Yan’s long, jade-like neck.
Avoid his gaze.
Lest I can’t bring myself to speak.
As a girl, taking the initiative to bring this up really requires a lot of courage!
Especially since she had been secretly in love with him for so many years.
Qin Yan put the ancient book down and very slowly stroked the ends of her hair, his voice light and calm, “Another day.”
Wu Yuxi’s slender body suddenly stiffened.
A surge of shame at being rejected rose within her.
She wasn’t exactly even-tempered to begin with; having grown up playing with Qin Mang, their dispositions were naturally similar.
All the shyness Wu Yuxi had in this lifetime had been laid bare in front of this man.
Thinking of these past days, his coolness that seemed gentle.
Tears welled at the corners of Wu Yuxi’s eyes, and for the first time she called his name so calmly: “Qin Yan, will you really marry me?”
“Qin Yan, do you like me?”
Two questions slipped out, as if carelessly, and were spoken aloud.
Silent for a long time.
Just as Wu Yuxi’s eyes grew dimmer and dimmer.
The man’s pleasant voice murmured low, “You’re still young; you’ll regret this later.”
But before Wu Yuxi could grasp the deeper meaning behind those words,
she was suddenly held by the back of the neck.
He kissed her.
The next day.
Wu Yuxi stared at the empty room, furiously pounding the pillow.
She had been so forward last night, and in the end Qin Yan still didn’t touch her again!
What did he mean by “she’ll regret it later”?
Excuses, all excuses!
Does Qin Yan not want to marry her?
Does he also not like her?
Wu Yuxi felt unsettled. She had originally planned to confront Qin Yan in person to get a clear answer—if he didn’t want to marry her, why give her false hope?
She had no patience for it.
I don’t like having to guess like this either.
Liking is simply liking.
Marriage is just marriage.
If you don’t like it then…
Wu Yuxi’s long eyelashes drooped, not
Willing to think about it.
Sitting in Qin Yan’s room, she thought for the entire morning.
As noon break approached, Wu Yuxi clenched her teeth.
Took her ID card and household registration book, and also took Qin Yan’s documents from the old steward.
Went straight to the president’s office of the Qin Group.
She wanted an answer.
Qin Group President’s Office.
Assistant Chen invited Wu Yuxi into Qin Yan’s private lounge and explained, “President Qin is in a meeting; it should be another half hour before it ends.”
“You can wait here.”
“Okay.”
Wu Yuxi charged over in one breath.
Actually, I was still nervous.
It just so happened that Qin Yan was in a meeting, which gave her a moment to compose herself.
Qin Yan’s lounge was very quiet.
Wu Yuxi sat listlessly in the armchair, her peripheral vision catching a glimpse of a few thin sheets of paper upside down on the nearby coffee table, a little disordered.
Her obsessive-compulsive disorder flared up, so she tidied things up.
Who would have thought, it turned out to be a medical examination report.
And it was Qin Yan’s.
Wu Yuxi knew Qin Yan had been in poor health since childhood; doctors once predicted he wouldn’t live past eighteen. But not only did he survive into adulthood safely, he even took over the vast Qin Corporation.
Although he had an incurable leg ailment carried from the womb, his innate strength and presence made people completely overlook the physical defect.
Wu Yuxi didn’t understand some of the medical terms.
But she could vaguely make out that Qin Yan had health problems.
The report had distracted her; Wu Yuxi calmed herself, sat by the coffee table, and took photos page by page to send to her private doctor.
Doctor: “A congenital condition from the womb, it cannot be cured, only gradually managed. As for…”
As for how long she can live, it all
depends on fate.
She lowered her eyes to look at the doctor’s reply.
Wu Yuxi could guess the meaning behind his words. Her lips pressed together ever tighter, her heart feeling as if bound by vines, aching so fiercely she could hardly breathe.
If only..
She didn’t come over on a whim without a word today.
Did she really never know about his illness?
Could it be this serious?
Wu Yuxi wasn’t stupid; her mind replayed his helpless words from last night.
Suddenly she understood what “regret” meant.
He truly feared she would regret it.
But she had waited so long for “the bright moon to enter my arms”—how could she possibly regret it?
The woman’s slender fingers unconsciously clenched the edge of the thin paper.
Clenched into deep, heavy creases.
Completely immersed in his own world.
Did not hear the sound of the wheelchair drawing nearer.
Until the bony, pale knuckles that belonged solely to the man slipped out from between her fingers.
Qin Yan calmly and composedly slipped the stack of reports into the drawer beneath the coffee table.
He asked, “Are you hungry?”
Wu Yuxi hadn’t expected him to be so composed; her eyelashes, damp with tears, were dark and thick, and with reddened eyes she spoke:
“Are you saying you’re marrying me just to temporarily solve my blind-date crisis?”
“You’re not really asking me to take responsibility?”
“Nor are you really intending to—”
“Marry me?”
At the last two words, Wu Yuxi’s voice broke into uncontrollable sobs.
The warm, quiet man took out a tissue.
With very gentle movements he wiped away the tears that kept rolling from the corners of her eyes: “Don’t cry.”
Wu Yuxi cried even harder.
Like a child who had lost a treasured toy.
Large tears fell like beads, snapping from a broken string, even without time to wipe them away, landing squarely in Qin Yan’s palm.
Crying and acting spoiled at the same time: “I’ll cry, I’ll cry!”
“How can I stop crying?
”
Qin Yan looked at her cheeks, already reddened from crying.
Originally a pair of beautiful, seductive fox-like eyes, now swollen beyond recognition, looking pitiful.
Wu Yuxi pulled the ID out of her bag. “Come with me to register our marriage.”
“Then I’ll just keep crying.”
Her voice was hoarse from crying.
Until Wu Yuxi saw his medical report.
Qin Yan lowered his eyes, his gaze calm and gentle like a bodhisattva with bowed brows, but his words were languid and cruel, “Baby.”
“I will die.”
“In ten years, five years, three years, or perhaps… tomorrow.”
Every single day after reaching adulthood.
To him it all felt stolen.
He felt as if the heavens could take it back at any moment.
Before inheriting the Qin Group, he had the goal of supporting Qin Mang, and an ailing elder brother who needed care, so Qin Yan had no choice but to fight to stay alive. Even the doctors wouldn’t have guessed that, despite his shattered body, he would somehow manage to live year after year.
But.
His life could reach its end at any moment.
Wu Yuxi squeezed his fingers hard, tears welling up in her eyes: “If you live one day, I’ll marry you for one day; if you live a lifetime, I’ll marry you for a lifetime.”
“Don’t worry, the moment you die, I’ll remarry immediately.”
“A woman as outstanding as me—don’t even mention a second marriage; even a tenth marriage would have plenty of excellent men pursuing me.”
“So you can’t hold me back.”
Qin Yan let out a very soft laugh.
Wu Yuxi buried her tear-wet face in his palm. “Qin Yan, let’s go get our marriage certificate.”
“I want to become your lawful wife.”
The lounge was wide open and silent.
Only the sound of their hearts, growing more and more chaotic.
“Okay.”
The dust settled.
*
After He Lengji’s birthday, Qin Mang was busy running publicity nonstop.
During this time, the project she had previously filmed
The films and TV dramas she starred in were released one after another. As the female lead or an important character, Qin Mang occasionally had to go on promotional tours with the crew.
Once you enter this industry, you must respect its rules.
For important promotions, you can’t just skip them like before and say you won’t go.
but rather took acting seriously as a lifelong career and pursuit.
Unexpectedly.
A low-budget youth film she had previously shot, “Our Time,” unexpectedly blew up.
And with that concluding line that tied everything together—”This is—our time”—
it drew countless tears and sparked endless resonance.
Each person sitting in the movie theater was either living through youth or reminiscing about it.
Audience feedback grew increasingly positive.
The film, which originally had an investment of only a few tens of millions, broke the one billion mark at the box office within a week and was still climbing.
And Qin Mang, thanks to her highly distinctive role in it, was nominated for Best Actress at this year’s Golden Bear International Film Festival.
Before going abroad to attend the awards ceremony.
March 6, the Awakening of Insects, was Qin Mang’s birthday.
March 5, 6:00 p.m.
Qin Mang would be attending a top-tier jewelry event the next day; at this moment she was in the presidential suite of the hotel.
She had just finished her full-body skincare routine early, when the suddenly barging-in styling team stunned her.
“It’s the middle of the night… what are you doing?”
Qin Mang pulled her loose robe tighter around herself and raised a slender brow to ask.
At the head was Atong, holding a whole set of blue diamond jewelry. “No time to explain, hurry up and change your clothes and put on makeup!”
They’re all members of her team.
Qin Mang’s brows knit lightly. “What, could it be that the awards ceremony was moved up?”
That’s not right.
Wasn’t she nominated this time for Best Actress at the international film festival?
You really shouldn’t start doing hair and makeup while still in the country
right?
The makeup artist had already prepared her tools, smiling brightly: “It’s a very grand event.”
“All right.”
Qin Mang had been so busy lately that he had long since forgotten his own birthday.
Mostly, starting a week before her birthday each year, Little Watermelon would act like a clockbird, wishing her happy birthday a day early every day.
This time.
Wu Yuxi made no move, and Qin Mang ended up forgetting about her too.
Eight o’clock.
Makeup finished.
The extended Rolls-Royce Phantom luxury car was already parked at the entrance.
Under the night sky, it looked like a pumpkin carriage waiting for a princess.
Qin Mang changed into a strapless mermaid gown the color of starlit blue; from the bodice to the hem it was heavily embellished with tiny blue diamonds and white and purple pearls, fading from light to deep.
She wore matching jewelry—a full set of blue diamond pieces.
Even in the dark, it glittered and shimmered, breathtakingly beautiful.
At this moment the princess held up her skirt, still a little bewildered.
In the middle of the night—what mysterious event are you attending?
Qin Mang climbed into the car and asked, “Is there a script?”
Atong chuckled mischievously, “Absolutely not.”
A Rolls-Royce sped away.
Half an hour later.
They switched to another plane.
Until half past eleven at night.
Qin Mang looked down from the plane and could faintly make out below, hidden in the deep mountains, an ancient and mysterious spired castle.
She wondered if she had read it wrong.
Was their plane passing through—a fairy tale world?
The next second.
The lights of the spired castle suddenly came on.
Only then did Qin Mang notice the ancient walls ringed with circle after circle of thorns and roses; it felt even more like stepping into a fairy tale.
Who would have thought.
The plane gradually began to descend.
It finally landed on the helipad behind the castle.
Qin Mang: “???”
Could this possibly be a fairy tale
A themed event?
Who is throwing such a grand gesture?
By the time she got off the plane, she discovered a colorful carpet unfurled from beneath her feet, stretching all the way to the arched gate of the castle, flanked on both sides by a road of roses in full, luxuriant bloom.
Qin Mang tentatively stepped onto it, her bright, sparkling eyes blinking.
She turned her head to look at A Tong, who had been smiling the whole way, and lost her patience:
“What on earth are you laughing at?”
A Tong said nothing, still mysterious: “You’ll see when we go in, there’s a surprise.”
Qin Mang was just about to rebel.
Let her go in—she absolutely refuses!
Who would have thought.
Suddenly, the castle clock struck.
Qin Mang instinctively looked up.
What met his eyes was—
The hand pointing to midnight.
In the blink of an eye, a bold guess surfaced in Qin Mang’s mind.
Step by step along the carpet beneath her feet, she walked toward the castle.
Her footsteps quickened.
Finally, lifting her skirt, she broke into a little run.
Until.
They only suddenly stopped beneath the arched gate.
What met her eyes was an opulently extravagant cobalt-blue enameled floor, patterned like gemstones, with a filigree lion right at the center.
Unlike the cute white lion plush she normally cuddled to sleep, the enormous lion motif carried an air of disdainful pride and the innate elevated nobility of a beast-king.
Enamel is precious and fragile.
No matter how wealthy someone is, they would never make it into a floor, yet now it appeared inside this mysterious, fairytale-like castle.
Qin Mang’s gaze was soon drawn to the gemstone mountain at the end, taller even than an adult.
It was piled with gems of every color, diamonds, and the finest jadeite.
Brilliantly colorful, almost blinding to the eyes.
Besides He Lengji, who else could have such a grand gesture that understood her so well?
Pen.
Qin Mang stood stunned for a long while, lifting the hem of her delicate dress, and step by step, slowly approached the mountain of jewels.
The closer she got.
The clearer she looked.
Qin Mang had collected gems since childhood and naturally knew their value; any one of them, taken out casually, would be auction-worthy, exceedingly precious.
But now, they had accumulated into a true mountain of gems, within her reach.
At the peak of the gem mountain sat a familiar pink diamond, shaped like a little lion.
This was the one He Lengji had confiscated last time.
In the end it still ended up in her hands.
Qin Mang stood on her high heels and reached up, only to find it had been crafted even more exquisitely—now set into a finely made, opulent crown, accompanied by hundreds of blue diamonds. It was the same series as the blue diamond jewelry she was wearing today, likely cut from the very same rough stone.
It was obviously a set.
Qin Mang instinctively placed the crown on her bare black hair, which had no other adornments.
The castle was quiet and mysterious.
She instinctively wanted to find the person she was thinking of.
A glimpse skimmed past the full-length mirror beside me.
Gaze suddenly fixed.
The next second.
The cello’s sound burst forth.
The heavy, ornate curtains behind him slowly parted—
The handsome, aristocratic man stood composed and unruffled. Before him was a massive, exquisite cello; under the brilliant lights his pupils gleamed a faint gray-blue, and from his cold, pale fingertips flowed one pleasing note after another, an ease and elegance that seemed carved into his very bones.
The moment she saw him.
Qin Mang finally understood what He Lengji intended to do.
The girl swept her long skirt as she walked, step by step, toward the man who was playing.
She lowered her gaze to look at him.
The crown, not fastened tightly, slipped slightly as she bowed her head.
The next moment.
Accompanied by the music, He Lengji’s thin…
His lips parted slightly, a cold, magnetic timbre reverberating through the ancient castle, like the low-voiced music of a deity, a gently unfolding, languidly passionate chant:
“Sokeepyourheadupprincess’foreyourcrownfalls
Dear princess, lift your head, don’t let your crown fall
Knowthesevoicesinyourheadwillbeyourdownfall
I know it gets so hard but you don’t got far to go
Yeah, keep your head up, princess, it’s a long road
..
So keep your head up
Yeah, keep your head up
He Lengji set the cello down and, unhurriedly, walked toward his princess.
She fixed the loose crown on her dark hair.
Qin Mang was stunned; a man’s elegant voice whispered in her ear: “So keep your head up, princess, ‘fore your crown falls.”
He Lingji’s gray-blue eyes held a gentle smile: “Happy birthday to my one and only princess.”
“You can be recklessly yourself forever, forever shining.”
“And I will love you forever.”