Chapter 183: An Exemplary Gentleman

Su Wan'ning's palm, held tightly by Qin Jingchen, had already broken out in a layer of sweat.

Before transmigrating into the book, she had never been in a relationship. Throughout college, she always held the title of the "Iceberg Beauty." In truth, it was not that Su Wan'ning was heartless; rather, her ultimate goal in life was simply to earn enough money to retire comfortably. She believed that men would only hinder her progress toward achieving that life goal, and thus she was unwilling to waste time on matters of the heart.

This was the first time a man had ever held her hand and poured out his heart to her with such deep affection.

Aside from feeling somewhat surprised and frightened, an odd, inexplicable sensation began to well up inside Su Wan'ning. It felt as though a piece of sweet bubblegum was being blown larger and larger within her heart, and this sweet feeling spread through all her limbs, making her feel as if she were floating mid-air, unable to touch the ground.

Qin Jingchen continued, "I said before, every memorable day after having you in my life is something I should be grateful for, because only with you by my side can such festivals be endowed with special meaning."

Every single word Qin Jingchen uttered came straight from the bottom of his heart, yet listening to it, Su Wan'ning found herself practically speechless.

It felt as though the soul within her body had been torn apart into two. One part was deeply moved, while the other marveled at how Qin Jingchen's acting skills could possibly be this good—he was practically far more suited to enter the entertainment industry as an actor than she was.

Clearly, the two of them had never shared much affection as husband and wife, falling far short of even a contract marriage, and they barely saw each other from one end of the year to the other. Yet now, he was playing the role of a deeply devoted and loving husband so convincingly that it almost made Su Wan'ning want to shed real tears.

As he spoke, Qin Jingchen reached one hand into his pocket and, with the flourish of a magician, produced a black velvet box. The box bore no logo whatsoever, but its mere exterior exuded a subtle yet luxurious aura.

The onlookers nearby began to guess what might be inside the box, and even Su Wan'ning's gaze was involuntarily drawn toward it.

It was a square box, looking no larger than the palm of a hand. Could it possibly be a diamond ring inside?

Su Wan'ning quickly dismissed the thought. They were already an old married couple; what would be the point of giving a diamond ring at a time like this?

Then what could it be?

[What did President Qin take out! A ring?]
[Oh my god, judging by the box, it looks like jewelry. Don't tell me he's giving Su Wan'ning a gift even on his own birthday?]
[What kind of fairy-tale husband is this?]
[It's another day of weeping over someone else's romance. Dear God, please hurry up and tie my red thread of fate too, I'm begging you.]

"This is something I've always wanted to give you, and I only got the inspiration after coming here. I'm so grateful that this journey has allowed us to understand each other more deeply, and I'm equally thankful that this birthday has given me the chance to place it into your hands myself."

Su Wan'ning blinked, momentarily at a loss for words. Her heartbeat began to accelerate before she even realized it, her eyes fixed on the box as her mind frantically guessed what on earth could be inside.

Shortly after, the camera zoomed in on Qin Jingchen's hands. By this time, the number of viewers in Su Wan'ning's livestreaming room was skyrocketing, leaving everyone else's streams far, far behind.

The popularity of Yin Shanshan's livestreaming room plummeted instantly. Aside from a few paid trolls and a handful of loyal fans, almost everyone else had fled to Su Wan'ning's room to watch the excitement.

Capitalizing on this unique advantage, Su Wan'ning's following cameraman focused the lens squarely on the box in Qin Jingchen's hand.

Thus, the audience in Su Wan'ning's livestream was the very first to catch a glimpse of what lay inside.

[Did I see that right? What is this shiny, glittering thing?]
[As expected of a tycoon, making a move with pure gold right off the bat. Isn't this much better at holding its value than diamonds?]
[Totally. Using diamonds is just so cliché anyway; those things are nothing more than rocks whose value has been hyped up by people.]
[And it's so huge! Don't tell me it's solid gold?]
[Wait, could this shape be...]

Even Su Wan'ning, who was usually accustomed to grand spectacles, widened her eyes slightly as she watched with her own eyes as Qin Jingchen took the object out of the box and rested it upon his palm.

The item was not particularly large, occupying less than a quarter of Qin Jingchen's palm, yet it radiated a modest luster and clearly had some considerable weight to it.

" Wow, so pretty! Daddy, what is this!"

Among the entire crowd, only Niannian possessed the uninhibited innocence of a child, daring to speak up and ask.

Qin Jingchen smiled faintly.

"Do you remember the seashell we exchanged after picking up trash on the beach on the first day? At that time, I wanted to give it to you, but you said—"

Memories rushed back. The words she had spoken that day echoed in Su Wan'ning's mind, and she wished nothing more than to travel back in time and tightly sew her own mouth shut.

What on earth had she said?

She seemed to have disdainfully told Qin Jingchen to take the thing back, adding that seashells were only useful here and couldn't buy much of anything anyway...

Never in her wildest dreams had she expected Qin Jingchen to completely misinterpret her words, having a piece of pure gold custom-made for her in the exact shape of a seashell!

"I thought what you said made a lot of sense. Although the seashells picked up from the beach are meaningful, they can't represent my eternal love for you. I had people rush-order this over the past few days. The craftsmanship might be a bit crude, so I hope you don't mind."

[Where on earth does it look crude? Exactly where?!]
[Oh my god, Qin Jingchen is just too touching.]
[When a man is this rich and still puts in this much genuine effort, doesn't he put those guys to shame who are both broke and unwilling to put in any thought, yet still blame women for being materialistic?]

Impelled by some inexplicable impulse, Su Wan'ning reached out and took the golden seashell from Qin Jingchen's palm. Though it didn't look large, holding it in her hand revealed it to be quite heavy—a fully substantial chunk of pure gold. She had no idea how such an item was even crafted.

In an instant, whether moved by emotion or something else entirely, tears blurred her vision, and the sight before her gradually grew hazy. Su Wan'ning blinked, intending to hold the tears back, but unexpectedly, a crystal-clear teardrop slipped down the corner of her eye.

Qin Jingchen curved his lips slightly, raised a hand, and gently brushed his thumb across her cheek to wipe away that single tear.

"I hope you like it."

Su Wan'ning nodded slightly. Regardless of whether he actually harbored any other intentions by presenting this to her, at this very moment, her heart was genuinely touched.

"Thank you."

Su Wan'ning sniffed. At that moment, Wang Zan took the lead in starting a round of applause, a beaming, joyous expression on his face as he declared, "The affection between President Qin and Xiao Su is truly wonderful! Who would have thought that our program's impromptu seashell segment would hold such a special meaning!"

[Tsk, director, could you please stop trying so hard to steal the spotlight here.]
[Hilarious. Wang Zan is terrified that President Qin won't remember his kindness.]
[She acts just like a green tea b*tch.]
[If I were you, I would have cried tears of joy ages ago! Looking at how President Qin always gives you such surprises, you must be used to it by now.]

Yu Xin joked with a smile, and everyone burst into laughter. Only Yin Shanshan did not reach her eyes with her smile; upon closer inspection, a trace of jealousy lingered there.