Chapter 76: Extra 8 - Proposal, I Do
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=7667082
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
While their friends and family were setting up the party and proposal site, Lu Xici and Jun Youyue strolled down a quiet street.
This ensured that the photos taken by the photographer wouldn't show two people wearing sunglasses, hats, masks, and oversized coats.
The photographer followed them from a distance.
The photographer didn't say a single extra word.
The aim was to capture the most relaxed and natural moments between them. Moreover, Lu Xici had an innate sense for the camera. Even without instructions, she could appear in the best way possible.
Unbeknownst to Lu Xici, Jun Youyue had already contacted the photographer, asking her to cooperate and find an opportunity for Jun Youyue to propose.
In Jun Youyue's plan, she would propose to Lu Xici in the morning. In the afternoon, they would return home as a married couple, eat cake with their family, and then enjoy an intimate evening. Today would be the perfect day.
Jun Youyue had a faint hunch that Lu Xici might have invited her friends and family to throw her a birthday party.
Just like last time when Jun Youyue threw a birthday party for Lu Xici.
But she didn't want to get her hopes up too high.
After all, neither Lu Xici nor Jun Youning had given Jun Youyue any evidence that they were planning a birthday party.
Even though this hunch was really strong.
This street was discovered by Auntie Liu after researching numerous guides. It had street food and wasn't crowded in the morning.
The architecture had a touch of ancient charm, making it a great place for photos.
However, because they went a bit too early, many shops weren't open yet.
They casually bought soy milk and fried dough sticks from a breakfast shop, eating while walking, feeding each other bite by bite.
Even a glance was full of affection, and every unintentional movement showed their deep understanding of each other.
If they accidentally met eyes, the spark of love would ignite, burning the air and their hearts.
They laughed together.
The photographer nearby captured all of this.
No need for posed shots; these real moments were worthy of their wedding album.
After a while, the street became lively.
Even with her disguise, Lu Xici still drew frequent glances from passersby.
Jun Youyue noticed several people watching and even taking pictures. She couldn't tell if they were fans or paparazzi.
They decided to go into the teahouse they had reserved for photos.
"Beijing is really crowded. It's only nine-thirty on a weekday, and the stores aren't even open, but tourists are already here," Lu Xici said, slightly annoyed, holding Jun Youyue's hand.
Being a celebrity had its downsides; dating had to be done sneakily.
Otherwise, it would turn into a fan meet-up, with Lu Xici signing autographs and Jun Youyue acting as a bodyguard.
"Next time, we can go to a less crowded city."
Jun Youyue's only complaint was that her alone time with Lu Xici was always interrupted by Lu Xici's fans.
They didn't hold hands like other couples but hooked their pinkies together.
The loose gesture was more intimate than a tight grip, with a hint of potential romance.
The photographer captured this moment too.
"Like the place we went a few days ago? The scenery was nice," Lu Xici said. "But the food and lodging were terrible."
“Mm, or we could go abroad. Then we wouldn't need disguises," Jun Youyue replied sincerely, though she was actually very nervous.
She was looking for the right moment to propose and give the ring.
As the proposal time drew nearer, her heart grew more restless, unable to calm down, and her breathing even quickened.
To prevent Lu Xici from noticing, she tried hard to control herself, with little success.
The teahouse was booked by Lu family for the morning, cleared out, and the two could talk and be intimate freely.
"I like this one." Lu Xici's eyes brightened as she spotted a rockery, grabbing Jun Youyue's hand and running over.
She pushed Jun Youyue up the rockery, gesturing with two shakes to adjust her pose, signaling the photographer to come take the photo. It wasn't yet time for solo shots. Jun Youyue's heart was pounding rapidly, mostly from nervousness and partly from the recent quick movements. She appeared slightly uneasy, but her expression remained unchanged throughout, and the photographer didn't mention it.
Lu Xici noticed.
She thought for a while but couldn't figure out why Jun Youyue was nervous, so she let it go and planned to ask later.
Anyway, if there was something serious, Jun Youyue would tell her.
The photographer took a set of photos and then asked Jun Youyue to change clothes for the second set of birthday photos.
This is a good opportunity. Jun Youyue took the bag from the bodyguard's hand and slipped into the restroom.
She sent a WeChat message to the photographer.
[Please cooperate with me later, thank you.]
The photographer understood and asked how she planned to propose.
Jun Youyue's memo listed ten different proposal plans.
She flipped through them for a moment, picked out the one most suitable for the occasion, and sent it to the photographer.
It was Jun Youyue's first time taking birthday photos.
Fortunately, the photographer had seen her usual expressions and didn't force her to smile.
They took a set in the pavilion and then returned outdoors.
The sunlight was perfect now, the sky deep blue with wisps of golden-threaded clouds, providing the best backdrop.
The photographer winked at Jun Youyue.
"This set of photos will have a walking effect. Come, Miss Jun, stand next to that cluster of bamboo and walk towards me.”
Jun Youyue understood the hint.
She instinctively reached into her pocket for the diamond ring box, she was so nervous she forgot how to walk.
Lu Xici, who was following behind the photographer, and was holding her phone and occasionally recording or taking photos, had not yet realized what was about to happen next.
She just felt that Jun Youyue was a bit too nervous today.
She made a gesture with her lips to Jun Youyue, asking if she was okay.
Jun Youyue was stirred by Lu Xici's silent words, causing her to tremble.
With this jolt, she mechanically started to move forward.
The photographer looked nervous for her too.
It was impossible to ask her to redo it and just pretended to take pictures while silently praying for her proposal to go smoothly. Lu Xici was still recording.
It wasn't until Jun Youyue got too close that she finally lifted her head from the phone screen.
No way. Lu Xici's heart suddenly raced with speculation.
The next second, Jun Youyue took a deep breath, pulled out a box from her bag, knelt on one knee, opened the box, raised it high, and handed it to Lu Xici.
Everything around fell silent.
The surroundings faded away quietly, leaving only the bright figure in front of her.
Lu Xici’s cell phone just fell.
With a thud, Jun Youyue was so frightened that she suddenly forgot the proposal lines that she had memorized countless times.
Lu Xici didn’t notice.
She choked up, not giving Jun Youyue a chance to speak, and rushed over to hug her tightly.
The photographer covered her face, and even the bodyguard was at a loss.
A proposal ending with one forgetting their lines and the other crying was unexpected.
Jun Youyue closed the ring box, holding Lu Xici close, patting her back gently to comfort her.
Lu Xici cried so hard that only the day they misunderstood each other could compare.
About two minutes later, Lu Xici finally regained some composure. She pulled Jun Youyue up, snuggling into her arms while reaching for the ring box.
"I haven't proposed yet..." Jun Youyue's voice sounded somewhat aggrieved.
After memorizing so many words, forgetting them was bad enough, but she hadn't even said a word before her wife tried to snatch the ring box away. Could this proposal be considered successful?
"Ah, I agree, hurry and give me the ring." Lu Xici sobbed, letting Jun Youyue wipe her tears while reaching out to Jun Youyue for the ring.
Heaven knows how many years she's waited for this ring.
Years of anticipation from her youth, dreams of a young girl, finally coming true—she couldn't help but feel excited, yet also a bit anxious and fearful, worrying it might be a dream.
Jun Youyue was momentarily choked by her abrupt interruption.
She then decided to proceed with the process.
She knelt again and took out the ring.
Afraid that Lu Xici couldn't wait to grab the ring, Jun Youyue omitted the long confession, only asking the most important question.
"Lu Xici, you are the love of my life, do you want to be my A’Ci?"
Lu Xici wiped away tears and smiled. "I do."
From the bottom of her heart, an uncontrollable joy surged to Jun Youyue's face, and she finally showed a smile.
With great solemnity, she placed the ring, themed with stars and moons, with a base of rose thorns, on Lu Xici's left ring finger.
The main stone sparkled in pink, set against a background of blue with scattered diamonds.
Lu Xici's outfit today happened to match the theme of the moon and sky, complementing the ring perfectly.
At first glance, the ring appears to bloom like a rose in the night, beautiful and resilient, with an elegant touch of playfulness, much like the smiling lady herself.
The proposal process was meticulously captured by the photographer.
Afterward, the two of them took many photos in the teahouse and on the street.
On the way back, Lu Xici leaned against Jun Youyue's shoulder, admiring the ring on her finger, chuckling softly.
Jun Youyue embraced her. "It looks beautiful on you, very fitting."
"That's all thanks to you, Jun-jiejie... Ahem, my wife has good taste." Lu Xici felt slightly peeved at being pre-empted in the proposal.
However, looking at the intricately designed, finely crafted ring, any lingering annoyance immediately disappeared. Jun Youyue probably doesn't know she's also going to propose, so she'll be in for a surprise later.
"…Say it again." Jun Youyue blushed but still wanted to hear Lu Xici call her like that.
Lu Xici shifted uncomfortably.
Then she raised her head, leaned close to Jun Youyue's ear, and whispered, "Wife.”
This move was originally Jun Youyue's exclusive move.
Jun Youyue didn't know when Lu Xici started to learn bad things, teasing her like this every day.
Each time, the impact is strong, making Jun Youyue's ears red enough to coagulate blood.
"Mm." She obediently responded with a very soft voice, barely audible, yet Lu Xici still heard it.
So cute.
"Wife~ Happy birthday~" Lu Xici called again, slightly lowering her voice, making her tone even more tender.
Her wife is getting more and more adept.
Jun Youyue shrunk down.
Now she understands why Lu Xici likes to crouch in the corner when she feels shy; she wants to crouch too.
"Maybe you should continue with Jun-jiejie..."
"Okay, Jun-jiejie. We're home, time for cake."
Opening the door to the Lu house, Jun Youyue's friends and family all simultaneously set off their party poppers, while Lu Tingyi and Auntie Liu unfurled a banner behind them.
“Jun Youyue, happy birthday——!” everyone said at the same time.
Although she had guessed early on, seeing this scene still moved Jun Youyue deeply.
These were all her relatives and friends, brought together by her wife to celebrate her birthday.
Just thinking like this filled Jun Youyue's heart with happiness. She smiled, a rare sight in front of so many people.
Her younger sister is smiling.
Jun Youning felt somewhat relieved. Seeing Jun Youyue open her arms, she thought she was about to hug her, Jun Youning reached out as well.
But Jun Youyue turned sideways and embraced Lu Xici instead.
As Lu Xici reached to pat Jun Youyue's head, the ring on her hand seemed to mock Jun Youning, the self-pitying single dog.
Jun Youning felt a pang of jealousy. She knew it! It infuriated her. Next time, she would definitely... No, her sister would definitely be a dog!
To avoid making her own actions too awkward, Jun Youning turned sideways and hugged Cheng Jinxing beside her.
Seeing this, Tao Sheng and Jiang Minglu thought it was some kind of hugging activity and happily embraced each other.
Jun Zhuotian watched helplessly and casually hooked her arm around Lu Tingyi's neck.
Shang Shixu, brought along by Tao Sheng, pulled out her phone to chat with her blind date surnamed Song, trying to avoid feeling too awkward.
After sending a message and receiving only a red exclamation mark, Shang Shixu squinted. She had been blocked again.
Cheng Jinxing, who exercised regularly and had a firm body, was suddenly hugged and stiffened up, making Jun Youning feel like she was holding ice.
Could this girl have poor circulation? It's almost summer, yet her body feels so cold.
"Ms. Jun." Cheng Jinxing was stunned for a while before reacting, with her elbow against Jun Youning's abdomen.
She was on vacation today and was annoyed at being suddenly dragged over by Jun Youning, citing insufficient numbers of people.
If Jun Youning hadn't let go and insisted on taking advantage of her, she would have offended someone and leave this place.
"Sorry about that. I thought my sister was going to hug me just now, so it was awkward. Thank you."
Jun Youning timely released her grip, stepped aside, and even patted her clothes, presenting herself as a dignified gentlewoman, as if she was genuinely trying to ease the awkwardness.
Cheng Jinxing looked at Jun Youning suspiciously, but couldn't spot any flaws and reluctantly believed her.
While Jun Youyue was nestling in her wife's arms, calming down her emotions, she looked up and saw her group of friends and family huddled together, with her sister just releasing Cheng Jinxing.
Something's up. Jun Youyue and Lu Xici exchanged a glance and communicated silently with their eyes.
[When did your sister and Captain Cheng get together?]
[It might have been when she visited the enforcement team earlier.]
Lu Xici was thoughtful and glanced at Jun Youning and Cheng Jinxing.
Lu Xici pondered for a moment, then glanced at Jun Youning and Cheng Jinxing.
She always felt like she was seeing a big gray wolf wagging its tail and squinting with a smile, alongside a naive white rabbit. Although Cheng Jinxing's outward appearance was quite different from that of a white rabbit.
Upon entering the living room, everyone chattered for a while, making Auntie Liu's usually quiet Lu family lively and bustling.
The cake had already been placed in the living room by Auntie Liu.
The cake's design was chosen by Lu Xici, themed around the wind and moon, fitting Jun Youyue's name*.
*maybe because yue in Youyue and Moon (yue) are homophones.
Considering they had invited so many people, she specifically ordered a large two-tiered cake.
There were two or three more people than she had anticipated, and now it seemed the cake wasn't large enough after all.
The most crucial props for the cake hadn't been placed on the table yet; they were still in the box, waiting for Lu Xici's proposal.
After everyone finished singing the birthday song, Lu Xici personally tied a ribbon over Jun Youyue's eyes as a blindfold to make a wish.
In the meantime, Auntie Liu quickly placed the fondant figurines from the box onto the cake, and Lu Tingyi brought the ring box to Lu Xici.
As planned, the group of friends and family members quietly withdrew to the side.
Jun Zhuotian was responsible for filming and recording, while Jun Youning had the projector remote in hand, ready to turn it on at any moment.
The sound system was still playing the birthday song on repeat, and Tao Sheng was already prepared on the side to cut the song.
Jun Youyue's wish was short.
Thanks to everyone acting quickly, they managed to finish on time.
She removed her blindfold.
At this moment, the music changed, and the lighting inside the room also changed.
Jun Youyue opened her eyes and saw the two figurines on the cake.
One had curly hair and black eyes, kneeling on one knee, holding a ring box in hand.
The other had a ponytail and brown eyes, reaching out to receive the ring.
These two figurines weren't there just a moment ago.
Jun Youyue's pupils dilated.
Indeed, it made sense. They were so in sync; it was normal for them to propose on the same day.
“A'Ci..." Jun Youyue turned her head to look at Lu Xici.
Lu Xici smiled beside her, gently pressing her shoulder and directing her gaze forward.
Accompanied by melodious music, the projector in front began to play.
One by one, photos appeared on the screen.
Most of them were taken by Lu Xici, with a few obtained from Jun Youning and Lu Tingyi.
The photos covered every stage of Jun Youyue's life.
From when she was a baby in swaddling clothes.
Some of the photos were clearly taken from a mother's perspective, and in a few, her older sister Jun Youning appeared.
There were even pictures of Lu Xici in her childhood, following behind a young Jun Youyue, both exploring the world together, learning its rules, and getting to know each other.
As a teenager, there were some photos Jun Youyue didn't even remember, seemingly taken by Lu Xici without her knowledge.
In these photos, the young her sat upright by the window, with a mature and serious expression that belied her age, exuding confidence in her eyes.
Other peers were relegated to the background, playing and frolicking without involving the young Jun Youyue, who was either studying or reading, lost in her own world.
The light outside the window cast a glow on her profile, highlighting a corner of her face.
Moving forward, most of the photos were recent.
There were snapshots of Jun Youyue in cameo roles, selfies where Lu Xici held her hand for screen savers, and candid "ugly photos" taken by Lu Xici during meals...
After seeing them all, Jun Youyue was in tears.
She hadn't even realized when she started crying.
She sniffled and turned her head again.
Lu Xici had already knelt at some point.
"I originally thought I would propose first. I didn't expect you to beat me to it. I'm not good with romantic words, so I prepared this video." Lu Xici looked up, tears in her eyes too.
"In the past, there were conflicts and ups and downs. But those are all in the past now. Will you walk with me on the path ahead?"
Lu Xici didn't say much.
She had originally prepared a rather long script.
But now her voice was trembling, afraid that if she continued, she might break down before Jun Youyue, and cry uncontrollably.
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=7667082
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
This was a once-in-a-lifetime proposal, being recorded by the camera, and she didn't want to make a fool of herself.
Jun Youyue choked back a sob and nodded, reaching out for Lu Xici to help her put on the ring.
Just a few months ago, she used to dislike this thing, feeling it was cumbersome and didn't want to wear it to work.
Now, as the silver ring covered by Lu Xici was slid onto her ring finger, she was moved to the point where her body trembled.
"A’Ci..." Her nose was red, her eyes swollen. She looked at Lu Xici and hugged her.
The friends and family nearby heard this address and were displeased.
"Please recognize your relationship! Why call each other's names?" Tao Sheng used the popper tube as a megaphone, starting to make noise.
"Yeah, both successfully proposed, yet you don't call each other 'wife'? Give another kiss while you're at it!" Jiang Minglu, enjoying the show, also shouted.
Jun Youyue cleared her throat. She felt her friends were right. "Wife."
Jun Youyue didn't react, but Lu Xici blushed.
Lu Xici nestled into her arms.
"She's shy, so she won't say it." Jun Youyue raised her hand, stopping the friends around who were still trying to tease.
"Cut~" Tao Sheng awkwardly put away the popper tube.
After cutting the cake, the fondant figurine was placed in a box and kept.
Jun Youyue looked at the cake and the video just now, feeling the urge to propose again.
Was her proposal a bit too crude?
After finishing the cake and before opening the gifts, she quietly said this to Lu Xici.
Lu Xici pinched her face. "I don't think so. I was very surprised. No need to propose again."
Jun Youyue stopped insisting and decided to make a video for their first anniversary.
Tao Sheng and the others knew Jun Youyue was pragmatic, so the gifts they gave were practical necessities rather than ornamental.
When Lu Xici saw the microscope given by Jun Youning, she felt very fortunate that she hadn't chosen that gift herself.
Her gift was given together with Lu Tingyi's.
Lu Tingyi gave them a set of keys. She boldly gave the two girls a new matrimonial house.
Lu Xici's prepared gift was a small laboratory, inside that new matrimonial house.
The lab equipment was all bought with Lu Xici's own money, costing quite a bit, which further strengthened her resolve to pursue variety shows.
If the matrimonial house hadn't just been renovated recently and needed some time to settle, the two wouldn't be able to stay at the Lu house tonight.
Watching her daughter and daughter-in-law “go to bed” early, Lu Tingyi clicked her tongue and shook her head.
Luckily, she had things to do herself.
She led Jun Zhuotian, and Jun Youning, and then called Lu Shaoning to find a teahouse and play mahjong.
The younger generation has their own happiness; she wouldn't bother with those two lovebirds.
Author's Note:
This big fat chapter is close to 6,000 characters, which is equivalent to two updates!
After this, there's still the variety show chapter, the child chapter, and the Jun family elders chapter. It's a bit much. I'm not sure whether to write about the wedding. Maybe I won't write about the side cp.
See you tomorrow~
