Chapter 453: A Romantic Proposal

Chapter 453: A Romantic Proposal

"Our home?"

Yun Mu was surprised. She entered the villa and took in the living room. Every detail of the decor and furnishings hit all the right notes for her aesthetic. Whether it was the crystal chandelier on the ceiling or the patterns on the carpet, everything radiated a subtle, vintage elegance, clearly all carefully selected by Yi Jue.

"Let's head upstairs," Yi Jue suggested.

Yun Mu ascended the spiral staircase to the second floor. Just outside the master bedroom lay a vast open-air balcony. Thanks to the villa's elevated position, the nightscape of the southern city unfolded before her eyes, with countless lights twinkling, it was a breathtaking sight.

Yi Jue observed her expression, "Do you like it?"

"I love it, absolutely love it!"

Yi Jue smiled, took her hand, and guided her to her study.

On the third floor was her private laboratory.

"And the nursery?" Yun Mu turned to Yi Jue, her eyes brimming with anticipation. "Didn't you mention two nurseries last time? Take me to see them."

Yi Jue's expression darkened immediately.

Yun Mu gazed at him, her beautiful eyes narrowing slowly, "What's the matter?"

Yun Mu had always been alert and immediately noticed that Yi Jue seemed somewhat resistant to the idea of the nursery.

Yi Jue kept his calm, his gaze tender as he looked at her, "The nursery isn't finished yet. How about we check out the garden first?"

Yun Mu sighed in relief, "Oh, that's why. I thought... I thought you'd changed your mind about having kids."

Yi Jue stepped forward, placing his hands on her slender, delicate shoulders, "How could I? You know I've always wanted us to have two children, right? But... let's hold off on having kids for now, okay?"

Yun Mu frowned, "Why? You used to push me to have kids, even sneaking me medicine. Have you forgotten all that?"

Yi Jue's throat tightened, a hint of bitterness in his heart, "I remember. I just want a few more years with just the two of us. Wouldn't that be nice?"

"Just the two of us? That's true. We've been together for so long, but we've never had a few peaceful days to ourselves." Yun Mu raised her clear eyes to look at him, smiling brightly, "Alright, let's enjoy our time as a couple first. Come on, take me to see the garden. What flowers did you plant? It smells so good."

She happily pulled his hand and ran downstairs. Yi Jue followed her steps, his lips curling up because of her joy.

"This isn't the villa from the Henglong project, is it?"

"No, I couldn't wait for the Henglong villa. Yun Mu, move in with me starting tomorrow, okay?"

In front of the sea of flowers, Yun Mu paused, turning to look at him in surprise, "Move in tomorrow?"

Why was Yi Jue suddenly in such a hurry? That strange feeling surfaced again. She always felt that something was off with Yi Jue. "Yi Jue, are you hiding something?"

"No," Yi Jue had already prepared his words, "I just don't want to be apart from you, and I can't bear to see you running between the lab and Ruoshui Garden. Starting tomorrow, you can move your experiments here. Isn't it better for us to be together every day?"

He couldn't let Yun Mu continue living with the Yun family. If she did, Yunzhe would have countless opportunities to harm the child in Yun Mu's womb without her noticing.

He knew this child couldn't stay, but unless absolutely necessary, he didn't want to give up this child that belonged to him and Yun Mu.

Yun Mu stared at him suspiciously for a while, making Yi Jue feel uneasy. But in the end, Yun Mu said, "I find that you really say one thing and do another. We're not even remarried yet... no, you haven't even proposed to me, and you're already thinking about living together illegally! Do you really not understand romance, or are you pretending not to? Total, you have ulterior motives!"

Hearing this, Yi Jue smiled, a hint of affectionate amusement in his eyes.

He snapped his fingers lightly.

In an instant, the whole garden lit up.

Colorful lights were woven among the vibrant flowers.

Yun Mu’s eyes widened, and she blurted out, “It’s so beautiful!”

She stepped into the garden, delighted, feeling like she’d entered a sea of color. Above her, a starry sky twinkled, and beneath her feet, an ocean of flowers stretched out, like something out of a fairy tale.

With each step Yun Mu took, a star lit up under her feet. Curious, she ran forward a few steps, then turned back—and froze.

The stars under her feet had formed a glowing message.

“Yun Mu, will you marry me?”

Yun Mu looked up at him, shocked and speechless.

Yi Jue stepped forward and placed a flower crown, studded with twinkling stars, on her head. “What do you think now? Still think I’m not romantic?”

Yun Mu laughed, “You’re such a schemer—you planned this all along!”

Yi Jue opened the ring box and dropped to one knee, “Yun Mu, will you marry me again?”

In that moment, it was like fireworks were exploding in Yun Mu’s mind—“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

It was like a scene from a cheesy drama, but somehow, it was undeniably romantic.

This time, instead of a crown, she wore a simple flower wreath.

This time, she didn’t want to be a queen or a warrior—just an ordinary, happy woman.

Her long lashes fluttered as she blinked back tears, slowly holding out her hand.

“Yes, I will.”

Yi Jue slid the ring onto her finger, cradled the back of her head, and kissed her deeply.

Yun Mu was swept away by the proposal, then left breathless by his kiss.

She didn’t even notice that the man kissing her, holding her face, had trembling hands.

...

The Yi family.

Ever since she got tangled up with Xuanyuan Xun, Yi Yanran hadn’t slept a wink.

She’d thought escaping that ridiculous marriage would set her free, but instead, the problems just kept coming.

Her belly was growing every day. If she didn’t find a suitable marriage soon, Yi Hou wouldn’t let her keep the baby.

But now, her reputation in Nan City was trashed. What respectable family would want her now?

On one side, Yi Hou was pressuring her, and on the other, Yi Jue was threatening her.

If she didn’t find Yun Mu’s antidote within a month, Yi Jue wouldn’t let her off the hook.

Right on cue, her phone buzzed with a text.

“Time to make good on your promise.”

Yi Jue.

Yi Yanran tossed her phone onto the bed, tugging at her hair in frustration.

The antidote! Where was she supposed to find it?

Yi Hou had his study locked down tight, and she couldn’t find a way in!