Chapter 287: Firework Festival

Li Yunsheng turned around and casually flicked the cigarette, already burned down to the filter, onto the sand beneath her feet.

She crushed it with the tip of her shoe before tugging the corner of her mouth into a faint smile at Su Wanli and Meng Wange.

“Originally, I thought I could at least protect this tree, and this fireworks festival. I thought I could hold on to this tiny piece of what she left behind. But as you’ve seen, fewer and fewer tourists come here every year, and everyone around here is eager for change. They all want a better life.”

She raised her head and looked toward the brightly lit old street in the distance—a street that had long since lost its former prosperity. A trace of melancholy flickered across her eyes.

“The Su family finalized plans to redevelop this area a long time ago. They’ve spent a fortune promoting it. I don’t understand all those terms they throw around—’commercial ecosystems,’ ‘regional integration,’ and whatever else. But I do know one thing.”

She paused.

“Everything here. The beach beneath our feet. Those old buildings over there. This tree…”

“Everything I once had…”

“…is going to be torn down.”

“At first, there were still a few people willing to stand with me. They thought this quiet little place was fine just the way it was. But later, the compensation offered by the Su family became better and better. Naturally, fewer and fewer people wanted to oppose the project.”

“In the end…”

“Only a handful of families remained.”

“No…”

Li Yunsheng lightly touched her chin.

“To be honest, if we’re talking about people who genuinely oppose the redevelopment, it’s probably only my family now.”

She chuckled softly.

“I don’t really want to become some stubborn holdout who blocks everyone else from getting rich. That wouldn’t be fair to the townsfolk. Once we’ve finished these last two or three fireworks festivals and used up all the fireworks Zhang Sheng left behind, I think I’ll finally be able to accept their offer without regrets.”

She turned away, seemingly trying to hide the loneliness in her eyes. After clearing her throat twice, she gently patted the giant tree beside her.

“Sigh… I don’t even know when this tree grew so big. When the time comes, moving it somewhere else is probably going to cost me a fortune.”

Dusk gradually deepened.

A sea breeze drifted through the branches, stirring the countless wooden wish plaques hanging from the tree. They knocked softly against one another, producing a rustling sound that resembled a long, quiet sigh.

After listening to Li Yunsheng’s confession, Su Wanli found her emotions in turmoil.

Did her father’s business plan really have to bring an abrupt end to the peaceful lives here?

But at the same time, Yunsheng County’s decline was an undeniable reality. It wasn’t as though refusing redevelopment would magically solve that problem.

Ugh… my head hurts.

If it were Meng Wange…

What would she choose?

Almost instinctively, Su Wanli glanced toward the girl beside her.

Meng Wange merely smiled and gently shook her head. Then she extended a finger and lightly tapped the spot above Su Wanli’s heart.

“…”

So she wants me to decide?

Tch.

If I were actually capable of figuring out problems like this, then this future heroine would have a much easier life ahead of her.

Su Wanli silently gritted her teeth and rubbed her forehead.

The events of the day flashed through her mind one by one.

The bracelet shop.

The seafood noodle restaurant.

The mask festival.

And the fireworks display that was about to begin.

Not every moment had been pleasant.

But still…

Su Wanli simply couldn’t bear the thought of something that carried such beautiful memories between two people being crushed beneath her family’s bulldozers right before her eyes.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward.

A confident smile spread across her face as she looked directly into Li Yunsheng’s eyes.

“Hey. Seriously, I thought this was going to be something much bigger.”

“Li Yunsheng.”

“Don’t worry.”

“I won’t let this tree fall.”

“…Oh?”

Li Yunsheng raised an eyebrow.

The woman who had been trapped in her memories a moment ago suddenly returned to being the carefree and cynical innkeeper she had been at the beginning.

“Really? Then I suppose I should thank you.”

She grinned.

“So, are you planning to invest in my little inn, Miss Student? Maybe buy that bloodstained bedsheet you ruined?”

Before Su Wanli could explode in annoyance, Meng Wange—who had remained quietly listening the entire time—let out a soft laugh.

“That reminds me, Ms. Li.”

“I don’t believe I’ve properly introduced my friend to you.”

She stepped forward and naturally took her place beside Su Wanli.

Then, with graceful elegance, Meng Wange bent at the waist and performed a servant’s bow toward her companion.

“Her surname is Su. Her name is Su Wanli.”

“And she also happens to be the only daughter of the Su family, the foremost aristocratic family in Nancheng.”

“The future sole heir of the Su Group.”

This time, it was Li Yunsheng’s turn to stare.

The laziness and casual amusement vanished from her face.

In their place appeared a complicated expression of pure disbelief.

Slowly—

Almost mechanically—

She turned her head to look at Meng Wange, who stood there in her black outfit.

A silence stretched between them.

Ten seconds.

Yet it felt like an entire century.

Finally, Li Yunsheng recovered her voice.

“Uh… wow.”

She scratched her head.

“Didn’t see that coming at all, Meng Wange.”

“So you’re actually a sugar baby?”

“…THAT IS ABSOLUTELY NOT THE POINT!”

A vein bulged on Su Wanli’s forehead.

“What I’m saying is that I’m the Su family’s only daughter! If you want, I can actually try to help you!”

“…Really?”

Li Yunsheng’s expression gradually turned teasing once again.

“Heh.”

“I know most of the girls at Baiying Academy come from wealthy families, so I was somewhat prepared.”

“But even if you really are the Su family’s young miss, this isn’t something you can decide by yourself.”

“And honestly…”

She shrugged.

“Even I think I’ve held on long enough.”

“Being redeveloped by the Su family isn’t actually a bad thing.”

“We get compensated.”

“We can open a new shop in a better location.”

“And Yunsheng County gets a chance to improve.”

“For almost everyone involved, it’s a good outcome.”

Without taking out another cigarette, Li Yunsheng stepped onto the wooden crate beneath the tree and rehung the plaque bearing their names onto a high branch.

“Su Wanli. Meng Wange.”

“I’m not going to say something stupid like, ‘This is adult business, children shouldn’t interfere.'”

“I’m not exactly a mature adult myself.”

“Yes, there was a time when I wanted to protect this place no matter what. This tree. The fireworks festival. Everything.”

“But reality is reality.”

“If I keep struggling like this…”

She laughed softly.

“I’ll starve to death before I save anything.”

After hanging the plaque, she climbed down from the tree and let out a quiet sigh.

From her pocket, she produced a lighter.

“So let’s just watch the fireworks.”

“People from Yunsheng have seen these designs so many times that they’re nothing special anymore.”

“But for first-time visitors like you two, I’m sure they’ll still be worth watching.”

She jerked her chin toward several empty beach chairs nearby.

“Though don’t bother going over to the pavilion.”

“Too crowded. Too smoky.”

“Here’s a secret.”

“The best place to watch fireworks…”

“…is right beside this tree.”

Her gaze settled on the plain wooden crate beneath it.

For the first time, her eyes became unbelievably gentle.

“This…”

“…was where Zhang Sheng and I used to watch them together.”

With that, she smiled and waved to Su Wanli and Meng Wange.

Then she turned and headed toward the wooden fence erected along the beach.

“Hm? Sister Yunsheng, you’re starting already? Isn’t the show supposed to begin in another half hour?”

“I’m in a good mood today.”

“I feel like setting off some of my stock early.”

The next moment—

A shrill whistle pierced the night sky.

A brilliant firework shot upward, streaking across the darkness before exploding over the sea in a dazzling bloom of light.