Chapter 66.4

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It wasn’t like she particularly cared about gifts, but still, she couldn’t help the slight disappointment that settled in her chest.

Chi Yin had already gone upstairs.

Dragging her feet, Qiao Ziman followed behind, looking as though she had something weighing heavily on her mind. 

As soon as the bedroom door closed, Chi Yin turned and pulled her into a warm embrace, absentmindedly running her fingers through her hair. “What’s wrong? You look upset.”

Qiao Ziman buried her face against Chi Yin’s neck, and before she even realized it, her tears had already spilled over.

Feeling the warmth dampen her skin, Chi Yin panicked. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

Qiao Ziman slowly pushed away, turning her head aside. After a moment, she exhaled and muttered, “I don’t even know why I’m being so dramatic. Just pretend I drank too much.”

Qiao Ziman forced herself to blink back her tears and meet Chi Yin’s gaze head-on. “Chi Yin, I feel like you’ve been acting strange lately. You’re always sneaking around, doing things behind my back. Are you… are you losing feelings for me?”

 Her voice wavered slightly, but she pressed on. “And today, I didn’t even get a gift. I know gifts aren’t the most important thing, but it’s about the thought, you know?”

Chi Yin suddenly laughed.

Qiao Ziman frowned. “I’m asking you something serious. What’s so funny?”

“It’s just… you’re so cute,” Chi Yin said, pulling her toward the bed and gesturing for her to sit. “Who said you didn’t get a gift?”

Qiao Ziman hesitated. “But—”

“There were too many people downstairs just now,” Chi Yin continued, a teasing glint in her eyes. “It wouldn’t have been appropriate to give it to you in front of them.”

Qiao Ziman: “???”

Before she could process what was happening, Chi Yin took her hand and guided it to the sash tied around her waist.

Qiao Ziman’s heart skipped a beat. “What are you doing?” A suspicion bloomed in her mind, but she didn’t dare voice it.

Chi Yin pressed her hand firmly against the knot, her voice low and certain. “Now… unwrap your present.”

Qiao Ziman swallowed hard, steadying her trembling fingers as she carefully tugged at the ribbon in the center of Chi Yin’s Christmas dress.

As the fabric slipped to the floor, Chi Yin stood before her—completely bare, save for a delicate pink bow tied around her neck. At its center hung a small, exquisite bell. With every subtle rise and fall of her chest, it chimed softly, the crisp sound filling the air.

Qiao Ziman’s eyes widened, her breath hitching. She actually wrapped herself up as a gift?

The bell jingled again as Chi Yin gracefully settled into her lap. “Tonight, I’m yours.”

Qiao Ziman’s heart pounded wildly in her chest.

Chi Yin glanced at the clock on the wall. At the precise moment the hands overlapped at midnight, she spoke again. “From now on, I’m yours too.”

Before Qiao Ziman could fully grasp the meaning of her words, a cool sensation brushed against her ring finger.

She looked down. A delicate diamond ring now sat there, shimmering under the light.

Her mind went completely blank.

Dazed, she stammered, “W-what… what does this mean?”

Chi Yin held her gaze, her expression unwavering. 

“Will you marry me?”

So… was Yin Yin proposing to her?

The realization hit Qiao Ziman like a tidal wave, surging through her chest and drowning her in overwhelming joy. The moment it fully sank in, her tears spilled over again, unstoppable.

From outside the window, Jiang Shu’s voice rang out, loud and full of excitement.

“Say yes! Say yes! Say yes!”

Then, one after another, He Cuizhen, Chi Qilan, and Grandma joined in.

“Say yes! Say yes! Say yes!”

The chant rose, their voices overlapping in an almost theatrical display of encouragement.

Qiao Ziman wiped at her damp cheeks, her mind finally catching up. “So this is what you’ve all been hiding from me? You were planning a proposal?”

Chi Yin nodded, her palms visibly damp, her nerves betraying her usual composure. “Yes… Qiao Qiao, will you or won’t you?”

Qiao Ziman sniffed, pretending to be irritated. “Wow. First, it was just you tricking me, and now you’ve got the whole family in on it?”

Chi Yin tensed, a flicker of panic crossing her face. “It wasn’t trickery, and it wasn’t deception—it was meant to be a surprise.” She swallowed, then softened her voice. “Qiao Qiao… you’re not mad, are you?”

Qiao Ziman was practically bursting with happiness, her heart hammering so wildly she could barely breathe. But she kept quiet, just to see what Chi Yin would do next.

Then, suddenly, warmth pressed against her. Chi Yin had burrowed into her arms, her body hot against Qiao Ziman’s.

A soft, almost pleading voice followed.

“I don’t care. You promised when we were kids that you’d marry me,” Chi Yin murmured, voice laced with childish stubbornness. “You can’t go back on your word.”

Qiao Ziman gasped in mock shock. “Wow! You’re playing dirty! I can’t believe you’re this kind of Yin Yin!”

Chi Yin smirked. “I’m totally clinging to you—so what?”

Qiao Ziman let out a long sigh. “Looks like I’m destined to be completely wrapped around your finger for life.”

Chi Yin’s head snapped up, eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “So… that means you’re saying yes?”

“What else would it mean?” So dumb.

Before Qiao Ziman could react, Chi Yin leapt off her lap and sprinted toward the window, throwing it open as she shouted down below, “She said yes!”

Qiao Ziman’s eyes widened in horror, yanking her back. “You’re not wearing anything!”

Too late.

A wave of cheers erupted from outside, filling the air with excitement.

Jiang Shu lit the fireworks she had prepared in advance. With a sharp boom, a dazzling streak of light shot into the sky, bursting into cascades of gold and silver, illuminating the night like daylight.

Beneath the brilliance, Qiao Ziman lowered her gaze to the woman in her arms, her voice unwavering, filled with promise.

“Little Mute, just wait—I’ll marry you.”

(End of Main Story.)