Chen Sheng’s previously suspended heart suddenly let go of half its weight. If he were to compete with Lu Chengxiao, he might not have the upper hand. Seeing that Liu Yu didn’t pay any attention to Lu Chengxiao, Chen Sheng couldn’t contain his joy. He couldn’t help but approach and said, “Miss Liu.”
Lu Chengxiao turned to look, and Liu Yu had already stopped in her tracks, facing Chen Sheng. He couldn’t see Liu Yu’s expression, only the radiant smile on Chen Sheng’s face. The infatuation in his expression towards Liu Yu was impossible to conceal.
Chen Sheng’s gaze swept past Lu Chengxiao, and the eyes of the two former classmates met for just a moment. In that instant, Chen Sheng suddenly understood – Lu Chengxiao also liked Liu Yu.
He quickly averted his gaze, not wanting Liu Yu to know that he and Lu Chengxiao knew each other. He feared that this might make Liu Yu pay more attention to Lu Chengxiao. Lowering his voice to a level that Lu Chengxiao definitely couldn’t hear, he asked Liu Yu, “Miss, did you get upset with me for following you yesterday when you left through the back door of the rouge shop?”
In Lu Chengxiao’s eyes from a distance, the two appeared extremely intimate.
Liu Yu clearly saw through Chen Sheng’s little scheme, but she didn’t care about Lu Chengxiao’s reaction. Instead, she had a faint smile on her lips, seemingly amused by Chen Sheng’s reaction. The timing of Lu Chengxiao’s appearance was just perfect, sparing her the need to feel guilty towards herself.
She shook her head, showing no signs of anger in her eyes. Instead, she carried a bit of girlish shyness, avoiding Chen Sheng’s gaze.
Chen Sheng recalled Liu Yu’s words about improper courtesy yesterday. Since Liu Yu had left through the back door of the rouge shop, these words had been echoing in his mind, tormenting him throughout the entire day and night. Now, seeing that she didn’t seem angry, and realizing that she was probably just being mindful of propriety between men and women, Chen Sheng breathed a sigh of relief.
Throughout this day and night, Chen Sheng had also pondered many things. While he initially considered pursuing a proper and straightforward courtship through a matchmaker, given their brief acquaintance of only a few days, it seemed too hasty. However, when he saw Lu Chengxiao still standing in the same place, looking in their direction, Chen Sheng felt an unprecedented sense of alertness.
Not fast, not fast at all, he feared that if he was too slow, he might miss the opportunity with Liu Yu!
The hesitation he had initially felt disappeared completely upon realizing that Lu Chengxiao also had eyes for Liu Yu. Testing the waters, Chen Sheng asked, “Miss Liu, may I ask where your home is?”
Liu Yu’s heart skipped a beat. Could Lu Chengxiao be so easily used? It was indeed an unexpected delight. While thinking this, she maintained a seemingly ignorant expression, raising her eyes to look at Chen Sheng. “The Liujiacun, what’s the matter?”
Her clear eyes left Chen Sheng feeling dizzy and enchanted. Thinking about the words he was about to utter made him so nervous that his heart raced, his mouth went dry, and for a moment, he couldn’t say anything at all. It took him a while to recover. Despite his red ears and a rapid heartbeat, he moved gracefully, taking a step back and giving a deep bow to Liu Yu.
“I am surnamed Chen, given name Sheng. I am twenty years old, unmarried. I wonder if Miss Liu has any prior engagements. I am, I am sincerely fond of you and would like to ask my mother to arrange a marriage proposal. Would you be willing, Miss?”
Chen Sheng stumbled through his words but managed to express his intentions. After finishing, he looked at Liu Yu with anticipation, waiting for her response. Notably, his words carried no intention of avoiding Lu Chengxiao, and his voice remained unabashedly audible.
Lu Chengxiao, not far away, heard every word clearly. He understood each phrase, and though they were together, it felt like a thunderbolt struck him, leaving him dazed on the spot.
Yet, at this moment, who cared if he was dazed or not? Chen Sheng’s heart was fully invested in waiting for Liu Yu’s answer. For Liu Yu, the road to breaking free from her cage was now clear. All she needed to do was nod.
Liu Yu’s heart raced, and she held her breath. Excitement caused a rosy glow to spread slowly across her cheeks. She looked up at Chen Sheng, somewhat dazed, and said, “Gentleman, you’ve only known me for a few days. How dare you lightly propose marriage? If not sincere, do not make jokes about such matters.”
Her gentle voice resonated in Chen Sheng’s heart. The person before him seemed to change into a thousand different captivating faces with each lift of her eyes, making it difficult to look away. Chen Sheng, deeply affected, responded with a tone mixed with certainty, surprise, and anticipation.
“Sincerity is more genuine than anything else. Truly liking someone doesn’t require a long period to understand. It can be confirmed at first sight. The moment I saw Miss, I knew I liked her. As long as Miss agrees, I will immediately return home to seek my mother’s approval. Soon, a matchmaker will come to propose.”
Liu Yu had heard charming confessions before, laden with gold and silver, but seeing Chen Sheng nervously switching between “xiaosheng” (a humble way to refer to oneself) and “wode” (my) and couldn’t help but smile. She averted her gaze and curved her lips.
While she didn’t explicitly say yes or no, her attitude was clear enough. Chen Sheng, overwhelmed with joy, said, “Then, then I will return home now. Please wait a few days, and you will hear from me.”
He chuckled nervously, his lips barely able to close from the wide grin. Stepping back and turning to leave, he suddenly remembered he hadn’t properly greeted Liu Yu. He bowed with folded hands, took a few steps back, turned around, and left, glancing back three times with each step.
Just at this moment, before returning home, Chen Sheng needed to inform his staff. As he approached the study, Chen Sheng, feeling somewhat uneasy, turned back and glanced at the distant Lu Chengxiao.
Everything happened too quickly, too fast for Lu Chengxiao to react; it had already progressed to Chen Sheng proposing marriage.
And to his surprise, Liu Yu accepted.
In Lu Chengxiao’s chest, something shattered in an instant. He couldn’t discern whether it was his heart trembling or his entire being. Rationality shattered, and all concerns, hesitations, and entanglements collapsed in that moment.
When he regained clarity, he found himself standing in front of Liu Yu.
“Liu Yu…” He had a multitude of words to say, but when his gaze met Liu Yu’s genuinely joyous expression, all the words choked in his throat. His sharply defined jaw lightly trembled, and he stared blankly at her, unable to utter a single syllable.
That joyous expression was not for him; it was because of Chen Sheng.
Lu Chengxiao lost.
He lost to her liking, to her willingness.
Liu Yu liked Chen Sheng.
With just this one thought, Lu Chengxiao’s eyes turned red.
He stared at Liu Yu, his chest heaving violently from the intense pain. His mind was plunged into chaotic disorder, unable to comprehend how, in just six days, she had agreed to Chen Sheng’s proposal. How could she have accepted Chen Sheng’s proposal?
His senses still in disarray, he saw Liu Yu’s originally gentle smiling face. When her gaze met his, the gentle arc at the corner of her lips gradually flattened, and the smile extinguished, transforming into a calm frost.
Without sharpness, it created a distance as if a cold blade had been thrust into Lu Chengxiao’s heart.
Liu Yu’s delicate eyebrows lightly furrowed, taking a step back, and she calmly said, “Master Lu, Li is going to the melon field .”
There was no mockery, just a straightforward statement of fact, a reminder that he had overstepped.
They were strangers; her name should not be spoken by him.
After saying this, Liu Yu turned and left.
Her purpose in coming to Changfeng Town had been accomplished, and there was no need to linger, especially not to become entangled with Lu Chengxiao.
She had her own path to walk, and the next page destiny would turn, whether filled with thorns or a smooth road, or perhaps one that couldn’t be turned at all—everything was still unknown.
Sunlight spilled everywhere, but Lu Chengxiao felt an icy chill to the bone.
In the alley, Liu Yu’s figure, turning and leaving with a slight bow, seemed like a nightmare, merging with the present moment.
His world seemed to crumble and collapse in this instant.
Lu Chengxiao stood there, as if turned into a soulless statue.
He finally understood that with one missed step, he missed all the steps. The words he wanted to say to her, it seemed, might never find a chance to be spoken.
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