The abandoned daughter of the Lu family turns around and marries a celibate tycoon.

Chapter 163 There's nothing to apologize for.

"I..." Lu Xiran finally spoke, her voice very soft, "I don't know what to say."

Xin Mubai looked at her, without urging her or asking any further questions.

He simply waited quietly, just as he always had.

"Then don't say it." He finally spoke, a slight smile playing on his lips, still with that carefree attitude.

"Xin Mubai," she called his name.

"Um?"

"Aren't you afraid I'll reject you?" He made such a big fuss, and he's always been so arrogant, a cold and aloof figure in high society.

He turned to look at her, his eyes, which always held a smile, seemed to hold certainty, as if he had been prepared for this all along.

"Yes, I am afraid," he said frankly. "But more than being rejected by you, I'm afraid of letting you go without saying anything. That would be truly foolish."

Lu Xiran wanted to tell him that she still had someone else in her heart, that she wasn't ready, and that she might not be able to give him the response he wanted.

But those words, in the grand and meticulously prepared confession, stuck in his throat, he just couldn't say them.

A cool breeze blew by.

Xin Mubai took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders. The movement was natural, as if he'd done it many times before. "Let's go, I'll take you home." He turned and walked towards the car, then stopped after a couple of steps, turning back to look at her. "What's with that expression?"

Lu Xiran touched her face: "What kind of expression is that?"

"It feels like I've swallowed a bitter pill." He walked back, stood in front of her, and looked down at her. "Lu Xiran, listen carefully. I'm not saying this to ask you to agree to anything right now, nor am I asking you to give me an answer immediately. I just want you to know—someone likes you, likes you sincerely. No matter who you are, no matter who you have in your heart, no matter what you've been through."

He paused.

You deserve to be treated well.

Lu Xiran's eyes suddenly felt a little sore.

"But..." she opened her mouth.

"No buts," he interrupted her. "Even if you go back to Switzerland, do your design work, and live your life, I won't bother you or force you. Whenever you figure things out and want to talk to someone, I'll be right here." He took a step back, held up his hand, and made a phone gesture. "On call 24/7."

Lu Xiran looked at him and suddenly smiled. The smile was light and faint, yet more genuine than ever before. "Xin Mubai, do you know, you're really strange."

"What's wrong?"

"When other people confess their feelings, they say how much they like you, but you do it differently. First, you tell them all about your background, and then you say, 'Think about it.'"

"Wouldn't that make me seem sincere?" He winked. "Besides, I am quite wealthy, and I'm afraid you'd be at a disadvantage if I didn't tell you."

Lu Xiran couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"And—" He suddenly remembered something, reached into his pocket, took something out, placed it on the table, and pushed it over.

It's a candy. Strawberry flavored.

"I was afraid you'd cry," he said, "so I prepared in advance."

Lu Xiran looked at the candy, at his feigned relaxed face, and at the barely concealed tension in his eyes.

She reached out and picked up the candy.

I didn't eat.

It was simply held tightly in my hand.

"Thank you," she said.

"No need to thank me," he resumed his nonchalant attitude, "Just treat me to a meal."

Lu Xiran nodded and continued walking towards the car, with Xin Mubai following behind.

"Lu Xiran".

"Um?"

Are you happy today?

She stopped, without turning around. The river breeze ruffled her hair and brushed against her face. "Mmm," she said.

"Then it's worth it." His voice came from behind, tinged with laughter. "Let's go, I'll take you home. What do you want to eat tomorrow?"

Lu Xiran turned around and looked at him. He stood there, hands in his pockets, tilting his head to look at her, as if waiting for an answer.

"It's your decision," she said.

Xin Mubai smiled and said, "Okay, I'll arrange it."

---------

Lin Chen is reporting his work to Gu Yanshen.

Gu Yanshen lowered his head, flipping through the materials, his fingers tracing the pages, his brow slightly furrowed. Lin Chen, waiting, glanced at his phone screen, his fingers pausing.

It's all over my WeChat Moments.

Fireworks along the riverbank, one after another—golden, pink, purple—colored the entire river like a flowing silver river. The accompanying captions were varied and numerous.

[It's said someone proposed; they made quite a show of it.]

I heard it wasn't a proposal, just a confession of love. Who's going to be so extravagant?

【I know, I know! Xin Mubai!】

"How could that be? He's so sharp-tongued, how could he possibly be interested in someone else?"

Lin Chen looked at the photos, a slight smile playing on his lips.

He recalled that night on the island, how Xin Mubai protected Lu Xiran the whole way, the way he looked at her, and the earnestness with which he told her he liked Ranran. This kid, he really wasn't wrong about him.

"What are you laughing at?" Gu Yanshen raised his head and looked at him.

"It's none of your business." Lin Chen continued scrolling through his WeChat Moments.

Gu Yanshen frowned, stood up, and snatched the phone. The screen was still lit, and the photos scrolled by one by one: fireworks, the river, the restaurant's floor-to-ceiling windows, and that name that kept appearing in the comments section.

His brows furrowed deeper as he recalled what Lu Xiran had said—that he wanted to eat with him every day before returning to Switzerland.

His eyes could kill.

Lin Chen snatched the phone back and slowly put it in his pocket. "He really put in a lot of effort. His confession turned into a marriage proposal."

He paused.

"It seems they're serious. I can rest assured now."

Gu Yanshen picked up his coat, pushed open the door, and went out.

Gu Yanshen's car unconsciously drove towards the riverside restaurant.

He had been to that intersection countless times. But today was different. He saw Xin Mubai's car at the intersection, a dark blue sports car that stood out conspicuously in the night.

He slowed down and followed.

The car was parked at the entrance of the residential area.

Gu Yanshen parked his car a short distance away and watched that familiar figure get out of the passenger seat. She was holding a large bouquet of pink roses in her arms; the flowers were so big that they made her look small.

Xin Mubai walked around from the driver's seat and draped his coat over her shoulders.

Then, he took out an exquisite dark blue box from his pocket. It was made of velvet and tied with a silver-gray ribbon.

Lu Xiran glanced at it, shook her head, and took half a step back.

"I knew it," he said.

He didn't insist, but simply stepped forward and gently placed the box into the bouquet of pink roses.

"I'll leave it here for now." He took a step back and put his hands back in his pockets.

"Xin Mubai—"

"Don't reject me yet." He interrupted her, taking a step back. "I'm just telling you that I like you and that I want to pursue you."

"I'm sorry—"

"Don't apologize," Xin Mubai said frankly. "You have nothing to apologize for."

"I still have five more meals to eat." Xin Mubai turned around and waved to her before getting into the car. "Even if you go back to Switzerland, I can still come to see you. Don't feel pressured."

Xin Mubai's car drove away.

Lu Xiran stood at the entrance of the residential complex, not going in immediately. She held the bouquet of flowers, standing in the night breeze, her hair blowing and brushing against her face.

Then she turned around.

Through the darkness of night, through those indescribable and inexplicable distances, she saw the car.

Eyes facing each other.