214: Chapter 214 A relationship begins with a bouquet of flowers

As soon as she stepped inside,

a faint floral fragrance permeated the air.

She stopped in the center of the room, her gaze sweeping over the bouquets before falling on the largest white one.

Lu Li also walked in and came to a stop behind her.

"They say a relationship has to start with a bouquet of flowers..."

"So this bouquet... is the one I'm giving you."

He reached out, picked up the bouquet, and held it out before her.

Shen Qingxue lowered her gaze to look at the bouquet, not taking it immediately, but instead raising her head to look at him earnestly.

Lu Li did not look away, just meeting her gaze like that.

"I know that between us, there is actually no need to say so much anymore, but I feel... some things still need to be made clear."

"I like you. It's not a momentary impulse, nor is it out of habit. It's just... purely liking you as a person."

"When I'm with you, I feel so at ease and comfortable, as if no matter what happens, there's someone to shoulder it together with."

"So, I want to ask you..."

"Would you be willing to be with me?"

The world seemed to grow quiet at that moment.

A breeze slipped through the partially open crack in the window, causing the flower petals to sway slightly.

Shen Qingxue looked at him, her eyelashes fluttering slightly.

She didn't speak, but she reached out her hand and took the bouquet with utmost seriousness.

"I like it."

Shen Qingxue lowered her head to look at the bouquet, her fingers gently brushing across the petals of one of the white roses.

"Huh?"

Lu Li hadn't heard clearly.

"I said, I like it."

Shen Qingxue raised her head, looking at him with a smile in her eyes.

"I said, I really like this bouquet, and I like what you just said even more."

Lu Li was stunned for a moment, then instinctively asked.

"Then... does this mean you've agreed?"

Shen Qingxue didn't answer, instead offering a faint smile as she turned her head slightly away, not looking at him, though the faint blush on the tips of her ears betrayed her.

"Didn't you prepare something else as well?"

Lu Li was momentarily taken aback.

"How did you know?"

"When you came in, I saw a guitar in the corner."

Shen Qingxue finally turned her head back to look at him, her expression carrying a hint of slyness.

"So, when do you plan to play it for me?"

Lu Li had his thoughts seen through by her, but he didn't deny it, because this was indeed something he had prepared.

Then he turned and walked to the corner, picked up the guitar, sat down on a nearby chair, and adjusted the position of the strings.

Shen Qingxue didn't rush him; she just stood beside the bouquet, waiting quietly.

Lu Li plucked the strings a few times, found the tuning, and then raised his head with a slight smile, glancing at her.

"In that case, the next three songs are for you."

Lu Li strummed the first chord.

The intro was simple and brisk, the melody carrying an undisguised sweetness and excitement.

"An amber dusk is like sugar in the beautiful distance..."

"Your face has no makeup, yet I've fallen madly in love..."

Shen Qingxue didn't interrupt him, listening quietly as she held the bouquet in her arms, the edge of the bundle gently resting against her chin.

"..."

"The admission ticket in my hand accompanies me counting sheep..."

Lu Li sang with total immersion, his gaze occasionally lifting from the strings to fall upon her.

The sunlight outside the window spilled through the glass, enveloping her entire person in a warm yellow halo.

Shen Qingxue was immersed in his world and this song, almost unable to extricate herself.

Finally hearing this song he had hummed back then in its entirety, she just hadn't expected...

that he had already had ideas about this back then.

After finishing "garden party", Lu Li didn't stop.

Instead, he continued singing.

And this time, it was a song Shen Qingxue had never heard before.

Lu Li plucked the strings, and the intro began.

The melody was even lighter and livelier than before, like a gentle breeze in a summer afternoon brushing lightly across the tip of the heart.

Shen Qingxue found a stool, then sat down in front of Lu Li, supporting her chin with one hand as she quietly watched him and listened to the song.

After the intro passed, Lu Li raised his head slightly, broke into a wide smile at her, and then began to sing.

"I always casually tell you my wishes."

"And give you gazes that ten thousand words could never fully express."

"In this world, there are always people busily searching for treasures."

"Yet they miss the brilliant sun of this floating world."

"And miss all the wonders of the mortal realm."

Lu Li's voice was extremely brisk, the trailing notes carrying a slightly upward curve, like the good mood he inadvertently revealed.

Shen Qingxue stood beside the bouquet, listening quietly.

Her gaze fell upon his slightly lowered profile, watching the rhythm of his fingers sliding across the strings.

The music was wonderful, and the person before her... was also very pleasing to the eye.

Lu Li didn't notice her gaze, instead pouring his heart and soul into this performance.

Soon, the chorus arrived.

"Just admit that a smile alluring makes it hard to forget at first sight."

"Talk of a love as deep as the sea is something I wouldn't dare claim."

"Nothing is more romantic than watching the sunset side by side with you."

"The destination of my heart."

When Lu Li sang this line, his gaze happened to lift from the strings and fall upon her.

Their lines of sight crossed briefly amidst the fragrance filling the room.

Lu Li did not look away and continued singing.

Until the outro.

"I want to travel the four directions with you and appreciate the scenery of clear and rainy weather."

"I want to spread paper and brush with you to write the chapters of our remaining lives."

"Sharing both smiles and tears no matter how turbulent the plot may be."

"We will never part ways."

The sound of the guitar gradually grew softer until the last note fell into the air.

Lu Li's fingertips were still lightly pressing against the strings, not moving away immediately.

He raised his head, his gaze falling on her face.

"There, the second song is done. Do you like it?"

Shen Qingxue lowered her head to look at him, fell silent for a second, and then nodded earnestly.

"It sounds great! I love it! But this song... how come I've never heard you hum it before?"

"Because this song, "a smile alluring", was prepared specially for you. Before it was finished, I didn't want you to hear a half-finished product."

After finishing, Lu Li chuckled softly to himself, then lowered his head, his fingers falling back onto the strings to strum them casually a couple of times.

"Alright, there's one last song."

"Huh? There's more?"

Shen Qingxue looked somewhat surprised, her gaze falling on his face.