Chapter 107 - Memento
"No…" She quickly said in response. "I love it." It wasn't a lie. She stared at the ring, her glazy eyes softened at the sight of it around her finger. Despite the feeling of being lost inside when she thought of the necklace, the ring on her finger, for some reason, brought relief. At least for now, while her necklace was missing, this ring would serve as a reminder of her father's warmth and at the same time, Han Yizhou's love for her.
"I love it…" she muttered once again. This time, tears escaped her eyes, flowing down from her cheeks. She couldn't help it when a sudden thought entered her mind. What if she would never be able to find her precious necklace again? Would her papa hate her for being irresponsible?
Han Yizhou held out his hand, gently placing them on her cheeks to wipe off the tears. He somehow felt terrible for making her cry like this, cry out of sadness that filled her eyes. It wasn't supposed to turn out this way. She was supposed to flash him a lovely, genuine smile while tears of happiness filled her eyes. Not like this. Not this way. He was supposed to ask her to marry him but that chance was taken- no, it was stolen away by the sudden memory of her father.
"I'm sorry…" she whispered, her tearful gaze directed at him. "I'm sorry for spoiling the moment, Yizhou…"
"No, it's alright," he replied, his voice gentle as he looked at her with eyes that tried to understand her side. If it was him, if he had lost something that his mother gave and saw something familiar to it, he would have felt awful for losing it. He would have blamed himself for being careless, so he understood. They both lost someone precious to them and they would do anything just to have them back, just to feel that they were still with them. For Lu Mengjie's case, it was that necklace that made her feel her father's presence with her.
Han Yizhou knew exactly the words he wanted to hear if he was put in her situation. "It's not your fault, Mengjie." He leaned forward, placing his lips on her forehead to comfort her. "It's not your fault."
Even if that was the case, Lu Mengjie still wanted to have the necklace back. She pressed the ring against her lips, trying to find strength from it as she tried to calm down the chaos inside her. The ring wasn't a replacement, her necklace could never be replaced but at that moment, the ring that Han Yizhou brought relief in her. The ring represented the love that the man beside her has to offer for her. She knew that she needed to stop getting depressed over this matter even if it was important. Her neck felt empty but there was something else that needed her focus, it was something that she ruined… it was none other than Han Yizhou's proposal. She wiped her tears before she landed her eyes back at him. With a small smile, she said, "ask me the question."
The man could see how the woman beside him was trying to hold herself together, she was trying her best not to break down, knowing that it would lead her to nowhere but would only give her more pain. She wanted to use this chance as a distraction from what she was feeling inside.
"What question?" He asked, smiling back at her. If she wanted a distraction from whatever, which was bothering her, then he was willing to give it to her. He wanted to set her mind at ease and remind her that he was there for her, willing to be used by her in any possible way. In other words, her greatest simp.
"The question you prepared when you gave me this." She showed her hand, displaying the ring around her finger.
He chuckled. "I didn't prepare any questions when I gave you that ring."
A pout found its way on her lips. "Han Yizhou!" She whined. How can this man be stingy? She only wanted to hear the 'will you marry me?' question from him.
"I don't need to ask you to marry me. Whether you like it or love it, I'm confident that you will marry me," he said with his usual overbearing attitude. There was no way he was going to take a 'no' as an answer.
The side of her lips curled in a sweet smile. Yes, he has always been this kind of man ever since she first met him. She leaned forward, pecking his lips. "I love you, Yizhou."
His ears turned red, not expecting she would end up blurting those words instead of trying to argue with him for not properly proposing to her.
She touched his cheek, her eyes automatically landing on the ring he gave her. It was so similar to the necklace that she remembered. It was as if the necklace had been turned into a ring but that was impossible. Han Yizhou wouldn't do that. He wouldn't turn her memento into a ring and use it as a proposal ring. That was a heinous thing to do. He wouldn't do it but… Yong Liwei could have done it. She was still doubtful of his other identity. She did remember Han Yizhou telling her that his other alter was the dominant one, he could stop sharing memories with him, he could have blocked them to stop him from knowing. She didn't want to think of this possibility but she couldn't help it.
The only way to find out about the truth in this was to talk to his other alter, Yong Liwei. He was different from the kind and loving Han Yizhou. His other personality wouldn't hesitate from deceiving, manipulating others, from playing with their feelings, after all, he was a cold-blooded, unsympathetic devil.
Despite having these thoughts. She couldn't tell Han Yizhou about her doubts yet. No, not yet. Not until she was sure of it.