It took about 20 minutes to walk from the hut to the place Zhong Ruanxing had agreed to meet Song JinXing.
Worried that high heels would be inconvenient for walking, Zhong Ruanxing had worn a pair of flats when she set out, carrying her black ribbon high heels in her hand. She planned to change into them when she got closer to the meeting place.
But she hadn't walked more than 100 meters from the hut when she saw a red carpet laid out on the path leading to their rendezvous point.
The long red carpet wound through the woods, and she couldn't see the end of it. Lining the carpet on both sides, mushroom-shaped lampposts had been placed among the bushes. Their colorful light made it seem as if they had grown up from the ground, illuminating the red carpet and lighting her way toward him.
Leaning against a tree, Zhong Ruanxing changed into her high heels. Her red dress hugged the curves of her waist, with only the skirt blowing in the night breeze, like a red rose in full bloom in the darkness of the night.
Finally, as she drew nearer, the sound of waves grew clearer and clearer.
Her view widened, and the boundless night sea spread open under the starry sky. Song JinXing stood waiting at the end of the red carpet, dressed in a suit and holding a bouquet of roses for his princess.
Not far away, a brightly lit cruise ship was parked quietly at the dock.
His dark, deep-set eyes reflected her figure becoming clearer and clearer. The wind seemed to carry the sweet scent of roses.
Step by step, Zhong Ruanxing walked over to his side. Seeing him smile and offer her the still-dewy roses, she placed her hand in his outstretched palm - a gentleman's invitation. And so she put her hand in his, as if going to a ball.
On this night, even the sea breeze was gentler than usual.
Zhong Ruanxing lowered her head to smell the roses in her arms, her heart beating happily. It wasn't until he led her onto the cruise ship and she saw the outdoor observation deck decorated like a proposal scene that she began to feel a little flustered and nervously asked, "Song JinXing, you aren't planning to propose, are you?"
Song JinXing had just leaned over to pick up a small blanket from the sofa. Hearing this, he raised an eyebrow and turned to drape the blanket over her shoulders before musing, "Going straight for it? That works too."
Zhong Ruanxing gave him an annoyed push.
He laughed gently as he adjusted the blanket around her shoulders and asked in a soft voice, "Cold?"
"I'm dressed up so pretty, and you just ask if I'm cold?" Zhong Ruanxing retorted.
"Oh?" Song JinXing bent down to look her in the eye and scrutinized her carefully a few times. "Because you're beautiful every day, I guess my eyes are used to it. But tonight does seem a little more special."
Zhong Ruanxing felt her defenses crumbling before Song's increasingly smooth offensives. She quickly lifted the roses in her arms to block her face, cutting off that burning, desire-filled gaze.
The cruise ship's horn sounded, and it began to move.
The man behind the bouquet laughed and took her by the wrist. "Have a seat."
Zhong Ruanxing turned her head to look at the rolling waves. "Don't say anything for now! I need to work on my defenses!"
This wasn't like her shy personality at all! What was going on? It was so frustrating!
Fortunately, Song JinXing finally stopped his romantic assaults, and for a time the only sounds were the wind and waves. The cruise ship did not sail for long before it began to slow, and the lights of Cangxing Island were still visible astern.
After a splash of waves, the ship came to a stop on the open sea.
"We're here," Song JinXing said.
Filled with curiosity, Zhong Ruanxing looked around, but could see nothing but the endless ocean.
Song JinXing smiled and took her hand as he stood. "Come with me."
The two circled the observation deck and walked a bit farther, arriving at the uppermost deck a few minutes later. As soon as they stepped onto the deck, the sea wind grew stronger. Zhong Ruanxing's long hair and red skirt billowed in the breeze, emanating a thrilling beauty in the night.
Song JinXing led her to the railing and said softly, "Do you see it?"
He didn't need to say anything. Zhong Ruanxing had already seen them.
The expansive, swaying coral reef glowing brightly in the sea, the waves causing its magnificent, colorful light to shimmer. It was the most beautiful natural scene the human eye could behold - no camera or painting could capture even a fraction of its splendor.
You had to see it with your own eyes to feel its true, incomparable majesty.
The starry sky, the sea, the glowing coral reef, the moonlit cruise ship - in this moment, it was as if all the romantic words in the world had been brought together.
Gazing at the breathtaking sight, Song JinXing spoke in a low, soft voice. "I never used to think there was anything in this world worth lingering for. Everything seemed gray to me. It was as if I was a well-wound machine, functioning mechanically day after day."
Zhong Ruanxing thought back to the Song JinXing of the past, remembering his former home, as cold and bleak as a tomb. Her heart ached with sorrow, and she couldn't help turning to look at him.
Song JinXing lowered his head and gazed at her gently. "But after I met you, I'm not sure when it started, but I began to take note of the beautiful sights around me. I thought you would surely like them, and I wanted so much to bring you to see them."
Tears welled up in Zhong Ruanxing's eyes, and she nodded heavily. "I love it!"
He smiled slightly, caressing her upturned face. Slowly he lowered his head until their foreheads touched, his voice a mere sigh. "You don't know what you mean to me."
A simple "I like you" couldn't encompass his feelings for her.
It was the first time they had been so close, their trembling lashes nearly touching.
In their mingled breaths he asked softly, "My most beautiful star, will you consent to fall into my embrace?"
This was what she had wanted - a formal, grand, ceremonious confession.
Zhong Ruanxing closed her eyes lightly, her lashes quivering. She gave no answer, only tiptoed up and kissed his lips.
The night seemed to reach its darkest depths.
Song JinXing placed a hand on her slender waist, backing her against the deck railing as he returned her kiss, restrained yet lost in its sweetness. Everything around them surged tumultuously, but their kiss was gentle and lingering.
Though their bodies were intimately familiar, they now touched as if for the first time, fearful of disturbing the other even with their breath.
Rendered weak by his kisses, Zhong Ruanxing could barely stand. She reached up and put her arms around his neck, clinging to him.
It wasn't until fireworks erupted on the distant coast that she seemed to snap out of a daze and mumbled, "I want...to set off fireworks too."
A satisfied, husky laugh escaped Song JinXing's lips. Finally he left her soft mouth, nuzzling her nose. "Of course."
He led her by the wrist back from the railing, and took some fireworks he had prepared in advance out of a box. Soon, the dark blue sea was also lit up by brilliant bursts of colorful fireworks.
On the island, a director filming guests noticed the fireworks at sea and asked, "Is that guests setting off fireworks to celebrate a successful confession too?"
"Can't be. All our guests are on the island."
"The fireworks over there are so much prettier than ours!"
The crew discussed enviously for a bit, unaware they were just one step from the truth.
