Chapter 480: Eternal Spring

Xie Youchen froze.

After waking up, Xie Youchen had discovered that the ring he always carried with him had vanished.

It was a ring he had designed and crafted himself, so its loss left him with a sense of melancholy.

He never thought Jiang Qingli would be the one to have taken it.

And he certainly never expected that she would be the one to propose to him first.

It wasn’t that he had never fantasized about this moment, but when it actually happened, surprise still flooded his heart.

He was silent for a moment.

Xie Youchen raised his eyes and looked at the girl before him.

Honestly, he had already forgotten when, exactly, he had started to fall for Jiang Qingli.

But at this moment, he suddenly remembered the spring when he first met Jiang Qingli.

After his parents died, his family members had eagerly divided the inheritance while casting him aside like a worn-out shoe. There had even been assassination attempts.

In the end, only a good friend of his father’s extended a helping hand, pulling him out of that vortex of conflict.

When he first stepped through the doors of the Jiang Family’s home, it had been months since his parents’ deaths, yet he was still dazed and numb.

Until that girl ran up to him, called out "Brother!" in a crisp, clear voice, promised she would protect him, and then pulled his hand to run down a long corridor.

As they ran frantically, Xie Youchen suddenly glanced up.

The golden sunlight stung his eyes. Vast swathes of pink blossoms swayed in the wind, their soft petals falling like snow, scattering and landing in the girl’s black hair.

It wasn’t until that moment that Xie Youchen realized spring had already arrived, silent and unnoticed.

And it had never left.

...

Xie Youchen’s silence stretched on for too long. Jiang Qingli grew a little uneasy and tugged on the tip of his ear. "That’s odd. Does the poison affect your hearing, too?"

The girl seemed relaxed, but in reality, the fingers holding his ear were trembling slightly.

"I know you wanted to propose to me, but you can’t speak right now, can you? So I had to be the one..." Jiang Qingli grabbed his hand and asked again, "Xie Youchen, will you marry me or not? Answer me, quickly!"

Xie Youchen’s answer was a hoarse, muffled "Mm" from his throat.

At the same time, he raised his ring finger, letting her put the ring on him.

"That’s more like it." Jiang Qingli slid the ring onto his ring finger, pushing it all the way to the base.

Xie Youchen tilted his head and kissed her lips. At the same time, he took her hand and slid the other ring onto her finger.

The wind stirred the snow-white curtains.

The leaves rustled. Light filtered through the gaps between them, forming bright, dazzling spots that danced across the kissing couple’s faces, but neither of them paid any mind.

It was a kiss more tender and searing than the summer sun.

-

When they pulled apart, both of them were breathing a little unsteadily.

Xie Youchen lowered his gaze, used the pad of his thumb to wipe the moisture from her rosy lips, caressed her cheek, and then took the ring off her ring finger.

Jiang Qingli didn’t understand. "Why are you taking it off?"

Xie Youchen typed, reminding her.

[Look outside the door.]

Seeing this, Jiang Qingli glanced outside and her breath caught in her throat—

Outside the hospital room, Qin Muye and Baili Jing had arrived at some point.

Baili Jing was saying something to a nurse, his expression as pleasant as a spring breeze, as always. The nurse looked completely at ease while speaking with him.

The other person, however, was a different story.

The Prince had his hands on his hips, standing by the glass wall, practically pressing his whole face against it. But since it was one-way glass, he couldn’t see inside and could only mutter something in frustration.

Behind them, Yi Nuo stood at attention in his uniform, his expression calm, though his gaze would occasionally drift in their direction.

Jiang Qingli curled her fingers.

’When I saw the ring, I had thought about my other Beast Husbands, and even considered whether I should get a pair for each of them...’

The sound of typing came again.

Jiang Qingli snapped back to reality.

Xie Youchen had typed another line: [Ah Li, it’s fine if I’m the only one wearing a ring.]

His eyes curved into a smile as he lowered his head and pressed a kiss to his own ring finger.

Then he slowly typed again: [Besides, a ring doesn’t have to be worn only as a ring.]

After he sent the message, he picked up Jiang Qingli’s ring. He fiddled with the inside of the band, and the ring instantly transformed into a pear blossom-shaped brooch. With a couple more adjustments, it became an earring.

Jiang Qingli was amazed by its intricacy. "This is incredible! Did you make this?"

Xie Youchen nodded.

Jiang Qingli took it and tinkered with it for a moment, turning the ring into a brooch and pinning it to her chest.

She looked at it, then asked, "By the way, after my award ceremony is over, let’s go register our marriage."

Xie Youchen asked: [Have those families been dealt with?]

Jiang Qingli nodded and briefly explained the situation to him.

At five o’clock this morning, news came from the First District. The troublemaking families had been taken into custody, and they were just waiting for Jiang Qingli and the others to return to the First District for the final verdict at a military tribunal.

The evidence for every single case was ironclad; it would all be resolved in less than a week.

Jiang Qingli’s contribution to this matter was indispensable. The Emperor would be making an exception to grant her a title and a medal, holding an award ceremony for her at the palace.

Once that was over, the miscellaneous affairs of the Xie Family should also be mostly settled, and then they would have time to register.

Of course, Xie Youchen had no objections.

He nodded. [You’ve thought of everything.]

[I’ll listen to whatever you decide.]

Their eyes met. The young man’s eyes were still rimmed with a faint red, making him look surprisingly obedient.

"Alright, alright, no need to get so emotional."

Jiang Qingli pulled the young man into an embrace, pressing his head against her shoulder and patting it as if coaxing a small child.

Xie Youchen: "..."

’It hasn’t gotten to that point yet.’

But since she wanted to play the role of caretaker right now, Xie Youchen didn’t refuse. He obediently rested his forehead on her shoulder and gave a soft "Mm."

Jiang Qingli’s hand stroked down his spine. She then grabbed two tubes of nutrient solution from the bedside table for him.

He had just raised his hand to take them when Jiang Qingli pulled back, saying, "I’ll feed you."

Xie Youchen frowned slightly at her, a hint of disapproval in his eyes.

’It’s not like my arms and legs are broken. How could I let my... fiancée, who I’ve always taken care of, look after me?’

Xie Youchen moved his lips, silently mouthing the word, "Troublesome."

But Jiang Qingli clearly didn’t find it troublesome at all.

Ever since they were children, Xie Youchen had almost always been the guardian and caretaker in their relationship. It was rare for him to be this vulnerable.

This was a rare opportunity, and Jiang Qingli wanted to take care of him for a change.

"You want to drink?" Jiang Qingli deliberately misinterpreted his mouthed words and twisted the cap off the nutrient solution with one hand. "Here, open up."

Xie Youchen pressed his lips together, clearly not used to this.

But he sighed and indulged her whim, as if she were playing house.

The nutrient solution contained a sedative. After Xie Youchen finished it, he fell asleep in that very position.

Once the young man’s breathing had steadied, the door was suddenly thrown open.

A nurse’s voice rang out. "Marshal Xie, your medicine..."

Upon seeing the situation in the room, the nurse instantly fell silent.

Jiang Qingli raised a finger to her lips, about to shush her, when a head suddenly squeezed through the doorway.

Qin Muye’s eyes immediately locked onto the young man leaning in Jiang Qingli’s embrace. His gaze was so ferocious he looked like he wanted to skin him alive!

But he quickly realized that glaring was useless; Xie Youchen was unconscious.

With nowhere to vent his roiling anger, Qin Muye could only turn to Jiang Qingli. Suppressing his fury, he said in the calmest tone he could manage, "You, come out. I have something to ask you."