Chapter 213

The best laid plans often go awry.

The ring had just slipped past the first knuckle of her ring finger when the person in bed suddenly stirred.

Sheng Mumu mumbled softly as she slowly opened her sleepy eyes.

In but a moment, she closed them by instinct.

After two seconds, as if needing time to process things, she abruptly opened her eyes again.

Her pupils shook violently.

The tall, kneeling black shadow beside the bed frightened her into crying out as she sat up and hastily pressed the switch to turn on the bedside lamp.

The light flashed on brightly.

Only when she saw that the black shadow was Qi Mo did her frantically pounding heart finally calm down a bit.

Her voice still carried tremors of shock:

“Why are you not sleeping at this late hour and squatting there...”

Qi Mo did not look at her. His gaze swept toward the crack between the bedside table and the bed.

Just now when she had awakened and reflexively pulled her hand back, the ring had dropped into the crevice.

He had planned at least three backup excuses, but not one could be used now.

The man, skilled at negotiations and controlling the scene in the business world, was panicking.

He lowered his head to look for the fallen ring.

As if to conceal his fluster, he lightly uttered a sentence in an inscrutable tone: “Mm.”

Sheng Mumu: “????”

Sheng Mumu was puzzled.

What kind of answer was “Mm”?

Why was he squatting on the floor so late at night?

Couldn’t sleep so suddenly wanted to do push-ups?

Qi Mo did not seem intent on resolving her confusion. He remained hunched over, groping about in the narrow gap.

The gap was truly too small. A man’s arms were not as slender and supple as a woman’s, so it was very difficult for him to reach inside.

Sheng Mumu looked at his broad shoulders, blinking her eyes doubtfully.

Suddenly, as if realizing something, she opened her eyes slightly wider.

She recalled the cool metallic sensation on her fingertips right before she had opened her eyes earlier.

She also remembered the tension in Qi Mo’s jet-black pupils the instant the light had come on.

Plus there was his kneeling pose...

Various scenes linked together in Sheng Mumu’s mind...

Sheng Mumu silently clenched her fists, grasping the bedsheet so that faint wrinkles appeared.

Many questions bubbled up that she wanted to ask, wanted confirmation about, but she held them in, rendered speechless.

After a long silence, she finally gave voice to the most direct question:

“Qi Mo, were you trying...to propose to me earlier?”

The man’s broad shoulders gave a visible jolt as his movements halted. He raised his head.

The lamplight splashed over his cold, pale skin, cloaking him in a layer of soft, warm radiance.

In those dark eyes slowly surfaced the tense sincerity of one whose plans had gone awry, mingled with a hint of guilt.

Already low and magnetic, his voice took on a stirring charm in the deep of night as notes of disappointment floated over.

It seeped into Sheng Mumu’s eardrums.

He said:

“Yes, I wanted to propose to you.”

“A proposal requires a ring. I wasn’t sure of your finger size, so I thought I’d measure while you slept...”

He heaved a very light sigh.

“But I botched it.”

“I’m sorry.”

He had never felt so vexed at his own foolishness.

Secretly taking her ring measurement, planning a surprise proposal to dazzle her, preparing a grand, unforgettable wedding—it should have progressed step-by-step.

Yet now, he had crashed at the first step.

Sheng Mumu silently watched the man still kneeling by the bedside, not uttering a word.

The alarm she had initially felt gradually settled into calm.

After listening to Qi Mo’s explanation, her heart seemed wrapped in a gently flowing warmth.

Not the breathless pounding of lovers exchanging vows of love,

Nor the nervous quickening that came with intimate skinship.

It was a warmth very characteristic of Qi Mo—solemn and gentle.

The seriousness in his tone explaining things, the softness of his sighing voice.

And moreover, flickering clearly in the depths of his dark pupils, the vexation and remorse.

Everything, everything converged into a silent yet all-encompassing stream of warmth.

A sense of security, substantial as could be, came billowing over her.

Abruptly, Sheng Mumu leaned forward to cup Qi Mo’s face in her hands and declared ringingly:

“Okay.”

“What?” Sandwiched between her hands, one ear partially covered, Qi Mo did not hear clearly.

The next second, Sheng Mumu smiled.

Dimples dented into sweet indentations.

She repeated herself: “I said okay.”

In a flash, Qi Mo clearly heard the intense pounding of his own heart against his ribcage. Just as he was about to speak, Sheng Mumu’s gentle voice floated down from over his head:

“Whether you wanted to secretly measure my ring size, couldn’t sleep in the dead of night and wanted to do push-ups by the bedside, or you wanted to propose, it’s all okay with me. I agree.”

As her words fell, the darkness of the man’s eyes ignited with a fiery glow, brightly scintillating like nephrite jade.

Not giving him a chance to speak, Sheng Mumu held his face and drew near, rubbing the tip of her nose affectionately against his.

Then she suddenly pulled back, grinning playfully.

“Sealed~”

Her existence in this world, her current self, then meeting Qi Mo.

It had all occurred naturally.

So too did this—bursting in on the man’s little scheme, then accepting the bungled proposal. It seemed almost inevitable.

Each step in their relationship’s development had never resembled the earth-shattering love stories in novels.

In a daze, Sheng Mumu recalled a scene about a year ago. In this same bedroom, also late at night, something similar had happened.

It was not long after she had first come to live in this house. Qi Mo had suddenly returned home late and lain down beside her.

She had secretly admired his brows and eyes in the dim moonlight, when he had abruptly awakened.

In just a year, their roles had reversed.

The one harboring secret thoughts while she slept had become Qi Mo, and the one opening her eyes to stumble upon this scene was now her.

They had gotten to know each other in the stillness of silence.

Gradually grown familiar amidst the dull routine of daily life.

The earth completed one revolution around the sun.

And now, on another tranquil night, they made the decision to accompany each other for life.

No wrenching heartbreak, no towering waves, nothing that could be called passionate or fiery.

It was as if they had returned to those eras where everything moved slowly.

Taking so much time to become acquainted, then taking even more time to cautiously feel their way closer bit by bit.

Every node where they crossed a threshold of intimacy could be described as “just right.”

He was introverted and of few words, while she happened to be vivacious and talkative.

She liked to ramble on and share things, and he liked to listen.

The flowing waters of “affection” had simply meandered here by chance.

It was time to turn toward the sea, steering into vaster skies to become “married” in the true sense.

Everything had happened naturally, as if they were always meant to accompany each other through life.

Like how the first snowfall had happened to descend when he confessed.

Like aquatic plants drifting nearby just as little fishes swam past underwater.

Like looking up while running through the rain, then happening upon an eave sheltering from the wetness.

Like when she was happy or dejected with no one around, yet her phone would suddenly light up with his incoming call.

Level-headed as Sheng Mumu was, she had allowed herself that rare moment of fanciful sentimentality.

But it did not last long before she retracted her hands from the man’s face.

Bending down, she reached toward the bedside table gap.

As if destined by some invisible hand, her searching fingertips instantly touched the ring that Qi Mo had been unable to find.

The ring design was simple without any embedded gems, only the brand logo engraved inside.

She slipped it onto her ring finger and studied it from both sides. “It fits perfectly, not too tight or loose.”

Qi Mo grasped her wrist. “This isn’t an engagement ring. It was only for measuring size. We’ll pick the actual wedding bands later—”

“I like this one,” Sheng Mumu interrupted him. “Let’s just use this.”

She recognized the brand. Even their most basic style would cost at least seven figures.

Using it as a one-time sizing tool was truly too extravagant.

Plus she had always believed diamond rings were a consumerist trap.

Savvy as she was, how could she be willing to fall for such material ploys?

She eyed the two larger sized rings in the box, bright eyes glimmering shrewdly.

“This is great. Now there are three. If I get fat later, I can directly switch to the bigger size and save money.”

Qi Mo smiled wryly. “You needn’t save me money.”

“Who’s saving you money?” Sheng Mumu glared at him. “Your money is my money. I’m saving for myself.”

Qi Mo paused briefly before breaking into a low chuckle.

“Yes, my wife.”