Gu Ran looked at Ji Shiyu. His figure overlapped with that boy in a school uniform from many years ago.
Her vision gradually blurred. He was no longer that boy who passed her by indifferently. He was walking towards her step by step, walking only towards her, his eyes holding no one but her.
The unrequited love of her youth had not come to nothing. He had never been one to show his emotions openly, yet now, in the most grand manner, in front of everyone, he was declaring his love for her.
"Ran Ran." He stood before her, calling her name softly.
...
The buzz around this marriage proposal lasted for nearly a week.
The scene by the river—the sky filled with fireworks, starlight, and drones—swept across the entire internet. Gu Ran had announced their relationship in the morning, and Ji Shiyu had proposed and confessed his love to her that evening.
The most touching scene was Ji Shiyu's proposal under the starlight, and Gu Ran tearfully refusing.
She cried, saying she wanted to wait a few more years.
Ji Shiyu smiled and said okay to her, then kissed her affectionately, just like any other couple after a successful proposal.
Under almost every video, countless fans and netizens were screaming with excitement, as if they could never get enough of it.
[Ji Shiyu is making up for past neglect this way. He must have known he'd be rejected, yet he still proposed, just to declare his feelings for Gu Ran to the whole world and silence those critics. Wuwuwu, I'm gone.]
[This is the first time I've cried watching a rejected proposal. Mutual devotion is so sweet.]
[I heard they knew each other from their school days. It was Gu Ran's unrequited love before, and now it's Ji Shiyu confessing to the whole world. It really made me cry.]
[Take that, all you who said Gu Ran was throwing herself at him.]
[I used to think such grand gestures were so awkward. But now, thinking about the person I like responding to my feelings this way, silencing all the gossip about me... I'd truly be moved to tears.]
[Two people in love should be together! The "Century Couple" must stay together forever! Lock them in!]
[Getting permission for fireworks is no easy feat. For Ji Shiyu to manage it at a place like the Bund, he must have put in a lot of effort and time.]
[These two are a perfect match, talented and beautiful, devoted to each other. What business do a bunch of monsters have opposing them?]
...
After that night, the fanbase for the "Century Couple" ship suddenly grew massive. The pairing of the sweet-talking streamer Gu Ran and the aloof CEO Ji Shiyu had people utterly obsessed. However, while indulging in the ship, everyone felt a bit worried.
Ji Shiyu and Gu Ran were devoted to each other, but what about the Ji family?
Don't wealthy families like the Ji's usually arrange marriages? Would they accept Gu Ran as their future daughter-in-law?
Until someone dug up Gu Ran's past livestream records.
During the New Year, Gu Ran livestreamed from her "hometown," and a man she called "Uncle" appeared on camera.
At the time, everyone just thought this "Uncle" looked somewhat familiar. Only now did they belatedly realize...
Wasn't this Ji Heyuan, the man whose sneeze used to make the stock market tremble?
Everyone knew how formidable Ji Heyuan was in his day, yet now he appeared incredibly kindly in Gu Ran's livestream, even greeting the viewers warmly on camera.
Some younger people who didn't recognize Ji Heyuan, only knew his name, and were asking if he was always this amiable.
Then, someone below gave a detailed account of Ji Heyuan's past, how he fought his way up during turbulent times, and sighed while lighting a cigarette:
Let's put it this way, it's not that Ji Heyuan is particularly amiable; it's that he's only this amiable towards Gu Ran.
The fact that he even showed his face in his future daughter-in-law's livestream is already the ultimate display of favor.
Others commented that the house in the background didn't seem particularly large or luxurious, not like a wealthy mansion.
Until someone knowledgeable pointed out the two paintings hanging on the wall and the porcelain displayed:
See these? Any one of these items, taken out, could buy a luxury apartment in the inner city. Lights cigarette.jpg
Those who asked could only nod in understanding after seeing this.
They didn't fully understand, but were impressed.
Crying with envy.
...
Gu Ran hadn't expected netizens to dig up such detailed information, even reviving discussion around the long-unmentioned name Ji Heyuan. For a moment, she felt somewhat uneasy.
"Uncle Ji... won't be angry, will he?" Gu Ran asked Ji Shiyu cautiously.
Ji Shiyu smiled at her. "He might be more angry if you beat him at chess again next time."
Gu Ran felt wronged upon hearing this. "I didn't win on purpose!"
Her popularity hadn't decreased after publicly announcing the relationship; instead, it had increased. The massive fanbase of the "Century Couple" ship boosted her fame to another level. Recently, brand deals were pouring in, and her money-making ability reached new heights.
However, to achieve her small goal of becoming a middle-aged and elderly chess/card games blogger after retirement, Gu Ran recently signed up for a chess and card games training class. After a few lessons, her skills improved by leaps and bounds, and she actually ended up winning against Ji Heyuan in their subsequent match.
Ji Heyuan refused to accept Gu Ran's explanation that she won because her skills improved from taking classes. He just kept sighing about how he was getting old, his brain not working as fast anymore.
The two hugged for a while.
Ji Shiyu held Gu Ran's hand and said, "Let's go to the cemetery this weekend."
Gu Ran paused in his embrace upon hearing this, then softly replied, "Okay."
On the weekend, in the early spring weather, a light rain fell.
Perhaps because of the weather, there weren't many people at the cemetery today. The flowers at the entrance were soaked with raindrops, yet they still stood fresh and vibrant.
Ji Shiyu held an umbrella.
Gu Ran held his hand, walking step by step along the gravel path inside.
She remembered her first time coming here; Ji Shiyu had accompanied her then too.
Perhaps he had only pitied her at that time.
But she knew that the hug outside the emergency room, and the companionship that followed, had given her, in her despair, the greatest strength and the courage to want to live well forever.
Gu Ran placed the flowers in front of the tombstone and smiled at the person in the photo.
See, Dad, I brought him here.
He's just my boyfriend for now, but in the future, he'll definitely be my husband.
When do you think I should make him my husband?
I like him so much. Do you like him? You must like him too, right? He's so good in every way. He had some flaws before, but I had some too, so we're even.
Can you call me "my darling girl" one more time? I miss you so much.
Will you be my dad again in the next life?
Gu Ran smiled, saying all this in her heart.
Ji Shiyu gazed at the man in the photo.
Gu Ran bore a fifty percent resemblance to him, though her features were softer.
He still remembered that day, accidentally overhearing the man in the photo chatting with another servant, smiling as he said, "My darling girl at school...", his eyes and brows filled with proud adoration.
That made him think of the girl he encountered at school.
He hadn't even paid attention to what she looked like then, only remembering she walked with her head down, close to the wall, her backpack stained with dirty water.
He never used to bother with such things at school, but this time, because of this father and daughter who had appeared in his life, he went and warned some people.
She was a girl of the Ji family.
Later, when this girl was crying, curled up outside the emergency room, he walked over to her.
Back then, he didn't quite understand his own feelings. He only knew that when she cried, his heart ached unbearably.
Her name was Gu Ran.
Gu Ran was different to him.
He finally understood why his heart had ached in the same way back then.
Perhaps, at that moment, God was using this very way to tell him, "Look, this is the rib I took from you."
Raindrops fell on the back of his hand, and the air carried a fresh, cool chill.
The two stood quietly. Ji Shiyu held Gu Ran's hand and made a vow before the tombstone.
Thank you.
I love her. I will love her forever.
The road ahead is long. I will hold her hand and walk with her, step by step.
Life may fade, but love endures.
