Nineteen Years of Archrivals...

Not long after, Shen Nian returned with the gift, pulled up a small plastic stool, and opened the balcony window.

"Aren't you cold, blowing in the wind out here?"

"My hoodie is fleece-lined, so I'm not too cold, but my feet are a bit."

"Thanks, I'm not eating."

"Pfft..."

Suddenly popping out with a line like that, Xia Yanchun almost choked on the air.

Shen Nian sat down next to Xia Yanchun, playing with the small gift box in his hands.

He opened the box to reveal a glittering gold bracelet.

A one-year anniversary gift... Sure enough, it still felt a bit perfunctory.

Neither Xia Yanchun nor Shen Nian was actually interested in gold and silver jewelry; it was more like going through the motions.

Shen Nian didn't know what he wanted himself, so what he gave didn't really make much of a difference to him.

Back in his first or second year of high school, he would have hoped for someone to treat him to hot pot, or give him a hundred-yuan pair of earphones or a two-hundred-yuan watch... Now that his material conditions had improved, he couldn't muster any interest in these things.

Perhaps this was one of the troubles of having money.

"Chunbao." Shen Nian half-squinted and pulled Xia Yanchun's hand over.

"Hmm? Are you going to put it on for me?"

"If you want to wear it, sure."

"Then help me put it on."

"Okay."

The gold bracelet had been tried on before and fit perfectly. Plus, since Xia Yanchun's hands were on the smaller side, it took no effort at all to slip it on, and the gold bracelet now hung from her wrist.

It's so cold... Xia Yanchun raised her hand to examine it.

It would just sit there if she didn't wear it, so she hesitated over whether to try wearing it for a few days.

Even though she had that thought, it still felt a bit uncomfortable to wear.

"Chunbao, do you like it?"

"It's alright, I guess." Xia Yanchun stuffed her hand back into his embrace, letting him hold it and play with it.

Romantic fireworks burst in the distance once again.

A sea of stars reflected in Xia Yanchun's almond eyes.

"Chunbao..."

"What is it?"

"Are we the absolute best in the world today?"

"Hmm... Since today is the first day of the new year, I'll indulge you a bit." Xia Yanchun smiled sweetly.

Shen Nian stayed silent, quietly parting Xia Yanchun's fingers and intertwining his with hers in a long-awaited clasp.

Today really was the absolute best.

Shen Nian's heartbeat gradually sped up.

"Xia Yanchun..."

Xia Yanchun paused, turning her eyes to look at Shen Nian.

To have Shen Nian call her by her full name so seriously... That was quite rare.

He was so serious...

She planted her feet to stop the armchair from rocking. She wasn't stupid; Shen Nian clearly had something to say.

"What's wrong? Do you have a second gift for me?"

Xia Yanchun covered her mouth, her eyes curving into crescents as she smiled mischievously. "Making it so formal, I thought you were going to confess your love to me.

But if you want to confess to me again, I wouldn't mind at all, hehehe."

Shen Nian raised his hand and tucked the hair behind the young woman's ear.

So Chunbao wanted to hear a confession.

But Shen Nian wanted to do more than just confess.

His Adam's apple bobbed as he took a deep breath and slightly parted his thin lips.

"Chunbao... let's get engaged."

"..."

The brilliant fireworks faded, leaving behind slowly extinguishing sparks in the sky.

Xia Yanchun only felt her hand burning hot in Shen Nian's grasp, so hot she could barely stand it.

Without any unexpected surprise, her eyelashes fluttered. She lay quietly in the armchair, looking at Shen Nian, and murmured through her pink lips.

"Engaged..."

"Yes. Us, getting engaged," Shen Nian said word by word.

"Have you thought it through?"

"I have."

Xia Yanchun sat up and shifted to the side, genuinely making room for Shen Nian.

She patted the space beside her. Shen Nian understood and squeezed into the same armchair with her.

It was a good thing the armchair was big and sturdy enough, otherwise the combined weight of their two hundred and sixty pounds would have had it creaking loudly.

Half of Xia Yanchun's weight rested on Shen Nian.

She really wanted to stay like this with Shen Nian forever.

Watching fireworks together, staying up for the New Year together, wasting time together...

Seeing Xia Yanchun resting quietly against his chest without speaking, Shen Nian gently stroked her hair, occasionally pinching her now-hot little face.

"When did you plan this?" Xia Yanchun's voice was soft.

"Probably the day I bought the bracelet... Once the thought was there, it was hard to suppress."

"Hmph, doing this without a word... Good thing your Sister Chun is smart and clever. When you called my name so seriously and affectionately, I vaguely guessed it."

"I was wondering why you didn't seem surprised at all. You were already mentally prepared?"

Xia Yanchun nuzzled into his embrace, shook her head, and placed his hand over her heart.

Her blushing face and beating heart would prove her surprise and her love.

Shen Nian felt the young woman's passionate heartbeat and grinned.

"I love it."

"Time flies so fast. Have we really reached the age where we can get engaged?"

"Rather than saying that, it's more like we're getting engaged too fast. Most normal people don't talk about engagement and marriage until they're twenty-five or twenty-six."

"Then why are you in such a hurry? We're both only nineteen."

"Because we aren't normal people." Shen Nian held the girl, letting the obedient girl lie more comfortably against him.

"Yeah... We've been mortal enemies for nineteen years..."

"At a time like this, you should say childhood sweethearts."

"Both are true," Xia Yanchun tugged at Shen Nian's clothes and said sweetly. "So when are we going to tell my parents and your mom and dad?"

"Tomorrow? We can talk about it in the afternoon after paying respects to the ancestors, or after they've rested..."

"You mean today."

"Right, I forgot today is already the first day of the Lunar New Year."

Confessing on the first day of the new year last year, getting engaged on the first day of the new year this year. Next year on the first day of the new year, it would be their one-year engagement anniversary.

Getting engaged wasn't just something to say casually.

It required notifying both sets of parents and discussing the big event face-to-face. If things went smoothly, there would be betrothal gifts, the five gold pieces, a car, and a house... These all needed to be discussed.

Listening to the shouts from the card game downstairs, Xia Yanchun chuckled softly.

It didn't seem too serious after all.

"Chunbao, from now on, we are an engaged couple."

"That's so embarrassing, don't say it!"

"Wifey."

"Ew, I'm gonna hit you."

"I kind of want to kiss you. Should we go back to the room?"

"...I hate you the most."

Shen Nian stood up without a word, scooping up the petite Xia Yanchun and carrying her into the house like a child.

The heater wasn't on inside, but it was still much warmer than outside. The curtains only had a tiny gap, which Shen Nian pulled shut as well.

With the lights on, he could clearly see Chunbao's face and ears, which were dyed pink.

"Your face is so red..."

"Mine?"

"Yeah."

Shen Nian realized belatedly that he wasn't doing much better himself.

For a big event like getting engaged, it really was impossible to act completely nonchalant.

Amidst his surging emotions, Shen Nian leaned over and lowered his head to cover her lips. It was gentle yet carried an undeniable intimacy. As their breaths intertwined and the tips of their tongues lightly touched, their heartbeats fluttered, and even their breathing became scorching and prolonged.