Chapter 1367 - 1364: I Won’t Blame You

Chapter 1367: Chapter 1364: I Won’t Blame You

Looking at it now, all along she’d been ignoring such an important day! How much time she’d wasted...

He had long since seen through what was on her mind.

"Everything before is over, silly, I won’t blame you. You don’t need to feel guilty. From now on, every one of my years will have you in it, and every one of your years will have me." Qiao Junlie finished speaking and gently pulled her into his arms.

"Mm." Zi Ruoxi nodded blankly, resting against his chest, feeling that delicate warmth and tenderness.

"When the time comes, I’ll hold a Birthdang, Paty (birthday party) at Caesar Fei’s estate. I’ll make sure our love has a perfect ending..." Qiao Junlie said slowly, choosing every word with care, his lines steeped in emotion. Then his hand slid over her slender palm; on her wrist was still the Jade Bracelet he had given her, that crystal-clear glow fused with his gentleness. Now he had another gift to give, one worthy of her cherishing as the proof of a lifetime of love.

Zi Ruoxi was still lying on the bed, so of course she couldn’t see what Qiao Junlie was doing; she only felt him gently playing with her slender fingers, and then something touched her ring finger, slipped along her skin, and passed through, snugly circling the base of her finger. Zi Ruoxi’s heart lurched. She jerked her head around, startled.

She saw that there was suddenly a shiny diamond ring on her hand. A five-carat, pigeon-egg-sized stone was set on the ring finger of her left hand, both luxurious and dazzling.

Instinctively Zi Ruoxi went to take it off. But Qiao Junlie grabbed her moving hand and pressed it down.

"Don’t take it off." Qiao Junlie’s voice was still gentle.

"This... feels so weird..." Zi Ruoxi bit her lip, the words stumbling out. For some reason, it wasn’t surprise in this moment. He’d actually sprung such a huge shock on her, giving her no mental preparation at all. How was she supposed to handle it? She had agreed to be with him, but it hadn’t even been half a year... She wasn’t the impulsive type, and she definitely didn’t want to act rashly...

She’d told him this before, and he’d agreed. Why was he suddenly unwilling to wait now?

"What’s weird about it? Since we love each other, we should be together forever. Don’t you want that? Don’t you want to have me, forever and ever?" Qiao Junlie asked, his voice carrying a strange urgency. Seeing Zi Ruoxi’s face flush red with embarrassment, yet so clearly holding rejection, his expression suddenly darkened, his voice dipping low. "Don’t tell me you’re still thinking about that man? I still haven’t taken his place in your heart?!"

"No, that’s not it." Zi Ruoxi hurriedly said. Faced with the man’s sharp questions, she didn’t even know how to cope, her pleading gaze radiating her resolve as she countered, "Qiao Junlie, why do you still not believe me?" Then, as if to soothe him, she confessed, "I... love... you, okay!"

That one sentence, those three words carried too much weight, softening the heart that had just hardened inside him. He really couldn’t bear to keep pressuring her.

Qiao Junlie hugged Zi Ruoxi again, his caresses on her smooth back as gentle as flowing water. He loved her body, he loved her soul. He treated everything about her like a Treasure.

Slowly, a stream of compromising murmurs came from him. "All right. We’ll do everything your way, my Fox Immortal, I really am no match for you. Just one word from you and you’ve tamed this little demon."

"But you have to promise me, I can let you be willful, let you be bold, the time limit is one year..." He paused here. Zi Ruoxi suddenly sat up straight, staring at him in startled confusion. Qiao Junlie didn’t respond to her reaction, but every tiny change in her expression fell into his eyes, and he went on, as if nothing had happened, "One year from today, you have to marry me. Whether you say yes or don’t say yes, that’s already the Limit of my patience."

Those words were like a hypnotic melody, as if they had already struck up the long-awaited wedding march in advance.

Uh...

Zi Ruoxi’s brain was buzzing. She carefully mulled over the meaning inside his words.

"What if... I say ’no’?" Zi Ruoxi asked tentatively. Her big eyes revealed an unsettled look. Getting married after just a bit over a year of dating—seriously? She was still really young, okay? Other people could panic all they wanted; she wasn’t about to rush into that "grave" so soon.

Decisive. He crushed that thought.

"There is no ’what if,’ there’s only the result, and there has to be a result." Qiao Junlie corrected her thinking, then looked at her with solemn seriousness. Each word he spoke was clear and unmistakable; you’d have to be an idiot to try and test his patience. "You’re unwilling, right? Fine, then tomorrow—tomorrow we announce the marriage, and a week later we hold the wedding. Quick battle, quick finish."

He left Zi Ruoxi rolling her eyes, about to "collapse" on the spot. It seemed she had no room to choose.

"Be good, listen to me, okay? I know I’m being a bit rushed. But I really love you, I care about you too much, that’s why I’m doing this!" Qiao Junlie coaxed her softly. He held her in his arms, rubbed her hair, pinched her cheeks, and finally let his hand rest on her back, slowly sliding. Basically, he was spoiling her like someone spoils a pet.

"..." A moment of silence—what else could she say, what could she not say. Being loved like this was always happiness. Then there was nothing more to ask for. Zi Ruoxi squinted her eyes, meekly leaning against his bare, awkwardly tense shoulder, hiding a certain surge of emotion.

"Silence means consent. If you don’t say anything, I’ll take it as you agreeing, okay. A year from now, you’ll be my wife. My most perfect wife." Qiao Junlie teased, kissing her hair, then added slyly, "Also, don’t take the ring off. When you wear it, my heart’s at peace!"

"Mm." Zi Ruoxi answered from his shoulder. She raised her left hand, the blazing shine spreading in all directions, giving her long jade-like fingers a perfect highlight. In a way, besides being stunned by this surprise, there was another feeling in her heart—she was moved. Like every girl, she felt that secret joy, only hers was introverted, not shown on the outside. The environment she’d grown up and survived in had made her more mature, more rational.

Marrying into a wealthy family, settling for the status quo, enjoying riches and glory—that really wasn’t her dream, so it wouldn’t become shackles on her either. It was as if a man lived inside her body, forever brimming with hot blood for the fight.

...

The next night, the stars were brilliant, the moon hanging high in the sky.

On the stage at the very center of the university dormitory square, the Birthdang, Paty (birthday party) was in full swing.

The square’s design was very unique; seen from above, it was in the shape of a Cross. The entire Cross-shaped platform lay on a plane of water, the stage surface made of thick tempered frosted glass panels, reflecting the rippling flow of the water beneath. Four long runways extended out from the Cross on the horizontal plane.