My Mother-in-Law and I Became the Internet's Hottest Power Couple-Chapter 33

It was as if someone had cast a spell, leaving the balloons suspended mid-air.

Lu Yicheng explained, "They're tied with fishing line."

He led Jiang Lan behind the whale statue to show her the silver fishing lines nailed to the ground, shimmering faintly.

Each balloon was tethered to a small transparent glass bottle—no more than three centimeters tall and as thick as a thumb.

Inside the bottles were tiny scrolls of paper in various colors, each tied with a ribbon into a delicate bow.

Lu Yicheng hesitated. "...I wrote messages for you inside. Do you want to read them now?"

This was something he had pondered over for a long time. It might seem a little cliché or clumsy, but it wasn’t his first idea.

Originally, he’d wanted to arrange heart-shaped candles on the beach—after all, hadn’t countless people online claimed their girlfriends cried from happiness at such gestures?

But the sea breeze here was too strong, blowing out the candles almost instantly.

Moreover, Zhang Tian had repeatedly assured him that this wasn’t actually very romantic. And with Jiang Lan wearing a long dress, standing outside the circle would be fine, but if she stepped inside, there was a risk of her dress catching fire.

Since that plan was a no-go, he had to think of something else. Lu Yicheng had also considered giving her flowers, but Jiang Lan had already given Yu Wanqiu flowers—and even given him some too.

In some ways, Lu Yicheng was just as proud as Yu Wanqiu.

He refused to reuse an old idea.

So instead, he filled balloons, wrote little notes, tucked them into bottles, and waited for Jiang Lan under the night sky, his hair streaked with highlights.

He hoped she would like it—just as much as she loved fireworks.

Jiang Lan reached out and touched one of the glass bottles. "There are so many... Did you write all of these?"

She looked up at the sky. There had to be dozens of balloons, each with a bottle dangling beneath it. It felt dreamlike, as if the air itself was woven with Lu Yicheng’s affection.

Lu Yicheng nodded.

"Do you want to read them now, or take them home to read later?"

Jiang Lan was curious. Today felt like the day she had become a princess. She plucked the nearest one—the only one she could reach—and unrolled the blue slip of paper inside.

*"Today marks 1,116 days since we got together. July 5th, three years ago, was the day we became a couple."*

It was an anniversary message.

Jiang Lan glanced up at Lu Yicheng, who was already looking at her.

"Lu Yicheng, I want to read another one. Get one down for me."

Since he was taller, he could easily reach the ones she couldn’t.

*"We met during winter break four years ago—1,659 days ago."*

Follow curr𝒆nt nov𝒆ls on fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com.

Lu Yicheng remembered every little thing about their time together.

Even the smallest, most insignificant moments were etched in his mind.

Jiang Lan’s nose tingled with emotion. She glanced back at Yu Wanqiu, whose eyes sparkled with amusement.

Yu Wanqiu couldn’t help but think how wonderful it was to watch young love unfold.

Taking time off, working with the crew, secretly preparing this surprise—none of it was extravagant, but Lu Yicheng had poured his memories into these little bottles for Jiang Lan to see.

Wasn’t that worth more than diamonds?

She remembered the sweet rom-com she and Jiang Lan had watched, where the female lead folded paper stars, each inscribed with her feelings for the male lead.

This was young love—clumsy, earnest, and utterly endearing.

Jiang Lan couldn’t resist. "Lu Yicheng, show me one more."

Lu Yicheng reached for the highest one. Jiang Lan unrolled it and read:

*"I will marry you."*

His handwriting was elegant—some of the earlier notes had been written in haste, but this one was deliberate, stroke by stroke.

*I will marry you.*

Lu Yicheng didn’t look at Jiang Lan. Instead, he kept his gaze on the floating balloons. "This is just what I’m thinking. It’s not a proposal—just letting you know. I don’t need an answer now. Just... keep it in mind. And don’t let the cameras catch it."

Jiang Lan stayed silent, making Lu Yicheng even more nervous. Like so many others, he had fallen in love in college, faced graduation, and now wanted to marry the person he adored.

But...

"Do you like it? All of this?" He gestured at the remaining balloons.

Jiang Lan said, "Lu Yicheng, you look really handsome today."

Was that a yes or no?

Lu ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‍Yicheng had been on edge all day. "Just say you like it, and I’ll do things like this for you again."

He desperately needed reassurance.

Jiang Lan refused to give in. With so many people around, she’d read the rest of the notes later. They still had filming to do.

"Can you tone it down a little? There are so many people here, and Yu Wanqiu is right there." She tucked the note back into the bottle, then lifted her skirt and ran toward Yu Wanqiu.

She’d never been very open about these things with Yu Wanqiu before, but today, she was too happy to hold back. "Yu Wanqiu, Lu Yicheng is so much like you. He’s so handsome today."

Jiang Lan loved giving compliments. She often told Yu Wanqiu how beautiful she was—and it wasn’t just flattery. Yu Wanqiu truly was stunning.

And today, Lu Yicheng looked like he’d stepped out of an idol group.

Especially his hair—it was *so* stylish. Jiang Lan had to admit she was a sucker for that kind of thing.

Yu Wanqiu smiled. "Lu Yicheng takes more after his father."

Jiang Lan gasped. "His dad is handsome too?"

Yu Wanqiu nodded. "In my eyes, he is."

Lu Yicheng walked over, undoing the top button of his shirt as his heartbeat steadied. "Mom, thank you."

Yu Wanqiu replied, "I should be thanking *you*."

Lu Yicheng frowned, about to argue, but Yu Wanqiu cut in, "Let’s take a few photos together—Jiang Lan in the middle."

Lu Yicheng recalled Zhang Tian’s advice and smoothed his hair. He wasn’t sure if he measured up.

Jiang Lan looked like a fairy tonight, glowing under the moonlight. Yu Wanqiu, too, was radiant. He wondered if he could hold his own beside them.

Zhang Tian reviewed the shots on his laptop—the deep blue sea, the misty night sky, the effortless harmony between Yu Wanqiu and Jiang Lan. Thankfully, Lu Yicheng didn’t fade into the background.

The deep blue suited him perfectly. Zhang Tian had also prepared gold-rimmed glasses and experimented with different looks, even tossing confetti over his head at one point. Every style worked.

A deep blue shirt with white slacks made his legs look endlessly long. Zhang Tian patted himself on the back—he was a genius.

If he just followed Jiang Lan’s lead, he’d be set for life. She got the meat; he’d happily take the broth.

Filming wrapped at 8:30 p.m. The crew set up a barbecue by the shore, with a spread of seafood—oysters, skewered fish and shrimp, meat kebabs—laid out on the table.

It was a dinner treat from the production team, and the staff joined in.

This time, the entire crew had come to Q City. Many of the prop and set assistants were young women who hadn’t yet experienced romance themselves—too busy with work, and honestly, watching others fall in love was far more entertaining.

But now, they worried: If *this* was already so perfect, how would the proposal top it?

The beach was lively.

Yu Wanqiu wandered off to chat with Du Wanzhou, who grumbled about not wanting Shen Xingyao to pursue acting.

"Filming takes months, sometimes half a year," Du Wanzhou sighed. She wasn’t as keen on babysitting these days.

"Wanqiu, if your son marries Jiang Lan, how many kids do you think they’ll have?"

Yu Wanqiu glanced at the two figures by the water. "However many they want. I wouldn’t even mind if they chose to be childless."

"That won't do. The Lu family is a prominent one—how can they not have children?" Du Wanzhou shook her head. "Your way of thinking is wrong."

Yu Wanqiu replied, "There's nothing wrong with it. I barely even raised Lu Yicheng—Aunt Zhao took care of most of it. What’s the point of having children if you’re not going to raise them? If they get married and want kids, I’ll support them. If they don’t, I’ll support that too. But right now, they haven’t even graduated yet. It’s too early to talk about this."

She never spoke about things she wasn’t sure of, and this was her genuine opinion. After all, she wasn’t the one who’d be raising any future children.

Du Wanzhou couldn’t find anyone to share her views with. She didn’t particularly enjoy talking to Li Jia, who preferred conversing with career-driven women like Yu Wanqiu and Chen Shuyun.

In other words, Li Jia looked down on her.

Zhang Lin’s son arrived, dressed in a little suit, polite and well-mannered.

Chen Shuyun’s son was also quite handsome, helping Aunt Zhao with the barbecue, though he was a bit shy.

Jiang Lan and Lu Yicheng took a walk along the beach—a rare moment for just the two of them.

As they walked, Lu Yicheng took Jiang Lan’s hand.

They were a couple, so holding hands wasn’t anything unusual.

Jiang Lan kept stealing glances at Lu Yicheng today, looking at him more than usual.

After a few more glances, Lu Yicheng asked, "Do I look good?"

Jiang Lan hesitated for a moment. Of course he did—who wouldn’t enjoy looking at a handsome guy?

When she didn’t answer, Lu Yicheng pressed, "Come on, say it. Compliment me."

Jiang Lan teased, "Who looks good? What should I say? How should I praise you?"

Lu Yicheng: "...Just tell me what you thought of me earlier. Did you like it?"

"What earlier?"

Lu Yicheng: "...Are you doing this on purpose?"

Jiang Lan burst out laughing. "Why should I praise you? At least I called you handsome today. You haven’t said I look pretty."

She thought she looked absolutely stunning today.

Lu Yicheng muttered, "I complimented you in my heart."

Jiang Lan: "Well, I can’t hear what’s in your heart."

Lu Yicheng: "I thought you could."

Jiang Lan pursed her lips. "Then I thought you could hear mine too."

"You’re just copying me now, aren’t you? Being stubborn on purpose. Just say it—one sentence, that’s all." Lu Yicheng was growing impatient. Aside from the mascot costume, this was the first time he had put so much effort into preparing something. He used to think that dating just meant spending time together and having fun.

Jiang Lan thought for a moment and said, "I like..."

Lu Yicheng’s eyes lit up with anticipation, only for Jiang Lan to say two words:

"Handsome guys!"

Well, it still counted as liking him, more or less.

Lu Yicheng sighed. "...When you get back, look at those notes. There are a lot of things about what we’ve done together before."

"Take your time reading them."

Seeing Lu Yicheng’s slight disappointment, Jiang Lan said, "Then I’ll read them slowly. How long did it take you to write them?"

Lu Yicheng had an excellent memory, almost photographic. Writing down those memories didn’t take much time, but as he wrote, he’d recall happy moments and start grinning to himself, lost in thought for ten minutes at a time.

Then there were the frustrating memories—things that still annoyed him even now, long after they’d happened. Jiang Lan always had a way of twisting logic in her favor.

Another ten minutes gone.

When she couldn’t win an argument, she’d either playfully refuse to concede or simply declare, "I’m mad," and he wouldn’t dare push further.

"I spent all day yesterday writing them. Then there was blowing up balloons, filling the bottles, doing makeup, styling... Whenever I wasn’t doing something else, I was working on this." Last night, while talking on the phone, Lu Yicheng still had pen and paper on his desk—yet Jiang Lan hadn’t noticed at all.

"Is where you’re staying close to the hotel?"

"Very close—just upstairs and downstairs. But mine’s a city-view room. Teacher Yu really didn’t know this time, though she did last time."

Jiang Lan: "…………You really love tattling, don’t you?"

Lu Yicheng thought, what else could he do? Jiang Lan and Yu Wanqiu always teamed up against him.

Yu Wanqiu flaunted her flowers and hats in front of him, while he had nothing.