Engagement

"You're awake?"

Hearing the voice, Wu Ming lowered his head and met a pair of dark, shining eyes. Her lashes fluttered softly as she gazed at him with unwavering focus.

Perhaps because her genetic transformation had gone smoothly, Ruan Qingzhu's complexion had fully recovered. Her fair cheeks were tinged with pink, and she looked as though she had just emerged from a hot spring, soft and rosy all over, even her earlobes carrying a faint blush.

Her once-dry long hair had become black and silky again, spilling across the pillow and gleaming faintly beneath the lights.

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Wu Ming felt slightly uncomfortable under her gaze and instinctively reached out to check whether her forehead was still feverish. "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

At last, Ruan Qingzhu spoke. Her voice was soft and sticky with the drowsiness of having just awakened, and she gently uttered a single word to him.

"Hug."

Wu Ming froze for a moment, thinking he had misheard.

The next second, Ruan Qingzhu suddenly grabbed his arm and yanked hard.

Her strength after the transformation was clearly no small matter. Caught off guard, Wu Ming was pulled forward.

The movement was so forceful that he even kicked the stool beside the bed away, sending it flying with a crisp thud.

He hastily braced both hands against the edge of the bed, barely steadying himself. But before he could breathe a sigh of relief, a pair of arms had already wrapped around his back, holding him tightly and pulling him into an embrace.

That completely threw him off balance, and he fell solidly into the young girl's soft, warm arms.

Wu Ming went rigid, looking utterly bewildered.

One hand still rested on the bedsheet, while the other hung helplessly in midair, unsure where to go. The tips of his ears turned bright red, and his heart pounded loudly enough for him to hear.

In the eighteen years they had known each other, this was the first time they had had such intimate contact since growing up.

In truth, before this, even Wu Ming could not clearly describe what he felt for Ruan Qingzhu.

As a transmigrator, he had possessed mature memories since childhood, so the way he acted naturally differed greatly from that of his peers.

Especially since he had known Ruan Qingzhu from an early age, he had always regarded her as a younger sister and raised her as one. The little girl had also admired him deeply ever since she was young.

Later, as she gradually grew up and shed her childish innocence, her girlish charm became increasingly apparent. Coupled with the fact that she had reached the age when young love first blossomed, those feelings began to change.

To avoid harming the girl's reputation, Wu Ming had deliberately begun keeping his distance from her.

And that became the fuse for the Pen Incident. Sensing that Wu Ming was distancing himself, Ruan Qingzhu had prepared that birthday gift for him in the hopes of easing their relationship.

The idea that they had drifted apart because of their differing statuses was only her own assumption. In reality, Wu Ming did not care much about status or position. He simply felt that they had become a little too intimate, so much so that even Ruan Zaixing had begun to look at him unfavorably.

After the Pen Incident, the two reconciled. Ruan Qingzhu had also learned her lesson and began paying attention to physical contact when she was with him, which secretly relieved Wu Ming.

But now, that intimate yet restrained relationship had been completely shattered.

After a moment of silence, Ruan Qingzhu spoke in a muffled voice, even softer than before.

"Actually, I know everything."

Wu Ming tilted his head slightly and felt her burying her face in the hollow of his shoulder, her breath warm and even.

His heart softened, and he asked gently, "Know what?"

"Everything that happened today." Ruan Qingzhu held him tightly as she explained in a low voice, "I looked unconscious, but my mind was awake the whole time. I just couldn't move my body."

"I could feel everything happening around me. I knew Mom was sitting beside the bed crying. I knew Dad was sighing in the room. I also knew everything Aunt Shen did as she hurriedly treated me..."

"And you, A-Ming." She spoke softly. "I could feel everything you did today."

"When I woke up and saw you first, I didn't think about anything else."

"I just wanted to give you a proper hug."

Wu Ming took a deep breath. He did not say anything more, only lifted his arms and wrapped them around Ruan Qingzhu's back, returning her embrace.

"Welcome back, Qingzhu," he whispered into her ear.

Ruan Qingzhu blushed and softly murmured in acknowledgment. The two continued holding each other like that, enjoying a brief moment of peace.

Until hurried footsteps approached from outside, followed by the door being pushed open.

"What happened... uh."

The moment Ruan Zaixing entered, he saw the scene before him, and all the words he had intended to say caught in his throat.

Miao Yueling stood behind him, patting his shoulder in confusion. "Zaixing, why aren't you going in... ah!"

Before she could finish, she too saw what was happening in the room and could not help crying out.

The two people who had been embracing were equally startled. They immediately sprang apart as though electrocuted.

Ruan Qingzhu's face flushed scarlet with embarrassment. Too ashamed to look at her parents' expressions, she lay back down and buried her head beneath the blanket like an ostrich.

Wu Ming, on the other hand, had nowhere to hide. He stood up awkwardly. "Uncle Ruan, Aunt Miao, you're here."

"Uh, Qingzhu is already fine. I was just... checking her body, yes, checking her body! I was seeing whether Qingzhu had any lingering aftereffects."

Ruan Zaixing said nothing. He looked at Wu Ming with a complicated expression, as though he were facing some punk who had stolen his precious daughter.

But that punk had saved his daughter, leaving him both grateful and bitter, his emotions impossibly tangled.

Miao Yueling, however, had no such concerns. She had always regarded Wu Ming as her future son-in-law, and she said with a smile, "All right, all right. Auntie won't ask too much."

"Anyway, we'll all be family from now on. There's no need to rush."

"Mom!" Before Wu Ming could respond, Ruan Qingzhu had already thrown off the blanket and sat up. Looking at her mother shyly, she protested, "What nonsense are you talking about?!"

"Haha, you're already a grown young lady. What are you so shy about?"

Seeing her daughter brought back from the brink of death, Miao Yueling was overwhelmed with excitement and joy. Especially since the person who had saved her daughter was Wu Ming, whom she had watched grow up, she practically wanted to arrange their wedding immediately.

At that moment, Shen Xinglan walked in as well. She had heard the conversation in the room from beginning to end and joined in with a smile. "I've watched Qingzhu grow up. She's not only smart and sensible, but also cultured and courteous. I like her very much too. She's simply a perfect match for my A-Ming."

"Yueling, Brother Ruan, if you don't mind, why not settle the children's matter right now? What do you think?"

Though she spoke jokingly, there was a trace of seriousness in her words, leaving the Ruan couple stunned for a moment.

Once she recovered, Miao Yueling's eyes lit up and she immediately agreed. "Wonderful! I have no objections. Why don't we pick an auspicious date and hold an engagement banquet?"

"Old Ruan, what do you think?"

Called on by his wife, Ruan Zaixing's expression was impossible to read.

His own cabbage had been snatched away, and it would be a lie to say his heart did not ache. But the boy who had taken it was someone he had watched grow up, and today he had even saved his little cabbage's life.

He had to admit that, in every way, Wu Ming was worthy of his daughter.

After a moment of silence, Ruan Zaixing reluctantly snorted. "...I have no objections."

"Then it's settled." Shen Xinglan clapped her hands and smiled at Ruan Qingzhu. "Qingzhu, you don't mind, do you?"

"I-I don't mind." Ruan Qingzhu had never expected that, before she had even graduated high school, she would already be discussing marriage. She answered hesitantly.

As she spoke, she secretly glanced at Wu Ming. Seeing that he was looking at her too, her cheeks immediately reddened, though her heart felt sweet.

"What about you, A-Ming?"

"I don't mind either." Wu Ming withdrew his gaze, a smile on his lips. "Qingzhu is someone very important to me. Naturally, I will cherish her properly."

"However, these are extraordinary times, so let's keep everything simple. It won't be too late to hold a proper ceremony after the pandemic is over."

"Oh, right. Regarding my engagement to Qingzhu, I still need to notify my father."

"Naturally." Ruan Zaixing nodded. "I'll speak with Zhan Guo about it later."

Miao Yueling beamed. "Then from now on, Qingzhu is your fiancée."

Hearing that, Wu Ming instinctively looked toward Ruan Qingzhu again. As if sharing the same thought, she happened to look over as well, and the two smiled at each other.