SM Chapter 74

Chapter 74 Moon Book Red Cord “Zhi Xu, keep up the good work.”……

Chapter 74 Moon Book Red Cord “Zhi Xu, keep up the good work.”……

The exposure of their “underground romance” didn’t seem to have much impact on them. Without the blind date arrangements from both mothers, life was much more pleasant.

Everyone naturally accepted their childhood friends-turned-lovers drama, and even embraced it well, without the slightest discomfort.

Well, not exactly. There was still a slight difference: anyone looking for Tan Zhi Xu could now call her directly without a second thought.

Another difference appeared in Xu Ting.

Clinging to Tan Zhi Xu, Zhu Shihao was a little worried: “Tell Aunt Ting not to buy me things or give me red envelopes, okay?”

This past month has been like the past year combined.

Tan Zhi Xu put down his water glass, raised his eyebrows slightly, sat down next to her, lifted her hair with one hand, and put his arm around her.

“She’s just fulfilling her wish, so be understanding and give her a chance.”

Was it just a matter of giving her a chance?

Zhu Shihao rubbed against his chest unconsciously, “But her gifts and red envelopes aren’t exactly conventional gifts and red envelopes!”

Tan Zhi Xu knew this. After all, he hadn’t heard Xu Ting praise him in years, but thanks to Zhu Shihao, he even received a large red envelope transfer from Xu Ting.

At the time, Tan Zhi Xu was on the phone with Xu Ting, looking at the bank information, and receiving her praise.

To this, his response was: “What merit or ability do I have to receive Ms. Xu’s praise and reward?”

In a very good mood, Xu Ting completely ignored his words and continued on her own.

“Should I show you the wedding room? Shihao, you can have more than one answer for where you like. Oh dear, I have to go see, I have to ask people about this. Take good care of Shihao.”

Before the last word was finished, Xu Ting couldn’t wait to hang up the phone. It was easy to imagine that she probably had another call to make.

Remembering his mother’s words, Tan Zhi Xu didn’t plan to say them out loud to scare her, so he said in a light tone, “It’s okay, your Aunt Ting has money, just accept it.”

Zhu Shihao punched him: “Can you give me some constructive advice!”

Pinching her chin, Tan Zhi Xu leaned down and pecked her lips, calm and composed: “I do have some.”

“What?”

“Shihao, when will you give me a title?”

She “ah”ed, a little slow to react, and after a couple of seconds, pointed at him: “Boyfriend.” Then turned around and pointed at herself: “Girlfriend.”

Reaching out to grab her hand, interlacing his fingers through hers, he deliberately lowered his voice and drawled, with a slight upward inflection at the end.

“I mean, Shihao, when will you marry me?”

As if feeling it wasn’t enough, he leaned down, his lips almost touching her ear, breathing hot air as he spoke.

“I want the kind with a certificate issued by the state, a red one, where the ID photos inside are of two people next to each other, you know?”

She, she certainly knew.

After a moment, Zhu Shihao slowly reacted, her eyes wide and round, with a hint of disbelief.

“It’s only been how long, and you’re already talking about marriage? Didn’t you say that I would have full control over everything from dating to marriage?”

Tan Zhi Xu wasn’t ashamed at all: “Yeah, you decide, I’m just listening to you, giving you a constructive suggestion.”

Touching her face: “As long as it’s with me, dating or marriage is fine. Shihao, I won’t force you to do anything.”

She certainly believed this. Zhu Shihao sat up straight in his arms, cupped his face in her hands, and they looked at each other.

“What if I don’t want to get married?”

Tan Zhi Xu let her hold his face, his expression still calm and composed: “Like I said, it’s fine as long as you date me for the rest of your life.”

Staring at him scrutinizingly, confirming that he was saying it willingly, without the slightest reluctance.

After a long while, she continued to ask: “Do you want to?”

It was a somewhat vague question, but he understood what she was asking without hesitation.

Tan Zhi Xu’s expression didn’t change much, his dark and deep eyes staring straight at her, their gazes locked, and his eyes grew even darker.

Zhu Shihao didn’t urge him, just held his face and looked at him.

Tan Zhi Xu raised his hand to support her elbow, his voice was soft, but very strong.

“I do, I want to.”

He also stared intently at the person in front of him, not daring to look away for even a second, afraid of missing any of her emotions, afraid that she would be unhappy, even more afraid that she would be in a difficult position.

In this moment of silence, every second seemed extremely long, and even the movement of the air seemed slow and stagnant.

When was the last time he was this nervous?

It seemed to be the day he caught her on a blind date, when all the suppressed emotions could no longer be restrained and burst out, and then he waited nervously for the verdict.

Ten years ago, Tan Zhi Xu was uninhibited and self-centered, but ten years later, he hadn’t diminished much, but most of the time he let it sink into his heart and was too lazy to deal with it. But when facing Zhu Shihao, he still thought a lot.

This could be regarded as the same as it had been for ten or twenty years, he mocked inwardly.

“Shihao, don’t…” worry about me.

“Okay.”

Tan Zhi Xu paused: “What did you say?”

Zhu Shihao blinked, her thick eyelashes fluttering like wings, her beautiful eyes staring straight at him.

“I said okay.”

“Zhi Xu, let’s get married.”

“Although we haven’t officially been dating for very long, but come to think of it, haven’t we been together long enough? Just like you said, since we’re destined to be with each other in the future, then starting sooner doesn’t seem so bad.”

The man in front of her opened his mouth slightly, as if wanting to say something but then closing it again.

Zhu Shihao saw his eyes reddening little by little. He seemed unable to speak, but she knew very well the intense vibration of his heart in his chest at this moment.

Releasing his face, she reached out with both hands to hold his.

“I’ve troubled you for so many years, and you’ve taken care of me for so many years, Zhi Xu, keep up the good work.”

For a full twenty-seven years, they had been together for far too long, so long that it was impossible to get used to separation, so long that they could only be together day and night for the rest of their lives.

Tan Zhi Xu pulled her into his arms, his cheek resting on her head, his voice hoarse.

“It’s not a bother, it’s not hard work, Shihao, I’m very willing, it’s what I’ve always dreamed of.”

She gently stroked the back of his head, extremely gentle.

“So, Zhi Xu, how could I possibly be unwilling.”

In fact, he had thought about it many times, even repeatedly hovering his fingertips over the pictures of those rings, but without her answer, Tan Zhi Xu was always afraid that this preparation would become a burden for her.

Fortunately, he heard her answer.

In the blink of an eye, another two months passed. In the meantime, Zhu Shihao asked him twice when they would get their marriage certificate, and each time the answer she received was a kiss and a sentence.

“Wait a little longer, Shihao, wait for me a little longer.”

Once was fine, but after hearing it twice, Zhu Shihao vaguely sensed that he probably had something planned.

She didn’t doubt that Tan Zhi Xu was hesitating or regretting, but simply smiled and said, “Okay, I’ll wait for you.”

This wait continued as spring passed and summer arrived, the new green turned lush, and the days grew longer and the nights shorter.

It was just an ordinary weekend. The two of them came out of a movie theater, and the setting sun was shining in the west. Tan Zhi Xu looked at the sky, which was gradually turning red.

“Shihao, ‘Thinking of you when I walk, thinking of you when I sit,’ what’s the first half of that?”

Zhu Shihao tilted her head and looked at the sky: “Looking at the sky at dawn, looking at the clouds at dusk.”

Tan Zhi Xu’s lips curved slightly, and even the edges of his face looked softer in the warm yellow afterglow.

His gaze swept over her updo, the delicately beautiful eyebrows and eyes with light makeup, and the white dress and white shoes.

She was the only beautiful and pure flower blooming in his heart.

His index finger brushed past the stray hairs near her cheek and tucked them behind her ear: “Shihao, I’ll take you to see the sunset.”

The moment she fell into his pupils, Zhu Shihao realized something: “Today?”

“Yes, today.”

Zhu Shihao curled her lips and nodded gently: “Okay.”

With just a few words, they both understood each other’s answers.

Zhu Shihao hooked her arm through his, and as they walked onto the overpass, the setting sun dyed half the sky red, and the evening glow was sprinkled on the overpass, also draped over them.

The wind gently blew, swaying her light skirt, even more delicate and beautiful than fluttering butterfly wings.

In this instant, Tan Zhi Xu suddenly changed the script.

He stopped, turning his head to look at her, a slight smile on his lips: “Want to be more romantic?”

“Hmm?” She stopped with him.

“Shihao, want to dance?”

Zhu Shihao was surprised: “Here?”

Instinctively looking left and right, there weren’t many pedestrians at this time. Besides them, there were only two young girls walking towards them from the other side.

The long overpass seemed to be suspended in the red-tinged sky, with high-rise buildings and the evening glow as their backdrop.

“Could this also be part of your plan?” she said with a smile.

Tan Zhi Xu took her hand, smiled faintly, “No, the beautiful scenery and Shihao gave me a sudden inspiration.”

His gaze fell on their clasped hands, and Zhu Shihao tilted her head: “Okay, Zhi Xu and Shihao, can dance.”

Beautiful scenery, Zhi Xu, Shihao.

With a soft laugh, Tan Zhi Xu released her hand, took a half step back, and very formally bowed and extended his hand to her.

“Miss Zhu Shihao, may I have this dance?”

Placing her hand in his, and lifting the hem of her skirt with the other, she tiptoed: “It would be an extreme honor.”

The person in front of him was just like she had been many years ago when he pulled her in to learn to dance as his partner, her bright and charming features had no flaws when she looked at him with a gentle and lively smile.

She was the most precious treasure in the world, shining brightly yet exquisitely clear.

“Shihao, you are so pure.”

This sentence came a little out of nowhere, but she still smiled lightly: “Yes, I love you, very purely.”

Tan Zhi Xu’s eyebrows rose, the curve of his lips grew wider, he raised his arm, holding hers high above her head.

“Shihao, don’t steal my lines.”

The group waiting under the overpass looked at each other in dismay.

Ran Cai looked completely bewildered: “Did the flow we agreed on include this part?”

“No.” Li Chennan patted Wei Wang’s shoulder, “Fly over and take a look.”

“Okay.” Receiving this mission, Wei Wang puffed out his chest, full of confidence, and began to fiddle with the controls, already familiar with the operation.

The drone slowly rose.

Coming so suddenly, with such a clear goal and in such a public way, it was hard not to notice.

“They came pretty well-prepared,” Zhu Shihao said, assessing the situation.

Tan Zhi Xu chuckled, pulling her into his arms, placing a large hand on her lower back, not caring at all that there were viewers watching their “performance” live from under the bridge, and lowered his head to kiss her lips.

“Yeah. Very formal.”

She smiled and asked, “Just because it’s formal?”

Tan Zhi Xu suddenly smiled, his eyes fixed on her: “Mainly because I love you very much, every day is precious, and every important moment is worth remembering a million times over.”

Zhu Shihao pretended to be serious and nodded, agreeing with a sound of “hmm” to express her satisfaction.

Touching her face, Tan Zhi Xu put his arm around her waist, turned sideways to look at the drone and crooked his finger.

The people below all looked up at the same time, but of course they couldn’t see the faces of the two people at this distance, so they looked at each other again in dismay.

After waiting for a while, there was still no reaction.

Tan Zhi Xu: “…”

“See, that’s how important it is to have an intelligent team,” he mocked expressionlessly.

Pulling out his phone, he immediately called the number at the top of his call history.

“Can’t you understand gestures, or are you waiting for me to lay out a red carpet for you?”

“Ah? Ah!” Wei Wang was this lucky guy.

A burst of noise came from the phone, all sorts of chaotic voices, as if things had fallen into chaos.

Tan Zhi Xu decisively hung up the phone.

With his arms around her waist, his face was calm as if there were no strangers peeking at their “performance.” He simply lowered his eyes to look at her, gently brushing away the hair that the wind had blown onto her face.

“When did you guess it?”