The first firework eagerly broke free from the ground’s constraints, screeching as it shot toward the deep night sky.
“Whoosh——!”
The silent night sky, in that instant, was suddenly infused with vibrant vitality.
Brilliant golden flames burst open in the dark sky like a huge blooming dandelion. Countless tiny sparks scattered in all directions like seeds blown by the wind, illuminating the entire sky as bright as day and reflecting twinkling lights on the sea.
Then came the second, the third——
“Whoosh——”
“Whoosh——”
“Wow!!!”
“It’s starting! It’s starting!”
“So beautiful——!”
On the beach, the people who had been chatting all stopped their conversations at the same time. They lifted their heads one after another, gazing up at this sudden, grand and dazzling spectacle.
The screams of children, the murmurs of lovers, the laughter of families, and the roar of exploding fireworks all intertwined in that moment, forming a symphony unique to the night of Yunsheng County.
Su Wanli and Meng Wange stood side by side under that Marriage Tree hung full of wooden plaques, quietly watching this grand, seemingly endless, dazzling fireworks display.
The light of the fireworks flickered on and off, casting shifting shadows on their faces.
Su Wanli felt her heart, with each roar, beating violently and uncontrollably in her chest.
She subconsciously turned her head to see what expression Meng Wange had.
Meng Wange was also tilting her head up.
Her profile was illuminated by the warm light from the distant lanterns, glowing with a soft radiance. Those eyes, always clear and indifferent, now reflected the brilliant fireworks across the sky.
The corners of her mouth were also slightly raised, carrying an inexplicable faint contentment.
Meng Wange seemed to notice Su Wanli’s gaze. She lightly turned her head, her voice sounding a bit ethereal amidst the roar of the fireworks.
“Miss Su.”
“How did you find this trip to Yunsheng County?”
“…Huh? Well, the actual experience felt pretty good. I liked it.”
Suddenly caught by Meng Wange’s stare, Su Wanli subconsciously averted her eyes, pretending she had been solely focused on the fireworks in the sky from the very beginning.
“…I see. That’s good.”
Meng Wange responded softly, then fell silent, quietly listening with Su Wanli to the distant explosions of fireworks and the rustling sound of waves hitting the shore.
After an unknown amount of time, the last trace of fireworks reluctantly disappeared into the distant night sky.
The satisfied crowd began to disperse, and all noise returned to silence.
On the beach, only the Marriage Tree rustling in the night wind remained, along with the two girls under it, waiting for something unknown.
The surroundings became very quiet.
So quiet that Su Wanli and Meng Wange could clearly hear each other’s breathing, and the unceasing beating of their hearts in their chests.
“Um, Meng Wange…”
Su Wanli felt her cheeks burning.
She cleared her throat awkwardly, about to find a topic to break the silence.
“Beep beep——”
Just then, an untimely honk suddenly sounded behind them.
“Miss Su, those goods you asked us to prepare—should we start setting them up now?”
Hearing the driver’s call behind her, Su Wanli came back to her senses as if waking from a dream.
She turned to glance at the pink-purple Maybach parked not far away, then looked at the empty beach beside her. As if suddenly remembering something, she slapped her forehead——
‘Oh right! Besides those self-heating hotpots, I brought a ton of travel props and forgot to use them!!’
“You came just in time! Hurry up and help me set up the tent! Put it right next to that tree!”
Under Su Wanli’s direction, the driver and nine waiters in hotel uniforms who appeared out of nowhere quickly set up a spacious luxury camping tent on the beach, large enough for two or three people to lie down in.
Around the tent, they hung a few small night lights emitting warm yellow light, decorating this small space with extra warmth.
After that, they arranged the brand-new sleeping bags Su Wanli bought on Saturday afternoon, power banks enough for a whole night, and all kinds of snacks neatly.
Finally, they also lit a small bonfire in front of the tent and set up the small grill for Su Wanli.
After everything was ready, they retreated very tactfully and silently, returning the quiet beach to the two girls once more.
“…Heh, life is really strange, Miss Su.”
Meng Wange’s voice was especially clear in the silent night.
The warm firelight cast dancing shadows on their cheeks, stretching their silhouettes long.
A gentle sea breeze blew, bringing the smoky aroma of grilled meat.
Su Wanli, who hadn’t slept well to begin with, yawned lazily as she sat on the soft sand, casually flipping skewers of meat coated in sauce over the fire.
“Huh? Strange? What’s strange about it?”
She tore a small piece from a skewer of sizzling pork belly, stuffed it in her mouth, and asked Meng Wange indistinctly.
“What’s strange is that I never imagined there would be a day like this in my life.”
Meng Wange skillfully shook the skewers in her hand to heat them evenly, while gazing at the distant dark sea.
“That I could be like this, camping by the sea with you, eating meat I grilled myself, and looking up at the same starry sky with you.”
“…Huh?”
Su Wanli’s heart stirred slightly.
‘Meng Wange… she’s suddenly starting to get sentimental and nostalgic about the past…’
‘Based on my not-too-short life experience, when someone suddenly starts reflecting on life, it’s either because they encountered something unpleasant, or because they’re feeling especially happy.’
‘And right now, Meng Wange must be starting to feel especially happy!’
Su Wanli pretended to pout dismissively, trying to hide the little smugness in her heart.
“Ha, haha, what’s so special about that?”
“I never thought I’d one day drag a troublesome person like you all the way to Yunsheng County for some festival.”
“Lots of things just happen. No need to make a fuss.”
“Mm, you’re right.”
Meng Wange smiled softly, twirling the bamboo skewers in her fingers.
The meat on them glistened with tempting oil in the firelight.
“Nothing magical. Things just happen. Like Li Yunsheng and Zhang Sheng—people always go through various encounters, then understanding, and finally… the parting that’s bound to come.”
As she spoke, Meng Wange’s voice suddenly became a bit ethereal, as if talking to herself——
“Miss Su, if one day, I…”
“…Huh?”
“No, nothing.”
Meng Wange shook her head, gently steering the topic away without continuing.
However, just then, a hand suddenly shot out from the side.
With a swooshing sound, that hand, with lightning speed, chopped straight toward Meng Wange’s body.
Meng Wange’s eyes instantly sharpened.
She almost instinctively wanted to dodge to the side while raising her hand to block, swatting the hand away.
However, that hand had no intention of attacking.
After being swatted away, it naturally veered in another direction, grabbing a perfectly grilled lamb skewer from the grill.
“…Geez, stop pretending to be so profound all the time. Please, Meng Wange, try to act a bit more like a kid.”
Li Yunsheng said indistinctly while shoving the hot lamb skewer into her mouth.
She walked over to Meng Wange carelessly and gave her shoulder a firm pat.
“Also, I heard you. You and Su Wanli were gossiping about me behind my back again, weren’t you?”
“Just some casual talk, Ms. Li.”
Meng Wange smiled helplessly and gestured toward Su Wanli.
“Miss Su is still thinking about how to help you delay the demolition of that street.”
“…Hmph, I never counted on you. And weren’t you calling me Sister Yunsheng before? Now it’s back to Ms. Li?”
Li Yunsheng curled her lip disdainfully at Meng Wange, then quickly polished off the whole skewer of lamb and casually stabbed the used bamboo stick into the sand beside her.
“Kids should do more childish things. Have dreams appropriate for your age, got it? Don’t keep overthinking nonsense.”
She stood up, patted the grease off her hands, then stretched her arms behind her back with no dignity at all, looking just like a lazy uncle who’s had his fill and is ready to go home to sleep.
“So, do you want to hear my and Zhang Sheng’s lifelong dream?”
Under Su Wanli and Meng Wange’s curious gazes, Li Yunsheng picked up the bamboo stick she had thrown into the sand like trash, and then, like throwing a javelin, she hurled it far toward the lonely trash can at the hotel entrance.
The bamboo stick traced a beautiful arc through the air and then, with a thud, landed steadily in the can.
Li Yunsheng waved at Su Wanli and Meng Wange, then walked straight toward the hotel.
As she walked, she raised her arm high toward the dark night sky behind her, making a victory sign.
“…That is, to turn all bullets into fireworks, and make the world peaceful!”
Su Wanli stared in astonishment at the direction Li Yunsheng had gone, clicking her tongue lightly.
“Wow, saying something like ‘world peace’…”
“I thought talk about hoping for world peace only appeared at the end of elementary school essays. Never thought someone would actually say something like that as their dream…”
“Really? I think it’s a pretty amazing dream.”
“…Hmph, I couldn’t care less whether that weird woman has any amazing dreams. All I know is she stole the skewer I had my eye on. Later I’ll go to the front desk and cut her internet cable, so she can only play solitaire for the rest of her life.”
“…Hey, you little brat, I really heard that this time. You ungrateful high school girl.”
Li Yunsheng’s lazy voice suddenly came from behind them again.
She gave Su Wanli a silent eye roll and dropped a big handful of brand-new wooden plaques on the ground.
“Here, since I won’t need them anymore, I’ll give you the rest. They come in all colors. I don’t need to explain their effects to you, do I?”
“And here, pens. Write whatever you want.”
With that, Li Yunsheng walked back into her hotel without looking back.
Leaving behind a slightly stunned Su Wanli and Meng Wange.
“…This one really does things her own way.”
Su Wanli muttered to herself, then bent down and picked a conspicuous red plaque from the pile of colorful ones.
‘But, a wish? If I really can convince Su Heng to change his mind and let him keep this sea area, then this tree really should thank me properly and work to make my wish come true, right? So, what kind of wish should I make?’
She picked up the marker Li Yunsheng had given her and thought seriously.
‘First, the system’s final reward of twelve billion is definitely a must. That’s the driving force behind all my suffering in this world. After that…’
Su Wanli’s gaze involuntarily drifted to the brown-haired girl beside her, who was lowering her head and writing something seriously on a plaque.
‘…Then, I hope I can keep this relationship with Meng Wange forever. Even though the system always gives me nasty tasks, forcing me to bully her and pick on her, if possible, I hope Meng Wange doesn’t really hate me. And also, I hope the system continues to turn a blind eye like now, so while I complete tasks smoothly, I can still goof around with Meng Wange like today, watch fireworks, and happily eat barbecue together…’
‘…Hey? If I round it up like that, isn’t my wish just “I hope my current life doesn’t change at all”? Making such a simple, plain wish under these circumstances—isn’t that a bit wasteful? Maybe I should make a bigger, more magnificent wish… For example… Make Meng Wange truly fall for me? No no no! That’s way too outrageous. Besides, sooner or later I’ll have to commit even greater evils under the system’s orders. If Meng Wange actually fell for me, she’d basically be diagnosed with Stockholm syndrome.’
Just as Su Wanli was still struggling over what to write, Meng Wange had already put down her pen.
“So…”
She held the finished plaque in her hand, gently blew on the ink that hadn’t dried yet, then lifted her head and smiled as she looked into Su Wanli’s eyes.
“Miss Su, what wish did you make?”
“Huh? How could I tell you that? Wishes won’t come true if you say them out loud, right?”
Su Wanli subconsciously hid the plaque behind her back, then realized she hadn’t written a single word.
“…Mm, you’re right.”
Meng Wange nodded in understanding, then stood up, walked to the Marriage Tree, and carefully hung the plaque with her wish on an extending branch.
“But that’s for personal wishes. According to Ms. Li, there’s also a kind of wish that requires two people to write together.”
Meng Wange took out a plaque from her pocket, an even larger one, also bright red, and smiled as she waved it in front of Su Wanli——
“Miss Su, I have one more wish. I hope that we can continue to maintain our current life together.”
“So, would you be willing to sign your name on this plaque with me?”