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The Grand Hotel in Stockholm, 4 a.m.
Zhang Man chatted about old times, getting more excited as she talked. Soon, she was too wired to sleep.
Well, the award ceremony is over. We can sleep in tomorrow.
“Honey,” she said, “I took a month off from work, and you don’t have any classes right now. How about we stay here tomorrow and go to Italy the day after? We could drive around the Mediterranean—Spain, France, Croatia…”
As she spoke, she gently swung his arm and leaned close, her eyes sparkling. “Pretty please? It’s been so long since we’ve had time alone together, ever since Morning was born.”
Both of them usually worked long hours. She ran a mental health clinic in Princeton, and he taught at a university. After work, they’d spend time with their daughter.
Come to think of it, their last vacation together had been three years ago in Cuba.
“Sure, I’ll go anywhere you want.”
His voice had deepened since college, giving him a mature charm. The only thing that hadn’t changed was the gentle tone in his words.
He turned on the bedside lamp as he spoke, then looked at her.
For a moment, he just stared, lost in thought.
Zhang Man felt flustered under his gaze and covered her face. “What are you looking at? Is it my crow’s feet? I’m 35 now, only one line! Just one! It appeared this year… Still pretty good for my age! You’re not allowed to stare at me like that. Hmph, it’s late at night, and I haven’t even put on makeup.”
She turned away indignantly. “Yes, you’re so popular at your school,” she continued. “Young women in their twenties see you on the street and call you ‘heartthrob’ instead of ‘professor.’ Do you think less of me now?”
Despite her words, the corners of her mouth twitched upwards slightly.
She already knew the answer; she just wanted to hear him say it again and again.
“Man-man…” The man leaned in, cupped her face, and kissed her softly. “You’ll get more wrinkles, and I’ll get age spots too… We’ll both grow old. Thank you for growing old with me.”
He gently touched the wrinkle at the corner of her eye, his gaze deepening.
When I was younger, I thought I loved you as much as possible. But now I realize I love you a little more each day.
At first, Zhang Man felt a bit angry. What do you mean ‘more wrinkles will come’?
But as she listened, for some reason, her nose started tingling.
Yes, she thought, we’ll both get old someday. Our hair will turn white, our skin will wrinkle and sag, and we’ll get those age spots.
But growing old together with him is the only wish I’ve had all these years.
After feeling moved, she still wondered about his earlier daze. “So why were you staring at me like that just now?”
Li Wei pulled her close, his rare gentle smile appearing. “I saw your eyes shining as you looked at me, and suddenly I remembered when we got married. I remember putting the ring on your finger at the hotel, in front of so many friends and family. You just stood there, looking at me with such brightness and foolishness, until you suddenly cried and forgot to put my ring on.”
That moment would stay with him forever.
Zhang Man pushed him away playfully. “Hmph, you don’t understand at all.”
In his mind, they’d been together since high school, but she’d lived two lifetimes.
Only she knew how hard it had been to make this happen.
She did recall crying not just at the wedding, but also before, back in Beijing. That day in the living room, she seemed to have cried even harder.
That year, when Li Wei returned home and met Cheng Zimo for the first time, it was their beginning.
On that day in bed, Zhang Man clearly heard him propose to her. But for the next half month, he never mentioned it again.
She tried to bring it up several times, but he avoided the topic every chance he got. This made her really upset. She was also busy finishing up her experiments and papers, so she didn’t have time to chase after him about it.
One night at 8 PM, Zhang Man finally finished editing her final paper draft and sent it to her boss from the lab.
She slumped over on the table for a while, feeling down. Eventually, she gathered up all her stuff and headed back to her dorm room.
Inside, Liu Mumu wasn’t playing games like usual. Instead, she was writing a report for class. She looked surprised when Zhang Man came back.
“Manman, why are you here today? Haven’t you been going to your ‘love nest’ lately?”
Zhang Man threw all her textbooks, experiment guides, and thick reference papers onto the table. She rubbed her temples tiredly and collapsed into a chair.
“Don’t even mention him right now…”
Now that she’d finally finished everything, she couldn’t help thinking about what had happened before.
He… must’ve picked up some bad habits during his year in America.
This doesn’t make sense, she thought. We clearly agreed on it in bed that time, so why hasn’t he mentioned it since? Did he only say it because he wanted to sleep with me?
Deep down, Zhang Man believed him, thinking he might have just forgotten. Still, she felt uneasy about the situation.
Isn’t proposing marriage a big deal? How could he forget something like that so quickly?
She couldn’t help but wonder, Why can’t he remember this when he remembers everything else? Since their first time together, he had been asking her out almost every night—each time getting more intense than before.
Hearing her concerns, Liu Mumo leaned in curiously. “What happened? Did you guys fight?”
Zhang Man wasn’t sure how much to reveal, so she asked tentatively, “So… if a guy suddenly proposes to you but then never brings it up again, what does that mean?”
She’d never experienced anything like this, even if she lived two lifetimes. When Uncle Xu proposed to Zhang Huifang, it was straightforward and clear. He wouldn’t have proposed and then pretended it never happened…
However, Liu Mumo’s focus was completely different. “Wait, seriously? The boss proposed to you?! You’re both so young! Wow… how did he do it?”
Zhang Man blushed at her friend’s excited look. “It wasn’t really a formal proposal. He just suddenly said he was 22 now and asked if I wanted to marry him…”
Liu Mumo’s eyes sparkled like stars. “Where did this happen? At an upscale restaurant? A candlelit dinner? Were there flowers and rings involved? Oh my goodness, with how rich your boyfriend is, did he get you a huge diamond ring?”
Zhang Man opened her mouth but couldn’t speak for a moment. Finally, she managed to say, “No… we were just at home.”
“At home? When did he bring it up?”
“Um… it was…” Zhang Man hesitated, not wanting to reveal they’d been talking in bed. “Yeah, we were having dinner together when he mentioned it.”
“Hmm, so that’s what happened. Do you think he might have just said it casually? You know, men often use sweet talk to impress women. Besides, remember how you two started college early? It makes sense that you’re both younger than most people your age would be. Getting married this young seems surprising.”
After a pause, Liu Mumo added, “Don’t worry too much about it, Zhang Man. The fact that he brought it up shows he has good intentions and wants to marry someday. That’s actually pretty nice of him.”
Zhang Man sighed.
Maybe I’m making more of this than I should, she thought.
Just then, another roommate named Chai Xiaochen returned and said, “Zhang Man, your guy is waiting for you downstairs. Didn’t you get his calls?”
Zhang Man picked up her phone and saw several missed calls. She had turned off her ringer in the lab without noticing.
Still feeling a bit annoyed, she quickly gathered her things and rushed down the stairs.
In the dark night, a young man stood below wearing a baseball cap and all black clothes, quietly waiting for her.
The moment he saw her, his eyes lit up brighter than the streetlights behind him.
Many students passed by, including some in white coats who had just finished their experiments. Despite wearing clothes as dark as the night, the young man stood out clearly.
A smile slowly spread across Zhang Man’s face.
Forget it, she thought. Let’s pretend those words were just sweet talk. I won’t hold it against him.
There would be plenty of time to think about marriage later.
She walked over and wrapped her arm around the young man’s waist. “Boyfriend, I’m finally done with work! Now we can relax for a really long time!”
The young man patted her head. “Yeah, me too.”
Zhang Man’s lips twitched slightly. He was at home every day—she wondered what he could possibly be so busy with. So busy that he even forgot his promises.
At that moment, the young man leaned down to kiss her. But because he was wearing a cap, its brim hit her forehead instead.
Both of them froze for a moment, then burst into laughter.
When they got home, Zhang Man collapsed onto the sofa, too tired to move. She started talking non-stop about all the annoying things she’d had to do to finish her thesis.
“… The heating in the lab was broken, so I had to work with a hot water bottle. My hands were freezing! And did you know? Our boss made me change it five times! Oh my god, is he even human…? There were also some problems with part of the experiment results. It almost didn’t get done at all. But it’s okay now, everything’s finished…”
He warmed up a glass of milk and brought it over. Instead of making her drink it herself, he carefully fed her, drop by drop. After she drank, he even used a tissue to wipe her mouth.
“Good job, sweetie.”
Zhang Man sat up and took this chance to ask him for a kiss. Out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly noticed a thick stack of something on the coffee table.
“What’s this?”
She picked up one of the pieces. It was dark red and stiff, like a folded card, but the edges were covered in soft silk – very fancy-looking.
They hadn’t turned on the living room lights when they came in, so she squint输卵 by the dim light near the door, trying to make out what was written on the card.
Their names were written on the dark red, intricately carved cover, looking serious and formal together.
Zhang Man’s heart started pounding.
She stood up and turned on the crystal chandelier in the living room; the sudden brightness was almost blinding.
After a moment, she steadied herself and opened the card with trembling hands.
Inside was his neat, strong handwriting:
*Dear Mr. Chen Jun,
We cordially invite you to our wedding on April 1st (Saturday). Please join us for this special occasion.*
Best regards, Li Wei
Shaking, she opened one invitation after another.
He had always been meticulous and rule-abiding. All these invitations—handwritten by him—were not just for their high school classmates but also for teachers and relatives from Uncle Xu’s side.
Her heart raced as she looked up at the corner of the living room, where neatly stacked gift boxes waited—they must be the favors he’d chosen.
So that’s what he’s been busy with these past days.
The young man suddenly took her hand. His voice was flat as usual, but there was a slight tremble at the end—he seemed nervous.
“Manman, I’m returning to the US on April 6th, so we don’t have much time left together. I was worried it might affect your thesis progress, which is why I didn’t mention it earlier.
“I’ve already booked a hotel in N City and discussed everything with my uncle and aunt.”
Seeing she hadn’t responded, he hugged her again and whispered softly, “The person who officiates weddings is usually from the groom’s side—like his parents or another elder. I asked Professor Li, our physics department head and my undergraduate mentor, to perform the ceremony. He’s always been very kind to me; when I told him about this, he agreed right away to make time for us.”
“Manman, things are happening quickly, and maybe we’re not fully prepared yet. We’re still young, but…”
He hesitated before adding firmly, “…but I really can’t wait to marry you.”
Up until now, he had spoken without any response from her. With his head bowed, his voice sounded slightly strained as he said, “Last time you promised, so no backing out now.”
In the quiet living room, beneath the sparkling chandelier, the tall young man suddenly pulled a red velvet box from his jacket pocket. Then, with utmost seriousness, he got down on one knee.
“Marry me, Manman.”
Zhang Man would never forget that moment. As soon as she heard those words, she nodded vigorously while tears streamed down her face. She cried even harder than she did during their actual wedding ceremony.
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Lhaozi[Translator]
To all my lock translations, 5 chapter will be unlocked every sunday for BG novels and 2 chapter unlocked every sundays for BL novels. Weekly update for all my ongoing translations. Support me in Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/lhaozi_23 If you have concerned in all my translations, DM me in Discord: Lhaozi(I'm a member in Shanghai Fantasy discord)