Chapter 16 Part3 (2/2)
”Yeah. Back then when we went out to eat or went singing or stuff, they'd frequently be together.” Jia He continued, ”But they shouldn't be that well acquainted, I think? I don't really hear Qiao Qiao mentioning him.”
Xiao Yu gave an ”mm,” her calm restored. ”Qiao Qiao's been proposed to. This boy is truly so sincere. He actually did it on Weibo… Just look at the number of reposts…”
”Huh? No way!” With a quivering finger, Jia He tapped the play b.u.t.ton on the video.
In the picture, Chen Hao was holding up the ring box and staring into the camera as he said, ”Qiao Qiao, happy birthday. For the time being, I can't afford a 10.25-carat diamond. This diamond ring is only 2.25 carats. I searched around for it for a long time.” Taking the diamond ring out from the box, he cleared his throat and reported, ”I'm at the Tokyo International Film Festival right now. I'm not sure whether this time I'll come out successful, but regardless of whether I win or not, I hope that you will marry me.”
The scene in the video appeared to be by the seaside. There was even the noise of the wind.
As Jia He watched this, her nose unwittingly began to tingle. So touching. But… She looked over at Xiao Yu, then looked at video, then looked back at Xiao Yu. ”She's always been a must-inform-you-that-I'm-dating fanatic. There's no way she wouldn't have told me if she and Cheng Hao were dating.”
Xiao Yu nearly sprayed out a mouthful of water. ”So that means they weren't even dating and he's proposing?”
The two exchanged a crafty look. Then, simultaneously, each reached for her own mobile phone, and simultaneously each dialed Qiao Qiao's number. In the end, it was Jia He who succeeded in getting through first. On the other end, Qiao Qiao picked up and, sniffling, said, ”h.e.l.lo?”
Jia He's eyes immediately gleamed. ”You're so touched you're crying?”
Decisively pressing the speakerphone b.u.t.ton, Jia He set her phone onto the table.
”Huh, what?” There was a heavy nasal tone to Qiao Qiao's voice. ”I'm freezing to death here. At an outdoor shoot.”
”You still don't know?!” Jia He skimmed her eyes over the number of reposts. Very good. In only twenty minutes, it had already broken nine thousand, yet the person actually on the receiving end of the proposal still didn't even know.
The person on the other end of the line resignedly gave in. ”If you have anything, just hurry up and say it. I have another call coming in.”
”Well…” Jia He decided she would first take this gradually, step by step. ”Have you gotten a new boyfriend lately? Since that ba.s.s-playing jerk?”
Qiao Qiao was silent for a moment. ”Are you too happily in love that you're now coming to comfort the dumped and jilted one?”
Jia He felt sheepish. What does this have to do with me?”You honestly don't have one? Or maybe a little budding thing of something, you know, a little ambiguous relations.h.i.+p where the only thing missing is for someone to say something?” There had to be some sort of signs, right? Otherwise, wasn't this bro just committing suicide?
”Of course not. What, are you going to introduce someone to me?” Qiao Qiao was about to go crazy here.
”There's one thing I need to tell you, but you have to stay calm.” Jia He shot a look at Xiao Yu. The meaning was very clear: Here, you be the one to give her the shock.
Xiao Yu cleared her throat. ”Hey, you, dating fanatic, I'm going to tell you something unfortunate. Get yourself a little further away from people, and find yourself a quiet, secluded place.”
Qiao Qiao gave a ”Huh?” and asked, ”The two of you are together right now?” There was a momentary quiet before she cried out again,”I know! The two of you are finally feeling bad that it's my birthday today but you guys actually didn't even send me a text giving me well wishes. Do you know, since twelve o'clock yesterday, just how many artistes have sent me texts? They're so busy and they still remembered, while you guys, two people who are basically sitting around and doing nothing but waiting to die, actually forgot to give me a text.”
Jia He looked shamefacedly at Xiao Yu. Xiao Yu spoke up, interrupting her. ”Do you know Cheng Hao?”
”Yeah, I do,” Qiao Qiao promptly answered. ”Jia He does, too. We worked on Tune of Yong'antogether. Later, he wasn't with our company anymore. What? You've taken a fancy to him?”
Xiao Yu felt awkward as well. She threw a glance at Jia He before calmly stating into the mobile phone, ”He's asked you to marry him.”
Quiet. Extremely quiet. Jia He's heart was clenched and dangling in her throat when the person on the other side finally spoke. ”Today's my birthday, not April Fool's Day. I haven't seen him for half a year already. I've even lost his mobile number.”
”Go onto your Weibo. It's been forwarded over to you for ages already. The 2.25 carat is really dazzling, especially in the natural light.” After Xiao Yu finished swiftly summing things up, the person on the other end of the line immediately hung up.
A few minutes later, the phone was vibrating again on the table. Jia He took a deep inhale, more exuberant than if she were being proposed to. When she pressed the answer b.u.t.ton, all that could be heard were sobs and sniffles. The female lead of this whole thing was already unable to speak. ”You say… is this… a practical joke? …”
Xiao Yu replied very collectedly, ”Based on how the number of reposts has broken ten thousand now, I think there shouldn't be anyone who would play this sort of joke on himself.”
The two listened to Qiao Qiao's bawlng for a long while. At last, Jia He could no longer restrain herself and asked, ”Hey, what do you plan on doing then?” She contemplated seriously on this for a moment. ”But, gee, that Chen Hao. You and he haven't even dated, but he's already first proposing. That's just putting you on the spot.” Even though it was very romantic, you still needed to see if person on the receiving end wanted this or not, right?
”I think…” The person on the other end of the call hesitantly uttered a sentence that was even more shocking: ”I've fallen in love with him.”
Jia He felt that her brain had already exceeded its capacity. Xiao Yu, though, merely remarked, ”Uh-huh. If you apply now for a visa, it should still be approved in time for you to make it for the tail end of the film festival.” Those two action-taking doers rapidly exchanged a few more words.
The call was already hung up before Jia He clued in to what Qiao Qiao was going to do. At once, she gaped at Xiao Yu. ”No way. She's being rash and hot-headed and you're encouraging her? She's going to Tokyo?”
”If a man, under no certainty of success, is willing to gamble his own pride and face to do this, then marrying him should be a pretty good thing,” Xiao Yu opined neutrally. ”Not every woman will encounter such a situation. With anyone you're with, there's a chance of splitting up anyway, so why not choose this guy who is so foolhardy but also a man of talent? You know, if he does win an award, then it's not going to be just ten thousand something people witnessing this.”
Dully, Jia He nodded her head, then nodded it again. Why did everything Xiao Xiao say always make so much sense?
<>Copyright of Fanatical, hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com. Translated with the express permission of the author for hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com only
Even after Xiao Xiao left, Jia He was still exhilarated when she thought about this turn of events, and so she decided to give Yi Wenze a call. Very excitedly, she described those highlights of how that silly man had not even dated the girl before he proposed and how Qiao Qiao had instantly fallen in love after she was proposed to. On his side, Yi Wenze merely smiled as he listened, commenting at the very end, ”There are indeed two Chinese films that have been nominated this time. I hope that he will come out successful.” Very mild, very coolheaded.
Immediately, Jia He lowered her banners and ceased her hurrahs. ”Oh.”
This story was translated with the express permission of the author for hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com only. All forms of reproduction, redistribution, or re-posting are not authorized. If you are not reading this from hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com, the copy is unauthorized and has been taken without consent of the translator.
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48 of 58 Chapter segments
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