"Consider yourselves a bit conscientious!" Mrs. Lu said with agitation; even if the other party was her best friend, she couldn’t let her grandson be taken advantage of for nothing.
"Then it’s settled. Next time you have something this good, save some for us!" Xin Rou said immediately.
Yu Wenxin also chimed in with a smile, "We’re all good friends here. You can’t be the only one turning into an ageless beauty while leaving us to become wrinkled old ladies, right?"
Mrs. Lu glared at Yu Wenxin reluctantly.
These fruits are indeed something special!
Before eating these fruits, she couldn’t even accompany Yu Wenxin and the others for this long; just sitting for ten or twenty minutes would leave her feeling weak and listless.
But now, she had been sitting with these dear old friends for an hour already.
"Grandmother, Mianmian and I have other things to do. We’ll come back to see you later." Lu Zechuan said as he stood up, holding Xia Mian by the hand.
His grandmother had her old friends for company and didn’t seem lonely. He had other surprises for Xia Mian and didn’t want to continue chatting idly with his grandmother’s two old friends.
Mrs. Lu saw that Lu Zechuan didn’t want to stay longer and waved them off, "You two go ahead! Come back early in the evening for a family dinner."
Lu Zechuan nodded, helped Xia Mian with the gifts in one hand, and held her hand as they left the Lu Family Villa.
Once in the car, Xia Mian buckled up and casually asked, "Where are we going now?"
Lu Zechuan’s dark eyes lowered slightly as he spoke softly, "How about we go ice skating?"
Xia Mian was taken aback, "Ice skating?"
Lu Zechuan responded lightly with a "hmm" and then asked back, "Do you know how?"
A hint of a smile appeared in Xia Mian’s eyes, "What do you think?"
Lu Zechuan chuckled, "I’m guessing you do?"
Having known Xia Mian for so long, Lu Zechuan honestly didn’t know what Xia Mian couldn’t do.
Xia Mian laughed lightly, without answering.
Lu Zechuan drove fast and half an hour later, they arrived at an ice rink.
This was Beijing’s largest ice rink and also a Lu family enterprise.
In the depths of winter, when various outdoor sports were less convenient, ice skating was becoming increasingly popular.
By the time Lu Zechuan and Xia Mian reached the rink, there were already quite a few people skating.
Mostly couples, or men teaching women how to skate, or women teaching men.
In the process of teaching and learning, they would constantly touch and collide, creating pink love bubbles.
Lu Zechuan took Xia Mian to the lounge to change into their prepared skating shoes. He stood up and extended his hand to Xia Mian.
Xia Mian, without any hesitation, placed her hand in Lu Zechuan’s palm.
The two of them then glided onto the ice, holding hands.
They skated with ease and fluidity, their movements effortlessly graceful. He was handsome, she was beautiful, and for a moment, they became a striking sight on the rink.
The couples learning by leaning on each other stopped, their eyes starting to follow Lu Zechuan and Xia Mian, filled with admiration and astonishment.
Lu Zechuan was a skilled skater; while skating, he didn’t even need to deliberately watch his steps, his gaze always serenely rested on Xia Mian, full of tender affection, as gentle as water.
"Mianmian, you’re amazing." Lu Zechuan’s eyes sparkled with laughter, "When did you learn to skate?"
Xia Mian’s smile dazzled more than the starlight, "What if I say I was born knowing how to skate?"
Lu Zechuan’s dark eyes were filled with indulgence nearly spilling over, "Whatever you say, I believe."
Their figures swirled and lingered on the ice like two light butterflies.
The watching couples, from initial admiration and astonishment to eventual enchantment, began clapping unconsciously.
Starting with the first couple, more people joined in clapping, and the applause soon echoed across the rink.
As the exhilarating ice-skating feast concluded, Lu Zechuan performed a beautiful spin, came to a stop, knelt on one knee, holding Xia Mian’s hand with one, and produced a ring from his pocket with the other.
"Mianmian, marry me." Lu Zechuan slightly tilted his head, his voice low and rich like the finest prose.
His demeanor was more serious than ever, his eyes filled with unprecedented deep affection.
Xia Mian felt as if she were floating in the clouds, surrounded by sudden happiness.
At this moment, the previously watching couples began to realize what was happening, and started cheering,
"Say yes!"
"Say yes!"
"Say yes!"
Their cheering intertwined with blessings and good intentions, persisting around Xia Mian’s ears.
"Yes." Xia Mian laughed softly.
Lu Zechuan slid the diamond ring onto Xia Mian’s finger.
At the moment when Lu Zechuan put the ring on Xia Mian, a song "The Most Romantic Thing" started to play in the rink, its sound delicate and surrounding.
Inside the ice rink, confetti and streamers burst out from all directions, enveloping the entire space in joy.
"Mianmian, the most romantic thing I can think of is to grow old with you." Lu Zechuan stood up, pulling Xia Mian into his embrace, "Mianmian, happy birthday. Today, I give myself to you. For the rest of my life, you are my everything."
Lu Zechuan’s heartbeat was strong and powerful; Xia Mian felt incredibly secure in his presence.
Lu Zechuan had proposed to her.
She was very pleased with this proposal.
On her eighteenth birthday, Lu Zechuan gave himself to her.
"Be happy!" a young girl in the crowd shouted with hands cupping her mouth like a megaphone.
"Be happy!" another girl loudly sent her most sincere blessings.
The entire ice rink was filled with words of blessing.
Lu Zechuan smiled faintly, looking around, "Thank you all for your blessings. Today, everyone enjoy yourselves! Everything’s on the house!"
Lu Zechuan’s generosity earned him everyone’s affection again.
In the rink, the romantic songs played on, and it seemed the couples’ affections were also heating up along with Lu Zechuan’s marriage proposal scene.
However, Xia Mian and Lu Zechuan hadn’t skated for long before being prompted by a call from Mrs. Lu to return home.
After all, New Year’s Day is a big occasion for a family to gather and have a feast.
There was no way Lu Zechuan could let Mrs. Lu spend the holiday alone, so he took Xia Mian back.
Soon, they returned to the Lu Family Villa.
After parking the car, Lu Zechuan courteously opened the door for Xia Mian and protectively kept her within his embrace.
Turning around, they saw a familiar figure at the villa’s entrance.
Seeing the person, Lu Zechuan’s face darkened.
"What are you doing here?" Lu Zechuan’s tone was very unwelcoming.
Across, Lu Zhenqing, unshaven and desolate, said, "Ah Chuan, I’m your father, really? Are you not going to care about me anymore?"