Unforgettable? Lin Mei chuckled. Having experienced his previous proposal, she didn't hold out much hope, knowing Xing Zheng wasn't exactly the romantic type. Lowering her expectations might just lead to a pleasant surprise.
Since the scar on her face had healed, Lin Mei's outings had become noticeably more frequent. One day, she went grocery shopping with Xing Zheng. After they had bought everything, as they were leaving, Xing Zheng didn't drive towards home.
"Where are we going?" Lin Mei asked when she realized something was amiss.
"To buy some handmade yuanzi. Mom mentioned she likes the ones from the school gate," Xing Zheng replied. He wasn't lying. When Xiao Yue worked at the school, she used to buy handmade yuanzi from the shop at the entrance. Besides the yuanzi, their brown sugar glutinous rice cakes were also delicious. The shop had been there for years, and its business remained booming.
Hearing him say that, Lin Mei also felt a craving for them. However, his address…
"You call her 'Mom' so smoothly now," she commented. He seemed to have adapted instantly. Ever since Lin Zhengde had given his consent, Xing Zheng had fully "integrated" into the family.
The school was located in the old district. Lin Mei hadn't returned in years. After the demolition and reconstruction, the roads here had become much wider. The former residential buildings had all been replaced by school facilities, and the school's area had continuously expanded. It was now almost the size of a university.
Xing Zheng parked the car, and they went into the shop together. Although classes were in session in the afternoon, there were still quite a few people queuing at the shop. Xing Zheng asked Lin Mei to sit down while he went to queue.
Lin Mei saw him buying many things and moved to help, but he said, "Go buy me a bottle of water from the shop next door. I'll carry the things."
Lin Mei said "Oh" and, without thinking much, went to the nearby convenience store to buy him water. A few minutes later, she emerged from the store. Xing Zheng was standing by the trunk. Lin Mei walked over and handed him the water.
As Xing Zheng drank the water, he casually said, "When I was packing things, my wallet seemed to have fallen into the trunk. Can you help me look for it?" He handed her the car keys.
Lin Mei said "Oh" and pressed the button. The trunk slowly opened. She didn't see any wallet, but instead, pink balloons floated out. As the lid rose higher, more and more balloons emerged, and soon, her entire field of vision was filled with pink.
Lin Mei looked closely. In the back seat, there was also a large bouquet of Bulgarian roses, also pink. Beside the roses was a large, transparent glass jar with a Baroque design, filled with preserved plum candies.
Balloons, roses, candy. If she still didn't know what was happening, she would truly be foolish.
Lin Mei looked at Xing Zheng. He had already walked over, picked up the bouquet of roses, knelt on one knee in front of her, and took her hand.
"I can't live without you. Marry me," he said. "I will make every day of your future as sweet as preserved plum candy."
"Say yes! Say yes!"
At some point, a group of elementary school students had gathered around, watching. They were wearing the same school uniforms and, as if chanting a slogan, they started shouting.
Lin Mei was drawn by the sound. She looked over and saw that these elementary school students were not only wearing matching uniforms but also holding up signs…
"Xing Zheng Loves Lin Mei," "Please Marry Him." Besides these words, there were many cartoon rabbits and hearts. Some of the signs even had rabbit ears. A few elementary school students were holding plush toys of preserved plum candies high up. They seemed to have undergone special training, chattering, "Marriage, marriage, marry him, marry him!"
Lin Mei didn't know how to describe her feelings at that moment. She looked down at Xing Zheng. "An unforgettable proposal?"
"How is it? Do you like it?" He raised the corners of his mouth, as if showing off his "masterpiece."
Just as Lin Mei was about to speak, the children suddenly walked forward together, surrounding the car, and urged them more fervently, "Say yes, marry him!"
Lin Mei's head began to buzz. The children's voices were too piercing. She felt as if her eardrums were about to burst. Xing Zheng, from who knows where, pulled out a ring. "Will you marry me?"
Lin Mei nodded gently. Xing Zheng leaned down, kissed her right hand, and then piously slipped the ring onto her ring finger. Afterward, he handed her the bouquet of roses.
Lin Mei took them. The bouquet was too heavy; she had to use both hands to hold it. The children watching nearby, seeing her put on the ring, screamed again. Everyone clapped in unison, chattering congratulations and "best wishes for your new life." Although noisy and chaotic, it was very sincere.
Pink balloons floated all around, roses were in her hands, and a candy jar was beside her. A road was completely blocked by elementary school students. No wonder Xing Zheng had said it was an unforgettable proposal…
After the proposal, Lin Mei got into the car, holding the large candy jar. She took out a candy and put it in her mouth. Xing Zheng smiled and asked, "Do you like my proposal?"
"Who gave you the idea?" Lin Mei recalled the grand scene just now. After a long pause, she finally found a fitting description: "It's very cheesy."
"Cheesy?" He was clearly not satisfied with this evaluation.
Lin Mei smiled. Wasn't the trick of hiding surprises in the trunk cheesy? And those signs the elementary school students were holding…
Despite her words, her heart felt as sweet as if it had been smeared with honey. Whether something was cheesy or not depended entirely on who did it. Even though many people had used this method before, she still liked it. Who didn't have some worldly desires in their heart?
"Is it really cheesy?" Xing Zheng asked again. He seemed very concerned about this matter.
"I want to hear your design concept first," Lin Mei said, curious about his thoughts.
Xing Zheng had started preparing for this proposal months ago. He chose the school because it was where they had truly first met. He called the elementary school children to help because he wanted witnesses.
The date was carefully chosen by him: January 13th. He pretended to take her out casually, lowering her guard, and then giving her a huge surprise. As for the trick of hiding things in the trunk, he had indeed absorbed "essence" from others. He had many plans, but the trunk was the most suitable one for him.
As for the other elements, they were easier to explain. Bulgarian roses were her favorite flowers, and preserved plum candies were a snack she had loved since childhood. Candies symbolized sweetness and were also suitable for proposals.
After listening to Xing Zheng's explanation, Lin Mei remained silent for a long time.
This silence made him inexplicably nervous. "Why aren't you talking? Didn't it meet your expectations?"
"No, I like it very much." She smiled. "Although it's cheesy, it's unforgettable."
With every detail so perfectly executed, what reason did she have not to like it?
Lin Mei looked down at her right ring finger. The diamond sparkled. On the ring, her initial was engraved, which she presumed he had also prepared in advance.
"Don't wear a black shirt tomorrow," Lin Mei suddenly said to him. "For photos with a red background, a white shirt looks better."