Chapter 494: I Feel Even More Heartbroken

The Principal suddenly knelt down, holding in his hands a brilliant diamond the size of an egg, emitting a pink glow in the candlelight.

This sight made everyone around them involuntarily show expressions of surprise and shock.

Shuchang, Zhang Jingying, and Yao Beina exchanged glances, their eyes filled with envy.

The Principal is so romantic—pulling this off while Liu Tianxian has her eyes closed; when she opens them and sees this, she'll be so moved.

Zou Zhaolong also wore a look of deep satisfaction; he had never liked the Principal before, had a poor impression of him because he never spoke.

But seeing how thoughtful he was, he was genuinely happy for his sister.

On Chen Jinfei's usually stern face, a gentle expression could not help but appear; he had always known that a man who could protect his goddaughter, provide her with resources, and remain morally upright could not be a bad person.

Even if he was ruthless toward outsiders, he was gentle with his goddaughter.

So he had never opposed their relationship.

Liu Xiaoli wore a broad smile—she was happy for her daughter.

Previously, her daughter had often complained to her about Fang Hong being dull and unromantic; now this was quite nice, very romantic.

Xu Liyun's face was filled with happiness as she silently applauded her son.

Liu Tianxian did not know about this scene—she still had her eyes closed, making a wish; everyone else remained silent, exchanging glances with a shared understanding, unwilling to spoil this tender moment.

They all internally anticipated how Liu Tianxian would react when she saw this—the candlelight flickered like scattered starlight, filling the room with quiet serenity; in this stillness, after Liu Tianxian finished her wish and opened her eyes, her pupils widened instantly.

Seeing Fang Hong kneeling on one knee, holding a pure pink diamond before her, she was both startled and delighted, her hands flying to her mouth, tears welling in her eyes.

"Is this your gift to me?" Her voice trembled slightly, as if she could hardly believe it.

"Yes. I don't know if you like it, but if you don't, too bad—it's already bought and can't be returned." Fang Hong still managed to ruin the mood.

Everyone around couldn't help but smile; it was bought, so whether she liked it or not, she'd have to like it.

"Stop talking nonsense," Liu Tianxian cried with joy, quickly pulling him up from the ground—this man kneeling on the floor made her heart ache.

As soon as Fang Hong stood, Liu Tianxian threw her arms around his neck, holding him tightly, burying her face against his neck as if overwhelmed with emotion, wanting to melt him into her body.

"Clap, clap, clap!" The onlookers spontaneously burst into applause, their expressions filled with admiration and blessing.

Watching the two so affectionate, they were moved; Shuchang's eyes involuntarily filled with tears—when would the man she loved treat her this way? Then she would die without regret.

Alas, life rarely goes as one wishes! The applause continued; after their tender moment, Fang Hong pulled away, and she gazed at the man before her, her misty eyes spilling tears uncontrollably.

She could not hold back her emotions.

"Why are you crying? I've never seen you cry before." Fang Hong wiped the tears from her face.

"It's nothing," Liu Tianxian softly shook her head.

She wasn't sad—she was moved to tears; this was the second time this man had proposed to her.

And this time, he had clearly put his heart into it, giving her a wonderful surprise.

"Are you crying because the diamond is so big and beautiful?" Fang Hong chuckled.

Hearing this, Liu Tianxian couldn't help but burst into a laugh—she was amused.

The others also smiled; the Principal was funny—everyone knew she was moved, not amused.

"The diamond is beautiful," Liu Tianxian said softly, gently caressing his face, her eyes as tender as water.

She spoke of the diamond, but her eyes held only this man.

She didn't care about the diamond—she cared about his attitude, his heart that loved her.

If she cared about material things, she never would have accepted his pursuit in the first place.

"Today is your birthday—don't cry, be happy," Fang Hong said.

"I'm not crying," Liu Tianxian said, looking around at the familiar faces, her eyes brimming with happiness. "Seeing all of you, I feel so happy, so blessed."

Those around them also wore expressions of satisfaction as they watched.

"Good you're not crying—quickly put the diamond away before anyone sees it," Fang Hong said, then, like a thief, began searching her pockets to hide the diamond.

This gesture made the others laugh again; they realized the Principal was just joking, and now they saw he could be quite funny, like a clown.

Especially Liu Xiaoli, who covered her mouth and laughed endlessly—seeing her son-in-law like this, their life together would never be dull.

He only acted like this for Liu Tianxian; otherwise, Fang Hong never did.

"Can you be serious for once?" Liu Tianxian laughed again and playfully hit him.

He was serious—this man just loved teasing her.

Her clothes had no pockets, and her jeans were tight—there was no room for the diamond.

After this round of joking and banter, Liu Xiaoli spoke up at the right moment: "Alright, alright, blow out the candles—the candles haven't been blown out yet."

"Not yet—I want to make another wish," Liu Tianxian said.

"What else do you want to wish for? Didn't you already wish?" Liu Xiaoli asked.

"That one doesn't count—I want to make another," Liu Tianxian insisted on making another wish.

"You're getting greedy with the gods now!" Fang Hong joked.

Liu Tianxian laughed twice. "I'm making it—I won't be satisfied if I don't."

"Go ahead, go ahead," Liu Xiaoli gestured—it was just a ritual anyway.

Granted permission, Liu Tianxian closed her eyes again, clasped her hands together in solemn prayer, then blew hard at the candles on the cake.

Her breath was strong—the dozens of candles were quickly extinguished.

The room lights turned on automatically, no longer dim with only flickering candlelight.

"Let's cut the cake!" Liu Tianxian was delighted, picking up a small plastic knife to begin slicing.

She cut a piece for everyone, but no one smeared cake on faces or played around—they simply accepted their pieces politely from Liu Tianxian's hands.

Aside from Liu Tianxian, no one here would dare smear the Principal; Zou Zhaolong didn't know the others well; Xu Liyun, Chen Jinfei, and Liu Xiaoli were elders and wouldn't act frivolously.

So everyone here had some distance between them, still unfamiliar with each other—no one dared go too far.

The four women, however, were quite familiar; they carried their cake pieces to another corner and laughed and played.

Chen Jinfei and Liu Xiaoli went aside to discuss something; since they'd met, they had to say something—they already knew each other, so staying silent wouldn't do.

Zou Zhaolong was leaving after the birthday party; he'd felt out of place all along, so Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian saw him to the villa's entrance.

"Brother, be careful on the road," Liu Tianxian said, concerned.

"Alright."

Zou Zhaolong nodded, then stepped before Fang Hong, fixing him with a piercing gaze: "If you ever treat my sister badly, I won't let you off."

He had a fierce intensity when he stared—after all, he'd played many villain roles. "You're trying to scare me," Fang Hong said, baffled.

"I'm not scaring you. I'm serious," Zou Zhaolong said, pointing at him.

"Treating her well is my own responsibility—you don't need to worry about it."

Fang Hong pushed his hand away: "I don't like people pointing at me."

"Enough, enough, stop arguing," Liu Tianxian stepped between them, pulling them apart.

"I hope you mean it," Zou Zhaolong threatened.

He'd been in this circle for decades—he knew exactly what men in this world were like: fickle, playing around recklessly.

"Alright, brother, get in the car!" Liu Tianxian thought Zou Zhaolong had been too harsh.

But it was for her sake—she could understand.

Out of respect for Liu Tianxian, Fang Hong couldn't be bothered to argue with him—if he had spoken politely, Fang Hong might've replied; if he spoke rudely, Fang Hong wouldn't bother.

These people always assume what they've seen is the whole truth, and think every man in the world is like that.

That's just wrong!

See one man who's unfaithful, and think all men are unfaithful; see entertainment industry people acting wildly, and think everyone in the industry is like that.

They just use their own limited experience to judge everything.

They don't realize people are inherently different—every circle has good people, rule-abiders, those who keep themselves pure.

It's impossible for everyone to be rotten just because some are; if that were true, the whole circle would be rotten to the core—and truly not worth existing, destined for destruction.

Of course, he didn't truly blame Zou Zhaolong; he knew every word was meant for Liu Tianxian's good.

In fact, Zou Zhaolong knew Fang Hong was a decent man—but he still wanted to protect Liu Tianxian his own way, to make sure this man would never dare mistreat his sister.

Who knew how things would turn out in the future?

He had no power to do anything to Fang Hong, so he could only do it this way.

After he left, Fang Hong complained: "Your brother really—can't he just talk properly?"

"Oh come on, stop being upset," Liu Tianxian soothed.

Fang Hong wasn't angry—he asked curiously: "What did you wish for just now?"

"I won't tell you—if I tell you, it won't come true," Liu Tianxian turned her head away.

In truth, her wish was simple: to live forever happily with this man, never argue, never have conflicts, always be joyful, and have several adorable little babies.

"Alright," Fang Hong wasn't especially curious—wishes were always about family harmony and health.

"Show me the diamond," Liu Tianxian extended her hand.

"Didn't you just see it?" Fang Hong said.

"I didn't look closely enough then—I want to see it now," Liu Tianxian glanced inside the house; they hadn't come out yet.

She really hadn't looked closely before—her mind had been full of emotion, and there were too many people around; now she wanted to admire it properly.

"No," Fang Hong mimicked her earlier motion, turning his head away, walking back.

"You won't give it to me, huh?"

Liu Tianxian stepped forward, one arm wrapped around his neck, pinning his head under her armpit—crude and forceful: "Will you give it or not?"

"Fine, fine, fine," Fang Hong gave in—he was utterly unreserved; this posture was so awkward—he could already feel the softness.

He pulled the diamond, wrapped in velvet cloth, from his pocket and handed it to Liu Tianxian.

Liu Tianxian took it, gently unfurling the velvet, revealing a flawless, radiant pink diamond before her eyes.

Her eyes gleamed; she lifted the diamond high, examining it closely under the moonlight—it was crystal-clear, flawless, sparkling like countless tiny stars.

And these "tiny stars" were pink—beautiful, exquisite.

Fang Hong leaned close to her face, gazing upward at the diamond: "Do you like it?"

"I love it. Very much."

Liu Tianxian sighed—this diamond was utterly perfect, pure and flawless. She asked: "Is this a rough diamond?"

"Yes," Fang Hong nodded.

Liu Tianxian asked again: "How much did you pay for it?"

"Just the diamond itself cost seventy million; with all the other miscellaneous fees, it came to eighty million," Fang Hong didn't hide it.

"Not bad—not expensive," Liu Tianxian thought it cheap, given its size and purity—this price was a bargain.

Women always had a soft spot for diamonds, and Liu Tianxian knew her stuff—she could tell this diamond was extraordinary.

"The unit is U. S. dollars," Fang Hong added.

"Huh?!" Liu Tianxian turned to stare at him, as if the unit itself shocked her.

"The unit is U. S. dollars," Fang Hong repeated.

"So you spent 560 million?" Liu Tianxian couldn't believe it—she'd thought the eighty million was RMB.

"Yes, roughly that much," Fang Hong said.

Exchange rates fluctuate—560 million isn't exact, but it's about that.

"My goodness," Liu Tianxian gasped, studying the diamond again, noticing her name engraved on it—suddenly, it felt heavy in her hand.

She was holding 560 million—if she told anyone, people's jaws would drop.

560 million! She couldn't afford it herself!

"Fortunately, giving it to you was worth it." This time, Fang Hong spoke seriously, not joking as he had before.

Liu Tianxian looked at him, moved beyond words, and asked, "Where did you get so much money? You barely had any when you bought the house before."

"Funds withdrawn from the Flower Nation, saved up slowly, bit by bit," Fang Hong said.

Hearing this, Liu Tianxian gripped the diamond in her hand, turned, and hugged him again, rubbing her face against his, tightening her body to fully feel the warmth of this man.

"There, there," Fang Hong gently patted her back.

"Let me hold you just a little longer," Liu Tianxian buried her face in his neck, breathing in the familiar scent of him.

Fang Hong held her waist, feeling her breath tickle his neck.

"Spending so much money—do you mind?" Liu Tianxian asked.

"I mind, but if I shortchanged you, I'd mind even more," Fang Hong said with deep emotion.

These words sent a warm current flowing through Liu Tianxian's body, filling her with warmth.

(End of Chapter)