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墨書 Inktalez
"That's good, nothing's wrong." Feeling a bit embarrassed at being seen through, Qinglan shifted her tired body and straightened her back against the chair, smiling lightly.
"Why don't you take a nap?" Xu Wen turned slightly to smile at her.
"Okay." Qinglan nodded, ultimately unable to resist her drowsiness. She leaned back against the seat and gently closed her eyes.
When Qinglan opened her eyes again, the street was already illuminated with bright lights. The neon lights outside the car window flickered, casting dappled light through the trees lining the street onto her, enhancing the coolness of early autumn in Beijing City. Inside the car, soft music played, creating a peaceful atmosphere as if time had stopped. Only by seeing the scenery outside retreating did she realize everything was still in reality. But for Qinglan, it felt like being caught between the mundane world and a serene paradise. Stepping out of the car would lead to a chaotic reality, while staying inside felt like a tranquil escape.
Although she had been in Beijing for some time, Qinglan had not yet had the chance to revisit the familiar night scenes of Beijing City. Surrounded by darkness and gazing at the dazzling sights outside, she felt somewhat bewildered.
She straightened up, slowly rolled down the car window, and leaned slightly out to ask in surprise, "Where is this?"
The car had gradually entered a high-end residential area and came to a slow stop in front of a building.
Xu Wen got out of the car and opened the door for her.
"Where is this?" Qinglan stood by a short Holly Tree near a flowerbed, looking around in confusion.
Xu Wen supported her as they walked toward the elevator. "We've arrived home."
"Home?" Qinglan looked up at Xu Wen in bewilderment.
The elevator stopped on the 12th floor. Xu Wen took Qinglan's hand as they exited and walked into the hallway. They stopped in front of a door, where he pulled out a set of keys from his bag. He took Qinglan's hand, opened her palm, and placed a key in it.
Xu Wen picked one key from the bunch and said, "Try opening the door."
Qinglan looked at him incredulously. After hesitating for a moment, she inserted the key into the lock, turned it, opened the door, and stepped inside.
Xu Wen followed behind her and pressed a switch on the wall. Suddenly, colorful lights filled the room, illuminating it beautifully.
Qinglan stood dazed by the door, not daring to take another step inside.
Xu Wen held her hand with one of his, while the other supported her back. "Come in and take a look."
It wasn't that she didn't understand romance; it was just that ever since she developed feelings for An Shaojie as a child, Qinglan had never thought about romantic matters. It wasn't that she didn't want to, but she knew it was a luxury, something that would be futile even if she wished for it. Moreover, it might even lead to his mocking or disdainful laughter.
What was romance anyway? Qinglan always believed it should be related to attention and brilliance. She had always been a person of subtlety and simplicity; romance seemed to have nothing to do with her.
It wasn't because she wasn't beautiful or eye-catching.
When she was young in Liu Family Village, the Villagers said this little girl was beautifully enchanting, unlike her Mother. In elementary school, she excelled academically, and the teachers liked her, smiling at her: "This little girl is smart and pretty, so clever."
From that time on, she knew she was pretty, at least not ugly. But she didn't dare to express her belief that she was beautiful because An Shaojie looked down on her. He seemed to have never thought of her as beautiful, so she had to hide her belief that she was somewhat pretty.
During middle school and high school, she always concealed her dazzling qualities. She knew that no matter what, An Shaojie could not be considered handsome, so she must not appear as a beauty in others' eyes.
However, her delicate features and elegant demeanor still made it hard to hide her beauty. So starting from middle school, she often heard classmates and friends say, "Lanlan, your features are actually quite nice; with just a little grooming, you'd definitely turn heads and attract a lot of handsome guys."
Qinglan would always chuckle and say, "It's not as amazing as you all say." She remained as unassuming as ever.
She never aimed to be the most striking one in the crowd, so she never expected any romance. Those who held flowers and smiled charmingly were all vibrant individuals; as for her, since he wasn't a prince charming, why should she act like a proud princess?
Since she wasn't a princess adored by many stars, why should she yearn for a prince's romance?
Thus, in nearly thirty years of life, Qinglan had no idea what romance was. After falling for An Shaojie, all she understood was that in this world, half belonged to the bustling glamour of superficiality while the other half belonged to the coldness of detachment. The glamour belonged to others; the coldness belonged to herself.
So just like her appearance and demeanor suggested, she had always navigated this world with a calm and indifferent heart, accompanying him.
Although she knew deep down that her heart might not be entirely indifferent and might not be free from envy of the glamour.
However, that night, something called romance, which had never appeared in her life before, presented itself in a way that took her by surprise, moved her deeply, and made her realize how enchanting and captivating romance could be—an experience that would be unforgettable for a lifetime.
That day, Xu Wen personally cooked several dishes, including cold salads and stir-fried vegetables, both light and hearty soups. The blue-and-white porcelain plates were exquisite and delicate, while the red wine and candlelight created a warm and romantic atmosphere for their dinner.
In the flickering candlelight, slightly intoxicated by the red wine, Xu Wen presented a delicate and sparkling diamond ring to Qinglan and proposed to her.
She remembered back in college when she had seen Zhou Xiaochuan confessing to Hu Jiao'er with a gentle touch of her hair, when she had witnessed Hao Chuanze pursuing Shen Xiaomeng with a bouquet of balloons, and when she had observed Mosen tearing off name tags to express his true love for Liuying. She had always sat in the shadows, silently moved by these moments.
At that time, she thought they were all dazzling, captivating, beautiful, romantic, and poetic. She secretly sighed to herself that her own love life lacked confessions, pursuits, hand-holding, embraces, or cuddling—there would be no romance for her.
She envied them but felt no regret or sorrow because at that moment, An Shaojie was sitting beside her. Although they were in the shadows, she felt surrounded by light and brilliance.
She thought that for An Shaojie, she could live elegantly without being extravagant; she could remain calm without yearning for anything grand.
But that night, when Xu Wen slipped the shining diamond ring onto her ring finger, when he approached her holding a stunning red rose, when the music played as he twirled her around in the spacious living room, and when his gentle words softly echoed in her ear saying, "Let's get married!"
Qinglan was enchanted.
A few milliliters of red wine flushed her cheeks and intoxicated her heart.
It turned out that romance could be so heart-stirring and enchanting. Qinglan's heart was completely captivated; she was utterly immersed in Xu Wen's gentle romance. She even regretted her past foolishness—regretted ever thinking of pushing such a perfect man away to someone else. As she spun in Xu Wen's embrace, she held onto his hand tightly and told herself that this was her lifelong happiness, and she would never let go again.
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