Some may argue, not without any basis, that romance is dead. Especially online, where stories that might sap one’s hope of finding love as pure as the movies come to the surface. The Internet may have made it easier to find strangers to connect with but also, in some aspects, enfeebled the nature of such connections.
As sociologist Sherry Turkle wrote in her book Alone Together (2011):
“Technology is seductive when what it offers meets our human vulnerabilities. And as it turns out, we are very vulnerable indeed. We are lonely but fearful of intimacy. Digital connections and the sociable robot may offer the illusion of companionship without the demands of friendship. Our networked life allows us to hide from each other, even as we are tethered to each other.”
So, while some factors inspired by our modern existences may lead us to believe that the nature of romance has suffered some degeneration, it does not mean that it’s dead and buried and forever out of reach. In the midst of people faking happiness online, one can also find expressions of true love circulating on the Internet.
The following TikTok video, posted by TikToker Yinrun Huang, is one such example. It showcases the lengths to which her fiancé went to make his marriage proposal as memorable as possible, not in a grandiose way, but in a manner that bespeaks the depths of his adoration for her.
Knocking down language barriers in the name of love
Luke could have made his proposal in English, and his sweetheart, Yinrun, would understand. But there is infinitely more meaning in his effort to learn his girlfriend’s native language ahead of the grand gesture. His visible and understandable nervousness only served to endear the couple to netizens further.
A marriage proposal is already an emotional occasion in itself, but Luke having gone out of his way to prove his resolve by learning Mandarin takes it up a notch. Even Duolingo left a comment, saying: “If he doesn’t learn a language for you he’s not the one.”
The couple posted a subsequent TikTok replying to the language-learning app’s comment and thanking netizens for their love and support:
It seems that Luke had everything well thought out. As if he hadn’t already established his admirable thoughtfulness, he explained that he even picked a date – Aug. 6 – that would be extra meaningful to his fiancée.
The couple will certainly continue to warm netizens’ hearts with their fun daily shenanigans and adorable antics through Yinrun’s active TikTok account, yinrun_hello. And we certainly look forward to the wedding that follows this heartfelt proposal.