Chapter 116: Proposal

He Yan had proposed once before, but that time there was no ring. Engagement rings had long since vanished from the annals of human history.

But back then, Jiang Miao had explained it to him, and he remembered it.

This time, it was a real proposal, one that met Jiang Miao’s expectations.

Jiang Miao panicked.

Yes, she panicked.

When it comes to marriage, after being single for so long, there’s still a bit of fear. Especially considering that 6,000 years ago, everyone got married, even forced into marriage, while she decided to remain single and childless. Now, 6,000 years later, no one gets married anymore, and after having a child, she’s supposed to marry?

It feels like…

Okay, these are all just excuses. The truth is, she was finally getting something she had longed for deep down, and it terrified her.

The following parts of the text will be scrambled to prevent theft from aggregators and unauthorized epub making. Please support our translators by reading on secondlifetranslations (dot) com. If you are currently on the site and and you are seeing this, please clear your cache.

“Elzz…” pbl poyzzsole yde pyke, “Yyaakytl kpd’v ycpszwvlzu dlnlppyau…”

“Xq nswapl dsv,” Tl Zyd pyke, “Jwv xu ealyx kp qsa usw vs cl xu okql.”

G ealyx, bwb?

Tl Zyd pvsse wr, vssj Kkydt Ykys’p byde, yde yrszstkgle, “Jwv ol nyd’v tlv xyaakle aktbv yoyu. Qkvy’p xyaakytl zyop esd’v alnstdkgl kdvladyvksdyz xyaakytlp. Gde xu vlax kp qkhl ulyap. Xa ol nswze ts cynj vs Lypb ewakdt xu hynyvksd yde byhl vbl oleekdt vblal qkapv…”

Xb! Fs kv’p dsv byrrldkdt kxxlekyvlzu!

Kkydt Ykys’p rydkn oyp kdpvydvzu alzklhle, yde pbl pyke, “Ls awpb, qkhl ulyap kp qkdl. Pslp uswa pkel alnstdkgl kdvladyvksdyz xyaakytlp?”

“Zlp,” Tl Zyd alrzkle, “El’al ekqqlaldv qasx Qkvy. Qkvy wple vs cl kpszyvle, cwv ol’hl yzoyup alnstdkgle kdvladyvksdyz xyaakytlp.”

Tl prsjl okvb y pxkzl, bkp bydep dsv kezl. Ju vbl vkxl Kkydt Ykys alyzkgle kv, vbl akdt oyp yzalyeu sd bla qkdtla.

Jiang Miao: “…” Did she just agree to this?

The ring was beautiful… Oh well, let’s just say she agreed.

Jiang Miao beamed with joy, raising her hand to inspect the ring in the sunlight.

“What is this? A diamond?” she asked.

“No way,” He Yan said, “It’s Gralanite.”

Diamonds, or carbonado, are generally used in industrial applications. They’re easily synthesized and not worth much.

Gralanite, containing rare elements, is found on only a few planets and is extremely valuable.

“Gralanite?” Jiang Rui grabbed Jiang Miao’s hand, excitedly saying, “Can I use it to make a laser generator? With Gralanite, they say the power can reach…”

“No!” Jiang Miao and He Yan said in unison.

Jiang Rui’s excited expression visibly turned into disappointment.

He Yan/Jiang Miao: “…” Whoops!

“Don’t worry, Daddy will get you another one. But not this one, this one is Mommy’s,” He Yan quickly said.

Jiang Rui pouted, “But Gralanite is so hard to get.”

“The supply is very limited, and every batch that comes out is immediately snatched up.”

“It’s okay, Daddy has connections,” He Yan promised.

“Really?” Jiang Rui’s eyes lit up.

“Really, but you have to promise not to touch Mommy’s stone,” He Yan said.

Jiang Rui agreed.

Later, Jiang Rui asked Jiang Miao, “Mommy, will Daddy leave again?”

Jiang Miao asked, “Why do you ask that?”

“I don’t want Daddy to leave,” Jiang Rui said. “I like him being with us.”

But then he sighed, “But his term is only five years. After that, he’ll leave, right?”

The little boy rested his chin in his hands and grew melancholy.

Now wearing the title of “fiancée,” Jiang Miao raised her hand to admire the Gralanite ring and smiled, “It doesn’t matter.”

“Huh?”

“We can go to Nash,” Jiang Miao said.

Jiang Rui was both surprised and delighted, “Really? Can we?”

Jiang Miao nodded, “Whether it’s Gita or Nash, as long as the three of us are together, anywhere is fine. The international routes will open soon, and they’re all using warp speed, so the travel is quick. It only takes two months to get from Nash’s capital star to Gita’s capital star.”

Before the civil aviation engines were upgraded, it took a month and a half to travel from Jiang Miao’s hometown of Dufa Star to Gita’s capital star, and a full three months from Yan He’s former residence on Romo Star.

Gita and Nash now recognize each other’s educational qualifications and have started issuing tourist visas, student visas, and work visas to ordinary citizens. The first batch of exchange students is about to graduate and return.

Things are completely different now.

Even if Jiang Miao followed He Yan to Nash now, it would be legal and proper, with no reason not to go.

In fact, not long ago, she even received a call from the government inviting her to join the next delegation to Nash for an exchange visit. But since He Yan had already made plans to come here, she declined.

With bilateral exchanges opening up, there will be plenty of opportunities for visits and exchanges in the future.

As the patent holder of the spatial button technology, both she and Tanaka are on the list of important figures for both governments. Nash has extended multiple invitations to Gita’s government, sincerely hoping she can come for an exchange.

Although they weren’t married, the engaged couple could still live a harmonious life as a family of three.

He Yan worked at the embassy, which was only two districts away from Jiang Miao’s house—a short distance by the standards of this era. After all, back when He Yan was pretending to be Yan He, he had to commute to the moon for work.

Now, He Yan lived with Jiang Miao and Jiang Rui. He came home from work every day, often cooked meals himself, and they lived a very happy life.

Tanaka often came over to mooch food.

After striking it rich, he indulged in a period of hedonistic excess—but he quickly grew tired of it. Feeling restless, he returned to the lab, and only when he was back at the workbench with various instruments did he feel truly at ease.

Genes are irresistible.

Now, Jiang Miao and Tanaka no longer needed to work for money; they could pursue whatever truly interested them.

All sorts of strange and wonderful things frequently emerged from the laboratory in Jiang Miao’s home, sometimes causing chaos.

Life was very good until the second year of He Yan’s tenure as a diplomatic military officer, when governments began to gradually disclose information to the public about their distant blood relatives—the Beastmen.

Since the ceasefire and peace treaty between Nash and Gita, there had been so many changes and so much news that the revelation about the Beastmen didn’t cause much panic. Instead, it became a popular topic of conversation over meals.

Soon, news reports began to talk about the formation of a joint military force.

It wasn’t just Nash and Gita; all the political powers in this region of human habitation, all descendants of the same colonial group from a thousand years ago, were investing manpower and resources into creating this joint military force.

In recent years, there had been two major advancements in technology.

One was the breakthrough in spatial technology, and the other was the improvement of warp technology. Based on these two technologies, a multinational government council decided to establish a joint military force to proactively confront the Beastmen and keep the war away from human-inhabited areas.

When Jiang Miao saw this news, her heart sank. She had thought that the war was still many years away, but it was coming sooner than expected.

But He Yan never said anything about it. He came home on time every day and never mentioned anything related to it.

Jiang Miao, holding onto a sliver of hope, thought that maybe He Yan had settled into his peaceful life and was no longer so fixated on war or the frontlines. Maybe he had forgotten the things he said a few years ago.

It was Yan He who broke this peace.

Although Jiang Miao and Tanaka hadn’t been as close with Yan He since they left Lily Star, they still stayed in touch as partners. At least once a month on finance day, Jiang Miao would have a video conference with Yan He, Zhang Ya, and Coso.

It wasn’t really necessary to meet, but it felt more like a video tea party to keep the connection alive.

Occasionally, Yan He would come to the capital star to visit them. He had bought a private warp-speed spaceship, so the journey from Lily Star to the capital star took less than a day.

But this time, he arrived unexpectedly, without any prior notice.

He Yan still had unresolved feelings about Yan He’s face. He openly showed his displeasure with his gaze.

Yan He ignored him and asked Jiang Miao, “Where’s Rui Rui?”

“He’s at a science camp. Why did you suddenly come by?” Jiang Miao asked.

Yan He didn’t explain why he came so suddenly. Instead, he sniffed the air and asked, “What’s that smell? It’s delicious!”

“Pork ribs are stewing in the kitchen,” Jiang Miao noticed that Yan He had something on his mind, but since he didn’t mention it, she just asked, “Have you eaten?”

“I haven’t had lunch yet.”

“We’re having dinner. Join us.”

“Well, I can’t refuse such a warm invitation.”

Yan He spoke to Jiang Miao, but his eyes were on He Yan.

He seemed annoyed about staying for dinner.

Annoyed? Good.

Yan He took off his hat, smiling happily.

Having a meal with these overly competitive men was anything but peaceful.

After they broke several pairs of chopsticks trying to snatch food from each other, Jiang Miao, holding back her frustration, said, “If you’re not going to eat, go wait in the living room!”

Only then did they calm down for a moment, but soon they were subtly fighting over the last piece of pork rib on the plate. As their chopsticks clashed, Jiang Miao, expressionless, picked up the last rib and put it in her own bowl.

That settled it.

After dinner, they moved to the living room, with tea on one side and coffee on the other.

“So, what exactly is the reason for your sudden visit?” Jiang Miao asked.

Yan He put down his cup, reached into his pocket, and pulled out something, handing it to her. “I wanted to give you this.”

“What is it?” Jiang Miao didn’t look closely—mainly because Yan He’s hand was so big that it covered the object completely. She smiled as she took it and said, “Why are you bringing gifts…”

“My sperm,” Yan He said.

Jiang Miao’s voice abruptly cut off, like a rooster being strangled.

Only then did she see clearly—it was indeed a container for cryogenically preserved biological samples!

What the…?

In this lifetime—no, in all her previous lives combined—she had received countless gifts, but this was the first time a man had given her his sperm as a present!

Could she scream, throw it away, and then run to the bathroom to wash her hands?

She didn’t know whether to throw it away or keep it. Jiang Miao’s face alternated between pale and flushed as she held the scorching hot item.

He Yan suddenly stood up, but before he could take any further action, Yan He said, “I’m going to the frontlines.”

Both He Yan and Jiang Miao were stunned.

Nash and Gita had been at peace for several years now, so the only place that could still be called a “frontline” was…

“Yes, I submitted an application, and it was approved,” Yan He said. “I’m joining the joint military.”

Given Yan He’s current wealth, he no longer needed to rely on a military career to make a living. The only reason he stayed in the military was for this very day.

Being a soldier was in his blood.

“This…” Jiang Miao looked at the item in her hand, feeling its weight.

“I still hope to have a child with you,” Yan He said. “But if you’re not willing, just keep it for me. If I don’t come back, maybe you can find someone else to continue my DNA. It’s funny how the instinct to reproduce is such a basic yet inescapable part of being human.”

Jiang Miao’s face darkened. “Can’t you just find someone now and have a child the normal way?”

“I’ve gone through several rounds of matching, but I haven’t found anyone I’m satisfied with,” Yan He said.

Ever since Jiang Miao had made it clear that she wasn’t interested in co-parenting with him, Yan He had seriously tried to participate in the matching process. But every time he reviewed a match’s profile, he couldn’t help comparing them to Jiang Miao.

Maybe it’s true that what you can’t have always seems the best. This is another flaw in human nature.

In the end, no one could match up to Jiang Miao—either their intelligence was lower than hers, or they didn’t look as good. Even those who were perfect in every way didn’t have the high-gravity planet genes. What if the child they had together ended up physically weak?

With his standards set so high, Yan He was destined not to find a suitable co-parent. After several years, he still hadn’t had a child.

“If I don’t make it back, try to find someone as good as possible,” Yan He said. “I’ve already written my will, so they won’t be at a disadvantage.”

While he was alive, he could be as picky as he wanted, making things difficult for himself. But if he died, it wouldn’t be his problem anymore—it would be Jiang Miao’s responsibility.

How convenient.

“Of course, I’d prefer it to be you,” Yan He added with a shameless grin.

Jiang Miao was about to explode with anger.

Wasn’t this just plain irresponsible?

How could he dump such a huge responsibility on her?

“Don’t you have a guardian? Hand it over to him!” Jiang Miao said.

Yan He shrugged. “He’s joining the joint military too.”

Jiang Miao was momentarily speechless.

Because Yan He had been at a military boarding school since childhood, he supposedly had barely any contact with his assistant, and his only real guardian was now heading to the battlefield as well.

Jiang Miao thought about suggesting another friend, but then she remembered—almost all of Yan He’s friends were soldiers.

She still felt that the item in her hand was burning hot. She couldn’t help but glance at He Yan, hoping he would say something. After all, he disliked Yan He getting close to her, especially when it came to matters like having a child.

But to her surprise, even though He Yan’s face was dark and his lips were tightly pressed together, he didn’t say a word.

Instead, Yan He gave He Yan a meaningful look, as if there was something significant behind it.

That look made Jiang Miao wary.

She held back until Yan He said, “I’m counting on you,” and left. Then she turned to He Yan and asked, “Is there something you need to tell me?”

He Yan remained silent for a long time before saying, “I was planning to find the right time in the next few days to tell you. I didn’t expect that guy to…”

Yan He’s sudden visit had disrupted He Yan’s plans, forcing him to reveal the truth earlier than intended.

“My application was approved too. I’m also joining the joint military,” He Yan said. “I’ll be in the same unit as him.”

Jiang Miao closed her eyes.

She knew it.

---

Sansukini: And it was the beginning of He Yan – Yan He bromance.

Thanks for visiting. If you like this story, then I’m shamelessly asking you to visit NovelUpdates and give a 5⭐ review. (人❛ᴗ❛)♪тнайк　чоц♪(❛ᴗ❛*人)

You can also check out my other translations Here