You Must Marry Me! - Chapter 20
Chapter 20
Qi Zhen’s heart softened, and under Yan Yiyun’s smile, her face actually turned red.
Sure enough, Yan Yiyun asked her, “Why are you blushing?”
Qi Zhen wanted to explain but couldn’t find a good reason. She couldn’t exactly tell Yan Yiyun, because your gaze is too seductive, right?
“It’s a little warm in here,” Qi Zhen offered a poor excuse.
Yan Yiyun seemed to believe it, but deep down, she knew Qi Zhen wasn’t telling the truth.
There was a strange kind of atmosphere rippling between them. Both their gazes drifted away, avoiding eye contact. And whenever their eyes met by accident, sparks seemed to fly—so much that Yan Yiyun felt warm all over.
“The temperature does seem a bit high,” Yan Yiyun tugged at her collar slightly and exhaled softly, trying to cool herself down. “Why is the air conditioning so warm in here…”
There was hardly anything left on the dessert tower, now looking empty and uninviting. Yan Yiyun glanced at Qi Zhen, who was sipping tea, and suggested, “Why don’t we go for a walk?”
Qi Zhen agreed.
It was just the right time—sunset—perfect for a stroll.
The sunlight had turned a soft pink hue, and the burning clouds in the sky layered into each other like the fizzy pink drink they had earlier.
The dessert shop was located on a well-known cultural street filled with charming little stores, aromatic cafés, bars glowing with neon signs, bookstores visible through glass windows, and toy shops filled with trinkets from around the world. Every single shop was a delight to explore.
They didn’t have a set destination and simply wandered from shop to shop. Whenever something in a window caught their eye, they would pause to look, or walk in. Before long, Yan Yiyun had already bought a handful of little trinkets.
Qi Zhen watched her fawn over the snow-globe music boxes and was reminded of her own school days shopping with classmates.
Back then, she too loved collecting these pretty but impractical decorations and bought many to display at home.
Yan Yiyun held a snow globe with a Totoro character shielding itself with a green leaf from the snow. It looked adorably clumsy.
She had already bought two snow globes—reasonably priced but bulky to carry. Now, with a third one catching her eye, she began to hesitate.
“This one is so cute too, but I’ve already bought two,” she mumbled to herself. “Do you think I should get it?”
She turned her head to ask Qi Zhen’s opinion—only to find her staring at her with an expression full of indulgence, like a parent humoring a child obsessed with toys.
Immediately dissatisfied, Yan Yiyun protested, “What’s with that look?”
Qi Zhen snapped out of it and chuckled lightly. “I was just thinking… you really have a youthful heart.”
That confirmed what Yan Yiyun had suspected: Qi Zhen was treating her like a kid!
She fumed. How could she be treated this way? They were the same age—and she was even Qi Zhen’s superior!
Okay, not exactly in a formal, serious sense…
But still, this didn’t sit right!
“Who said this is a toy for kids?” Yan Yiyun tilted her head defiantly and marched off to the register with the snow globe. “Can’t I just use it as a paperweight on my desk?”
“Of course you can,” Qi Zhen smiled. “Did you not get to play with these things while you were in school?”
Yan Yiyun rolled her eyes. “I studied overseas. There weren’t any boutique stores like this, okay?”
During her winter and summer breaks, she was either holed up at home watching dramas or dragged around to social gatherings with relatives.
She’d never had friends to stroll through cute shops with. Qi Zhen was the first.
“I see,” Qi Zhen said, following her out of the store. “No wonder you like these.”
She herself had liked such trinkets too—but over time, they had just gathered dust, and she’d lost interest.
The sky gradually darkened, with the pink clouds deepening to crimson, signaling the approach of night.
Yan Yiyun was still reluctant to leave. She was about to say, It’s almost six—shall we find somewhere to eat?—but then she remembered that when she first invited Qi Zhen to hang out this weekend, Qi Zhen had said she didn’t have time.
It was only later that she agreed to meet for afternoon tea.
So… could it be that Qi Zhen had already made dinner plans with someone else and was just squeezing in this tea with her?
If she now asked her to stay for dinner, would that put Qi Zhen in a difficult position?
But then again, if Qi Zhen did have dinner plans—why hadn’t she left yet?
If she was really meeting someone for dinner, now would’ve been the perfect time to go. Any later, and it would be close to 9 p.m. by the time she finished eating.
Yan Yiyun nervously debated with herself the entire walk, until they ended up back at the mall where they had started. Finally, she summoned her courage and asked, “Are you… heading home for dinner?”
The moment she said it, she wanted to slap herself.
Good grief—what kind of question was that?
She had meant to ask, Shall we go eat together, or do you want me to drive you home?—but what came out made her sound like a bashful high schooler.
Qi Zhen, however, simply nodded. “Mm, I’m heading home for dinner.”
Yan Yiyun turned her head sharply, unsure whether Qi Zhen was joking or being serious.
Qi Zhen gave a helpless shrug. “My family’s a bit strict.”
Yan Yiyun couldn’t quite process this. Qi Zhen had been working for years, yet her weekends were still under house rules?
She stammered, “Then… what about yesterday?”
Qi Zhen replied, “That’s exactly why I can’t skip today—because I got in trouble for yesterday.”
She offered an apologetic smile and said, “Sorry about that.”
“It’s… it’s fine,” Yan Yiyun stammered. She felt like she had touched on something she wasn’t supposed to know and didn’t quite know how to respond. “Let me take you home, then.”
Qi Zhen didn’t refuse and got into the car.
The driver already knew where Qi Zhen lived. After a few turns, they arrived at the residential area. He rolled down the window to let the security guard confirm Qi Zhen’s face, then drove her to the entrance of her building.
Before getting out, Qi Zhen reached into her bag and handed Yan Yiyun a delicately wrapped little package. “Just something I picked up this afternoon.”
Yan Yiyun took it curiously, opened it—and saw the wind chime she had loved earlier but didn’t buy.
It was made of glass, with delicate pink magnolia flowers embedded inside. The hanging beads were clear and sparkling, giving the whole thing a fragile beauty.
Yan Yiyun held the wind chime, unable to stop smiling. “Why did you buy this? It’s not exactly easy to carry around.”
“My bag’s not that full,” Qi Zhen said. “It’s fine.”
She didn’t really know why she’d bought it.
She had just seen how much Yan Yiyun liked it while they were shopping—how she kept looking at it but ultimately didn’t buy it because it was inconvenient to carry. That lingering look in her eyes made Qi Zhen feel unwilling to walk away.
So she slowed down, went back, and bought it.
It was just a small thing. Why shouldn’t Yan Yiyun have it?
Qi Zhen wanted to give her everything she desired.