Chapter 1016: Zhang Ye proposes! (Second half)
Chapter 1016: Zhang Ye proposes! (Second half)
Translator: Legge Editor: Legge
Before noon.
A little after 11 AM.
Zhang Ye was still lying across Wu Zeqing's thighs with his shoes off. He was jiggling his arched legs and browsing Weibo on his cell phone with one hand. He would turn his head to the left for a bit, and after he got tired in that position, he would nudge his neck upward. His neck, ears, and face were all resting on a soft surface that felt far more comfortable than laying on a pillow. Zhang Ye was enjoying it so much that his eyes were just a thin line.
That was how good it felt!
That was how blissful it was!
Old Wu was conversing with him all this while.
"The issues with the air pollution documentary have almost blown over."
"OK."
"But you should stay low for a while. You've offended too many people this time, so some time needs to pass."
"No problem. I was already mentally prepared for this."
"The new policies have become much stricter, so take caution. Be it writing poems or novels, it will be best if your works don't involve too much pessimistic content or mention things like 'death' or 'massacre' in the title of the poem."
"New rules?"
"They're not out yet, but it should happen sometime soon."
"Alright, I understand."
"Is Ning Lan your friend?"
"Ah? I guess so. I do know her."
"She's wrapped up filming for her new movie, and it's been sent in for review. But it was not approved due to some scenes violating the policies."
"Then what can be done?"
"We've already told them to cut those scenes."
Mostly, it was Wu Zeqing who did all the talking while Zhang Ye listened. There were some matters that not even the talent agencies of celebrities could know about, but Zhang Ye would get firsthand information of it ahead of time. He was the only person in the entire entertainment industry who had such a privilege.
As he listened, Zhang Ye's neck got tired from the laying and he switched to a different position. This time he blinked before turning his head to face Old Wu's stomach, rolling his body over as well. With that, his face was now directly facing her qipao's slit and his eyelashes reflexively stirred as they came into contact with the fabric at the slit. This was how close he was to her.
His heart was pounding.
He also started breathing a little faster.
He now felt Old Wu shift. Then her long hair cascaded down and fell next to his ears and face, making him itchy.
Old Wu bent over and said, "Alright, it's time to make lunch."
Zhang Ye said, "There's no hurry. Let me lie here a bit more."
Old Wu did not say anything.
This made Zhang Ye even ballsier.
After laying there for another five minutes and having finally seen enough, Zhang Ye got up from her legs and sat up on the sofa. He breathed in through his "burning" nose and felt a little heated.
Wu Zeqing slowly stood up. "Go wash your hands and wait for lunch."
Zhang Ye said, "I can help you cook?"
"There's no need." Old Wu headed to the kitchen and got down to business.
It was an open kitchen on the first floor. Zhang Ye's gaze did not leave her. He simply switched to a different spot on the sofa and faced the kitchen as he stared at Old Wu, who was busy cooking. Having not seen her in a while, Zhang Ye really missed her quite a bit. He felt that it was not enough no matter how much he looked at her. After looking at her face, he looked at her hands; after looking at her hands, he looked at her legs; after looking at her legs, he looked at her feet; after looking at her feet, he looked back up at her hair. It felt to him that every part of her was just too beautiful.
How he loved her!
How he really wished to marry her!
Zhang Ye remembered asking Old Wu last year about getting married in the next year. She had not rejected him at the time, and it was now the next year. His thoughts were suddenly aroused again. Wu Zeqing was definitely someone he wouldn't find anywhere else in his entire life even if he tried his hardest. If he did not hurry, she might get away from him at some point in the future! Although Wu Zeqing was much older than him and was in the civil service, Zhang Ye was an A-lister now. Moreover, he had many statuses, such as associate professor at Media College and Peking University, poet, writer, famous host, famous TV show director, famous TV show producer, famous crosstalk actor, and so on and so forth. So he should be quite compatible with her, right?
The only thing was that there would be a conflict of interest.
Zhang Ye was from the entertainment industry.
And Old Wu happened to manage the entertainment industry.
Upon reflection, there were certainly a lot of problems with this. Would the SARFT allow it? Would Old Wu's family agree to it? Even Old Wu herself, would she agree to it?
Zhang Ye was utterly clueless and was in a bind.
Would it work out?
Would it not?
Would it work out?
This problem weighed heavily on his heart for a long time.
Suddenly, a delicious smell reached his nose. Only then did he realize that the food was served.
Wu Zeqing smiled. "Lunch is ready. Let's eat."
When Zhang Ye saw the food, he exclaimed as he walked over, "Wow, just looking at it makes my mouth water!"
"Have a taste." Old Wu undid her apron and placed it on the back of a chair. Then she sat down. "I don't usually eat kidney flowers 1 , so I seldom cook them. Try how they taste."
Zhang Ye grabbed some of the piping hot kidney flowers with his chopsticks and blew on them for a while before eating them. "Hoo, it's delicious!"
This cooking was the best!
How could it be so delicious?
During these days his parents were away at Hainan, Zhang Ye would either order takeout or cook himself a simple meal of instant noodles, whichever he could make do with. That made him lose interest in eating recently as he did not have an appetite for whatever other food he came across. But when he sampled the food cooked by Old Wu today, he nearly burst into tears. It was so delicious it was worth crying over!
He gobbled up the food at once and rambled as he ate, "It tastes great! Whoo…it's so delicious! The deep-fried mandarin fish is delicious too! Hoo…it's so savory!"
Wu Zeqing smiled gently. "Eat slowly."
"I can't." Zhang Ye did not listen as he ate even faster. Eventually, he realized that he was almost full, whereas Old Wu had barely touched her food. "Eat some too, Old Wu."
"I will," Wu Zeqing said as she ate her portions slowly.
Zhang Ye sighed and said, "If only I could taste your cooking every day, how nice would that be?"
Old Wu said as she slowly ate her food, "You can come over to eat anytime."
Zhang Ye looked at her. "You're usually busy working, and I have many things to handle too, so it's not easy to find a day where both of us have free time. Besides, even if we were free, it still isn't appropriate to come by your house so frequently. What happens if the neighbors see us? How would you explain it if your relatives and friends came to visit?"
A strong desire suddenly overcame him.
Zhang Ye readied himself as he picked up some kidney flowers with his chopsticks and put them into Old Wu's bowl. He did not know where he found the courage, but he said very suddenly, "Old Wu, why don't we get married?"
Wu Zeqing was startled, then broke into a half-smile.
Zhang Ye asked, "Shall we?"
Wu Zeqing said, "Is this a proposal?"
"Ahem, yes, it is," Zhang Ye said.
She pointed at the kidney flower in the bowl with her chopsticks and said, "This is the first time I've seen someone use a kidney flower to propose."
Zhang Ye felt extremely embarrassed!
Other people would either use a diamond ring or roses to propose. At the very least, he should have followed that classic scene in the movies of breaking off the pull tab of a soda can to use as a ring for the proposal, right? But just see how great Zhang Ye was to even try to propose with some kidney flowers! In fact, this fellow did not think or plan much at all. He was someone who did something whenever he felt like it. Despite being quite witty most of the time, he was actually quite a dense person when it came to romantic affairs.
"About that, um…" Zhang Ye just grinned as he did not know what else to say. Should he go out to buy a ring and come back afterwards? But that would be too late!
Wu Zeqing did not say a word.
Zhang Ye was quivering inside.
Old Wu lowered her head to continue eating. She picked up the kidney flower from her bowl and put it into her mouth. After chewing a little, she swallowed it, then ate some rice. A moment later, Wu Zeqing looked up at him.
She calmly spoke, "OK."
Zhang Ye was stunned. "Ah? What do you mean by OK?"
She said, "Didn't you propose to me?"
Zhang Ye said in a startled manner, "Yes?"
Wu Zeqing replied, "So I've agreed to it."
Aiyo!
You've agreed?!
Zhang Ye could feel the blood in his entire body coursing hotly. He used his pinky to pick his ear and said in disbelief, "Old Wu, can you say that again?"
Old Wu smiled. "I've agreed to it."
Zhang Ye slammed his chopsticks onto the table, at a total loss for words!
He had acted on impulse today and did not have any hope of achieving anything definite. All he had was only the strong intent in his mind, which was what made him propose. For anyone who was even a little prepared, they would never propose with kidney flowers. But he could never have expected that Old Wu would actually say yes! At this moment, even that mouth of Zhang Ye's that could bring someone back to life was unable to muster up any words to express himself!
Hahahaha!
He did it!
His proposal was a success!
Whoever said that roses had to be given when proposing?
A kidney "flower" was still a flower!