The lakeside was cold, but the water was clear, reflecting the myriad lights of the city.
The street vendors’ calls seemed to be scattered by the wind, growing distant and unreal.
But there were many people by the water, lots of them spending New Year’s Eve here. Some had brought fireworks, ready to set them off when the time came.
Ye Xingmian and her companion clearly weren’t among them. They sat on the steps leading to the beach, surrounded by the constant flow of people passing by. Everyone was laughing and joking, as if they had endless energy.
But Liu Yinuo seemed to have remembered something troubling. She stared blankly at the sky, expressionless.
The wind by the water was cold, but Ye Xingmian didn’t voice any complaint. She had a rough idea of what Liu Yinuo was thinking about, but she couldn’t find the words to comfort her, so she simply stayed quietly by her side.
“Did you have fun today?”
Liu Yinuo suddenly spoke up.
Honestly, they hadn’t been out for that long—about three hours or so—and they hadn’t done much, but for Ye Xingmian, everything had been quite novel.
But as for being especially happy… that didn’t seem quite right either…
“Hmm… it was alright…”
Though the candied hawthorn skewer was indeed sweet and delicious. Goldfish scooping was hard, but seeing Liu Yinuo fail to catch one too made her feel happy.
Strolling around felt really nice—cold, sure, but with someone by her side, she didn’t feel lonely, and the bustling atmosphere surrounded them…
“Hmm, no wait—it was really fun!”
Ye Xingmian corrected herself.
Liu Yinuo didn’t react much, just smiled.
“Is that so? Then how about we go out more often?”
“Huh? Is that okay?”
“As long as you’re happy, it’s fine. I also want to… create some good memories with you.”
The atmosphere suddenly turned a bit melancholic.
Ye Xingmian sniffled and replied softly:
“Mm…”
Liu Yinuo took out her phone and glanced at it.
“It’s about time. The fireworks show is about to start.”
“Okay.”
“Are you cold? If you are, you can scoot closer, you know?”
“Huh?”
A tempting offer.
Ye Xingmian was briefly stunned, but she didn’t refuse.
“Are you sure it’s okay?”
“It’s fine. Look, aren’t all those people over there leaning on each other?”
Ye Xingmian took a look, and her face instantly flushed.
Those… all seemed to be couples.
Was this some kind of hint?
Her little heart seemed to start pounding again.
Ye Xingmian stole a glance at Liu Yinuo, who wore her usual calm expression, as if she were merely stating something perfectly normal.
So it was really just out of concern, right? Nothing more to it.
Ye Xingmian carefully scooted closer, and Liu Yinuo directly wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her in. Now they were almost pressed together.
“See? Warmer now?”
Their faces… their faces were almost touching!
Looking at Liu Yinuo so close before her, Ye Xingmian blinked dazedly, then nodded.
“You can come even closer, you know? You can rest your head on my shoulder.”
“N-no… I’m fine…”
“Alright, suit yourself.”
Time passed minute by minute, and finally, the most exciting moment arrived.
Many people stood up with their phones, ready to take pictures.
It was a yearly tradition, but this was Ye Xingmian’s first time participating in person. In the past, she’d only ever watched from outside through that small attic window.
This time was different. She had someone by her side, and this wasn’t the cramped attic—it was a beach packed with people.
As the New Year approached, people around them spontaneously began the countdown.
Starting from sixty seconds, the voices grew until they became an unstoppable wave of sound.
“Ten, nine, eight…”
The atmosphere was truly ignited. Ye Xingmian’s heart began to race, a strong sense of anticipation welling up inside her.
She had a feeling that tonight’s scene would become the most brilliant moment in her memories, one she would never forget.
She dared not move. The warmth of the person beside her suddenly felt scorching hot.
Her nose tingled, and her throat burned.
The countdown ended.
The first firework shot into the sky with a golden flash, a piercing shriek, tracing a dazzling arc before bursting with a bang, scattering countless brilliant colors across the pitch-black canopy of night.
Then came the second, the third…
One after another, densely packed.
Every sound in the world was drowned out. The sky looked like a child’s painting splattered with paint, and the reflections on the lake combined with the countless colors turned the city into daylight.
Liu Yinuo suddenly felt a weight on her shoulder, trembling slightly.
She turned her head and found Ye Xingmian had buried her face into her arm.
She was startled at first, but quickly understood what was happening. A flicker of something crossed her eyes as she pulled a tissue from her pocket.
“Hey? Why are you crying?”
She gently cradled the girl’s face. Crystalline tears reflected the fireworks in brilliant colors, and the girl’s eyes were red-rimmed.
“I’m… I’m not…”
Still putting up a brave front. Anyone could tell she was lying, right?
Liu Yinuo’s eyes dimmed slightly as she slowly wiped away Ye Xingmian’s tears.
The fireworks were too loud, drowning out her voice. Ye Xingmian could barely make it out.
“Feel better now?”
“Mm… I’m sorry…”
“There’s nothing to be sorry about. Were you thinking about home again?”
“Mm… I miss my mom…”
Liu Yinuo had wanted to say:
‘Maybe I can help you get in touch with your mom.’
But in the end, she didn’t say it. Was it some selfish motive at work?
She didn’t know.
Such a memorable moment, and yet they looked so miserable.
Even after the fireworks show ended, Ye Xingmian kept apologizing.
“I’m sorry… I ruined the mood.”
As the crowd dispersed, people gradually left, and the lakeside grew emptier.
Liu Yinuo and the others were still sitting in the same spot. A streetlamp beside them cast a long shadow of Liu Yinuo onto the ground.
Her face was hidden in the shadows, and so were her eyes.
“Alright, alright. Let’s go home.”
She’d originally thought about finding a hotel nearby, but figured it wasn’t worth it. Hailing a cab by the roadside wasn’t that hard.
Liu Yinuo led Ye Xingmian to the roadside, hailed a taxi, and began their journey home.
Behind them, however, a figure quietly emerged.
It was Lin Ziyan. She had secretly watched their entire time together.
She watched Liu Yinuo tease her sister, comfort her, protect and care for her—even witnessing her sister’s most vulnerable moment…
Liu Yinuo had truly given her the best protection.
And herself? She was like a mouse peering at the light, leaving only endless envy and pain in her heart.
Sure enough…
She still couldn’t accept it.
“How was it?”
“It was beautiful. I had a great time.”
On the way back, this conversation took place in the car.
“Yeah, me too. I wish we could come together every year.”
“Well…”
“It’s fine.”
“I’m sorry…”
“What’s wrong?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
“Yinuo, I’m really happy spending time with you.”
“I… me too.”
“So even if it’s an inevitable parting, even if there’s a huge gap between us, we’ll definitely meet again, right?”
“That’s not something we need to talk about now.”
“It’s nothing… I just want to express my gratitude. Meeting you has made me truly, truly happy.”
The girl took the initiative to hold her hand.
It was a rare moment of initiative.
The smile on the girl’s face seemed capable of melting the snow piled by the roadside.
“No matter what lies ahead, at least we have this moment, don’t we?”
It was a pitch-black night.
Yet in a daze, Liu Yinuo seemed to see an angel descending to the mortal world.
She was frozen, only managing a numb nod.
“Mm.”