As the Qixi Festival approached, Zhang was planning something big.
After work, everyone except Chen Xue and the out-of-town Lin Sen gathered in the conference room, with even people from other departments joining in, making the room instantly crowded.
Zhang handed out milk tea to everyone one by one, then shyly said, "I plan to propose to Chen Xue tomorrow, and I want everyone to help me brainstorm how to make the proposal romantic."
Mu Mian took a sip of her milk tea and asked confusedly, "Why not propose tonight? It's best to propose before going to bed. Usually, people's minds aren't as clear at night, making them more likely to agree to requests."
"…Because tomorrow is Qixi, Valentine's Day, which has special significance."
Mu Mian exclaimed in surprise, "You have to choose a day to propose?"
"Of course. Choosing a good day is very important."
Mu Mian summarized the first reason for her own failed proposal to Fang Rui: she didn't choose the right day.
Mu Mian suggested, "Then why not propose tonight? Give Chen Xue a surprise, no, a huge surprise. Many people propose on Qixi, so the day isn't that special."
Zhang found Mu Mian's suggestion quite reasonable, but—
"Tonight is too rushed; I haven't prepared everything yet." Zhang looked at everyone, "Please help me come up with some creative ideas."
Mu Mian summarized her second reason for the failed proposal: she hadn't made sufficient preparations. Creating a romantic atmosphere in advance was necessary.
Wang suggested, "Why not take Chen Xue to the rooftop to watch the stars tomorrow night, and then propose with a ring made of dogtail grass?"
"Watching the stars is quite romantic, but there are not only many stars on the rooftop but also lots of mosquitoes."
"A ring made of dogtail grass? That's way too shabby."
"That's called creativity. Diamond rings are too cliché. In idol dramas, the male leads always propose with dogtail grass—romantic, eco-friendly, and close to nature." Wang defended his idea.
"That won't work," Zhang dismissed Wang's suggestion and asked others, "Any other ideas?"
Wen from the finance department suggested, "Why not take Chen Xue for a walk and lead her to a osmanthus tree, then propose with a ring made from a soda can pull-tab? We'll shake the osmanthus flowers around you, creating a shower of osmanthus petals. Guaranteed to be unforgettable."
"That sounds romantic."
Mu Mian couldn't help but remind them, "Destroying greenery is against the law."
Zhang rejected the idea, as they couldn't break the law.
Zhang looked at Fang Rui, thinking the boss might have a reliable idea.
Sitting next to Fang Rui, Mu Mian thought Zhang was looking at her and offered her suggestion.
"We can design a series of puzzles, each containing clues, but they should be simple so Chen Xue can solve them. These clues will guide Chen Xue step by step to the proposal location…"
Zhang's eyes lit up and said to Mu Mian, "That's a good idea. Then what?"
"The proposal location is the dissection room. When Chen Xue arrives, she'll see you lying on the dissection table, buried in roses. She'll be very sad, crying as she digs you out of the flowers.
At that moment, you suddenly 'come back to life' and sit up, presenting a ring made of bones, asking if she'll marry you. Then we'll all raise our scalpels and chant, 'Chen Xue, say yes, say yes…'"
"……"
"……"
Zhang rubbed his forehead, wondering why he had expected anything normal from Mu Mian's response.
Wen laughed, "Hahaha, Mu Mian, you're killing me. Under those circumstances, Chen Xue wouldn't dare refuse, right?"
Wang curiously asked, "How do you make a ring out of bones?"
"You can piece together finger bones into a circle, then polish and wax them."
Zhang emphasized, "You don't need to think about the ring; I've already bought a diamond ring."
He pulled an exquisite ring box from his pocket, opened it, and showed it to everyone.
“Ah, what is that? It's blinding me,” Wang covered his eyes and made an exaggerated expression, “Take it away, quickly!”
Wen praised, "Wow, that diamond is huge. Zhang, you've really spent a fortune."
"That's right, I saved for years to buy this. I want to give Chen Xue the best proposal ring."
Wang reminded him, "Zhang, you've spent all your salary now; what will you buy for the wedding ring?"
"Uh… My parents have already saved money for my 'wife fund.'"
"……"
Mu Mian whispered her suggestion, "Officer Zhang, you should have bought a gold bracelet. Chen Xue says diamonds aren't worth keeping; only wasteful people buy them. However, gold always appreciates and can be passed down as a family heirloom."
Zhang frowned, "Really? Will Chen Xue think I'm too wasteful?"
Wen rebutted, "No, no girl doesn't like diamonds."
“Wen, your logic isn't precise; it's too absolute. I don't like diamonds.”
"You like gold?"
Mu Mian shook her head; she liked bones, various animal specimens, and corpses, but most people couldn't accept such hobbies, so Mu Mian decided not to reveal them.
Everyone came up with many more ideas, but none were feasible.
Zhang decided to go with a romantic but uncreative proposal: simply proposing with the big diamond ring.
Qixi happened to be on a Saturday, so they had the weekend off and didn't need to work.
Fang Rui and Mu Mian were paired up to help Zhang buy roses for the proposal setup.
They didn't go to a flower shop but to a wholesale flower market. There were no middlemen, so the prices were half of what they would be at a flower shop, and the flowers were fresher. However, the shop owner's attitude wasn't great, taking a long time to attend to them.
"You want ninety-nine roses?" The owner glanced at Mu Mian next to Fang Rui, "For your girlfriend? I should mention, we don't do packaging here."
Mu Mian said, "No need for packaging." They would use the roses to create a heart shape on the ground, so packaging wasn't necessary.
"Then wait a moment."
The owner whispered to an employee, "That guy doesn't look poor, yet he's not buying flowers from a shop; he's coming here for wholesale. How shrewd."
"Exactly, how can his girlfriend stand it? Too stingy!"
Mu Mian asked the owner confusedly, "Aren't the flowers in the shops sourced from here? What's the difference?"
The owner's face stiffened. She hadn't expected them to hear her so clearly.
"We like the flowers, not the fancy packaging."
Mu Mian pulled Fang Rui, "Let's go to another shop."
"Okay."
They were about to head to another store when a flower farmer stopped them, "Are you looking to buy roses? My flower field is nearby; if you buy from me, it'll be even cheaper."
"Then please take us there."
The flower field was vast, but with Qixi approaching, the demand for flowers had surged, leaving the field mostly barren, with mostly buds remaining. In one corner, there were still a small patch of unpicked red roses, blooming beautifully.
"Fang Rui, do you think there might be the Little Prince's rose here?"
"Maybe. If the Little Prince is here too."
When a breeze blew, the red roses swayed gently in the wind.
"Fang Rui, you're so silly. The Little Prince is a character from a novel, and his rose is on another planet."
"……"
Fang Rui and Mu Mian added a bit more money, and the farmer allowed them to pick the flowers themselves. After spending most of the day, they finally found ninety-nine roses of similar size and shape.
"Mu Mian, let's head back."
Mu Mian's attention, however, was caught by a large cluster of yellow chrysanthemums. She said, "Can I have a bouquet of those?"
