No woman can resist sweet words, and sometimes even knowing they are false, many women willingly fall into a man's snare of honeyed talk. Moreover, Lan Jiu’s heart had never been hidden from her; they had been together for over two years, nearly three. A man like him had no need for tricks or concealment. What he truly wanted, Lan Jiu, a person of such strength, understood clearly. Impulsive emotion might arise in any man, but it was an impossibility for the heir of the Lan Clan. With tears blurring her vision, Ning Yunhuan allowed him to lift her and set her on the sofa. He knelt on one knee, assuming a posture of humility never before seen on him, and took one of her hands. From his shirt pocket, he retrieved a small velvet pouch:

"Give me a chance." His soft words seemed to hover on his lips, the sharp intensity in his eyes and brows receding, replaced by a deep tenderness. This was the first time Ning Yunhuan had seen him like this; she instinctively turned her face away, tightly pursing her lips, though her eyes were growing moist.

Lan Jiu gave her no chance to refuse, not even waiting for her hesitation. He took out the gem ring, already prepared in the small pouch, and slid it onto her ring finger. This was different from the custom-made diamond ring from their initial engagement; this one held a smoky purple gem that made her slightly fleshy fingers appear almost translucently fair.

After foolishly waiting for him to place the ring on her finger, Ning Yunhuan blinked. Before she could speak, Lan Lingyan pulled her close, seating her deeply into the sofa cushions, as if trying to embed her within his own body. Loud applause erupted around them. Father Lan stood up: "Let's leave these two to talk." He then extended his hand to Mu Mingli, smiling, "Beautiful lady, would you honor me with an invitation to view the magnificent scenery where the sea meets the sky?"

"Naughty!" Mu Mingli laughed, smoothing the hem of her skirt. Beside her, Lin Maoshan also rose, supported by Lin Min. Father Ning’s face broke into a smile. Li Panpan and the others glanced toward Ning Yunhuan. Seeing that her entire body was almost enveloped in Lan Jiu's embrace, making their expressions invisible to the crowd, they finally smiled and followed Father Lan and the others out to enjoy the outing.

Once everyone had left, the hotel's service station, situated around the corner, was alerted by silent cues to keep away. The vast, quiet lobby was left only with the couple nestled on the sofa. Beyond the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, a clean, orderly river flowed, its surface dotted with lotus blossoms. A sheet of water cascaded down the transparent glass, creating a crisp 'drip-drop' sound. The surroundings were so still one could almost hear their own heartbeats. Ning Yunhuan’s feelings were complex; she kept her eyes tightly shut, afraid to open them.

"There should have been a wedding a long time ago, just with a few close relatives. Even if you didn't want anyone to know, no one ever would have found out," Lan Jiu whispered, lightly brushing his lips against her temple, his tone so gentle it was almost a murmur. "But you owe me a wedding. Even if there were times I frightened you in the past, making you constantly wary of me, you owe me at least one chance to prove that not only will I never harm you again, but that I can protect you."

Ning Yunhuan made no sound, but a warmth flooded her eyes again, and tears began to well up uncontrollably. Lan Jiu pressed his lips to her eyelids, as if longing to devour her whole. His arms held her so tightly that Ning Yunhuan could barely draw breath, yet he still felt it wasn't enough.

"I know the reservations you hold, but you must believe me. I am not an impulsive man. You should understand what I truly desire in my heart. Since it is destined that we will spend our lives together, Huanhuan, let go of that knot in your heart and give us a chance to see if I can make you not only unafraid but truly fond of me?"

Lan Lingyan was not one to easily lower his pride. His difficult childhood had forged him into a man far more domineering than most. Ning Yunhuan felt a complex pressure constricting her chest, and tears surged outward. She bit down hard on her lip. As if sensing her thoughts, Lan Jiu took the hand she was clutching to her chest, while his other hand gently patted her back, the rhythm steady and unhurried, soon calming her distress.

"You never told me we were coming out here for a wedding," Ning Yunhuan managed, her voice thick with emotion. As soon as the words were out, tears threatened to spill again. Lan Lingyan quickly patted her back. He suspected that she hadn't even realized how little resistance her words held regarding the marriage. Lan Jiu, however, caught the nuance; his eyes flashed, and a slight smile touched the corner of his mouth as he lowered his voice. "I know you have always been somewhat fearful of me, which is why you've been hesitant about our marriage."

At this, Lan Lingyan's gaze darkened slightly. "So I wanted to give you a surprise, and also to see just how resistant you truly were."

Hearing him say this, Ning Yunhuan felt a flicker of apprehension. In her memory, Lan Jiu had always been overwhelmingly dominant. This was the first time she understood that she could actually influence him, or perhaps she had known it all along but simply refused to admit it to herself.

"It’s not resistance, I’m just scared. You know, I'm truly afraid of you." She was on the verge of tears again. "I saw you kill someone. I know you aren't what you appear on the surface. I’m afraid you might kill me someday."

Lan Lingyan's mouth twitched, suddenly rendered speechless. But his silence only made Ning Yunhuan speak more rapidly. "I am just afraid of you. I’m terrified thinking about the laboratory. I just want to live well, simply." She kept repeating the phrase 'live simply.' Seeing the look of sudden, fragile panic on her face, Lan Lingyan felt a pang of genuine pity.

"I'm not that terrifying. I actually have weaknesses..." Before his words finished, Ning Yunhuan suddenly looked up, her large eyes shimmering with unshed tears, disbelief evident. "You have weaknesses? I always thought you were born holding a gun, ready to charge into battle."

At this, Lan Lingyan’s mouth twitched even more severely, and he looked at Ning Yunhuan with an expression of complete helplessness. This reaction, in turn, eased something within her. Lan Lingyan had never shown such frustration in front of her before. He had always seemed omnipotent, a god in Ning Yunhuan’s mind, someone to be admired from afar rather than approached. Seeing that he, too, could experience emotion made her eyes widen.

"What else? Tell me everything," Lan Jiu urged. It was rare for her to speak her inner thoughts so directly, especially concerning him. Although he found her assessment utterly absurd, he still fought a twitch at his lip and prompted her again.

"There's plenty more. Gu Yingxi likes you too; lots of people like you." Ning Yunhuan decided to throw caution to the wind. She sensed the indulgence Lan Jiu was showing her. Perhaps she had sensed it all along, allowing her to pretend not to see his sacrifices for her, and instead cling to her fear. Now, perhaps spurred by the unexpected proposal, she dared to continue:

"I'm still a little afraid of you. And what if one day you don't want me anymore? Will you kill me or do something else?" She thought of the girl named Liu Yan she had seen recently, which brought a fresh wave of resentment. "Besides, so many people like you. What if you suddenly take a liking to someone else? If we have the wedding then, and everyone knows about us, what am I supposed to do?"

The previous Gu Yingxi never got Lan Jiu, and even such an ostensibly pure, well-meaning saint had become jealous. In her past life, before she was even with Lan Jiu, she had met a terrible end. In this life, even if she avoided the fate of dying by Gu Yingxi's or Lan Jiu's hand, who knew what bizarre ordeal awaited her?

Both the fate of the novel's supporting female character and the consequences of Ning Yunhuan's previous life left her profoundly insecure about her current identity. These worries weighed heavily on her heart. Even knowing that Lan Jiu might be different with her, she dared not easily set aside the boulder in her chest, instinctively trying to keep a way out, terrified of repeating the path of her previous life.

He had never imagined that after finally uncovering the secret lodged deep within her—a secret possibly related to rebirth or some other strange encounter—he would now discover the depth of insecurity hidden in her heart. Lan Lingyan felt an impulse to grab her and shake her until she bled. If he had known that her thoughts weren't as severe as he imagined—that it wasn't solely fear of him or fear of being killed, but rather the inherent insecurity of a woman—perhaps he wouldn't have been so restless these past few months.

He had considered every outcome, anticipated every consequence, but he had never considered that she might be unsettled by something as simple as a woman's complicated feelings. If he had known the result was this simple, perhaps he shouldn't have wasted time speculating. Maybe they should have held the wedding over a year ago, right after their son was born?

Lan Jiu, usually astute in life, had been foolish in one moment, committing the error all men eventually make: using his complex mind to calculate the simple anxieties of a woman's heart—anxieties he felt shouldn't even be an issue. If he hadn't created his own mental drama, if he hadn't made this woman’s thoughts as convoluted as his own, wouldn't they have been happily together already?

The saying "Never try to guess a woman's thoughts" was indeed true!

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