Mister Li, the Heart Bandit

Ji Weixi knew that he would say that, and was extremely speechless.

"Could you be more despicable, Li Shaoling?"

"Sure." Li Shaoling nonchalantly rested his chin on one hand as his thin lips held back a vague grin. "I'm just afraid you might cry from how despicable I could be."

"Pfft—" Ji Weixi was drinking her red wine, and could not stop herself from spitting.

Li Shaoling held a tissue paper across the table to wipe her lips.

Ji Weixi glared at him. "Pervert."

"But I am a wolf.[1]" Li Shaoling shook his wine glass, his eyes glinting with a red flash of catching his prey. "And I love devouring little lambs like you."

Ji Weixi quickly look around them. It was lucky that no one was listening, or she would be so embarrassed she would dig a hole to bury herself.

"Could you shut up, Li Shaoling!" She stifled her voice through gritted teeth.

What was he playing at!

An expression vaguely resembling a smile danced over Li Shaoling's lips and she said nothing.

Still, Ji Weixi's heart slowly calmed with the rare silence in the restaurant, and started to enjoy the comfortable atmosphere.

Then, when Li Shaoling was finished with his meal and elegantly wiped his lips, he asked again. "When are we getting registered?"

Ji Weixi wanted to scream so badly.

Could he stop mentioning that? She really didn't want to get registered for marriage either, but Li Shaoling might really take her to court.

It would be awesome when that happens—they'll make headlines all over River Town.

[Man takes woman to court after proposal refused!]

Regardless of how extraordinary it would sound, Li Shaoling would still be able to do it.

"Did you forget what I said before?" Ji Weixi hence replied. "I want a proposal like no other over the entire world, or I'm never saying yes!"

It was up to Li Shaoling to imagine how 'like no other' it would be, and the more time he needed the better.

Be that as it may, Li Shaoling clapped his own lap and demanded like a king. "Come here."

"What…"

"Be a good girl. Come."

Ji Weixi stood up, scratching her head and walked to him. He pulled her into his arm, and she simply dropped on his lap.

He lovingly pulled loose strands of her hair behind her ear.

She could drown in the tenderness of his eyes.

Ji Weixi flushed.

That was when a woman wearing a gown entered, putting her violin beneath her chin as she played an outrageously romantic tune.

Isn't this timing a little too perfect!?

Li Shaoling let her go and smiled. "You will marry me."

He just looked so confident.

***

In the evening, Tian Miaomiao took her bag and basically ran off when it was time to get off work. "I'm leaving first, Xixi. My young thing is waiting for me downstairs!"

Ji Weixi felt that something wasn't right even as she watched Tian Miaomiao fled. Still, it was too late for her to say anything since she had already disappeared from sight.

Packing up and following suit, she noticed that the light over her head flickered when she closed her office door.

She paid it no heed, however, and took the elevator downstairs.

Reaching the ground floor lobby, she found it empty, spacious and dark, her high-heels clicking with echoes as she walked.

Didn't work ended just minutes ago? Why wasn't there anyone else in sight?

What was happening?

Questions were popping up in Ji Weixi's head when she felt a chill on her back as if someone was behind her. She quickly turned but found nothing, and took a deep breath before hurrying to the entrance.

But when she reached it, the doors that were wide open just a split second ago sudden shut themselves with a loud bang, and Ji Weixi's heart skipped a bit.

She had almost screamed, and was now having her back to the wall as she stared around the dark lobby.

That was when she saw several vague, white and wafting figures.

Ghosts…?

Can someone tell her what was happening?!

Ji Weixi tried to call Li Shaoling in her fright, but her phone actually had no signal?!!

Be that as it may, even as she kept poking her phone in panic, she abruptly froze and mechanically looked up.

It was the bloodied pale-white face of a woman, staring straight at herself with bulging, fierce eyes.

"Aaaaargh!" Ji Weixi screamed out loud, scared out of her wits and wanted nothing less than call out for her mommy.

Why was there even a ghost here!?

Click—

Suddenly, every light in the lobby was turned on, and it was so blinding that Ji Weixi had to squint, and slowly open her eyes when she got used to it.

A crowd of people were approaching her, each of them holding a delicate but gorgeous rose.

Countless banners written with love confessions hung in the air, along with ribbons and rose petals.

It as a romantic sight straight out of a fairytale.

Ji Weixi was completely dumbstruck.

What was going on?

…was that a bunch of zombies attacking her?

She only understood when she found the mastermind.

Li Shaoling was down on one knee before her, his long fingers opening an embroidered box to reveal a dazzling pink diamond the size of a dove's egg. Each surface of its cut was flawless, and it was so flashy it hurts Ji Weixi's eyes to look at it.

Beneath the white light, a look of profound sentiment like never before was etched upon Li Shaoling's tender face. Beneath his bladelike brows and starry eyes, his thin lips were speaking softly but sonorously, each word peerlessly devoted. "Ji Weixi, will you marry me?"

"Yes!" Everyone cried along with him.

Ji Weixi was simply speechless as she stared at Li Shaoling.

She had never carefully examined every nook and crevice on his face like this very moment.

But… who the hell was that, playing ghost and scaring her!

Her fierce glare swept through the crowd. "Who was that ghost who scared me just now!? Come out!"

Everyone was speechless.

They had been in the middle of a proposal and a romantic atmosphere. Don't say something that kills the mood, please!?

Nonetheless, Tian Miaomiao came forward meekly. "It was me."

Ji Weixi looked quite distraught—she had yet to recover.

Meanwhile, Li Shaoling's eyes were twitching as his existence seemed to be decreasing by the minute in Ji Weixi's perspective.

"Baby, we're live." There was a threat in his smile.

"What?" Ji Weixi quickly looked around and found technicians holding cameras, with reflectors and microphones…

She was left in disbelief. "Where is this broadcasted?"

"The whole country."

So, don't make him lose face.

Ji Weixi was speechless.

Then, the crowd started to hype things up again. "Marry him, marry him!"

At the same time, Li Shaoling lifted the ring that could blind any person who was single and repeated. "Ji Weixi, will you marry me?"

Ji Weixi immediately felt that she was being forced to say yes.

But if she refused, won't she make Li Shaoling the laughing stock across the country?

She was not going to survive if that happened.

That was when her eyes met Li Shaoling's and everything else seemed to become silent.

Perhaps because she did not respond for some time, Li Shaoling's gaze turned gloomy and he slowly withdrew the ring.

Ji Weixi promptly cried out.

"Yes, I do!"

"…"

Why did that miserable look on his face just then feel so fake?

Bang—

Ribbons were falling as Ji Weixi's heart raced to its top speed.

She felt breathless.

At first, Ji Weixi was simply dumbfounded and unresponsive. She was not exactly careful when she said 'yes' either, and it was when their lips and teeth met that all her delayed emotions promptly surged.

She was even unsure why her tears were quietly sneaking out the corners of her eyes.

Camera lights flashed wildly in the company of thunderous applause.

Ji Weixi pulled away from Li Shaoling and shyly hid her face in his chest.

She had never felt such a moment like this before: the wild joy of gaining new life as her very blood soared.

[1] The literal translation of 'pervert' in mandarin Chinese is 'colored wolf'.