Translator:- Max
Editor:- Dobhsh
“That’s true.” The middle-aged man stepped aside. “You guys go. I’m sorry for delaying you.”
“It’s okay. I hope you can find the ring as soon as possible.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Ji Qingzhou got back into the car after the man got out of the way, and he shared the man’s situation with Chu Cheng. He sighed and said, “People like him are quite rare.”
“Don’t worry, when we reach this age, I will definitely remember our wedding anniversary and carefully choose gifts for you on our anniversary.”
Hearing this, Ji Qingzhou turned to look at him, not knowing what Chu Cheng would look like at that time.
“You don’t believe it?” Chu Cheng asked him.
“Believe.” Ji Qingzhou nodded, “I believe you.”
Chu Cheng looked at him and smiled slightly.
Chu Cheng drove for a while before finally arriving at the destination. By this time, it was already getting dark.
Ji Qingzhou watched him stop the car and followed him out. He asked him, “Is this the fun place you said?”
“This way.” Chu Cheng put his arm around his shoulder and led him forward. They turned a corner and came to a slope. Ji Qingzhou looked at the slope in front of him, a little surprised.
“Going uphill?”
Chu Cheng nodded. “Are you afraid of climbing hills? Look, the old man is not afraid at all.”
Ji Qingzhou glanced at the two old grandpas who were walking down the slope, so he had no choice but to walk up with Chu Cheng.
They met those two old grandpas halfway, and Ji Qingzhou saw that they were holding hands.
“Are they a couple?” Ji Qingzhou whispered.
“Probably.” Chu Cheng replied.
Ji Qingzhou watched them walk step by step and could vaguely hear the conversation between the two old men.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Today, when we get back, you’ll cook, won’t you? I’m so exhausted, I don’t feel like moving at all.”
“Lbk jybea kf fja bea jcv atfc ub yjmx tbwf?”
“Cigluta.”
“Ljtjtj, ibbx ja sbe! Tbe vlvc’a fzqfma atja, vlv sbe? Xfaalcu biv jcv obgufaoei?”
“Tbe’gf atf bcf ktb’r ufaalcu biv jcv obgufaoei.”
“Yxjs, bxjs, P’w atf obgufaoei bcf. P kbc’a ifa qfbqif ajix jybea sbe.”
“Aera vbc’a ifa wf tfjg sbe rjs la.”
“.…..”
Listening to their conversation, Ji Qingzhou couldn’t help laughing. “They should be a couple.” He affirmed in a low voice.
Not only a couple, but a very loving couple. He watched their figures go away and couldn’t help but be a little envious in his heart. If he could come out to play with Chu Cheng at this age, support each other, and hold hands when going downhill, then he would be truly happy in his life.
Ji Qingzhou stood there looking forward to it in silence for a while, then turned around and said to Chu Cheng, “Let’s go.”
Chu Cheng leaned close to him and kissed him, then hugged him and continued walking.
They came to a white carved iron gate, Chu Cheng rang the bell, and after a while, someone came and opened the door.
Ji Qingzhou and Chu Cheng walked in and found two cobblestone paths in front of them. Chu Cheng took Ji Qingzhou down the left path. Ji Qingzhou looked at him suspiciously, feeling that Chu Cheng seemed to be planning something.
They walked along the small path on the left and passed through a circular arch. The scenery inside the gate was unexpectedly colourful, far beyond what Ji Qingzhou had imagined.
Under the dark night, tall and emerald trees stretched out from both sides of the arch in the shape of “eight”, and rainbow-like coloured lights hung on the tall branches, illuminating the scenery in front of them brightly.
He stepped on the cobblestone path, directly facing a huge pool with a huge fountain built in the centre of the pool. Next to the pool, there were vast patches of bright red roses planted. It was still winter, but the roses here were blooming very brightly, with a rich and captivating fragrance that was heartwarming.
As Ji Qingzhou gazed at the scenery before him, he was filled with wonder. Suddenly, he heard melodious music playing, and the fountain started dancing to the rhythm while colourful lights projected onto the water surface, reflecting various hues. Before long, a child appeared on the fountain, stepping on each jet of water and leaping and jumping across the fountains.
Ji Qingzhou turned to look at Chu Cheng in surprise. “How did this kid do it?”
“It’s a light show.” Chu Cheng explained.
Ji Qingzhou found it rather intriguing. As he turned around, he noticed another child had followed closely behind the first. The two children seemed to have had an argument, with the second child attempting to pacify the first child, who was now listening attentively.
Ji Qingzhou vaguely felt that he had seen that scene before. He pondered for a moment, and then he saw the two children growing up right before his eyes, transforming into high school students wearing uniforms. The taller one lowered their head, seemingly attempting to kiss the shorter male student, but the latter pushed them away. It suddenly dawned on Ji Qingzhou. Weren’t these the same high school students they had encountered on their drive here?
He looked at Chu Cheng suspiciously. Chu Cheng smiled and said, “Look at the fountain.”
Ji Qingzhou couldn’t help but look back at the fountain. Soon enough, the two high school students also grew up, becoming two young adults. Ji Qingzhou stared at the figures on the fountain, feeling astonished. Not because of anything else, but because these two young figures bore an uncanny resemblance to him and Chu Cheng. He saw himself sitting on a bed while Chu Cheng half-knelt, holding his hand, and looking up at him. It was that moment—the time Chu Cheng confessed his feelings to him.
Afterwards, the scene changed rapidly, and both he and Chu Cheng seemed to have matured a lot. Chu Cheng was holding a small, square box in his hand. When he was crossing the road, the box accidentally fell off. He quickly picked it up and crossed the road. After returning home, he put the box next to his own pillow while he was taking a nap.
The light and shadows swiftly interchanged, and when they reappeared, both Ji Qingzhou and Chu Cheng had aged. Holding hands, they descended the stairs slowly. They passed by a photography studio and decided to take a picture inside. In the photograph, the two elderly individuals wore joyful smiles. They walked out of the studio, holding the photo in their hands, when a gust of wind suddenly blew, causing the photo to fly away. The two elderly individuals looked up at the photo as memories of their youthful past replayed before their eyes.
Ji Qingzhou witnessed scenes from their first acting experience together. He saw himself bowing his head to fold paper stars during their first appearance on a variety show. He saw the moment when Chu Cheng suddenly appeared at the entrance of a hospital. And he saw the nine vibrant red roses.
The scenes kept shifting, and Ji Qingzhou watched the interplay of light and shadows before him as if he were reliving their past. He observed Chu Cheng carrying him on his back, the two similar jade pendants touching each other. He saw himself sitting on the bed while Chu Cheng half-knelt, leaning down to kiss the back of his hand. He also witnessed them embracing and kissing on the frozen river.
When the fireworks sounded, Ji Qingzhou was shocked. He raised his head involuntarily and saw that the fireworks all over the sky were like a grand meteor shower, landing in the dark night sky and landing in his heart.
Those fireworks were constantly blooming in the sky, like roses, stars, and rain, and were like a magnificent dream.
When Ji Qingzhou heard Chu Cheng call his name gently, he turned his head, only to find that Chu Cheng had half-kneeled down at some point. Ji Qingzhou looked at him blankly, thinking he knew what Chu Cheng was going to do.
Chu Cheng looked up at him, his whole body trembling. His heartbeat raced, as if with every breath it would fly out of his mouth. He gazed at Ji Qingzhou, rare nervousness evident in his voice, “In a few days, you’ll be receiving that award. I believe you will definitely win. So, I want to do this before you receive the award.”
Ji Qingzhou stared at him. He wanted to speak but didn’t seem to know what to say.
“I know that by doing this now, you might think it’s too early and that I’m acting impulsively. If I were to be rational, I should wait another two years, wait until we’ve known each other for a longer time, until you have enough confidence in me and in our future, and then do this. However, I feel it’s unnecessary. If I can already be certain about my feelings for you two years from now, five years from now, or even ten or fifty years from now, then perhaps I can also give you peace of mind ahead of schedule.”
Ji Qingzhou looked at him, and his eyes slowly became sour.
“So, I don’t want to procrastinate for so long. I want to settle down with you early. I want to tell you that from the moment I liked you, I just wanted to be with you all the time, for the rest of my life.”
After Chu Cheng finished speaking, he slowly took out a dark blue square box from his pocket, slowly opened it, and presented the custom-made ring to Ji Qingzhou.
He looked at Ji Qingzhou with gentle eyes and spoke, “If a person’s life is like a journey, with the end of life as the destination and childhood, adolescence, youth, middle age, and old age as the stops along the way, then I hope that I can accompany you through this not-so-long journey. If possible, I wish I could have joined you in your childhood and embarked on this journey together. But the lost scenery cannot be recovered, so I can only board the train at the station of your youth. However, I can promise to never get off the train until you reach the end of this journey.”
Ji Qingzhou looked at him and suddenly recalled the people they had encountered on their journey. The two young boys from their childhood, the high school students from their adolescence, the young man who went to meet his loved one, the middle-aged man who prepared an anniversary gift for his beloved, and finally, the elderly couple who walked hand in hand past them.
He had initially thought that these people were just chance encounters, mere passersby. But now he understood that it wasn’t a series of coincidences; it was a destined meeting—something Chu Cheng was showing him—the life they were meant to have together.
They missed the chance to meet in their childhood and the companionship of their adolescence. Their meeting came relatively late; it was not until their youth that they finally encountered each other, setting foot on the brief journey of life together. However, the fortunate part was that they still had a long time ahead of them. They had ample time to accompany each other through the remaining years and walk through the rest of their lives together.
Ji Qingzhou’s tears instantly fell. He was never someone who was certain about the future. He focused his gaze on the present, seeking only happiness and joy in the moment without expecting anything from the future. He thought he had concealed it well, but Chu Cheng still saw through him. That’s why he chose this way of proposing, using the distance of a journey to show him a lifetime of commitment.
How could there be someone with such meticulous thoughts in this world? He had always known that if Chu Cheng was willing, he would be a great lover, but the truth proved that he could be even better than he had imagined. Ji Qingzhou looked at Chu Cheng, reaching out to support him, but Chu Cheng stopped him.
He looked at Ji Qingzhou and said softly, “Zhouzhou, do you believe me?”
Ji Qingzhou nodded. “I believe in you.”
“Then do you believe that we will always be together?”
Ji Qingzhou unconsciously bit his inner lips and nodded.
“Then are you willing to marry me and spend the rest of our lives together?”
With tears in Ji Qingzhou’s eyes, he nodded, then nodded again, and finally said, “I am willing.”
Seeing him like this, Chu Cheng slowly stood up and wiped his tears. “Why are you still crying?”
Ji Qingzhou didn’t say anything; instead, he hugged him tightly, tears falling drop by drop onto his shoulder.
Chu Cheng held him close, gently soothing him, and kissed his ear while softly whispering words of love to him.
Ji Qingzhou didn’t cry for too long, and soon he recovered his mood and let him go.
Chu Cheng looked at him and wiped away his tears. Then he lowered his head to take his hand and slowly put the ring on his ring finger.
It was an exquisite sapphire ring with a platinum band. The ring featured a meticulously carved small boat, and a valuable sapphire gemstone was intricately set on the boat. The gemstone was beautiful, clear, and radiant, just like Chu Cheng’s gaze as he looked at him.
Ji Qingzhou looked at the ring on his hand and gently touched the small boat. Chu Cheng lifted his hand and kissed the boat on the ring.
“Zhouzhou’s ring, Zhouzhou’s boat, exclusively for you, including me.”
Ji Qingzhou laughed immediately.
When the music started, Chu Cheng asked him in a very gentlemanly manner, “Can I ask you to a dance?”
The author has something to say:
So many people guessed it right yesterday. I apologise for misleading you. It was indeed a marriage proposal~~ The inspiration for this proposal came from the commonly used metaphor that life is like a journey. So their journey by car represented a metaphorical journey through life, and the people they encountered along the way were like temporary stops on this journey. Those people were actors that Chu Cheng hired, representing different stages of a person’s life—childhood, adolescence, youth, middle age, and old age—showcasing the stages of a loving relationship. Because Ji Qingzhou himself had a pessimistic attitude towards marriage and the future, Chu Cheng wanted to show him the possibility of a long-lasting relationship, which is why he chose this approach. It turned out to be quite suitable for Ji Qingzhou.
The light show of the fountain is a reference to Disney’s fireworks show, but Disney uses the castle as the carrier, and I changed it to a fountain water curtain. Disney’s fireworks show is really nice and worth it, but when I went, it seemed that the ticket price was not as expensive as it is now, and now it seems to be very expensive, and I am a little embarrassed.
You should all know about tomorrow’s high energy, so I won’t talk about it, ha ha ha~
Translator’s note:- Hi guys, sorry for not updating on 16th as my editor, Dobhsh(sushi) is going job hunting and is stressed with all that stuff and requirements so she has very little time to edit now so please guys I need editors and you can get to read the advance chapters. And also the schedule will change to once a week(Sunday) instead of twice a week until I get an editor. After I get a new editor, it will again move to 2 updates a week!
And guys I wanted to request you, when you want to find me on discord please first message me explaining why you intended to find me then you can send friend requests and all. While message please state why you are reaching out to me as I don’t answer to unknown friend requests and people who just say ‘Hi’ to me without explaining anything. This is the most important if you are also not a member of CG discord so please always explain. This is mainly to stay away from scams and self-protection(?) on my side plus I have trust issues(?) and just suspicious soooo please I hope you guys understand. And I need editors guys 
Thank youuuu
Such a lovely proposal! 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
Thanks for the chapter (and the update on the current situation). Goodluck jobhunting, Dobhsh(sushi)!
This proposal has profound meaning and i can’t help but feel it is unique compared to all the other novels if read so far.
Thank you for the chapters!😘
It’s so sweet 😭
The kids were paid actors LMAO what did they get, a lollipop each?
Imagining that felt soo wrong. It makes Chu Cheng look like a p3do QAQ
I- you need holy water ma’am/sir!! 🤣🤣
Ah, so that was indeed planed 🤧
I was like, theres no way one day they went on a drive and suddenly met gay couples in every stop, and from young to old at that just like a life journey 🤧🤧
Well this is quite creative and sweet tho 🤭