Rejected My Fifty-Two Proposals, She Fell Into Her So-Called Brother’s Arms, Then Begged Me Not to Leave After I Broke Up

I proposed marriage fifty-two times, and Shen Ruyan rejected me fifty-two times. We had been together for ten years, and for the first fifty-one proposals, she always turned me down with the excuse that her older brother still wasn’t married, so as her younger sister, she couldn’t get married before him. This time, I looked at her and couldn’t help asking, “He’s not even your real brother. Does getting married really have to follow some order?” Shen Ruyan’s face darkened, and she suddenly slammed the flowers and ring in my hand to the ground. “Xu Ze, can you stop being so selfish? I promised my brother we’d get married together. You can’t sacrifice my brother’s happiness for your own, can you?” “And besides, we’ve been together for ten years. Why do we have to get married? Isn’t it fine to just keep dating like this?” I was still on one knee, staring blankly at Shen Ruyan. The roses I had just been holding were now scattered all over the floor, a messy pile. It was clearly supposed to be a romantic proposal spot, with the sea, roses, and our friends as witnesses, but now I looked like a clown, kneeling in front of her and begging her to say yes. It took me a while to come back to my senses and stand up. I curved my lips in mockery, unable to think of anyone else who could ruin a Valentine’s Day this romantic and turn it into a disaster besides me. In fact, I had already seen a scene like this fifty-one times. And each time was even more shocking than the last. From a vibrant 20-year-old to a mature and steady 20-year-old, I had loved Shen Ruyan for ten years. During those ten years, I had proposed fifty-one times, and I had planned to make it a perfect fifty-two this Valentine’s Day and finally succeed. Shen Ruyan rejected me again. Her reason was the same as the first fifty-one times: her childhood friend next door still hadn’t gotten married, so she couldn’t marry before him. At first, I thought I was too young and nothing was stable yet, and Shen Ruyan had her own concerns, so she was just brushing me off with a random excuse. I could understand that. I believed that as long as I gave her enough security, she would one day agree to marry me. So I worked hard, bought a car and a house, saved up a decent amount of money, and gave her all my favoritism without holding back. Even now, she still refused. “Do you really not want to marry me?” I asked carefully. Even after being rejected so many times, I still hoped to hear the words “I do” from Shen Ruyan’s mouth. “I said I don’t want to, so I don’t want to. Xu Ze, are you deaf?” Seeing her impatience, my heart was completely dead, but I wasn’t willing to accept it! We had been together for ten years. Why wouldn’t she marry me? How many ten years does a girl have in her youth? “Ruyan, I’m serious about wanting to build a life with you!” Shen Ruyan suddenly shoved me hard. “Just because you want that doesn’t mean I have to marry you. I grew up with Xue Heng, and I can never go back on what I promised him.” “Besides, I’ve only known you for a few years. What right do you have to ruin the promise between us?” “And it’s already been ten years. Isn’t it fine to just keep dating? Why make it so complicated and get married?” A moment ago, I was still trying to salvage our ten years together. After a few words from Shen Ruyan, I knew there was no possibility left between us. “Xu Ze, please never scare me like this again.” After saying that, she turned and left without looking back. Just like the previous fifty-one times, she left decisively, without the slightest hesitation, leaving only me standing there like a joke. The friends around us started whispering again. Actually, after my fifteenth failed proposal, not many friends were willing to come to my proposal events anymore. Because they all knew how Shen Ruyan felt about me. Coming was just a waste of time. This time was different. I said this would be the last proposal, and Shen Ruyan would definitely agree. I wanted all her friends to witness her happiness, and after persuading them for a long time, they finally nodded and agreed to come see. I never expected that this final time would also become a joke. I apologized skillfully and told everyone to leave, then cleaned up all the trash by the sea alone. By the time I took a taxi home, it was already the middle of the night. As soon as I opened my phone, I saw a post from Xue Heng on Moments: “One pot of wine, one cup of tea, one person—that’s enough!” Below the text was a photo. Shen Ruyan was leaning in his arms, sleeping soundly. When she was with Xue Heng, even while asleep, there was a sweet smile on her lips. The Shen Ruyan in that photo and the Shen Ruyan from earlier that day were like two completely different people. My fingers tightening around my phone. Xue Heng’s existence was like a thorn between her and me. It couldn’t be pulled out, and it would jab me from time to time. It hurt, and I had always cared about it. When I first got together with Shen Ruyan, I asked her whether she liked Xue Heng. If she did, I would definitely know my place and leave. Every time Shen Ruyan heard me ask that, she got furious. She said I didn’t trust her, that I had a filthy mind, and that I was always tarnishing their pure friendship. “Xu Ze, there’s really nothing between Xue Heng and me.” “When I was little, my parents were always on business trips, and I grew up at Xue Heng’s house. He’s just like my real brother. Do you think I like my own brother? Are you out of your mind?” “Before I even met you, I already promised him we’d get married one day. Do you want me to go back on my word?” “As a man, can you stop being so petty?”I could almost recite every one of those words Shen Ruyan said. She never even changed a single character. As long as it involved Xue Heng, he always came first. One phone call from Xue Heng was enough to make her leave my side. I just didn’t believe Xue Heng had no other friends besides Shen Ruyan. How could he always, so accurately, pick the exact time we were on a date to suddenly have some emergency? Ridiculous. I sat on the floor and took out all the alcohol I had prepared for the guests today, then drank bottle after bottle. I copied one of Xue Heng’s old little tricks, took a photo, and posted it on Moments with the caption, “No matter how things turn, I’m still alone.” The comments on my post blew up almost instantly. “Got rejected again after proposing?” “Not gonna lie, bro, how many times is this now? Even a stubborn cow should’ve been dragged back by now.” “Don’t be sad. Wait till I’m off work one day, and we’ll get plastered together!” I looked at the comments and felt a sudden sting of bitterness. Just as I was about to turn off my phone, a message popped up from Shen Ruyan. So she hadn’t been drunk. I thought she was drunk when she ended up in Xue Heng’s arms. I opened it, and Shen Ruyan’s dissatisfied voice immediately came through the phone. “Xu Ze, what are you doing? Who are you trying to show that to so late at night? Are you indirectly calling me out?” Hearing how little she cared, I remembered how worried she had been the last time Xue Heng posted a drinking photo, and how she had left me behind just to go pick him up. I replayed Shen Ruyan’s words over and over, then poured myself more bottles of alcohol. It felt like only this could numb my nerves and let me forget the pain for a while. I wiped away the tears at the corner of my eyes. Ten years. I had finally seen through Shen Ruyan’s feelings. In her heart, no matter how well I did, I could never compare to the bond she had with Xue Heng growing up together. That night, I didn’t wait for Shen Ruyan anymore. In the past, whenever Shen Ruyan went out, I would leave a light on at home for her, worried that she’d come back to a dark house. I wanted to give her the feeling of home. Even though Shen Ruyan never appreciated it and often didn’t come home all night, I still kept that habit. Now that I thought about it, it was really ridiculous. I got up clumsily from the floor and went back to my room, where I fell straight asleep. The first thing I did when I woke up the next day was check the room, and the light in my eyes little by little faded away. Sure enough, Shen Ruyan hadn’t come home last night. I gave a quiet laugh. Xu Ze, what exactly are you hoping for? Just as I stood up, Shen Ruyan swaggered through the bedroom door and asked, “Why have you gotten so lazy lately?” “You’re only getting up now, and you didn’t even prepare breakfast.” Shen Ruyan cared a lot about staying in shape. Except when Xue Heng asked her out, she basically didn’t eat anything after noon, so breakfast was especially important to her. It had to be nutritionally balanced, and I always handled it myself. “I’m almost late for work. Just eat something yourself.” My tone was very flat, and Shen Ruyan could tell something was off. She walked over to me, gently pulled me into her arms, and coaxed me, “Are you still mad about yesterday?” “Ah Ze, I know you’re sad every time I reject your proposal, but my brother needs me. I can’t build my happiness on his pain. Do you understand?” “And getting married is something both people have to truly want. If I married you in such a muddled way, you’d probably be unhappy too, right?” Seeing that I still didn’t respond, Shen Ruyan continued, “Once Xue Heng finds his own happiness, we’ll get married too and have a big wedding, okay?” If this had happened before, when Shen Ruyan spoke to me so gently, I definitely would have forgiven her without another word. But now, all I felt was that her explanation was completely unnecessary. I didn’t want to listen at all. “Mm, got it.”After saying that, I left without even looking at Shen Ruyan. When I got to the company, my apprentice immediately came over and said with a smile, “Master, did you see today’s group messages?” I shook my head. “I heard the company has reached a partnership with NW overseas, and they’re going to send a few designers there for further training. That’s NW, a huge international brand. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” Opportunities like this for further training came once every three years. Although the companies we’d partnered with before weren’t as famous as NW, they still had a pretty big name. Several times before, the boss told me to go out and see the world, but I had turned him down. Because designer training meant three years away, and I couldn’t bear to leave Shen Ruyan. I also wouldn’t do a long-distance relationship across countries, so I gave it up for her. Now that I thought about it, the first half of my life had really only been about two things: loving Shen Ruyan, and design. At thirty, I had somehow failed at both. Emotionally, I was always the one fooling myself. I had chased Shen Ruyan for ten years, proposed fifty-two times, and she wouldn’t even give me a promise. Her answer was always that she wanted to marry Xue Heng together with him, year after year, without ever changing. My career had been stuck in place too. If I didn’t go for further training, I couldn’t get into headquarters, and I had just been drifting along. I thought that at this point, I should start thinking about myself. I went to the leader’s office and wanted to sign up for this training. After he heard what I said, surprise flashed across his face. “You’re serious?” I nodded. “You talked it over with your little girlfriend this time?” I was silent for a moment before saying, “I’ve thought it through. At this age, I should really start working hard on my career.” The leader smiled. “You should’ve thought like this a long time ago. I’ve recommended you for every training round, but you always turned it down. This time it’s a partnership with NW, and I’m really looking forward to your performance.” I smiled and nodded. “Okay.” After chatting with the leader for a few more minutes, I left the office and started preparing my design drafts. All day long, I never thought about Shen Ruyan again. I also didn’t care whether she had sent me any messages today. I thought that from now on, I probably wouldn’t have any expectations of her at all. Near the end of the workday, Shen Ruyan sent me a message. She said: Let’s have dinner together tonight. I froze for a few seconds. This seemed to be the first time Shen Ruyan had ever invited me out, and the first time she had ever made an exception for me. I agreed. Since I already had this chance tonight, I wanted to tell Shen Ruyan clearly that I was going abroad for further training. When I left the company, I saw a Range Rover parked outside the building. I opened the back door without hesitation and got in. Through the rearview mirror, I could clearly see Shen Ruyan’s brow furrow. “Why aren’t you in the passenger seat? You’re really getting full of yourself now. Do you think I’m your driver?” I didn’t say anything. My eyes were fixed on the men’s watch on the passenger seat. Shen Ruyan probably forgot that before, whenever we went out and Xue Heng was there, I was always the one sitting in the back. Later on, whenever Xue Heng was around, I would automatically avoid running into him, just so I wouldn’t feel awkward. I never expected that even something as small as a watch, something you wear with you all the time, could be left in the car. I wouldn’t believe for a second that Xue Heng had “accidentally” left it there. I turned to look out the window, not caring. Anyway, in my mind, Shen Ruyan and I were already over. Seeing me like this, Shen Ruyan glanced at the watch on the passenger seat and said slowly, “Xue Heng got drunk last night. He accidentally left his watch in my car.” I gave an “mm.” “That’s not even the first time this has happened. Xue Heng is forgetful. I can understand.” She turned to look at me. Maybe because I brushed it off so casually, she found it hard to believe. After a while, the car started moving slowly. On the way, Shen Ruyan said quite a bit. I responded only here and there. She must have sensed my mood, because in the end she stopped talking about anything. The car didn’t stop until we arrived in front of a Western restaurant. Shen Ruyan got out and handed the keys to the valet. “This restaurant tastes really good. I never had a chance to bring you here before.” “You and Xue Heng have pretty similar tastes. You should like what he likes too.” After saying that, Shen Ruyan looked at me a few times. Seeing that I had no reaction, she let out a breath and went on, “I know you’re unhappy that I rejected your proposal. I came to apologize, didn’t I? Don’t be mad, okay?” Shen Ruyan pulled me inside and sat me down. The waiter quickly came over and asked her to order. She just gave a number and said to keep everything the same, and the waiter immediately understood and left. Clearly, Shen Ruyan came here often. But it was my first time.