Chapter 280 - 214: I’m Ready Anytime

After the lively wedding celebration, Ni Bingyan and her group returned to Rongcheng City, laden with bags of all sizes. They had barely caught their breath before the holiday was over.

"Dad, once I leave this time, I probably won’t be back until the New Year. Why don’t you come to Beijing with me?"

After the recent plane crash scare, not only was Ni Guangli still shaken, but Ni Bingyan was also left with a huge psychological scar. She wished she could just stay home and watch over him.

Unfortunately, she was swamped with work. Ideals and reality were two very different things.

She was about to join the cast of *Inheritor*, and next month, she had to start promotions for *Demon Suppression Tower*. On top of that, she had to undergo etiquette and dance training in preparation for next year’s filming of *Zui Sheng Building*. With various year-end ceremonies and shoots for new seasonal advertisements, it would be hard for her to get any time off in the coming months.

Ni Guangli was also reluctant to see her go, but he understood that when children grow up, they have their own careers and lives. Only by letting go could she have a promising future. Keeping her by his side all the time wasn’t a solution.

So, he refused without hesitation:

"No, don’t worry about it. You’re so busy you’re never home. If I go, not only will I barely see you, but I’ll also have to wake up early and stay up late to cook for you. I’m better off staying here! Besides, I’m not like other retired old men. I’m a man with a career. How could I possibly stay with you for a long time!"

’Okay, he’s got a point. It’s hard to argue with that.’ Just as Ni Bingyan was about to say something, she heard her dad add cheerfully:

"You have no idea, your martial brothers’ kids are so adorable! They cling to me all day long. I don’t even know which one to hold first."

A sudden pang of jealousy hit her.

But on second thought, having children doting on him was a kind of happiness for someone his age, so she didn’t say anything snide.

"Alright, I’m leaving then. Take care of yourself. Remember to get your kidney stones checked on time, drink lots of water, and don’t stay up late all the time. And call me often, whether you have something to say or not..."

"Aiya! You’re even more long-winded than this old man. Hurry up and go, or you’ll be late!"

Thinking about his daughter rushing to catch her flight, Ni Guangli’s heart pounded, and he couldn’t help but add a few more reminders:

"You must call me when you land. I’ll be waiting."

He had already said this seven or eight times, but Ni Bingyan wasn’t impatient. She replied just as she always did, "Don’t worry. I’ll call you before I board, I’ll call you after I land, and I’ll call you again when I get home."

"Okay. From now on, whenever you travel far, you have to let me know, so I’m not constantly worried."

"If I’m not going too far, I’ll drive."

They both understood that the probability of a car crash was much higher than that of a plane crash. But car crashes weren’t always fatal, while plane crashes rarely had survivors.

Sang Yuan, holding the suitcase, had been standing off to the side. Seeing that they were about done talking, he walked over and gave Ni Guangli a hug.

"Uncle, let’s keep in touch. If anything comes up, you have to let me know right away. Bingbing is sometimes on set and might be unreachable, but I’m different. I have time every day. Just treat me like a son and order me around."

Sang Yuan always seized every opportunity to prove himself. This ’unofficial family member’ worked harder at it than she, the ’official’ one, did. He was so close to her old man, they were like biological father and son. Ni Bingyan still wasn’t used to it.

But when she saw her dad’s face break into a smile upon hearing this, even the sadness of their parting seemed to lessen, Ni Bingyan couldn’t help but sigh inwardly and keep her mouth shut.

"Ah, our Bingbing has many bad habits. You’ll have to be patient with her. If she does anything wrong, you should tell me. Don’t let an impulse hurt your relationship."

His own daughter was out there on her own. Although Sang Jingwen and his wife seemed very nice, he was still worried that something unpleasant might happen in their daily life together.

After all, he had been around the block and knew what mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationships could be like.

Sang Yuan immediately understood his concern. But there was no point in making promises about such things; they had to be dealt with as they came. So he feigned displeasure:

"Uncle, it’s not that I don’t respect you, but if you keep talking about her like that, I’m really going to get angry! Bingbing is a wonderful girl. I adore her, and my parents adore her too!"

Ni Bingyan suddenly detected a strong whiff of calculated charm. But seeing her dad’s smile grow even wider, she knew Sang Yuan’s bewitching words were working their magic again. She could only sigh and start hurrying them along.

"Okay, okay, let’s go, let’s go! If we don’t leave now, it’ll be dark!"

A reluctant Sang Yuan finally waved goodbye to Ni Guangli. He walked over with a light laugh, picked up the suitcase again, and got in the car with Ni Bingyan.

The two of them didn’t say much on the way. They just held hands, counting each other’s fingernails and kneading each other’s fingers. It wasn’t until the plane took off that Ni Bingyan finally organized her thoughts.

"You must have fallen behind on a lot of work during this time, haven’t you?"

"Not at all. Don’t worry, I haven’t even used up all my annual leave yet!"

Ni Bingyan glanced at him, thinking about the trending topics from the past couple of days. She cleared her throat twice before asking what was really on her mind:

"Are you really in that much of a hurry to marry me? The whole world thinks we’re about to get married now. Some people are even guessing we secretly registered our marriage a long time ago."

Sang Yuan quickly turned his head to look at her. Seeing her serious expression, he immediately pulled a square, black velvet ring box from his pocket. With a CLICK, he opened it, revealing a pink diamond the size of a pigeon’s egg.

It wasn’t set with any other diamonds. Just a single, simple, large pink diamond that was both translucent and brilliant.

Ni Bingyan only needed one look, and her girlish heart, with its thirty-plus years of service, nearly went on strike.

’He said last time he was going to carry this thing with him everywhere. I can’t believe he actually did it!’

Seeing that he was about to launch into a proposal right then and there, Ni Bingyan was about to lose her mind.

’Can’t couples even talk about this kind of topic nowadays?’

’Come on, man!’

’I just wanted to have a casual chat! A heart-to-heart! I didn’t mean for you to get serious!’

’You just turned thirty! You’re still young, why are you in such a rush to dive into the grave of matrimony?’

Ni Bingyan found his line of thinking a bit hard to comprehend.

"Heh."

Seeing her staring at him with a dazed look, Sang Yuan chuckled softly and, with another CLICK, snapped the ring box shut.

"I know you’re not ready yet. I just wanted to tell you that I’ve been ready for a long time. Whether it’s getting engaged or married, I’m ready anytime. Of course, this is one I picked out, and I don’t know if you like it. The actual wedding ring should be chosen by you. After all, it’s something that will be with you for a lifetime, so it has to be something you love."

He spoke with such sincerity and frankness. Though his tone was perfectly normal, the words sent a tingle through her ears.

Blushing, Ni Bingyan gazed out the window at the rolling sea of clouds and didn’t speak for a long time.

"I’ve always felt that I’m not good enough. You’re so good to me, it often feels like I’m dreaming. I’m afraid the dream will end soon, and I’ll wake up to find myself all alone again."

After a long while, just when Sang Yuan thought she had fallen asleep, he suddenly heard her whisper these words.

Sang Yuan hummed a song and gently patted the back of her hand, saying nothing.

A man’s loyalty isn’t proven with words, but tested over time.

Understanding his meaning, Ni Bingyan’s anxious heart suddenly settled.

A little while later, a flight attendant came by to ask if they wanted anything to drink. Ni Bingyan ordered a cup of coffee and was sipping it slowly when she heard Sang Yuan ask:

"Have you finished organizing your manuscript? Do you want my help?"

The previous topic faded away just like that, as if it had never been brought up.

They had returned to their usual channel.

"There’s still a bit left to do, but I should be able to finish it soon. Sister Wei said the buzz from the last art book is still going strong, so there’s no rush."

"Speaking of Sister Wei, she called me to complain a couple of days ago."

Ni Bingyan didn’t know about this and was a little surprised. "What did she complain to you about?"

’This guy isn’t just on good terms with my dad, he’s this close with my agent now too?’

Seeing she was about to get her hackles up, Sang Yuan shot her a sidelong glance.

"She said she can’t let you have a vacation. Every time you take a break, she has to work overtime. She specifically called to ask for my help, telling me to keep an eye on you and stop you from stirring up trouble."

At this, Sang Yuan couldn’t help but want to laugh.

Ni Bingyan had been on vacation for two weeks and had hit the trending topics more than a dozen times. The first thing Wei Shuojie did every morning was grab her phone to check Weibo, otherwise she couldn’t feel at ease for the rest of the day.

"But I didn’t stir up any trouble!"

Ni Bingyan felt deeply wronged.

’Announcing our relationship was the responsible and proper thing to do, right?’

’Mistakenly thinking my dad was in a plane crash and rushing to the scene in a panic wasn’t wrong, was it?’

’My only cousin was getting married, and my dad wouldn’t take a plane, so I went with the motorcade. Nothing wrong with that, right?’

’Besides, my dad was lucky enough to escape that fatal flight, and then he generously donated five hundred million to start a charitable foundation. Then Sang Yuan tagged along with me to the Lu Family’s place to make his presence known, which dragged me onto the trending topics with him. That’s not my fault, is it?’

’And all the endorsement promotions, the hit TV series, the wrap-ups, the praised clips from my shows... that’s all normal, isn’t it?’

’What A-list actress doesn’t end up on the trending topics a few times?’

’For someone as low-key as me, people who don’t know better might think I spend all my money buying a social media army!’