Sweet slice-of-life love story: Wife, Let's love again
Chapter 196 - 193: I Will Marry You

Chapter 196: Chapter 193: I Will Marry You

Shengtian Square, hot pot restaurant.

A large pot of lamb spine was laid out on the table.

The air conditioning hummed softly, and the temperature inside the restaurant wasn’t high, but Qin Guanglin had still managed to work up quite a sweat.

"Come on, eat up," he urged He Fang, serving her a hefty chunk without noticing the smile curling at the corners of her mouth.

"I’m almost full, you have more," she said.

He Fang ladled a bowl of soup for Qin Guanglin and handed it to him, then propped her chin on her hands, watching him eat.

Qin Guanglin was nearly full as well; the pot was too large. It would’ve been just right if Sun Wen joined them. With He Fang’s kitten-like appetite, it really wasn’t helping, and he didn’t want to waste the remaining bones, so he rolled up his sleeves and dug in.

"This place isn’t bad—generous portions and good flavor," he praised, sipping the soup and nodding in approval.

He had previously condemned this dish based simply on its name and had never ordered it before, but seeing He Fang wanted to try, he followed suit and was surprised by how good it tasted.

"If you like it, we’ll come back again," she said with a smile.

Watching Qin Guanglin finish his soup, He Fang took his bowl to refill it and said, "Drink more soup, it’s nutritious."

"Really? Then I should have a few more bowls," Qin Guanglin chuckled, taking his bowl and sipping a bit before lowering his head again to slurp on the bones. "Is there some good news back at school? You seem a bit different these past few days. Did you pass the training assessment? Or did you officially start working?"

"Just eat and stop talking."

"Okay."

After finishing off the pot of bones, Qin Guanglin patted his belly, let out a satisfied burp, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and, after resting for a while, got up. He held He Fang’s hand as they went to the cashier to pay and then left the restaurant.

At eight in the evening, the lights of the square shone and reflected off each other, with the neon signs rhythmically flashing. The two meandered around for a bit, enjoying the cool night air as they walked to aid digestion, and found themselves in front of the cinema without realizing it.

"See anything you’d like to watch?" Qin Guanglin glanced at the posters in the lobby, then paused suddenly, pinching He Fang’s hand lightly to point her to the right. "Is it fate?"

The large poster read "The Little Prince."

Just the other day, He Fang had read him the book—The Little Prince’s adventures with the rose and the fox were still fresh in his memory.

"Do you want to watch it?" he asked.

"I don’t," He Fang shook her head. "It’s very different from the book. It’s better not to watch it."

"It just premiered today." Qin Guanglin looked at the date carefully, shrugged, and said, "How do you know it’s different from the book?"

He was quite keen to watch it as the story had left a strong impression on him, and it was also a book that He Fang really liked. It would’ve been nice to watch it together, but to his surprise, He Fang was not interested at all.

"...I’ve seen the trailer," He Fang said nonchalantly.

"Alright then, let’s find something more light-hearted."

Movies can be tricky; if you’re really fond of the original material, it’s often better not to watch the adaptation. Due to length constraints, only the essence of the source material can make it into the film, and to appeal to those who haven’t read the book, more complex plot elements are often omitted. Add market-driven changes into the mix, and there’s a high chance the end result will be quite altered from the original.

Having been disappointed before by such adaptations, Qin Guanglin didn’t insist when he heard He Fang’s comment and instead chose "Ted 2," which was nearing the end of its run. They entered the theater, each holding a milk tea and a bag of popcorn.

Even after the R-rated movie had been censored for its introduction here, many scenes remained quite explicit. The unscrupulous on-screen antics of the little bear had everyone in fits of laughter.

Having eaten a bit too much for dinner, Qin Guanglin didn’t eat much popcorn, instead feeding it piece by piece to He Fang. She readily accepted, leaning back in her chair, mouth open, not even needing to reach for it.

It’s said that girls’ stomachs are quite magical; no matter how much they eat, there’s always room for snacks and milk tea.

"What are you doing?"

With a slight smile at the corner of her mouth, He Fang remained focused on the screen, paying him no attention.

"You aren’t bothered by the mess..." he rubbed his fingers together and then carefully picked up a piece of popcorn to pass to her.

...

It was past ten at night.

After the movie, Qin Guanglin led He Fang through the streets. Stars twinkled behind them, and there weren’t many pedestrians left; the bustling square from the daytime quieted down, with only the neon lights still flickering.

"Why are you looking at me?" He Fang asked as she saw him glancing sideways at her repeatedly.

"I think you’re pretty intentional," he said, wiggling his index finger in front of her eyes. "Having fun?"

"Fun."

"..."

"Come on, let’s hurry. We’ll have to take a taxi back if we miss the last bus." He Fang said with a laugh, pulling him along a little quicker toward the direction of the night-shift bus.

After a half-hour ride, they arrived at their place. Qin Guanglin placed He Fang’s bag on the couch and glanced at his watch—it was already eleven.

"I guess we can’t go for a run tonight, huh? It’s too late."

"I wasn’t planning on running now anyway; we should hurry and take a shower." He Fang urged, reaching into her clothes to grope around and pulling out her small garment to throw at him. "And help me wash this, too. A quick rub will do."

"...Okay."

Qin Guanglin muttered a response, took his pajamas, and went to the bathroom to shower while He Fang lay back on the couch, leaned against it, closed her eyes, and took a few deep breaths. She looked around, stood up, went into the room to turn on the air conditioning, then rummaged through the drawers and took out a small night light to plug into a wall socket.

"You haven’t fallen asleep, have you?" Qin Guanglin saw He Fang lying on the bed with her eyes closed when he came out and couldn’t help but ask, "I’m done with the shower, it’s your turn."

He Fang opened her eyes and smiled, getting up and making her way to the bathroom, where she closed the door and began to shower.

Qin Guanglin sat on a chair and pulled out one of He Fang’s novels, contemplating the diversity of her collection—encompassing everything from ancient to modern, sci-fi to martial arts, though each genre only had one or two books.

Time passed, and the sound of water from the bathroom gradually stopped, followed by the sound of the door opening. He bent down to pick up the bucket, ready for his pre-sleep foot soaking ritual when he saw He Fang approach and stood frozen.

"What are you looking at?" He Fang stood at the doorway wrapped in a towel, nodding toward the bucket in his hands. "Put that down; we’re not soaking tonight."

"You mean..."

"I’m going to bed you."

???

Qin Guanglin blinked, watching He Fang turn around to close the door, then twist the lock twice to secure it. His heartbeat immediately quickened.

"What do you mean... I don’t really understand." He pursed his lips, a bit inexplicably nervous.

"It means exactly what you’re thinking."

He Fang pulled the curtains shut at the window, then turned back to give him a sly squint. "Don’t be nervous, I’ll be gentle."

"..."

...

The night deepened.

The bedroom light was off, and the little night light on the wall cast a dim yellow glow, warm and soft like the light of a candle.

"I had wanted to wait until Qixi to surprise you, but I’m a few days early."

"Aren’t you going to get that out of the drawer? I heard... it’s not very safe."

"No need, I promised you a perfect romance, in every aspect, the most perfect."

"..."

"..."

"Look at me, you need to remember this moment."

"I will marry you."