Wen Tingxue watched him stand before her, roses in hand, his eyes soft as he asked, "Yiyi, I like you. Will you be my girlfriend?"
At that moment, all other sounds faded away.
Only the breath of the wind remained between them, carrying the unique fragrance of roses.
Beneath the converging lights, Wen Tingxue's eyes reddened as she glared at him, her expression anything but touched.
Yu Wenli frowned slightly, about to ask, when he heard her sharp, almost fierce accusation.
"Confessing is one thing, but do you have to curse yourself?!"
She had been worried sick all the way here!
Yu Wenli:?
"I didn't even have time to change my shoes! It's my birthday today, and not only are you not here to watch the fireworks with me, but you're bullying me like this."
The young girl's lips quivered with grievance, and she complained softly, "You shouldn't play tricks on people like this."
"I'm sorry, I was wrong."
Yu Wenli first pulled the young girl into his embrace, coaxing her gently.
Then, his gaze, sharp and displeased, shot towards Que You.
"What exactly is going on?"
What did she mean by him cursing himself?
When had he ever cursed himself?
He had asked Que You to pick her up, and though there was some deception, it wouldn't be an excuse like this!
Que You, with a pounding heart, stepped forward, "This... this can't be blamed on me. Your girlfriend is angry and doesn't want to talk to you, so I had to find a suitable reason.
"Otherwise, what if she wouldn't come with me? So, I said you... had an accident."
Yu Wenli: ...
Wen Tingxue: ...?
"When did I not want to talk to him? Don't wrong me," the young girl said indignantly.
Que You scoffed, "Didn't you say yourself that he's not worth crying over? Brother Yu isn't watching the fireworks with you, and you're angry, right? Did I misunderstand?"
"You cried?" Yu Wenli asked, full of self-reproach. "Because I didn't watch the fireworks with you?"
Wen Tingxue raised her hand to her forehead, "It's not like that..."
Que You:?
Que You: "Impossible! My ears are fine! You definitely said that."
Wen Tingxue paused, a headache forming, "Yes, but I was talking about Xie Jin Yi, not Yu Wenli."
Que You: ...
So incredibly awkward.
"Ahaha," he tried to laugh loudly to cover up his foolishness.
"Since it's a misunderstanding, you two carry on! Carry on!"
He retreated out of the spotlight and then clapped his hands, egging them on, "Get together! Get together!"
The onlookers, who had been holding their breath, not understanding the situation, joined in, shouting, "Say yes! Say yes!"
After the comical misunderstanding, Yu Wenli looked at her again, his deep, captivating eyes filled with an inexhaustible affection.
It was so mesmerizing that one could easily drown in it.
Wen Tingxue had already considered him her boyfriend. Whether he confessed or not, she had decided on him.
So, how could she possibly refuse?
However, she just wanted to make him wait a little.
He hadn't even accompanied her to watch the fireworks!
Hmph!
Let him worry a bit too.
But, the young girl's heart was soft after all. In less than half a minute, she reached out and took the roses.
Under the bright headlights, she lowered her head to sniff them. Her dark hair cascaded onto the red roses, creating a vivid contrast.
"I'll reluctantly accept."
She tilted her chin up proudly, but the sheer joy in her eyes was impossible to hide.
Yu Wenli smiled and kissed her red lips.
The next second, all the lights went out, and the band started playing again.
To the lively music, Wen Tingxue saw fireflies filling the sky.
"This..."
She looked up in astonishment, seemingly incredulous.
Were there really so many fireflies at this time of year?
Yu Wenli put his arm around her shoulder and asked, "Do you like it?"
"I love it! Did you guys catch them specifically?"
Wen Tingxue's eyes sparkled as she watched the dancing fireflies.
They were truly beautiful.
Their faint glow seemed to burn a hole in the night.
Yu Wenli softly replied, "I'm sorry I couldn't watch the fireworks with you, so I brought you fireflies instead."
"So," Wen Tingxue realized with a sudden understanding, "you guys went to catch fireflies?"
"Yes, there aren't many fireflies this season, so we could only search all over the city while the fireworks were going off."
Meeting the touched gaze of the young girl, Yu Wenli smiled slyly.
"Considering how hard your boyfriend worked, shouldn't your girlfriend reward me with something?"
He subtly tilted his face towards her.
Wen Tingxue shyly hid behind the roses, "There are so many people."
"Is that so..." Yu Wenli sighed with mock disappointment.
His drawn-out tone sounded pitiful.
Wen Tingxue, unable to bear it, stood on tiptoe and kissed him.
"Is that enough?"
Her voice, soft as water, and her blushing cheeks, like rosy clouds, were more alluring than the roses.
"Not enough."
Yu Wenli leaned closer, his eyes deepening.
Wen Tingxue's alarm bells rang as she met his gaze.
"Don't do anything rash, there are people here."
His only response was a dangerously low chuckle.
The young girl's heart raced as she took a step back, "You..."
Before her words could fully land, he snatched the roses from her arms.
His movement was so swift she barely had time to react.
Until the hand holding the roses pressed against her lower back.
The roses completely covered her back, intertwining with her dark hair.
"This is how it's enough."
Accompanying his husky voice was a gentle, lingering kiss.
As the last note faded, Chi Zerui was the first to retreat.
He had reached his limit.
Hao Luoer followed closely behind him, "Are you okay? Do you want..."
"Leave me alone!"
Chi Zerui whispered and flung the words at her. Hao Luoer stood frozen for a moment.
Then, with a desperate surge, she rushed to his side.
"I'm not leaving. I want to be with you, even if you hit or scold me, I'll accept it!"
Her stubbornness was unwavering.
Chi Zerui, unable to do anything about her, could only take her with him in the car.
...
As everyone dispersed, Yu Wenli led the young girl to a tree.
"Now, do you know why I chose to confess here?"
Wen Tingxue ran her hand over the tree trunk and looked up, bathed in the soft moonlight.
"Is this the acacia tree we planted back then?"
"Yes," Yu Wenli reached out and covered her hand. "Actually, the acacia tree has another meaning."
"What?"
As she turned her head, he lowered his head and whispered into her ear in a low, seductive voice, "Secret love."
—Secret love?
So, when they planted the tree, he already...
"Before I met you, I never believed in love at first sight."
He slowly clasped her hand.
"After meeting you, I felt that love at first sight was too shallow."
-
On the way back, Wen Tingxue's intelligence finally returned.
"This isn't right!"
The young girl glared at him, "Why did you choose to confess on my birthday? Are you trying to skip a memorial day!"
This was unbearable!
A birthday was a birthday, and a memorial day was a memorial day!
They absolutely could not be mixed together!
If they had to be mixed, it should only be his!
Yu Wenli chuckled softly, "Look at the time."
"Hmm?" Wen Tingxue suspiciously picked up her phone.
"..." It was almost two o'clock.
That was right, the fireworks started at ten-thirty.
From Wen's home to the outskirts of the city was at least an hour and a half's drive.
So—
"You planned this all along?!"
Even without that comical interruption, she would only have agreed to his confession after midnight.
"Of course."
Yu Wenli hooked his arm around the young girl's slender waist, drawing her into his embrace.
"My Yiyi is so wonderful, how could your brother bear to let you be wronged? Your birthday is your birthday, and your memorial day is your memorial day. Not a single one will be missed."