Chapter 553: Chapter 553

Luo Dingxin stood at the elevator entrance, his thoughts somewhat hazy.

Just then, the elevator arrived, and its doors opened to reveal a man dressed all in black, wearing a face mask and sunglasses, stepping out.

Luo Dingxin didn’t pay much attention to the man and stepped into the elevator after he had walked away.

Once inside the elevator, he looked up and was momentarily stunned.

He noticed that the man in black continued walking straight ahead as if heading deep into the corridor, but he didn’t go far before stopping somewhere within Luo Dingxin’s line of sight.

That place was none other than He Jinxia’s room door!

A thought flashed through Luo Dingxin’s mind, this scene was identical to one he had witnessed last year in the hotel where the drama crew stayed!

Before he could see what happened next, the elevator doors were about to close.

Luo Dingxin instinctively reached for the door-open button, but just as his hand touched the smooth keypad, he hesitated and didn’t press it.

With a "clack," the elevator doors closed completely, and Luo Dingxin couldn’t help but shake his head, feeling somewhat defeated, thinking: Perhaps it wasn’t a missed chance, but some things never really began at all.

In the hotel room, as soon as He Jinxia entered her room, the smile on her face collapsed, revealing her gloominess.

She thought, Qingdu isn’t all that big, just this bit of land, and she had run into Luo Dingxin, whom she hadn’t contacted in a long time, but why hadn’t she bumped into Sheng Yan?

As she dwelled on that thought, she grew even more downhearted, wondering why Sheng Yan had come to Qingdu and kept it from her, if not for Luo You’s slip of the tongue, she would have had no idea he was here.

He Jinxia sighed wistfully, letting herself flop down onto the couch, squeezing a round cushion in her hands with vigor, lamenting, "The heart of a man is as fathomless as the ocean’s depth."

No sooner had she spoken these words when the doorbell rang, startling He Jinxia.

She quickly stood up to straighten her clothes and went to open the door.

She had expected Luo Dingxin to have something to say, but upon looking up, He Jinxia was shocked.

Sheng Yan stood at the doorway, leisurely removing his sunglasses, then slowly took off his mask, raised an eyebrow at her, and in his deep, rich voice, he slowly asked, "Don’t recognize me anymore?"

He Jinxia covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes wide in surprise, not knowing what to say.

In the end, she translated her words into action, throwing herself onto Sheng Yan—

Sheng Yan caught her steadily and carried her into the room.

He Jinxia merely buried her head in his chest, breathing deeply, not uttering a word.

She should have felt happy, but for some reason, as soon as she saw Sheng Yan, all the grievances in her heart surged forth.

Let’s be honest, being publicly accused and scolded by one’s so-called family, having the family’s dirty laundry aired out, she cared about it more than she let on.

With such a huge blame falling squarely on her head, and when it wasn’t even hers to bear, how could she not feel distressed!

Sheng Yan seemed to sense her thoughts, carried her to the couch and sat down, gently patting her shoulder and asking in a low voice, "Unhappy?"

He Jinxia nuzzled his neck, tilting her head in another direction without speaking.

Sheng Yan couldn’t help but lightly laugh, reaching out to pinch her plump cheek: "Who upset you? I’ll go sort them out for you."

He Jinxia hummed lightly.

Sheng Yan found her so adorable that he pinched her face again.

With a "smack," He Jinxia slapped away the hand that was causing mischief on her face.

Sheng Yan’s hand was knocked away, only for him to reach out again tirelessly to pinch her cheek. A pinch followed by a slap, a slap followed by a pinch, this eerie yet harmonious atmosphere prevailed at the scene.

Finally, at a certain moment, all the frustration and unease in He Jinxia’s heart melted away under Sheng Yan’s ministrations. She looked up at him and said softly, "You’re here too, why didn’t you tell me?"

Sheng Yan raised an eyebrow, "I originally wanted to surprise you, but when you opened the door, I felt that the surprise turned into a scare. How did you know?"

He Jinxia pursed her lips, "I obviously have my ways of finding out, don’t try to change the subject. You haven’t answered my question yet."

Sheng Yan readily admitted, "I wanted to secretly come over to give you a surprise and then give you my gift."

He Jinxia furrowed her brows, "Gift?"

"Haven’t you already given me your gift?"

Sheng Yan glanced at her, stating indifferently, "I’m not like someone, whose gift is merely a few spoken words. In addition to talking, I have something else to give."

He Jinxia coughed lightly, feeling somewhat guilty. Just as she was about to say something, suddenly she felt a chill on her finger as if something had been slipped onto it.

Looking down, she was momentarily stunned—it was a ring.

Next to her ear, Sheng Yan’s voice came through very softly, as if whispering, "This is my New Year’s gift to you."

He extended his hand, covering her ring-adorned hand with his own also bearing a ring. Their hands intertwined, and the two low-key yet luxurious silver diamond rings also entwined together, exuding a unique charm under the dim light. Content orıginally comes from novel★fire.net

"This is the engagement ring I’m giving you, do you like it?"

He Jinxia nodded vigorously.

Seeing her happy expression, Sheng Yan felt an itch in his heart. He rested his head against her neck and softly whispered in her ear, causing He Jinxia’s cheeks to instantly flush a rosy hue, as if tinged with a light layer of rouge—very beautiful.

"The ring is not as handsome as me, why aren’t you looking at me?"

In retrospect, whenever He Jinxia recalled these words, she couldn’t help but marvel at Sheng Yan’s profound skill in playful banter. She was overwhelmed before she could even react; and once she did, she was even more so, inevitably doomed to be devoured by him.

After blushing for quite a while, a thought suddenly struck He Jinxia, and she grabbed Sheng Yan’s hand, carefully removed the diamond ring from his finger, and then, with utmost care, placed it back onto his finger.

Having done this, He Jinxia completely relaxed.

She looked up at Sheng Yan, her eyes curving into a smile, and patted his shoulder boldly, "From now on, you’re mine!"

Sheng Yan lowered his head and gently touched his forehead to hers, murmuring softly, "Yes, my queen."

At night, Mrs. He was woken up by Jinxia for dinner, which Jinxia had ordered from the front desk and then delivered by the hotel staff.

Mrs. He was stunned to see Sheng Yan, thinking she was dreaming. How could Sheng Yan be here?

It was only after Sheng Yan spoke with her for a while that she came to her senses, unable to suppress a smile:

"You young people really know how to have fun. I, this old lady, am falling behind the trends. You haven’t been separated for a few days, yet it’s as if it’s a matter of life or death, chasing each other to the ends of the earth.

Mrs. He, perhaps thinking of something, also said, "Just like in the current idol dramas."

He Jinxia, teased by her mother, was somewhat embarrassed and hung her head in silence.

On the contrary, Sheng Yan was very composed, standing firm as a rock, "Mom, you jest. You are still young. The plots in TV dramas come from life, so the resemblance is not surprising."

He Jinxia couldn’t help but lower her head again, unsure whether to attribute it to Sheng Yan’s thick skin or his sweet talk. They hadn’t even gotten engaged, yet he called her mom so naturally!

Mrs. He, for whatever reason, did not correct Sheng Yan’s manner of address but simply smiled and went along with it, asking him, "When did you get here?"