Deliberately Approaching
Chapter 237: Love Hidden in the Maze

Chapter 237: Chapter 237: Love Hidden in the Maze

So, Leng Lingxiao led Tang Xiaowan by the hand on the proposal journey he had meticulously prepared, never once letting go along the way.

In fact, their intimacy had long surpassed that of ordinary friends; it was just a matter of breaking through that final layer of pretense.

"See? The red house right there," he said.

Following the direction Leng Lingxiao pointed, Tang Xiaowan saw a small building surrounded by green trees, with a red roof and grey walls as the base color.

Oh my, there’s actually a building here!

How come I didn’t notice it last night? Was I too caught up in chatting?

Ah, this place is really huge!

"It’s not a training ground, is it? You’re not going to make me learn self-defense with those two again, are you?" Tang Xiaowan was very curious but also somewhat worried.

Leng Lingxiao thought for a moment, then raised an eyebrow and said, "Well, you could say you’ve guessed half right."

"Forget it then, I’m on vacation now. I just want to relax for a few days. It’s hard enough to get a chance to be lazy, really."

As soon as Tang Xiaowan finished speaking, she broke free from Leng Lingxiao’s grasp and turned to leave.

The pouty look on her face was genuinely adorable.

But Leng Lingxiao’s mind wasn’t on that at the moment; he quickly blocked her path with a goofy smile.

"Silly girl, I was just teasing you. It’s not self-defense training. Think of it as a reward-based challenge. The prize is very attractive; you’ll definitely like it."

He spoke quickly, afraid that speaking slower might change things.

Upon hearing this, Tang Xiaowan’s eyes lit up, as she loved the thrill of overcoming challenges, regardless of the type.

"You should’ve said so earlier; you scared me."

"Alright, let’s go," Leng Lingxiao said, reaching for Tang Xiaowan’s hand again, beaming.

This time, the hand-holding felt much more natural.

The moment she had pulled her hand away, Leng Lingxiao’s heart had skipped a beat, fearing that Tang Xiaowan was angry and that his proposal plan had failed, and he might even lose the chance to remain ordinary friends, becoming strangers and no longer in contact.

If it had come to that, he feared he might have even lost the will to live, but thankfully things were resolved in time.

In reality, Leng Lingxiao was overly worried; Tang Xiaowan simply didn’t want to practice self-defense. She found it boring and tiresome.

"Tangtang, what are you thinking?"

"Is the prize really that generous, and is the challenge inside truly fun?" Tang Xiaowan asked expectantly, seeking confirmation once again.

"Of course, it’s definitely worth more than you expect."

"Oh, then that’s great, haha!"

In fact, the place was a colossal maze, personally designed by Leng Lingxiao. It concealed his deep love for Tang Xiaowan over the years and every moment his heart fluttered for her.

Immediately, Tang Xiaowan followed Leng Lingxiao to the entrance of the maze, bubbly with excitement.

The dark red wooden door slowly opened.

"Wow, it’s so big in here, much bigger than it looks from the outside!" Tang Xiaowan’s eyes widened in wonder, her smile bright as a blooming flower.

"Then let’s start, go for it!"

Upon entering, the whole scene was so mysterious; the walls twinkled with faint light, and the ground was covered with cobblestones, as if warning them to be careful, more careful, yet more careful.

"It’s a bit dark; it’s not even darker inside, is it?"

Leng Lingxiao raised an eyebrow and said, "Are you scared, Tangtang? Do you want to go back the way we came?"

"Nonsense, I’m not scared at all."

Tang Xiaowan’s hand was held tightly by Leng Lingxiao, feeling the warmth and reassurance from his palm, which made her feel extraordinarily calm.

She wasn’t afraid at all, how could she be?

Though her heart was beating faster than usual, it was far from fear to the point of death.

As they walked, the atmosphere around them changed slightly, becoming romantic. The winding path was lined with colorful flowers, and upon closer inspection, they were all roses.

"Wow, it’s so beautiful!"

"How is it, did you expect this?"

"When did you do this?" Tang Xiaowan was amazed, thinking that upon entering, it would be traps or some sort of terrifying scenery.

"The maze or the roses?"

"They all have it, they all want to know."

Leng Lingxiao picked a Red Rose nearby and handed it to Tang Xiaowan, who didn’t reject it.

Joy was clearly written all over his face.

"The maze began in your freshman year, it was revised over and over, and it took about a year to perfect; the roses only arrived last night. At that time, you were already asleep. We specially treated them to stay fresh."

"Huahua, I..." Tang Xiaowan started to speak and then hesitated, feeling a sudden sourness in her nose.

Yesterday, Li Zishen had also sent many roses, which didn’t touch her much; instead, she sent the flowers to the orphanage. But at this moment, she was truly moved, feeling warmth in her heart.

"Let’s go, continue forward, put some muscle into it!"

While Leng Lingxiao led Tang Xiaowan through the maze, he recounted the stories behind every small design—the surprises that once kept him up day and night were now turning into a journey of love.

As they went deeper and deeper, the challenges in the maze became increasingly complex.

Tang Xiaowan was very optimistic. Not only did the difficulties not defeat her, but she grew more invigorated with each encounter, always using her wit to pass through with ease. Whenever she overcame a challenge, Leng Lingxiao’s eyes shone with boundless joy, as though they were experiencing one adventure after another together.

Though it took a lot of time and energy, both of them found it extremely interesting.

They sometimes speculated on routes, sometimes tested traps, and sometimes discussed the next strategy together. The whole process was thrilling and exhilarating.

Inadvertently, they reached the final challenge.

This one seemed particularly daunting: the walls were covered in sharp iron spikes, and there seemed to be devices capable of spewing poison gas at the top.

"Tangtang, are you scared?"

"The difficulty really isn’t covered!"

Tang Xiaowan contemplated for a moment and then came up with a solution.

She picked up a stone from the ground and hurled it at the mechanism; two sharp cracks later, the thin tubes of the device broke, releasing a purple gas that enveloped them in a mist, transforming the surroundings into a dreamlike fairyland.

Leng Lingxiao was astonished, admitting he’d never tried such a spectacular two-birds-with-one-stone approach. It was much cooler than when he tested it with a bamboo pole.

"If you really want to learn, I’ll teach you later—no charge, until you get it right."

"Deal, hahaha."

The trap was, after all, designed specifically for Tang Xiaowan. How could Leng Lingxiao not know? He just hadn’t expected that even after Tang Xiaowan lost her memory, her tenacity remained.

Then, they entered a vast and empty room.

There were many large stones embedded in the walls.

It was then that Tang Xiaowan realized the key to the exit was placed at a difficult-to-reach height, impossible to reach even by jumping.

"Ah, I thought it was gone."

"This isn’t a challenge."

"Alright, if you say it’s not, then it’s not."

After thinking for a moment, Tang Xiaowan’s eyes suddenly sparkled, and she thought of the simplest way.

She took a few steps back, then sprinted swiftly, jumped onto three wobbly crates, proceeded to step on a few stones on the wall, and finally grabbed the key.

The whole process was smooth as flowing water, and she landed steadily and lightly.

"Wow, Tangtang, you really can do parkour, that’s amazing, I’m impressed, teach me later, it’s so cool!"

"Sure, no problem, hurry and open the door."

Laughter erupted, accompanied by applause.

Then, the two used the key to unlock the wooden circular door that led to the exit, adorned with countless colorful little flowers.

"Wow, I have a skirt with the same pattern, what a coincidence, so beautiful!"

Leng Lingxiao nodded, "You’ve won!"

"Of course, who do you think I am, the invincible super cool universe, hahaha."

"Tangtang student, please accept my admiration, I must follow you from now on," Leng Lingxiao exclaimed, his face full of wonder and appreciation.

"It’s because you were there with me, constantly cheering me on, I couldn’t have done it alone."

"Do you really think so?"

"Yes, now stop talking and let’s check out my spoils of victory, I’m so excited."

Soon after, Tang Xiaowan stepped out of the circular door and found the victory prize mentioned by Leng Lingxiao in a stone lantern—an original wooden-colored small box.