My boyfriend lives in the same city, while my family is in the neighboring city. It happened to be my grandmother’s 80th birthday, and since it had been a long time since I last visited her, I ended up staying for a few extra days.

My boyfriend said he couldn’t get away from his own family, so we couldn’t spend our first Valentine’s Day together. Although I was a bit disappointed, it was understandable due to circumstances beyond our control, so I didn’t dwell on it.

Plus, with modern technology, even if you’re miles apart, you can feel like you’re right next to each other—so I didn’t think it was a big deal.

However, on Valentine’s Day, starting in the late afternoon, I suddenly couldn’t reach my boyfriend. His last message was saying that he was helping his mom cook.

Can you imagine how I felt? Normally, if someone doesn’t respond for a long time, I’d worry something bad happened. Especially since he usually responds promptly, and it was Valentine’s Day, of all days.

Had he gone to spend Valentine’s Day with someone else? Did that “white lotus” person show up again? Or had he met with an accident?

The more I thought about it, the worse it got. I called over and over, sending messages that piled up, but still no response.

I didn’t have his parents’ contact numbers, so I reached out to one of his friends whom he usually talks to. But even his friend said they couldn’t get in touch with him.

This unusual situation made me feel even more anxious.

But I was in the countryside, where the roads are hard to navigate even during the day, let alone at night. And without a car, I couldn’t go anywhere.

I forced myself to stay calm and think positively. Maybe he went out with his parents, lost phone signal, or his phone broke.

Despite trying to calm down, my nerves were shot. Everything felt off, and I couldn’t focus on anything all night.

The sound of firecrackers and fireworks went off outside intermittently, but my eyes were glued to my phone, frequently opening the conversation window, terrified I’d miss his message.

My family, including my grandparents, uncles, and cousins, kept asking if something was wrong. I just shook my head and said, “It’s nothing.”

By 9 p.m., my mood had hit rock bottom.

Then, a unique ringtone went off. I quickly abandoned what I was doing, pulled up my pants, and dashed to the bedroom to grab my phone.

It was him—my boyfriend!

Relief washed over me, and I hurriedly answered, yelling, “Where have you been?”

On the other end, his voice, slow and familiar, finally put me at ease. He said, “I… I’m… at your… your… village… village gate… I… I can’t… can’t… find… find your… your house.”

Confusion and surprise hit me. After not hearing from him all evening, how did he end up at my village gate?

Without asking any more questions, I dashed out of the house in front of my whole family and ran towards the village gate under the dim streetlights.

From a distance, I saw a car with its lights on. As I got closer, I could make out a tall figure standing next to the car.

It was really him!

He jogged over to meet me, and I threw myself into his arms.

Instead of bursting into tears, I punched him in the chest, saying, “If you were coming, why didn’t you respond to my messages? I seriously thought you were dead.”

He staggered back from the punch but stood there, grinning foolishly with his arms outstretched, saying, “I… I wanted to… to give you… a… surprise.”

“Surprise, my ass. It was more like a shock.” My tone was still sharp. “And you drove here? Didn’t I tell you the roads here are hard to navigate?”

He smiled, with a hint of laughter in his voice, “Yeah… I drove… drove. Because… I wanted… wanted to… give you… this.”

He stepped back and took a half-step toward the car. The trunk opened unexpectedly.

What should have been a dark trunk was now brighter than the streetlights. Several strings of yellow lights lay neatly among a bed of roses. Above, small flags spelled out “I LOVE YOU,” and in the center was a strangely shaped cake. Even with my 300-degree nearsightedness and without my glasses, I could clearly see the words “I love you” on the cake.

I was caught off guard, feeling like I had suddenly become the star of a viral TikTok video. I’m sure my “wow” face looked ridiculous.

In his right hand, he held a small jewelry box, and for a moment, I thought he was about to propose. But when he opened it, there was a necklace inside—the same one I had once praised while shopping for a New Year’s gift for my mom.

When you’re touched, you can’t help but cry. As he put the necklace around my neck, I pressed against him, unable to hold back my tears.

He said to me, “I… I love… love you.”

“I love you too. But you’re so cheesy! Copying those TikTok videos. How did you find your way here without ever having been here before? You didn’t even let me come pick you up. It’s amazing that you found this place. I should count myself lucky to see you alive.”

I was trying to suppress my excitement and joy, but I couldn’t.

I had imagined so many possibilities, yet I never thought he’d actually come to find me.

Driving from our city to my county takes over three hours. And from the county to my grandmother’s village takes another hour.

The village roads are not only winding but also steep, narrow, and full of forks.

Recently, thanks to a neighboring village’s connection to a fallen hero, our village had begun large-scale road construction, widening the roads and working on building a beautiful countryside.

I had shown him pictures of the paused construction, never thinking he’d be bold enough to come at night.

Fortunately, my boyfriend isn’t dumb. He paid 200 yuan to hire a local guide to follow from the county, leading him here without taking a wrong turn or suffering too much.

At the deserted village entrance, we kissed passionately until our lips ached, then remembered to head back home.

He had bought a ton of New Year’s gifts, stuffing the back seat of the car. Between the two of us, we barely managed to carry everything.

He even thought about retrieving the cake from the trunk for another round. I, exasperated, kicked him in the butt and told him to forget it. “We’ll deal with it tomorrow. Otherwise, that ‘I love you’ thing will keep you locked outside, and you’ll end up sleeping in the car.”

He grinned cheekily and said, “Then… you… you’ll have to… to sleep… with me.”

I shot him a sharp look, “In your dreams.”

That night, after what happened, I completely believed in his love for me and fully embraced my happiness. I had confidence and a feeling deep down that this stuttering guy and I would walk hand-in-hand through life, with all its challenges and beauty.