☆ 39

Marry me.

Let’s have another wedding, a wedding that belongs to us.

In an instant, Ji Meng understood Su Cheng’s meaning.

She had always thought that she didn’t care about such ceremonies, she was even less concerned about weddings.

In modern society, many people rush into marriage—some even have impromptu or bare-bones weddings. Her university classmates and former colleagues often included those who got married after knowing each other for just a month or even a week, and some even went straight to get a marriage certificate and started living together.

She had always regarded her relationship with Su Cheng as a ^[1]“Bare-bones” refers to something that is minimal, basic, or lacking in unnecessary details.bare-bones, rushed marriage.

But now, with Su Cheng kneeling in front of her, Ji Meng realized that she did care, she also had dreams about weddings and thought about proposals.

The roses and the ring before her felt as if they were being offered directly to her heart, filling her with warmth. Ji Meng wanted to smile, and she genuinely did, her lips curving up. Yet, as she smiled, tears began to roll down her eyes, filling her aching, swollen eyes.

“Have you thought it through? Do you want to marry me?”

“I know you’ve noticed that my temper isn’t so great these days. I can be a bit petty, I have a small heart, and I can’t stand any grain of sand in my eye. Plus, I have a strong sense of possessiveness and I’m quite sensitive and suspicious. I might not even like it if I see you talking to a young, beautiful woman, let alone if I see you helping another woman carry something or passing her scissors…”

Ji Meng was speaking the truth. She hadn’t realized she had so many flaws until recently. She had a strong sense of possessiveness and felt insecure, unable to tolerate her man acting like a central air conditioner, spreading affection and help everywhere. She wasn’t very fond of Meng Ling’s new boyfriend either.

He was too generous with his help, he wanted to lend a hand whenever he saw a woman in need.

When she saw Su Cheng helping a female employee from the collective pass scissors the other day, it made her feel nauseous, so she brought it up with him.

She never beat around the bush, she stated things as they were. Half-jokingly and half-seriously, she said to Su Cheng, “If I were Meng Ling, I would have broken up on the spot.”

“I’m just petty like that. I can’t stand seeing my man being nice to other women. If he wants to be generous, he might as well break up with me first.”

At that time, Su Cheng was in the kitchen picking vegetables. Upon hearing her words, he paused his movements, raised an eyebrow, and glanced at her, replying with three words: “Got it.”

At this time, Ji Meng was actually quite dissatisfied with his answer. Would it hurt to say a little more?

For example, ‘Don’t worry, the issues you’re concerned about will never happen with your man.’

But there was nothing like that.

This made Ji Meng feel frustrated, and she turned to leave.

In front of Su Cheng, she was different from how she was with others.

It felt like two different personalities, in front of others, she was generous, tolerant, and seemed very good at socializing.

But when it came to Su Cheng, she couldn’t manage that at all.

She was awkward and often acted petty.

Sometimes she wondered how long Su Cheng would tolerate her.

Half a year? A year? Maybe even longer?

She didn’t have the answer and felt lost.

Love always has an expiration date, and she wasn’t sure how long their relationship could last.

All she could do was enjoy the present.

If that day never comes, she might feel very sad and in pain, but no matter what, she would still live on, right?

So, although she was uneasy, she wasn’t really afraid.

She hadn’t told anyone about this.

But it seemed that Su Cheng knew.

That night, he talked to her about the situation at his factory and mentioned all the female employees who might have the chance to get close to him. In the end, he hugged her, nibbled her ear, and said softly:

“What you ask for, your man will deliver, but I hope you can have a little more faith in your man and not always feel like we won’t last long.”

At that moment, Ji Meng almost jumped out of bed, her heart skipped a beat, she had never voiced that concern, nor did she think she had shown it. How did he know?

She imitated him and casually replied, “Got it.”

But inside, she was not at ease, she didn’t understand how he saw through her.

She hadn’t asked until tonight, when the atmosphere was nice, and it seemed inappropriate to bring it up. But looking into Su Cheng’s deep, dark eyes, she couldn’t help but ask:

“Do you remember that time I talked to you about Meng Ling’s man handing scissors to someone? Why did you say what you did that night?”

“Do you know that I’ve always been pessimistic about our relationship?”

Upon hearing this, Su Cheng got up from the ground. He fixed his gaze on her for a moment, she probably didn’t even realize how she looked at that moment—her eyes were teary and filled with unease.

What she didn’t know was how deeply he understood her.

Ever since he learned about her past, he had poured all his concern into her. Every move she made, every glance she cast, he paid close attention to.

He was naturally skilled at observing people, even the smallest micro-expressions of ordinary folks would not escape his notice.

In the past, when the security department of the military needed someone for interrogations, they would ask him to assist.

When it came to her, he wouldn’t apply interrogation techniques, but he cared about her deeply, so how could he not notice the various insecurities behind her deliberately carefree facade?

Her little temper tantrums and sensitivity stemmed from her concern for him and her anxiety over her inability to control the future.

Su Cheng understood, but he didn’t mind. She often said he was strange, but in reality, she was strange too. He took joy in her sensitivity to him, he couldn’t ask for more than for her to inquire about his life every day.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re pessimistic, I’ll be optimistic. What you said earlier doesn’t seem like a problem to me. I really like it—I appreciate your honesty with me, and I like that you care about who I interact with. But I want to clarify that I don’t think you’re petty, I see it as you caring for me as your man, and I really like that.”

Su Cheng raised his hand and gently wiped away a tear with his fingertip. His Mengmeng, much like her delicate skin, appeared to be particularly resilient and superior on the surface but was actually fragile, the winds and rains could leave red marks, needing his careful nurturing.

She was more resilient than flowers in a greenhouse, but like those flowers, she needed someone to love and care for her diligently.

“Mengmeng, I love you. I love the way you throw little tantrums and your little jealousies…”

She probably didn’t know how happy he felt when he heard her return and used Meng Ling’s example of her partner to subtly warn him.

How wonderful it was that she cared about him so much, that when she saw a problem with someone else, she could relate it to him.

He loved the way she treated him differently from how she treated others, but he loved her entirely.

However, his silly girl probably didn’t understand that only in front of someone she genuinely cared for and loved would she let down her facade and be a different yet especially genuine version of herself.

“Do you agree? Let’s have a wedding that belongs to us.” In the end, Su Cheng leaned in and kissed away the teardrop clinging to her eyelashes, wrapping his arms around her waist as he softly asked.

Ji Meng met his gaze, remaining quiet for a moment. Suddenly, she smiled and reached out her hand:

“I quite like rubies. Can you help me put it on? But with this gold, gems, and pearls, I can’t really wear them out. For wedding rings, you might still have to go to the silver shop to pick out a pair of wedding bands?”

“Oh, and are we going to take wedding photos?”

Hearing this, Su Cheng smiled. He gently took her hand, slid the ring onto her ring finger, then placed his hand at the back of her neck, capturing her lips. He kissed her slowly, deeply, and after a moment, he pulled away with a low, husky laugh and replied, “Yes, let’s go pick out the wedding rings tomorrow.”

Su Cheng and Ji Meng decided to have a wedding again, and the whole family was delighted and supportive.

Qiuqiu and Qingyu jumped up with joy, thrilled that their parents were getting married again. They could be little flower girls and eat lots of wedding candies. Recently, Qingyu had started losing her baby teeth, and Qiuqiu had just begun as well. The family had bought fewer candies, and the sisters had been craving sweets for a long time.

Ji Qinghe was even happier, he always regretted not knowing when his daughter got married and not preparing a dowry for her. Now, he could finally fulfill that wish.

For the wedding, they needed a good date. Ji Qinghe personally brought back an old almanac to look through. He found several dates: August 30, October 1, and December 28. He gathered everyone around the table to choose together.

Ji Qinghe believed that weddings required preparation, and since the house given by Su Cheng would be their wedding home, it needed some tidying up, which would take time. He suggested that Su Cheng and Ji Meng choose the last date, and Hua also agreed.

Ji Meng didn’t mind, she knew how to make use of the people at the collective and wasn’t expanding widely, so any time wouldn’t be a problem. Just as she was about to nod in agreement, Su Cheng quietly took her hand and gently squeezed it.

Ji Meng looked over in confusion and saw Su Cheng pointing at the earliest date on the red paper on the table, smiling as he said, “I think this date is better, it’s the day before school starts, so the kids will all be here, and it’ll be lively.”

“After the wedding, on October 1, our whole family can take a vacation and go have some fun.”

After finishing, Su Cheng turned his gaze to Ji Meng and asked with a smile, “Mengmeng, what do you think? How about August 30?”

He smiled, the corners of his lips curling up, his eyes twinkling with warmth and a hint of seduction. He lightly grazed her palm with his fingers, clearly hoping she would agree to have the wedding soon.

“… Okay, I don’t mind.”

Ji Meng felt a tingling sensation in her palm and instinctively tried to pull her hand back, but he held on tight, and she couldn’t get away. She glanced at the man and ultimately gave in to him.

Sometimes, she was also willing to indulge him a little.

Both parties wanted to have the wedding sooner, and Ji Qinghe and Fang Aihua also agreed, so they began making preparations according to their wishes.

For the wedding, no matter how things were originally, they had to go through the process of dowry and bridal gifts again.

Su Cheng bought Ji Meng a new watch, an antique piece from decades ago, made of 18k gold with diamonds, particularly shiny. It cost him three months’ salary, and Ji Meng loved it. As soon as she got it, she put it on her wrist, completely disregarding whether she could wear it out or not.

She wore it while they went to take their wedding photos together. Wedding dresses were rare these days, so Su Cheng had to make a trip to Hai City to get a set. They didn’t just take one set of wedding photos, they also did some traditional Chinese-style shots. In this era, wedding photos were considered somewhat unconventional, while traditional photos could be made larger and displayed in their wedding home.

Besides giving her the watch and taking wedding photos, Su Cheng felt it wasn’t enough. However, with the pearl jewelry and gemstone ring he had already prepared for Ji Meng, plus this watch and the wedding dress, he was running low on money.

It wouldn’t be appropriate for the bride to return the betrothal gifts he had originally submitted, so to maintain her dignity, Su Cheng went to repair a scrapped car for Sanzi and even accompanied him on a trip to the Shenzhen.

When he returned, he brought Ji Meng a tape recorder, along with several tapes and some furniture for their new home.

The tape recorder he brought back was much more appealing than the television he had given Ji Meng before. She would play it every day after work, listening to the classic songs that are still sung today, creating a sense of timelessness.

Qiuqiu and Qingyu also liked it very much, especially Qiuqiu, who had a good singing voice and could now sing many songs.

While Su Cheng prepared the betrothal gifts, he was more focused on what Ji Meng would love. In contrast, Ji Qinghe’s side of the dowry was a bit different.

No one expected that the Ji family, which had been raided, still had antiques and antique jewelry.