The Ring Beneath the Sunset
The moment Mu Wan agreed to Liu Qianxiu’s proposal, it felt as though something had wrapped itself tightly around all her emotions.
But when the slightly cool ring slipped onto her ring finger, those emotions could no longer be contained.
They burst free all at once.
Liu Qianxiu was still kneeling on one knee.
He was tall, so Mu Wan rarely had the chance to look down at him like this. Yet even from above, his features were still exquisitely handsome.
He lowered his head and kissed the back of her hand, his lips soft against her skin.
Then he stood, one hand settling at her lower back as he drew her toward him and kissed her.
Mu Wan’s lips were trembling.
The sea breeze was cool, but both of them were warm.
She kept her eyes open as she looked at him. When Liu Qianxiu finally drew back, he cupped her face in both hands, a smile touching his lips.
“What is it?”
“I shouldn’t have agreed so quickly.”
Mu Wan’s heartbeat was still chaotic.
Coming back to herself, she tried to hide the surprise and panic mingled in her eyes.
Then she emphasized, “I just remembered—I don’t even know whether I’m pregnant yet.”
“You’re not even my boyfriend, and somehow I’ve already agreed to marry you.”
Liu Qianxiu laughed.
He placed a hand on top of her head and slid it gently to the back of her hair, drawing her face closer.
Then he kissed her forehead.
Her nose.
The corner of her mouth.
His kisses were quick and light, like soft touches from something in a dream.
Mu Wan’s heartbeat had yet to settle, but the panic gradually faded.
She calmed down, studied Liu Qianxiu seriously, then raised her hand with solemn dignity.
“It must be because this diamond is too big. It confused me.”
She had no idea how many carats the ring was.
Its design was especially clever: a large diamond in the center, surrounded by several circles of smaller stones, all reflecting the crimson glow of the sunset.
“Do you like it?” Liu Qianxiu asked.
He took her hand.
His usually dry palm was slightly damp, but his ability to control his emotions and expression had always been practically immortal-level. Mu Wan could not read anything from his face or eyes.
“I do.”
She did not bother hiding her happiness.
She had long since forgotten her original plan of making him earn his status through a future child.
In truth, she had only been sulking and throwing a little tantrum. Their so-called Daoist partnership had merely been another private game between lovers.
Now that he had proposed, her delight was impossible to hide.
Her cheeks were pink, her lips curved upward, and her eyes shone brightly.
Seeing how much she liked the ring, Liu Qianxiu lowered his gaze and gently stroked her hair.
The sea breeze lifted the strands, making them float like seaweed in the water.
“When did you prepare this?” Mu Wan asked.
The proposal had come completely out of nowhere. She had never imagined he would propose to her in a setting like this.
He must have prepared it long ago and carried the ring with him, waiting for the right moment.
Liu Qianxiu’s gaze paused.
He gently squeezed her fingers.
“During the days I was pretending to be dead.”
Mu Wan looked up.
The Liu family ran auction houses and dealt with antiques and valuable objects on a regular basis. Whenever Liu Qianxiu came across something he liked, he sometimes bought it at auction.
He had acquired this ring a long time ago.
Its craftsmanship, materials, and design lacked the exaggerated fashion of modern jewelry. Instead, the passage of time had given it a sense of substance and quiet elegance.
It was dignified, graceful, and beautiful.
After arriving in Austria, Liu Qianxiu had taken the ring out.
Once everything was resolved and he returned to China to find Mu Wan, he had intended to propose that very night.
With everything settled, he could finally give her a lifetime of peace and stability.
But Mu Wan had been overwhelmed by emotion.
He had needed to comfort her first.
So the proposal had been postponed.
The ring had remained with him ever since.
Only today had he finally taken it out.
The sunset suited the occasion, and the beach carried memories that belonged to the two of them.
Mu Wan was completely satisfied with the proposal.
She had even almost forgotten how much she had suffered during those days when she thought he was dead.
Liu Qianxiu did not explain everything in detail, but Mu Wan seemed to understand anyway.
She lowered her eyes and slowly turned the ring around her finger.
“Back then, I actually imagined that you might have faked your death.”
“I thought that if you came back, I’d throw myself into your arms and cry my eyes out.”
“I’d cling to you every day, hug you, kiss you, and treasure you like the most precious thing in the world.”
She paused.
“But when you really appeared in front of me, I couldn’t take it.”
“I’d suffered so much. Of course I was going to take it out on you.”
“And I think you wanted me to.”
“Because that way, we’d both understand just how much we need each other.”
Her eyelashes fluttered.
The sun had nearly disappeared, and the last streak of red along the horizon was slowly being swallowed by darkness.
Her face gradually slipped into shadow.
Yet Liu Qianxiu felt he could see her more clearly than ever.
He gathered her into his arms.
Mu Wan nestled against his chest, small and slender.
Her long, fluffy curls shifted as she moved, and she raised her hand again to admire the ring.
“Actually, everything I just said was a lie.”
“The truth is, I was won over by this beautiful, expensive ring.”
She looked up at Liu Qianxiu, her eyes wide and round, as though an entire galaxy were flowing inside them.
“Am I terribly materialistic?”
He lowered his gaze and watched her for a long moment.
Then a soft laugh escaped his throat.
His fingers brushed across her cheek.
“As it happens,” he said in a low voice, “I’m vanity itself.”
Mu Wan raised her brows.
Then she burst into laughter.
Laughing, she stretched out both arms and tried to pull him into an embrace.
But in the end, she was the one securely wrapped in Liu Qianxiu’s arms, clinging to him like an octopus.
The two of them went to Xu Xingkong’s house.
This time, a tall man opened the door.
He had changed into casual clothes, but there was no hiding the distinguished air about him. His features were refined, his peach-blossom eyes slightly upturned, and a natural trace of coolness lingered in his bearing.
He was roughly the same height as Liu Qianxiu, though Liu Qianxiu appeared somewhat leaner.
One resembled an immortal.
The other, a god.
Both had an air of being removed from the ordinary world.
Mu Wan knew who Huai Jing was.
The Huai Group had gone through considerable turmoil some time ago, and she had seen him a few times on the financial news.
In business, he was decisive and ruthless when necessary. Yet there was nothing sinister about him in person.
He simply possessed the composed authority of an accomplished businessman.
When he saw Liu Qianxiu, some of the coldness in his peach-blossom eyes faded.
He smiled, then greeted Mu Wan as well.
Mu Wan followed Liu Qianxiu inside.
Xu Xingkong was just coming downstairs.
She was already four months pregnant.
Even beneath a loose cotton dress and cardigan, the slight curve of her abdomen was visible.
Her temperament had always been gentle as water, and now pregnancy had added a warmer, maternal softness to her.
“Wanwan.”
Xu Xingkong was a few years older than Mu Wan, and the way she addressed her sounded especially affectionate.
The moment she approached, Huai Jing immediately went over to support her.
He was tall and long-legged, but his careful movements seemed almost awkward.
His brows furrowed slightly, unmistakable concern and nervousness in his eyes.
“Didn’t I tell you not to come downstairs?”
“I’m not going to fall just from walking down a staircase.”
Xu Xingkong allowed him to support her, her slender fingers closing around his hand.
Only then did the tension between Huai Jing’s brows ease.
She lowered their joined hands and said, “Take Qianxiu to get the cats. I’ll chat with Wanwan for a while.”
Mu Wan accepted Xu Xingkong’s outstretched hand.
The two women liked each other.
Mu Wan helped her sit down while Huai Jing and Liu Qianxiu went to the cat room.
Once the men had left, only the two women remained in the living room.
Xu Xingkong’s eyes brightened.
There was delight in her voice.
“Qianxiu proposed?”
She had noticed the ring on Mu Wan’s hand the moment they entered.
She was happy for her, but she had been afraid Mu Wan might feel embarrassed if she brought it up in front of everyone.
That was why she had sent Huai Jing and Liu Qianxiu away.
She wanted to talk about it privately.
“Ah.”
Mu Wan laughed, her slender shoulders lifting slightly.
Even with only Xu Xingkong there, her face still grew warm when the subject was mentioned.
“Mm. Just now, when we stopped at the beach.”
Seeing her smile, Xu Xingkong smiled too.
She did not immediately say anything else, almost as though she were giving Mu Wan time to settle her racing heart.
That was simply the kind of person Xu Xingkong was.
Being with her felt especially comfortable.
Mu Wan licked her lips and glanced at Xu Xingkong’s rounded abdomen.
“I’m still a little dazed.”
“When Mr. Huai proposed to you, how did you feel?”
Xu Xingkong paused for a moment.
Then something warm began gathering in her eyes.
She blushed even more easily than Mu Wan.
Lowering her gaze toward her stomach, she answered softly, “Happy.”
Then she raised her eyes, a faint light shimmering in them.
“I couldn’t get pregnant.”
“We tried many different methods.”
“Later, he actually found out I was pregnant before I did.”
“He took me to Qianxiu’s hospital for an examination.”
“And when the results came back, he proposed.”
She told the story lightly, almost casually.
Yet her happiness seemed to spread through the air like a delicate veil floating through water.
Watching her, Mu Wan felt infected by that happiness too.
The corners of her lips lifted without her noticing.
— To be continued in Part 2 —
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