Free Web NovelChapter 331: Chapter 331: Matching Rings
He couldn’t bring himself to say it, but Mrs. Tang understood. Her face was a mask of astonishment. "I was just trying to arrange a marriage for you. How did it..."
How did it turn into ruining your future!
Mrs. Tang was kicking herself over what happened last time. Afraid of truly affecting Tang Yuanxiao’s future again, she reluctantly held her tongue, though she was still fuming inside.
"Starting today, you need to clear this up as soon as possible. I won’t acknowledge any of it."
Tang Yuanxiao said finally.
Mrs. Tang agreed, begrudgingly.
Tang Yuanxiao took a deep breath. "I don’t have time to look after you constantly, so I’m going to hire an aide to help. Just let me know if anything comes up."
Mrs. Tang was taken aback. "Hire someone to look after me? Does it cost money?"
"Of course, it costs money. How could it not?" Tang Yuanxiao said, exasperated.
"Then I don’t want one. How can we spend money on that? You can go. I don’t need you to look after me. Shanshan will do it."
Mrs. Tang immediately protested.
"No..."
The mother and son argued for a long time. Mrs. Tang insisted that Qin Shanshan be the one to care for her, threatening a hunger strike otherwise.
As they were arguing, Qin Shanshan arrived. Though she looked haggard, she said she was willing to care for Mrs. Tang.
Seeing his mother’s determined expression, Tang Yuanxiao looked grimly at the two of them and finally nodded.
"Fine. Then I’ll hire you, Qin Caihua, to take care of my mother. I’ll pay you the standard wage for a professional caregiver."
Tang Yuanxiao took out some money. "You’ve already been a great help, so I’ll count it as a full month’s salary. This is your pay."
He placed the money in Qin Shanshan’s hand and walked away without looking back.
Qin Shanshan immediately burst into tears, and Mrs. Tang rushed to comfort her.
Before he left, he glanced at the Orchid by the door.
In the middle of the night, Tang Yuanxiao had watered the Orchid, and it looked much more vibrant than it had yesterday.
They went to report in, and Wu Sheng was supposed to be there, but he was nowhere to be seen.
Then, Tang Yuanxiao overheard everyone talking and learned that Wu Sheng had proposed to Su Li.
’The Orchid isn’t dead yet...’
Snapping out of his memories, Tang Yuanxiao stared at the sky, muttering that one sentence.
Over the past month, he’d had countless brushes with death. In those final moments, the faces that appeared in his mind, aside from his mother and Little Tang Mo, belonged to Su Li.
But in the end...
Tang Yuanxiao sat on the stone ledge of a roadside flowerbed, watching pedestrians hurry past. He couldn’t move a muscle.
It was all just too ridiculous.
While he was out risking his life, his mother had inexplicably announced to the world that he was about to marry Qin Caihua.
Meanwhile, Wu Sheng was proposing to Su Li, and if she said yes...
"Hah... What is all this?"
If Su Li were to hear about Tang Yuanxiao’s predicament and his words, she would probably have a simple answer for him:
’It’s simply the trajectory of fate.’
Su Li was currently on her way back with Wu Sheng.
Sitting on the back of the bike, Su Li asked Wu Sheng, "So, your mother knew what you were going to do today, right?"
Su Li hadn’t put it together at first. It was only when she thought about picking up Little Tang Mo that she realized Wu Qihua might have known about Wu Sheng’s proposal.
No, not "might have known." She definitely knew.
He’d gotten the family heirloom ring from her, and it just so happened that on the very day Wu Sheng planned to propose, she had also taken Little Tang Mo out.
It was all clearly done to give them some time alone for the proposal!
Wu Sheng, who was in front, chuckled. "You’re so smart, Su Li. You guessed everything right."
Su Li couldn’t help but give Wu Sheng a pinch.
Wu Sheng burst out laughing. "Hey, no groping."
Su Li felt her eye twitch. ’I’m pinching you, not groping you!’
"It’s getting dark, so behave," Wu Sheng said, letting go with one hand to take hold of hers.
"Hold on tight. We’re engaged now. You can hug me all you want."
Su Li: "..." ’Just focus on riding.’
Wu Sheng glanced at Su Li’s hand. "Su Li, a ring is meant to be worn, you know."
The proposal ring, which was also the family heirloom, had been on Su Li’s finger for only a short while before she took it off and put it in her purse for the ride home.
Su Li shook her head. "This ring isn’t for everyday wear. It would be terrible if it got damaged or lost."
"It’s not that easy to damage..." Wu Sheng mumbled.
Su Li chuckled. "It’s really not practical for daily wear. Convenience aside, anyone can see it’s incredibly valuable. It wouldn’t be safe for me to wear it. What if someone tried to snatch it?"
"Those people who snatch purses, rings, and even earrings... they’re really strong..."
Before Su Li could finish her explanation, Wu Sheng cut her off. "Okay, okay, I get it. You’ve made your point. I’ll listen to you."
He thought for a moment. "I’ll go buy you a new one, then. One you can wear every day."
Su Li paused. "When you go to buy it, take me with..."
She trailed off as she saw something. Her eyes darted around for a moment, and then she suddenly tapped Wu Sheng’s shoulder.
"Wu Sheng, I’m thirsty."
Hearing this, Wu Sheng immediately stopped the bicycle. "Thirsty, huh."
He looked around. "Wait here, I’ll go buy you something from across the street."
Su Li hopped off the bike. "Okay. I’ll just use the restroom while I wait."
Wu Sheng told her to be careful before heading across the street. Su Li smiled and agreed.
A few moments later, the two were on their way again.
Wu Sheng saw Su Li all the way to the entrance of her apartment building. "When I get home, I’ll check if my mom and Little Point are back. If they are, I’ll bring Little Mo over. If not, I’ll bring him back tomorrow."
Before Su Li could respond, Wu Sheng added, "Don’t worry so much. Little Tang Mo is growing up; he has to learn to be independent eventually. It’s no big deal for him to sleep over for one night."
Su Li nodded. "Okay."
She reached for the small wooden board hanging on the back of Wu Sheng’s bicycle. "I’m confiscating this."
This was the little board he had used for his proposal.
Seeing the look on Su Li’s face and remembering that she had accepted his proposal, Wu Sheng’s heart swelled with warmth.
He took the board off and handed it to Su Li, then couldn’t resist pulling her hand and drawing her into an embrace.
Su Li’s face flushed slightly, but she didn’t move, resting obediently in his arms.
Wu Sheng looked at her, practically bubbling with happiness, and couldn’t resist kissing the top of her head.
Wu Sheng was overjoyed, and so was Su Li.
She tugged on his hand. "Wu Sheng, close your eyes. I have something for you."
Wu Sheng blinked. "Close my eyes?"
Though his face was full of confusion, he obediently closed his eyes. Then he guessed, "Su Li, are you trying to steal a kiss?"
A thrill of excitement went through him as he said it, and he puckered his lips expectantly.
Su Li didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "Who wants to kiss you? Don’t you dare open your eyes."
She looked up at his puckered lips, poked them playfully, and said, "Put those away."
Wu Sheng retracted them with a look of deep regret.
Su Li looked up at Wu Sheng’s face, bit her lip, and took a box out of her purse.
Inside the box lay two silver rings, simple and classic in design, one large and one small.
Su Li took out the larger of the two—the man’s ring—and took Wu Sheng’s hand, smiling as she gently slipped it onto his ring finger.
"Okay, you can open your eyes now."
Su Li said once it was on.
Wu Sheng had closed his eyes, but not his other senses. He could feel everything Su Li was doing.
He had already guessed what she was doing, but when he opened his eyes and saw the ring on his hand, he still found it hard to believe.
"Su Li, you..."
The surprise came so suddenly it made his head spin.
Seeing his utterly dazed and disoriented expression, Su Li suddenly didn’t feel so shy and flustered anymore.
"Do you like it?"
she asked softly.
