Chapter 291: with translation of chapter title

Both mother and daughter had red eyes; Ye Zhiqiu's face bore a hint of relief, while Ning Jinli's gaze was even more solemn.

"Xiao Li has accepted the fact that I divorced her father," Ye Zhiqiu said to Su Qinglan.

Su Qinglan was dumbfounded, "Xiao Li, you… you just agreed to that for them?"

Ning Jinli said with helplessness and bitterness, "In matters like this, the decision always lies with Mom and Dad. I think… they must have thought it through clearly, so I have no need to interfere."

Su Qinglan, frantic, said, "Zhiqiu! Look how sensible our Xiao Li is! She's clearly suffering, yet she's still understanding you both. As parents, can't you consider her?!"

Ye Zhiqiu, though also feeling distressed, tried to speak calmly, "My divorce from Ning Shan doesn't mean we won't be a family with Xiao Li in the future."

Su Qinglan, angry, said, "But you are divorced! A proper family, just like that—"

"Godmother, no need to keep talking…" Ning Jinli whispered, "I'm not a child anymore. As long as dad and mom can be happy, and it won't affect my relationship with them later, and they can get along peacefully, I think… it's not a problem."

"Sigh… Xiao Li…" Su Qinglan didn't know what to say.

Ning Jinli could accept her parents' divorce, but her heart still couldn't get over it at once; the more she thought, the more distressed she became, and she turned and went to her bedroom.

Ye Zhiqiu prepared to follow.

Su Qinglan, still wanting to make a final appeal, quickly grabbed Ye Zhiqiu and said sternly, "Let the child stay alone. Come, let's have a proper talk!"

Ye Zhiqiu helplessly glanced at the closed door and sat on the sofa.

Su Qinglan assumed a posture and began a long‑winded, earnest lecture…

Ning Jinli locked herself in the bedroom, left the lights off; she didn't cry and barely showed any expression, just standing by the window silently watching the night sky.

Although she appeared calm on the surface, her mind was in chaos, and she didn't even know what she was thinking.

…

Unnoticed, the time passed midnight.

In the restaurant.

Xiao Qidi tried sending Ning Jinli several messages and calling a few times, but the messages went unanswered and the calls unpicked.

Meanwhile, the exquisite dishes before him had been changed several times.

This ended up giving many restaurant patrons a free good meal, and several tables came to thank him.

Then the restaurant owner, with a complicated expression, walked over and whispered, "Mr. Xiao… it's so late, is your girlfriend unable to make it? How about…"

Xiao Qidi furrowed his brows, "She never breaks a promise she's made to me; there must be something important holding her back, so we'll keep waiting."

The restaurant owner sighed quietly, "But we're about to close here."

Xiao Qidi said, "I can pay extra; any amount isn't a problem, please."

Seeing Xiao Qidi's generosity and easygoing nature, the owner agreed.

After the owner left.

Xiao Qidi took out his phone again, repeatedly looking at the unreplied messages and missed call logs, feeling conflicted.

He worried whether Ning Jinli might have encountered an accident or danger, but based on intuition and rational analysis, the likelihood was low: firstly, Ning Jinli has enough skill to protect herself; secondly, given her importance to Huaxia Guo, any real danger would prompt the state to intervene immediately.

Moreover, from his understanding of Ning Jinli, the most likely scenario is that she's faced a matter she needs to handle.

Thus, all he has to do is keep waiting.

After a long round of thought, Xiao Qidi put away his phone and tried hard to stay calm.

But emotions often don't obey reason.

Feeling a bit suffocated, he got up, walked out through the glass door beside the floor‑to‑ceiling window, and planned to stroll on Jiang'an Lawn for some fresh air.

Boom…

A faint spring thunder rumbled in the sky.

A series of cool breezes swept in from the river.

Xiao Qidi stood facing the wind, gazing at the river surface reflecting the colorful lights, closed his eyes and breathed slowly and deeply.

"Excuse me, both of you, this area has already been reserved for our distinguished guests…" suddenly a server's voice rang out.

Then a young man pleaded, "Just a short while, please make an exception, it'll be quick, I won't disturb the guests. I'll pay."

The server patiently explained, "I'm really sorry, it's not a money issue."

Then a young woman said, "Forget it, let's not make it hard for the server."

Xiao Qidi walked over and saw a modestly dressed young couple.

The server, seeing him arrive, hurriedly greeted, "Mr. Xiao, sorry to bother you."

The young woman was about to pull her boyfriend away when the man mustered courage, "Are you the guest who reserved this lawn? I'm sorry, could you make an exception and help us?"

"Don't trouble anyone," the girl tugged his arm.

Xiao Qidi asked, "Do you have any business?"

The man's eyes lit with anticipation, he coaxed his girlfriend aside with a few words, then politely walked to Xiao Qidi and whispered softly:

"Sir, it's like this: many years ago, before this place was developed, my girlfriend and I attended a nearby high school and often came here for secret dates… hehe. After graduating, we didn't continue school, we both went out of town to work. Over the past few years I saved some money, planning to propose to her here, at this spot that holds beautiful memories for us, but…"

The two words 'proposal' immediately touched Xiao Qidi's heart, and he involuntarily showed a different expression.

The young man, unaware, kept speaking, immersed in happiness, and unintentionally opened up, saying that although he couldn't afford a house in Xinghan City, he had, in the small town where they worked, bought a several‑tens‑square‑meter house in his girlfriend's name, fully paid, so they would have a home; over the years his girlfriend had stood by him through storms, and he wanted to treat her well for a lifetime.

Behind that were more stories of the two supporting each other step by step.

Xiao Qidi listened, feeling a bit dazed.

The man suddenly came back to himself, awkwardly scratched his head, "Sorry, sir, once I start talking about her I can't stop…"

"It's fine," Xiao Qidi smiled faintly, "Wish you happiness."

The man said, "Thank you, sir! I… I know my request is irregular, but we rarely return here, we'll leave tomorrow. Please give me ten minutes to propose here; I promise not to disturb any arrangements, I'll pay you, sir, what do you think…"

Xiao Qidi thought briefly, "Then I wish you a successful proposal. I won't disturb you any further."

After speaking, he turned and left, also giving the server a quick instruction, then returned to the restaurant.

"Thank you! Thank you, sir!" the man exclaimed, bowing repeatedly toward him.

Afterwards, the boy took the girl's hand and walked onto the lawn.

The two sat by the river, holding hands and leaning on each other just as they had when they secretly dated before.

"That gentleman is really nice; he actually agreed to let us stay a while in the venue he rented," the girl said softly. "Later we'll go thank him properly. Oh right, did you tell anyone we need to pay for the time we're using this place? Just look at how beautifully it's set up—you can tell that gentleman put a lot of thought into it; it'll surely be useful."

The boy laughed and said, "Of course I'll say so—don't worry, I won't take advantage for free."

The girl added, "I think… the fee for the venue he rented must be high. If we calculate by the time we're using it, we should give him quite a bit… How about this: let's return the gold necklace you bought me while shopping today…"

Before she could finish, the boy grabbed her hand and interrupted, "No, no—that's a gift I specially gave you. If we're returning anything, it should be the new phone you gave me today."

The girl giggled, "All right, all right, let's not talk about that now, or time will fly by."

The boy hugged her, steering the conversation toward memories, while his other hand furtively slipped the proposal ring he had secretly prepared out of his pocket.

Simply because he was so nervous, he repeatedly tried to muster courage, his palms sweating, yet he never managed to reveal the ring.

Xiao Qidi watched the boy's small moves through the restaurant's floor-to-ceiling window.

Then he glanced at his phone.

It was 1 a. m., and Ning Jinli still hadn't replied to his message or called.

He let out a sigh, thought seriously, then summoned the restaurant owner and gave him a few instructions.

The owner listened, then looked astonished at the young couple and said, "Mr. Xiao… are you sure?"

Xiao Qidi nodded.

The owner's expression was complex: "But these are all things you prepared for yourself…"

Xiao Qidi lowered his eyes and said lightly, "Maybe we won't need them today—don't let them go to waste; those fresh roses will wilt by tomorrow if we don't use them tonight."

"All right, if that's your wish, we'll do as you say," the owner replied, nodding, and quickly left.

Soon, the restaurant staff who had been preparing everything for Xiao Qidi's proposal sprang into action.

Suddenly, romantic, soft classical music floated from the lawn, the ambient lights all switched on, and in an instant the setting was transformed into a dreamscape.

The young couple froze, their faces lighting up with surprise and delight as they looked around.

Passersby strolling along the distant riverbank were also drawn over, turning to look this way.

Next, a rustling sound came from midair.

Countless rose petals were showered from the restaurant's upper level.

The vivid petals swirled down in the ambient light, dreamlike and surreal.

The couple within the scene helped each other to stand, stunned into silence by the sight.

"How beautiful…" the girl said, reaching her hand toward the sky, "These are actually real rose petals…"

A sky full of petals fell on them and blanketed the lawn in a red carpet.

More and more people walking by the river were drawn to the vicinity.

Since the lawn belongs to the restaurant's premises, the onlookers merely paused around the edge, curiously watching the scene.

Undoubtedly, the couple illuminated by the ambient lights became the focal point of the dreamscape.

Just as the couple was still trying to make sense of what was happening, countless drones equipped with colored lights rose from the restaurant, forming intricate patterns high above the river before them—among them two heart shapes.

The onlookers exclaimed in astonishment.

"Someone's declaring their love!"

"Goodness, how romantic!"

"Is this a proposal?"

"Exactly! This commotion isn't anything but a proposal—what else could it be? That couple on the lawn is so romantic! I'm jealous!"

The young couple stood dumbstruck by the magnificent spectacle in the night sky, still unaware they had become the center of everyone's attention.

"What's going on…?" the girl whispered, tilting her head back and widening her eyes at the massive light‑screen pattern formed by the drones, "Is there some event going on here? We're so lucky to have caught it."

The boy scratched his head, looking around, "I have no idea either…"

Bang!

Fireworks began to launch from above the restaurant, lighting up the whole area.

The boy jumped in fright, the proposal ring slipped from his hand and rolled away, vanishing instantly; his heart leapt into his throat as he dropped to the ground to search for it.

Swish—whoosh—

The drone swarm also began to release fireworks.

A cascade of gorgeous fireworks tilted downward like a heavenly shower of light, and together with the ambient lights, music, and the restaurant's own fireworks, they drove the scene to its climax.

The gathered onlookers were utterly stunned—so much so that many forgot to pull out their phones to take a picture.

The young woman amid the scene also forgot everything at that moment, staring blankly at the ultimate beauty before her.

As for the young man, he was already sweating profusely from anxiety.

The ring had fallen into the lawn, and under these circumstances it was impossible to find.

At the crucial moment, a figure silently approached and handed him an exquisite diamond ring, saying, "Here, use this."

The boy looked up, "Mr. Xiao? You… what is this…"

Xiao Qidi shoved the diamond ring into his hand, "It's yours—go propose to her quickly."

Without waiting for the boy to say more, Xiao Qidi quickly left.

The boy stared blankly for two seconds, then, without overthinking, he crawled to the girl's side, dropped to one knee, raised the ring, and shouted, "Xiaoxuan, I love you! Will you… marry me?"

The girl lowered her head, stunned for a moment.

The boy spoke louder, "I want to marry you! From the very first day we were together, I've dreamed of spending my whole life with you! Will you marry me? I swear I'll always treat you well, always love you, always—"

"I do!" the girl cried before he could finish, "I love you too! I've wanted to marry you for ages, you idiot—you only just proposed now…" (she sobbed)

Bang bang bang!!

The final wave of fireworks stretching from the lawn's edge to the riverbank burst forth all at once.

The boy placed the ring on the girl's finger, excitedly rose to his feet, and they embraced while crying.

The surrounding passersby also burst into applause and cheers, offering blessings to this couple who were strangers to each other.

After things had calmed down, the boy took the girl's hand and, from a distance, bowed to thank the passersby; then he told his girlfriend that during that time he had accidentally lost the proposal ring, and that Mr. Xiao had suddenly sent over a diamond ring.

"What? Mr. Xiao helped us this much?" the girl showed no hesitation despite the diamond ring's great value, took off the ring, and said to the boy, "Hurry, let's return it to Mr. Xiao!"

"Mm!" the boy grabbed his girlfriend and rushed back to the restaurant.

By the time they arrived, there was no trace of Xiao Qidi.

Only the restaurant owner was waiting for them.

"Congratulations to you two," the owner asked with a smile, "Were you satisfied with the proposal setup just now?"