Chapter 219: Chapter 219

Shen Jianian saw the tears in Pei Che’s eyes, and the deep affection he had for her. Her initial bewilderment slowly faded away, and her heart filled with emotion.

They had been together for more than twenty years, long since becoming like family. Marriage was merely a change of identity to continue accompanying each other.

She shouldn’t hesitate. In her vision, she and Pei Che would eventually reach this day, sooner or later.

Perhaps because her family wasn’t around, there was a bit more regret, making this beautiful relationship seem less complete. Shen Jianian attributed her hesitation to her parents’ passing and the trauma from the car accident.

Pei Che maintained his kneeling position on one knee, looking up expectantly and nervously awaiting her response.

Zhou Ruo clasped her hands over her mouth, tears streaming down her face, looking at the two children with a full heart. Just like Pei Che once said, they were all people who had come back from the brink of death. It wasn’t easy for any of them, and to achieve a happy ending was a blessing from above.

Shen Jianian blinked her glistening eyes and reached out her hand, solemnly saying the three words: "I will."

Aside from Pei Che himself, no one knew how agonizing the wait was for him. Every minute and second seemed to stretch, and he was very afraid she would say words of refusal.

When he heard the three words "I will," Pei Che couldn’t even believe his ears, staring blankly for a few seconds, then exhaled a long breath, a sincere joy filling his face.

He took the ring from the box, slipped it onto Shen Jianian’s ring finger, and slowly pushed it to the base.

"Little Nian, I love you." Pei Che stood up, pulled her into his arms, "Thank you for agreeing to marry me."

Zhou Ruo was still watching from the side, and Shen Jianian felt a bit embarrassed, blushing as she gently pushed him away, holding the roses he handed over, shyly covering her face.

"Why don’t you two enjoy your time together at home while I go have dinner with friends?" Zhou Ruo, having witnessed her son’s proposal, didn’t want to further be a third wheel and disturb them.

Having said that, without waiting for a response from the two, she picked up her handbag from the sofa and left.

Shen Jianian wanted to speak up to keep her, but then noticed Zhou Ruo was wearing a beautiful dress and had makeup on. Though the makeup was smeared with tears, it was clear she had plans to go out earlier.

The sound of the door closing echoed, and the villa returned to silence, leaving only Shen Jianian and Pei Che alone.

The blush on Shen Jianian’s face had not faded. She turned around to meet Pei Che’s loving gaze, suddenly feeling uneasy. Pei Che, however, remained calm, pulling out a chair by the dining table: "Let’s eat."

Shen Jianian placed the roses down, sat on the chair, and stared at the diamond ring on her ring finger, finding it all somewhat unreal.

Pei Che picked up the red wine but suddenly remembered she couldn’t drink, nor did he plan to drink, so he went to the fridge and got a bottle of coconut juice, pouring a glass for each of them.

Seeing Shen Jianian staring at the ring lost in thought, Pei Che sat down, his gentle gaze resting on her face, explaining, "Although the proposal was prepared hastily, this ring was one I had chosen long ago. I wanted to marry you when I graduated and returned home, but things got in the way, and I didn’t have the right opportunity to propose. Later, you had the car accident, and getting you healthy became the most important thing. I didn’t want you to think about marriage while you still had burdens on your mind. Now, everything just feels right."

Under the bright crystal lights, the light shone into Shen Jianian’s eyes like stars. She gazed at Pei Che’s face full of deep emotion, sincerely saying, "Thank you, Ah Che, thank you for always being by my side, helping me through so many happy, helpless, or difficult times. I feel really lucky to have known you since we were young, and after losing my family, to have you and Auntie with me, supporting me."

Pei Che held her hand very tightly: "We are all your family."

After dinner, the two went to the second-floor terrace to watch the stars, full of interest. Today was the twenty-fourth of the lunar month, a slender waning moon hanging in the sky.

Shen Jianian lay on a wicker chair, the breeze carrying the lingering heat of the day. She held a small box of ice cream, eating it with a spoon.

Pei Che sat beside her, the buttons on his white shirt undone at the top. Moonlight spilled on his fair collarbone as he looked up at the crescent moon, silently asking it if days like these could last forever.

The two of them just sat there chatting leisurely until the night grew deep and quiet.

Pei Che called Zhou Ruo to ask when she was coming home.

Over the phone, the crisp clinking of mahjong tiles could be heard, and Zhou Ruo said, "Mrs. Zheng is teaching me how to play mahjong. I’m staying at her house tonight, so you two don’t have to wait for me."

Shen Jianian heard this too, supporting her chin with one hand, tilting her head with a smile.

Pei Che took the phone from his ear, glanced at the time, and said to Shen Jianian, "It’s ten-thirty. Shall we go to bed?"

"Let’s sleep." Shen Jianian "appropriately" yawned, sat up, slipped her feet into her slippers, and wobbled a bit as she stood up.

Pei Che caught her waist in time, laughed and said, "Did saying you were sleepy really make you want to topple over?"

Shen Jianian: "I just didn’t stand steady."

Pei Che didn’t release her waist, bent his back slightly, and scooped her legs into his arms: "Now you don’t have to worry about falling."

"I can walk by myself," Shen Jianian said.

Pei Che didn’t let her go, carrying her inside from the terrace to her room.

The door was ajar, and he gently pushed it open with his foot. The room was dark, with only a faint gleam coming in from outside—moonlight mingled with the streetlamps.

Navigating the room’s obstacles from memory, Pei Che placed her on the bed, not immediately getting up. His large hand caressed the back of her head, carefully testing, inching closer and closer.

Shen Jianian felt a hot breath spraying onto her face, and her heart, like a stone tossed into a tranquil lake, suddenly lost its calm.

The moment her heartbeat accelerated, warm lips fell on her brow, the corner of her eye, her cheek.

Though Shen Jianian was inexperienced, she wasn’t entirely naive. She could anticipate what was about to happen, her fingers nervously curling, wanting to grab something but ultimately only clutching the hem of Pei Che’s shirt.

In the past three years, most of her time was spent healing. They were a couple but had not shared any intimate gestures. After recovering, she wanted to change her mood, accepted Yan Hong’s invitation, and joined her orchestra. It was a period of adaptation, extremely busy every day, and only recently had things eased a bit.

When Shen Jianian’s back sank into the soft big bed, chaotic fragments suddenly flooded her mind, and she turned her head to evade Pei Che’s oncoming kiss.

"Fu Jichen, don’t..."

In an instant, the blood in Pei Che’s body seemed to freeze, his whole being stiffening there, his throat raw with pain.

The agitated, ambiguous elements in the air vanished, leaving only boundless silence.

After a moment, Pei Che’s rigid body moved away from above Shen Jianian, turning on the room’s light. The abrupt brightness made Shen Jianian squint reflexively.

Pei Che saw the person on the bed, hands clasped over her chest, her heart rising and falling violently, her forehead and cheeks covered with beads of sweat. Follow current novels on novel⟡fire.net

If he heard correctly, she had just called out Fu Jichen’s name.

Had she remembered something? Perhaps recalled being with Fu Jichen on the bed... Pei Che closed his eyes, unwilling to delve deeper.