The fireworks began.

As soon as they found a spot by the shore, vibrant explosions filled the sky above them. The bursts of color resembled enormous flowers, shooting stars scattering across the night, painting the sky in a dazzling array of colors.

Chu Yi looked up, her eyes wide with wonder and amazement.

Cheers erupted all around them as many people pulled out their phones to take pictures. Qiao Anchen glanced at the fireworks for a few moments before shifting his gaze back to Chu Yi.

She was staring upward with intense focus, as if she were witnessing something extraordinary. The warm orange light from the fireworks highlighted her side profile, her eyes filled with all the colors of the night.

Following her gaze back up to the sky, Qiao Anchen still saw the same scene, but in that moment, he suddenly found the fireworks not so boring after all.

When the event ended, the crowd became even more chaotic as everyone tried to leave at once. Whatever good mood Qiao Anchen had gained instantly shattered when someone stepped on his shoe.

He felt like he was on the verge of losing control.

Chu Yi, sensing the tension radiating from him, quickly composed herself and sped up, hoping to escape the sea of people.

After struggling through the crowd—stepping on five or six people’s shoes, getting bumped several times, and almost dropping her phone once—the two finally made it out to a safe, open area.

Chu Yi was panting slightly, her hair a tangled mess sticking to her forehead. Qiao Anchen took a quick look around, clearly out of patience.

“Should we just head home?”

“Sure,” Chu Yi nodded, not saying much else.

The drive back was unusually silent. Qiao Anchen focused on driving while Chu Yi stared out the passenger window, feeling both physically and mentally drained.

They remained quiet until they arrived home. After stepping inside, Qiao Anchen said he would take a shower first, to which Chu Yi only responded with a nod before collapsing onto the sofa.

… Why does this feel so exhausting?

She wondered.

Back when she was in school, she used to visit Greenshore with Cheng Li and the others. Even though it was crowded, they had fun. But somehow, things felt different when it was with Qiao Anchen.

Chu Yi realized it was probably because Qiao Anchen didn’t enjoy it, and even his unintentional expressions or words were enough to dampen her enthusiasm.

The sofa was soft and comfortable. Chu Yi closed her eyes, drifting into a light sleep.

After the National Day holiday, there wasn’t much activity between them for a long time. They barely exchanged a few words each day, and just like that, autumn quietly passed by, and it was already the first day of winter.

Miss Cheng Li, who had spent the entire autumn and summer being carefree, finally settled down in Lanshan City to prepare for the winter.

Since graduating from college, she hadn’t held a stable job. During her school years, she often posted makeup reviews on Weibo, her comments sharp and fair, and her face perfectly suited for the task. Always keeping up with the latest trends and giving honest recommendations, she had now become a blogger with several hundred thousand followers. A single ad deal could support her for half a year.

Besides…

Cheng Li’s catchphrase was:

“Sigh, if I don’t work hard, I’ll have to go home and inherit the family business.”

Yes, she was undeniably a wealthy second-generation, with more properties in the family than she could count.

Back in her freshman year, she broke up with her first love because he felt inferior about her wealth…

With her current boyfriend away on a business trip, Cheng Li finally remembered her poor little friend, and as the first cold snap hit Lanshan City, she invited Chu Yi out for hotpot.

It had been ages since she had hotpot. Qiao Anchen couldn’t handle spicy food, while Chu Yi was a die-hard spice lover. Plus, they hadn’t known each other long before summer arrived in Lanshan, and hotpot had since disappeared from her life.

Chu Yi had been *really, really* craving that steaming, spicy broth.

The wind outside already had a bitter edge to it, the trees were bare, and the dark sky seemed to be heralding the approach of winter.

Chu Yi tightened her scarf and sweater, stepped into her little boots, and pushed open the door to the hotpot restaurant.

Cheng Li had already ordered the food, and the broth was bubbling, sending steam into the air as she waved joyfully at Chu Yi.

The two had almost identical tastes, so when the waiter brought over pork brain, beef tripe, and tofu, Chu Yi’s mouth began to water.

“I’ve missed this so much.”

“You haven’t had hotpot with your prosecutor husband?” Cheng Li asked while skillfully tossing ingredients into the pot.

Chu Yi shook her head. “Don’t mention him. I don’t want anything to ruin my hotpot mood.”

“Hahaha—” Cheng Li laughed out loud. “Has your married life already become that dull?”

“Not really.” Chu Yi took a sip of watermelon juice, pondering. “It’s just routine, simple.”

“Everything revolves around the three meals a day, just everyday trivial matters, no passion at all.” Chu Yi said as she picked up a piece of beef tripe and crunched down on it.

“You poor thing.” This phrase had practically become Cheng Li’s catchphrase lately. She shook her head, her face full of pity. 

“You didn’t even get to enjoy the honeymoon phase and went straight into the dull marriage stage.”

After the two of them finished a pile of empty plates, the server came to settle the bill, and their eyelid twitched uncontrollably, though they still professionally announced the total.

After paying, Chu Yi linked arms with Cheng Li as they left, quickly planning their post-meal activities.

Trying on clothes, shoes, and bags while praising each other, they managed to cover almost the entire street. With some room left in their stomachs, they held cups of milk tea and headed home.