He froze in place, his mind buzzing as if short-circuited for three full seconds.
Finally, he spoke, his voice slow and stiff: "What... did you say?"
She curved her lips, her eyes sparkling with brilliance: "Let's get married."
His throat moved slightly, his dark eyes locked onto her, his voice tense: "Say it again."
Her brows furrowed, and she immediately pulled her hand back and stood up: "Forget it if you didn’t hear me."
She turned to leave, but in the next second, he shot up from his seat, gripping her wrist and pulling her back, bending down to crush her tightly against his chest.
He held her close, burying his chin in the crook of her neck, his arms tightening even more, as if he wanted to meld her into his very bones.
She was here—proposing to him.
Sang Ning was pressed so tightly against him that she could barely breathe. Tilting her head back, she tugged at his loungewear: "I can't... breathe."
He didn’t loosen his grip, still holding her firmly, but she could feel his hands trembling ever so slightly against her back.
Her lashes fluttered as she whispered, "He Siyu?"
He finally responded, his voice uncharacteristically rough: "Yeah."
He tightened his embrace again, nuzzling his chin against her neck, his tone both strained and serious: "We’re getting married."
She tugged at his clothes again, frowning: "Can you let go now?"
She was seriously about to be suffocated.
At last, he released her, but his hands remained on her arms, his dark gaze piercing: "Why the sudden decision to marry me?"
Finally able to catch her breath, her chest rose and fell once before she answered offhandedly, "I saw this ring while shopping and thought it suited you."
The simple silver band looked even better on his long, well-defined fingers than she had imagined.
Still gripping her arms, his brows furrowed slightly, clearly unsatisfied with her answer: "That’s it?"
She tried to pull free but couldn’t, so she continued patiently, "And the timing is right now."
With Nan Group now under her control, she no longer had to worry about the family interfering or losing her inheritance rights if she married.
Their relationship was already public, so marriage really was the next logical step.
His eyebrow twitched: "Then why me?"
She blinked in confusion: "Should I have asked someone else?"
His face darkened instantly, his teeth clenched: "Nan Sangning! You’d actually consider marrying someone else?!"
"You’re the one who asked," she retorted, baffled.
Done with the conversation, she tried to free her arm again: "I’m going to shower."
But he still didn’t let go, staring at her intently: "Then why propose to me?"
She frowned, realizing how oddly fixated he was on this.
Meeting his stubborn gaze, she thought for a moment before tentatively answering, "Because I like you."
His eyes flickered, and for once, his usually arrogant face showed a rare hint of vulnerability, his tone stiff: "Oh."
Sang Ning tugged at her arm again: "Then I’ll go—"
Before she could finish, he leaned down and captured her lips.
His hands slid from her arms to her waist, one cupping her face as he kissed her fiercely.
She turned her head away, pressing a hand against his chest as she gasped for air: "I haven’t showered yet."
He trailed kisses along her cheek, holding her tightly against him, his voice low and rough: "I’ll help you."
"Get lost— Mm—"
Without another word, he swept her up into his arms and carried her out of the study straight to the bathroom.
As night deepened, the sounds from the bedroom showed no sign of stopping.
By the time the first light of dawn peeked through the sheer curtains, Sang Ning had finally fallen into a deep sleep, her bare body wrapped in the sheets, marked with traces of their passion.
He Siyu lay on his side, watching her exhausted but peaceful face, gently brushing away the strands of hair tangled on her cheek, smoothing them one by one.
The silver ring on his finger glimmered faintly, catching a lock of her hair like a silent vow.
His fingers paused as he studied the ring once more, still unable to believe it.
Out of nowhere, she had proposed to him.
She loved him more than he had ever imagined.
A faint smile touched his lips before he leaned in to press a kiss to her cheek.
Suddenly remembering something, he got out of bed and headed to the walk-in closet, pulling open a drawer in his storage cabinet.
Inside lay a small dark blue velvet box. He opened it to reveal a familiar diamond ring.
Taking it out, he returned to the bed, carefully lifting her hand and sliding the ring onto her finger.
Gazing down at her small hand clasped in his, his heartbeat gradually quickened.
They had exchanged rings—like the most devoted believers in a church, pledging their vows for eternity.
At eight in the morning, Sang Ning’s alarm went off.
It was Monday.
After three rings, He Siyu silenced it, wrapping an arm around her waist as he asked softly, "Getting up?"
Her lashes fluttered weakly before closing again, her voice hoarse: "No..."
She had barely slept three hours, her eyelids heavy as lead.
Just this once, she’d let herself sleep in.
He got out of bed, poured her a glass of warm honey water in the kitchen, and brought it back to her.
Half-asleep, she took a few sips, soothing her throat before drifting off again.
Placing the glass on the nightstand, he tucked the blankets around her and murmured, "Let’s go to Grandma’s for dinner tonight, okay?"
Perfect timing to settle the wedding plans.
Her steady breathing was the only response.
He kissed her forehead—decision made.
At nine o’clock, He Siyu arrived at Huiyao.
"Mr. He."
Assistant Yan handed him a cup of tea. "Your morning schedule consists of internal meetings. In the afternoon, there’s a visit to the new project site, and in the evening, there’s a dinner banquet—a thank-you event for the Huimed project partners..."
He Siyu took a sip of water. "Move the dinner to tomorrow. I have plans tonight."
Assistant Yan hesitated for only a second before nodding professionally. "Understood. I’ll rearrange it."
He Siyu replied indifferently, "Mm."
Assistant Yan then produced a folder. "The project meeting at ten—here’s the proposal. Would you like to review it first?"
He Siyu took it, flipping through the pages with unusual patience. "This proposal..."
Assistant Yan perked up, expecting high praise.
"...is mediocre."
"Ah..." Assistant Yan froze.
For a moment, he couldn’t process the words. Mr. He’s usual evaluations were either "garbage" or "not bad."
Three seconds later, it clicked—this was the polite version of "garbage," wasn’t it?
Since when was Mr. He this unnervingly mild-mannered?
Weren’t they already back together?
Then Assistant Yan’s gaze landed on the conspicuous ring on He Siyu’s finger.
Mr. He never wore jewelry...
Stunned, he blurted out before he could stop himself, "Mr. He, you..."
Noticing his stare, He Siyu casually brushed a thumb over the ring on his left hand, his tone casual: "Oh, I’m getting married."
Assistant Yan quickly offered his congratulations: "Congratulations, President He!"
A faint smile tugged at He Siyu's lips, his expression brightening further. "Thank you."
Assistant Yan chuckled as he stepped out of the office, only to widen his eyes in realization—no wonder the boss had seemed so unusually cheerful today.
Half an hour later, He Siyu's phone rang.
He glanced at the caller ID: Gu Xingchen.
Still skimming through documents on his computer, he answered casually, "What is it?"
"What's going on with you? How could you reschedule tonight's banquet last minute? Wasn’t it just finalized yesterday? I specifically cleared my schedule for this!" Gu Xingchen ranted.
Gu Xingchen was a busy man—his calendar for dining, drinking, and leisure was booked solid for the next month.
He Siyu replied calmly, "Something important came up tonight."
"Something more important than the Huiyi Medical project, which is literally your company’s biggest deal right now? Unless… are you getting married or something?"
"Close enough."
A sudden coughing fit erupted on the other end of the line—Gu Xingchen must have choked on his words.
After a three-second pause, a horrified shriek followed: "WHAT?!"
He Siyu’s tone remained indifferent. "I’m planning to get married. I’m taking Sang Ning back to the family estate tonight."
"Wait, what?" Gu Xingchen sounded utterly baffled. "Didn’t you just tell me the other day that ‘eldest brothers must marry first,’ and since your two older brothers aren’t married yet, you wouldn’t break tradition?!"
"That was the original plan."
His lips curved slightly as he spoke leisurely, "But if she wants to get married, I can’t let some old customs hold us back."
