Long Jinjing stared at Lu Zihao in shock. She blinked her wide eyes a few times in disbelief especially after detecting the anxiety in her boyfriend's dark eyes. Usually, she was unable to read the man's emotions because he hid them extremely well. But right now, she could see that he was anxious. Not only that. He appeared to be nervous as well.
Was he really exhibiting these emotions? Or was she just imagining things?
She wasn't sure but decided to put it aside for now. His words just now were far more important to her than reading his expression. She wanted to clarify if he really meant what he said. "R-really, Nikolai?"
"Yes." Lu Zihao nodded.
Her heart thumped hard. She felt restless but also excited.
"What if…I say that I want an even grander wedding than what Little Sister Xiulan and Brother-in-law Liwei had?"
"Then we'll have an even grander wedding than them," he replied without any hesitation.
She swallowed, her eyes getting wider. "What if…I want famous VIPs to attend our wedding? Like members of royal families or international celebrities or—"
"Then we'll send them invitations, no matter who they are."
"What if…they ignore the invitations and don't want to attend?"
His eyes narrowed. "Then I'll just have to kidnap them and force them to attend our wedding."
She gasped. "Nikolai!"
He was kidding….right? He must be!
But given his secret criminal background, even if he was joking right now, he still had the ability to do what he said. Long Jinjing suddenly began to feel scared for the safety of VIPs who fit the descriptions she gave just now. She was only kidding to test how far her boyfriend was willing to go in order to give her the wedding of her dreams.
'I should be more careful about what I say to Nikolai.'
This was what she thought. She didn't want to have a hand in a series of kidnappings around the world just because of her careless, joking words.
"Give me a list of all the VIPs that you want me to kidnap," Lu Zihao said.
Long Jinjing kicked his leg but it didn't hurt him a bit. She hugged him and started laughing.
He hugged her back. "Do you want a ceremony, Jinjing?"
Feeling shy, she hid her face on his chest but answered, "Yes."
"Then we'll have a ceremony if that's what you want."
She lifted her face but avoided looking straight at him and muttered, "We're already talking about marriage but you haven't even proposed to me properly yet."
"I can hear you, you know," Lu Zihao said, the corner of his mouth lifting in amusement.
She pouted. He held her chin and kissed her pouting lips. She almost melted but caught herself before her brain plunged into amoeba level. She pushed on his chest and stepped back to create some distance between them. His expression hardened.
Then she grabbed his big, scarred hand and lowered herself in front of him. Lu Zihao frowned, confused as to what she intended to do, so he watched and waited. Then his eyes widened when she dropped on the floor on one knee.
"What the hell—"
"Nikolai, will you marry me?"
His mind went whoosh.
The kneeling Long Jinjing looked up at him, waiting for his response. Her sweaty hand holding him trembled. She was sweating and looked like she was going to faint from the nerves but she held on.
If he wasn't going to properly propose to her, then she would do it! Who said that only men must propose to women? Women could do it, too!
Besides, didn't she tell Lu Zihao before that she was going to woo him? Since he was such a blockhead when it came to romance, then she would just proactively show him how to be romantic even though she didn't have much experience herself. If she just waited for him to make the first move, then her hair might turn white.
She knew that she was being impulsive by suddenly doing this but the moment just felt right. Without thinking too much, she just went ahead and proposed to him in the hallway as soon as the thought entered her mind.
The setting wasn't even romantic, neither was she prepared. But she wanted the blockhead to know that a proper proposal was important before marriage. It signified respect for the other person's consent.
Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see some of the household and security staff watching the scene the two of them were making. She flushed in embarrassment and wished for the floor to open up and swallow her.
Her determination almost wavered.
Almost.
But she stayed in place. The man staring at her blankly like an idiot was the person that she loved and wanted to marry. If she didn't do this today when she had an unexpected burst of courage, then she might not be able to do it ever again.
"N-nikolai?"
Clarity seemed to return to Lu Zihao. He shook his head for a brief moment in an effort to completely snap out of his daze. Still, he couldn't stop gaping at the kneeling Long Jinjing.
"You…what the fuck…the hell, woman…stand up!"
He tried to pull her up but she refused. Even when he lifted her up, she struggled.
Upset, she yelled at him, "Answer me first, dammit! Will you marry me?!!!"
"Yes, I'll marry you! Dammit!"
Long Jinjing froze. Now it was her turn to stare at him blankly like an idiot.
A red-faced Lu Zihao glared at her. "Long. Jin. Jing."
She was still dazed but felt his anger clearly. "Why are you angry? Is it because I didn't propose with a ring? I, uhm, don't worry. I'll buy you an engagement ring. Today! I'll head straight to a jewelry store after work. So, uhm, don't be mad anymore, please."
He opened and closed his mouth but couldn't say anything for what felt like a long time. Her crazy actions made him literally speechless.
Long Jinjing didn't care about this. All that mattered to her right now was that he accepted her proposal! She wrapped herself around him like a koala and kissed him on the mouth before grinning.
"We're engaged now, Nikolai. My fiancé."
Loud applause and cheers filled the hallway.
###
Chapter Title: "Yes, I'll Marry you! Dammit!"