The entire proposal didn’t include kneeling on one knee, candlelit dinners, or even the most common clichés, let alone any novel proposal ideas.

But Shang Xinglu inexplicably felt… comforted.

They sat calmly at the same table, with no sense of hierarchy between them; the two were completely equal.

What they faced wasn’t the romance of a couple but the actual reality of marriage.

The marriage of two people.

Although none of the proposal ideas from her research were used, she casually mentioned it during dinner, and Lin Heng calmly took out the ring to propose after she mentioned it.

But this ordinary, plain, and calm approach gave Shang Xinglu a different kind of meaning.

Her heart suddenly felt sweet.

She looked at the diamond ring.

It was the same one they had used during their previous wedding.

When they divorced, Shang Xinglu found a chance to return it to Lin Heng.

At that time, it had really upset him.

She didn’t expect Lin Heng would keep it.

In fact, Shang Xinglu really liked this ring. She had to admit, Lin Heng understood her very well, and the style of the ring perfectly matched her taste.

With Lin Heng’s capabilities, buying a large, multi-carat diamond ring for the engagement would have been no problem, and buying a new one for the proposal now would have been easy too.

But Shang Xinglu didn’t like the big, flashy ones.

They were too big, like wearing a light bulb on the finger; she simply couldn’t appreciate the beauty.

This one, though, was a six-carat diamond cut into a princess shape. The design didn’t have any outstanding features but maximized the diamond’s clarity and purity. At first glance, it wasn’t eye-catching, but the more you looked at it, the more you felt its elegance.

In the days leading up to the proposal, Shang Xinglu had wondered if Lin Heng had prepared a new ring.

At the time, she felt a little uncomfortable. To be honest, she was a bit sentimental, and in her eyes, the engagement ring should always be the same—changing it might give the impression of changing husbands…

Of course, she hadn’t shared these thoughts with Lin Heng.

She hadn’t even figured out how she wanted the proposal to happen, so was it really too much to think about the ring?

Lin Heng, however, had the same thought as her.

This kind of mutual understanding made Shang Xinglu feel even sweeter. Surprise and joy slowly faded from her face, her expression stiffened for a moment, and then she started… giggling like a fool.

It was truly just silly laughter.

This feeling was even better than when she had lost her memory and thought she had billions in unexpected wealth from her divorce.

She gave a soft “mm” to show her agreement. At this point, Shang Xinglu had lost the ability to speak, and she kept nodding silly, reaching out to grab the ring.

Slap.

Her hand was lightly slapped.

Shang Xinglu looked up in surprise, “What are you doing? Don’t regret it! This ring is mine now, I’ve agreed to marry you, it’s too late to regret it, a verbal contract counts as a contract!”

Lin Heng, at that moment, was both amused and exasperated.

Louise was so willing to marry him, of course, he was happy.

But…

Lin Heng took out the ring and said, “You can’t put it on yourself.”

Shang Xinglu: “Oh right…”

As she said this, she reached out, her movements uncharacteristically shy, her eyes narrowing with a glimmer of water in them.

Lin Heng’s smile deepened.

He finally stood up and then knelt on one knee.

Lin Heng took Shang Xinglu’s hand, solemnly placing the ring on her fourth finger.

It was on.

A gentle kiss followed.

Indeed, the ring had to be on her hand to feel complete.

Lin Heng said, “…Now can I kiss my bride?”

Shang Xinglu laughed and pushed his face away, “You skipped a lot of steps, Mr. Lin!”

At that moment, Shang Xinglu remembered something.

She straightened her face, becoming quite serious.

“Wait, Lin Heng, I just remembered…”

Was there something blocking their remarriage?

Before Lin Heng could think more carefully, Shang Xinglu said, “Once we get the certificate, we won’t be living illegally anymore… This is us stepping back from the edge of breaking the law, right?”

Hearing this, Lin Heng was extraordinarily calm.

He stood up and said, “Then I’ll tell the police that I never wanted to break the law, it was someone who forced me.”

Shang Xinglu: “???”

Is this how Mr. Lin sells his wife?!

…

The proposal was simple and direct, but that didn’t mean marriage would be simple and direct. On the contrary, it was the more complicated and troublesome part.

Lin Heng first invited Shang Xinglu’s parents for a meal.

Mr. Shang was very eager for a clear public acknowledgment, so getting his parents’ approval was important.

During the meal at the Shang family’s home, Lin Heng brought it up seriously.

Shang Xinglu’s parents didn’t know the full reasons behind the divorce, but they knew part of it—their daughter had caused the trouble.

She had insisted on the divorce, and after losing her memory, she calmed down for a while, but who knew she was still thinking about the divorce?

The older generation, like Shang Xinglu’s parents, were somewhat conservative in their thinking.

So, in their eyes, it was all Shang Xinglu’s fault!

When you think about it, the Shang family really had a tough time—the daughter rebellious, the son useless—what did they do in their past lives to deserve this?

In contrast, Lin Heng’s image was increasingly heroic!

Shang Xinglu’s parents felt deeply guilty towards Lin Heng.

As they had done a thorough background check before, this meal was more of a symbolic gesture, with only a few casual questions asked.

It was Shang Xinglu’s brother, Shang Xingyu, who remarked: “Huh? You guys are remarrying so soon?”

So soon?

Lin Heng didn’t think so.

Shang Xinglu tilted her head: “So soon?”

Shang Xingyu: “Yeah! It’s been just over a year.”

Lin Heng already wanted Shang Xingyu to shut up.

Actually, Shang Xingyu didn’t have any particular issue with Lin Heng—he was just naturally a… troublemaker.

Shang Xingluo said, “Yeah, for you, a year flies by, and yet you’re still single.”

Shang Xingyu: “???”

Wait, why the personal attack?!

The two siblings started arguing again.

Lin Heng said, “It’s not that fast. There’s still a month left to prepare for the wedding. If you think about it, the year is almost over.”

At that moment, the entire Shang family: “???”

Shang Xingluo: “One month?”

Shang Xingyu: “One month to prepare a wedding is actually really fast…”

Shang Xingluo: “Then won’t I be running around non-stop, trying on wedding dresses, taking photos, sending out invitations, and handling everything else?”

Father and Mother Shang: “A month is a bit rushed.”

But Lin Heng asked, “Is it? I think it’s just right.”

The whole Shang family: “…”

Then Father Shang, Mother Shang, and little brother Shang all looked at Shang Xingluo with disdain. Their gazes clearly said—Look at what you’ve done to him. He used to be such a calm, mature, and composed gentleman, and now?

Shang Xingluo didn’t notice at all.

She had already experienced one wedding before, so now all she could think about was how busy she was going to be for the next month…

She slumped into her chair. “So fast… I don’t even feel like getting married anymore…”

Lin Heng: “?!”

Lin Heng’s eyes widened in shock.

Before he could even speak, Shang Xingluo weakly said, “Why don’t we just get the marriage certificate and be done with it? What’s the point of all this hassle…”

Father and Mother Shang immediately stopped her from being childish.

Shang Xingyu, the natural chaos-bringer, burst into laughter. “Look at my brother-in-law’s face—it’s turning pale! This is hilarious!”

Lin Heng: “…”

Lin Heng felt bitter inside.

Actually, the happiest person about Lin Heng and Shang Xingluo’s remarriage wasn’t them—it was Assistant Yuan.

Maybe it was because he had spent so much time booking “must-visit restaurants for the city’s wealthy couples” and arranging countless gifts, but Assistant Yuan felt like he was playing a dating sim and had finally unlocked the wedding CG.

He was deeply moved.

There was another reason, too.

When their relationship was bad, they took it out on him.

When they broke up and kept chasing after each other, they still took it out on him.

Now they had finally reached their happy ending! That means I can finally retire from this mess, right?!

With good news comes a good mood.

Assistant Yuan was feeling great, and he figured his boss must be in the same high spirits. So, he gathered his courage and asked something that had been bothering him for years.

“Mr. Lin, I have a small question.”

Lin Heng: “What is it?”

Assistant Yuan asked, “Two years ago, you and Miss Shang got married not long after dating. You even signed a prenup, so there were no financial disputes. Plus, you spent most of your married life in the U.S. By all logic, your relationship wasn’t that deep. So why did you refuse to divorce her?”

Was it really just a matter of stubbornness between them?

Having worked as Lin Heng’s assistant for years, Yuan didn’t think so.

Lin Heng’s expression turned stern.

Assistant Yuan, quick to read the atmosphere, immediately made his exit.

The moment he left, Lin Heng’s face relaxed.

When Yuan had asked that question, Lin Heng couldn’t help but think back to the time they were at the planetarium together.

Back then, Shang Xinglu had picked him up on the roadside and taken him to her part-time job at the observatory, saying she’d give him a private tour of areas usually closed to the public.

Lin Heng had no interest in astronomy, yet that day, he unexpectedly spent a lot of time waiting for her.

First, a group of elementary schoolers came and left.

Then, a group of college students arrived and departed.

Just as they were leaving, a student’s little sister hesitated before approaching Shang Xinglu.

“Excuse me, can I ask you something?”

Shang Xingluo smiled. “Go ahead.”

The high school girl asked, “You’re an astronomy major, right? How did you decide on this field? I heard it’s really hard to find a job, and most people in this field barely make any money… But I really love it. I don’t know if I should choose a major with better job prospects or follow my passion.”

For a moment, Shang Xinglu didn’t know how to answer.

That was a difficult question for anyone. Any answer she gave could influence the girl’s future—it was a heavy responsibility.

For someone so young to already be thinking so rationally, it was impressive.

Shang Xinglu carefully considered her response.

After a brief silence, she said, “Did you know that in astronomy, most theories are just hypotheses made by scholars? Many phenomena still can’t be observed, even with the most advanced telescopes.”

“For example, black holes. To put it simply, a scientist once solved Einstein’s gravitational field equations and found a solution that suggested a strange singularity where a massive amount of matter was concentrated at a single point. That’s how the concept of black holes came to be. It took a long time for the public to accept the idea of black holes, and only recently did a research team at MIT manage to refine their algorithms and produce the first true image of a black hole.”

“In comparison to the vast universe, humanity is insignificant. Many of the theories we believe in today might take centuries to prove right—or be completely disproven. But before we reach a conclusion, who can say what’s true and what’s false?”

Her voice in that moment sounded different from usual.

It was as if she was speaking not only to the high school girl—but to herself as well.

She had once struggled with the same dilemma. But as an outsider looking at someone else’s struggles, she could now see more clearly.

Shang Xinglu sighed softly and continued, “So sometimes, I think… Maybe our choices and efforts aren’t just about the end result. If we can pick up some beautiful flowers along the way, isn’t that worthwhile too?”

Then, realizing she had spoken too much, she chuckled and gently patted the girl’s head. “Hurry and catch up with your group before you get lost.”

The high schooler, still a little confused, quickly ran after her classmates.

Lin Heng had listened to every word.

In fact, Shang Xinglu had been so absorbed in talking about astronomy that she had completely forgotten he was there.

Lin Heng stared at her profile, not even blinking.

At that moment, he heard his own heart speaking.

It has to be her. No one else will do.