"Thank you for coming to watch," Xena said as she approached Ren and his family, having changed into casual clothes.
"Wow, sister, your dance was amazing! You look so beautiful today," Yueyue exclaimed as she broke free from Ren's hand and ran toward Xena, hugging her leg.
"Thank you." Xena smiled and ruffled Yueyue's hair, delighted by being called "sister." "Yueyue, you look like a little princess today. How about I treat you to something delicious?"
There was no woman who didn't like being seen as younger than her actual age, especially when being called "sister" by a little girl.
"Thank you, sister!" Yueyue's eyes sparkled. She had been waiting for this! She had figured out that calling adults who were her mom's age "sister" would easily win their favor. This meant more snacks for her!
Before, those aunts at home—no, those two sisters—would often bring lollipops and chips! Although she had these at home, getting them from others always tasted better!
Yueyue's eyes shone with excitement as she clung to Xena's sleeve.
"Where should we eat? How about some candy apples?" Xena suggested.
The entire Buzhou Mountain square was filled with temporary stalls. One day's revenue here was equivalent to several months' earnings elsewhere.
"You're doing good business here," Ren said, noticing how excited Yueyue was. He and Jada followed along.
"It's all thanks to you," Xena laughed. "The manga 'Your Name' has brought a lot of visitors to our place."
"It's your wonderful dance and your commitment to preserving this tradition that made it popular," Ren said, waving his hand modestly.
As they walked through the bustling crowd, they passed numerous stalls. Yueyue's hands were soon full of snacks, and Ren had to carry a bag of them.
---
At 7:55 PM, five minutes before the fireworks started.
"Yueyue, you'll come with me. I'll help you change into a beautiful dress," Xena said, winking at Ren and flashing a discreet 'V' sign with her fingers.
Ren sighed in relief. Yes, he was about to propose.
To avoid any interruptions, he had asked Xena to take Yueyue away, pretending he wanted some undisturbed couple time with Jada.
Ren took Jada to a small hill, the best spot to watch the fireworks. It offered an unobstructed view, thanks to Xena's influence allowing them entry without a ticket, which were hard to get.
"Today was so much fun," Jada said. She was now dressed in Hanfu, a traditional Chinese dress with wide sleeves adorned with pink floral patterns, and her slender waist cinched by a purple brocade belt with jade decorations.
However, she noticed Ren hadn't responded. She looked over and saw him staring intently at her, making her blush with a mix of shyness and annoyance. "What are you looking at?"
"Um… you look beautiful today," Ren stammered.
He wanted to slap himself. Why praise the dress? He should have praised the person! This was a critical moment; he couldn't afford to mess up now!
Fortunately, Jada understood his meaning, her eyes avoiding his as she played with a strand of hair. "Th-thank you."
An awkward silence followed.
Suddenly, a bright flash of fireworks illuminated the sky, slowly blooming in the night.
"Boom!"
The fireworks exploded, lighting up the sky like a painting. Everyone looked up in awe.
"Beautiful…" Jada whispered, her eyes reflecting the fireworks, adding a radiant glow to her fair face.
However, Ren wasn't looking at the fireworks. He was watching Jada, the light from the fireworks highlighting her delicate features.
He reached into his pocket, took a deep breath, and pulled out a small box.
"Jada!"
"Ah!?" Jada turned, startled.
She saw Ren holding a small box in front of her.
"This is…"
A thought crossed Jada's mind.
"Please…" Ren looked deeply into her eyes. "Please walk through life with me!"
There were no flowery words, no grand promises. Just a simple sentence that conveyed all his heartfelt emotions.
"Boom"
Another firework exploded, reflecting in Jada's wide eyes.
Her heart raced like a deer.
Did Jada dislike Ren?
No, she didn't.
He was handsome, a good father, and a potential good husband. They already had a child together. She couldn't dislike him.
But… she was scared of marriage.
Could she really be happy? What if it was all an act?
Doubts filled her mind.
Seeing Jada's hesitant look, Ren's heart sank. "Is it a no…?" he asked, his smile faltering as he began to put the ring away.
Jada quickly grabbed the box, hitting Ren on the shoulder. "Who takes back a gift meant for a lady?"
She hit his shoulder again, but Ren didn't mind. He was overjoyed, a smile spreading across his face. "You agree?"
"I'll give it a try!" Jada huffed, nodding.
She slipped the ring onto her finger, leaned slightly, and rested her forehead on his shoulder. "I accept your life."
Feeling the weight of her body against his, Ren couldn't find the words to express his feelings. Instead, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, holding her close.
"Boom"
Another firework exploded, illuminating them both.
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Ultraman Tiga
At night, Ren and his family stayed at Xena's house.
Yueyue, always looking for the best treats, quickly decided to stay with Xena after seeing her stash of snacks.
Meanwhile, Ren was lying on the floor with his head buried in the bedding, rolling around. If he had a certain blue robotic cat, he would have changed his previous confession. Why did he have to say "I give my life to you"? It felt so embarrassing now. Wouldn't it have been simpler to just say, "Marry me"?
"No, no!" Ren sat up and patted his face. If he kept thinking about it, he'd only get more embarrassed. He needed to do something to distract himself.
Since Jada had accepted his proposal, he needed to work hard to help her. He knew Jada wanted to expand the company her parents left her. Although he didn't know much about running a company, he could provide good comics for Picca Comics!
With this in mind, Ren opened his system. The three new comics for the month had been updated.
The first one was "Black Beast."
Well, for those who know, they know. He passed on it right away. This was a serious novel, but it had some strange content. Why would the system give him something so weird? He wasn't interested in such themes.
The second one was "Madoka Magica."
This was a masterpiece but had a fatal flaw. The beginning might be interesting for kids, but the plot would seem dull to older readers until the twist with Mami losing her head. This pacing issue could lead to the comic being cut short. Manga companies weren't charities, and if a comic didn't bring in profits, it would be dropped.
Of course, this didn't matter to him because his wife was the company boss. He could even draw Thomas the Tank Engine if he wanted! However, there was another issue: Yueyue loved magical girl series. If she watched "Madoka Magica"...
Imagine the scene where she cheers, "Go, Mami!" and then suddenly, Mami loses her head. That would be quite shocking.
Ren's smile became a bit twisted. He decided to redeem this comic anyway. He had enough reputation points to redeem two volumes of "Madoka Magica."
The third comic made Ren's eyes light up: "Ultraman Tiga"!
This series was arguably the most popular Ultraman in China, without a doubt. Other Ultraman series were great, but "Ultraman Tiga" was broadcast on over fifty TV stations in China. The quality of this series was exceptional. Despite being filmed in 1996, many of the special effects still looked better than some movies and TV shows from his original timeline.
He checked the reputation points needed to redeem it. He had enough, so he redeemed it.
However, both "Madoka Magica" and "Ultraman Tiga" were originally Japanese works, so many details needed to be adjusted. The characters' names, their homes, and their lifestyles needed localization.
For "Ultraman Tiga," there weren't many names to change since most characters had common names like Shinjo, Rena, and Daigo. A quick search showed these names existed in China. The major changes involved elements with a heavy Japanese influence, like changing the name of the monster Shun'na Oni to something more Chinese, and altering the samurai to generals or martial artists.
As Ren was contemplating these changes, Jada emerged from the bathroom.
She was blow-drying her hair, wearing a bathrobe that revealed her pink-tinted shoulders. After drying her hair, she collapsed onto the bed.
"Ugh, I'm so tired. My back hurts," she said, stretching out.
"Well, you are getting older..." Ren started to say, but before he could finish, Jada threw a pillow at him and glared. "Don't talk if you don't know what to say!"
This was the second time today he mentioned her age!
"Okay…" Ren tossed the pillow back onto the bed and nodded.
"Let's sleep."
"Yeah."
With a click, the room went dark. But lying on the floor, Ren felt something was off. What was it…?
Ren suddenly sat up. "This isn't right! This isn't what I imagined!"
"What's wrong?" Jada, who was about to fall asleep, opened her eyes.
"You agreed to marry me, right? Except for not having the marriage certificate, we've done everything a couple should do, right? So why am I still sleeping on the floor?"
Ren had felt something was wrong earlier. It had become a habit to sleep on the floor!
"…"
The room fell silent again.
"Come on up," Jada said, moving to make space on the bed.
Ren slid into the warm spot where Jada had been lying.
"Is this better? I'm really tired. Goodnight." Jada turned to her side, ready to sleep.
Ren, however, looked at Jada, her hair cascading down her back, the light from outside highlighting her fair neck. They were a couple now. Couldn't they do what couples do?
Ren's heart raced. He turned and hugged her.
Jada's body tensed. "Hey!"
"We're a couple now. Just a hug."
"Then why are you touching my chest?"
"I couldn't help it."
"I'm telling you, I'm really tired tonight. Don't…" Jada blushed, feeling something against her. "You!"
"Don't worry, I won't do anything else. It's just a normal reaction," Ren said seriously.
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