23. Fireworks

Those who performed at the evening party had to wait until the curtain call before leaving. Pei Huan was sitting backstage on the floor, sipping the milk tea Kang Shi had bought her, when Li Xuan called to ask if she wanted to go to Lingjiang to watch tonight’s fireworks festival. Pei Huan glanced at the time on her phone and said, “I have to wait until the party ends before I can leave. Will I make it in time?”

“Of course. We’ll save a spot for you, just make sure you come,” Li Xuan reminded her over the phone.

“Got it, I’ll head straight over as soon as the party is finished,” Pei Huan agreed.

After hanging up, Kang Shi’s game had just ended. Hearing Pei Huan’s words, he asked, “You’re going to see the fireworks festival?”

“Yes, my classmate called and invited me,” Pei Huan replied truthfully.

“Lingjiang hosts the fireworks festival every year. There’ll be a lot of people, so you have to go early to get a good spot,” Kang Shi explained.

They chatted casually for a while, and Pei Huan learned that Kang Shi was also planning to watch the fireworks at Lingjiang. The two hit it off and agreed to go together after the party.

When the evening ended, Pei Huan went on stage with everyone to join the host in the curtain call, and afterward, she prepared to hail a cab to Lingjiang. Suddenly, Lu Yinghuai walked up beside her. Pei Huan turned her head to glance at him and asked, “Do you want to come with us to see the fireworks festival?”

Lu Feng, hearing this, looked at Lu Yinghuai and hesitated before saying, “Maybe not, senior. My cousin never likes crowded places.”

Pei Huan nodded in understanding after looking at Lu Yinghuai again. Just as she was about to leave, Lu Yinghuai grabbed her wrist.

“I’ll go,” Lu Yinghuai said, his tone carrying a hint of pleading.

Lu Feng’s eyes widened at his cousin’s unusual behavior, unable to fathom what had gotten into him today.

“But, cousin…”

Before he could finish, Lu Yinghuai shot him a cold look, and Lu Feng fell silent.

“Are you sure? It’s very crowded there,” Pei Huan double-checked.

Lu Yinghuai nodded.

Without further hesitation, Pei Huan got into the car with Lu Yinghuai. Kang Shi sat in the front passenger seat, surprised to see Lu Yinghuai joining them.

“It’s rare to see the campus heartthrob at such lively events,” Kang Shi teased.

Lu Yinghuai glanced at him expressionlessly. “You talk too much.”

Unfazed by Lu Yinghuai’s comment, Kang Shi, evidently used to this manner of interaction, turned to chat with the driver instead.

“You’re also heading to Lingjiang for the fireworks festival?” the driver asked as he drove.

“Yes, uncle, is it crowded over there?” Kang Shi inquired.

“Absolutely,” the driver chuckled. “People started saving spots as early as nine o’clock.”

“That’s unbelievable!” Pei Huan exclaimed.

“Well, Lingjiang’s fireworks festival is the year-end highlight. Everyone wants to join the fun,” the driver said.

“Isn’t it gridlocked, then?” Kang Shi asked.

The driver shrugged. “Traffic jams are inevitable. It’ll take a while to get through.”

Pei Huan and Kang Shi chatted with the driver, while Lu Yinghuai sat quietly, gazing out at the nightscape gliding past the window, saying little throughout.

As the taxi reached the stretch of road near Lingjiang, traffic began to snarl. Pei Huan checked the time and saw it was getting late. Seeing the cars blocking the way ahead, she grew anxious and said, “Driver, I’ll get out here—I’m pressed for time.”

Before the driver could respond, Pei Huan had already opened the door and stepped out, followed by Lu Yinghuai. Pei Huan looked toward the location Li Xuan had sent her; the riverside was teeming with people, and just getting through the crowd took considerable effort.

As they moved forward, Lu Yinghuai suddenly grabbed Pei Huan’s wrist and said mildly, “Follow me.”

With that, he quickly led her through the throng. Pei Huan stared at the back of his head, momentarily dazed, her steps guided only by instinct. She looked down at her wrist held by Lu Yinghuai, her heart inexplicably racing several beats faster.

It felt almost as if... they were holding hands.

As they pressed onward and the crowd thinned, Lu Yinghuai picked up his pace, breaking into a light run. The wind lifted the wisps of hair at Pei Huan’s cheeks, and she had no time to tidy her hair as it was tousled by the breeze.

Watching the figure ahead, Pei Huan suddenly broke into a smile.

Those three lines of confession she sang tonight were an impromptu idea, meant to be sung with Lu Yinghuai. Unconsciously, it was as if she were confessing to him, and his expression and gaze at that moment were something she could never forget—even in the years they were apart, she often remembered it.

After a while, she spotted Li Xuan and the others. Li Xuan saw them too and waved, “Over here!”

They joined the group, and Li Xuan made space for Pei Huan. Seeing Lu Yinghuai had come with her, he was a bit surprised. “Lu Yinghuai, you’re here too?”

“Just for the fun,” Lu Yinghuai replied coolly.

Li Xuan didn’t press further, turning to speak with Wang Xun instead.

Surrounded by noise and chatter, Pei Huan didn’t need to turn around to know Lu Yinghuai was standing right behind her, seemingly very close. She looked back and met his deep black eyes; neither of them looked away for a long moment.

“You came just in time, Pei Huan. The fireworks festival is about to start,” Wang Xun suddenly broke their silent gaze.

Pei Huan glanced over calmly and smiled. “Is that so? Then I’m quite lucky.”

She chatted with Li Xuan and Wang Xun, while Lu Yinghuai lowered his eyes, quietly watching Pei Huan. His mind replayed the moment when their gazes met—her clear, luminous eyes—and the lyrics she sang to him tonight. For no reason, his heart stirred restlessly, itching with longing.

Someone in the crowd shouted, “It’s starting!”

Everyone’s eyes turned in the same direction. Not far away, brilliant fireworks burst across the sky. Pei Huan tilted her head to watch, her face radiant with joy. Others recorded the spectacle with their phones.

Lost in thought, Pei Huan instinctively reached out to take Lu Yinghuai’s hand, turned to him, and pointed at the fireworks overhead. “Lu Yinghuai, look—isn’t it beautiful?”

Lu Yinghuai’s gaze shifted from her eyes to the fireworks, and after a while he nodded, “Very beautiful.”

The fireworks were beautiful, and so was she.

Lu Yinghuai stared at his hand held by Pei Huan, momentarily dazed.

After a moment, Pei Huan seemed to realize what she had done, quickly withdrawing her hand as if jolted. Neither said a word, as if their feelings were mutually understood.

The nearby buildings began broadcasting the New Year’s countdown. Everyone joined in, and when the final zero dropped, people along the riverside shouted “Happy New Year!” Li Xuan looked at Pei Huan and smiled, “Happy New Year, Huan-jie.”

“Happy New Year,” Wang Xun chimed in.

Pei Huan returned the greeting, and after the others had turned away, she looked back at Lu Yinghuai, her face glowing with laughter.

“Happy New Year, Lu Yinghuai,” Pei Huan said with a smile.

“Happy New Year, Pei Huan,” Lu Yinghuai replied.

After that night came three days of New Year’s break. Pei Huan spent those days feeling fulfilled; when she returned to school, she wished the holiday could have lasted longer and, drowsy in class, longed to turn back time to New Year’s Eve.

After the New Year’s party, Pei Huan became thoroughly famous at No. 5 High. As she walked the campus paths, people greeted her frequently. Unlike before, now everyone greeted her kindly, without any odd looks.

The performance from the welcome party had been recorded and posted on the school forum, drawing many viewers. The post had accumulated countless replies, and Lu Yinghuai’s legendary moment from that night was also shared. Even girls who hadn’t cared for Lu Yinghuai before were stunned by that photo.

When Pei Huan saw it, she poked Lu Yinghuai and handed him her phone. “This photo makes you look so handsome.”

Lu Yinghuai glanced at it and merely said, “Mm.”

“Why are you so indifferent?” Pei Huan pretended to be dissatisfied.

After a moment’s thought, Lu Yinghuai added, “Mm, very handsome.”

It was the highest praise Lu Yinghuai could offer. Pei Huan didn’t tease him further, saved the photo, and continued browsing the forum.

Yuan Tao and Tao Ranxi watched the two from afar. Tao Ranxi said, “This New Year’s party really put Pei Huan in the spotlight.”

“Definitely,” Yuan Tao agreed, “She’s got the talent for it.”

Tao Ranxi snorted, “Showing off.”

After a few casual remarks, Tao Ranxi said, “You’re in trouble now. Everyone agrees Pei Huan and Lu Yinghuai are a perfect match. If you don’t make a move soon, Lu Yinghuai will really end up with Pei Huan.”

Yuan Tao looked unconcerned. “Let her have him. In the end, I’ll be the one with Lu Yinghuai.”

Tao Ranxi gave her a skeptical look. “Don’t be too confident, or you’ll be in for a hard time.”

“I won’t,” Yuan Tao replied with unwavering confidence.

As the semester’s final exams drew near, this round was set up exactly like the college entrance exams. On hearing this, Pei Huan groaned and began her revision.

The process was grueling, especially with the rapid pace of this semester. Reviewing all those topics was a struggle for Pei Huan.

When the exam was finally over, Pei Huan felt an unprecedented sense of relief. As she packed up to head home, she told Tang Yue, “Finally done. Another semester over.”

“Yeah, this semester was exhausting,” Tang Yue complained.

After packing, Pei Huan glanced at Lu Yinghuai, who was still calmly gathering his things. Thinking that she wouldn’t see him for an entire winter break, she felt a pang of disappointment and went over. “Hey, Lu Yinghuai.”

Lu Yinghuai shot her a look, hinting she should get to the point.

“Will you miss me during the break?” Pei Huan asked.

“No,” Lu Yinghuai replied crisply.

“As your desk mate, won’t you miss me after so long apart?” Pei Huan sounded surprised.

He would.

Lu Yinghuai secretly thought to himself.

But he suddenly felt like teasing Pei Huan, so he said coolly, “No.”

“You’re a bit of a letdown, Lu Yinghuai,” Pei Huan pretended to be disappointed.

Soon after, Pei Huan returned to her usual self, chatting away with Lu Yinghuai. He glanced at her, saying nothing.

Her recovery, as always, was remarkably quick.