The Hand of Confession – Chapter 399

Volume 11: The Days of Traveling on a Train

The Proposal

Shen Maomao, will you marry me?

Shen Maomao felt that the only reason Puck was still alive was because she loved him too damn much.

Thankfully, Lou Jingmo wasn’t too fixated on the onion ring¹ this time. With a bit of coaxing, she managed to talk Shen Maomao down from her murderous rampage against the child.

After Shang Zhou’s death, all notifications about him on the forums had vanished, but the entire game would probably know that his guild possessed twelve cards. Their own guild was large and powerful, though, so they weren’t afraid of other players getting greedy.

The higher a player’s level, the less frequently they entered instances. It would be several months before Lou Jingmo’s next run, so she decided on a plan: ten minutes before entering, she would get the cards in the park downstairs, then race back up to her apartment and log into the game. It was a way to exploit a system² loophole. Maybe if she went in with her mental state at its peak, she could avoid a situation like Shang Zhou’s.

Of course, now was not the time to discuss such mood-killing³ topics.

Lou Jingmo was preparing to formally propose to Shen Maomao!

To avoid the classic death flag⁴ of “I’ll marry you when I get back from the game,” she and Shen Maomao decided to get their marriage certificate before the next instance.

As far as Shen Maomao was concerned, the onion ring proposal that night had been the final word. All they needed to do was pick an auspicious date⁵ and go to the registry office. But for Lou Jingmo, it wasn’t enough. Even if Shen Maomao didn’t feel wronged, she felt her heart ache for her.

So, she decided to plan another, more official proposal. She didn’t tell Shen Maomao, wanting it to be a surprise.

As for Shen Maomao—she had spent the last few days so engrossed in picking a date that she hadn’t noticed Lou Jingmo’s strange behavior at all.

Lou Jingmo didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but it worked in her favor. It made her secret preparations that much easier.

Two months later, she had arranged everything and set her plan into motion.

It happened to be June 1st, Children’s Day⁶. As soon as they woke up, Lou Jingmo asked, “Do you want to go to the amusement park?”

Shen Maomao groaned. “No… it’s too hot. I want to stay home and sleep.”

Lou Jingmo’s proposal plan: Dead on arrival.

Fortunately, their god-tier wingman, Puck, made his appearance. “I wanna go! I wanna go! I wanna go to the amusement park! I’m a kid! I want to go!”

Lou Jingmo breathed a sigh of relief, casting a rare glance of approval at the little spirit. The look startled him so much he thought he’d gone too far and was about to get a beating. He quickly hid behind Shen Maomao and said pitifully, “All the other kids get to go to the amusement park… I’ve been calling you guys Mom and Dad for so long, and I’ve never been…”

Shen Maomao’s heart melted instantly. She performed a perfect carp jump⁷, sitting bolt upright in bed. “We’re going! We’re going right now! You deserve to have everything the other kids have!”

“You don’t have to be in such a hurry,” Lou Jingmo said, guiding the situation. “Let’s go tonight. It’ll be cooler, and the lights at the park are beautiful. Don’t you want to kiss on a sparkling Ferris wheel?”

Shen Maomao’s eyes lit up. “Yes, yes, yes, yes! I’ll go wash my hair right now! Let’s go!”

Once her spirits were lifted, Shen Maomao didn’t even feel the heat anymore. After washing her hair, she excitedly grabbed Puck and lectured him on all the things to pay attention to when they went out.

She had even bought him a special crossbody bag. When they took him out, he was usually disguised as a keychain, but the bag had an inner pocket he could stand in to watch the world go by, or duck back into when he was tired.

Puck used to be quite naughty. The moment they looked away, he would vanish without a trace. But after a few “mixed doubles” beatdowns from Shen Maomao and Lou Jingmo, he had finally learned his lesson. Now, he wouldn’t run off even if you told him to.

And so, amid her eager anticipation, the sun quickly began to set.

Even as dusk fell, the air in South City felt just as thick as it had that morning. Shen Maomao hated the heat and was wearing a pale pink cotton t-shirt—the kind that cost five-ninety and came with free shipping on Pinxixi⁸. She paired it with athletic shorts, revealing pale legs that were a testament to her homebody lifestyle. Lou Jingmo watched her with deep dissatisfaction, wanting to cover her up but afraid of ruining her good mood.

Shen Maomao was completely oblivious to her inner conflict. In her mind, when she was with Lou Jingmo, no one else would be looking at her anyway, so she paid zero attention to her image. If it weren’t for the fear of her shoe flying off on a roller coaster and hitting someone, she probably would have just worn flip-flops.

She slung on her bag, sprayed herself with flower dew water⁹, and stood at the door, urging Lou Jingmo to hurry up. Her lethargy from the morning was completely gone.

Lou Jingmo checked the time. The hour hand was already pointing to six. It was the appointed time, so she didn’t delay any longer and got up to put on her shoes.

Shen Maomao grabbed the flower dew water and gave her a couple of sprays before putting the bottle in her backpack for emergencies. She was the very picture of domestic virtue.

Puck coughed dramatically. “I’m gonna suffocate, wuwuwu QAQ. Are you trying to choke me to death so you can replace me with another kid?!”

Shen Maomao had no choice but to take the bottle out and put it on the shoe rack by the door. “Fine. But if I get bitten by a mosquito tonight, I’m throwing you into the lawn downstairs.”

That place was a mosquito paradise.

Puck wailed, “It’s Children’s Day! You can’t do this to me!”

“Alright, alright, stop howling. We’re leaving.”

Puck immediately went silent and lay obediently on the edge of the bag, curiously observing the world outside.

South City’s largest amusement park was located by the river, and its facilities were extensive. Since it was Children’s Day, there were many parents with their children, but Lou Jingmo luckily snagged a parking spot and pulled right in.

They bought a ticket booklet at the entrance, which allowed them to choose ten rides from all the available types. Before each ride, they had to get the booklet stamped by a staff member. Once it had ten stamps, it couldn’t be used again.

Shen Maomao held the ticket, looking left and right, but her eyes ultimately fixed on the giant Ferris wheel in the center of the park.

Lou Jingmo quickly grabbed her. “Let’s save the Ferris wheel for last. How about we try something else first? Do you dare to ride the roller coaster?”

Shen Maomao was a sucker for a dare. The moment Lou Jingmo challenged her, she fell for it. “Let’s go! Whoever chickens out is a puppy!”

The two of them charged toward the roller coaster. Bags weren’t allowed on the ride, but Puck wasn’t interested in something that was slower than his own flying speed anyway, so he obediently waited for them in a locker.

Shen Maomao and Lou Jingmo sat side by side. The roller coaster started moving, climbing slowly up a massive slope before suddenly plunging down. A chorus of screams erupted around them. Shen Maomao looked at Lou Jingmo, who was looking right back at her. The two of them stared at each other, completely calm.

After all, Lou Jingmo thought, we’ve survived the ordeal of the tumble dryer¹⁰. How could we possibly scream at something this tame?!

The next second, Shen Maomao’s shout cut through the roar of the wind. “Lou-jie! What’s the point of this ride if you don’t scream? Ahhhh!”

Lou Jingmo took a deep breath, instantly forgetting what she had just been thinking, and joined her in a chorus of wild shrieks.

By the time they got off the roller coaster, Shen Maomao’s voice was hoarse, but a huge grin was plastered on her face, the corners of her mouth turned high. She had clearly screamed her heart out.

Lou Jingmo bought her a large cup of iced fruit juice to soothe her throat. Shen Maomao also got a small milk tea, stuck a thin straw in it, and passed it into the bag for Puck.

She shared the fruit juice with Lou Jingmo, her head bowed as she studied the ticket booklet to see what else they could do.

Puck popped his head out of the backpack to look with them, pointing a tiny finger at the haunted house. “Let’s go see the ghosts!”

Shen Maomao was confused. “You’ve seen real ghosts. You still want to see fake ones?”

“I’m curious!” Puck said. “Besides, aren’t you guys supposed to be here for me? How did you end up playing by yourselves?!”

Lou Jingmo glanced at the ticket and confirmed that the haunted house was within her planned route, so she agreed. “Should we take him to see it, then?”

Puck’s argument left Shen Maomao feeling guilty, so she nodded. “Alright, let’s go!”

They got their tickets stamped at the entrance of the menacing-looking haunted house and walked inside with Puck.

The lighting inside was dim and the space was filled with children. Their screams could be heard from a mile away, a cacophony so loud it was headache-inducing.

“Do we really have to go in?” Shen Maomao asked.

Lou Jingmo didn’t look too keen either. “The kid likes it. Let’s just take a look.”

The two of them led the child inside. The staff members were performing with great dedication, and the props were very realistic, but to Shen Maomao and Lou Jingmo, something was missing. After all, they were people who had been tempered by actual dungeons.

Puck, however, had a blast. The two women walked through the entire thing with blank expressions while he shrieked with delight the whole way. He still seemed to want more when they came out, but he didn’t ask to go again.

After that, they went on a few more rides. As the sky gradually darkened, the amusement park lit up with colorful lights, creating a dazzling and beautiful spectacle.

But little kids had bedtimes, so they couldn’t stay to enjoy the beautiful display. Most parents left with their children, and the park quickly became much quieter.

Shen Maomao counted the stamps on their ticket booklet. “Hey! We’ve already done nine! Should we ride the Ferris wheel for our last one?!”

Lou Jingmo glanced at her watch. “Okay, let’s go.”

They walked over to the Ferris wheel, got their ticket stamped, and joined the queue. Shen Maomao looked down at the card in her hand and said in surprise, “Lou-jie, look! Our stamps form a perfect heart!”

Lou Jingmo glanced over. “Yeah, what a coincidence.”

Shen Maomao smiled. “We should put this in a photo album when we get home!”

“Um…” As they were talking, a timid female voice came from behind them.

Shen Maomao and Lou Jingmo turned around together.

The speaker was an adorable girl who looked to be in her early twenties. She had her hair in two buns, with a few wisps of uneven bangs framing her forehead, her face full of youthful collagen.

The girl was holding a cone of soft-serve ice cream and looking at Lou Jingmo with a beet-red face. “Um… hi, my name is Zhentou¹¹. Can… can I be friends with you?”

Shen Maomao’s gaze turned sharp as a knife.

Lou Jingmo saw her expression and fought back a laugh. “Sorry, I’m not looking to make new friends.”

Only then did Shen Maomao theatrically link her arm through Lou Jingmo’s. “Darling, can you hold my bag for a bit? I’m so tired… I can’t carry it anymore.”

The girl’s face grew even redder, like a ripe apple that made you want to take a bite just to see if it was as sweet and juicy as it looked. “Sorry, I didn’t know you were a couple…” Mortified and ashamed, she waved her hands in a fluster, seeming to forget she was still holding an ice cream cone.

The scoop of ice cream tumbled off and landed right on Lou Jingmo’s shirt, leaving a distinct stain.

“Hey!” Shen Maomao said, annoyed. “If you’re going to eat ice cream, at least hold it steady…”

“I… I’m so sorry!” The girl bowed deeply to them. She shoved half a pack of wet wipes into Lou Jingmo’s hands and then turned and ran, not even waiting for the Ferris wheel.

Shen Maomao was practically radiating sour grapes. “Why is she so clumsy? Can’t she be a little more composed, like me?”

“You? Composed?” Lou Jingmo laughed.

Shen Maomao shot her a sideways glance. “What, you think that little miss was pretty, don’t you?”

Lou Jingmo replied with a straight face, “Was she? I didn’t get a good look. I should have taken a peek.”

Shen Maomao glared at her fiercely.

Lou Jingmo looked down at the ice cream stain on her shirt and the drying cream on her hand. “Whatever. You stay in line, I’m going to the restroom to clean this up.”

“I’ll go with you,” Shen Maomao offered.

Lou Jingmo refused. “You stay here. If I don’t make it back in time, just go for a ride by yourself. When I get back, we’ll ride it again together. The ticket’s already stamped, it would be a shame to miss it.”

Shen Maomao thought that made sense and let her go. “Then hurry back… If you don’t make it, just wait for me at the bottom!”

Lou Jingmo agreed and turned to leave.

Shen Maomao waited, playing on her phone as the line slowly moved forward. She was almost at the front, but Lou Jingmo still hadn’t returned. She patted her backpack and said to Puck, “Looks like your mom isn’t coming back. It’ll just be the two of us for this ride.”

Puck was unenthusiastic. “What’s so fun about this… I’d rather go see the ghosts.”

“What do you know?” Shen Maomao retorted. “This is called romance.”

“What’s romance?”

“Uh… grown-up stuff. Kids shouldn’t ask.”

Puck made a face at her and ducked back into the bag.

Shen Maomao stepped into the Ferris wheel cabin and sat down. Cheerful music began to play, and with it, the wheel started its slow ascent, rotating at a steady pace. She rested her head against the transparent window, watching the ground recede below, taking in the entire view of the amusement park.

Puck, who had just claimed it was boring, poked his head out of the bag and copied her, pressing his face to the window. “Humans are amazing!” he exclaimed in awe. “They can even make houses fly!”

As a member of the human race, even though she had nothing to do with the design or construction of this Ferris wheel, Shen Maomao felt a sense of vicarious pride. “Of course,” she said smugly. “Human ingenuity is limitless!”

Puck pursed his lips and ignored her, instead turning to point at the ground. “Look, there’s a stage down there! Are they putting on a show?”

Shen Maomao followed his finger and saw that there was indeed a stage shrouded in a white cloth, right in front of the Ferris wheel. There had been too many people when they first arrived, so she hadn’t noticed it.

Now, lights were flashing over it, and it looked like someone was dancing.

“Probably,” Shen Maomao said. “We can take your mom to see it later.”

“Can you see my mom?” Puck asked. “I can’t find her…”

They were very high up now. Outside the window was the black night sky, and the people on the ground looked like ants. It would be a miracle if they could spot Lou Jingmo from here. “Stop looking. Your mom is waiting for us down below. Consider this your ride. Later, she and I will ride it alone, and you can be a good boy and wait for us.”

Puck protested, “Why do you get to ride twice?”

“Because I’m a grown-up, and I have money. You don’t.”

Puck was speechless. Fine. Great. Absolutely fantastic. He had nothing more to say.

When the Ferris wheel reached its highest point, they could see the entire city’s nightscape. The waters of the Chang Jiang River¹² rushed toward the sea, neon lights flickered on distant skyscrapers, and the headlights of thousands of cars on the highways merged into a sea of light. The amusement park below buzzed with the sound of people, the stage spotlights shone in a kaleidoscope of colors. People were living the most ordinary of lives, the very lives she envied, enjoying all sorts of simple pleasures.

Shen Maomao sighed, a wave of melancholy washing over her.

When will we finally be able to live a life without any worries?

She hoped that day would come soon. The sooner, the better.

After passing the highest point, the ground drew closer and closer. Her sharp eyes noticed that the people getting off the cabins ahead weren’t leaving. Instead, they were spontaneously lining up on either side of the exit, and new people would automatically fill in the gaps. Soon, they had formed two human walls in front of the cabin doors.

“What’s going on?” Shen Maomao wondered aloud. “Did they find out a big celebrity is riding the Ferris wheel?”

Puck looked with her. “I don’t know? You humans are so weird…”

Shen Maomao was torn. “Should I go find your mom, or should I stand to the side like them?”

“Don’t ask me! How should I know?”

But she didn’t have much time to think. Her cabin had reached the bottom.

A staff member opened the door for her. She stepped out, intending to slip quietly into the crowd, but he stopped her. “Ma’am, please walk this way.”

“Huh?”

He was pointing to the empty path created by the two human walls.

Everyone forming the walls turned to look at her. Shen Maomao, completely bewildered, took a step forward. The soft music playing from the distant speakers suddenly changed, shifting from a light melody to a rhythmic drumbeat. As if on cue, the people on both sides pulled out glow sticks of various colors from their pockets and began waving them to the beat.

Something clicked in Shen Maomao’s mind. She suddenly understood. She couldn’t help but cover her mouth and burst out laughing. “What is all this? Hahahaha! Where’s Lou Jingmo? Are you guys extras she hired?!”

The glow sticks all waved toward the front. Two young men in suits ran over from the distance, unrolling a red carpet that stopped right at Shen Maomao’s feet.

Shen Maomao wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. All she could do was cover her mouth, rendered speechless.

The staff member bowed to her and gestured forward with his right hand. “Please proceed!”

The crowd cheered and shouted, waving their glow sticks. A drone hovered in front of her, recording her every expression.

A spotlight from an unknown source shone down on her. She was escorted forward, the light following her every step, finally delivering her to the front of the white-shrouded stage.

The young people who had been performing on stage came down and started dancing in the empty space before her. She spotted the girl who had spilled ice cream on Lou Jingmo among the dancers. It had all been part of Lou Jingmo’s plan. No wonder she thought the way that ice cream scoop fell was a little too convenient!

When the dance ended, the crowd in front of her parted, revealing Lou Jingmo. She was holding a bouquet of white roses, dressed in a wedding gown and veil.

Shen Maomao clutched her bag tightly, watching her walk closer, step by step.

When they were standing face to face, the crowd fell silent, and the music softened to a gentle melody again. Lou Jingmo had a small microphone clipped by her ear, and her voice echoed from the nearby speakers. “Maomao, I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time.”

Shen Maomao took the bouquet, her eyes red-rimmed but filled with joy. She nodded forcefully.

Lou Jingmo continued, “I proposed to you with an onion ring before, but I always felt that was too unfair to you. After thinking it over and over, I knew I had to propose to you again, properly.”

Someone handed Shen Maomao a microphone. She gripped it and said through her choked sobs, “This must have cost so much…”

A wave of good-natured laughter rippled through the crowd.

Lou Jingmo didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Could you please shut your mouth for a second? From here on out, don’t say anything except ‘I do.’”

Shen Maomao pouted and nodded, sobbing uncontrollably.

Lou Jingmo went on, “The moment I met you, I think I understood the true meaning of life. From that day on, I started planning a future that included you. I hope I can greet the first ray of morning sun with you, taste every delicacy, and see every beautiful sight…”

Shen Maomao cried, “You’re not being sincere, wuwuwu! You ripped these lines off Baidu¹³!”

“How did you know?” Lou Jingmo asked.

“Because I looked it up before… I even memorized a few lines!”

Lou Jingmo couldn’t help but laugh. “You don’t even appreciate it when I say something nice. Fine, no more nonsense. Let’s get straight to the point.”

She lifted the hem of her wedding dress, knelt on one knee on the red carpet, and took out a small box. “Shen Maomao, will you marry me?”

“Say yes!”

“Say yes!”

“Say yes!”

Shen Maomao extended her right hand. “I do! An invincible, spiraling, sky-high¹⁴ yes, I do!”

Fierce applause and cheers erupted around them. Every stranger who had stayed in the amusement park was clapping and shouting for them.

Lou Jingmo slid the ring onto her finger. “You could have left out the first part, you know.”

As she stood up, Shen Maomao threw herself into her arms, sniffling. “Lou-jie, I love you to death, wuwuwu… Did you get body-snatched¹⁵ or something? How are you so romantic? 5555!”

Lou Jingmo kissed the corner of her mouth. “Are you happy?”

Shen Maomao nodded frantically. “I must be the happiest person in the entire world today!”

“Since you’re so happy,” Lou Jingmo said, “how about we just have the wedding right now?”

“Huh? Here?”

“Yes, right here.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“Why would I kid you? I even have a wedding dress ready for you.”

She snapped her fingers. Instantly, two women holding a pure white wedding gown came running from the distance and stopped in front of her.

“I don’t want to wear a wedding dress, wuwuwu… I won’t look as good as you! Waaah—! QAQ”

Lou Jingmo cupped her small face and wiped her tears. “In my eyes, you’re the most beautiful.”

The crowd parted automatically as two women pushed a portable, circular curtain forward. They took the bag with Puck, invited her to step inside the curtain to change, and then wheeled it away once she was done. One woman started on her makeup while the other pinned up her hair. Finally, Lou Jingmo herself fastened the veil to her head.

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The author has something to say:

A collective reply: It will definitely be a happy ending! Not the “die together” kind of happy ending, but it will be like the Calabash Brothers saving Grandpa¹⁶! A little angst is enjoyable¹⁷! If the big reunion¹⁸ at the end isn’t sweet, you can come beat me up!

ps: This whole “propose and then get married immediately” thing isn’t my original idea. I saw it online, thought it was romantic as hell, and had Lou Jingmo hire the same company.

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