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One of the reasons Wen Di fell for Yan Heyu was that he understood how slowly she ate and had the patience to stay with her.
All these years, he remained the same.
Wen Di held Wen Wen in her arms and gently rubbed her head. “Wen Wen, let’s thank Daddy.” She used her finger to gently scratch Yan Heyu’s arm.
Wen Wen mimicked her, extending her front paw to scratch Yan Heyu’s arm as well, lifting her head to see his reaction as she did it.
Its slyness was just like Wen Di’s.
Yan Heyu’s expression was gentle. He took Wen Wen into his arms. He had been spending more time with Wen Wen, and Wen Wen had grown more attached to him. At home, no matter where he went, Wen Wen would always follow him.
He now somewhat understood why Jiang Chengyu went out for social events less often. Sometimes, when Jiang Chengyu finally went to a club to have fun, he would get a call from Xiao Ningmeng midway through and leave early.
With a child so attached to you, you naturally want to spend more time with them.
The only thing he couldn’t stand about Jiang Chengyu was that he would always put his phone on speakerphone when he took calls, as if he wanted everyone to hear his daughter being playful with him.
“Xiao Ningmeng is two years old now,” he said to Wen Di, turning his head.
Wen Di nodded to show she knew, and then said no more.
Yan Heyu saw she was uninterested, so he said to Wen Wen, “Do you want a little sister? Tell your mommy if you do.”
Wen Di: “...”
He was always thinking about getting married and having a daughter.
Yan Heyu’s phone rang. It was his mother.
Ye Minqiong: “Why aren’t you replying to my messages?”
“I didn’t notice. I was playing with Wen Wen.”
“Check your phone. The chef is waiting for your reply.”
Yan Heyu hung up and opened his mother’s chat. His mother had sent a menu and asked him to choose. There were six soup options, all of which Wen Di usually liked.
His mother’s note read: Didn’t you say Wen Di loves soup? Choose two or three so the chef can start simmering it ahead of time.
Yan Heyu asked: [Do you have all the ingredients?]
Ye Minqiong: [They’re all prepared.]
Yan Heyu handed his phone to Wen Di. “Choose what you’d most like to eat for lunch today.”
Wen Di was touched again. She leaned her head on his shoulder. “You choose for me.”
She wasn’t picky about food and wasn’t that particular. Yan Heyu chose two soups and four of her favorite dishes. For the rest of the menu, he told his mother to cook whatever she wanted.
Wen Di hadn’t been a big fan of soup before, but Yan Heyu’s influence changed that.
The first time she and Yan Heyu had a meal alone was after she had accompanied him to the hospital for a checkup. At the time, she didn’t know it was a routine checkup. She truly believed he had eaten the decorative mini-apple and was getting checked just in case.
Yan Heyu hadn’t eaten breakfast that day. After the checkup, he asked her to have a meal with him.
It was on that occasion that Yan Heyu witnessed her eating speed.
He asked her if she ate so slowly because she was on a diet or if her teeth were misaligned.
She said, “Neither. It’s a habit from when I was a child. I have a severe case of OCD.”
When you chewed every bite of food so many times, the flavor was gone by the time you swallowed. Most of the time, she was just eating for the sake of it.
Yan Heyu called the waiter and asked them to simmer a soup. It wasn’t a simple mushroom or tomato and egg soup. The soup was simmered for an hour and a half, and he ate with her for that long.
Only when the soup arrived did she realize why he had specifically asked for a soup to be simmered for her. He knew that by the time she finished her meal, she wouldn’t be able to taste the flavor of the dishes anymore. Drinking soup would allow her to taste the original flavor and soothe her stomach.
After they got together, Yan Heyu often asked Aunt Cui to make soup for her. Sometimes, when they were eating and the dishes were getting cold, a hot bowl of soup would soothe her stomach and make her feel very comfortable.
Since then, she had developed a love for soup, even though simmering soup took a lot of effort and time.
________________________________________
Without her noticing, the car drove into the Yan family’s courtyard.
Wen Wen had been there many times and recognized the place. It and Yan Yan had become little playmates, but they would still fight every time they saw each other. Yan Yan would usually let it win and give it all its toys to play with.
Hearing the car, Yan Heyan came out of the villa and shouted into the house, “Dad, your granddaughter is here! Come out and greet her!”
Wen Wen and Yan Hongjin didn’t see each other often. The last time they met was two months ago, so it had already forgotten him.
But when Yan Hongjin hugged it, Wen Wen wasn’t resistant at all.
Thanks to the video call last night, Wen Di greeted Yan Hongjin and Ye Minqiong very naturally today, without any awkwardness.
No one was embarrassed. The conversation continued as if from last night.
The two cats played on the lawn, and they didn’t go inside. They sat on the lounge chairs under the flower trellis in the courtyard.
The auntie brought out snacks and fruit.
Yan Heyan asked about the movie No One is Better Than You. “Sister-in-law, when will the filming wrap up?”
“At the end of this month.”
As soon as Wen Di finished speaking, Yan Heyu forked some fruit for her, then peeled some melon seeds for her.
Ye Minqiong remembered when No One is Better Than You had started filming. “It’s been seven or eight months, right?”
Wen Di: “Eight and a half months.”
Ye Minqiong said, “That’s a long time.”
Yan Heyan took over the conversation. “There’s no other way. They filmed in several different countries, and traveling between locations takes a lot of time.” She leaned against her mother and poked her head out. “Mom, feed me a prune.”
Yan Hongjin heard his daughter wanted to eat some fruit. He was filming Wen Wen and Yan Yan, so he stopped and looked at his daughter. “You eat it. I’ll count to fifty for you.”
Yan Heyan: “...”
She laughed. “Dad, you’re doing this on purpose.”
The family chatted and laughed, and time passed quickly. A table full of delicious food was ready.
With Yan Heyan there, Wen Di had a very pleasant lunch. With Yan Heyan around, the atmosphere was never dull. Even plain water tasted sweet.
After the meal, Yan Heyu took Wen Di to see his room.
This was where he had lived since he was a child. The decor was no different from the bedroom they shared now.
Yan Heyu told her, “This is a suite. There’s a small study connected to it. There’s a door just ahead.”
Wen Di followed his instructions and walked through a short hallway. There was a ten-square-meter study, and the window of the study faced the west garden.
The bookshelves were filled with his books from his student days. She knew his past might be hidden in there, but she didn’t touch anything and just gave it a quick look.
“Do you want to find a book to read or take a nap?”
Wen Di wanted to read. “You find one for me.”
Yan Heyu smiled faintly. “I have to find it for you?”
“I want to read a book you’ve chosen.”
“Find it yourself. You can look at my old notes, too.”
“I don’t dare to look at them casually.”
Yan Heyu heard the subtext. “Getting jealous again.”
He hugged her and coaxed her. “The only thing I’ve ever brought home in all these years is a postcard. Don’t worry, look at whatever you want.”
It was the postcard she had sent him from Shancheng. He had placed the postcard alongside all the national and international competition medals he had won as a student.
They were unique and priceless.
Wen Di took an extracurricular book from his middle school days and started reading. Yan Heyu had a habit of napping. He changed into his loungewear and lay down on the bed to rest.
He asked her, “Are you going to sleep?”
Wen Di shook her head. She found a blanket from the walk-in closet, laid it out in front of the bed, and sat cross-legged on it. Yan Heyu’s hand rested on the edge of the bed, and her chin rested perfectly on the back of his hand.
She propped the book against him. As Yan Heyu fell asleep, she was careful to turn the pages very gently.
After reading a third of the book, her eyelids started to fight each other, and she eventually fell asleep with her head resting on his hand.
Wen Di stayed at Yan Heyu’s house until 3:30 p.m. Qin Xing, who didn’t know she was at Yan Heyu’s house today, messaged her in a group chat, asking if she was free to come to the company for a meeting, followed by a company dinner.
Yan Heyu drove her to the company, and then he went to Jingyue to work overtime.
In the evening, Heyan called him, telling him to come back.
“It’s something important. You’d better come back.”
“What is it?”
“I can’t explain it on the phone.”
“Heyan, if you read a few more books, you should be able to express yourself clearly.”
“...” Yan Heyan was so angry she hung up.
Yan Heyu finished his work and drove home, arriving just in time for dinner. Only his parents were at the dining table. Heyan was nowhere to be seen.
“Mom, where’s Heyan?”
“She’s upstairs.”
Just then, Yan Heyan came downstairs carrying a plate.
She held it with both hands, as if it were a very solemn occasion.
Yan Heyu was sitting there and couldn’t see what was on the plate.
Yan Heyan smiled. “Wait to eat. My dish is being served first.” She carried the plate directly to where her brother was sitting.
Yan Heyu frowned. “What kind of foolishness are you up to now?”
“What do you mean, ‘foolishness’? Don’t you know how to talk?” Yan Heyan placed the plate in front of him. “Do you know what this is called? This is the first course.”
On the exquisite plate was a household register in a plastic sealed bag.
Yan Heyu: “...”
Yan Heyan raised her eyebrows. “Have you ever dreamed of this dish?”
“...” Yan Heyu laughed, covering his forehead and unable to speak for a long time.
He had the household register, but Wen Di still had to be willing to marry him.
So, the proposal was put on the agenda.
Yan Heyu didn’t feel confident. If he asked, she might not say yes. With her personality, she could do anything. When he tried to make their relationship official, she had refused him several times before she finally agreed to introduce him to her friends.
No matter who was at the proposal, if he didn’t move her, she would still refuse, and she would refuse in a way that made you feel she had a point.
Yan Heyu tagged Jiang Chengyu in the group chat: [I’m planning on becoming your neighbor.]
He also had a villa in Jiang Chengyu’s neighborhood. It had been fully furnished when it was delivered, but because he didn’t want to live in the same complex as Jiang Chengyu, the house had been vacant all this time.
Now, he had no choice. Living close by would make it convenient for Wen Di to go and see Shen Tang.
Jiang Chengyu: [Okay, I get it. ‘A close neighbor is better than a distant relative’ doesn’t apply to you and me.]
Qin Xing popped up, sent a laughing emoji, and then went back to lurking.
Yan Heyu: [I’m going to propose to Wen Di soon. I want you all to be there to witness it.]
Group Admin: [What if—and I say what if—she rejects you? If we’re there to witness it, will you let us live to tell the tale?]
Qin Xing couldn’t help himself and burst out laughing while he was eating.
Yan Heyu: [Can’t you all wish me well?]
Fu Yanzhou also saw the group message and replied: [It’s not that we don’t wish you well, it’s that you didn’t send a red envelope.]
Yan Heyu: “...”
He sent everyone two hundred yuan.
Everyone who received a red envelope wished him a successful proposal and a little Ningmeng soon.
After the jokes, they got down to business.
Jiang Chengyu probably guessed where Yan Heyu wanted to propose. [Are you thinking of doing it in your villa’s courtyard?]
Yan Heyu: [Yeah. If I do it anywhere else, Wen Di will figure it out.]
Jiang Chengyu: [Alright, I’ll help you prepare.]
Group Admin: [Let us know the time once it’s set. We’ll be there, no matter how busy we are.]
Fu Yanzhou: [+1]
Qin Xing: [+2]
...
[+59]
More people continued to line up.
Yan Heyu didn’t expect them all to be so free. [You don’t need so many people to come. How much barbecue food would I have to buy if you all came? And hundreds of bottles of red wine. Just a few of you is fine. We don’t even have that many chairs.]
Group Admin: [We’ll bring our own chairs and tables.]
Qin Xing burst out laughing again.
“What are you laughing at!” Shen Tang couldn’t stand Qin Xing constantly laughing at his phone.
Qin Xing lied. “I’m reading some dad jokes.”
Wen Di said to Shen Tang, “He’s probably chatting with his girlfriend.”
They were having a company dinner tonight, but Qin Xing was distracted, constantly looking at his phone.
________________________________________
That night, the sky was clear.
A sweet osmanthus tree was planted in the courtyard, and it was in full bloom, filling the air with its fragrance.
Tonight, Shen Tang was driving. She drove into the villa from a different main entrance. She asked Wen Di for help, telling her to find a number in her contacts.
Wen Di wasn’t very familiar with the villa complex and couldn’t tell which villa was where. While she was looking for the number, the car drove directly to Yan Heyu’s place.
The villas all looked the same, and the courtyards were similar, making it hard for an outsider to distinguish them.
The number of people at the barbecue tonight was two or three times more than usual.
Wen Di unbuckled her seatbelt and looked outside. “What’s going on?”
Shen Tang’s expression didn’t change. “It’s someone’s birthday today, and everyone came to our house to join the fun.”
Even at this point, Wen Di still thought she was at Shen Tang’s house.
Because it was night, even though the courtyard was a little different from Shen Tang’s, Wen Di didn’t notice.
The barbecue grill was in a similar spot, and there were five or six tables of mahjong on the lawn to the right.
Wen Di asked, “Did you get more mahjong tables?”
Shen Tang: “No. They brought their own tables and chairs.”
“...” She thought they were going to great lengths just to play mahjong.
They weren’t there for mahjong; they were there to witness how Yan Heyu would propose.
After a simple greeting, Shen Tang pulled Wen Di to the barbecue grill.
There was a tap for washing hands, clean towels, and even aprons. They didn’t have to go into the house.
Wen Di smelled a strong osmanthus scent and was pleasantly surprised. “When did you plant an osmanthus tree?”
Shen Tang’s acting was good. “We just planted it last month.”
While they were chatting, Yan Heyu’s car drove in.
Wen Di wasn’t surprised he came. She had told him before she came that they were having a barbecue at Shen Tang’s house. He had said he was in a meeting for a partnership and had no other social engagements that night, so he would come over after he finished his work.
Yan Heyu came over, said a few words to her, and then went to play cards with his friends.
Everything was the same as a usual barbecue at Shen Tang’s house.
It wasn’t until Shen Tang’s twin kids each came to her with a bouquet of red roses, and Yan Heyu started walking toward her, that Wen Di slowly realized something was up. The dinner tonight was too grand, and the so-called birthday was just a cover-up. The dreamy cake was for her.
Xiao Ningmeng and her brother leaned against Wen Di. They didn’t know what Yan Heyu was going to do and looked up curiously.
Yan Heyu coaxed the two children. “Can you two go to the side for a bit?”
Xiao Ningmeng shook her head like a rattle drum. “No.”
“I can’t kneel with you two standing here.”
Shen Tang laughed and picked up the two children.
A piano was set up in the courtyard. Yan Heyu hadn’t prepared it. It was a proposal gift from someone in the group chat. They said they would leave it in the courtyard, and if the proposal was successful, they would play a couple of songs.
But before Yan Heyu could kneel and propose, someone sat down at the piano and played a few notes.
Wen Di looked over, and only then did she notice there was a grand piano in the corner of the garden, with two people sitting at it. It was a little far away, and the light was dim, so she couldn’t recognize who they were from the back.
Yan Heyu asked Qin Xing, “What are they doing?”
Qin Xing: “Third Brother and Fifth Brother are going to play a four-hand duet.”
Yan Heyu: “...” He hadn’t expected them to be such show-offs.
He asked Qin Xing and Jiang Chengyu for help. “Go stop them. Those two have no self-awareness. They haven’t even passed their grade four piano exams. What can they possibly play?”
The courtyard erupted in laughter.
He had to thank the two of them for wanting to play the piano. Yan Heyu wasn’t so nervous now. He had been so nervous just a moment ago that he had completely forgotten what he was going to say for his proposal.
All eyes in the courtyard were back on Wen Di and Yan Heyu.
Yan Heyu took a step back and knelt down on one knee in front of Wen Di.
She looked down at him, and he looked up at her.
In Yan Heyu’s hand was a diamond ring. It looked familiar to Wen Di. She suddenly remembered that this was the ring she had designed for the female lead in the script for the drama version of No One is Better Than You.
But later, when the male lead proposed, the ring wasn’t the focus, so it wasn’t filmed. It was probably too much trouble for the prop master.
The most beautiful and romantic ring she had ever imagined was now in his hands, and the ring setting was her ring size.
Yan Heyu gently took her hand. “I’m already satisfied that I can propose here today.”
He looked at her, and the vows he had prepared suddenly felt insignificant. The eight years they had been together couldn’t be summed up in a few words about loving her and wanting to protect her.
“From now on, I will do better and make sure that no matter how many years pass, you won’t regret writing No One is Better Than You, and you won’t regret writing me a postcard in that rented room. Our little Ningmeng must miss us, too. Wen Di, do you miss her? Because I do. She definitely hopes that Mommy and Daddy can get married soon so she can meet us earlier.”
Wen Di’s defenses broke at his last few sentences.
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