Monkey see, monkey do

"I used to think there was still plenty of time," Lin Yuan said, his eyes filled with complex emotions as he looked at her.

"We still have so much to do, so many battles to fight."

"I always believed that once the battles were over, there would still be time to think about us."

Ren Qian remained silent.

She knew this had been her own mindset as well.

"But today, I realized I was wrong."

Lin Yuan's gaze grew intensely serious.

"Terribly wrong."

"Senior, I don’t want to wait anymore."

"I don’t want to end up like Old Lu—regretting only when I’m on the brink of losing everything."

He took a step forward and grasped Ren Qian’s hand.

His palm was sweaty, yet his grip was firm, almost desperate.

As if letting go would make her vanish.

Ren Qian’s heart burned at his words, at the warmth of his hand.

She studied the man before her.

The depth of emotion in his eyes, the cautious worry of rejection.

This man, once as dense as a block of wood when it came to love.

Turns out, he understood everything.

He had just been loving her in his own clumsy way.

"Ren Qian."

Finally, he spoke her name.

Then, in the simplest, most direct words, he stated his purpose.

"Let’s get married."

No kneeling, no flowers or diamond rings.

Just a plain, unadorned request.

Yet it struck Ren Qian’s heart more powerfully than any grand declaration.

She looked at him, at the nervous anticipation in his eyes.

Her heart, hardened by years of battles, softened completely in that moment.

She didn’t hesitate.

Not even for a second.

A sudden smile broke across her face.

Like winter sunlight, it instantly melted the office’s cold exhaustion.

"Alright," she said.

Her voice was clear, decisive.

Carrying her signature queenly straightforwardness.

Lin Yuan froze.

He stared at her, as if he hadn’t heard right.

"Wh-what did you say?"

"I said, alright." Ren Qian repeated with a laugh, tightening her grip on his hand.

"I have my ID on me. If we go now, we’ll make it in time."

The next second.

Lin Yuan pulled her into a crushing embrace.

He held her so tightly it almost hurt, as if trying to fuse her into his very bones.

As if only this could convince him it wasn’t a dream.

Ren Qian rested her head against his chest, listening to his pounding heartbeat.

She closed her eyes, her lips curving uncontrollably.

So this was the feeling—letting go of stubbornness and running toward the one who’d been waiting all along.

Solid. Warm.

......

Gedu, Royal Grand Hotel.

Presidential Suite, top floor.

The setting sun’s glow spilled through the floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing the living room in gold.

Lu Chenyuan sat on the sofa, clumsily maneuvering an eyebrow pencil over Mo Qingli’s brow.

"Hold still." His tone was unprecedentedly focused.

As if he weren’t shaping his wife’s eyebrow but calibrating a nanometer-precision chip lithography project.

Mo Qingli leaned against him, suppressing a laugh.

"President Lu, are you sure you’re not trying to draw a lightning bolt on me?"

"First time. No experience." His voice was calm, but a faint blush crept up his ears.

Since their wedding, they’d lived in near-isolation.

The J-country authorities treated them with obsequious politeness while weaving an invisible net around them.

Reporters and spies lurked outside the hotel around the clock.

They were the city’s most privileged—and least free—prisoners.

Yet it didn’t seem to dampen their spirits.

Lu Chenyuan had set aside all work, learning for the first time to care for his wife like an ordinary husband.

Cooking, laundry, cleaning.

Even studying how to apply her makeup.

Mo Qingli, in turn, reveled in this stolen tranquility.

Leaning against Lu Chenyuan, watching his concentrated profile, her heart was utterly at peace.

Let the world outside rage.

With him here, this was the safest harbor.

Just then, Lu Chenyuan’s private phone rang.

The sound cut sharply through the suite’s quiet.

Lu Chenyuan frowned.

Only a handful of trusted contacts had this number.

He set down the pencil and picked up the phone.

Seeing "Lin Yuan" flash on the screen, his frown deepened.

Lin Yuan knew his rules.

Unless the sky was falling, he’d never call at this hour.

Had something happened to "Lianshan" or "Hanqing"?

His pulse quickened.

"Speak," he answered, voice steady but grave.

Mo Qingli sensed the shift, her smile fading as she watched him with concern.

But the voice on the line wasn’t delivering an urgent report.

Instead, it was breathless, barely contained exhilaration—almost incoherent.

"Old Lu! Old Lu! I—I did it!"

Lu Chenyuan blinked.

Did what?

A breakthrough in some critical tech? A major deal secured?

"Get to the point," he said tersely.

"I proposed to Ren Qian! She said yes! We’re heading to the registry now!" Lin Yuan sounded like a child brandishing a perfect test score.

Lu Chenyuan gripped the phone, stunned.

He even glanced at the screen to confirm he’d heard right.

A full five seconds passed.

The stern "Dragon Emperor" mask slowly dissolved.

Until a genuine, warm smile emerged.

"Understood."

Just three words.

But they carried a brotherly mix of amusement and pride.

Mo Qingli, reading his expression, guessed the news and grinned.

"Go on then," Lu Chenyuan said into the phone. "Don’t keep the registry office waiting."

"And when you’re back, you’re drinking double at the celebration."

Hanging up, his smile lingered.

He looked down at Mo Qingli, feeling lighter than ever.

"Lin Yuan and Ren Qian are getting married."

"I heard." Mo Qingli laughed. "Seems our wedding had some positive influence."

"Mn." Lu Chenyuan nodded, then added drily,

"That brat’s not completely hopeless."

"At least he knows to follow a good example."

Mo Qingli burst out laughing at his gruff tone.

She looped her arms around his neck.

"Should I praise you too, then?"

"President Lu, you’re learning well."

Lu Chenyuan gazed at her teasing eyes, so close, and felt a surge of tenderness.

He didn’t pick up the eyebrow pencil again.

Instead, he lowered his head and kissed her.

Outside, Gedu’s nightscape glittered with countless lights.

Brilliant, bustling, yet icy cold.

And at the very pinnacle of this gilded cage, the breath of spring lingers.