Chapter 43: Proposal

The swelling on Shuangxu’s face finally subsided after several days.

She wore a mask to work, and her colleagues tactfully refrained from asking about it.

In the break room, everyone was buzzing about a drug bust at a nightclub.

The incident made headlines because it involved several wealthy scions.

Shuangxu was preoccupied with finding new composite materials for hydrogen storage and wasn’t interested in the gossip.

Shu Yang snuck out of the hospital and took Shuangxu to a Japanese restaurant near the company for lunch, with Xiao Liao tagging along.

Over lunch, Shu Yang brought up the incident: “I heard one of them is a big shot, last name Zheng. Do you know him?”

Shuangxu froze: “Zheng Zuye?”

“I don’t know his full name, the news didn’t mention it. It just said ‘Zheng,’ and I overheard some nurses at the hospital gossiping that his grandpa is really powerful.” Shu Yang lowered his voice, “The kind who stands on the reviewing stand during the military parade.”

It had to be Zheng Zuye.

Shuangxu wasn’t sure if Zheng Zuye had actually gotten involved with drugs. Those rich kids were notorious for their antics, but their elders still frowned upon those substances.

The Zheng family certainly had the power to ensure his safety, but this incident would likely put him under strict surveillance for a while.

That would give Shuangxu some peace.

Did this have anything to do with Shen Yu?

Shuangxu was lost in thought when Shu Yang’s chopsticks sneakily reached for her plate.

“Just talk, don’t steal my pork cutlet.” Shuangxu precisely intercepted her chopsticks, “You can’t eat fried food.”

Shu Yang let out a “Hey!” and obediently put down her chopsticks, returning to her salmon salad.

“There’s a Aquarius meteor shower this weekend!” Xiao Liao shouted while playing on her phone, “The best viewing spot is Dongyu Mountain. Should we go?”

“What’s so interesting about a meteor shower?” Shu Yang lacked romantic sensibilities, “It’s just rocks falling from the sky, burning up before they even reach the ground.”

“You can make wishes!” Xiao Liao turned to Shuangxu, seeking a shared sentiment, “Right, boss?”

Unfortunately, her hopes were dashed. Shuangxu said, “I’ve never wished on a meteor shower.”

Xiao Liao was baffled: “You don’t wish on anything? You rich people have such easy lives! I’m becoming envious of the wealthy.”

Shuangxu chuckled: “I used to wish on them. I wished for my brother, and they came true pretty quickly.”

“What about now?” asked Xiao Liao.

“Now?” Shuangxu took a sip of the sake in her glass, a dry sake with a strong bitter aftertaste.

“Now I have no wishes.”

Xiao Liao was about to ask another question when Shu Yang stuffed a piece of pork cutlet into her mouth: “The pork cutlet is so delicious, you have time to talk? If you don’t eat it, I will.”

Yue Zifeng and the others knew about Shuangxu’s company with her friends.

In the eyes of these wealthy scions, her small business was just child’s play.

That day, Shuangxu had just finished a meeting when the big-eyed girl at the front desk knocked on the conference room door, opened it, and said, “Ms. Song, someone’s here to see you. He’s kind of handsome, says he’s your brother.”

Shen Yu?

Shuangxu immediately got up from her seat: “Where is he?”

“He’s in your office.”

Shuangxu returned to her office, and the man who was inspecting her office turned around.

“Yo, you’re done, Ms. Song.”

Shuangxu was wearing a white fitted shirt, a black floral skirt, and a strand of South Sea pearls around her neck.

She was already like a pearl herself, and this outfit made her even more delicate and charming.

Seeing that it was Yue Zifeng, she wasn’t disappointed, just a little let down.

“Zifeng.” She asked, “What brings you here?”

“I was passing by, so I came to see you.” Yue Zifeng sat down at her desk, “I ordered afternoon tea for you. Is your brother good to you?”

Shuangxu’s tea was on the coffee table, coffee, green dumplings, and some exquisite Chinese pastries.

She sat down to eat, asking Yue Zifeng, “Did you come here for something?”

“You’re so smart, you can tell.”

“No business, no visit.” Shuangxu ate an almond cookie, blinking her eyes, “When was the last time you came to see me?”

“What are you saying, our relationship doesn’t require daily visits?” Yue Zifeng walked over, sat next to her, and picked a candied plum from the plate.

“Your brother and Manman’s engagement party is set for the end of next month, Aunt Fu and Aunt He found a good date.”

Shuangxu chewed slowly on the almond cookie, saying nothing.

“Although it’s arranged by the family, Manman wants your brother to propose to her.” Yue Zifeng said, “She’s just a kid, the same age as you, you must understand, she wants a little romance.”

“What does that have to do with me?” Shuangxu swallowed the almond cookie, putting down the unfinished half.

“We haven’t proposed before, and we’ve been racking our brains but can’t come up with anything interesting. Manman doesn’t like the old-fashioned stuff, so we came to you for ideas.”

Shuangxu said, “I’ve never been proposed to either.”

“You’re a girl, and you get along well with Manman, you must know what she wants.”

Even though he wasn’t Shen Yu, Shuangxu was still a little happy to see him.

But that little bit of happiness dissipated as she learned his purpose.

“Did my brother ask you to ask me, or did she ask you to ask me?”

The question left Yue Zifeng a little confused: “They didn’t ask, I was just passing by, and I happened to be here, so I came to see you and ask you. Your brother’s life event, I thought you’d want to participate.”

His words reminded Shuangxu that as a sister, she should be supportive and offer advice.

But she had been proposed to before, but she had never proposed to anyone. Asking her for blessings and advice was really putting her in a difficult position.

After a moment of silence, Shuangxu said: “She just wants a sense of ceremony from my brother’s proposal, not the specific way. I heard there’s a meteor shower this weekend, and Dongyu Mountain is the best place to watch it, you guys can try that.”

The three words “meteor shower” inherently carry a romantic aura. The magnificent wonders of nature become grand blessings, who wouldn’t be moved?

The timing was also perfect. Yue Zifeng suddenly realized: “My sister, you are truly amazing!”

It wasn’t her who was amazing.

After Yue Zifeng left, she called Xiao Liao in and took the rest of the snacks to eat.

Afternoon tea was given to everyone in the company, and everyone was praising the little boss’s brother for being handsome and kind. Shuangxu’s portion was clearly much more lavish than theirs.

Xiao Liao, feeling very touched, stuffed a persimmon custard cake into her mouth: “Is it all for me? Little Boss, you’re too good to me!”

Shuangxu patted her head: “You deserve it.”

Shuangxu only provided inspiration. She didn’t participate in the specific planning of the proposal.

Yue Zifeng and the others arranged the weekend trip to Dongyu Mountain and posted it to the WeChat group.

This group was created a long time ago. The group owner is Yue Zifeng, and Shuangxu was one of the first members, right behind Shen Yu’s profile picture.

Over the years, this small group has only included these brothers who have a very close and trusting relationship with each other. There are only a dozen or so people, and they haven’t added anyone new for years.

Let alone ordinary drinking buddies, even the girlfriends they dated were not qualified to join.

Lu Manman was an exception.

To maintain the mystery of the surprise, Yue Zifeng’s Dongyu Mountain trip was labeled as “weekend camping,” but everyone knew it was for Shen Yu’s proposal.

For such a big event, everyone said they would definitely be there. Even Zuo Zhong, who was supposed to travel abroad for work, canceled his flight and postponed his work.

In the entire group, only Shuangxu and another perpetually inactive prince didn’t reply.

Yue Zifeng individually tagged them.

【@9.9 @H Remember to free up your time this weekend, don’t forget】

When Shuangxu saw this message, she also saw a private chat from Lu Manman.

It was Manman, not Slowly: 【Xiao Jiu, are you coming?】