Yan Xia reached out to catch the snowflakes outside the window. "It doesn't matter. As long as I can be with you, I'm happy."
Lu Qianzhou hugged her even tighter.
Yan Xia said, "I once heard a very beautiful legend about the purple flower fields here. Do you want to hear it?"
"Go ahead."
Yan Xia continued, "Legend has it that there was once a young girl here who fell in love at first sight with a young traveler from afar. But soon after, the young man had to leave Provence. Due to his attachment and reluctance, he invited the girl to leave with him and continue their journey to a place full of roses.
Before leaving, an old man in the village gave the girl a bunch of lavender and told her to use it to test the young man's heart, because the fragrance of lavender could expose impure things. So, the girl threw the bunch of lavender at the young man, and finally, the young man disappeared with a wisp of purple smoke. The girl disappeared with him. Some people said that she was so reluctant that she disappeared with the young man."
Lu Qianzhou listened quietly to her finish the story without making any comments.
"It's a warm yet sad story."
However, Lu Qianzhou didn't agree. "If the girl hadn't doubted the young man and tested him, the young man wouldn't have disappeared, and there wouldn't have been such a pity."
Thinking that what he said made sense, Yan Xia added,
"Just like the human heart, it can never withstand being tested."
Lu Qianzhou gently kissed her ear. "Let's go out for breakfast."
He and she lived like the locals in the small town. They went hand in hand to the local bakery and bought baguettes and croissants, then went to a coffee shop to sit for a while.
The coffee shop was full of townspeople chatting together. The French language was spoken quickly, just as romantic as this small town.
Suddenly, Yan Xia remembered something. "Oh, right! I forgot to ask you. Why did you suddenly bring me here?"
Lu Qianzhou smiled brightly. "Really forgot?"
"Forgot what?"
Lu Qianzhou couldn't help but reach out and poke her forehead. "It's your birthday today, silly girl."
Yan Xia stared at him in surprise. Only then did she realize that since she became Lu Sheng, she had even forgotten her own birthday. She didn't expect Lu Qianzhou to still remember.
"Did you bring me here to celebrate my birthday?"
Lu Qianzhou asked her back, "Do you think I have so much time to waste otherwise?"
She kept looking at him, deeply touched.
"Thank you, Third Brother."
She hadn't been this happy for a long time. Her eyes were full of twinkling stars.
Lu Qianzhou leaned back leisurely in his chair. "We'll be closing the net when we get back. Maybe there won't be such a leisurely time again. So, I took you out to relax on your birthday."
Yan Xia looked at the snowy scenery outside the window, full of longing.
"It's so quiet here. People living here seem to have no troubles at all and don't have to worry about anything." Unlike them, who had to live in fear every day, surrounded by plots and schemes.
Lu Qianzhou said with a smile, "If you like it, we can come here to settle down when we're old."
After breakfast, he took her for a stroll in the small town. Lavender products such as sachets and essential oils could be seen everywhere.
This small town had a style similar to that of ancient Rome. The scenery was extremely beautiful. Any background you chose to take a photo would look like a blockbuster.
He took Yan Xia to the Château de Lubéron. The dilapidated walls of this castle, which was perched on the top of a rocky mountain like an eagle's nest, used to be an impregnable city. On this gloomy winter day, various stone chambers and walls could be seen everywhere.
Walking in this foreign small town with Lu Qianzhou, she even had the illusion that she had walked most of her life hand in hand with him.
Lu Qianzhou said, "This castle was built in the 10th century and was destroyed in 1633. Counting it, it had gone through six centuries of baptism before being destroyed."
Yan Xia's hand was tightly held in his palm. "If we could hold a wedding here in the future, it would be quite special, right?"
When a girl says something like this for the first time, the boy's reaction is very important. So, after saying this, she immediately raised her head to see Lu Qianzhou's reaction.
But she found that his expression didn't change at all. He didn't even answer her question.
He was like a dedicated tour guide, introducing things to her as they walked.
"Next to it is the famous Lumières Carrières. It also uses the remains of the quarry left in the 19th century. I was lucky enough to see it once. They used lights to project famous paintings in the history of art on the huge artificial caves. When you walk into the cave, you'll have a real feeling of walking into a painting."
Yan Xia frowned. Although she didn't usually say it, she was always sensitive and delicate. One of his words, actions, or even a look could make her overthink.
"Third Brother, do you simply not want to get married, or is it just because the person standing in front of you is me?" She let go of his hand and looked away.
"Isn't it too soon to talk about marriage when we've only been dating for a short time?" Lu Qianzhou reached out and pulled her into his arms. "Xia Xia, sometimes you're more reasonable than me. You should know that this isn't the right time to talk about feelings."
Yan Xia said, "If it's not the right time to talk about feelings, why are you still with me? Fang Jiangyi even said that he would prepare for our wedding after the New Year. You're not just finding it troublesome. You just don't care."
He clearly knew her temper, but he didn't even say a single word to coax her. He was clearly doing it on purpose.
"Love is a progressive and troublesome thing. Sweet words during a passionate love are like shackles. I hope I can be a person who stays true to one person. I have to be able to fulfill any words I say. So, it's not the time to say those sweet words yet."
Did this mean that he wasn't sure about her and didn't think she would be the one to accompany him for the rest of his life?
Yan Xia completely got stuck in her own thoughts. "If you're not sure about your feelings for me, then we'd better break up as soon as possible. I've said that what I want is a relationship that will never break up. If you can't give it to me, don't play with me."
She was angry and walked aside, ignoring him.
Lu Qianzhou put his arm around her waist and took her to the nearby Lumières Carrières. Yan Xia struggled, but he hugged her even tighter.
What was supposed to be a very romantic and harmonious trip suddenly turned into this.
The two of them entered the Lumières Carrières together. At this moment, the lights were projecting a blue sea, and the waves were swaying.
Even the ground was covered with rolling blue waves. The three - dimensional surround sound made people feel as if they were really in the middle of the sea. Not far away was a strange blue - violet color with a touch of light orange, like the horizon where the sky and the sea met in the distance.
Yan Xia stared blankly at the scenery in front of her.
"I've never thought of spending the rest of my life with anyone other than you." Lu Qianzhou's voice was right next to her ear. Yan Xia suddenly turned her head. His face was clean and handsome, and there was only her reflection in his eyes. "I love you."
The urgent and soft words were almost inaudible against the sound of the waves.
Yan Xia looked at him, and her eyes gradually turned red. She didn't even know when a ring had been put on her finger.
It wasn't until Lu Qianzhou grabbed her hand and held it up and said, "You've been marked by me. From now on, you're mine."