Chapter 258: The Proposal

When the sun completely set, Jiang Lai and Shen Ruxue drove away from there.

Jiang Lai looked at the river view gradually receding in the rearview mirror, the tips of her fingers still retaining the warmth of hooking Shen Ruxue’s pinky.

But next, she didn’t know where Shen Ruxue was taking her.

Still, she didn’t need to ask; after all, Xiaoxue always took her to fun places.

So Jiang Lai now said nothing and did nothing, just quietly watched Shen Ruxue.

Shen Ruxue’s profile traced a soft silhouette.

She pursed her lips gently, her fingertips quietly curling up.

Jiang Lai wanted so badly to hold Shen Ruxue’s hand.

But the other was driving, so no matter how many thoughts Jiang Lai had, she could only endure and wait until they stopped.

Moreover, even just quietly watching Shen Ruxue like this was a very happy thing.

But the drive wasn’t long; Shen Ruxue soon parked the car in front of an upscale restaurant.

Moreover, the name was one Jiang Lai had never even heard of.

Seeing a place she had never been exposed to like this, Jiang Lai felt a little timid, or rather, a social anxiety.

But when Shen Ruxue firmly held her hand, Jiang Lai had no emotions left in her heart, only the thought of following closely behind Xiaoxue.

When they arrived inside the restaurant, Jiang Lai discovered it was a semi-open high-altitude restaurant.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows was the entire city’s night view, neon-lit streets like glowing rivers, and lights from distant high-rises connected into a sea of stars.

Although Jiang Lai didn’t quite understand whether this counted as high-end, just from such a beautiful view, she had a rough idea of how popular this restaurant was.

Shen Ruxue expertly led her to the window seat, carefully placing a soft cushion on the chair as she pulled it out.

“I booked the seat yesterday. I’ve been thinking since yesterday about letting you see this night view. How could I let you come to this city and not take you anywhere to look around? That would be such a waste.”

Just as Jiang Lai sat down, a waiter brought a glass of sparkling champagne with tiny water droplets condensing on the rim.

And Shen Ruxue’s glass looked like plain water.

Shen Ruxue picked up her glass and gently tapped it against Jiang Lai’s.

“Try this first. It’s the peach-flavored sparkling wine you like. It’s low alcohol, you won’t get drunk.”

As she spoke, she raised her hand to signal the waiter to serve the dishes, a hint of anticipation hidden in the smile in her eyes.

The appetizers were soon served.

Instead of the rich dishes, Jiang Lai’s gaze couldn’t help but drift out the window, drawn by the beautiful scenery.

The night grew denser, the lights of the entire city increasingly brilliant, and in the distance, the TV tower glowed with colored lights.

Beautiful scenery and a perfect perspective like this, Jiang Lai had only seen in some videos online.

Seeing it in person now, there was indeed a big difference—at least the sense of shock was completely different.

She turned to look at Shen Ruxue, just in time to catch the other staring at her.

The tenderness in her eyes was brighter than the lights outside the window.

“Thank you, Ruxue.”

“Why are you thanking me?”

Shen Ruxue chuckled softly and gently touched Jiang Lai’s earlobe.

“As long as you like it, in the future we can go to even more beautiful places and see even more different scenery.”

Just as Jiang Lai wanted to grab the hand that was touching her cheek, Shen Ruxue withdrew her hand.

Jiang Lai was feeling a little disappointed, but then she saw Shen Ruxue reach into the inner pocket of her clothes and pull out a velvet box.

Her palm trembled slightly.

When she saw this box, Jiang Lai understood clearly that it was a gift.

But a box of this size, besides a ring, she couldn’t think of anything else.

Jiang Lai subconsciously glanced at her ring finger.

The ring originally from her wedding to Shen Ruxue had always been on her finger.

But after she became a woman, the thickness of her fingers was completely different, so that ring had been placed into a box at home.

But that was only part of the reason.

A bigger part of the reason was because of Chi Yingyu.

She also wanted a new beginning, but all of this was built on the premise that she didn’t know Shen Ruxue was still alive.

When Jiang Lai saw the box, her heart leaped, her fingers instinctively gripping the knife and fork, even her breathing slowed by half a beat.

Shen Ruxue smiled, looked at Jiang Lai’s empty finger, and gently opened the box.

The moment the box opened, a diamond ring sparkled dazzlingly in the candlelight.

The round main diamond was surrounded by small diamond chips, and the ring setting was a design of entwined vines, exquisite enough to make one’s heart tremble.

The restaurant’s music had somehow changed into a gentle piano piece.

Shen Ruxue looked up at Jiang Lai, tears glistening in her eyes, her voice with a barely noticeable hoarseness.

“Jiang Jiang, this ring was custom-made according to your current finger size.”

“I hope you can accept my promise.”

“I know I missed too much in the past decade and more—missed the hardship of you raising our daughter alone, missed countless nights when you needed companionship, missed the years and months we should have spent together.”

“But from now on, I truly want to be by your side forever.”

Shen Ruxue’s fingertips gently rubbed the edge of the velvet box, her gaze firmly locked onto Jiang Lai’s reddened eyes.

Her voice carried more than a decade of guilt and hope for the remaining years.

Every word, every sentence, was especially solemn.

Jiang Lai’s eyes were already full of tears at some point.

“I know, the words ‘I’m sorry’ are too light. They can’t make up for the suffering you endured in the past, nor can they make up for the time I missed…”

She took a deep breath and raised her hand to gently wipe away the teardrops sliding down Jiang Lai’s cheek.

The temperature of her fingertips burned Jiang Lai’s heart, making it tremble.

“I want to give you all the remaining days, slowly make up for all the debts I owe.”

As Shen Ruxue spoke, the neon lights outside the window just happened to fall on the diamond ring, refracting tiny specks of light, reflected in Jiang Lai’s tear-filled eyes.

She gently stroked Jiang Lai’s knuckles, her gaze full of careful hope.

“Jiang Jiang, give me another chance, okay?”

“Let me be your support for a lifetime.”

“Let’s bring Xiao Yu and our daughter, find back the time we missed bit by bit, and never be apart again.”

“Before, it was you who proposed to me.”

“This time, can you let me do it?”

Jiang Lai’s tears fell like broken beads, rolling down her cheeks, dripping onto Shen Ruxue’s hand, burning her heart tight.

She looked at the tiny light on the diamond ring, then at Shen Ruxue’s reddened eyes.

She suddenly remembered what they looked like when they were young.

She opened her mouth, but her throat seemed blocked by something.

It took a long time before she squeezed out a tearful sentence.

“Xiaoxue… shouldn’t I be the one doing this kind of thing?”

When Shen Ruxue heard this, a smile appeared on her face as tears she could no longer hold back also fell.

“Between us, is there any need to distinguish between you and me?”

“Besides, this is what I should do, and it’s what I want to make up to you.”