Mu Lan was definitely surprised to see a large cruise s.h.i.+p. In the morning, the whole family left early. Mu Lan woke up late and she headed to the unknown place with Mu Liang who covered her eyes with a lace. When they reached at the port, he took off the lace and she was stunned seeing such a huge s.h.i.+p named Ballerina.
The giant ten storied cruise s.h.i.+p had 237,164 gross registered tons, measures 258 feet tall and spans 1,275 feet long. She had to admit that she was never been in a huge s.h.i.+p like this before. The color of the s.h.i.+p was white. However, inside the s.h.i.+p was totally different. As a first-cla.s.s cruise s.h.i.+p, the floor was covered in red carpet. The carpet was so soft that their heels of the shoes sank. The wall was dyed in cream color and yellow lights illuminated inside the s.h.i.+p. The furniture was golden in color. The wall and floor decorations were simple but elegant. The pictures on the wall were masterpieces of famous artists. The floor decorations were antics. The golden chandeliers were sparkling.
Mu Lan felt as though she came to a royal palace. She couldn"t help but say, "It"s gorgeous…"
They were only standing in the lobby and she was overwhelmed by such small part. Mu Liang smiled upon hearing her words and grabbed her hand. "Let"s go upstairs."
While walking with him, Mu Lan excitedly asked, "Is this your surprise? You caught me off guard."
Mu Liang quietly pulled her as he walked. His palm was sweaty. He directly took her to the eighth floor, in the presidential suite.
"Wow!" She exclaimed.
This suite was larger than their bedroom of the castle. It had attached balcony and bathroom. There was a small kitchen with a freezer full of chocolates and cakes. This suite also had a walk-in closet.
"This place is so cool! Am I dreaming?" Mu Lan felt like jumping in happiness.
Mu Liang asked, "Is this of your taste?"
She nodded. "Definitely."
"I"m glad." He personally designed the room for her so that she could relax in here.
Mu Lan went to the balcony. The s.h.i.+p was sailing in the Tyrrhenian sea. The sky was clear and the wind was blowing away the white clouds. She looked afar to see the horizon.
Mu Liang was standing in the doorway and was looking at her in daze. Her hair was dancing without restraint. Her lips carried a sweet smile and her eyes were glittering in joy. He came closer and hugged her from behind. He asked, "You aren"t tired, are you?"
He had used all his strength the night before yesterday and last night he didn"t show any mercy either. He was worried about her health.
As if she could feel tired in the cruise s.h.i.+p! She shook her head. "I"m very energetic. You don"t have to worry at all." She pointed out the ocean and said, "Look, the sea has the same color as your eyes." Saying that she turned to look at him. She tiptoed and kissed his left eye and then his right eye.
Mu Liang"s heart melted at her gesture. He looked down at her and rubbed her right cheek affectionately. Afterwards, he leaned forward to take her lips.
After a moment of silence, Mu Lan asked, "Is everyone here as well? Let"s call them and look around the whole s.h.i.+p together."
He smiled seeing her so excited. He pulled her hand closer to his mouth and kissed her fingers. "Everyone is busy for the evening party. We cannot disturb them right now. Let them have fun on their own. We will meet them in the party later."
"Oh, we are having party! Sounds great! We don"t have to work, right? Let"s enjoy the scenery together." Mu Lan suggested.
"Alright." He agreed easily.
After getting the approval, she went to the walk-in closet. She changed into pink sleeveless cotton dress with white flowers printed on it. She wore a pink sun hat and sungla.s.ses. Mu Liang also changed into casual clothes and hand in hand, they walked out of the room.
This s.h.i.+p was larger than she expected. There were fourteen decks for guest use, twenty-three restaurants with twenty-three different nations" food, twenty-six pools and two thousand eight hundred and twelve cabins. Facilities included a children"s water park, a full-size basketball court, ice-skating rink, and two 43-foot rock-climbing walls. There is also a "central park" which contains over seventeen thousand tropical plants.
This s.h.i.+p was too big to finish looking around in one day. Surprisingly, while they were visiting, they didn"t meet a single family member.
"This is crazy!" Mu Lan gasped. The two of them were sitting in the central park as the afternoon tea was being served.
"I"m relieved that you like it." Mu Liang sipped his tea.
Mu Lan shook her head. "I don"t like it. I love it. Did you hire the whole s.h.i.+p for the family trip? How long are we going to stay here?"
He glanced at her. "You can stay here forever."
"What do you…" Suddenly realization caught her words. "You mean…"
"It"s the s.h.i.+p I bought for you. This is your present. You can do whatever you want in here." He smiled seeing her dumbfounded expression.
Mu Lan"s throat was dry. She gulped down a mouthful tea and asked, "What did I ever do to get so much from you?" It wasn"t sure who she asked this question.
Mu Liang affectionately gazed at her. "You being with me is my biggest present. With you, every day seems like a dream. It"s as if I get gift every moment by spending time with you. What do I possibly need more than that?"
Mu Lan eyes teared up. His words squeezed her heart tightly. She was unable to breath properly. She spoke in a shaky voice, "Don"t speak as if I"m some kind of special being."
"You are the most special to me." He gently wiped away her tears and kissed her eyes just like she did in the balcony.
After they finished drinking tea, they went to their room to prepare for the evening party. She wore a deep violet V-neck sleeveless evening gown that sparkled in the light. Her hair was tied up like a bun showing her slender neck. She was wearing a flower leaf, purple white diamond necklace around her neck with a pair of purple diamond top earrings. She had a bracelet on her right wrist with same design. Her purple heels were crafted with diamonds. She wore a little make up.
Mu Liang wore a white s.h.i.+rt and his blazer, tie and pants were as same color as her evening gown, dark violet. His blazer glittered in the light. He wore a pair of black shoes. He brushed his hair to the left.
He turned around to look at the gorgeous woman and said, "I never saw you wearing purple dress before. So, I personally chose this color."
Mu Lan bashfully smiled and praised him, "Your taste is top notch."
Before Mu Liang could say anything, his cell phone rang. He answered the call and heard what the other person had to say. Then, he replied, "Understood." and hung up.
He glanced at Mu Lan and said, "I"ve to deal with an urgent matter. Can you please go ahead to the party venue? You will most probably find everyone there."
Mu Lan nodded. After he left, she went to the different direction. She went to the highest deck to see the view before going to the party venue. The deck was dark and no one was around. The sun already set and everything was dark. Only this s.h.i.+p was gloriously lightened up in the ocean. Some cruise s.h.i.+ps were around there but they were far away.
Mu Lan took a deep breath and enjoyed the night view. At the tea time, what Mu Liang told her, it rang in her ears. To him, she was special. Thinking that, she valued herself more. Everything seemed a little different to her. It was more like a dream. She felt emotional.
"Why today seems special?" She wandered and chuckled at the same time.
Just then, the whole deck lightened up. The railing was decorated with flowers. In the corner, Mu Liang was standing.
She didn"t know how to react seeing him there. He slowly proceeded forward and stood right in front of her. After that, he knelt down, took out a small velvet box from his pocket and opened it.
"Lan, from the moment I met you, I couldn"t take my eyes off you. I never thought that I would be able to be with you, let alone having your heart. But the fate brought us together and I wished nothing more than being with you. Fortunately, you gave your everything to me and in return I want to bind you to me for eternity. Dearest, will you marry me?" He sounded so emotional and dramatic that her heart started pounding.
Her voice trembled when she said, "This is the second time you are proposing to me."
"Yes." He replied.
She asked, "Is this why you chose this s.h.i.+p??
"I also plan to hold a wedding ceremony tomorrow morning if you say "yes"." His tone was rather amusing. Both of them knew what her answer would be and everything he did was to surprise her. He knew that she would love this type of "surprise game".
Upon hearing about wedding ceremony, Mu Lan was stunned and then became emotional. She was wis.h.i.+ng to have a wedding ceremony but she didn"t think it would come to her so abruptly. She covered her face and knelt down in front of him. Tears were br.i.m.m.i.n.g in her eyes. She was too happy to say anything.
Seeing her tears, Mu Liang also felt a bit emotional. To hide it, he pulled her closer and kissed her forehead. "Say "yes", please." His voice was hoa.r.s.e.