The bustling, noisy avenue fell silent in an instant.
The sizzling of the deep-frying woks by the roadside stopped, and even the head chef of the upstairs inn quickly turned down the heat to a simmer, curiously poking his head out the window to look down.
To be honest, Sparkle had pulled off live-streamed pranks with a global audience of billions several times before.
But at this moment, even counting those watching the proposal indirectly through livestreams, the audience for this drama wouldn't exceed a million at most—a mere drop in the bucket for Sparkle.
Yet, she felt a rare sense of pressure.
Beneath the Mask of a Thousand Faces, Sparkle's expression grew unusually solemn, her sakura-pink eyes fixed on the kneeling Caelus and the trash can he held up to her.
Then, she let out a soft chuckle, her delicate eyebrows arching slightly as a glint appeared in her eyes.
Interesting!
Sparkle couldn't tell if Caelus had seen through her disguise or was just having one of his usual manic episodes, but she certainly wasn't going to be a spoilsport!
This is what makes it fun!
"What are you talking about, Caelus dear? We're... we're..."
The gray-haired girl seemed so startled by Caelus's proposal that she took half a step back, her positioning perfectly calculated to avoid giving the impression of rejection.
Her tone was complex: two parts surprise, two parts shyness, two parts astonishment, two parts helplessness, and one part fear.
...
Her final words trailed off into an ambiguous mumble, because Sparkle didn't believe Caelus's claim about them being siblings.
When uncertain, evade. In any case, adding blood relations to any kind of relationship makes it difficult to speak of in public. This was the art of language and psychology.
All this was complemented by a hesitant and wavering posture, an expression of someone wanting to speak but holding back.
This was acting so masterful that even an award-winning actor would need a magnifying glass to study, analyze, and comprehend it!
Speaking of which, this was something that greatly puzzled Sparkle.
The prerequisite for impersonating someone is a deep familiarity with their personality and relationships. Miss Sparkle, a grand director and master of human nature and psychology, had long since maxed out this skill to a god-like level, yet she still couldn't pin down the relationship between Stelle and Caelus.
Or rather, the results of her analysis were so complex and chaotic that it made Sparkle doubt her own professional expertise as a director.
There were elements of a doting father and a filial son, telepathic twins, best friends who constantly pranked each other, and even a hint of a sweet couple. Factoring in the certainty of a blood relation, the final conclusion was bizarre no matter how you looked at it!
"Caelus, I understand your feelings. It's hard to control one's emotions, and there is no falsehood in them..."
Enduring the fermented stench potent enough to knock over an elephant, Sparkle, with her exceptional professionalism as an actress, accepted the trash can.
She would never do anything out of character while playing a role!
According to Stelle's personality, no matter how she reacted to the proposal, she would definitely accept the crystals.
"Don't use our blood ties as an excuse for rejection, Stelle! I believe love can overcome any obstacle!"
"This flawless sentiment is a treasure that guarantees victory! It is you who is in my heart, and that is enough for me to cross mountains and seas, overcome the prejudice of others, and rush towards a happy ending!"
Caelus's voice was sonorous and resolute, soaring to halt the drifting clouds and pierce the heavens, then falling to the ground with the solid thud of packed snow.
A 180-year-old Xianzhou native girl, having just emptied her stomach, suddenly straightened up and shrieked:
"Marry him! Bleargh—!"
The last syllable came out along with semi-digested food into the plastic bag in her hand.
That cry was like opening Pandora's box.
Many of the vomiting people started shouting as they retched, the stench having stimulated them into a state of agitated excitement.
A Foxian woman who was live-streaming noticed her viewer count skyrocketing. Ignoring the smell, she aimed her phone's camera directly at the two protagonists and filmed intensely.
This was a viral goldmine, an absolute deluge of internet traffic!
An old granny who looked to be around 45 but was actually nearly a thousand years old also joined in: "Accept, little lady! This smell is way better than when my late husband proposed with a salted fish!"
"Say yes! Say yes!"
"True love is invincible!"
I...
The two actors in the middle of this fervent atmosphere were like players in a high-stakes game of deception. Sparkle rapidly tried to figure out her opponent's thoughts. Let's play~!
The gray-haired girl's cheeks flushed crimson, and her brilliant golden eyes seemed to mist over. She slowly nodded.
"I accept."
According to a normal plot progression, after the woman accepts the man's proposal, the two should depart amidst the crowd's blessings. The moment they were alone would be when Sparkle launched her counterattack.
"Whooooaaaa!"
Hearing the gray-haired girl's answer and witnessing a love that broke worldly taboos, the surrounding crowd erupted in cheers.
Some blessed the sincere love, some were envious that a man could marry his own sister, some condemned the transgression of taboos, and some looked at the trash can serving as a proposal gift and thought about the 400-year mortgage on their marital home and the bride price that had emptied their family's savings.
The third type of voice was quickly drowned out by the roaring crowd.
Sparkle's prediction of the plot's development wasn't wrong, it's just that before leaving amidst the crowd's blessings, another step could be added.
"Really? I'll be sure to make you happy for the rest of my life!"
It was both reasonable and expected. After 'Stelle' accepted, Caelus shot up in pleasant surprise, gently embracing the gray-haired girl and meeting her golden eyes.
A jolt went through Sparkle's heart.
This is bad!
The next second, her premonition came true. Caelus leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. The gray-haired girl's pupils dilated in that instant.
"What a kiss!"
"You two wait right here, we'll go move the Hall of Matrimony over for you!"
The Foxian streamer's tears smudged her makeup, but she didn't forget to use her streaming stand to record the moment: "Family! This is what love is!"
Amidst the once-again explosive atmosphere, the gray-haired girl's breathing grew ragged from the passionate, wet kiss, her pretty face blushing an even deeper shade of crimson.
Beneath the Mask of a Thousand Faces, the smile on Sparkle's face gradually faded, her expression shifting constantly.
Transforming into others didn't truly change her physical form or appearance, but 'Stelle's' appearance wasn't entirely an illusion either; it was a product of Sparkle and the Mask of a Thousand Faces' power.
She could experience the physical sensations of her transformed body. In her entire career, she, Sparkle, had never been on the losing end of a prank this badly!
Losing out didn't just refer to the kiss. Although it was her first, the passionate kiss had elicited some curious reactions from her body. Experiencing this sensation for the first time was... quite interesting.
What the great Sparkle found unbearable was that Caelus had been in control of the drama's direction the entire time.
Should she push Caelus away and stop this scene?
No!
We've come this far, how could I stop now!
Soon, very soon, it would be her turn!
"Thank you all for your blessings~!"
After politely thanking the surrounding passersby with a smile, the gray-haired 'twins' left the mobbed street hand-in-hand. The proposal video began to spread on the Luofu's local short-video platform.
They walked against the tide of people heading toward the spectacle until they reached a relatively quiet pavilion, the Moon-Gazing Pavilion.
Just as Sparkle was about to launch her counter-offensive.
"?"
She suddenly felt the trash can she was holding being snatched away by Caelus.
"Caelus dear, what are you doing?"
Her tone and way of speaking were identical to Stelle's.
The gray-haired girl reached out to grab the trash can back.
That thing was seriously getting to her!
Although she could perfectly imitate Stelle, Sparkle was not Stelle, after all.
So all along the way, she could only hold it, wanting to throw it away immediately—no, destroy it immediately!
But she couldn't break character!
Stelle cherished her crystals, so Sparkle had to fight for it.
"Hey!"
Caelus held up a hand to block her:
"Since you accepted my proposal, these crystals are now joint marital property. I'll hold onto them for you for now. I'll give them to you whenever you need to use them."
His tone was as earnest and well-meaning as a parent putting away their child's New Year's money for 'safekeeping'.
"And what's with that tone? I'm the one who manages the finances in this family, I'm not your daughter!"
The gray-haired girl bristled and retorted, leaping forward to get in Caelus's face and reaching for the trash can again.
"Besides, I only accepted the proposal, we're not officially married yet! And you're already taking back the engagement gift? Are you even human?"
"Hmm, you're right, that does sound a bit harsh. How about this: I quite like this trash can treasure chest. I'm planning to put it in my collection room. You keep the crystal, and I'll just take back the trash can treasure chest."
Smiling, Caelus took a single 'crystal' from the treasure chest and tossed it toward the gray-haired girl's outstretched palm.
Faced with a sticky glob of garbage that no sane person would touch, time seemed to stand still.
First second: Sparkle waged a fierce internal battle.
Second second: She realized something and made an instant decision.
Just at the moment of contact.
"Surprise attack!"
The gray-haired girl's body erupted with astonishing speed. Her hand bypassed the glob of garbage and seized Caelus's neck.
With a forceful tug, her small hand pulled Caelus toward her. Her fair, slender leg, adorned with a blue garter, sliced a sharp arc through the air, kicking straight for the side of Caelus's head and displaying the superb martial arts inherent to a Stellaron host.
Caelus had been on guard against Sparkle the whole time, but the speed she unleashed in that instant still astonished him. He hadn't expected her physical combat skills to be so formidable.
Planting his feet firmly, Caelus bent backward from the waist, barely dodging the kick. He could even feel the rush of wind from the tip of her foot against his nose.
"Not done yet!"
The gray-haired girl chuckled lightly, her left leg immediately following with another kick.
Caelus barely maintained his balance, blocking with his right arm while his left hand reached for the gray-haired girl's pouting face.
The gray-haired girl adjusted her right leg, landing it on Caelus's neck. Her pair of jade-white legs locked around his neck and resisting arm in a scissor hold.
Caelus's hand, enveloped in the power of Elation, also landed on the gray-haired girl's face.
The gray-haired girl suddenly twisted her body, her long hair whipping around. A powerful force erupted from her waist, seemingly about to snap Caelus's neck.
Caelus pushed off the ground, jumping up to go with the rotation.
As the world spun around them, Caelus felt the legs locked around his neck change; they had gotten a bit thinner.
Sparkle was tightening her legs, bringing her hips closer to Caelus's head.
Caelus slammed heavily onto the ground, his neck pinned by Sparkle's hips in an extremely intimate position. If Caelus glanced down slightly, he could see what was under her skirt.
"Heehee~ My dear fiancé, like what you see?"
The twin-tailed girl displayed a flexibility far beyond that of a normal person, on par with a yoga master. Her petite body pressed against Caelus's as she bent over, looking at him with a grin.
"It's so-so."
"Ehh How could you say that!"
Sparkle looked as if her heart was broken, pitifully squeezing out tears as she looked down at Caelus beneath her:
"You did take my first kiss, you know~"
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