“When did you first start thinking about proposing to me?” I asked. We were at Hao Yi’s place, lying entwined after a moment of passion. I stretched my left hand out from under the blanket, admiring the ring on my finger. No matter the angle, just looking at it sent a sweet warmth through my chest.
“It’s a secret,” Hao Yi said with a soft kiss.
“Come on, I’ve already agreed to marry you, and you’re still keeping secrets?”
“Alright, alright. I started looking at rings about two months ago, but I only bought this one today. I rushed the purchase a bit, so it’s a little loose. The saleslady said we can take it back for resizing. Do you want to know how much it cost?” Hao Yi’s honesty, down to the smallest detail, was endearingly cute, contrasting with his usually composed demeanor.
“No need! The diamond is so huge, and it’s from a department store brand. I should scold you for spending so much—why not save the money for a house?” I teased with a laugh.
“I just thought... you can’t go wrong with a big brand and a big diamond, right?”
“Alright! I’m not blaming you. The ring is beautiful. But why did you have to propose while we were house hunting? And you made it so romantic, yet we’re not even planning to buy that house. It must’ve been so awkward for the agent...”
“As a man, I want to give my partner a house she truly loves!”
“Hao Yi, I...” I wanted to tell him to let it go, that I didn’t want to buy a house. But the words got stuck in my throat. Tonight was supposed to be a time to pop champagne and celebrate, not to discuss such mood-killing realities. “Never mind, it’s nothing.”
“It’s okay. Tell me.”
“It’s really nothing!”
“Say it!” Hao Yi hooked his arm around my neck, mimicking my earlier teasing tone. “We’re going to be married—are you going to keep secrets from me already?”
“I just think... we can hold off on buying a house for now.” Seeing the earnest look in Hao Yi’s eyes, I tried to put it as gently as possible. “Think about it: we’re about to start preparing for a wedding, which will already cost a lot of money. There’s so much that will take time and energy. I feel like we can wait until after the wedding to look for a house.”
“Really? That’s what you want to say to me?” Hao Yi frowned, his expression growing serious.
I knew I had said the wrong thing, but if I didn’t say it now, I wouldn’t be able to face Hao Yi honestly for the rest of the night.
“I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just saying...”
“Everyone is telling me house prices will only go up. If we don’t buy now, we’ll regret it. I know you’re not interested in these things, but we’ll have to buy eventually. I want to give you a stable home before we get married. Now is the best time to enter the market. You, of all people, should be the one who supports me the most. But instead, you’re standing on the sidelines, making me feel like a fool for caring so much. Do you know how happy I was when you asked me to look at houses today? That moment led me to propose, and you still don’t understand how much this means to me?”
I stared at Hao Yi, momentarily at a loss for words.
His sincerity, passion, dreams, and hopes—those overinflated balloons I had so easily pricked—how could they not leave him feeling deflated and frustrated? I understood all of that. But I also knew one thing: Hao Yi was in too much of a rush to buy a house. I couldn’t let him make such a decision out of impulsiveness.
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