"Sister Elena?"

Elena looked at Summer and finally decided not to tell her about it:

"Let's go."

It wasn't until they were near the villa that Elena noticed there wasn't a single person around, and she subconsciously grew vigilant.

Boom—

Confetti exploded abruptly. Elena turned back, her face covered in ribbons and flowers.

She stood dazed, blinking her eyes.

Sebastian held a bouquet and walked over slowly. Even though he maintained his usual calm, his earlobes were flushed deep red.

He stopped in front of Elena, took out a ring, and slowly knelt:

"Elena, I have always loved you, for much longer than you imagine..."

"I know you have suffered many wounds in your past relationship, but please trust me once and give me a chance to take care of you."

"Let’s... start dating."

Elena looked at the pigeon-egg-sized ring in his hand, and her brain finally registered what was happening:

"…Do you give a ring just to start dating?"

Sebastian shook his head:

"That’s alright. There will be an even bigger one when I propose in the future."

"Don't feel any burden. If you don't want to date me, I can ask you again every day."

Elena pursed her lips, surprisingly finding that her heart was racing.

The last time she had felt this flustered was on the high-level life-or-death boxing ring.

She thought, perhaps she really could try to move closer to her own sun.

She extended her hand, letting Sebastian put the ring on her finger with trembling fingers:

"Alright, boyfriend."

Chapter 24

A light sparked in Sebastian’s eyes. He stood up and carefully pulled Elena into his embrace.

Elena relaxed her body in his arms. She turned her head and saw a cross-shaped scar beneath Sebastian’s collar, which she had ruffled while leaning into him.

She couldn't help but freeze.

【So Dr. Sebastian is the beggar Elena saved before?】

【My god, I thought he was just a random passerby...】

【What more needs to be said? Get together, get together!】

Reminded by the bullet-screen comments, Elena pieced together that segment of her past from her memories.

That day, she had just been passing by and saw a thin man cornered in an alleyway. She had lent a hand, only vaguely remembering a cross-shaped scar on his collarbone.

Everything was destined.

Summer had been standing by the side, not daring to take a full breath, but now she finally let out a sigh of relief and smiled.

She looked at Elena, tears slowly gathering in her eyes.

She was still grateful to Elena for bringing her out of the abyss.

Meanwhile, Julian, who was still on his way back to his country, saw the comments and burst into tears.

His fingers couldn't stop trembling, and soon that trembling spread to his entire body.

Julian’s vision went black, and he was forced to lean against the wooden table beside him.

He felt as if his whole body was being pricked by needles, and in his panic, he knocked over the glass on the table.

He picked up a shard and sliced it across his wrist without hesitation.

New wounds covered the old ones, but Julian didn't care at all.

A year later, Elena’s flower shop became famous for its excellent craftsmanship, and customers flowed in endlessly.

On an ordinary, plain afternoon, Sebastian proposed to her in a room full of flowers.

Elena had a larger ring on her finger.

Summer had also used the money she saved from her design drafts to pursue further studies and had made a small name for herself in the design circle.

She turned down several commissions to focus on planning the wedding venue for Elena and Sebastian.

Elena’s wedding banquet was grand and magnificent. The closer it got to the wedding date, the more anxious Sebastian became, his dark circles growing heavier.

Elena didn't know whether to laugh or cry:

"Why are you more nervous than I am?"

Sebastian took a deep breath, caught the hand she used to stroke his dark circles, and kissed it lightly:

"I must give you the best."

Elena sighed:

"You have already given me the best."

But for once, Sebastian didn't listen to her and get some rest. Instead, he poured almost all his spare time into the wedding details, heading to the banquet hall to personally inspect everything as soon as he finished his surgeries.

Elena was bored, wanting to go find Summer, but Summer was also too nervous.

She said sternly over the phone:

"Sister Elena, this is your wedding; I must be perfectly prepared, you cannot disturb me!"

【It’s so funny, I didn't expect Summer to be this serious and fierce, all because she’s planning the wedding.】

【It’s so heartwarming, why do I want to cry...】

【The second female lead must be the female lead’s first friend, right? The two of them saved each other!】

Elena watched the busy Sebastian not far away, and tears welled up in her eyes too.

She said softly:

"…Thank you."

Sebastian seemed to sense it and turned back:

"What was that?"

Elena said loudly:

"I said I love you!"

The black pen in Sebastian’s hand made a sharp stroke, and his ears turned red.

The wedding date was set for Elena’s birthday, and Sebastian insisted on holding one in both countries.

Even though they had rehearsed several times, Sebastian still broke down in tears the moment Elena walked out in her wedding dress.

The emcee announced loudly:

"Mr. Sebastian, are you willing to take Miss Elena as your wife?"

Sebastian held Elena’s hand:

"I do."

Thunderous applause broke out in the audience. Summer clapped frantically, crying until she hiccuped.

At the second wedding ceremony after returning to their country, Elena was surprised that Sebastian would still cry.

And he cried even harder than he had in M-Country.

She didn't know that Sebastian had investigated her past and knew how much suffering she had endured there.

He insisted on holding the wedding there to overwrite her unhappy memories.

【They’re married, they’re married! So excited!】

【Is this actually the ending? This is unbelievable...】

The audience was packed with guests. In an inconspicuous corner, Julian took a piece of wedding candy.

Over the past year, he had been tormented to the brink of death several times and had hallucinations almost every day, yet he had steadfastly refused any medical treatment.

Upon learning that Elena was getting married, he sold all his assets, had a suit tailored to fit him, and deposited all the remaining money into a card.

Before taking his seat, he handed this money to the guard as a gift.

After walking out of the banquet hall, Julian wandered dazed to the outskirts.

A river blocked his path. He smiled and slowly walked into the water.

The river gradually submerged his chest, then his nose and mouth, until his whole person was swallowed by the water.

Elena realized with a start that she could no longer see the bullet-screen comments.

Because she had reached her own ending.

A journey through the human world—she had climbed over mountains and ridges, coming for herself.

From now on, there would be only endless spring.

——(The End)——