Chapter 242: The Proposal 5
Upon hearing this confession, Jiang Xia finally couldn’t resist lowering his head. He didn’t dare to kiss Shi Lan on the lips, though. Instead, he planted a firm kiss on her exposed collarbone, then leaned against her as if intoxicated by her scent.
After a moment, he nuzzled her with his fluffy head and looked at her, his eyes shining. "Lanlan, I have something else cool to show you."
As he spoke, he took a bracelet out of his storage space. At the same time, the lights in the tunnel dimmed, leaving only the colorful lights in the flowerbeds along the path and the glow from the bracelet in Jiang Xia’s hand.
The bracelet’s red light was even brighter.
He waved the bracelet through the air.
The world three hundred meters under the sea was just as dim. In this dark environment, the only guiding light seemed to be the bracelet in Jiang Xia’s hand. Shi Lan watched as more and more schools of fish gathered outside the transparent tunnel, circling along its length to surround the two of them.
"Whoa!"
Shi Lan let out a gasp of amazement, watching the scene unfold in disbelief. The fish were behaving in a very orderly manner, forming neat circles. By the light of the bracelet and the flowerbeds, she could see seven or eight concentric rings of fish with just a glance.
When Jiang Xia moved the bracelet forward, the circles of fish moved with it.
He played with it a couple of times before handing it to Shi Lan. "Lanlan, you try it too."
Shi Lan gave it a curious try. She walked a little further down the tunnel, with Jiang Xia happily trotting behind her. Outside the tunnel, the school of fish also trotted along, circling them.
The fish were a kaleidoscope of colors, and there were many species Shi Lan didn’t recognize. She just thought they were adorable.
They had big eyes, chubby bodies and mouths, and when they wagged their tails, they would occasionally slap the fish behind them.
"This is so much fun."
When she was with Jiang Xia, Shi Lan couldn’t help but feel a bit childish herself.
The two of them played with the fish in the tunnel for so long that the others waiting outside couldn’t take it anymore. Just as they were about to force the door open, Jiang Xia finally led Shi Lan out by the hand, a wide grin on his face.
In the dim tunnel, only the path at their feet was brightly lit.
Emerging suddenly from the darkness into the world outside the tunnel, Shi Lan’s eyes needed a moment to adjust, but they clearly held a look of lingering fondness.
Jiang Xia said, "Lanlan, there’s also a virtual ocean world we can experience. Want to go?"
"Okay!"
It was a rare opportunity, so Shi Lan couldn’t help but agree.
Yan Huoshui glanced at the time on his chip, then at the excitement on Shi Lan’s face, and didn’t say anything.
’It’s still early. If Lanlan wants to have fun, let her. The Interstellar Civil Affairs Bureau has someone on duty all day anyway.’
He Hanshi and the others had no objections either. However, He Hanshi stopped the two of them first. "Lanlan, let’s get something to eat first. It’s already past twelve. Don’t let yourself get hungry."
As he spoke, he took her hand and led her to a nearby lounge, pulling out a large amount of food and several insulated containers from his storage space.
He had prepared it all early that morning in case the day’s proposal activities grew tiring and Shi Lan was left hungry.
The aquarium, originally filled with the faint scent of seawater, was now filled with the aroma of food. Shi Lan looked at him in pleasant surprise. "He Hanshi, you’re so thoughtful! You even prepared food."
He Hanshi smiled gently. "There’s a lot. Everyone can eat together."
Shi Lan had the same thought, but since she wasn’t the one who had made the food, she felt too embarrassed to suggest it. She hadn’t expected He Hanshi to be so considerate and say it first.
’He really is the best.’
She happily hugged him. "He Hanshi, you’re wonderful."
He Hanshi helped tidy up her messy hair from all the running around, temporarily putting away the heavy tiara she was wearing. "It’s nothing, it’s what I should do. Let’s eat first."
The other four men watched the two of them embrace, a sour feeling in their hearts, but He Hanshi’s actions were indeed impeccable.
Everyone sat down, and He Hanshi distributed disposable cutlery. He had truly thought of everyone in advance.
The food he made was as delicious as ever. Aside from Shi Lan and Jiang Xia, who ate most happily, the other three could hardly taste what they were eating. Mu Tangfeng’s emotions were a little more on the surface, while the other two didn’t show it as much. Inwardly, however, they were all annoyed at themselves for not being as meticulous as He Hanshi and thinking of these things.
Shi Lan’s gaze casually swept over the men, and she placed a shrimp on each of their plates.
"My dear future Beast Husbands, hurry up and fill your stomachs so you’ll have the energy to take some gorgeous marriage certificate photos later~"
Those simple words instantly dispelled the gloom in their hearts.
’Lanlan’s right. We’re here to get our marriage certificates today. We have to be in top form.’
Jiang Xia took another bite of a big steamed bun, his voice muffled. "Lanlan, I... I have lots of energy!"
Shi Lan laughed, amused. Remembering that he had already eaten four or five buns, she worried he would finish them all himself and quickly handed one to each of the others.
After the meal, she reapplied her lipstick.
Jiang Xia shot her a reproachful look. Shi Lan, remembering the excuse she’d just used to refuse his kiss, guiltily averted her gaze.
’Wasn’t it just because I was lazy?’
’Fixing smudged lipstick is so much more trouble than just wiping it all off to eat.’
Fortunately, Jiang Xia’s moods came and went quickly. He soon took her to experience the virtual ocean world.
The virtual ocean world was a little different. There was no need to walk; you simply sat in a mobile holographic device. The experience felt like piloting a submarine at the bottom of the ocean, allowing you to see different kinds of fish from the deeper seas. Overall, it was very similar to taking a tour in a game pod.
This time, He Hanshi and the others all went along.
With all five of them by her side, Shi Lan felt much more at ease. Even when the experience took them into the deep sea, she wasn’t as scared. Still, she subconsciously grabbed onto Jiang Xia, who was closest to her.
After they finished, her eyes still shone with lingering excitement. She and her five future Beast Husbands boarded a Hovercar in a grand procession and headed to the next location.
In the car, Yan Huoshui was struggling to contain his excitement. Perhaps he had always been looking forward to this day. Even the tail behind him seemed to be stirring restlessly, itching to burst out from under his clothes.
He secretly pinched his own arm to hold it in.
Soon, the car stopped. He took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, and held a bouquet of red roses like a gentleman. Extending his hand, he said, "Lanlan, come with me."
Shi Lan smilingly extended her hand. His scorching palm unconsciously tightened around hers, his fingers sinking between hers with a greedy possessiveness.
The bouquet of roses in his arms was rather large and heavy, so Yan Huoshui didn’t rush to hand it to her.
He led her to the site he had prepared for his proposal.
He hadn’t taken her to a developed district, but to a special recreation park on Capital Star.
The place was rather secluded, but the scenery was beautiful. Most notably, you could ride a hot-air balloon here.
Shi Lan looked up. The recreation park was huge and had clearly been booked out entirely by Yan Huoshui. Aside from staff and robots, there wasn’t a single tourist in sight.
As soon as they entered, an elaborately decorated sightseeing cart drove over. It was draped with fluffy red decorations that hung down like door curtains on all sides, looking both festive and beautiful.
Yan Huoshui led her over by the hand. As Shi Lan boarded the cart, she couldn’t resist stroking the curtain-like decorations. They felt quite soft, a lot like Yan Huoshui’s tail, but not nearly as pleasant to the touch.