Chapter Forty-Eight: The End of the Mermaid

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Valentine’s Day arrived quickly. Rui Ying had been looking forward to this day for a long time. In truth, her relationship with Li Zhuwang had begun to fade since last year, and she could feel it. Even the gifts for Valentine’s Day had become perfunctory. She would patiently prepare surprises for Li Zhuwang, only to receive bland and indifferent tokens in return—it was disheartening.

Liu Minghe’s company gave everyone a holiday on Valentine’s Day. The employees were all delighted, praising their boss for being so considerate, but none knew that the boss himself was taking a day off to pursue love.

Liu Minghe was an exceptionally low-key man—so much so that even after dating someone for over a month, no one had discovered it.

Now, Rui Ying was living with Liu Minghe. Yet, the previous night she had returned to the home she’d shared with Yin Zhengkui and Shen Xiuzhen before they moved out. She went back to pack her things and take care of some bills, so she had no idea what Liu Minghe had been preparing.

When it came to Rui Ying and Liu Minghe living together, Shen Xiuzhen was somewhat opposed, but Yin Zhengkui was not bothered. After all, Liu Minghe had already told him that he planned to propose to Rui Ying on Valentine’s Day, and besides, Rui Ying and Liu Minghe each had their own room—nothing too outrageous.

However, when Rui Ying left home that day, it wasn’t Liu Minghe who called her, but Jiang Huiyuan.

At that moment, Rui Ying felt a sense of inevitability—“At last, she’s come.” Though Liu Minghe had never mentioned this woman in her presence, Han Zhien had spoken about her more than once. Jiang Huiyuan, Li Yingzai, and Liu Minghe had grown up together. Jiang Huiyuan had always liked Liu Minghe, while Li Yingzai liked Jiang Huiyuan. Han Zhien absolutely loathed her; Jiang Huiyuan had never liked Li Yingzai, but after his marriage, she had repeatedly tried to disrupt their relationship. Han Zhien had long warned Rui Ying to be wary of her.

But Rui Ying was no longer the same as before. She knew that during the time she’d been with Liu Minghe, there had been nothing between him and Jiang Huiyuan. Li Yingzai had told Han Zhien that Liu Minghe rarely even saw Jiang Huiyuan.

The only time Rui Ying had seen her was when she was following Li Zhuwang—that was quite a while ago now.

Rui Ying sent Jiang Huiyuan her address, and soon saw her arrive by car. Jiang Huiyuan wasn’t beautiful, but she had poise and looked elegant.

Her expression was cold; she never bothered to hide her emotions in front of people she disliked.

“I think we can just talk right here,” Jiang Huiyuan said, leaning against her car with an air of disdain. “You’re not good enough for Minghe.”

Rui Ying could tell this was not a friendly visit. She was prepared, but Jiang Huiyuan’s words still irritated her.

“Not good enough?” Rui Ying retorted. “And what exactly makes someone good enough?”

Liu Minghe came from a wealthy family, but his background was straightforward—just his parents, no other relatives. Rui Ying’s family had once been upper-middle class; things weren’t as good now, but to say she wasn’t good enough was still harsh.

Jiang Huiyuan’s face grew even colder, not even bothering to fake a smile. “Don’t you feel a thing about what your mother did? Yet here you are, living with Minghe as if nothing happened. Like mother, like daughter.”

Rui Ying’s face darkened, which brought a flash of satisfaction to Jiang Huiyuan, who finally managed a smile.

“You claim I’m not good enough for Minghe, but are you, saying such things?” Rui Ying said. “Whether someone is ‘good enough’ isn’t the point. What matters is whether two people are together.”

She was no longer the girl who’d faint from anger after losing an argument with Ma Ling. She’d grown strong enough to protect herself from harm.

Jiang Huiyuan, feeling slighted, drove off in anger.

When Rui Ying returned home, Liu Minghe was reading. She didn’t mention what had happened—after all, it was supposed to be a good day; why spoil the mood?

Seeing her return, Liu Minghe came over and embraced her. “Change your clothes, let’s go out for dinner,” he said.

They’d grown increasingly close, almost like newlyweds. Liu Minghe enjoyed this life—it felt peaceful and full of happiness.

Rui Ying agreed and changed into a woolen dress, looking every bit the lady.

They drove to the hotel, where Jin Yuan and the others had already arrived. Li Yingzai was, as always, bickering with Han Zhien. The two had gone through countless ups and downs, nearly divorcing at one point, but were finally stable. Han Zhien was beautifully dressed, and Li Yingzai was both attentive and playful.

Liu Rachel and Jin Yuan were as steady as ever. Their families were similar, Jin Yuan was considerate, and though Liu Rachel was younger, she was calm and rational. When she occasionally acted coy, Jin Yuan was happy to indulge her—their chemistry was unmatched.

Rui Ying and Liu Minghe’s arrival made the gathering even livelier. Jin Yuan and Liu Minghe were working together on a cultural publishing project and discussed it at length, while Han Zhien pulled her two friends away to admire the goldfish in the hotel’s central pool.

Once the three women had stepped away, Jin Yuan asked, “Is today the day you propose?”

Liu Minghe smiled broadly. “Yes. I picked up the ring yesterday and ordered the flowers too.”

Jin Yuan gave him a look that said, “It’s about time you got with the program.”

Liu Minghe was used to this treatment—such is the way of things.

Only the three men knew about Liu Minghe’s plan to propose; Han Zhien and Liu Rachel were entirely in the dark.

By the pool, Rui Ying told Han Zhien and Liu Rachel about her encounter with Jiang Huiyuan. Han Zhien was so angry she stamped her foot. She now despised Jiang Huiyuan with a passion; Jiang Huiyuan had nearly ruined her marriage to Li Yingzai. Thankfully, Li Yingzai had come to his senses in time, but it was uncertain what Liu Minghe would do.

“There shouldn’t be any problem—he seems very reliable,” Han Zhien said. She’d always had a good impression of Liu Minghe.

Liu Rachel agreed, though she added, “But you can never be too sure with men. Honestly, all this scheming among women wouldn’t happen if men were more dependable.”

Jin Yuan had ex-girlfriends too, but Liu Rachel wasn’t bothered. If a man is trustworthy, women don’t need to fight off rivals.

Rui Ying understood this, but not all men were Jin Yuan.

Liu Rachel shook her head. “At least have a little faith in Minghe, or he’ll be heartbroken.”

Rui Ying was taken aback, a wave of guilt washing over her. Liu Rachel was right—she’d been feeling insecure all this time, never daring to truly trust Liu Minghe.

“Do you trust Jin Yuan completely?” she asked Liu Rachel.

Liu Rachel replied, “About seventy percent.”

Han Zhien agreed. “Same here. You should always keep thirty percent for yourself. You can’t rely entirely on a man—you never know what the future will bring.”

Rui Ying nodded. “You’re right.”

The three didn’t chat long before they were called back for lunch. Oddly, though it was an upscale restaurant, theirs was the only table at midday.

“There’s no need to reserve the whole place, is there?” Liu Rachel asked, looking at Jin Yuan suspiciously. He whispered, “Because there’s something good coming.”

He’d barely finished when the restaurant staff gathered around. A handsome man wheeled out a towering five-tier cake, topped with two figurines dressed as a bride and groom.

Liu Minghe suddenly felt nervous.

Rui Ying, confused, stared blankly at the cake. “Is it someone’s birthday?” she asked, a little dazed.

Han Zhien didn’t understand either, and Liu Rachel just shook her head for show.

Liu Minghe stood up, and at that moment, rose petals began to float down from above, filling the air. Everyone was stunned, surrounded by a shower of roses. The man with the cake gracefully opened a small parasol to shield the cake.

Amid this rosy dreamscape, Liu Minghe took out a ring. “Rui Ying, will you marry me?”

Rui Ying was struck dumb, unable to react for a while. The restaurant staff broke into applause. Even Liu Rachel was speechless—this was incredibly stylish.

Han Zhien couldn’t help but call out, “Say yes, Rui Ying!”

Liu Minghe’s eyes were full of deep affection. “Please believe me—I can give you all the happiness you desire.”

Rui Ying hesitated for a moment, then reached out to take the ring.

She couldn’t find a reason to refuse. If every love were destined to sour, if every relationship would eventually be swallowed by the mundane trials of life, then in this moment, she wished only to cherish this extraordinary chance at love.

“I believe you.”

She knew Jiang Huiyuan had lost—not to her, but to a man’s unwavering devotion.

Author’s note: What do you think of this? _(:з」∠)_