Mom finally snapped back to reality. She knew my personality inside and out, ever since I was little, once my mind was made up, not even a falling sky could budge me. Left with no choice, she turned to soften Dad’s stance.

“Alright, that’s enough. Let the kids sort out their own lives. As long as Luo Luo is happy, that’s all that matters. Besides, we watched Rang grow up right before our eyes, don’t we know what kind of character he has?”

“Get out! Both of you, get out!”

Dad was so furious his finger trembled as he pointed straight at my face. “If you insist on staying with him, then as of today, consider yourself fatherless!”

Panic surged through me, and tears welled up in my eyes. Mom hurriedly stepped between us, lowering her voice to a urgent whisper. “Your father’s just hot-headed right now. Don’t add fuel to the fire, or you’ll give him a stroke.” She then looked at Hua Rang. “Rang, take Luo Luo and leave for now. Let her father cool off first, then we’ll figure things out.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

Hua Rang gripped my hand tightly and led me out of the old estate.

By the time we arrived at his place, my legs were still trembling. Hua Rang crouched down, gently swapping my shoes for house slippers. I took a deep breath, finally finding my voice.

“Hua Rang… do you really like me?”

“Yeah.”

He looked up at me, a trace of guilt lingering in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Luo Luo. I originally wanted to find a proper occasion to tell everyone… not drop a bomb at the dinner table like tonight.”

I leaned down and nuzzled my face into his palm. “You didn’t drag me into this. I jumped in entirely on my own.”

Curiosity sparked inside me, and I nudged him. “When did you figure out that I liked you?”

“This past Wednesday.”

“…Huh??”

He lifted me by the waist, placing me onto the shoe cabinet so we were at eye level. “Before that, I thought the person you liked was Tran An.”

“Thought my ass! I literally hired him as my wingman to help me chase you!”

Back in high school, Tran An had discovered a love letter I wrote for Hua Rang. To keep that big-mouthed loudspeaker quiet, I had to bribe him into keeping the secret, while simultaneously hiring him as my relationship consultant. Though, to be honest… the results were a total disaster.

Hua Rang pulled me closer, his voice dropping into a dark, raspy whisper. “Back then, I almost lost my mind. I even considered locking you up so you couldn’t leave… but I was terrified you’d hate me, so I forced myself to endure it.”

I flinched slightly. “You… were that dangerous?”

“Yeah,” he admitted candidly, nodding. “But I held back. I just never expected that when you finally returned… the first thing out of your mouth would be wishing me happiness with another woman.”

“I was just spouting nonsense!”

“Regardless of who you liked…” He stared straight into my eyes, delivering each word with absolute clarity. “I never once intended to let you go.”

The night I returned from abroad, Grandpa had accidentally overheard some noise coming from the bedroom. Believing Hua Rang had improper intentions toward me, he had invoked the strict family discipline. Hua Rang had knelt in the study, his mind entirely consumed by thoughts of me:

“I am deeply grateful to the Shen family for raising me. But I am truly in love with Luo Luo… She is the only one I want.“

Grandpa was so enraged he shattered a porcelain vase, but seeing the unwavering resolve in Hua Rang’s eyes, he could only ask: “What if Luo Luo doesn’t love you? Are you planning to force her?“

Hua Rang had bowed his head to the floor. “I swear I will never force her. I will make her come to love me of her own free will.“

That was why, when Grandpa heard me confess my feelings at the dinner table, he fell silent. He had assumed this was entirely Hua Rang’s unrequited obsession… who would have guessed it had been a two-way war all along?

In truth, from the moment Hua Rang realized he was in love with me… the urge to keep me all to himself had taken root deep within him.

He had known my exact address abroad all along. He had flown over more than once, but every single time, he only watched me from a distance.

Fearing I might despise him, he chose a path of slow, deliberate erosion: whatever type of guy I liked, he would transform into that type.

If I liked someone like Tran An? Fine, he could become him.

As long as… one day, I would truly fall for him.

Except before his meticulously planned “seduction strategy” could even launch, he ran out of patience. He went to confront Tran An directly, warning him: “Stay away from Luo Luo. She can only belong to me.“

That unexpected confrontation yielded a shocking truth—straight from Tran An’s mouth, Hua Rang learned that I actually liked him too. Old memories flooded back in an instant. He finally realized that during those dark, secret nights, I had never mistaken him for anyone else. The person I loved, from the very beginning… had always been him.

“Hua Rang, it was you from start to finish. The only person I’ve ever loved… is you.”

“Yeah, I know,” he replied casually, before adding an utterly shameless line: “From the moment someone was bold enough to pin me down in bed, I should have realized it.”

I slammed my hand over his mouth instantly. “If you bring that up one more time, we’re over!”

Before I could even finish my threat, he scooped me up into his arms and carried me straight toward the bedroom. This time, no one was faking blindness, and no one was taking advantage of the dark. Just the two of us, ten fingers tightly intertwined.

As he watched me bite my lip to endure the intensity, the corners of his mouth curved into a teasing smile.

“Luo Luo, you don’t have to hold it in. I can see you now anyway. And besides… whether you make a sound or not, I’d still know it’s you.”

Furious and flustered, I sank my teeth straight into his shoulder. “Hua Rang!”

“Mhm. I’m right here.”

The situation with my dad unfolded pretty much like a year-end clearance sale: initial rage, followed by less rage, and eventually… even less rage.

The next morning, I walked downstairs to find Dad and Hua Rang sitting across from each other. Dad slid a stack of legal documents toward me. The second I caught sight of the title, I shook my head like a frantic fan.

“No! I’m not signing! I refuse to sever family ties with you!”

Dad knit his brows. “Who said anything about severing ties with you?”

“Then what is this?”

“It’s for Hua Rang to sever his legal ties with the Shen family. If he doesn’t, he remains your young uncle on paper. How on earth are you two supposed to get married? Or were you planning on staying a secret couple for the rest of your lives?”

I froze on the spot, my brain taking several seconds to process the information. Hua Rang gently tugged at my sleeve, a soft smile gracing his face. “Luo Luo, Dad agreed.”

“Don’t call me Dad just yet!” Dad immediately corrected him, though the edge in his voice was gone. “I’ve only agreed to the marriage.”

I threw my arms around Dad’s neck, hugging him tight. “Dad! You’re the absolute best! I love you!”

“Hmph. Raised you all these years… only for someone else to steal you away in the end.”

According to Mom, the turning point that changed Dad’s mind was a letter. He had accidentally stumbled upon the love letter I wrote for Hua Rang when I was eighteen—the letter I had never dared to send. It contained all of my purest, most earnest feelings. After reading it, he finally understood: this was no fleeting impulse, but a deep-seated love from the bottom of my heart.

Dad looked at Hua Rang, his tone stern. “If you ever dare to pick on Luo Luo in the future—”

“I wouldn’t dare,” Hua Rang answered without a second of hesitation. “From this day on, I only listen to Luo Luo.”

On the day we picked up our marriage certificate, the weather was gloriously bright—as if the sun itself had stepped in to set the perfect stage for our happy ending. Holding the red booklets in hand, I snapped a picture, posted it to my feed, and then turned to him with a brilliant beam.

“Hua Rang, as of today, you are officially mine.”

He gazed down at me, his eyes brimming with tenderness deep as the ocean.

“Mhm. I am yours, willingly.”