Oh no! I've only been a freshman and I've already been targeted by a mean upperclassman.

Yan Xi buried her face in his chest, feeling his strong heartbeat and the surrounding lights that resonated with it.

She finally burst into tears, crying like a child.

Li Chen didn't say anything, he just held her and gently stroked her back.

It took a long time before Yan Xi's crying gradually stopped.

She lifted her head from his embrace, her eyes red and swollen.

"Beautiful." Li Chen lowered his head and kissed away the tears at the corner of her eyes.

Yan Xi sniffed, stood on tiptoe, hooked her arms around his neck, and kissed him forcefully.

The kiss was tinged with the salty taste of tears, yet it was also incredibly hot.

Just as the two were locked in a passionate kiss, a clear "ouch" suddenly came from the bushes not far away.

Immediately afterwards, a dark figure tumbled out of a bush as tall as a person and rolled twice on the ground.

It's Wang Qiang.

He covered his backside, grimacing as he stared at them.

"Sorry, sorry, my foot slipped. Please continue..."

Before he could finish speaking, two more people fell out of the bushes.

Chen Mo adjusted his glasses and calmly analyzed, "The weight limit of this tree branch is 75 kilograms. Wang Qiang weighs 82 kilograms. The three of us together weigh over 200 kilograms. Breaking is an inevitable result."

Zhao Zixuan held up his phone, the screen still displaying the recording interface.

"Don't stop! I've just gotten to the climax!"

Li Chen and Yan Xi both froze.

Yan Xi's face flushed bright red instantly, and she buried her head in Li Chen's arms, refusing to come out.

Li Chen looked at the three clowns with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

"What are you doing here?"

"It wasn't us," Wang Qiang pointed behind him, "they sent us."

As soon as the words were spoken, several figures slowly emerged from the end of Ginkgo Road.

Leading the group were Yan Zhen and Luo Yun, with Li Mohan and Shen Ruolan beside them.

Yan Zhen held a handkerchief in his hand, wiping away his tears continuously, muttering, "My cabbage that I've raised for twenty years..."

Luo Yun smiled and patted him, her eyes full of pride for her daughter.

Li Mohan tried to appear calm, but his clenched fists betrayed his nervousness.

Shen Ruolan had already stood with Luo Yun, the two of them looking at the two children in front of them like good sisters, their smiles wide open.

At the very back, Li Qingcang walked out with his hands behind his back, laughing loudly, followed by Zhou Yan, who looked helpless.

"Good lad! Well done! You didn't disgrace the Li family!" Li Qingcang's voice was loud and clear.

The entire Ginkgo Avenue instantly transformed from a romantic spot for two into a large-scale spectacle for friends and family.

Yan Xi just wanted to disappear into a crack in the ground.

She huddled in Li Chen's arms like a frightened cat, turning the back of her head to everyone.

Li Chen could feel the person in his arms trembling slightly, unsure whether it was from anger or embarrassment.

He couldn't help but want to laugh, but he could only force himself to hold it in and gently patted her back to comfort her.

"Alright, alright, stop looking, you're scaring my daughter." Yan Zhen wiped away his tears and was the first to stand up for her.

He walked up to Li Chen, looked him up and down, and then patted him heavily on the shoulder.

"You brat, you passed."

Just as Li Chen was about to call for help, Yan Zhen glared at him and stopped him.

"From now on, call me Chairman Yan when we're out," Yan Zhen said in a low voice. "Call me Dad when we're home."

Li Mohan also walked over. He looked at Yan Xi, who was hiding in Li Chen's arms, and then at his son, his expression still serious.

"What do you mean by that?" he said, but his eyes softened.

Shen Ruolan walked over and took Yan Xi's hand.

"Good boy, let Mom take a look."

Yan Xi reluctantly raised her head, her cheeks flushed red as if they were about to bleed.

"Mom..." she called softly.

"Hey!" Shen Ruolan smiled so much her eyes narrowed. She held Yan Xi's hand and was even more pleased when she saw the ring on her ring finger.

"Beautiful, so beautiful."

Luo Yun also came over and gently stroked Yan Xi's hair.

"Our Xixi has grown up."

Wang Qiang, Zhao Zixuan, and Chen Mo huddled together and whispered among themselves.

"I knew it! This was definitely a proposal of the century. Luckily, I recorded it." Zhao Zixuan waved his phone.

"Based on the analysis of the emotional fluctuation curves at the scene, Senior Yan Xi's peak shyness has broken the historical record." Chen Mo calmly recorded the data.

"Should we shout 'Give me a kiss' now?" Wang Qiang asked eagerly.

He had barely finished speaking when he received death stares from Yan Xi and Li Chen.

Wang Qiang immediately shrank his neck.

Li Qingcang walked to the front, glanced at the ring on Yan Xi's hand, then at Li Chen, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad, you have the style I had back in the day."

Zhou Yan stood next to him, rubbed his forehead, and muttered, "Back then, you just carried people home, it's different."

Li Qingcang glared at him.

"What do you know? That's called efficiency."

He was the only one in the entire room who dared to speak to Li Qingcang like that.

The scene was chaotic at times, yet strangely heartwarming.

Li Chen looked at the group of people who were the most important in his life. They had come from all directions to witness his most important moment.

He looked down at Yan Xi in his arms. She was also looking up at him, her eyes still filled with shyness, but even more so with happiness and peace of mind.

Li Chen took a deep breath, took Yan Xi's hand, pulled her to his side, and intertwined their fingers.

He cleared his throat, faced everyone, and wore a calm smile.

"Um... let me reintroduce myself to everyone."

All eyes were on him.

Li Chen gripped Yan Xi's hand tightly and said clearly, word by word:

"This is my fiancée, Yan Xi."

After he finished speaking, the entire audience was silent for a second before erupting into enthusiastic applause and cheers.

Wang Qiang shouted, "Happy wedding! May you have a baby soon!"

Zhao Zixuan whistled loudly.

Yan Zhen clapped and wiped away tears at the same time.

Li Mohan's lips finally couldn't help but curl upwards.

Yan Xi's face turned even redder. She tried to pull her hand back, but Li Chen held it even tighter.

She had no choice but to lower her head, but the corners of her mouth involuntarily curled up.

Under the warm yellow lights that shone like stars, and amidst the blessings of all his relatives and friends, Li Chen lowered his head and placed a kiss on Yan Xi's forehead.

He leaned close to her ear and spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"Now you can't escape."

Yan Xi looked up and glared at him, her ears turning completely red.

She leaned close to his ear and retorted in the same soft voice.

"I'll remember this debt."

She paused, then added.

"I'll settle the score with you when we get home."

Li Chen laughed.

He knew that their story had only just begun.

The road ahead is long, but as long as this person is by my side, as long as that light is always on for her, there is nothing to be afraid of.