Mu Qiu used to think that the development of feelings is such a terrifying thing.
When you first fall in love, you hold hands and kiss. During the passionate stage, you have intimate physical contact. When you cohabit, you enter each other’s lives.
In these stages, you might discover that you dislike his/her clothing, skin contact, living habits, personality, and temperament. When these dislikes accumulate, the relationship changes, and interacting becomes exhausting.
Not to mention, turning the relationship into marriage.
They hide these dislikes and incompatibilities, each standing in the positions of husband and wife, losing the freshness of love, treating each other as long-term and cheap life partners.
One day, they will erupt into arguments, slowly wearing down the hard-earned affection. Then, in this emotional erosion, they have children, transferring their remaining love and reluctance to the next generation.
Such a terrifying and difficult-to-change development.
However, if the person standing in front of me is the one, it doesn’t seem so scary.
Mu Qiu looked straight into Cheng Zhirang’s eyes and asked him seriously, "What are your thoughts?"
Cheng Zhirang maintained his one-knee posture on the sofa, brushing her lips gently with his finger, solemnly and tenderly saying, "Being responsible from the moment we fall in love, when the relationship stabilizes, you want to take on more responsibility. Regardless of time and opportunity, I want to be more deeply connected with you."
Mu Qiu looked at his beautiful eyes and said nothing.
Cheng Zhirang lowered his voice, sexy and full of allure, patiently asking, "Do you like me?"
He knows her answers are always sincere, and even if she doesn’t speak, her answers are enough to reveal her true thoughts.
Mu Qiu nodded, "I do."
"Are you used to having me around?"
She nodded again, "Quite accustomed."
Cheng Zhirang asked again, "Are my meals tasty?"
"Delicious."
"Are there any living habits of mine you dislike? I rarely smoke or drink, don’t gamble, and don’t fool around."
"Not at the moment."
"Do you like my body?"
"...Very much."
"Do you find me boring?"
"No."
"How do my parents get along with yours?"
"Based on the last dinner, quite well."
"When you wake up and see me sleeping next to you, are you happy or annoyed?"
"Hmm, happy."
"Do you want to share your favorite food, places, and things with me?"
"I do. Just yesterday, I shared the shrimp patties I love with you."
"If one day I’m not famous anymore, and this face isn’t attractive, will you still like me?"
"Beauty is in the bones, not in the skin. Moreover, you have the physique, the temperament, the talent, and the knowledge. Many people are good-looking, but there’s only one Cheng Zhirang."
"So you like me, feel good being with me, and are willing to live with me, right? Do you want to become Mrs. Cheng?"
This time, Mu Qiu didn’t answer.
"You’re setting me up."
"It’s guiding you to see your own thoughts," he withdrew his leg, squatted in front of her, not oppressing her physically, and repeated, "You’re willing, just don’t want it so soon, right?"
"Right."
Time is the real test of suitability. Only when she feels everything naturally falls into place will she consider marriage. Liking and willingness don’t mean committing to it immediately.
"I hope we can have more time to reconcile. After all, marriage needs to be taken seriously. I don’t want words like divorce or separation to exist after marriage.
Can you guarantee now that after we marry, we’ll never divorce, never pretend to be happy together, never drift apart?"
Pledging the present to ensure the future isn’t rational.
Cheng Zhirang lowered his eyes, "That’s reasonable. I also said earlier I’d give you time to adjust to being with someone of a different age."
His lowered gaze, coupled with his voice, conveyed a feeling of a beauty in low spirits.
Mu Qiu lay on the sofa, looked down to meet his gaze, "Of course, logical and calm in thought, hard to resist in reality. I’m not a saint of reason."
His lashes quivered slightly.
"So," she returned the choice to him, "if you feel the time is right, we can abide by the marriage laws, confidently ensure the relationship won’t erode, capable of building a family, and ready to be great parents, then propose."
"As long as you propose, I assume you’re fully prepared, and I’ll definitely agree."
"What if I’m ready and you aren’t?"
She laughed brightly, "I’ll start preparing mentally from now."
Cheng Zhirang looked up, and they smiled at each other.
He said, "Alright. You prepare anytime."
The conversation ended, and Mu Qiu was pinned on the sofa.
——
Over the past two days, the buzz about the eighth episode hasn’t subsided. Various images are circulating online, and random video scrolls can bring up live segments.
During this period, the hashtags #QingRongJointLawsuitWithChengZhiRangStudioAgainstRumorSpreaders# and #LinLianChanghuiEntertainment# slowly climbed the rankings.
The former shocked people, the latter drove them crazy with excitement.
Lin Lian, the first newcomer dug up by Changhui Entertainment, is the second artist besides Shu Ran for Changhui.
He debuted not on stage or with works, but appeared on the hottest variety show, gaining fame just with a pretty face and uniquely Different temperament.
Next, the company announced a youth drama for him. Once the costume photos were released, it attracted a considerable number of fans.
Of course, fame brings haters. Many tied him with Cheng Zhirang and Su Yan for fake promotion but secretly incited negativity.
Fans of Cheng Zhi and Su Yan aren’t passive. Some were led to criticize Lin Lian, but more reported malicious promotions instead.
Cheng Zhirang retweeted Changhui’s announcement of Lin Lian starring in the youth drama. Later, Su Yan affirmed Lin Lian’s good performance on the variety stage, proving there’s no competition between the three.
One focuses on films, another on singing and dancing idol circles, and his focus on youth dramas poses no real competition. He couldn’t shake Cheng Zhirang and Su Yan’s positions, nor match their level for now, so there’s no real contest.
More importantly, Mu Qiu and Lin Banyan didn’t feel Lin Lian was more attractive than the ones they liked, so there’s no comparison needed.
————
Two days ago, I had a gathering with friends and found out a girl was about to get married...I found it incredible. She told me that she never thought she’d marry so soon, believed she’d consider it at twenty-five or twenty-six at the earliest, but after meeting him, marriage felt only sweet, entering its sanctuary wasn’t scary at all.
Seeing all the sweetness on her face, as a single person, I’m truly envious.