Qi Xun stared at the person who suddenly appeared in front of him, feeling as if he were nailed to the spot, unable to move.

Ruan Xinyuan blinked, feeling a rush of heat, his ears uncontrollably turning red. “Professor Qi… is it convenient? If not, then—”

Just as he was about to back out, the person opposite him responded.

Qi Xun actually paused for only a second, smiling at Ruan Xinyuan with a gentle detachment, just like he would with any other student. “I remember you. You’re Qiao Siming from Civil Engineering, right? Is there something about the course you need help with?”

Ruan Xinyuan, recalling the substitute teaching incident, felt even more embarrassed, his head practically steaming. He forced himself to continue, “There’s something quite important. Could we talk on the path behind this building?”

Qi Xun was very understanding, nodding gently and taking the lead.

Ruan Xinyuan watched Qi Xun’s tall figure, took a deep breath, and quickly sent a message to Qiao Siming to give him a heads-up, then followed in small steps.

Qiao Siming, having received the message, hid behind a big tree, placing the roses in position before sneaking away.

This path was usually deserted, and now it was just Ruan Xinyuan and Qi Xun.

Qi Xun stopped at a spot, turned around, and saw the person behind him running up to him. His gaze followed as he turned back around.

Ruan Xinyuan’s cheeks were flushed, as if marked by the sun. “Professor Qi, I need to apologize first. Actually, I’m not Qiao Siming…”

He felt like he was here to confess a crime rather than propose.

Qi Xun’s eyes flickered, signaling him to continue.

“My real name is Ruan Xinyuan, Ruan with the ear radical, Xin as in new year, Yuan as in ingot. That day, my friend had an emergency, so I substituted for him. I promise it won’t happen again!” Ruan Xinyuan spoke sincerely, his palms sweaty.

Proposing before apologizing, Ruan Xinyuan thought his chances of success had dropped from one percent to 0.1 percent.

Qi Xun’s lips curled slightly. Just as he was about to speak, he saw the person in front of him run off again, this time to a tree, and then come back out.

The bouquet of ninety-nine roses was heavy, as large as a girl’s ball gown. It had already attracted attention when Ruan Xinyuan brought it onto campus.

Of course, it also caught Qi Xun’s attention now.

Qi Xun was once again nailed to the spot.

The roses bloomed passionately, the vibrant red complementing Ruan Xinyuan’s face, both dazzlingly beautiful.

But in Qi Xun’s eyes, there was only room for one person.

Ruan Xinyuan held the roses, took a few steps forward, his ears completely red, and with a thick face, he lied, saying the lines he had prepared in advance.

His gaze was straightforward, his words direct.

“Professor Qi, I’ve actually had a crush on you for a long time. Could you, seeing how sincere I am…”

“Skip dating and just marry me.”

Ruan Xinyuan finished his sentence, handed the bouquet to Qi Xun, and immediately bent down, ready to say his next prepared line and then run away.

“Qi…”

“Okay.”

The deep, pleasant voice was calm, as always, giving a sense of composure.

“Huh?” Ruan Xinyuan’s pupils trembled.

Wait, what?!

Qi Xun tilted his head and repeated, his smile flawless, “Okay, I agree.”

He pulled out the card from the bouquet, seeing a string of numbers and a WeChat ID written in neat handwriting. “Is this your contact information?”

“Yeah, right, it’s my contact info…” Ruan Xinyuan instinctively followed his words.

His eyes were a bit dazed, unable to think, caught in a confusion where he thought he was solving an A-level advanced math problem, only for it to turn into a 1+1 arithmetic question.

Where did it go wrong?

No, it seems nothing went wrong.

Shouldn’t it be normal for it to go this smoothly???

Even a 0.1 percent chance could succeed???

Ruan Xinyuan instinctively looked at him and murmured, “Professor Qi, don’t you need to think about it—”

“No need. I have things to do. We’ll discuss the marriage details after I add your contact. We’ll find a chance to talk face-to-face.” Qi Xun politely accepted the huge bouquet of roses.

“See you.” He waved.

Ruan Xinyuan waved back blankly, “See you.”

Qi Xun’s figure, holding the flowers, gradually disappeared from his sight. He didn’t come back to his senses for a long time.

Until Qiao Siming rushed back to his side, looking both curious and anxious, “How did it go? I just saw Professor Qi leave with that big bunch of roses. Hey, I thought according to the original plan, you were supposed to run out first. Why is it different from our script…”

Qiao Siming rambled on.

“He agreed.” Ruan Xinyuan’s voice was weak, interrupting him.

Qiao Siming almost didn’t catch it. He paused, relaxing, “Agreed to add you on WeChat? That’s good, why do you look so lost? It means you made a good impression today, he didn’t dislike you. Maybe if you keep pursuing for a month or two, you’ll succeed, and your life-saving medicine will be in hand soon…”

Ruan Xinyuan interrupted him a second time.

“He agreed to my proposal.”

The air was silent for three seconds, the wind rustling the leaves.

The sun’s afternoon power was strong, causing a bead of sweat to drop from Qiao Siming’s forehead onto the ground.

The next second, Qiao Siming let out a sharp yell.

“What the heck?! What?!”

“Shh—” Ruan Xinyuan snapped back and covered his mouth, “Even if no one’s around, keep it down!”

Qiao Siming’s face turned red, panting, clearly not expecting this, “Oh my gosh, I wondered why he left so calmly. You didn’t follow the script, and he agreed?”

“He doesn’t even know you, right?”

Ruan Xinyuan coughed twice, fiddling with his fingers, muttering, “Actually, he recognized me, thought I was you, because when I subbed for your class, I almost forgot to respond to roll call, so he remembered me…”

“So I explained it to him just now, saying you had something urgent, and it wouldn’t happen again.”

Ruan Xinyuan smiled sheepishly.

Qiao Siming listened, cringing, “I had a part in this too?”

“So you only met once… Wow, we were trying to ‘trick’ him, and now it feels like we got ‘tricked.'”

“I didn’t expect this. I was planning to say after the proposal, it’s okay if you don’t agree now, just add my contact from the card, and I’ll come find him next time to pursue him slowly. But he didn’t give me a chance,” Ruan Xinyuan’s face was still hot. “I just finished speaking, and he agreed, straightforwardly, without hesitation.”

“He even said he’d add my contact and find a chance to discuss the marriage details later.”

Qiao Siming calmed down a bit, thoughtfully, “But our goal was achieved. We thought he was at fault, but his quick agreement was unexpected. Anyway, the most important thing now is to stay alive. You can explain to your parents, and as for why he agreed so quickly…”

“I can just ask,” Ruan Xinyuan recalled Qi Xun’s straightforward expression when he agreed, making a decision. “He must know it’s strange to agree directly, right? After all, I said it was a crush, which makes some sense. He’ll probably explain it to me later. Either way, I can’t lose. He’s still my lifesaver.”

Qiao Siming nodded, also relieved, “Right, you’re saved.”

Ruan Xinyuan chuckled, feeling a weight lift off his chest.

“But…” Qiao Siming hesitated.

Ruan Xinyuan looked at him, “But what?”

“We haven’t covered how you fell for him, how long you’ve had a crush, and why you chose to propose directly,” Qiao Siming was a bit worried. “What if he asks you these things?”

Ruan Xinyuan felt a headache coming on, his conscience pricked like never before.

Isn’t this delaying someone’s marriage to save his own life?

“Sigh!”

Ruan Xinyuan squatted down in frustration, looking in the direction Qi Xun had left.

“Just… say I saw him online, so I applied to this school, and when I heard he was still single, I couldn’t help it. Anyway, he agreed.”

Qiao Siming shook his leg, “That works, that works. Anyway, you handle it. Let’s go eat!”

Ruan Xinyuan, being dragged by Qiao Siming, thought he must treat Qi Xun, whose marriage he was delaying, well in the future.

*

In the Underworld of Zhongyuan, Department of Reincarnation, Jixie Platform.

“The Three-Life Water has a spirit. The soul of nearly a thousand years has reunited to reincarnate. Perhaps it’s the result of that event a hundred years ago.” Tai Jiaoyue gazed at the emerald river, hiding her emotions.

“Your Majesty, that widower from the south is here again.” The lively Little Bone Spirit fluttered, affectionately leaning on Tai Jiaoyue’s back, whispering in her ear.

“Be careful with your words.” Tai Jiaoyue smiled, gently tapping Little Bone Spirit’s forehead with her finger.

Then she gestured, and Little Bone Spirit bounced away to bring the visitor into Jixie Platform, slipping out the door.

Tai Jiaoyue habitually smiled when she saw the visitor, but then noticed the man in front of her, unusually dressed in red in the underworld. It was a brand-new red robe, embroidered with golden phoenixes, even the hairband holding half of his long hair was a bright red, shimmering with gold.

This outfit… the last time she saw it was hundreds of years ago.

“The person you saw is him. The Three-Life Water is disturbed. I’ve confirmed it for you.” Tai Jiaoyue got straight to the point.

Qi Xun stared at the rippling water, a genuine smile appearing on his face for the first time in ages.

Tai Jiaoyue found it a bit strange.

This smile was too sincere, not like Qi Xun’s usual demeanor.

After all, the ghostly aura around him was usually more dead than the dead.

“He proposed to me in the human world, saying he’s been fond of me for a long time.”

Qi Xun approached the Three-Life River, squatting down, his palm touching the water, his voice gentle enough to become the water brushing past his fingertips.

No one spoke for a moment.

“I remember Zhong Kou is skilled in medicine, especially with ghosts…” Tai Jiaoyue wanted to continue tactfully, but a brilliant light flashed before her eyes.

Qi Xun glanced at her, said nothing, and waved his hand, a red light flashing by.

Tai Jiaoyue looked down at the river, seeing in Qi Xun’s conjured memory the entire process of his proposal.

It confirmed Qi Xun wasn’t delusional from a long illness.

Tai Jiaoyue was a bit stunned, “But the red thread on his forehead hasn’t moved, this…”

“That’s not important.” Qi Xun’s expression returned to its usual coldness.

“I just want to know if he can reincarnate after this life and what his fate will be.”

Tai Jiaoyue gave him a deep look, sighed, and leaped onto Jixie Platform.

She stood facing the Three-Life River, using her middle finger to lightly tap the red mark on her forehead, closing her eyes.

“Holy Water of Three Lives, destined for the heavens, debts and blessings balanced, fortune and misfortune intertwined, this life’s burdens, reincarnation’s cycles, life and death revealed…”

Qi Xun watched the stirred emerald water. After a few minutes, he looked up at the platform, seeing Tai Jiaoyue open her eyes with rare confusion.

He frowned, watching her fly down from the platform.

“Did you not find his life name in the Destiny Pavilion?” Tai Jiaoyue spoke heavily.

Qi Xun’s fingertips trembled, “Yes.”

The Destiny Pavilion is the underworld’s archive, recording the names, life events, and reincarnation fates of the deceased. Generally, after a person dies, their information is recorded in the Book of Life and Death until their next reincarnation.

Only two kinds of people aren’t recorded.

One, whose three souls and seven spirits have dissipated, can no longer reincarnate, and no longer exist in the world.

The other, who isn’t a mortal, is a god or has become a ghost.

But now Ruan Xinyuan has reappeared, entered reincarnation, ruling out the first case.

Entering reincarnation as an ordinary mortal contradicts the second case.

So Qi Xun came to Tai Jiaoyue. As the ghost-saint envoy managing the Jixie Platform of the Department of Reincarnation, she could glimpse the fate of mortals in the Three-Life Water, almost without exception, even gods and ghosts.

Tai Jiaoyue’s delicate brows furrowed like ripples on the Three-Life Water. Her lips parted slightly, revealing the result of her spell.

“His present life and future are both blank.”

*

“Xinyuan, why do you keep looking at your phone today? Are you waiting for someone’s message?” Fang Youzhi couldn’t help but ask when Ruan Xinyuan checked his phone for the fifth time during dinner.

Ruan Xinyuan looked up with a smile, telling half the truth, “Waiting for my crush to add me on WeChat.”

“Oh, you’ve met someone you like?” Fang Youzhi adjusted his glasses, clearly a bit excited, curious, “Where did you meet them? Hey, why is he adding you on WeChat? Shouldn’t you add him?”

Ruan Xinyuan kept it vague, smiling mysteriously, “I’ll tell you when I succeed. Just remember to keep it a secret for now.”

“Sure, no problem.” Fang Youzhi, though curious, knew when not to press further.

Ruan Xinyuan checked his phone for the sixth time, noticing a red dot on his contacts.

Feeling a bit nervous, he clicked it, his heart pounding like it was being tossed in the wind.

It was someone with a profile picture of an ancient scroll corner.

The “new friend” request had a note.

[I’m Qi Xun, your fiancé.]