Chapter 113 - 49: Restaurant Proposal, Marking the Spot
"I never expected this. Their cooking isn’t great, but their cake-making skills are amazing."
Shen Yanzhi explained, "I figured it was just the two of us, so I ordered a small one."
Jiang Li rubbed her mostly full stomach and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we really wouldn’t have been able to finish a bigger one."
"We don’t need to make a wish, do we?"
"You can if you want to."
Jiang Li shrugged. "Then let’s just skip it. It’s not my birthday, and I don’t really have any wishes to make anyway."
’Wishes don’t come true, anyway,’ she thought. ’There’s no point in making one. It’s just a nice gesture.’
Shen Yanzhi lifted his chin. "If you’re not making a wish, then let’s eat."
Jiang Li picked up the knife, about to cut the cake in half, but Shen Yanzhi waved his hand. "I’m not having any. You can have it all."
Jiang Li pouted at his words but didn’t insist.
After all, the cake was small enough for her to finish by herself.
But with Shen Yanzhi staring at her so intently, Jiang Li felt a little pressured. She tried to finish it in just a few bites, but her teeth hit something hard.
She took it out and saw that it was a diamond ring.
Seeing this, Shen Yanzhi immediately dropped to one knee in front of Jiang Li.
He took a deep breath, met Jiang Li’s astonished gaze, and said with deep affection, "I’ve always owed you a proper proposal. After thinking it over, I felt today was the most fitting day."
"Even though our relationship has had its share of surprises, I want to offer you the rest of my life and promise to protect you and keep you free from worry."
"I can’t guarantee we’ll make it all the way to the end, but for the road ahead—whether it’s the daily grind or just a simple, quiet life—I want to be by your side."
’If Jiang Li wanted to leave, all he could do was let her go.’
He took the pre-arranged bouquet of flowers from a waiter and presented it to Jiang Li. "Jiang Li, will you marry me?"
To be honest, Jiang Li had never imagined Shen Yanzhi would propose to her.
She froze on the spot, her mind a complete blank, unable to say a word as tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.
Shen Yanzhi was startled by this. He quickly set the flowers aside and gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with his thumb. "If you don’t want to..."
Jiang Li finally found her voice and said hoarsely, "I do."
’How could she not want this?’
’This was the man she had loved for years. Rejecting him would be more than a little ungrateful.’
It was obvious that Shen Yanzhi had put a lot of preparation into this proposal, and he had done it all without her knowing.
’Even if he doesn’t truly love me, for him to go to such lengths is enough to make me content.’
’At the very least, Shen Yanzhi had given her plenty of dignity.’
She sniffled, then shot Shen Yanzhi a playful glare. "What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and give me the flowers, and put the ring on my finger."
Shen Yanzhi finally snapped out of it. He picked up the flowers he had placed on the floor and handed them back to Jiang Li, then slid the ring onto her middle finger.
He took her hand and, like a gentleman, placed a kiss on its back. "Mrs. Shen, thank you."
Jiang Li felt a searing heat where he’d kissed her and couldn’t help but flinch. She turned her face away. "Didn’t you say so last time? We’re husband and wife. There’s nothing to thank me for."
Shen Yanzhi chuckled. Seeing the tips of her ears turn red, he knowingly leaned in and gave her a light, fleeting kiss on the lips.
Now, not only were Jiang Li’s ears red, but the blush was spreading across her face.
She put the flowers down on the dining table, picked up her cake plate again, and buried her head in eating, not wanting to say another word.
Shen Yanzhi propped his chin on his hand and watched her, as if he could never get enough of the sight.
When Jiang Li finished eating, Shen Yanzhi finally stood up, pulled a tissue from the dispenser, wiped the corner of her mouth, and said, "Let’s go. Time to head back."
Jiang Li was full. Now it was his turn.
On the way back, Shen Yanzhi floored the gas pedal, driving as if he wanted the car to take flight. Jiang Li was so scared she gripped her seatbelt tightly. "You don’t have to be in such a hurry, do you?"
Shen Yanzhi’s Adam’s apple bobbed. "I’m in a huge hurry!"
So much so that the moment they got out of the car, into the elevator, and through their front door, he slammed it shut and pinned Jiang Li against the wall.
Like a starving wolf pouncing on its prey, he devoured her with kisses until she could hardly bear it.
But mostly, it was satisfying.
’Only at times like this did she feel that Shen Yanzhi truly belonged to her.’
In the heat of the moment, she bit down on Shen Yanzhi’s chest, secretly putting some force into it.
Shen Yanzhi didn’t even frown. "Baby, are you trying to murder your dear husband?"
Jiang Li’s fingertips traced the bite mark. "This is called marking the spot."
’It would be best if it were welded onto his skin,’ she thought. ’Then it would be a mark that belonged exclusively to her.’