Take Me Away, My Love - Chapter 1 - Proposal
The faint starlight flowed down from the sky, merging with the surrounding lights, resembling jewels scattered on a golden garment.
In the distance, the sea and sky blended into one, making it hard to distinguish where the stars in the sky ended and the lights on the ground began.
Couples were hand in hand, hugging or kissing, adding an air of romance to the place. Could this be the legendary paradise of love?
As Li Minchun thought of this, her lips curled into a slight smile, revealing a hint of happiness.
It’s been a long time since she relaxed; could this mean that good times are ahead?
Beside her was Jian Yiqing, the man she loved. The romance and warmth filled her heart completely. Thinking about spending every day like this in the future, that would truly be wonderful.
Being gently led by the hand, she boarded the luxury cruise, still bewildered: “Is there an event tonight?”
Jian Yiqing nodded with a smile and gently kissed the back of Li Minchun’s hand, saying softly, “Tonight’s event is specially prepared for you. Want to see it?”
“For me?” Despite her full of questions, Li Minchun was overjoyed and nodded as she followed Jian Yiqing onto the cruise.
As the two boarded the cruise, the onlookers from the shore erupted into enthusiastic cheers.
After the cruise started, they gradually headed towards the center of the sea.
As they got closer, Li Minchun finally saw numerous dolphins jumping continuously on the water’s surface.
Their blue-gray backs and white bellies were clearly visible before her eyes.
How astonishing; how were dolphins appearing here?
Before Li Minchun could process this surprise, the next scene made her eyes widen, and she covered her O-shaped mouth with her splayed fingers, overwhelmed with excitement.
Just now, she distinctly saw the dolphins setting off fireworks autonomously. And after the fireworks shot into the sky, they formed a large heart shape.
The beautiful fireworks almost lit up the entire night sky, casting colorful lights on Li Minchun’s face, making her look as radiant as a goddess descended from the heavens.
“How did you manage all of this?”
Turning around to ask, she saw Jian Yiqing had somehow brought out wine and flowers, kneeling on one knee before her, looking at her with hope.
In his hand, he produced a small box and gently opened it. Inside lay a diamond ring, personally designed by an Italian designer, a ring customized by Jian Yiqing, a one-of-a-kind diamond ring in the world, quietly resting there, emitting a brilliant light.
“Li Minchun, will you marry me?”
Those simple words were enough to make Li Minchun burst into tears.
When she had previously witnessed other women being moved to tears during a proposal, Li Minchun found it quite amusing. But now, with such a scene unfolding before her, she finally understood what it meant to be deeply moved by love.
When one is most proud, it is also when they are least vigilant.
Neither Li Minchun nor Jian Yiqing anticipated that at that moment, several dark barrels were aimed at them.
Moreover, their proposal scene was being broadcast live to the Shangguan Family.
The family, as they watched such a romantic scene, each person was filled with resentment.
Cheng Mo was particularly displeased, wondering why Li Minchun always seemed to outshine her, even in a romantic proposal. Her fists clenched tightly, and if it weren’t for the fact that Li Minchun still had her uses, she might have ended her long ago.
Chen Zhen, on the other hand, was in turmoil, her eyes glued to the big screen, praying constantly, hoping they could escape this disaster.
Her phone kept lighting up with calls from Zhang Mi and Ru Long. They must have noticed her absence and were searching for her everywhere.
Just thinking about Ru Long made Chen Zhen feel guilty, as she had noticed his efforts towards her. Unfortunately, Cheng Duo was the only one she truly loved. She tossed her phone aside, choosing to ignore it.
When Cheng Duo received confirmation that everything was ready, he nodded at Cheng Mo and then spoke into his phone:
“Do it!”
Those weighty words instantly caused Chen Zhen’s mental defenses to crumble. Right before her eyes, she could clearly see several bullets slicing through the air, all aiming towards Jian Yiqing.
With so many bullets fired at once, even an iron man would be riddled with holes. Moreover, being in the middle of the sea, Jian Yiqing had no cover to protect him.
In just a few short minutes, the people watching on television finally saw the eyesore of a luxury cruise ship being sunk, with the two people on board swallowed by the sea.
“Search with all your might, find those two, whether alive or dead,” Cheng Duo commanded loudly on the phone.
Chen Zhen, however, seemed to lose her mind as she suddenly rushed over, gripping Cheng Duo’s throat fiercely, her eyes red with rage as she shouted, “You bastard, you liar, you promised me you wouldn’t take their lives! Why did you go back on your word? Tell me, tell me, I’ll kill you to avenge Li Minchun…”
At that moment, Cheng Mo struck Chen Zhen on the neck, knocking her out cold, giving Cheng Duo finally a moment to catch his breath. He hurriedly backed away, and once he steadied his breathing, he angrily kicked Chen Zhen a couple of times.
“Stupid bitch, almost choked me to death.”
“Enough, let’s just make sure they find Jian Yiqing and Li Minchun. We can’t let those two escape again.” Cheng Mo said with a fierce gleam in her eyes.
Her swift and powerful blow to Chen Zhen startled Jian Gangchen.
What kind of woman was this, whose moves were even more formidable and precise than many men?
When Chen Zhen awoke, she found herself locked in a secret room. All around her were walls welded with solid iron, with the only ventilation opening also sealed with arm-thick steel bars. The room was completely empty, devoid of any objects.
In this kind of environment, even at her full strength, Chen Zhen might not have been able to escape, let alone now in her condition as a pregnant woman.
After surveying her surroundings, Chen Zhen finally slumped to the ground in defeat.
Her eyes stared blankly ahead, her heart filled with boundless guilt.
What exactly had she done? Li Minchun had been so sincere with her, and Chen Zhen had only her as a true friend, yet she had led her to her death.
Every time she thought about the scene she had seen on television, Chen Zhen felt a splitting headache, as if her head were about to crack open. Her deep self-reproach felt like a relentless cloud hanging over her, causing her immense pain.
After a night spent in such misery, Chen Zhen heard the sound of the iron door opening the next morning.
She slowly raised her head to see Cheng Mo standing at the doorway, clad in a striking red dress, secretly amused at the sight of Chen Zhen’s desolation and guilt.
“I didn’t expect you to care so much for her.”
“You killed her. You killed her.” Chen Zhen, as if in a trance, kept repeating these words in a hollow and distant voice.
“She’s not dead!” Cheng Mo said casually, yet it stirred all of Chen Zhen’s emotions. She jerked her head up to look at Cheng Mo in disbelief. “What did you say?”
Unable to stand her demeanor and feeling envious of Li Minchun, Cheng Mo wondered why there were always people who were so emotionally involved with her. At the organization, it had been Madam Li and Xian Cheng; later, Jian Yiqing and others. Now, even Chen Zhen was the same.
She couldn’t understand what charm that woman possessed to deserve such attention.
Rolling her eyes at Chen Zhen, Cheng Mo spoke through gritted teeth, “I’m not lying to you. Last night they searched all night, turning over practically the entire seawater, but they still couldn’t find a trace of Li Minchun or Jian Yiqing.” A hint of malice flashed in Cheng Mo’s eyes as she continued, “Those two bastards, always so lucky!”
But seeing Cheng Mo’s embittered expression, Chen Zhen felt a thrill of excitement. She knew that this time Cheng Mo wasn’t deceiving her. Li Minchun and Jian Yiqing were indeed not dead; they were still alive.
Wonderful!
Looking at the changing expressions on the woman’s face, Cheng Mo disdainfully asked, “Now you won’t act on impulse anymore, right? Trust me-if we cooperate, you can get what you want, and I can get what I want.”
With that, she stepped aside.
Behind her, Cheng Duo appeared.
Now it was time to put the charm offensive into play.
Cheng Duo approached Chen Zhen with a hurt expression on his face. “I never thought you’d want to kill me.”
Chen Zhen quickly noticed the redness and swelling on Cheng Duo’s neck. Her heart ached as she gently touched it, saying, “I didn’t mean to. I really didn’t. I don’t know what came over me. When I saw what happened to Li Minchun, I just…”
Before she could finish, Cheng Duo pulled her close and kissed her deeply.
As had happened many times before, Chen Zhen was shy in his embrace, awkwardly and clumsily trying to respond to the man she loved. Cheng Duo always had a way of stirring her desires, enveloping her like the very air, making it impossible for her to free herself.
Her shy attempts to reciprocate stirred Cheng Duo’s desires as well. Easily, he scooped her up and carried her upstairs, his hand slipping quietly under her clothes. But Chen Zhen grasped his hand tightly, catching her breath as she protested, “The doctor said… with the baby, it’s not advisable…”
Her words were like a cold bucket of water dousing Cheng Duo’s enthusiasm.
“Alright, you rest well,” he said perfunctorily before turning to leave.
Watching his retreating back, Chen Zhen thought, “Wait for me, just wait ten months, and I’ll make it up to you.”
When Cheng Duo came downstairs, looking somewhat dejected, he was greeted by Cheng Mo’s smiling face. But there was something unsettling about her smile. “So quickly? Didn’t feel like rekindling old flames with your lover? Or worried I’d interrupt your good time?”
Cheng Duo pulled the sultry woman into his arms, nibbling on her earlobe as he said, “You know you’re the one I truly love, you’re my wife after all. She’s just here to have a baby for me. Isn’t this just what we wanted? Don’t worry, once she’s given birth, I’ll send her packing right away. I’ll make sure you’re satisfied, alright?”
With a lascivious grin, Cheng Mo wrapped her arms around his neck, her tongue teasingly grazing his lips. This tantalizing gesture reignited Cheng Duo’s desires.
Without hesitation, he pulled her down onto the sofa.
The sounds of their passionate entanglement echoed upstairs, deeply affecting Chen Zhen. Despite this, she continued to tell herself that it would only be ten more months. After the ten months, once her body recovered, she could be with him.
What he was doing now was just meeting his physical needs. Hadn’t Jian Yiqing also sought out another woman when Li Minchun was pregnant?
