A parabolic arc swept across the air, Chu Ge reached out and caught the small box in his palm.

Looking down at the exquisite packaging box in his hand, Chu Ge then looked up at Qin Ruojing opposite him, "Thank you."

"These two words, you should say them after you open the gift."

Qin Ruojing gently shook her head, pulled over a chair, sat down gracefully, and said in a tone that was slightly self-mocking, "Perhaps, you don't actually need this gift."

Chu Ge remained silent, unwrapped the delicate packaging box, and then took out a red velvet jewelry box from inside.

"Maybe, you can choose to put it down now." Qin Ruojing noticed Chu Ge's gaze slightly tightened, and his fingers paused slightly as they touched the jewelry box. She pursed her lips, and an unnoticeable flicker of nervousness flashed in her eyes.

Chu Ge glanced at Qin Ruojing again, his stalled right hand slowly moved once more.

Chu Ge placed his thumb on the top half of the jewelry box and clenched the back with the other fingers, opening it bit by bit. The sparkling brilliance inside gradually revealed itself.

There were two diamond rings, with platinum bands embedded with sparkling diamonds. The design wasn't too flashy, but with Chu Ge's discerning eye, he could immediately tell from the craftsmanship that these were Van Cleef & Arpels rings.

The two diamond rings lay quietly in the jewelry box, the implication of which was already self-evident.

Staring at the pair of rings, Chu Ge remained speechless for a long time, feeling an indescribable complexity.

In fact, he had thought about Qin Ruojing preparing a birthday gift for him, but since she hadn't presented anything yesterday, he never imagined that she'd prepare this kind of birthday gift.

This could already be understood as a marriage proposal.

It's not unheard of for a girl to propose to a man, but in terms of proportion, it's still a minority. Moreover, with Qin Ruojing's pride, just pursuing him was already a bit hard for him to accept, so for her to propose at this moment was even more unbelievable.

"You don't need to rush to express your feelings. Before you make a decision, listen to what I have to say first."

Just as Chu Ge doubted whether he was still hungover and dreaming, Qin Ruojing's voice sounded in the quiet room.

The dazzling glow of the diamonds and Qin Ruojing's melodious voice were so real, clearly telling Chu Ge that everything now was unrelated to a dream.

Chu Ge raised his head again, moving his gaze away from the pair of diamond rings, somewhat bewilderedly looking toward Qin Ruojing.

"Quite a surprise, right?"

Qin Ruojing crossed her legs elegantly, intertwined her fingers, and placed them flat on her right leg. Her face bore a faint, ambiguous smile. Her gaze seemed calm, yet it contained a thorough complexity.

"Actually, I didn't expect that I would really take out this birthday present, even though I was prepared."

Chu Ge's slight smile was a response; he himself wasn't sure what that smile meant.

Sometimes people are like this; it seems like there's so much they want to express, but they can't find a way to express it, or they don't even know what they want to convey.

"You don't have to have any psychological burdens about yesterday's events; really, I'm fine. Having taken out this birthday gift now isn't an attempt to disgracefully coerce you."

"Although, following the clichés of those melodramatic Hong Kong and Korean dramas, since this happened between us, I actually shouldn't have taken out this gift."

Qin Ruojing shrugged, much like Chu Ge often did, with a serene demeanor and a mouth forming a slightly playful curve.

"I am not the heroine in those melodramatic love series, so I won't do such melodramatic things, but I can't pretend nothing happened either. That would be too foolish; even an idiot in love like me finds that approach laughable, a dry joke at that."

Chu Ge touched his nose. On this point, he and Qin Ruojing astonishingly agreed.

Qin Ruojing paused a little, even though she was feeling very chaotic inside, she didn't want to display it.

Because, in her view, crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide was the most disgraceful behavior.

Qin Ruojing had her dignity. She wanted to make her ideas as clear-cut and as composed as usual, so after clearly expressing her thoughts, not to put any pressure on Chu Ge, granting him the right to choose.

"I admit, since meeting you, I've had a strong interest in you, probably profoundly different from other men. Although I can't be sure if it's the so-called love that one can't see or touch, being with you feels genuinely reassuring, natural, and real."

"Of course, even now, I can't deny that I want to be with you. I can't exclude the reason that my sister might have feelings for you, but more than that, it's because of my own feelings for you."

"Perhaps you'll think that starting from that letter yesterday, to the balloon, the motorcycle, the pigeons, and everything else, none of those were my style. You might even suspect that it wasn't my arrangement at all, but I have to clearly tell you, all of it was my own idea, without any guidance from anyone."

Qin Ruojing's words struck a chord in Chu Ge's heart. This quiet listener couldn't help but show a trace of emotion on his face.

Qin Ruojing keenly captured this subtle, almost imperceptible change, and smiled faintly.

"Actually, I'm just a twenty-five-year-old woman. Even if others see me as a workaholic, sometimes I also want to put a little thought into doing something supposedly outrageous. But in the past days, there was no one worth doing it for."

Qin Ruojing's voice carried a touch of sigh and self-mockery, and once again Chu Ge's heart was moved. He never considered himself a sentimental person, but at this moment, he felt a bit stifled, even a bit sour inside.

"Alright, I've talked so much that I'm really being long-winded. You must be tired of listening by now, right?"

Qin Ruojing smiled again, rubbed her smooth forehead, brushed aside a few strands of black hair that had somehow fallen down, stood up from the chair, and looked at Chu Ge with calm eyes, more serene than before.

"Now, make your choice. Will you leave this birthday gift with me, or will you accept it?"

There was one thing Qin Ruojing didn't say, but she believed Chu Ge would surely understand.

Chu Ge indeed understood, and after looking silently for a few seconds at the two diamond rings in the jewelry box, he met Qin Ruojing's gaze with a bitter smile and asked a question.

"No matter how I choose, after I make my choice, it's impossible for us to continue being friends, can I understand it that way?"

Qin Ruojing's expression froze slightly, her hands at her sides trembled gently, she pressed her lips together, and after a moment, she finally nodded very softly, "Why do you have to ask knowingly?"

After speaking, she smiled faintly again, shook her head slightly, "This doesn't seem like your style either."

Behind the smiling face, her heart suddenly sank, and a sense of helplessness and despair quietly spread within her.

Chu Ge also smiled, a very bright kind, casually placed the jewelry box on the edge of the bed, and as Qin Ruojing's gaze grew a bit more bitter, he walked towards her step by step.

When he reached Qin Ruojing's side, Chu Ge placed his hands on her shoulders, applying a soft pressure, "You sit down first, I'll pour you a glass of water. You drank so much yesterday and talked so much today, you must be thirsty, right?"

After speaking, Qin Ruojing sat back down in the chair, while Chu Ge went to pick up her cup, got water from the dispenser, and handed it to her.

"Thank you." Qin Ruojing took the cup and sipped a little. At this moment, she finally understood more deeply than ever a word called "fear of gain and loss," because her hand holding the cup was actually trembling slightly.

Although she wanted to blame this phenomenon on drinking too much last night, she knew very well in her heart that it wasn't the case.

Qin Ruojing didn't want to expose this state to Chu Ge's eyes, so she only drank a little and then wanted to place the cup aside. However, Chu Ge took the cup first and drank the water she'd just sipped from.

"It's been a really long time since we got to know each other, and talking so much without arguing, like today, seems like the first time."

Chu Ge finished the water and made a comment that might not be a joke with a smile, sat back on the edge of the bed, and glanced at the jewelry box containing the two dazzling diamond rings.

"Since you've spoken so openly with me, and the atmosphere of our conversation is so rare, let me share some of my stories with you."

Chu Ge's gaze shifted from the jewelry box, and what seemed like his usual nonchalant demeanor concealed a seriousness he had never shown Qin Ruojing before.

"After you listen, you can decide whether or not to give me this gift."

Qin Ruojing frowned slightly, wondering if Chu Ge meant to tell some things about his past?

Indeed, that was the case.

Chu Ge's next words made Qin Ruojing instinctively raise her hand to cover her mouth, and her heart skipped a beat.

"I once killed people, many. I don't even remember how many."

Chu Ge said this with a smile, as if making an innocuous joke, or casually discussing the weather.

But his gaze was fixed on his hands, as if they were covered in blood.

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