CHAPTER 198: CHAPTER 198 BREAK THEM APART 1_1

As the festival approached, darkness fell early. Cold sleet seeped down their necks.

Yan Xixi huddled behind a taxi stand sign, pulling her down jacket’s hood up completely. Finally, a car stopped in front of her, and she immediately got in. A blast of warm air from the heater greeted her, bringing a little feeling back to her nearly frozen hands.

Huang Xiaojue grumbled, "Xixi, why did you wait so far away?"

"I was afraid my coworkers might see me."

Huang Xiaojue laughed. "Do we have to sneak around forever? It doesn’t matter if they see us. The weather is too cold. Don’t go so far next time."

She rubbed her hands, and they gradually began to warm up. She suddenly remembered Huang Xiaojue was planning to propose today. For some reason, she felt a little uneasy.

"Xixi, are you hungry?"

"I’m cold and hungry."

It was an excellent restaurant. The decor and ambiance of the small private room were top-notch. A large bouquet of red roses, ordered in advance, sat neatly on the table. A pretty waitress, full of enthusiasm, asked, "Sir, shall we start serving the dishes now?"

"Yes, serve them immediately."

The delicious soup arrived, and Yan Xixi drank two bowls in one go. She instantly felt warm all over. Huang Xiaojue was delighted to see her eating happily. Only after they had eaten their fill were the plates cleared and fresh pastries served.

Huang Xiaojue waved his hand. The waitress smiled, then exited, carefully closing the door behind her.

Huang Xiaojue took out a red velvet box, opened it, and inside lay a gorgeous ring. He took it out and, gazing at her, asked, "Xixi, do you like it?"

Yan Xixi suddenly became very nervous, not knowing what to do with her hands and feet. She watched wide-eyed as Huang Xiaojue took her hand. Just as he was about to slip the ring onto her finger, the lights went out. The room plunged into darkness.

In the pitch darkness, she instinctively withdrew her hand.

Huang Xiaojue never dreamed there would be a power outage at such a crucial moment. The private room was pitch-black; you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. He was so angry he nearly swore. He immediately opened the door and heard a waitress outside, panting as she said, "We’re very sorry, everyone! There was a temporary power trip... The electrician is already here. It’ll be fixed right away, right away... We’ll bring candles for everyone immediately..."

Five or six minutes passed, but the "right away" fix hadn’t materialized. Perhaps it was due to the sheer number of guests, but candles still hadn’t reached their private room.

Huang Xiaojue had never been so frustrated. In the darkness, however, Yan Xixi couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

"Xixi, what are you laughing at?"

"I’m thinking we should dine and dash."

"You really want to run?"

"Let’s go! Right now!"

Huang Xiaojue grabbed her hand, and they bolted downstairs. Once outside the restaurant, they broke into a full sprint. They ran for three streets before stopping, panting for breath.

Yan Xixi still wanted to run. "Don’t stop!" she urged. "If they catch up to us, we’re done for..."

Huang Xiaojue held her firmly. "Stop running, haha! Let’s rest for a bit first."

Still gasping for breath, Yan Xixi asked, "Do you think they’ll actually chase us?"

Huang Xiaojue burst out laughing. "I’m a regular at this restaurant. My card has plenty of credit. I can just call and have them deduct the payment from my card. Why would they chase us?"

Yan Xixi glared at him, then chuckled. She suddenly remembered his car was still in the restaurant’s parking lot. So, this honest man had learned a few tricks after all!

Under a dim streetlight, he took out the ring and steadily slipped it onto her ring finger. Then, he gently embraced her. "Xixi, you can’t back out of this now."