We moved to Golden Courtyard

"This is?"

"Sister Xian'er, this oil-paper umbrella is for you."

Shi Bao stepped forward and suddenly burst into laughter!

"Does that mean... this cartoon version of me carrying bricks was specially drawn on it as a gift for me?"

Xu Qi tossed the bricks he was carrying with him, a playful smile on his face.

"Otherwise?"

"Hahaha!"

Shi Bao laughed loudly, clearly pleased with the gift she received, while Fu Xian'er also smiled.

A beautiful woman in a Taoist robe, paired with an oil-paper umbrella...

In terms of artistic conception, it is already far ahead.

"Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Xu Qi."

"Of course, oh right!" Xu Qi took out a crystal jade rabbit from his emptied Christmas gift bag and gave it to Li Sushang, who was standing to the side.

"Su Chang is now Fu Hua's junior sister, I won't forget you."

Li Sushang, who was not particularly tall but had a graceful and alluring figure, stepped forward and glanced at Xu Qi a couple of times as she accepted the gift.

Her youthful face was full of shyness.

After all, judging from the scene before... it's really hard to describe.

How many girls is Mr. Xu Qi maintaining ambiguous relationships with?

Shi Bao suddenly grinned and said, "So we're not going to give you a gift in return?"

"Ah! No, no, we were just joking around, don't take it seriously..."

"I'm afraid you were taking it seriously while secretly feeling quite pleased with yourself, weren't you?"

Ellie ruthlessly exposed his words, which drew laughter from everyone.

Xu Qi pinched Alicia's chubby little face, his face full of smiles.

"Sister Himeko, I've brought you a hat."

A black magician's hat, adorned with blood-red roses, gave him an eerie appearance.

Himeko joked as she took the hat, "I was wondering what gift the little guy would give me? A kiss? Or a blind date? Turns out it's a hat..."

Theresa was standing next to Himeko when she heard this, and she elbowed Himeko in the waist.

"Don't say things you shouldn't say..."

"Oh dear! It seems Theresa is jealous~~"

"Who!...Who said that!"

Seeing Theresa's face turn red, Xu Qi couldn't help but smile knowingly.

The previous pink and rosy atmosphere dissipated considerably when it reached Himeko's side, and everyone finally remembered... that it was Christmas.

He's not lying down!

There are many girls who aren't Xu Qi's girlfriends.

He glanced at Himeko with a hint of gratitude, and Himeko simply nodded silently.

She could tell that Xu Qi had almost lost his mind when he was surrounded by these beauties and wandered among the flowers.

The saying "a riot of colors dazzles the eye" probably describes this situation perfectly...

The last one is Miss Durandal, who is wearing a white knight's dress.

“Miss Durandal, the only thing I can offer you is this unsheathed knight's longsword—Durandal.”

Durandal received the knight's longsword inlaid with seven-colored gems with both hands.

She brandished her sword with a dashing air, nodded with satisfaction, and said, "It doesn't need to be fancy; the sentiment is what matters most. I really like your gift, Xu Qi."

Rita glanced indifferently at her Bianca, then at Xu Qi.

At the Christmas party, the two of them put on quite a convincing act.

If I hadn't seen your chat history, I might have been completely fooled.

So all the gifts... have been given out.

But then everyone suddenly remembered—it seems…one person is still missing.

The gaze slowly moved, eventually settling on the gentle girl with a ponytail.

Mei has been silent since just now.

It wasn't dissatisfaction, of course; she was simply gazing at Xu Qi with eyes full of tenderness that belonged to Mei.

Mei wouldn't misunderstand that Xu Qi forgot to prepare a Christmas present for her...

Only they themselves truly understand how close their connection is.

Xu Qi slowly turned around, his gaze meeting Mei's in mid-air.

Seeing this, Ellie's eyes darted around, and she deliberately asked, "Oh? Xu Qi, it seems you've given out all the gifts? Is there... one missing?"

The way he played the straight man was quite deliberate.

Some of the girls couldn't help but laugh out loud.

But... I really am curious...

What kind of Christmas gift did Xu Qi prepare for Mei?

It was so grand that it needed to be presented as the grand finale.

Even Mei's heart was pounding wildly at this moment. Since being with Xu Qi, sweet and happy times had occupied most of their time.

But moments as full of anticipation as we are now are naturally not something that can happen every day.

She stared nervously at Xu Qi, and for some reason, a sudden idea flashed into her mind!

But... she wasn't sure.

Could the gift Xu Qi gave her really be that gift?

Mei, who already knew everything, glanced at the expressions of the two of them, her smile amused.

"It's impossible to give one less gift, since some gifts have to be given out at the very end. Putting them in the middle or at the beginning would feel a bit abrupt."

What is that?

Mei pursed her lips and stood still.

She watched as Xu Qi walked towards her step by step and stood in front of her.

Xu Qi took off his heavy Santa Claus costume, but unexpectedly, he was wearing a very formal suit jacket underneath.

As far as I can remember...

Xu Qi rarely dresses so formally.

That can only mean that the current occasion is quite important to him.

And Mei, how could she not understand why Xu Qi dressed like this? The idea became more and more certain, but what followed was that her heart was about to jump out of her throat.

Even when I went home with Xu Qi to meet his parents last time, I wasn't this nervous.

"Aren't you hot wearing so much?"

The deliberate shift in topic felt so abrupt.

Xu Qi didn't pay attention and didn't answer.

At that moment, melodious piano music slowly rose from the hall. Before anyone knew it, Eden had already sat down at the piano and begun to play.

The cheerful melody, filled with blessings, made all the girls pause for a moment.

They seemed to realize then what Xu Qi was about to do.

No...it can't be...

Mei's eyes darted around, and just as she was becoming increasingly flustered, Xu Qi suddenly said, "Mei, look at me."

That simple sentence brought Mei more peace of mind than anything else.

She stared intently at Xu Qi, who was dressed in a suit and tie, her eyes already welling up with tears.

Xu Qi's right knee slowly bent...

This small gesture made Mei quickly cover her lips with her hand.

"Mea Yi..."

Xu Qi knelt down on one knee and took out a small purple box from the pocket inside his clothes.

Now, not only Mei, but almost all the girls who witnessed this scene couldn't help but cover their mouths, afraid of accidentally making a sound and ruining the atmosphere...

The box is opened.

Inside, a ring lay quietly, waiting for its owner.

"will you marry me?"

558. I do... I do... Of course I do!

Thinking about it carefully, I've been with Mei for a long time now.

Although they call each other "husband" and "wife" on a daily basis, their relationship is so harmonious that even married couples, let alone engaged couples, probably don't have the same sense of camaraderie as they do.

But it always seems like... something is missing.

It was only recently that Xu Qi suddenly remembered—it was time to propose.

There weren't many fancy decorations at the scene; to outsiders, the only thing worth mentioning was the festive atmosphere of Christmas.

But in Mei's eyes, when Xu Qi knelt down on one knee and took out the box containing the ring...

No amount of elaborate planning can compare to the romance of this moment.

Mei's expression suddenly became somewhat dazed, as if a scene from a movie was playing in front of her, and in the scene... was Xu Qi from the past, and herself from the past.

Mei was the one who got proposed to, but for Mei, it was like seeing a salvation.

Everything I do has an end...

"Mei, I know... this might seem a little sudden. I've been thinking for a long time about what I should say to you when I propose."

But now I'm so nervous I've forgotten all about it.

The honest words made Mei, who had been covering her lips with her hands, unable to suppress a smile.

"But there's one thing I can still remember—I want to be with you, I want to walk through each other's lives with you, I want to walk through all the romantic places in this world with you, and I want to grow old with you little by little."

When our lives come to an end, I hope... I can still be by your side.

Mei... will you... marry me?

The words were devoid of embellishment or fancy language.

Simple and unpretentious.

But it already contains all of Xu Qi's love.

He loves Mei, and he wants to... marry Mei!

All eyes were drawn to the gentle woman in the room, who was on the verge of tears.

Tears welled up in her eyes, streaming down her cheeks and dripping onto her body. She wanted to speak, but when she opened her mouth, she couldn't utter a word, only able to sob with happiness.

Alicia stepped forward, gently patted Mei's back, her face full of blessings.

"In situations like this, don't keep the men waiting, okay?"

indeed.

Amidst everyone's blessing, Mei lowered her hand, wiped away the tears on her face, and choked out, "You should... have told me sooner... You made me... embarrass myself in front of so many people..."

How could it be considered embarrassing? The young girl's eyes were wet with tears, yet she was undeniably beautiful.