Chapter 128: This Is Far Too Sloppy!

Evening.

While the entire crew was busy packing up and moving to the next location, Chen Qi said a brief farewell to Xu Bunian, Zhou Xiao, and the others, then quietly left the old building alone.

He didn’t rush home.

Perhaps influenced by Zhou Xiao’s filming earlier, he suddenly felt an urge to watch a movie.

Although going to the cinema alone felt a bit odd, he still wanted to see one.

He wanted to see the films of this world.

Taking out his phone, he checked the map and saw a large shopping mall just two subway stops away, seemingly bustling with activity.

After some thought, he decided to stroll over there.

After all, he had nothing pressing to do.

Winding his way slowly through the moderately crowded streets, by the time he reached the mall, night had fully fallen.

The mall was even larger than he had imagined, and far busier too.

If nothing else, the massive square outside the mall, already teeming with people, was a sight that dazzled him, someone not accustomed to such scenes.

So vibrant!

So splendid!

Truly worthy of being in the capital beneath the emperor’s feet!

Of course, calling it packed to the brim was an exaggeration, but there were indeed quite a few people in the square.

Chen Qi walked slowly, admiring the mall’s beautiful nightscape with a face full of awe, deeply moved inside.

So beautiful!

“Wow—”

Just as Chen Qi was lost in admiration, a burst of cheerful cheers suddenly rang in his ears.

He looked up and saw a crowd gathered not far ahead, with the noise coming from there.

Guided by curiosity and the unwritten rule of not missing out on any excitement, Chen Qi moved closer.

There, he witnessed a marriage proposal.

A young man held a bouquet of roses and led a somewhat bewildered girl from the crowd. From the shock and disbelief on her face, it was clear she had no prior knowledge.

Leading her to the center of the square, the young man seemed about to say something, but possibly due to nerves, he stammered through two attempts without uttering a complete sentence, making Chen Qi, an onlooker, feel anxious for him.

Clearly, this guy had no experience!

Still, despite the nervousness, Chen Qi understood the boy’s tension.

There had to be at least a hundred people watching; anyone wouldn’t be calm under such pressure.

The courage to stage a public proposal already earned admiration.

Watching the young man’s nervous, incoherent words, the girl, now fully aware of the situation, looked at him with a mixture of sympathy and tenderness. She wanted to ease the awkwardness but didn’t know how.

Finally, the earnest young man simply expressed his love and solemnly promised to treat her better in the future, then dropped down on one knee.

“Dongdong, will you marry me?”

“Wow—”

The crowd around began to cheer and hoot.

The girl, both amused and embarrassed, looked at him.

Such a proposal... wasn’t it a bit too rushed?

But seeing the boy’s sincere, nervous gaze, her slight disappointment quickly faded.

Given his shy nature, reaching this point was already a huge surprise.

She was content.

Outside the circle, Chen Qi, having witnessed half of it, was stunned.

That’s it?

To borrow a popular phrase, he just blanked out, and this is all you got?

Too sloppy, right?

Just as the girl, now smiling, reached to take the ring from his hand, Chen Qi, for some unexplained reason, suddenly shouted, “Reject him!”

The girl, about to say yes, froze and instinctively glanced toward Chen Qi.

Not only her, but the crowd surrounding them, who had come for the spectacle, also looked over in disbelief.

Every face wore an incredulous smile.

Oh no!

This proposal, though different from what everyone expected, didn’t need to be publicly sabotaged like that!

Proposing wasn’t easy!

Perhaps feeling all the gazes around, Chen Qi’s companions stepped back a few paces after a brief moment of shock.

Thus, Chen Qi stood out like a crane among chickens, becoming the center of attention.

“...” Feeling the mix of amusement and disbelief from all sides, Chen Qi froze in place as if struck by a sudden paralysis.

This unwanted spotlight hit him utterly off guard!

“Heh...” He smiled awkwardly, bowed apologetically to the couple, and promptly turned to leave.

“Sorry to interrupt.”

“Ha ha ha ha...” The crowd burst into good-natured laughter at his clumsy retreat.

Even the girl being proposed to laughed, shooting the boy a playful, reproachful glance.

See? Even strangers can’t stand your sloppy proposal!

The boy smiled sheepishly, about to say something, when an unexpected event occurred.

“Chen Qi?”

A voice from the crowd sounded both surprised and delighted.

Chen Qi, having just turned and taken a few steps away, stiffened and closed his eyes in distress.

This is bad, really bad!

Being recognized while crashing a proposal—he’d never live this down!

“Are you Chen Qi?” A girl in a long dress stepped forward from the crowd, beaming.

“Chen Qi?”

Hearing the somewhat familiar name, others nearby furrowed their brows, trying to recall where they had heard it.

“Oh! Chen Qi?”

Someone soon remembered, eyes wide with disbelief and unmasked joy.

“Chen Qi from ‘Unexpected’?”

“The Chen Qi who caused a scene at the 4S dealership recently?”

Upon recognizing him, the crowd excitedly surrounded him.

Even the couple involved looked at Chen Qi in surprise.

The boy remained kneeling, visibly flustered.

He was torn—getting up now felt wrong, but staying down was no better.

What should he do?

“Yes, yes, that’s me,” Chen Qi said, struggling to handle the enthusiastic crowd.

But he did not forget the matter at hand.

“Everyone, quiet down. Let the guy finish his proposal, okay?”

Hearing this, the crowd seemed to remember the proposal and laughed, turning their eyes back to the couple.

Chen Qi also looked on, waiting for the boy to continue his performance.

...

(This chapter isn’t quite to my satisfaction; I’ll post it now and revise later.)