As soon as Wen Xian got on the plane, she fell asleep. At noon on the plane, coaxed by Shen Lingge, she ate lunch, and not long after, closed her eyes again.
By the time they got off the plane, arrived at Mingcheng, and Shen Lingge carried her into the car, she still had not woken up, staying curled up in his arms sleeping soundly, long eyelashes drooping listlessly.
After Song Mingxi knew Wen Xian decided to stay in Mingcheng, she secretly cried once. Now knowing Shen Lingge and Wen Xian came back, she let them come home for dinner.
When she saw Shen Lingge carrying the sleeping Wen Xian coming in, Song Mingxi couldn’t help but hit Shen Lingge once again, lowering her voice to ask: “Did you bully Xian Xian last night?”
Shen Lingge, who had been surfing all night: “……”
Song Mingxi kept following Shen Lingge upstairs, still muttering non-stop: “When are you going to marry Xian Xian back to me? What if one day Xian Xian wakes up clear-headed and dumps you?”
She stared at her own son full of suspicion: “Has Xian Xian turned twenty years old? Shen Lingge, are you a beast?”
Shen Lingge: “…Mom, Xian Xian already graduated from university.”
Song Mingxi: “Then you’re not a good thing either.”
While the two were talking, Wen Xian seemed to have been disturbed by them, gave a small hum. Song Mingxi immediately shut her mouth and did not speak anymore, only before leaving glared at Shen Lingge once.
Shen Lingge today also only slept a few hours before getting up, he held Wen Xian and napped together.
In the afternoon, Wen Xian woke up earlier than Shen Lingge. After she woke up, she stared for quite a while before recognizing they had already arrived in Mingcheng, and at the suburban home of Shen Rongsheng and Song Mingxi.
After she was clear-headed for a while, she started pestering Shen Lingge, touching his chin for a bit, then leaning up to kiss the corner of his lips. Seeing he didn’t wake up, she obediently leaned against his neck side without moving.
Her side face was just pressed against his tattoo.
Wen Xian didn’t notice, when she kissed Shen Lingge, his Adam’s apple slightly rolled once.
Her soft body was just in his arms. Shen Lingge’s throat felt dry as if on fire; he felt that if this continued, he probably wouldn’t be able to hold back for much longer.
He started seriously considering what Song Mingxi said.
Marry Wen Xian back home.
Wen Xian was still leaning against Shen Lingge in a daze, when she heard from above her head suddenly ring out his slightly hoarse voice: “Xian Xian, in winter I’ll take you out to play, is there any place you want to go?”
Wen Xian moved her body and lifted her head to meet Shen Lingge’s gaze. She blinked and seriously answered: “I want to see snow, want to eat sukiyaki, also want to go to the park to see little deer.”
Shen Lingge smiled once: “So afraid of cold and still want to see snow.”
Wen Xian opened her mouth and bit his chin once: “I’m still going.”
Shen Lingge slightly furrowed his brows. If he kissed her now, he feared he wouldn’t be able to stop. So he reached out and pressed Wen Xian into his arms, not allowing her to move around, and raised a strange request: “Xian Xian, I want to hear you sing.”
Wen Xian blanked: “Ah? Sing what song?”
Shen Lingge: “Anything is fine.”
Wen Xian hesitated and looked at him once, uncertainly said: “You really want to hear?”
Shen Lingge: “Mm.”
Wen Xian tilted her head thinking for a bit, then she cleared her throat, opened her mouth and sang: “Ah ah ah ah ah~ Fifth Ring~ You have one ring more than Fourth Ring~”
Shen Lingge: “……”
The fire on his body instantly died down.
He originally thought it would be Wen Xian using her angel-like voice to purify and wash his soul, but unexpectedly, this little girl was tone-deaf. From the start she went off-key, and by the end even cracked her voice.
And yet, after she finished singing, she even opened her eyes sparkling-bright looking at him: “Shen Lingge, did I sing well?”
Shen Lingge: “…Sounds good.”
Wen Xian played around on the bed with Shen Lingge for a while, then struggled to get up. She went downstairs and slipped into the kitchen intending to look for Song Mingxi to play, but as soon as Song Mingxi saw her, she drove her out.
Even raising her voice and shouting towards the living room: “Shen Lingge, if you dare let Xian Xian into the kitchen again in the future, I’ll kill you!”
Shen Lingge: “……”
Wen Xian blinked: “Mom, before it was always me cooking for Shen Lingge, my skills are really good.”
Song Mingxi: “From now on don’t care if he lives or dies!”
Wen Xian obediently responded: “Oh, got it!”
Shen Lingge felt if this went on, he’d have no position at home at all. Originally in front of Wen Xian he already had no status to speak of; now back at his own home, it felt like he wasn’t even his parents’ biological child.
But in his heart, he was very happy. Treating Wen Xian well was treating himself well.
…
By the time Shen Lingge and Wen Xian returned home, there were already a few stars hanging in the sky. The moon dyed the clouds into haziness, faint light illuminating a corner of the horizon, the night very quiet.
At first Wen Xian was on the sofa clapping hands playing with Wen Xianxian, while also watching Duoduo and the others tidying up and organizing the things brought back from Mingcheng.
She carefully observed for a while, many things seemed to have been taken by Duoduo into another room to put away. When Duoduo came downstairs, Wen Xian couldn’t help asking: “Duoduo, where did you put all those things? I want to go take a look.”
Duoduo answered back facing away from her: “Put in the room at the very end of the right side corridor on the third floor, Miss, when you go in be careful, I haven’t cleaned up yet. Don’t trip.”
After hearing that, Wen Xian put on her shoes and ran upstairs. Wen Xianxian followed closely behind her, climbing the stairs together with her.
Wen Xian went up to the third floor and quickly found that room. She stood at the doorway looking around curiously for a while. When she saw a certain thing, she suddenly froze.
In a corner of this room, was placed that set of small sofa Shen Lingge had taken away from her apartment.
She couldn’t help but walk in slowly scanning around once. It was only then she noticed that all the things in here carried memories of Shen Lingge and her—towels she had drawn for him, cups, toothbrush, and so on.
The pajamas and slippers she had drawn for him when they first met.
The sofa she had once been reluctant to throw away.
The pocket watch Qin Zan had given her.
The portrait she had drawn for him, with the stick figure in the portrait holding a rectangular thing.
And many, many other items related to them.
Wen Xian stared blankly for a while, then suddenly ran toward the stairway entrance. She ran until she stopped in front of the second floor room door. Shen Lingge’s home decoration was in simple and grand colors, their room door was a heavy black.
But now, in front of this door, there was a sign hung up.
On it, crooked and slanted a few words: Little Princess’ Xian Xian Palace.
Wen Xian stood silently at the doorway looking for a while. She suddenly really wanted to cry. Wen Xianxian at her feet sensed Wen Xian’s mood wasn’t right, so circled around her a few times, even called out twice.
Shen Lingge in the study was disturbed by Wen Xianxian’s barking. He opened the door and glanced toward the corridor. Wen Xian stood there with her head hanging low in front of the door, as if wiping tears. Wen Xianxian saw and barked at him once.
When Wen Xian started middle school, there were often boys secretly and sneakily following her home. Wen Tianlin and Chang Shuang had earnestly and sincerely had heart-to-heart talks with several boys because of this.
When she entered high school, her schoolbag was stuffed full with love letters every day.
When she got home and Wen Tianlin saw the love letters on the table, he would start sighing. At that time, he had once asked Wen Xian a question. He asked: Xian Xian, what kind of boy do you want to marry in the future?
Wen Xian still remembered her answer back then. She said she didn’t know.
In her mind, there had never been an imagined image of a person she might like.
What did Wen Tianlin say to her at that time? He said, as long as Xian Xian is happy, whatever happens in the future is fine. Whether she marries or not, he and Chang Shuang’s only wish was that their precious could be happy at this moment.
Wen Xian aggrievedly raised her hand and wiped away the tears at the corner of her eye. Now she could tell Wen Tianlin.
There are some people you don’t need to imagine at all—when he stands in front of you, he is exactly the best appearance you want.
Wen Xian didn’t notice that Shen Lingge was already standing behind her. The side of her face suddenly felt a warm touch—it was Shen Lingge reaching out to touch the tear on her cheek.
Before Wen Xian could turn her head, she was already picked up by him.
Shen Lingge opened the door and carried Wen Xian into the room, while the innocent Wen Xianxian was left blocked outside the door. It howled once and then started scratching at the door. After scratching for a while and seeing the people inside ignoring it, it drooped its tail and went downstairs to look for Duoduo to play with.
Inside the room.
Shen Lingge sat down holding Wen Xian by the sofa. He carefully used the pad of his finger to wipe away the tears at the corner of her eyes, then stared at her reddened eyes for a while before lowering his voice to ask: “Xian Xian, are you missing home?”
Wen Xian shook her head, quickly stopping her tears.
Shen Lingge pressed his thin lips tightly together, frowning as he said: “We can move back anytime. Xian Xian, I hope you can live happily every day. Why did you cry tonight?”
Wen Xian reached out and hugged Shen Lingge. She leaned against the warm side of his neck, carefully feeling it; she could still feel the artery on the side of his neck beating.
Wen Xian didn’t have the nerve to say why she cried. She only leaned against him and softly asked: “Shen Lingge, can we get married? I want to marry you.”
This was Wen Xian’s third time saying the matter of marriage to Shen Lingge.
The first time was when Shen Lingge was about to leave the airport. After she sent him off to the airport, he came back again to accompany her home. In the car, Wen Xian asked him for the first time: Will we get married in the future?
At that time, Shen Lingge asked her, does she like him?
She loved him.
The second time was after she returned from Mingcheng. She sent him a message in the car, telling him: I want to get married.
At that time, she had realized she had fallen for him. But after sending it, she immediately regretted it. From then on, she secretly hid away her girlish feelings, and never mentioned it again.
Tonight was the third time.
Now she could finally ask this sentence without holding anything back.
At this moment, Shen Lingge’s brain was a complete blank, as if his whole body had frozen. He even suspected whether he had gone crazy this afternoon thinking about marrying Wen Xian home, to the point that now he was hearing things.
He turned Wen Xian’s head over, in his black eyes reflecting her small face, even his voice carrying a faint, unnoticeable tremble: “Xian Xian, did you just say something? What did you say?”
Wen Xian blinked: “I said, can we still ride galloping in King’s Canyon tonight?”
Shen Lingge reached out and pinched her chin, black eyes gradually igniting flames: “That’s not what you just said. Say it again. If you don’t say it, I’ll kiss you.”
Wen Xian was very calm and straightforward. She pouted her mouth and mumbled: “You kiss, you kiss, let you kiss.”
Shen Lingge: “……”
Shen Lingge cupped Wen Xian’s face, very lightly landing a kiss on her lips. His forehead pressed against hers, then gently closed his eyes and in a low voice said: “We can get married. As long as you’re willing, we can get married anytime.”
He repeated once again: “Anytime.”
Wen Xian curved the corners of her lips, then leaned over and kissed the corner of his lips once.
She really liked him so much.
—
The news that Wen Xian settled in Mingcheng was something Chang Ligu learned one week later. Because Chang Yuan’s wedding date was approaching, she called Wen Xian to invite her to look at wedding dresses together. She casually asked Wen Xian when she would return to Mingcheng.
The result was Wen Xian told Chang Yuan that from now on she would just stay in Mingcheng.