The divination shop's door curtain was lifted by the night wind and then fell back down. The solitary, single owner stood outside the door admiring the distant firework show. The "Lovers" Tarot card in her hand was slowly curling under the force of her fingers.
"The Dui Hexagram denotes joy, the Tarot card is upright, and we have both the 'Nine of Cups' and 'The Star.' The House of Fate's marriage star is moving—'guarding the heart transforms into luck.' At this very moment, 'it is auspicious to express one's true heart.' Mm, I feel like his confession must have succeeded."
The owner spoke softly.
A passerby who happened to overhear this was stunned.
So these fireworks were set off for someone's confession? But that's not important right now. What's important is, what the hell was this Tarot reader just mumbling?!
Where the hell did I just walk into? Is this even still Tarot?
"Hello, can I get you to read a Tarot spread for me?" However, the passerby felt that they simply had to try this combination of Eastern and Western metaphysics.
……
By the riverbank.
Under the night sky, the fireworks were as magnificent as a shattered dream pouring out of the Milky Way.
As the night wind swept past, the brilliance accumulated in the sky was shaken down rustlingly, turning into a reverse rain of stars.
At this moment, both of their eyes held only each other. The world centered around them.
Lin Li held the bouquet of fresh flowers and smilingly followed up his words:
"Let's date, what do you think?"
"Then how long do we have to date?" Chen Yuying clutched the small ball that was still blinking with a red light and gazed at Lin Li, her voice soft and tender.
"I'm not greedy. Dating until 'tomorrow' is enough." Lin Li had always been very easy to talk to.
"Is that so? Then I'll consider it."
Chen Yuying was not about to follow his lead and ask what to do about "the day after tomorrow." She merely tilted her head again, looking at the fireworks and drone show set off specifically for her, her expression intentionally feigning hesitation and deliberation.
"Don't consider it. Hurry up, Monitor. These flowers are really heavy, okay? I don't want to hold them anymore. Just agree quickly."
Lin Li had already reverted to his mood-killing nature. He thrust the bouquet forward, his impatient tone quite a buzzkill.
But because it was Lin Li, it wasn't a buzzkill at all.
"Heh—" Placing her hand loosely in a fist against her lips, as if that could conceal her laughter, Chen Yuying took a step forward. She reduced the already small distance between them to almost nothing, took the bouquet from Lin Li's hands, and cradled it in her arms.
The girl nodded, giving the answer that both he and she knew perfectly well in their hearts:
"Okay, then let's date."
As the words entered his ears, Lin Li licked the corner of his mouth, then used his upper teeth to bite his lower lip, telling himself he absolutely had to hold it in. But in the end, he still transformed into the Smug Dragon King.
Even though he knew clearly that he would definitely succeed, and even though he had done countless psychological preparations, when this moment truly arrived—when the words of agreement entered his ears—the joy simply could not be suppressed.
Anyone who could refrain from smiling at this point could be diagnosed with clinical depression.
"Can you say it one more time? I didn't hear clearly just now," Lin Li asked.
"I said—" Chen Yuying, who had still been natural and generous during her first answer, started the first half of her sentence very loudly. But perhaps because she also felt the tumbling emotions in her heart at this moment, she suddenly raised the bouquet, half-hiding her face, her voice turning slightly soft:
"……I agree to date you."
"……"
"Lin Li," perhaps feeling like this wasn't enough to express her feelings, the girl's voice drifted through the symphony of fireworks from beneath the bouquet: "I like you."
It was a voice that would make his heart skip a beat even if he heard it ten thousand times.
"Is that so," Lin Li said with a smile, "then Ying-bao, I like you."
Finally, I can righteously call her Ying-bao just like Ding Sihan and Qu Wanqiu. Hell yeah.
"I said it first, though. Why isn't it 'I like you too'?" Hearing this, Chen Yuying raised her head and asked in confusion.
"Because my liking you isn't established on the premise that you like me. I've always liked you. Even if your answer was 'I don't like you,' I would still 'like you.'" Lin Li's voice was gentle.
Chen Yuying turned around to look at the fireworks, not wanting Lin Li to see her blushing face.
The sweetness in her chest diffused through her entire body like blood. From her internal organs to her limbs, nothing was spared; her hands and feet felt numb and weak.
Her heart was pounding like a startled deer, her thoughts were burning hot, and the world felt dizzy and blurred.
Lin Li walked over to Chen Yuying's side and watched the grand fireworks together with her.
"Are you happy?" Chen Yuying calmed her emotions slightly. Feeling like something was missing, she turned her head to look at Lin Li and inquired.
"What?"
"The happiness after a successful confession." Chen Yuying's eyes were sparkling bright.
"Probably around 95% happy."
Lin Li turned his body toward Chen Yuying, and as he spoke, his hands went right back to cradling the back of his own head.
Just like last weekend.
How could Chen Yuying not understand this meaning? Besides, this was exactly what she wanted. She took a step forward, leaning her body into him, resting her face against Lin Li's chest. The stems and leaves of the bouquet rustled between their clothes.
This time, there was no need to 'run away' like last time.
It didn't matter who was looking.
Wait, it was better if her dad didn't look for now. Chen Yuying was afraid he might get a heart attack at such a young age from pure rage.
But dad and stuff could be considered unimportant matters for now; he could vacate his spot from her thoughts for a bit.
Chen Yuying closed her eyes.
Beneath the slightly cool fabric, a heart was thumping wildly. Was it beating for her?
The moment Chen Yuying's body leaned in, Lin Li's hand—which had been resting on the back of his head, itching for action—was absolutely not going to miss out like last time. As if terrified that she would escape, his hand immediately began to move down.
When his palm touched Chen Yuying's loose hair, it paused. The stray hairs carrying her body heat flowed through his fingers like a stream, and his curled fingers couldn't help but unfold, sliding along the curve of the back of her neck toward her shoulder.
Chen Yuying took advantage of the motion to press her forehead against Lin Li's collarbone. His collar rubbed against her chin, giving rise to a dense itch.
Lin Li's lowered arm naturally encircled her waist, touching her soft curves through the fabric. His fingertips unconsciously hooked onto the knitted pattern at the edge of her hem.
The breathing of the two gradually stabilized amidst their interlaced clothes. Chen Yuying's palm, which had been resting on his back, slowly opened and pressed against his back.
The fireworks seemed to know exactly who the protagonists they were serving were, burning out right on cue at this moment. Nothing was left but snowy white embers floating on the river surface. The drones also landed on the ground, disappearing onto the opposite bank of the river.
Thus, only the faint moonlight remained, openly peeping at the two of them.
"Are you sad?" Lin Li suddenly spoke up.
"Sad about what?" Chen Yuying was somewhat bewildered, opening her eyes to look up.
"The sadness of a failed confession," Lin Li said with a smile.
"Who? …Who had a failed confession?!"
Chen Yuying was stunned at first, but after she reacted to Lin Li's meaning, she chided him in a somewhat amused and coquettish manner.
"I directly blocked your mouth just now and didn't let you speak. It's obvious that I rejected you. What else is that if not a failed confession? Monitor, remember this: I am a man who has rejected you once." Lin Li looked rather smug.
"Then I'm angry. I want to reject you right now too."
"It's useless. The boat has already sailed. Remember, messages older than two minutes cannot be recalled. The rejection is invalid."
"Hmph."
The river murmured softly. The two spoke no more words, enjoying the warmth of the embrace.
Only now did the distant bustle seem to begin drifting into their ears with the passage of time.
Gradually, it wasn't just the moonlight peeping at the two of them anymore.
"What are you thinking about?" Lin Li gently patted Chen Yuying's back, breaking this beautiful silence once more.
"I'm not thinking about anything." Chen Yuying closed her eyes, lightly inhaling the unique scent of Lin Li's clothes, and spoke softly: "What about you?"
"I was thinking that since your center of gravity is completely leaning on me right now, if I were to suddenly dodge to the side, would you fall to the ground with a thud, and then drop little pearls while saying 'I'm not playing with you anymore'?" Lin Li replied.
"Lin Li, you really know how to ruin the mood." Chen Yuying hammered her fist against Lin Li's back, speaking in dissatisfaction.
"Alright, I was actually thinking about whether Ding-zi would use the video she's currently recording to threaten me later. You know, I don't think she's a good person. She doesn't even count as human; she's very evil." Lin Li changed his tune.
Like a startled deer, Chen Yuying whipped her head up abruptly, subconsciously wanting to break free from Lin Li's embrace. But Lin Li's grip was too tight; she couldn't do it at all.
Chen Yuying went along with him and stopped struggling, merely beginning to scan their surroundings alertly.
Then, she saw the direction toward Pinglu Street not far away.
At this moment, Ding Sihan, Qu Wanqiu, and Bai Bufan were all standing a short distance away where there were still stalls, gazing over here from afar.
Ding Sihan was the worst; she was even holding a phone, severely violating Lin Li and Chen Yuying's.
Privacy.
"Ah……"
Upon realizing that these three had no idea how long they had been watching, Chen Yuying let out a soft whine. Unable to break free, she simply played the ostrich and buried her head into Lin Li's embrace.
She held him even tighter.
Hehe, plan successful.
Lin Li felt that he was simply a genius.
However, holding each other forever really wasn't an option. The main thing was that the three third-wheels were still waiting, so Lin Li ultimately let go of his hands. He smiled and rubbed Chen Yuying's head, took her right hand—which wasn't holding the flowers—with his left hand, and said softly:
"Let's go, let's head over."
"Mm……" Chen Yuying also knew it was impossible to keep hiding forever. Clutching Lin Li's hand, she followed him toward the market.
"Ooh ooh ooh—"
"Tsk tsk tsk—"
"Woof woof woof—"
The moment they drew slightly closer, they could hear the teasing sounds from the trio of Ding, Qu, and Bai. This made Chen Yuying even more afraid to make eye contact with them. She lowered her head, trying her best to hide behind Lin Li.
"Lin Li, did you succeed?" Once they completely walked up, Bai Bufan asked with a serious face.
"……Sigh, I failed." Lin Li closed his eyes in agony, holding Chen Yuying's hand as he shook his head.
"Haha, then you really are a piece of trash!" Bai Bufan stood with his hands on his hips.
"I'm sorry for letting everyone down."
"An 'I'm sorry' is all it takes to wrap things up? You have absolutely zero sincerity. Kneel down and let me check your tongue coating!"
"Screw you! I tolerated you stealing my expression packs, but you're even stealing my trash talk and using it on me!"
"Ying-bao, you won't abandon us in the future, right?"
Ding Sihan and Qu Wanqiu couldn't be bothered to pay attention to these two psychos, Bai Bufan and Lin Li. They directly bypassed Lin Li to approach Chen Yuying, initiating an NTR right to his face while acting pitiful.
Sensing the approach of the two, Chen Yuying's hand attempted to break free from Lin Li's grip.
This time, Lin Li didn't stop her from running away like he did during the embrace just now.
Chen Yuying was quite thin-skinned after all, especially now when facing the teasing of her best friends.
So Lin Li let go of her hand, watching the three girls chatter away with a smile.
"I, I won't." Chen Yuying shifted the bouquet upward to block her face.
"Ahhhh, a blushing Ying-bao is so cute I could die!" Ding Sihan went up to pinch Chen Yuying's cheeks, then kicked toward Lin Li. "Lin Li, you're such an eyesore. Can you screw off?"
Lin Li shrugged and moved out of the way, patting his pant legs.
These two hadn't kicked him all day today; they probably couldn't hold it in anymore either—now that the confession was over, his clothes and pants could afford to get dirty.
This was human nature. He still needed to become more proficient in his people-reading and social maneuvering skills.
"It's fine, Lin Li. Even though you're being detested by them, you still have me. Li-bao, you won't abandon me in the future, right?"
But Lin Li wasn't alone; he still had his bad friends. Seeing Lin Li's predicament, Bai Bufan leaned over bashfully.
Lin Li immediately shook his head, his tone calm: "It's illegal to abandon pets at will."
"Oh, holy crap, Lin Li, how can you be so bad? Even after getting into a relationship, you're still an absolute bastard."
Bai Bufan instantly stopped smiling. He then looked at Chen Yuying and raised his hand:
"Monitor, I want to report him. I'm actually having an affair with Lin Li; we have an improper relationship."
As long as he could frame Lin Li, Bai Bufan was willing to discard his own reputation—anyway, he had already been entered by the medical checkup doctor previously, so he was already… no longer clean……
"It's fine, you two can go ahead and continue your debauchery. Our Ying-bao isn't here to break you guys up; she's here to be the female master of the house." Ding Sihan answered on Chen Yuying's behalf.
"Exactly," Lin Li also patted Bai Bufan's shoulder, "our country firmly implements monogamy, which means a person can have one husband and one wife without conflict. Babe, I still love you too. Don't be jealous."
Bai Bufan shrugged and let out a helpless sigh.
With the four of them spouting absolute nonsense, Lin Li was thick-skinned, leaving only Chen Yuying feeling rather embarrassed, keeping her head down without uttering a single word.
The four of them exchanged looks and all burst out laughing.
After the teasing was over, the five of them still walked with the three girls in front and Lin Li and Bai Bufan following behind.
However, everyone's thoughts were no longer on the stalls lining both sides.
"Yuying, how did it feel? Weren't you super surprised? You completely didn't expect Lin Li to confess at this exact juncture?"
"What did you feel when you saw the fireworks going off? What was going through your head? What did Lin Li say when he confessed?"
Ding Sihan and Qu Wanqiu already couldn't resist turning into persistent gossiping melons, urgently wanting to get first-hand information.
"She already knew I was going to confess," Lin Li, who was following behind, couldn't help but inform them with a smile.
"Huh?" Hearing this, Ding Sihan turned back in confusion. "How did she know? Did we make it too obvious when we cleared out to give you two space to be alone? That shouldn't be the case, right?"
Hearing this, Bai Bufan looked away with a somewhat guilty conscience.
Wait, why the hell should I feel guilty? Lin Li was the one who started it.
"None of the above. It's all Wang Ze's fault." Lin Li passed the buck with a smile.
"What does this have to do with Wang Ze?" Ding Sihan was even more perplexed and curious.
Lin Li explained the whole story to the three of them.
"Huh?"
"Ahhh, you mean Ying-bao was also planning to confess to you just now? What kind of mutual pining is this! Oh my god! Kill Bai Bufan to liven things up for these two! This is too sweet to handle!"
Ding Sihan didn't even have time to care about the explosive news of Wang Ze successfully hitting it off with the senior; her shock at this moment lay entirely on this point.
Bai Bufan was also looking around for a handy murder weapon, preparing to slaughter himself.
Damn it, Lin Li actually landed a sweet relationship. What's the point of living anymore? I might as well die and be sold for dog meat!
"As a man among men, a male among males, I resolutely rejected the monitor's courtship. But as a price, the monitor found out that I wanted to court her. Sigh, the sense of surprise is indeed gone."
Lin Li let out a sigh:
"Speaking of which, the monitor is way too casual. She actually planned to confess just because she saw a couple."
"It was originally just a matter of a single sentence anyway……"
Chen Yuying felt that she also had a reason to defend herself, so she weakly retorted.
Then, her brain—which had appeared sluggish tonight—finally realized something after the fact. She looked at Ding Sihan and Qu Wanqiu, her bright eyes widening slightly:
"Sihan, Wanqiu, so you guys already knew about tonight's matter beforehand?!"
"Yeah," Ding Sihan nodded. There was no need to hide it at this point. "Yuying, didn't you hug Lin Li right in front of me last week? So he decided to confess this week."
"Because he felt that it was a signal that you didn't plan to continue the ambiguous relationship."
"Although Lin Li also felt that for the two of you, it was actually just a matter of a single sentence over QQ or WeChat, for the sake of a sense of ritual, he still had to prepare a bit."
Back then, when Lin Li had called out "Mom" to Ding Sihan in the garage beneath her building, it had been precisely to discuss this matter.
Getting Ding Sihan to give him some suggestions was also something the two of them had hammered out together—the basic outline of this week's plan.
That small ball that could emit red light didn't blink continuously. The remote control was on Lin Li's person, so there was no need to worry about someone discovering it earlier than Chen Yuying, taking it away, and causing the subsequent events to fall apart.
As for the location, that was the purpose of Lin Li coming here yesterday—to confirm the approximate position.
On Monday, when he heard that Wang Ze was planning to come to Pinglu and was also planning to confess, the "what a coincidence" that Lin Li had felt with emotion wasn't just about coming to Pinglu, but even more so about the fact that Wang Ze was also planning to confess.
"Originally, I planned to use that 'can be a bit excessive' request to coerce you," Lin Li added with a smile, "but later I found out that there seemed to be no need for that. I'll save this request to do other bad things in the future."
"You guys actually kept it from me all this time……" Chen Yuying pursed her lips. There was no tone of blame within the content of her blaming words; instead, there was a slight hint of a smile. "So, do you guys also have a small group chat without me?"
"We really don't have that. Bai Bufan and I only found out yesterday. We were isolated." Qu Wanqiu shrugged.
"Seconded." Bai Bufan nodded.
"People and dogs who can't keep secrets don't deserve to know in advance. We're isolating you, we're isolating you." Lin Li showed absolutely no intent of repentance.
"Hey, Lin Li, so where did you conjure these flowers from? I'm genuinely curious about this."
Bai Bufan looked at the fresh flowers in Chen Yuying's hands with some curiosity.
Yesterday, he had even asked Lin Li if he needed help in this regard, but Lin Li said he had everything ready.
This bouquet was massive; it was impossible to hide on one's body.
"I hid it inside the bushes at the confession spot." Lin Li randomly fabricated a decent-sounding excuse.
In reality, it was naturally placed inside the "Universe Ring," and it had even been bought last week.
With the current capacity of the "Universe Ring," storing such a bouquet was completely no problem at all, and it could even perfectly keep it fresh.
This was the meaning of cultivating immortality!
If the manufacturer of the system knew about this in the afterlife, they would be able to smile from the underworld.
"What about the fireworks and drones? Did you book a time in advance to have someone set them off for you from the opposite bank?" Bai Bufan inquired again.
"Of course not. Booking a time makes it way too easy for accidents to happen. There was definitely someone waiting on the opposite bank at all times, only needing a single message from me to begin." Lin Li explained immediately.
"Holy crap, a dedicated person waiting exclusively?" Bai Bufan's eyes widened. "Then how much money did this cost?"
"It was alright. It cost a total of four thousand seven hundred. The drones were a bit expensive, including the operation. Although it was a very simple performance, they still charged over two thousand yuan. As for the fireworks, you get what you pay for. I feel that this one thousand plus yuan was quite worth it. They were indeed beautiful. Having a dedicated person waiting wasn't expensive; it actually just added two hundred……"
Lin Li reported the cost breakdown one by one.
Bai Bufan swallowed a mouthful of saliva, shaking his head as he remarked with emotion: "Holy crap—"
Four thousand seven hundred, for an ordinary high school student, was undisputedly a super massive sum of money.
Bai Bufan's weekly living expenses while boarding at school—excluding weekends—were only two hundred yuan. This money didn't sound like much, but the cafeteria at Nansang School was extremely cheap after subsidies. Charging this money into his meal card for consumption at the cafeteria and school supermarket was completely sufficient under the circumstances of not staying over the weekend, allowing him to live quite comfortably.
But if weekends were included, it would appear tight, though his family would also give him extra.
Yet Lin Li's ten minutes, rounding it off, had directly spent a whole semester's worth of his regular living expenses.
"You son of a gun rich boy, a deplorable thick barrier has already formed between us."
But Lin Li suddenly becoming a tycoon wasn't something Bai Bufan had found out just today, so he didn't question where this money came from either. He merely looked at the night sky and began to remark with emotion:
"I hope that in my next life, the moment I am born, I can smell the scent of expensive skincare products on my mother, hear the hearty laughter of an old money father, and feel the caress of a military grandpa's thick palms."
"Opening my eyes, I'll see a chairman maternal grandfather heading out to work with his secretary, wearing an ancestral jade bracelet from my maternal grandmother's family on his left hand. At this time, a sound comes from my stomach, and the head nurse of a neat, well-trained high-end postpartum care center gently picks me up to feed me in front of a massive floor-to-ceiling window."
"Looking sideways at the skyscrapers in front of me, a noble grandmother speaks lovingly beside me: 'Wealth whispers, my little angel. It looks like you really like that building? Hahaha, darling, you are its owner.'"
Bai Bufan had already entered a fantasy session, imagining this beautiful scenario, and even began to roleplay.
Seeing him so happy, Lin Li added a line with a smile:
"It will come true."
Bai Bufan looked at Lin Li suspiciously. He didn't believe Lin Li was capable of displaying human empathy.
Lin Li finished his words: "Except when nighttime comes, you will also see your family's nanny walking toward you with her newborn child."
Bai Bufan: "?"
(End of Chapter)